Search results for "Biomolecule"
showing 10 items of 666 documents
Photochemical holes under pressure: Compressibility and volume fluctuations of a protein
1991
From the pressure induced frequency shift of photochemical holes burnt into mesomorphyrin substituted horseradish peroxidase, we determined the compressibility of the protein and the vacuum frequency of the chromophore. From the compressibility, an estimation of the volume fluctuations of the biomolecule is possible.
Label-Free Detection of Protein-Ligand Interactions by the Quartz Crystal Microbalance
2005
In recent years the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been accepted as a powerful technique to monitor adsorption processes at interfaces in different chemical and biological research areas. In the last decade, the investigation of adsorption of biomolecules on functionalized surfaces turned out to be one of the paramount applications of the QCM comprising the interaction of nucleic acids, specific molecular recognition of protein-receptor couples, and antigen-antibody reactions realized in immunosensors. The advantage of the QCM technique is that it allows for a label free detection of molecules. This is a result of the fact that the frequency response of the quartz resonator is propor…
Function of biomolecules as a probe for studying the effects of organic co-solvents on their conformations
1980
Abstract Conformation changes associated with the function of biomolecules can bring out variations of the extent and specific structure of their hydrophobic areas exposed to solvent, with consequent local rearrangements of the solvent. This is one of the channels through which the solvent exerts its role in the functional equilibria of biomolecules. The function of biological macromolecules in perturbed aqueous solvent can therefore be a suitable probe for studying the response of macromolecule-solvent systems to perturbations caused by organic co-solvents. We shall discussed the effects that the presence of some monohydric alcohols and some amides in the aqueous medium have on some thermo…
Role of pH in the synthesis and growth of gold nanoparticles using L-asparagine: a combined experimental and simulation study
2020
Abstract The use of biomolecules as capping and reducing agents in the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles constitutes a promising framework to achieve desired functional properties with minimal toxicity. The system’s complexity and the large number of variables involved represent a challenge for theoretical and experimental investigations aiming at devising precise synthesis protocols. In this work, we use L-asparagine (Asn), an amino acid building block of large biomolecular systems, to synthesise gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in aqueous solution at controlled pH. The use of Asn offers a primary system that allows us to understand the role of biomolecules in synthesising metallic nanoparticl…
Introduction to the microsymposium and on the modulation of thermodynamic parameters relative to biomolecule-solvent interactions
1980
Abstract As a result of introducing a macromolecule in a solvent, changes in the structures of both solute and solvent are generally found. In this specific meaning we refer here to ‘relaxation phenomena’. The discussion will either concern or keep in a view the case of biomolecules and to which extent these changes are involved in their thermodynamic stability or functional structure: Dr. Ben-Naim will discuss hydrophobic interactions and structural changes in the solvent; Dr. Wen will focus on thermodynamic properties of aqueous solutions on hydrophobic solutes; Dr. Cordone, Dr. Fornili and myself shall discuss results of experiments concerning solutes on several types(proteins, polynucle…
Simulation and theory of fluid demixing and interfacial tension of mixtures of colloids and nonideal polymers.
2005
An extension of the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij model of hard sphere colloids and non-adsorbing polymers, that takes polymer non-ideality into account through a repulsive stepfunction pair potential between polymers, is studied with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory. Simulation results validate previous theoretical findings for the shift of the bulk fluid demixing binodal upon increasing strength of polymer-polymer repulsion, promoting the tendency to mix. For increasing strength of the polymer-polymer repulsion, simulation and theory consistently predict the interfacial tension of the free colloidal liquid-gas interface to decrease significantly for fixed colloi…
ChemInform Abstract: Carbohydrate Nanocarriers in Biomedical Applications: Functionalization and Construction
2015
The specific targeting of either tumor cells or immune cells in vivo by carefully designed and appropriately surface-functionalized nanocarriers may become an effective therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. Carbohydrates, which are prominent biomolecules, have shown their outstanding ability in balancing the biocompatibility, stability, biodegradability, and functionality of nanocarriers. The recent applications of sugar (mono/oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides) for the development of nanomedicines are summarized in this review, including the application of carbohydrates for the surface-functionalization of various nanocarriers and for the construction of the nanocarrier its…
Interactions of organotins with biological systems
1992
The bonding and structure in the environments of tin atoms in organotin-biological molecules has been investigated by 119Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy, mainly through the rationalization of the nuclear quadrupole splitting parameter by pointcharge model approaches. Organotin moieties R2SnIV and R3SnIV (R = Me, nBu, Ph) generally assume trigonal-bipyramidal type configurations in membranes of human erythrocytes, when incubated with whole erythrocytes and erythrocyte ghosts at the level of micromolar (μmol dm−3) organotin per mg of membrane protein. Corresponding structures are assumed by Me2SnIV and Me3SnIV in the cytoplasm. Ethanolic Me2SnCl2 yielded distorted trans-octahedral species when reac…
Solvating, manipulating, damaging, and repairing DNA in a computer
2006
This work highlights four different topics in modeling of DNA: (i) the importance of water and ions together with the structure and function of DNA; the hydration structure around the ions appears to be the determining factor in the ion coordination to DNA, as demonstrated in the results of our MD simulations; (ii) how MD simulations can be used to simulate single molecule manipulation experiments as a complement to reveal the structural dynamics of the studied biomolecules; (iii) how damaged DNA can be studied in computer simulations; and (iv) how repair of damaged DNA can be studied theoretically. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007
Biophysical approaches for the study of metal-protein interactions
2019
Protein-protein interactions play important roles for a variety of cell functions, often involving metal ions; in fact, metal-ion binding mediates and regulates the activity of a wide range of biomolecules. Enlightening all of the specific features of metal-protein and metal-mediated protein-protein interactions can be a very challenging task; a detailed knowledge of the thermodynamic and spectroscopic parameters and the structural changes of the protein is normally required. For this purpose, many experimental techniques are employed, embracing all fields of Analytical and Bioinorganic Chemistry. In addition, the use of peptide models, reproducing the primary sequence of the metal-binding …