Enantiomeric Recognition by Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Using Hydrophobic Interactions

Molecularly imprinted polymers prepared using acrylamide as the hydrogen bonding functional monomer exhibited good enantiomeric recognition properties in aqueous solutions. Our results indicate that the recognition improved with increased mobile phase water percentage and ionic strength, and was also very much pH dependent upon the ionisation properties of the sample molecules. The results can be interpreted in terms of specific hydrophobic interactions between the enantiomeric species and the recognition sites of imprinted polymers. A study of substrate selectivity showed differences between a pure organic system and a water/organic system as the mobile phases. The hydrophobicity of the test compounds was found to be an important parameter in determining the selectivity.

Positive interactions in communities

Current concepts of the role of interspecific interactions in communities have been shaped by a profusion of experimental studies of interspecific competition over the past few decades. Evidence for the importance of positive interactions — facilitations — in community organization and dynamics has accrued to the point where it warrants formal inclusion into community ecology theory, as it has been in evolutionary biology.

Interactions Between Exogenous Rare Earth Elements and Phosphorus Leaching in Packed Soil Columns

Through leaching experiments and simulated rainfall experiments, characteristics of vertical leaching of exogenous rare earth elements (REEs) and phosphorus (P) and their losses with surface runoff during simulated rainfall in different types of soils (terra nera soil, cinnamon soil, red soil, loess soil, and purple soil) were investigated. Results of the leaching experiments showed that vertical transports of REEs and P were relatively low, with transport depths less than 6 cm. The vertical leaching rates of REEs and P in the different soils followed the order of purple soil > terra nera soil > red soil > cinnamon soil > loess soil. Results of the simulated rainfall experiments (83 mm h(-1)) revealed that more than 92% of REEs and P transported with soil particles in runoff. The loss rates of REEs and P in surface runoff in the different soil types were in the order of loess soil > terra nera soil > cinnamon soil > red soil > purple soil. The total amounts of losses of REEs and P in runoff were significantly correlated.

Effects of pH on the Interactions and Conformation of Bovine Serum Albumin: Comparison between Chemical Force Microscopy and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

The conformation of bovine serum albumin (BSA), as well as its interactions with negatively charged mica surfaces in saline solutions of different pH values, have been studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and chemical force microscopy (CFM), respectively. A new approach to extract the contribution of elementary interactions from the statistically averaged force-extension curves through self-consistent fitting was proposed and used to understand the effects of pH on the interactions and conformation of BSA in saline solutions. When pH increases, the SANS results reveal that the sizes of BSA molecules increase slightly, while the statistical analysis of the CFM results shows that the averaged pull-off force for the elongation monotonously decreases. The decrease of pull-off force with the increase of pH results from the decrease in the strength of hydrogen bonding and the number of interaction pairs, as well as the slight increase of the strength of van der Waals interaction. When pH approaches the isoelectric point (pI) of BSA, results from both SANS and CFM suggest a loss of long-range interactions in BSA molecules. Our results also suggest that the force-extension curve is mainly contributed by the van der Waals interaction. The combination of SANS and CFM provides new insight to understand the interactions and conformation of BSA molecules

Gold nanoparticle-based surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopic assay for the detection of protein-protein interactions

In the present work, a sensitive spectroscopic assay based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using gold nanoparticles as substrates was developed for the rapid detection protein-protein interactions. Detection is achieved by specific binding biotin-modification antibodies with protein-stabilized 30 nm gold nanoparticles, followed by the attachment of avidin-modification Raman-active dyes. As a proof-of-principle experiment, a well-known biomolecular recognition system, IgG with protein A, was chosen to establish this new spectroscopic assay. Highly selective recognition of IgG down to 1 ng/ml in solution has been demonstrated.

Interactions of mitoxantrone with duplex and triplex DNA studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

We have examined interactions between mitoxantrone (MXT) and DNA duplexes or triplexes with different base compositions by using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), respectively. MXT interacts preferentially with DNA duplexes compared to the triplexes. In the mass spectrum of the duplex-MXT mixture, the complex peaks dominated in the ratios of duplex/MXT of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3, and the 1:2 duplex/MXT peak was the most abundant. In contrast, only 1:1 triplex-MXT complexes were observed in the mass spectrum of the triplex-MXT mixture, and the most intensive peak was a free triplex ion without MXT.

Investigation of Calmodulin-Peptide Interactions Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry

In this report, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) was used to study the binding interactions between calmodulin and two target peptides (melittin and substance P). Various matrix conditions were tested and the less acidic matrix DHAP and THAP were found to favor the survival of the intact calcium-calmodulin as well as the calmodulin-peptide complexes. However, the application of direct MALDI-MS to detect the intact complexes turned out to be very difficult due to the dissociation of the complexes and the formation of nonspecific aggregates. In contrast, the specific binding of the target peptides to calmodulin could be easily deduced using intensity-fading (IF) MALDI-MS. Compared with the nonbinding control, clear reduction in the ion abundances of the target peptides was observed with the addition of calmodulin.

Uncovering the rules for protein-protein interactions from yeast genomic data

Identifying protein-protein interactions is crucial for understanding cellular functions. Genomic data provides opportunities and challenges in identifying these interactions. We uncover the rules for predicting protein-protein interactions using a frequent pattern tree (FPT) approach modified to generate a minimum set of rules (mFPT), with rule attributes constructed from the interaction features of the yeast genomic data. The mFPT prediction accuracy is benchmarked against other commonly used methods such as Bayesian networks and logistic regressions under various statistical measures. Our study indicates that mFPT outranks other methods in predicting the protein-protein interactions for the database used. We predict a new protein-protein interaction complex whose biological function is related to premRNA splicing and new protein-protein interactions within existing complexes based on the rules generated.

Anticancer Drug-DNA Interactions Measured Using a Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Mechanism Based on Luminescent Quantum Dots

A sensing system based on the photoinduced electron transfer of quantum dots (QDs) was designed to measure the interaction of anticancer drug and DNA, taking mitoxantrone (MTX) as a model drug. MTX adsorbed on the surface of QDs can quench the photoluminescence (PL) of QDs through the photoinduced electron-transfer process; and then the addition of DNA will bring the restoration of QDs PL intensity, as DNA can bind with MTX and remove it from QDs. Sensitive detection of MTX with the detection limit of 10 nmol L-1 and a linear detection range from 10 nmol L-1 to 4.5 mu mol L-1 was achieved. The dependence of PL intensity on DNA amount was successfully utilized to investigate the interactions between MTX and DNA. Both the binding constants and the sizes of binding site of MTX-DNA interactions were calculated based on the equations deduced for the PL recovery process. The binding constant obtained in our experiment was generally consistent with previous reports. The sensitive and speedy detection of MTX as well as the avoidance of modification or immobilization process made this system suitable and promising in the drug-DNA interaction studies.

Affinity and Specificity of Levamlodipine-Human Serum Albumin Interactions: Insights into Its Carrier Function

The affinity and specificity of drugs with human serum albumin (HSA) are crucial factors influencing the bioactivity of drugs. To gain insight into the carrier function of HSA, the binding of levamlodipine with HSA has been investigated as a model system by a combined experimental and theoretical/computational approach. The fluorescence properties of HSA and the binding parameters of levamlodipine indicate that the binding is characterized by one binding site with static quenching mechanism, which is related to the energy transfer. As indicated by the thermodynamic analysis, hydrophobic interaction is the predominant force in levamiodipine-HSA complex, which is in agreement with the computational results. And the hydrogen bonds can be confirmed by computational approach between levamlodipine and HSA. Compared to predicted binding energies and binding energy spectra at seven sites on HSA, levamlodipine binding HSA at site I has a high affinity regime and the highest specificity characterized by the largest intrinsic specificity ratio (ISR). The binding characteristics at site I guarantee that drugs can be carried and released from HSA to carry out their specific bioactivity.

Selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline in dense phase carbon dioxide over Ni/gamma-Al2O3: Significance of molecular interactions

The selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (NB) over Ni/gamma-Al2O3 Catalysts Was investigated using different media of dense phase CO2, ethanol, and n-hexane. In dense phase CO2, the total rate of NB hydrogenation was larger than that in organic solvents under similar reaction conditions; the selectivity to the desired product, aniline, was almost 100% over the whole conversion range of 0-100%. The phase behavior of the reactant mixture in/under dense phase CO2 was examined at reaction conditions. In situ high-pressure Fourier transform infrared measurements were made to study the molecular interactions Of CO2 with the following reactant and reaction intermediates: NB, nitrosobenzene (NSB), and N-phenylhydroxylamine (PHA). Dense phase CO2 strongly interacts with NB, NSB, and PHA, modifying the reactivity of each species and contributing to positive effects on the reaction rate and the selectivity to aniline. A possible reaction pathway for the hydrogenation of NB in/under dense phase CO2 over Ni/gamma-Al2O3 is also proposed.

The adsorption of dopamine on gold and its interactions with iron(III) ions studied by microcantilevers

The adsorption of dopamine (DA) molecules on gold and their interactions with Fe3+ were studied by a microcantilever in a flow cell. The microcantilever bent toward the Au side with the adsorption of DA due to the change Of Surface stress induced by the intermolecular hydrogen bonds of DA or the charge transfer effect between adsorbates and the Substrate. The interaction process between DA adsorbates and Fe3+ was revealed by the deflection curves of microcantilever. As indicated by the appearance of a variation during the decline of curves, two steps were observed in the curve at relative high concentrations of Fe3+. In this case, Fe3+ reacted with DA molecules only in the outer layers and the complexes removed with solution. Then Fe3+ reacted further with DA molecules forming the surface complex in the first layer next to the gold. At this stage, the stability Of Surface complexes was time dependent, i.e., unstable initially and stable finally. This may be due to the surface complexes change from mono-dentate to bi-dentate complexes. In another case, i.e., at relative low concentration of Fe3+, only the first step was observed as indicated by the absence of a variation.

Why [6,6]- and 1,2-Benzal-3-N-4-O-Cyclic Phenylimidate C-60 Undergo Electrochemically Induced Retro-Addition Reactions while 1,4-Dibenzyl-2,3-Cyclic Phenylimidate C-60 Does Not? C-H center dot center dot center dot X (X = N, O) Intramolecular Interactions in Organofullerenes

The electrochemical properties of a series of structurally related fullerooxazoles, [6,6] cyclic phenylimidate C-60 (1), 1,2-benzal-3-N-4-O-cyclic phenylimidate C-60 (2), and 1,4-dibenzyl-2,3-cyclic phenylimidate C-60 (3), are described, and the spectroscopic characterizations of their anionic species are reported. The results show that compounds I and 2 undergo retro-cycloaddition reactions that lead to the formation of C-60 and C61HPh, respectively, upon two-electron-transfer reduction. However, compound 3 demonstrates much more electrochemical stability as no retro-cycloaddition reaction occurs under similar conditions. Natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations on charge distribution show there is no significant difference among the dianions of 1, 2, and 3, indicating that the electrochemical stability of 3 is unlikely to be caused by the charge distribution difference of the dianions of three compounds. Examination on the crystal structure of compound 3 reveals close contacts of the C-H group with the heteroatoms (N and O) of cyclic phenylimidate, suggesting the existence of C-H center dot center dot center dot X (X = N, O) intramolecular hydrogen bonding among the addends, which is further confirmed by NBO analysis.

Interactions of Rare Earth-Amino Acid Complexes with Nucleic Acids

A number of metal-based anticancer drugs are designed to target nucleic acids. Therefore, the elucidation of their interactions with nucleic acids is important for rational design of new anticancer agents with high selectivity and low toxicity, which has been received much attention in this field. Lanthanide complexes have the potential to be therapeutic agents due to their unique magnetic, optical, electronic, and coordinate characteristics. However, lanthanide ions are easy to hydrolysis under physiological pH, which makes it difficult to study rare earth complexes nucleic acids selectivity. Recent studies have shown that natural amino acids can form stable complexes with rare earth ions under near physiological condition and the complexes have high solubility. This review summarizes the current progress in rare earth-amino acid complexes binding to nuclelic acids and their selectivity.