ELECTROCHEMICAL CONTROLLED-RELEASE OF ADENOSINE-TRIPHOSPHATE

Polypyrrole (PPy) film was synthesized by anodic polymerization of pyrrole onto the surface of platinum electrode in the solution of sodium p-toluene sulfonate (NaTsO). When this film was oxidized anodically in an aqueous solution of adenosine triphosphatle (ATP), the ATP anions were incorporated into the film. Release of ATP From the film could be accomplished by reduction of the film in aqueous electrolyte solution. The total amount of ATP released from the film was determined by UV spectroscopic method.

Enzyme Colorimetric Assay Using Unmodified Silver Nanoparticles

Colorimetric assay based on the unique surface plasmon resonance properties of metallic nanoparticles has received considerable attention in bioassay due to its simplicity, high sensitivity, and low cost. Most of colorimetric methods previously reported employed gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as sensing elements. In this work, we develop a sensitive, selective, simple, and label-free colorimetric assay using unmodified silver nanoparticle (AgNP) probes to detect enzymatic reactions. Enzymatic reactions concerning adenosine triphosphate (ATP) dephosphorylation by calf intestine alkaline phosphatase (CLAP) and peptide phosphorylation by protein kinase A (PKA) were studied.

Multifunctional label-free electrochemical biosensor based on an integrated aptamer

Aptamers, which are in vitro selected functional oligonucleotides, have been employed to design novel biosensors (i.e., aptasensors) due to their inherent selectivity, affinity, and their multifarious advantages over traditional recognition elements. In this work, we reported a multifunctional reusable label-free electrochemical biosensor based on an integrated aptamer for parallel detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and alpha-thrombin, by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). A An electrode as the sensing surface was modified with a part DNA duplex which contained a 5'-thiolated partly complementary strand (PCS) and a mixed aptamer (MBA).

Adaptive evolution of energy metabolism genes and the origin of flight in bats

Bat flight poses intriguing questions about how flight independently developed in mammals. Flight is among the most energy-consuming activities. Thus, we deduced that changes in energy metabolism must be a primary factor in the origin of flight in bats. The respiratory chain of the mitochondrial produces 95% of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) needed for locomotion. Because the respiratory chain has a dual genetic foundation, with genes encoded by both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, we examined both genomes to gain insights into the evolution of flight within mammals. Evidence for positive selection was detected in 23.08% of the mitochondrial-encoded and 4.90% of nuclear-encoded oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes, but in only 2.25% of the nuclear-encoded nonrespiratory genes that function in mitochondria or 1.005% of other nuclear genes in bats. To address the caveat that the two available bat genomes are of only draft quality, we resequenced 77 OXPHOS genes from four species of bats. The analysis of the resequenced gene data are in agreement with our conclusion that a significantly higher proportion of genes involved in energy metabolism, compared with background genes, show evidence of adaptive evolution specific on the common ancestral bat lineage. Both mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded OXPHOS genes display evidence of adaptive evolution along the common ancestral branch of bats, supporting our hypothesis that genes involved in energy metabolism were targets of natural selection and allowed adaptation to the huge change in energy demand that were required during the origin of flight.

Intercellular calcium wave propagation in linear and circuit-like bone cell networks

In the present study, the mechanism of intercellular calcium wave propagation in bone cell networks was identified. By using micro-contact printing and self-assembled monolayer technologies, two types of in vitro bone cell networks were constructed: open-ended linear chains and looped hexagonal networks with precisely controlled intercellular distances. Intracellular calcium responses of the cells were recorded and analysed when a single cell in the network was mechanically stimulated by nano-indentation. The looped cell network was shown to be more efficient than the linear pattern in transferring calcium signals from cell to cell. This phenomenon was further examined by pathway-inhibition studies. Intercellular calcium wave propagation was significantly impeded when extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the medium was hydrolysed. Chemical uncoupling of gap junctions, however, did not significantly decrease the transferred distance of the calcium wave in the cell networks. Thus, it is extracellular ATP diffusion, rather than molecular transport through gap junctions, that dominantly mediates the transmission of mechanically elicited intercellular calcium waves in bone cells. The inhibition studies also demonstrated that the mechanical stimulation-induced calcium responses required extracellular calcium influx, whereas the ATP-elicited calcium wave relied on calcium release from the calcium store of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Au nanoparticles grafted sandwich platform used amplified small molecule electrochemical aptasensor

We report a sensitively amplified electrochemical aptasensor using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a model. ATP is a multifunctional nucleotide thatis most important as a "molecular currency" of intracellular energy transfer. In the sensing process, duplexes consisting of partly complementary strand (PCS1), ATP aptamer (ABA) and another partly complementary strand (PCS2) were immobilized onto Au electrode through the 5'-HS on the PCS1. Meanwhile, PCS2 was grafted with the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) to amplify the detection signals. In the absence of ATP, probe methylene blue (MB) bound to the DNA duplexes and also bound to guanine bases specifically to produce a strong differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signal. But when ATP exists, the ABA-PCS2 or ABA-PCS1 part duplexes might be destroyed, which decreased the amount of MB on the electrode and led to obviously decreased DPV signal.

64通道一维位置灵敏电流分布探测器及其数据获取系统；A 64-Channel Position Sensitive Current Distribution Detector with Data Acquisition System

针对高流强粒子束与绝缘毛细管相互作用的特点,设计制作了一套64通道一维位置灵敏电流分布探测器及其配套的数据获取系统,该探测器可分辨最小直径为1mm的束斑,通过数据获取系统可实现可视化自动数据采集。用2nA和200—2000eV电子对探测器进行了定标,并用10μA和2000eV的电子束穿越锥形毛细管后的出射电子,对探测器及数据获取系统进行测试,获得了出射粒子的位置分布谱及能量信息。

Methylene blue as an indicator for sensitive electrochemical detection of adenosine based on aptamer switch

In this paper, a simple, label-free and regenerative method was proposed to study the interaction between aptamer and small molecule by using methylene blue (MB+) as an electrochemical indicator. A thiolated capture probe containing twelve bases was firstly self-assembled on gold electrode by gold-sulfur affinity. Aptamer probe containing thirty two bases, which was designed to hybridize with capture DNA sequence and specifically recognize adenosine, was then immobilized on the electrode surface by hybridization reaction. MB+ was abundantly adsorbed on the aptamer probe by the specific interaction between MB+ and guanine base in aptamer probe. MB+-anchored aptamer probe can be forced to dissociate from the sensing interface after adenosine triggered structure switching of the aptamer. The peak current of MB+ linearly decreased with the concentration of adenosine over a range of 2 x 10 (8)- x 10 (6) M with a detection limit of 1 x 10 (8) M. In addition, we examined the selectivity of this electrochemical biosensor for cytidine, uridine and guanosine that belonged to the nucleosides family and possessed 1 similar structure with adenosine.

ELECTROCHEMICALLY CONTROLLED RELEASE OF ADENOSINE 5'-TRIPHOSPHATE FROM POLYPYRROLE FILM

Polypyrrole (PPy) film is synthesized by anodic polymerization of pyrrole onto the surface of a platinum electrode in the presence of toluene-p-sulfonate and the film is used for the controlled release of the neurotransmitter, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP).

Effect of entrance-channel asymmetry on the isospin dependence of nucleon emission in heavy ion collisions

Using the isospin- and momentum-dependent hadronic transport model 1BUU04, we have investigated the influence of the entrance-channel isospin asymmetry on the sensitivity of the pre-equilibrium neutron/proton ratio to symmetry energy in central heavy-ion collisions induced by high-energy radioactive beams. Our analysis and discussion are based on the dynamical simulations of the three isotopic reaction Systems Sn-132+Sn-124, Sn-124+Sn-112 and Sn-112+(112)Su which are of the same total proton number but, different isospin asymmetry. We find that, the kinetic-energy distributions of the pre-equilibrium neutron/proton ratio are quite sensitive to the density-dependence of symmetry energy at incident beam energy E/A = 400 MeV, and the sensitivity increases as the isospin asymmetry of the reaction system increases.

Restoration of the signals from multi-hit three-layer delay-line anode position-sensitive detector

Multi-hit 3-layer delay-line anode (Hexanode) has an increased ability to detect multi-hit events in a collision experiment. Coupled with a pair of micro-channel plates, it can provide position information of the particles even if the particles arrive at the same time or within small time dwell. But it suffers from some ambiguous outputs and signal losses due to timing order and triggering thresholds etc. We have developed a signal reconstruction program to correct those events. After the program correction, the dead time only exists when 2 paxticles arrive at the same time and the same position within a much smaller range. With the combination of Hexanode and the program, the experimental efficiencies will be greatly improved in near threshold double ionization on He collisions.

Reusable, label-free electrochemical aptasensor for sensitive detection of small molecules

We report a sensitive electrochemical aptasensor for adenosine based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, which gives not only a label-free but also a reusable platform to make the detection of small molecules simple and convenient.

Ion-channel sensing of ferricyanide anion based on a supported bilayer lipid membrane

Ferricyanide anion has usually been used as a marker of ion-channel sensors. In this work we first found that ferricyanide, itself, can act as a stimulus to regulate the permeability of sBLM prepared from didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (a kind of synthetic lipid) on a GC electrode. We used cyclic voltammetry and a.c. impedance to investigate this phenomenon. The interaction between sBLM and ferricyanide concerns time. Furthermore, we developed a sensor for ferricyanide anion. The ion-channel sensor is highly sensitive. It can detect ferricyanide concentration as low as 5 muM.