Search results for "Macromolecular Substance"

Negative staining and cryo-negative staining of macromolecules and viruses for TEM

2011

In this review we cover the technical background to negative staining of biomolecules and viruses, and then expand upon the different possibilities and limitations. Topics range from conventional air-dry negative staining of samples adsorbed to carbon support films, the variant termed the "negative staining-carbon film" technique and negative staining of samples spread across the holes of holey-carbon support films, to a consideration of dynamic/time-dependent negative staining. For each of these approaches examples of attainable data are given. The cryo-negative staining technique for the specimen preparation of frozen-hydrated/vitrified samples is also presented. A detailed protocol to su…

Onco-fetal/laminin-binding collagen from colon carcinoma: detection of new sequences.

1995

We have recently identified an oncofetal-laminin binding collagen (OF/LB) composed of three alpha chains, with the apparent molecular mass of about 100 kDa each, but bearing different pI. One of the chains appears markedly acidic in a bidimensional electrophoretic system, where the NEPHGE is used as first dimension separating gel, while the two more basic chains have similar migration as alpha 1(III) and alpha 1(I) collagen chains, respectively. Sequence analyses have been performed on CNBr-peptides, derived from pepsinized triple helical molecules and on tryptic fragments obtained after in gel digestion of the acidic band. The research of sequence homology with computerized databases indic…

Complete cDNA sequence coding for the MHC class II RT1.B alpha chain of the Lewis rat.

1989

Scrutiny of the Failure of Lipid Membranes As A Function of Headgroups, Chain Length, and Lamellarity Measured by Scanning Force Microscopy

2004

AbstractA fast, quantitative, and unambiguous screening of material properties of biomembranes using scanning force microscopy in pulsed force mode on lipid membranes is presented. The spatially resolved study of breakthrough force, breakthrough distance, adhesion, stiffness, and topography of lipid membranes as determined simultaneously by digitalized pulsed force mode provides new insight into the structure-function relationship of model membranes, which are systematically analyzed by varying chain length, lipid headgroup, and lamellarity. For this purpose, a novel unbiased analysis method is presented. A strong correlation between adhesion and breakthrough events is found on lipid bilaye…

Partitioning of Pyrene-Labeled Phospho- and Sphingolipids between Ordered and Disordered Bilayer Domains

2004

AbstractHere we have studied how the length of the pyrene-labeled acyl chain (n) of a phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, or galactosylceramide affects the partitioning of these lipids between 1), gel and fluid domains coexisting in bovine brain sphingomyelin (BB-SM) or BB-SM/spin-labeled phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayers or 2), between liquid-disordered and liquid-ordered domains in BB-SM/spin-labeled PC/cholesterol bilayers. The partitioning behavior was deduced either from modeling of pyrene excimer/monomer ratio versus temperature plots, or from quenching of the pyrene monomer fluorescence by spin-labeled PC. New methods were developed to model excimer formation and pyrene lipid quenchi…

A Functionalized Noncovalent Macrocyclic Multiporphyrin Assembly from a Dizinc(II) Bis-Porphyrin Receptor and a Free-Base Dipyridylporphyrin

2003

The bis-porphyrin system ZnP 2 , in which two zinc porphyrins are connected by a phenanthroline linker in an oblique fashion, acts as a bifunctional receptor towards the complexation of free-base meso-5,10-bis(4'-pyridyl)-15,20-diphenylporphyrin (4'-cisDPyP). In solution, NMR spectroscopy evidenced quantitative formation of the tris-porphyrin macrocyclic assembly ZnP 2 (4'-cisDPyP), in which the two fragments are held together by two axial 4'-N(pyridyl)-Zn interactions. The remarkable stability of the edifice (an association constant of about 6 x 10 8 M - 1 was determined by UV/Vis absorption and emission titration experiments in toluene) is due to the almost perfect geometrical match betwe…

The Largest Synthetic Structure with Molecular Precision: Towards a Molecular Object

2010

Pushing the limits: A 200A - 10 Da structurally defined, linear macromolecule (PG5) has a molar mass, cross-section dimension, and cylindrical shape that are comparable to some naturally occurring objects, such as amyloid fibrils or certain plant viruses. The macromolecule is resistant against flattening out on a surface; the picture shows PG5 embracing the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).

Supramolecular assembly of functional peptide-polymer conjugates.

2019

The following review gives an overview about synthetic peptide-polymer conjugates as macromolecular building blocks and their self-assembly into a variety of supramolecular architectures, from supramolecular polymer chains, to anisotropic 1D arrays, 2D layers, and more complex 3D networks. A selection of recent literature examples using linear, coiled-coil and cyclic peptide motifs is provided. The reversible nature of the unimer-to-supramolecular polymer transition provides unique opportunities to investigate mechanistic aspects of the supramolecular assembly, with respect to the thermodynamic or kinetic parameters and furthermore provides exciting opportunities for non-equilibrium assembl…

Neuroglobin and Other Hexacoordinated Hemoglobins Show a Weak Temperature Dependence of Oxygen Binding

2004

AbstractMouse and human neuroglobins, as well as the hemoglobins from Drosophila melanogaster and Arabidopsis thaliana, were recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, and their ligand-binding properties were studied versus temperature. These globins have a common feature of being hexacoordinated (via the distal histidine) under deoxy conditions, as evidenced by a large amplitude for the alpha absorption band at 560nm and the Soret band at 426nm. The transition from the hexacoordinated form to the CO bound species is slow, as expected for a replacement reaction Fe-His → Fe → FeCO. The intrinsic binding rates would indicate a high oxygen affinity for the pentacoordinated form, due to rapid…

Cooperative Transition in the Conformation of 24-Mer Tarantula Hemocyanin upon Oxygen Binding

2005

Hemocyanins are large respiratory proteins of arthropods and mollusks, which bind oxygen with very high cooperativity. Here, we investigated the relationship between oxygen binding and structural changes of the 24-mer tarantula hemocyanin. Oxygen binding of the hemocyanin was detected following the fluorescence intensity of the intrinsic tryptophans. Under the same conditions, structural changes were monitored by the non-covalently bound fluorescence probe Prodan (6-propionyl-2-(dimethylamino)-naphthalene), which is very sensitive to its surroundings. Upon oxygen binding of the hemocyanin a red shift of 5 nm in the emission maximum of the label was observed. A comparison of oxygen binding c…