Effect of the matrix structure and concentration of polymer-immobilized Ni2+-iminodiacetic acid complexes on retention of IgG1

Terpolymer bead particles (100-350 microm in diameter) were prepared by suspension radical polymerization from methacrylate esters [2,3-epoxypropyl methacrylate (GMA), 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate (DEGMA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA)] and subsequently derivatized affording iminodiacetic acid (IDA) chelating sorbents. The sorbents differed in pore volumes (0-0.7 cm3/g) and specific surface areas (0.03-9.8 m2/g) of their matrices as well as in the amounts of immobilized Ni2+-IDA complexes (0.03-1.58 mmol/g). The binding of imidazole was studied by frontal chromatography to evaluate the accessibility of Ni2+-IDA complexes. It was found that an increase in the bonded imidazole content with increasing immobilized Ni2+-IDA concentration was strongly dependent on the matrix morphology. A higher pore volume of the matrix significantly improved the utilizability of Ni2+-IDA complexes for imidazole binding. The performance of the sorbents based on two porous matrices with immobilized Ni2+-IDA concentration (0.1-1.58 mmol/g) differing in pore size distributions was compared in immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) of monoclonal mouse immunoglobulin IgG1 specific against human choriogonadotropic hormone (GTH-spec IgG1). The results have shown that sorbents based on matrix with large pores (up to 20 microm in diameter) exhibited high protein binding capacities. The GTH-spec IgG1 (Mw=158,000) was eluted from all the sorbents in its native form as was confirmed by MALDI-TOF.     

Immobilizing of Bacillus mucilaginosus--a producer of exopolysaccharides,on chitin

The bacteria Bacillus mucilaginosus were immobilized on chitin sorbents. Exopolysaccharides produced by B. mucilaginosus were capable of sorbing efficiently copper ions. A composite biosorbent involving the chitin derivative Khizitel with immobilized B. mucilaginosus cells at the stage of active exopolysaccharide synthesis was developed.     

Preparation of affinity sorbents with immobilized synthetic ligands for therapeutic apheresis

The practical aspects of preparation and stability of medical sorbents are considered. A simple and convenient technique has been developed for synthesis of highly effective biospecific autoclavable sorbents based on the polysassharide matrix; synthetic ligands (amino acid, oligopeptide, or oligosaccharide) containing primary amino group were immobilized to the matrix via a spacer. The developed approach may be used for preparation of various affinity sorbents suitable for application in medicine and biotechnology.     

Immobilization of Bacillus mucilaginosus,a Producer of Exopolysaccharides,on Chitin

The bacteria Bacillus mucilaginosus were immobilized on chitin sorbents. Exopolysaccharides produced byB. mucilaginosus were capable of efficiently sorbing copper ions. A composite biosorbent involving the chitin derivative Khizitel with immobilized B. mucilaginosus cells at the stage of active exopolysaccharide synthesis was developed.     

Immobilization of proteolytic complexes on pectin-containing carriers

A number of sorbents were synthesized on the basis of pectin and then used for immobilization of proteolytic complexes--pancreatin and protosubtilin. The best properties were shown by the enzyme preparations based on pectin, formaldehyde and melamin (PFM). Thus immobilization of pancreatin on PFM through Fe(III) ions gave a preparation with the activity of 79 000 mumole/g X h with respect to methyl ester of L-tryptophane (the activity yield is 91%). The pH optimum for all immobilized preparations was shifted towards the alkaline region. The thermostable fraction of the immobilized preparations retains the activity at 60 degrees for a long time.     

A new chromatographic method for the preparative isolation of phosphoinositides and other anionic phospholipids

A new chromatographic procedure for preparative isolation of mono-, di- and triphosphoinositides and other anionic phospholipids with the use of adsorbents containing primary amino groups is described. Sorbents with immobilized neomycin, L-lysine and aminoalkyl groups were tested. Conditions for isolation of chromatographically pure phospholipids of separate classes on the above sorbents were developed. Isolation of polyphosphoinositides on the amino sorbents represents a new type of chromatography involving bioaffinity and ion-exchange interaction.     

Harvesting of Microalgae Biomass with Polyethylenimine-Based Sorbents

The purpose of this work was to investigate the sorbents on the basis of polyethylenimine (PEI) intended for collecting biomass of microalgae (MA). For this purpose, a series of porous and insoluble polymeric materials were synthesized by cross-linking of PEI with epichlorohydrine. The analysis of kinetics and efficiency of immobilization assessed for the model culture Chlorella vulgaris, revealed that already within 3 h of incubation, 39–75% of MA cells attached to the surface of tested sorbents. It was shown that on the initial stage of immobilization the sorption activity of polymeric materials depended on the “PEI:crosslinker” ratio. One of the tested sorbents was additionally quartenized by alkylation with dimethyl sulphate resulting in sharp increase of its sorption activity. The estimation of the MA desorption from polymeric surface showed that most Ch. vulgaris cells were practically irreversibly immobilized on all tested sorbents based on the PEI cross-linked with epichlorohydrine.     

Microbial consortia in mesocosm bioremediation trial using oil sorbents, slow-release fertilizer and bioaugmentation

An experimental prototype oil boom including oil sorbents, slow-release fertilizers and biomass of the marine oil-degrading bacterium, Alcanivorax borkumensis , was applied for sorption and degradation of heavy fuel oil in a 500-L mesocosm experiment. Fingerprinting of DNA and small subunit rRNA samples for microbial activity conducted to study the changes in microbial communities of both the water body and on the oil sorbent surface showed the prevalence of A. borkumensis on the surface of the oil sorbent. Growth of this obligate oil-degrading bacterium on immobilized oil coincided with a 30-fold increase in total respiration. A number of DNA and RNA signatures of aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were detected both in samples of water body and on oil sorbent. Ultimately, the heavy fuel oil in this mesocosm study was effectively removed from the water body. This is the first study to successfully investigate the fate of oil-degrading microbial consortia in an experimental prototype for a bioremediation strategy in offshore, coastal or ship-bound oil spill mitigation using a combination of mechanical and biotechnological techniques.     

Chromatographic properties of human leukocyte alpha-interferon A on sorbents with sepharose and silochrome matrices

Chromatography on immobilized monoclonal antibodies NK-2 from a bacterial strain-producer resulted in a pure human leukocyte alpha-interferon A (alpha-INF-A) homogeneous upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The chromatographic properties of partially purified alpha-INF-A on synthetic and commercial sorbents containing immobilized dyes, aromatic dipeptides, chelating and hydrophobic ligands as well as on porous glass have been investigated. In most cases, [125I]alpha-INF-A was used as an inner standard. The chromatographic behaviour of native and [125I]-labeled alpha-INF-A was practically the same. alpha-INF-A was most effectively chromatographed on porous glass, L-Trp-L-Trp-Sepharose 4B and Cu2+-chelate sorbents. In the latter case, the feasibility of substitution of the Sepharose matrix for the silochrome one has been demonstrated. It has been proposed that alpha-INF-A has a hydrophobic "pocket" with exposed aromatic amino acid residues which are capable of selective binding to aromatic dipeptides.     

Investigation of a tartaric acid-based linear polyamide and dimer as chiral selectors in liquid chromatography

A twin selector for enantioselective liquid chromatography based on O,O'-bis(dimethyl)benzoyl tartaric diamide was synthesized and compared to commercially available Kromasil CHI-DMB (O,O'-bis(dimethyl)benzoyl tartaric diamide). A linear polyamide based on the same tartaric acid derivative was also synthesized, immobilized on silica, and evaluated as stationary phase. The twin selector was immobilized as a brush-type phase, with similar bonding chemistry as in Kromasil CHI-DMB. It was shown to exhibit lower resolution power than Kromasil CHI-DMB. However, retention and separation factors obtained on the respective sorbents were shown to exhibit interdependence. CD spectra of the twin selector give no indication that the respective branches interact in the solvent mixtures employed for chromatography. The linear polyamide showed lower enantioselectivity and higher retention than Kromasil CHI-DMB.     

Purification and characterization of mouse interferon with novel affinity sorbents.

Several novel selective sorbents for mouse interferon are described that exploit the hydrophobic property and glycoprotein nature of this molecule. Low-molecular-weight ligands (hydrocarbons) and high-molecular-weight ligands (bovine serum albumin) immobilized on agarose bind selectively mouse L-cell interferon. The high selectivity of binding is due primarily to a hydrophobic effect, although electrostatic forces are also apparently involved. Mouse L-cell interferon binds to immobilized serum albumin and can be completely recovered by raising the ionic strength of the eluant. The specific activity of interferon preparations can be increased 2,000-fold to a value of 3 x 10(8) reference units per mg of protein in a single step with full recovery of the antiviral activity. A selective adsorption, although to a lesser degree, can be also obtained on hydrocarbon-coated agarose (Affi-Gel 202), resulting in 300-fold purification on desorption. The existence of two major components of mouse interferon was revealed upon its chromatography on the following sorbents: (i) bovine serum albumin-agarose, (ii) omega-carboxypentyl-agarose; and (iii) Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin-agarose. This report thus provides for the first time a means for efficient and clear-cut separation of interferon components, thus enabling their further characterization.     

Comparison of different methods of glucose oxidase immobilization

Glucose oxidase was immobilized by covalent bond to two basic types of sorbents—glycidylmethacrylate copolymers and bead cellulose. These two types of carries were chemically modified, if needed, by the employing various procedures and subsequently used in the immobilization of native and oxidized glucose oxidase. The samples thus obtained were compared with those of immobilized glucose oxidase bound onto some common carriers. Samples which possessed not only a high absolute activity but also adequate mechanical and flow properties were characterized in greater detail with respect to the immobilization efficiency and kinetic properties of bound glucose oxidase.     

Composite fluorine polymer-containing sorbents for isolation and purification of biopolymers

Composite fluoropolymer-containing sorbents based on porous silicas were synthesized for the isolation and purification of biopolymers under nondenaturing conditions. Examples of the application of these sorbents in the separation of various mixtures of peptides and proteins and purification of nucleic acids from various sources (plasmid DNA and DNA from nucleated human blood cells) using the cartridge, column, and batch (sorption in a stirred volume) methods are presented. It was shown that the sorbents can be used in laboratory practice because they are selective to nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins. These materials combine the mechanical properties of the inorganic matrix with the specific sorption properties of the polymer phase and exhibit enhanced stability to alkaline hydrolysis. Alternative methods of preparing sorbents containing polytetrafluoroethylene, polytrifluorostyrene, and polyfluorobutadiene are described. By the example of polyfluorobutadiene-containing sorbents, a completely new method for obtaining fluorinated polymer phases was developed: the polymer phase was preliminarily formed on the surface of porous disperse carriers and was fluorinated with xenon difluoride.     

Histidine ligand affinity chromatography

The sorbents with immobilized histidine as a pseudo affinity ligand with a wide specificity is described. The possibilities and relevant chemistries to use both particulate and flat or hollow fiber membranes as support matrices are discussed. The usefulness of such adsorbents for the purification of a wide variety of proteins, with relevant interaction mechanism are described. Practical protocols of sample quality, capacity and scaled up and scaled down operations are discussed. Possibilities of pyrogen removal from high value blood proteins and their simultaneous recovery in the pure form, using histidine immobilized sorbents are described.     

Isolation of nisin from native solution and its purification on cationites]

It was found possible to use organic sorbents and in particular carboxylic cationites for isolation of nisin from the fermentation broth filtrate and its purification. Nisin is known as a polypeptide antibiotic applied as a preservative. The sorbents were shown to have high exchange capacities by the isolated substance and mechanical strength and resistance. They also proved to be highly stable.     

Self-assembly DNA-conjugated polymer for detection of single nucleotide polymorphism

We developed a self-assembly DNA-conjugated polymer based on polyacrylic acid (PAA) for DNA chip fabrication. A 20-mer single-stranded DNA (ssDNA, probe-1), and 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionyl hydrazide (PDPH), for promoting self-assembled immobilization, were both covalently attached to PAA as sidechains. This DNA-conjugated PAA was then spontaneously immobilized on a gold substrate. Probe-1 on the immobilized polymer was hybridized to a 34-mer ssDNA (probe-2), which had the sequence desired for analyzing the target DNA. The fluorescence intensity after incubating the P-1 DNA-conjugated polymer with probe-2 DNA was much higher than with control sequence in the first hybridization. The interactions between target DNA and the DNA-conjugated PAA were investigated by fluorescence measurement. The interaction of fully matched target DNA with this immobilized DNA conjugated polymer has been studied at different ion strength conditions. SNP sequences as targets showed less than 15% the intensity of fully matched target DNA in the second hybridization, indicating that the gold surfaces coated with the DNA-conjugated PAA was highly specific to fully matched DNA. The DNA-conjugated PAA immobilized on a gold substrate is characterized by reduced nonspecific adsorption, due to less electrostatic repulsion as well as the polymer coating. Therefore, DNA-conjugated PAA can be used for probe DNA immobilization method.     

Hybridization of DNA with oligonucleotides immobilized in a gel: a convenient method for recording single base replacements

In an attempt to develop a reliable system for DNA sequence analysis with multiple hybridization probes, oligonucleotides down to 8 bases long were covalently immobilized in a thin layer of polyacrylamide gel fixed on a glass plate. It was shown possible to detect single base changes in DNA by hybridization of the immobilized oligonucleotides with radioactively and fluorescently labeled DNA fragments. Moreover, it was found that dissociation temperatures of differently GC-rich duplexes could be equalized by appropriate choice of immobilized oligonucleotides concentrations. A model accounting for this phenomenon is presented. In order to make the system more compact, a rectangular matrix of 200 mm dots of immobilized oligonucleotides ("hybridization chip") was designed which offered the sensitivity of 20 attomoles per dot for fluorescent DNA fragment. The applications and perspectives of the approach are discussed.     

Effect of the Compositions of Sample and Polymer Sorbents on the Extraction of Volatile Compounds by Solid-Phase Microextraction

A comparative study was performed by solid phase microextraction and capillary gas chromatography to establish the ability of four polymer sorbents of different compositions to extract and concentrate volatile organic compounds from the gas phase above an aqueous solution. All polymer sorbents sorbed nonpolar monoterpene hydrocarbons via a cooperative mechanism with almost equal and high efficiency. Sorbents based on polymethyl disiloxane and its mixture with divinylbenzene were more effective in extracting acetates and sesquiterpenes. As the concentration of these compounds in the gas phase increased, their binding by sorbents decreased. It was found that the determination of polar compounds depended on the presence of a solvent in the system. Compounds that are highly soluble in water (alcohols, ketones, etc.) had low coefficients of distribution between gas and water phases. Consequently, their sorption to any of the polymer sorbents was negligible. In the absence of the solvent, the degree of their extraction from the gas phase above the sample was high. It was shown that the actual composition of compounds in the initial mixture of essential oils could significantly differ from their composition in the gas phase. This method is convenient and informative for the purpose of studying the composition of volatile compounds in the gas phase that determine the flavor of the product.     

Evaluation of water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers as solid-phase extraction sorbents for the selective extraction of sildenafil and its desmethyl metabolite from plasma samples

The evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as selective sorbents for the solid-phase extraction of sildenafil and its principal metabolite, desmethylsildenafil, was investigated. Two MIPs were synthesised using structural analogues of sildenafil as templates, and a comparison of the performance of the two MIP sorbents in organic and aqueous media was performed. Additionally, the feasibility of applying molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) to the clean-up of plasma samples containing sildenafil and desmethylsildenafil was investigated. A preliminary, quantitative MISPE for the determination of both compounds in plasma was also performed. The results showed that the MIPs used for the selective extraction of sildenafil gave better compound recovery when aqueous samples were used in comparison to organic-based samples. A preliminary, quantitative MISPE of sildenafil and desmethylsildenafil indicated that the imprinted materials could be used successfully as SPE sorbents for sample pre-treatment for the determination of sildenafil, and related compounds, in plasma.     

Effect of photo-immobilization of epidermal growth factor on the cellular behaviors

We constructed photo-reactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) bearing p-azido phenylalanine at the C-terminal (HEGFP) by genetic engineering to investigate the possibility of immobilized EGF as a novel artificial extracellular matrix (ECM). The constructed recombinant protein was immobilized to glass surface by ultraviolet irradiation. A431 cells adhered both to HEGFP-immobilized and collagen-coated surfaces. Interaction between immobilized HEGFP and EGF receptors in the A431 cells was independent of Mg(2+) although integrin-mediated cell adhesion to natural ECMs is dependent on Mg(2+). Phosphorylation of EGF receptors in A431 cells was induced by immobilized HEGFP as same as soluble EGF. DNA uptake of hepatocytes decreased by immobilized HEGFP whereas it increased by soluble EGF. Liver-specific functions of hepatocytes were maintained for 3 days by immobilized HEGFP whereas they were not maintained by soluble EGF, indicating that immobilized HEGFP follows different signal transduction pathway from soluble EGF.