原子力显微镜拉伸吸附在金膜表面的短单链DNA分子

对单根DNA分子的操纵和拉伸可以直接研究DNA的弹性等力学性质. 首先通过将金沉积到云母表面制备了表面粗糙度小于0.3 nm的金膜,然后一段硫代的单链DNA (100 bases) 吸附到金膜表面. 利用原子力显微镜观察不同浓度的DNA吸附在金膜上的表面形貌. 进一步用原子力显微镜的力曲线模式拉伸DNA分子,在50％的情况下DNA可以被针尖拉伸,观察到了由于针尖和DNA分子间作用力的不同导致的多种不同力曲线.     

红细胞膜弹性特性的AFM力曲线测量

人血红细胞生存环境的微小变化都会直接影响到膜骨架蛋白网络形变和细胞膜弹性力学性能的改变。利用原子力显微镜力曲线测量红细胞膜表面弹性,根据相关力。距离曲线图谱信息,分析活性红细胞在不同生理溶液环境中细胞膜弹性、黏附性与渗透脆性等变化特征。实验结果表明,经不同生理溶液制备的红细胞在维持其渗透压平衡条件下,细胞形态特征基本正常,直径约7-8μm。当力曲线图谱表征的膜弹性等力学特性,波动较大且差异明显时,形变恢复作用力变化范围为30-150pN,黏附力变化范围为3.9-35nN。尤其是在探针接近和撤离膜表面过程中,不同程度的多峰锯齿波、压痕深度、黏滞拖拽线程和链状伸展形式的相关力曲线图谱,表征细胞膜表面存在着复杂作用力。在无Ca^2＋／Mg^2＋的D-PBS缓冲液中,通过调节Na^＋,K^＋浓度,改变生理溶液渗透压,红细胞形变显著,出现棘轮状、球形和血影空囊等形态,对应的细胞膜弹性等力曲线图谱信息也相对更为复杂。研究表明红细胞膜弹性特性和膜骨架形变都与生理环境中的溶质（糖类与晶体电解质等）、浓度和渗透压等因素有直接关系。这为深入了解生物膜的结构和动力学提供了证据,也为原子力显微镜应用于红细胞膜病的临床诊断提供了依据。     

吃线粒体可以延长“细胞生命”

在饥饿的情况,许多机体会把细胞自身的组成成分吃掉以便提供能量——此过程叫自噬(autophagy)。自噬首先是多层膜的结构将细胞内成分包裹,随后与溶酶体融合,溶酶体的各种酶将包裹的成分降解,为细胞提供燃料资源。自噬对机体     

茶氨酸提取纯化工艺研究

系统研究了从茶多酚工业废液中提取纯化茶氨酸的工艺。采用絮凝、吸附、阳离子树脂交换、重结晶工艺来分离纯化茶氨酸。结果表明,絮凝能有效的去除茶多酚工业废液中的蛋白质等杂质,杂质的去除率为50％;吸附能进一步去除色素、多酚类物质及大分子有机物;阳离子交换树脂能较专-吸附氨基酸。茶多酚工业废液经絮凝→吸附→阳离子树脂交换工艺可得纯度50%的茶氨酸,得率为1．8％;通过重结晶可得到纯度90％的茶氨酸,得率为0．8%。     

一种快速去除林蛙受精卵胶和卵黄膜的方法

研究林蛙(Rana amurensis)受精卵的表面膜,有时先要除去包裹在蛙卵外面的胶膜(卵胶和卵黄膜)。机械法剥离胶膜可以得到完整无损的裸卵,但难度大、效率低。Katagiri 从哈士蟆和日本青蛙胚胎     

沉淀法从茶叶中提取茶氨酸

茶叶浸提液分别用1%壳聚糖和D101大孔吸附树脂去杂后,用碱式碳酸铜沉淀茶氨酸。茶氨酸铜盐用1mol/L硫酸解析,分别用H_2S、Ba(OH)_2除去Cu~(2 )、SO_4~(2 )后,浓缩重结晶得到茶氨酸,提取率34%,纯度99．28%。     

球形拓扑下对budding和multi-budding生物膜泡形状的研究

流体相磷脂双分子层在水溶液中能自组织的形成球形拓扑的膜泡,膜泡的平衡形状是由其弯曲弹性能决定的.Budding是流体相磷脂双分子膜泡的一个显著的形状.从自发曲率(SC)模型的弯曲能量和双层(BC)模型的弯曲能量在参数替换情况下,我们看到自发曲率(SC)和双层(BC)模型具有相同的形状方程.本文从双层(BC)模型的相图出发,在双层(BC)模型下,通过建立一些与目标形状相近似的初始形状,在面积A,体积V和平均曲率的积分M的约束条件和使用约化量的情况下,经Surface Evolver软件的逐次细分并长时间演化,得到了一些budding和multi-budding型的生物膜泡形状.     

影响PVDF膜对蛋白吸附效率的主要因素

通过结合有抗原的PVDF膜进行亲和纯化是小规模快速获取特异性抗体的一种重要手段.该方法的关键步骤之一是将抗原蛋白有效地吸附到PVDF膜上.尽管人们广泛使用PVDF膜亲和纯化抗体,但对影响PVDF膜吸附抗原蛋白的因素至今仍缺乏系统研究.以BSA为模型蛋白,检测在不同蛋白浓度、不同孵育时间、不同溶质溶液和不同pH值的情况下,PVDF膜吸附蛋白的效率.当蛋白溶液为PBS时,1 cm2 PVDF膜与2 mg·mLl BSA溶液孵育1h可达到其最大吸附率.常见的蛋白质缓冲液组分对PVDF膜的蛋白吸附率影响不一.其中,咪唑、Tris-HCl、NaCl、KCl在广泛的浓度范围内对PVDF膜吸附蛋白没有明显影响,而较高浓度的SDS、Triton-X 100、Tween-20、乙二醇、甘油、盐酸胍、尿素等可显著降低PVDF膜对蛋白的吸附效率,在pH为6.5～9.5的Tris-HCl中,随着pH的增高而吸附效率降低.     

流感病毒神经氨酸酶不同区域的作用

神经氨酸酶(NA)是流感病毒主要表面糖蛋白之一,属于Ⅱ型膜蛋白,其单体为蘑菇形状.由胞内域、极性跨膜区、柄部、头部4部分组成,在膜上以四聚体形式存在.神经氨酸酶在流感病毒中的功能是切去感染细胞和血凝素上的N-乙酰神经氨酸,以利于子代病毒离开感染细胞,继续感染新细胞.NA的不同区域在流感病毒生活周期中具有不同的作用.NA胞内域在流感病毒生活周期中具有控制病毒颗粒形状的作用;NA跨膜区在将NA转移至内质网中起信号作用和将NA固定在膜上的作用;NA柄部连接NA的头部与跨膜区,使NA 头部远离病毒膜,以利于NA与底物结合;NA头部包含有糖基化位点、NA酶活性中心和抗原位点.对这些不同区域功能研究的深入,将有利于对神经氨酸酶在流感病毒传播中的作用的了解,并对流感病毒的预防或治疗等具有实际意义.     

生物膜的研究贯穿着整个生命研究过程——膜生物学专刊序言

生物膜是细胞的重要组分。真核细胞除了有包裹整个细胞的质膜外,还有包裹细胞核的核膜以及构成各种细胞器的膜。在真核细胞中膜结构约占整个细胞干重的70%～80%,对于细胞内环境的稳定、能量转换、信号转导、细胞识别等都有着重要的意义。而在生命起源上,只有具备了把细胞内容与外环境分隔的生物膜,才能有生命的发生。近年来生物膜的研究飞速发展。本期专刊介绍了生物膜结构与功能研究相关的进展。     

On resistance to virus entry into host cells

In this article, we adopt a continuum model from Sun and Wirtz (2006. Biophys. J. 90:L10-L12) to show that, for the enveloped virus entry into host cells, the binding energy of the receptor-ligand complex can drive the engulfment of the viral particle to overcome the resistance alternatively dominated by the membrane deformation and cytoskeleton deformation at a different engulfing stage. This is contrary to the conclusions by Sun and Wirtz that the cytoskeleton deformation is always dominant. This discrepancy occurs because the energy of membrane deformation in their article is incorrect. Such an unfortunate small error has led to a severe underestimation of the contribution from membrane deformation to the total energy of the system, which then led them to improperly conclude that the cytoskeleton deformation plays the dominant role in the virus entry into host cell. By using the correct energy expression, our conclusion is justified by energy comparisons under a large range of virus sizes and Young's moduli of cytoskeleton. We even find that a critical radius of virus exists, beyond which the resistance to the virus engulfment becomes dominated by the membrane deformation during the whole stage, contrary to the point of view of Sun and Wirtz.     

Elastic energy stored in a membrane due to electrostriction

The elastic energy stored in a biological membrane due to electrostrictive deformation is considered, and an expression is derived that relates this energy to the change in membrane capacitance and the electrostatic energy associated with a membrane potential. Based on available evidence it is concluded that electrostriction does not make a significant contribution to the energy stored in a charged membrane system.     

Deformation free energy of bilayer membrane and its effect on gramicidin channel lifetime.

The deformation free energy of a lipid bilayer is presented based on the principle of a continuum theory. For small deformations, the free energy consists of a layer-compression term, a splay-distortion term, and a surface-tension term, equivalent to the elastic free energy of a two-layer smectic liquid crystal with surface tension. Minimization of the free energy leads to a differential equation that, with boundary conditions, determines the elastic deformation of a bilayer membrane. When a dimeric gramicidin channel is formed in a membrane of thickness greater than the length of the channel, the membrane deformation reduces the stability of the channel. Previously this effect was studied by comparing the variation of channel lifetime with the surface tension of bilayers (Elliott, J. R., D. Needham, J. P. Dilger, and D. A. Hayden, 1983, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 735:95-103). The tension was assumed to pull a dimer for a distance z before the channel loses ion conductivity. To account for the data, z was found to be 18 A. With the deformation free energy, the data can be accounted for with z less than or approximately to 1 A, which is consistent with the breaking of hydrogen bonds in a dimer dissociation. Increasing the strength of lipid-protein interactions is not the only consequence of the complete free energy compared with the previous discussions. It also changes the shape of membrane deformation around an embedded channel from convex to concave, and increases the range of deformation from less than 10 A to greater than 20 A. Clearly these will be important factors in the general considerations of lipid-protein interactions and membrane-mediated interactions between proteins. In addition, thermal fluctuations of a membrane are calculated; in particular, we calculate the relations between the intrinsic thickness and the experimentally measured values. The experimental parameters of monoolein-squalene membranes are used for quantitative analyses.     

Divalent cation-induced surface tension increase in acidic phospholipid membranes: Ion binding and membrane fusion

Chelation binding of divalent cations to phospholipid membranes may cause deformation in the headgroup regions of these lipid molecules. This deformation may be responsible for the observed large increase in surface tension of acidic phospholipid membranes induced by divalent cations. On the other hand, simple binding of monovalent cations without being followed by such a deformation of membrane molecules, does not result in a large surface tension increase in the membrane. A theoretical explanation for the above situation is given and the divalent cation-induced acidic phospholipid membrane fusion as well as other lipid membrane fusions are discussed in terms of the increased surface energy of membranes.     

Aggregation and disaggregation of red blood cells

The aggregation of red blood cells may be analyzed as an interaction of an adhesive surface energy and the elastic stored energy which results from deformation of the cell. The adhesive surface energy is the work required to separate a unit adhered area and is the resultant of adhesive forces due to the bridging molecules that bind the cells together and the electrostatic repulsion due to surface charge. The elastic strain energy in the case of the red blood is associated with the membrane elasticity only since the interior of the cell is liquid. The membrane elasticity is due both to bending stiffness and shear. The area expansion is small and may be neglected. These assumptions allow realistic computation of red cell shapes in rouleaux. The disaggregation of rouleaux requires an external force which must overcome the adhesive energy and also supply additional elastic energy of deformation. Depending on the geometry, the initial effect of elastic energy may tend to aid disaggregation. In a shear flow, the stresses on a suspended rouleau alternately tend to compress and to disaggregate the cells if they are free to rotate. This introduces a time dependence so that viscous effects due to the viscosity of the cell membrane, the cell cytoplasm and the external fluid may play a role in determining whether disaggregation proceeds to completion or not.     

Interaction between inclusions embedded in membranes.

We calculate the membrane-induced interaction between inclusions, in terms of the membrane stretching and bending moduli and the spontaneous curvature. We find that the membrane-induced interaction between inclusions varies nonmonotonically as a function of the inclusion spacing. The location of the energy minimum depends on the spontaneous curvature and the membrane perturbation decay length, where the latter is set by the membrane moduli. The membrane perturbation energy increases with the inclusion radius. The Ornstein-Zernike theory, with the Percus-Yevick closure, is used to calculate the radial distribution function of inclusions. We find that when the spontaneous curvature is zero, the interaction between inclusions due to the membrane deformation is qualitatively similar to the hard-core interaction. However, in the case of finite spontaneous curvature, the effective interaction is dramatically modified.     

Stability of an ion channel in lipid bilayers: implicit solvent model calculations with gramicidin

Gramicidin is a helical peptide, 15 residues in length, which dimerizes to form ion-conducting channels in lipid bilayers. Here we report calculations of its free energy of transfer from the aqueous phase into bilayers of different widths. The electrostatic and nonpolar contributions to the desolvation free energy were calculated using implicit solvent models, in which gramicidin was described in atomic detail and the hydrocarbon region of the membrane was described as a slab of hydrophobic medium embedded in water. The free energy penalties from the lipid perturbation and membrane deformation effects, and the entropy loss associated with gramicidin immobilization in the bilayer, were estimated from a statistical thermodynamic model of the bilayer. The calculations were carried out using two classes of experimentally observed conformations: a head-to-head dimer of two single-stranded (SS) beta-helices and a double-stranded (DS) intertwined double helix. The calculations showed that gramicidin is likely to partition into the bilayer in all of these conformations. However, the SS conformation was found to be significantly more stable than the DS in the bilayer, in agreement with most of the experimental data. We tested numerous transmembrane and surface orientations of gramicidin in bilayers of various widths. Our calculations indicate that the most favorable orientation is transmembrane, which is indeed to be expected from a channel-forming peptide. The calculations demonstrate that gramicidin insertion into the membrane is likely to involve a significant deformation of the bilayer to match the hydrophobic width of the peptide (22 A), again in good agreement with experimental data. Interestingly, deformation of the bilayer was induced by all of the gramicidin conformations.     

低强度激光对人红细胞生物物理特性的影响

研究不同功率的低强度He-Ne激光对正常人体红细胞流变学特性影响。以正常人体红细胞为研究对象,测量了低强度He-Ne激光在不同照射时间、不同功率条件下红细胞的变形、取向、膜流动性、膜的微粘度和渗透脆性的变化情况。结果表明:照射后红细胞的变形性和膜流动性增强、渗透脆性下降。照射对红细胞流变学特性影响显著,其中激光能量为0.24 J、照射血样为2 mL时取得的照射效果最佳。