Chemical analysis of the surface of microorganisms by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract A collection of microorganisms, including a microfungus and various yeasts and bacteria has been analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A correlation is observed between the N/P atomic concentration ratio of the cell surface and the cell electrophoretic mobility measured at pH 4, indicating that the dehydrated surface analyzed by XPS is representative of the cell surface in contact with water.
Deprotonation of phosphate groups plays a predominant role in the development of the cell negative charge, and carboxylic groups are not involved appreciably; a partial neutralization is allowed by protonation of free amino groups of proteins.
These results advocate a broader use of XPS in order to understand physicochemical properties (electrostatic charge, hydrophobicity, ion binding) of the surface of cells, which are of prime importance in various processes occurring in nature and technology.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of some selenium containing amino acids.

X-ray photoelectron spectra of some inorganic selenium compounds, Se-methionine, Se-cystine, Se-urea and selenodicysteine were recorded and compared with the XPS data obtained from the respective sulphur containing compounds. The oxidation state of selenium could be monitored by the observed chemical shifts of the Se(3p1/2),Se(3p3/2) and Se(3d3/2,5/2) levels. Though having a formal oxidation state near zero, the binding energy of the core electrons of Se in Se-methionine, Se-cystine and selenodicysteine was shifted by 0.4, 0.7 and 0.4 eV, respectively. This phenomenon was attributed to the rather distinct polarization of Se. The reversible oxidation of Se-cystine using H2O2 and NaBH4 could be successfully demonstrated by this XPS-technique.     

Determination of protein orientation on surfaces with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for determination of the preferred orientation of proteins on metal surfaces is demonstrated. A myoglobin derivative in which a pentaamineruthenium (III) group is attached to a specific histidine (residue 81) is used for this purpose, with the Ru and Fe acting as a double marker. The relative intensities of the XPS photoelectron spectra for these two markers are shown to be a sensitive measure of orientation of the protein film. On both aluminum and indium-tin-oxide surfaces, XPS indicates that the Ru-Fe axis of the myoglobin derivative is preferentially oriented with the Ru furthest from the substrate.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy study of maleimide-activated supports for immobilization of oligodeoxyribonucleotides

Surface-tethered nucleic acids are widely applied in solid-phase assays in which complementary strands must be detected against a complex mixture of other sequences. In response to such needs, numerous methods have been developed for immobilizing nucleic acids on solid supports. Often, detailed analysis of associated chemical transformations and of potential side reactions is difficult to obtain. Combined use of planar and high surface area powder supports allows characterization using surface as well as bulk diagnostic techniques. This approach is followed in the present study in which X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and reactivity titrations are used to investigate siliceous supports modified with an aminosilane precursor followed by a maleimide-bearing crosslinker for attachment of nucleic acids. The supports retain maleimide activity for approximately a day when stored under buffer, but deactivation is accelerated under basic conditions or by incomplete conversion of the precursor aminosilane monolayer. Reactions involving the olefinic bond of the imide as well as its carbonyl groups are observed and analyzed. Attachment of sulfhydryl-terminated oligodeoxyribonucleotides is highly site specific, and immobilized strands exhibit excellent hybridization activity. Quantitative use of XPS for label-free determination of DNA coverage based on calibration against reference materials is also described.     

The chemical nature of osmium tetroxide fixation and staining of membranes by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the oxidation states of osmium compounds present in erythrocyte ghost preparations and related systems treated with osmium tetroxide. Osmium tetroxide and cholesterol, codeposited at ?100 °C, began to react at ?70 °C, and Os(VI) was formed. Similarly, Os(VI) was detected for the known cholesterol-osmate ester prepared and purified chemically. However, osmium tetroxide applied in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) gave rise to large proportions of Os(IV) and Os(III) species in addition to Os(VI) compounds. Egg phosphatidylcholine likewise produced a mixture of Os(VI), Os(IV), and Os(III), but dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine failed to give significant amounts of osmium containing products under identical conditions. Glutaraldehyde gave a mixture of compounds with the same osmium oxidation states when allowed to react with aqueous osmium tetroxide. Unfixed and glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocyte ghosts also produced mixtures of Os(VI), Os(IV) and Os(III) under conditions identical to those of normal tissue processing. Additionally, the mixture of adducts initially formed by treatment with osmium tetroxide was further reduced by dehydration of the tissue with ethanol, resulting in a final mixture which was 50–60% Os(III).The results support a scheme for the reaction of osmium tetroxide with tissues in which the initial reaction site is the double bonds of unsaturated lipids to form Os(VI) derivatives. Subsequent hydrolysis and further reduction yield complexes of Os(IV) and Os(III). A mixture of these three states is present in membrane specimens during microscopic observation. Os(VI) and Os(IV) could be present as osmate esters and osmium dioxide, respectively; Os(III) could be present as an oxo- or amino complex(es). The photoelectron spectrum of intact erythrocyte ghosts can be synthesized from the spectra of phospholipid and cholesterol only, suggesting the predominance of the reaction with lipids in the fixation process.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy surface analysis of aluminum ion stress in barley roots

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to analyze root surface changes when Dayton barley (Hordeum vulgare) (Al tolerant) and Kearney barley (Al sensitive) seedlings were grown in nutrient solution in the presence and absence of 37.0 micromolar Al. The electron spectra from root surfaces contained strong lines in order of decreasing intensity from organic forms of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen and weak lines due to inorganic elements in the form of anions and cations on the surface. The surface composition of root tips from Kearney was C, 65.6%; 0, 26.8%; N, 4.4% and tips from Dayton was C, 72.7%; O, 23.6%; N, 1.9%, grown in the absence of aluminum. Electron lines characteristic of nitrate, potassium, chloride, phosphate were also present in the spectra from those roots. Dayton roots grown in the presence of 37.0 micromolar aluminum contained 2.1% aluminum while Kearney contained 1.3% aluminum. The ratio of aluminum to phosphate was close to 1.0. Dayton roots usually contained twice as much aluminum phosphate in the surface region as Kearney. Dayton may be less susceptible to Al toxic effects by accumulation of aluminum phosphate on the root surface which then acts as a barrier to the transport of aluminum into the interior of the roots.     

Characterization of eukaryotic cell surfaces prior to and after serum protein adsorption by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Elemental surface concentration ratios N/C, O/C, and P/C of fibroblasts, HELA epithelial cells, and smooth muscle cells, prior to and after washing in the absence or presence of serum proteins, were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cell surfaces appeared to adsorb hardly any serum proteins, and the relatively high P/C, as compared to N/C and O/C, elemental surface concentration ratio indicated that the cell surfaces consisted mainly of the phospholipid bilayer, with little or no proteins present. The lack of adsorption of serum proteins to the cell surfaces seems at odds with the common notion that cells require adhesive proteins in order to adhere and spread. However, the adsorption behavior of cellularly produced proteins may be completely different, particularly since they seem to be able to displace adsorbed serum proteins from biomaterials surfaces. Interestingly, only HELA epithelial cells (a tumor cell line) appeared to adsorb a very small amount of proteins.     

Conformational study and hydrogen bonds detection on elastin-related polypeptides using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The chemical bonds of the pentapeptide sequence of elastin ValGlyGlyValGly (VGGVG), both in its monomer and polymer forms, were correlated with their XPS spectra through a well-established curve-fitting procedure. To aid in this correlation, the C1s, O1s, and N1s chemical shifts of the Boc-VGGVG-OEt, were validated by theoretical calculations, performed in the framework of the Koopman approximation of HF/6-31G molecular orbitals, leading to the "preferred" conformation of the protected monomer. Then the same curve-fitting procedure was adopted for interpreting the XPS spectra of the polypentapeptide as a powder, and the XPS results obtained both for monomer and polymer compounds were compared with those obtained by FT-IR. The polymer was then analyzed after deposition onto a silicon substrate, Si(100), either from methanol or water suspensions and the presence of hydrogen bonds was detected at the polymer/substrate interface and between the polymer chains. The "surface rearrangement" that could be inferred from XPS results strongly confirms that derived from AFM images previously obtained under the same experimental conditions. In particular, the observed amyloid conformation is stabilized by hydrogen bonds to water molecules included in the structure while the formation of the beaded string structure observed in deposits from methanolic suspension is probably mediated by hydrogen bonds to the hydrated silicon surface.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and tunable photoluminescence study of gold nanoparticles embedded in PVA films

This article reports the systematic photoluminescence study of the various contents of gold nanocomposites in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films. The variations in the gold content in PVA film were 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%. All the samples were excited at two selected wavelengths; those are at 400 nm and 532 nm. On exciting the gold-PVA nanocomposite films at 400 nm the photoluminescence was observed in the region of 430–500 nm in comparison to pure PVA films that show an emission at 400 nm. However, on exciting the gold-PVA nanocomposites at 532 nm, the emission was observed at 560–650 nm with a long tail till 700 nm that is unlike the pure PVA films that do not show any emission peak in this region. This suggests that emission between 430 and 500 nm regions is due to the coordination of PVA with gold nanoparticles because PVA has an emission at 400 nm. However, the emission peak between 560 and 650 nm is entirely due to the gold nanocomposite particle. The peak also shows a smaller red-shift that is usually with the increasing nanoparticles size with the increasing content in the PVA films. The formation of gold nanoparticles was justified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis which is further supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis.     

Evaluation of a new laser surface implant: scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses

The roughness and the purity of implant surfaces are key points in the osteointegration process. The surfaces obtained by classic methods present irregular non-reproducible patterns and furthermore contaminate the implant surface with materials other than titanium which interfere with the process of osteointegration. The aim of the present study is to evaluate, by SEM/EDX and XPS analyses, the surface microstructure and the purity of new laser-treated implant surfaces. The laser treatment of the surface allows to set parameters to determine the roughness in order to obtain a regular and repeatable surface. Furthermore, there being no contact between the implant and the machine, there is no surface contamination with elements other than titanium. In this study we used a diode-pumped solid state laser (DPSS) with Nd:YAG source operating in Q-Switching mode on titanium samples. The resulting samples were analysed by SEM/EDX and XPS to evaluate morphology and purity of the surface. The results show surfaces with very regular roughness and a total absence of contamination.     

Chemical characterization of airborne bacteria using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS)

In this study, the chemical characterization of airborne bacteria is explored using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS). Samples were taken by using a 6-stage Andersen impactor. Airborne bacteria were collected on nutrient media in Petri dishes located on all impactor stages. On the basis of the obtained XPS spectra the ratios of N/C, O/C, and P/C were calculated for 11 Gram-positive and 4 Gram-negative strains. The results agree well with the data obtained by others for the test microorganisms/stock cultures. It is concluded that XPS analysis might be applied for identification of airborne bacterial strains and species but rather in conjunction with different techniques. Especially, a complementary method to XPS seems to be FTIRS.     

Depth profiling of the elemental surface composition of the oral microorganismS. salivarius HB and fibrillar mutants by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on microbial cell surfaces requires freeze-drying of cells, and as a result, the cell surface appendages flatten out on the cell surface and form a collapsed fibrillar mass. At present, it is unclear how the density, length and composition of these fibrils influence the elemental surface composition as probed by XPS. The sampling depth of XPS can be varied by changing the electron take-off angle. In this article, we made a depth profiling of the collapsed fibrillar mass ofStreptococcus salivarius HB and fibril-deficient mutants by angle-dependent XPS. Methylamine tungstate negative staining and ruthenium red staining followed by sectioning revealed distinct classes of fibrils with various lengths on each of the strains. Interpretation of the angle dependence of the oxygen/carbon (O/C) and phosphorus/carbon (P/C) surface concentration ratios of these strains was difficult. However, the angle dependence of the nitrogen/carbon (N/C) surface concentration ratio could be fully interpreted: N/C did not vary with sampling depth on a bald strain,S. salivarius HBC12 and onS. salivarius HB7, a strain with a dense array of fibrils of uniform length. N/C decreased with sampling depth in case of a sparsely fibrillated strain,S. salivarius HBV51 and eventually reached the value observed for the bald strain, HBC12. A high N/C at small sampling depth was observed forS. salivarius HB with protruding, protein rich fibrils. We conclude that elemental depth profiling of microbial cell surfaces by XPS can be interpreted to coincide with structural and biochemical information on the cell surface as obtained by electron microscopy and can therefore be considered as a useful technique to study structural features of cell surfaces in combination with electron microscopy.     

Improved procedure for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of selenium-glutathione peroxidase and application to the rat liver enzyme.

Purified rat liver soluble glutathione peroxidase, with a specific activity of 280 μmol of NADPH oxidized/min/mg of protein, was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sampling technique developed required only 20–25 μg of protein for each sample. Selenium 3d electron signals were found in the 55.0 ± 0.3 eV region. The spectrum at the 55 eV region was free from interfering magnesium and iron. The selenium 3d electron signals observed gave evidence that selenium in glutathione peroxidase is not bound to oxygen.     

X-ray photoelectron spectra of iron-sulphur proteins.

The X-ray photoelectron spectra of the 2p, 3s and 3p levels of iron in oxidized Clostridium pasteurianum ferredoxin indicate that the eight iron atoms in the molecule are indistinguishable. Their magnetic state is indicated both by core polarization splitting of the 3s electrons, and by "shake-up' satellites on the 2p lines. Similar satellites are observed in the 2p lines of reduced Chromatium high-potential iron-sulphur proteins and oxidized spinach ferredoxin, indicating that there too the iron atoms are magnetic. The low observed magnetic susceptibility of these proteins is therefore due to spin-coupling between the iron atoms in the active centre.     

Crystalline structure analysis of cellulose treated with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide by means of X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy

Crystalline structures of cellulose (named as Cell 1), NaOH-treated cellulose (Cell 2), and subsequent CO2-treated cellulose (Cell 2-C) were analyzed by wide-angle X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. Transformation from cellulose I to cellulose II was observed by X-ray diffraction for Cell 2 treated with 15-20 wt% NaOH. Subsequent treatment with CO2 also transformed the Cell 2-C treated with 5-10 wt% NaOH. Many of the FTIR bands including 2901, 1431, 1282, 1236, 1202, 1165, 1032, and 897 cm(-1) were shifted to higher wave number (by 2-13 cm(-1)). However, the bands at 3352, 1373, and 983 cm(-1) were shifted to lower wave number (by 3-95 cm(-1)). In contrast to the bands at 1337, 1114, and 1058 cm(-1), the absorbances measured at 1263, 993, 897, and 668 cm(-1) were increased. The FTIR spectra of hydrogen-bonded OH stretching vibrations at around 3352 cm(-1) were resolved into three bands for cellulose I and four bands for cellulose II, assuming that all the vibration modes follow Gaussian distribution. The bands of 1 (3518 cm(-1)), 2 (3349 cm(-1)), and 3 (3195 cm(-1)) were related to the sum of valence vibration of an H-bonded OH group and an intramolecular hydrogen bond of 2-OH ...O-6, intramolecular hydrogen bond of 3-OH...O-5 and the intermolecular hydrogen bond of 6-O...HO-3', respectively. Compared with the bands of cellulose I, a new band of 4 (3115 cm(-1)) related to intermolecular hydrogen bond of 2-OH...O-2' and/or intermolecular hydrogen bond of 6-OH...O-2' in cellulose II appeared. The crystallinity index (CI) was obtained by X-ray diffraction [CI(XD)] and FTIR spectroscopy [CI(IR)]. Including absorbance ratios such as A1431,1419/A897,894 and A1263/A1202,1200, the CI(IR) was evaluated by the absorbance ratios using all the characteristic absorbances of cellulose. The CI(XD) was calculated by the method of Jayme and Knolle. In addition, X-ray diffraction curves, with and without amorphous halo correction, were resolved into portions of cellulose I and cellulose II lattice. From the ratio of the peak area, that is, peak area of cellulose I (or cellulose II)/total peak area, CI(XD) were divided into CI(XD-CI) for cellulose I and CI(XD-CII) for cellulose II. The correlation between CI(XD-CI) (or CI(XD-CII)) and CI(IR) was evaluated, and the bands at 2901 (2802), 1373 (1376), 897 (894), 1263, 668 cm(-1) were good for the internal standard (or denominator) of CI(IR), which increased the correlation coefficient. Both fraction of the absorbances showing peak shift were assigned as the alternate components of CI(IR). The crystallite size was decreased to constant value for Cell 2 treated at >or= 15 wt% NaOH. The crystallite size of Cell 2-C (cellulose II) was smaller than that of Cell 2 (cellulose I) treated at 5-10 wt% NaOH. But the crystallite size of Cell 2-C (cellulose II) was larger than that of Cell 2 (cellulose II) treated at 15-20 wt% NaOH.     

Depth profiling of the elemental surface composition of the oral microorganism S. salivarius HB and fibrillar mutants by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on microbial cell surfaces requires freeze-drying of cells, and as a result, the cell surface appendages flatten out on the cell surface and form a collapsed fibrillar mass. At present, it is unclear how the density, length and composition of these fibrils influence the elemental surface composition as probed by XPS. The sampling depth of XPS can be varied by changing the electron take-off angle. In this article, we made a depth profiling of the collapsed fibrillar mass of Streptococcus salivarius HB and fibril-deficient mutants by angle-dependent XPS. Methylamine tungstate negative staining and ruthenium red staining followed by sectioning revealed distinct classes of fibrils with various lengths on each of the strains. Interpretation of the angle dependence of the oxygen/carbon (O/C) and phosphorus/carbon (P/C) surface concentration ratios of these strains was difficult. However, the angle dependence of the nitrogen/carbon (N/C) surface concentration ratio could be fully interpreted: N/C did not vary with sampling depth on a bald strain, S. salivarius HBC12 and on S. salivarius HB7, a strain with a dense array of fibrils of uniform length. N/C decreased with sampling depth in case of a sparsely fibrillated strain, S. salivarius HBV51 and eventually reached the value observed for the bald strain, HBC12. A high N/C at small sampling depth was observed for S. salivarius HB with protruding, protein rich fibrils. We conclude that elemental depth profiling of microbial cell surfaces by XPS can be interpreted to coincide with structural and biochemical information on the cell surface as obtained by electron microscopy and can therefore be considered as a useful technique to study structural features of cell surfaces in combination with electron microscopy.