Cresyl violet: a superior fluorescent lysosomal marker

We have characterized cresyl violet as a membrane‐permeant fluorophore that localizes to lysosomes and acidic vacuoles of budding yeast, Drosophila, human, murine and canine cells. An acidotropic weak base, cresyl violet is shown to be virtually insensitive to physiological alkali and divalent cations. Because of its unique spectral properties, it can be used in combination with green, red and far‐red fluorophores, is less susceptible to photobleaching than alternative acidotropic probes, and does not undergo photoconversion. At concentrations that yield bright labeling of acidic compartments, cresyl violet does not alter the organellar pH nor does it affect the buffering capacity. Its affordability, together with its chemical and spectral properties, make cresyl violet a superior lysosomal marker devoid of many of the negative characteristics associated with other lysosomal probes.      

Inducing and isolation of antibacterial peptides from oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel

One antibacterial activity fraction from an immunized dipteran insect, Bactrocera dorsalis, was isolated and purified by prepurification, ion‐exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography and reverse‐phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The final purified fraction was checked on the Smart system HPLC and was judged as a pure fraction. The results of physical and biological analysis revealed that this fraction is heat stable and showed strong activities against Gram‐positive bacterial growth. It possesses antibicrobial peptide properties and is worth further investigation.     

Solid phase peptide synthesis of 15N-gramicidins A, B, and C and high performance liquid chromatographic purification

Four single-site 15N-labeled molecules of gramicidin have been synthesized using the 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl method of solid phase peptide synthesis. Formylvaline was coupled as the N-terminal amino acid, and the peptide was cleaved from the resin with ethanolamine. Each synthesized gramicidin was purified in one step by semipreparative reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and obtained in overall yields as high as 86%. The peptide was characterized by comparison with natural gramicidin using amino acid analysis, u.v. spectroscopy, and analytical high performance liquid chromatography.     

Acid alcoholic brilliant cresyl blue stain for gastric and other mucins

Summary Some but not all samples of brilliant cresyl blue (6-methyl-7-dimethylamino-2-phenoxazin chloride) under C. I. No. 51010 in Conn's Biological Stains when dissolved at 1% level in 50–70% alcohol containing 1% concentrated (12 N) hydrochloric acid, stain (in 30 min) a wide variety of human and laboratory animal mucins blue black on an almost unstained background. The mucoprotein of the gastric surface epithelium and of the peptic gland neck cells of several species reacts strongly. A 16 hr 60° C methylation in 0.1 M methyl-sulfuric acid in methanol is required to block the staining of these gastric and some intestinal mucins, while 1–2 hr intervals suffice to prevent the staining of mast cells, cartilage and metachromatic sulfomucins generally. Saponification (1% KOH/70% alcohol, 20min) does not restore staining in either location group, indicating that sulfate mucins are probably reacting in both.Most other basic dyes fail to stain mucins from acid alcohol solutions: azure A, toluidine blue, resorcin blue, orcein, resorufin, azoresorufin brown, azolitmin, lacmoid, gallocyanin, Nile blue, methylene green, pararosanilin, crystal violet, Victoria blue R. Some staining occurred with one of three lots of Victoria blue B, with two lots of Victoria blue 4 R and with one lot each of Bernthsen's methylene violet, elastin violet PR and elastin purple PP.The stain may be preceded by the Feulgen reaction to give red nuclei, or followed by a brief collagen stain in an alcoholic acid fuchsin (0.05–0.1%), picric acid (1.5%) solution.Presented before the Symposium of the Histochemische Gesellschaft in Hamburg, 28. September 1968.Supported by National Cancer Institute Grant No. C-4816, National Institutes of Health.     

SPE-HPLC法快速检测发酵液中紫杉醇的含量

针对红豆杉内生真菌发酵液中紫杉醇的含量测定进行探讨,以建立快速高效低耗的检测方法.采用C_(18)固相萃取柱对紫杉醇进行吸附,用不同浓度的甲醇-乙酸铵和甲醇分别作为洗脱剂对其进行洗脱,比较两者的洗脱效果,洗脱液用HPLC进行检测;色谱条件为:流动相甲醇(v):水(v):乙腈(v)=20: 45: 35,流速:0.70 ml/min,检测波长:227 nm.结果表明,浓度为80%的甲醇溶液洗脱效果较好,紫杉醇的回收率为87.6%.     

Assessment of demyelination in glycol methacrylate sections: a new protocol for cresyl fast violet staining

A simple staining technique for nervous tissue is described. Tissue perfused with glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde and postfixed with osmium tetroxide is embedded in glycol methacrylate. One-micrometer sections are stained with 0.05% cresyl fast violet aqueous solution at 60 C for 5 min, washed with tap water and air dried. With this method the details of all nervous tissue elements are clearly demonstrated. The technique is particularly useful for assessing demyelination because the staining of axoplasm allows demyelinated axons to be well visualized.     

Lipopolysaccharides of three classes of supersensitive mutants of Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract Cresyl violet acetate was found to be an appropriate redox-indicator dye in anaerobic culture media with low redox potentials. Low redox potentials ( E '_h−250 to −300 mV) in media were obtained by addition of dithiothreitol (DTT). DTT and cresyl violet acetate in media did not influence the total number of anaerobes cultured from human feces.     

Monitoring Redox Conditions with Flow-Based and Fiber Optic Sensors Based on Redox Indicators: Application to Reductive Dehalogenation in a Bioaugmented Soil Column

Redox indicators were employed to monitor redox status in a bioaugmented, sediment-packed column during the dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to ethene (ETH). The speciation of the indicators thionine and cresyl violet, immobilized on transparent films, was spectrometrically monitored with a flow sensor based on circulating the column solution through a specially constructed flow cell placed in a conventional spectrometer. A fiber optic redox probe based on immobilized azure C was constructed. A 75-cm column with 4 sets of ports along the column axis at regular intervals was constructed and packed with aquifer material. These ports enabled sampling to determine concentrations of chlorinated ethene species and allowed for in situ or non-invasive monitoring of redox conditions with negligible O ₂ contamination. The flow sensor and fiber optic sensor showed similar responses to redox conditions in the column. After 60 days, complete conversion of PCE to ETH occurred by the end of the column and the redox level indicated by the indicators was consistent throughout the column. Significant formation of vinyl chloride or ETH was observed only after significant reduction of cresyl violet.     

Purification to apparent homogeneity of a thymocyte specific growth factor from calf thymus

A thymic peptide previously found to recruit thymocytes from G1 into S phase has been purified from a crude thymic extract by subsequent steps of gel exclusion chromatography and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The purified material, which appeared homogeneous on thin-layer chromatography and HPLC, stimulated the DNA synthesis of cultured guinea pig thymocytes in a nanomolar concentration range. The amino acid composition revealed a high content of acidic amino acids and no apparent homology to previously defined growth factors and thymus differentiation hormones.     

Purification and characterization of an ovulation stimulating substance from the male accessory glands of Drosophila suzukii

An ovulation stimulating substance (OSS) was isolated from males of the fruit fly Drosophila suzukii, and purified to a homogeneous state by a 5-step purification procedure: extraction with 80% methanol, chloroform wash, heat treatment, ion-exchange chromatography, and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Approximately 100-fold purification was obtained thereby yielding 39 μg of OSS from 1000 males for an overall yield of 34%. The OSS is a single peptide consisting of at least 35 amino acid residues and having a molecular weight of 3990. The purified OSS not only initiated ovulation in unmated females but also suppressed their receptivity towards males. The peptide of D. suzukii was found to be effective in the females of D. melanogaster, a species that belong to a different subgroup, but was less effective in a more closely related species, D. pulchrella.     

Preparative Isolation and Purification of Hydroxyanthraquinones from Rheum tanguticum Maxim. on Normal Phase Silica Gel: Using a Flash Master Personal System

Abstract

A flash chromatography method for preparative separation and purification of five hydroxyanthraquinones from the Chinese medicinal herb Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. was developed by using Flash Master Personal⁺ systems. The purities of the products, chrysophanol, physcion, emodin, aloe‐emodin, and rhein were all over 90%, determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their structures were ascertained by EI‐MS, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR data, and by co‐TLC and HPLC with the authentic samples available in our laboratory.     

荧光物质(MFA、MFB)的分离、结构鉴定及金华地区高产菌株的筛选

采用硅胶柱层析及制备型液相色谱仪对红曲米中两种荧光物质进行分离纯化,使用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)检测荧光物质纯度,然后使用高分辨质谱(ESI-HRMS)对两种荧光物质进行分析,得到两种荧光物质的分子量分别为356和384,ESI-MS/MS二级质谱把两者鉴定为monasfluore A (MFA)和monasfluore B (MFB);从金华地区红曲米中分离得到10株红曲菌株,经固态发酵采用HPLC法分析,筛选获得1株高产MFA、MFB的菌株WZWZ,该菌株发酵制得红曲米中MFA含量为3.63 g/kg,MFB含量为7.29 g/kg,对WZWZ菌株进行外观形态学及显微观察、ITS基因序列测定与分析,最终将菌株WZWZ鉴定为紫色红曲霉(Monascus purpureus)。     

Microcin 7: purification and properties

Microcin 7 is an antibiotic peptide, produced and excreted to the culture medium by E. coli strains harboring the plasmid pRYC7. This peptide was extracted from the culture media by adsorbing it on octadecyl silica. It was purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-25 and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Its amino acid composition is the following: Ala (0.8), Arg (1.9), Asx (1.9), Gly (1.5), Met (0.8) and Thr (0.9). The purified peptide dose not react with ninhydrin and it is resistant to carboxypeptidase degradation, indicating that the molecule may be a cyclic or end-blocked oligopeptide.     

黄粉虫幼虫小分子量抗茵肽的分离纯化

昆虫抗菌肽具有良好的抑菌效果,有望开发成新一代抗生素。本文以金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌混合液作为诱导源,采用针刺法使黄粉虫TenebriomolitorL．幼虫感染微生物产生抗菌肽,并对抗菌肽进行了提取、色谱分离纯化及抑菌活性检测。结果显示,诱导组和对照组的三氟乙酸粗提物无抑菌活性;经SephadexG50、SuperdexPeptide凝胶色谱分离后,从诱导组和对照组均可获得对革兰氏阳性菌金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草芽孢杆菌有抑菌作用的组分,而且诱导组活性明显高于对照组;通过Resource15RPC反相色谱分离纯化,从诱导组获得一具有明显抑制革兰氏阳性菌的组分,质谱检测该组分为混合肽,主要由分子量为1876．21u、1904．21u的小肽组成,可能是一种比Thanatin分子量更低的昆虫抗菌肽。     

Purification of Protein Disulfide Isomerase from a Thermophilic Fungus

A protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) was purified to homogeneity from the thermophilic fungus Humicola insolens by a rapid three-step procedure, anion-exchange chromatography, concanavalin A-affinity chromatography, and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Forty-oneμg of PDI was obtained from 100 g of wet mycelium. Concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography is available for purification of the fungal PDI, indicating that the enzyme is also glycosylated like the yeast PDI. The fungal PDI exists as a dimer (2x60kDa), has a pI of 3.5, and is fairly heat-stable. The amino acid composition of the PDI is similar to those of yeast and bovine liver PDI, and the high content of acidic amino acid residues agrees with the lower acidic pI.     

Isolation of corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor from ovine pituitary glands

Ovine corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor was purified to homogeneity from commercial frozen ovine pituitary glands. A crude preparation was obtained following a procedure published elsewhere (Lee, T.H. and Lee, M.S. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 2824–2829) and was purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 in the presence of 0.5% SDS and 0.1% 2-mercaptoethanol, and under an atmosphere of nitrogen. The gel filtration was repeated once. The partially purified preparation obtained from the second Sephadex G-200 gel filtration was further fractionated by preparative SDS-acrylamide gel eletrophoresis, using immunoprecipitated and electrophoretically purified [¹²⁵I]corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor as a marker. The preparation was judged homogenous by the appearance of a single protein band in analytical SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, which exhibited both corticotropin and β-lipotropin immunoreactivities, and a single symmetrical peak in high-pressure liquid chromatography on a reverse phase C18 column. The isolated ovine corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor possessed specific activities of 116 μg of immunoreactive corticotropin and 210 μg of immunoreactive β-lipotropin per mg of protein, equivalent to 89 and 62% of theoretical values, respectively. The amino acid composition of the homogeneous preparation was determined.     

Purification of Escherichia coli 50 S ribosomal proteins by high performance liquid chromatography

The 50 S subunit proteins from the Escherichia coli ribosome were purified by size-exclusion, ion-exchange or reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) avoiding any precipitation or desalting procedures during isolation. Best resolution of this complex protein mixture was achieved by reversed phase chromatography on supports with short alkyl chains and C18 hydrocarbon-bonded phases; 23 out of the 32 proteins from the 50 S subunit were purified as shown by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, amino acid analysis and direct micro-sequencing. Protein recoveries varied between 25 and 84% as determined by amino acid analysis. Ribosomal proteins of other organisms can be separated under similar conditions.     

Biodegradation of crystal violet by Pseudomonas putida

Crystal violet (CV), which has been extensively used as a biological stain and a commercial textile dye, is a recalcitrant molecule. A strain of Pseudomonas putida was isolated that effectively degraded CV: up to 80% of 60 μM CV as the sole carbon source, was degraded in liquid media within 1 week. Nine degradation products were isolated and identified. We propose that CV degradation occurs via a stepwise demethylation process to yield mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexa-demethylated CV species.     

Spectroscopic investigation of alloyed quantum dot‐based FRET to cresyl violet dye

Quantum dots (QDs), bright luminescent semiconductor nanoparticles, have found numerous applications ranging from optoelectronics to bioimaging. Here, we present a systematic investigation of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from hydrophilic ternary alloyed quantum dots (CdSeS/ZnS) to cresyl violet dye with a view to explore the effect of composition of QD donors on FRET efficiency. Fluorescence emission of QD is controlled by varying the composition of QD without altering the particle size. The results show that quantum yield of the QDs increases with increase in the emission wavelength. The FRET parameters such as spectral overlap J(λ), Förster distance R₀, intermolecular distance (r) , rate of energy transfer k_T (r), and transfer efficiency (E) are determined by employing both steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Additionally, dynamic quenching is noticed to occur in the present FRET system. Stern–Volmer (K_D) and bimolecular quenching constants (k_q) are determined from the Stern–Volmer plot. It is observed that the transfer efficiency follows a linear dependence on the spectral overlap and the quantum yield of the donor as predicted by the Förster theory upon changing the composition of the QD. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of centrifugal force to the extraction and separation of parasorboside and gerberin from Gerbera hybrida

A method for the separation of parasorboside and gerberin from the ornamental plant Gerbera hybrida (Asteraceae) has been developed. The two closely related glucosides were extracted using an Extrachrom instrument, a prototype multi-functional separation tool equipped with an extraction chamber. The rotation planar extraction procedure was compared with that of a medium pressure solid-liquid extraction system. The resulting extracts were pre-purified using rotation planar chromatography and the results compared with those obtained using medium pressure liquid chromatography with silica gel as the stationary phase and a mobile phase of methanol:ethyl acetate:tetrahydrofuran at selectivity point Ps = 111 with 1% formic acid as modifier. The title compounds were isolated from the purified extracts by TLC and their structures confirmed by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy.