Design of an amperometric biosensor using polypyrrole-microgel composites containing glucose oxidase

A new material consisting of a water-dispersed complex of polypyrrole-polystyrensulfonate (PPy) embedded in polyacrylamide (PA) has been prepared and tested as enzyme immobilizing system for its use in amperometric biosensors. Glucose oxidase (GOx) and the water-dispersed polypyrrole complex were entrapped within polyacrylamide microgels by polymerization of acrylamide in the dispersed phase of concentrated emulsions containing GOx and PPy. Polymerization of the dispersed phase provides microparticles whose size lies between 3.5 and 7 microm. The aim of incorporating polypyrrole into the polyacrylamide microparticles was to facilitate the direct transfer of the electrons released in the enzymatic reaction from the catalytic site to the platinum electrode surface. The conductivity of the microparticles was measured by a four-point probe method and confirmed by the successful anaerobic detection of glucose by the biosensor. Thus, the polyacrylamide-polypyrrole (PAPPy) microparticles combine the conductivity of polypyrrole and the pore size control of polyacrylamide. The effects of the polyacrylamide-polypyrrole ratio and cross-linking on the biosensor response have been investigated, as well as the influence of analytical parameters such as pH and enzymatic loading. The PAPPy biosensor is free of interferences arising from ascorbic and uric acids, which allows its use for quantitative analysis in human blood serum.     

Incorporation of thrombospondin into fibrin clots

Thrombospondin is a major platelet glycoprotein which is released from platelets during blood coagulation. We examined the interaction of thrombospondin with polymerizing fibrin. Thrombospondin, purified from human platelets and labeled with 125I, became incorporated into clots formed from both plasma and purified fibrinogen. Plasma clots contained somewhat less thrombospondin than clots formed from equivalent concentrations of fibrinogen. In plasma clots and fibrin clots formed in the presence of factor XIII, thrombospondin was cross-linked in the clot; thrombospondin in the supernatant remained largely monomeric. Cross-linking of thrombospondin by factor XIII, however, only slightly increased the amount of thrombospondin which was incorporated into the clot. In contrast, incorporation of 125I-fibronectin into clots was dependent upon cross-linking. Most of the incorporation of 125I-thrombospondin occurred during fibrin polymerization as judged by parallel studies of the incorporation of 125I-fibrinogen. The amount of thrombospondin incorporated into a clot was directly related to thrombospondin concentration and was only weakly dependent on fibrinogen concentration. Incorporation was not saturated at thrombospondin:fibrin (mol/mol) ratios as high as 2/1. Thrombospondin, however, modified the final structure of fibrin clots in a concentration-dependent manner as monitored by opacity. When tryptic digests of 125I-thrombospondin were studied, the 270-kilodalton core became incorporated into fibrin whereas the 30-kilodalton heparin binding fragment was excluded. These results indicate that thrombospondin specifically co-polymerizes with fibrin during blood coagulation and may be an important modulator of clot structure.     

Protein encapsulation via porous CaCO3 microparticles templating

Porous microparticles of calcium carbonate with an average diameter of 4.75 microm were prepared and used for protein encapsulation in polymer-filled microcapsules by means of electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly (ELbL). Loading of macromolecules in porous CaCO3 particles is affected by their molecular weight due to diffusion-limited permeation inside the particles and also by the affinity to the carbonate surface. Adsorption of various proteins and dextran was examined as a function of pH and was found to be dependent both on the charge of the microparticles and macromolecules. The electrostatic effect was shown to govern this interaction. This paper discusses the factors which can influence the adsorption capacity of proteins. A new way of protein encapsulation in polyelectrolyte microcapsules is proposed exploiting the porous, biocompatible, and decomposable microparticles from CaCO3. It consists of protein adsorption in the pores of the microparticles followed by ELbL of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and further core dissolution. This resulted in formation of polyelectrolyte-filled capsules with protein incorporated in interpenetrating polyelectrolyte network. The properties of CaCO3 microparticles and capsules prepared were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, microelectrophoresis, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Lactalbumin was encapsulated by means of the proposed technique yielding a content of 0.6 pg protein per microcapsule. Horseradish peroxidase saves 37% of activity after encapsulation. However, the thermostability of the enzyme was improved by encapsulation. The results demonstrate that porous CaCO3 microparticles can be applied as microtemplates for encapsulation of proteins into polyelectrolyte capsules at neutral pH as an optimal medium for a variety of bioactive material, which can also be encapsulated by the proposed method. Microcapsules filled with encapsulated material may find applications in the field of biotechnology, biochemistry, and medicine.     

Detection and separation of lymphocytes with specific surface receptors, by using microparticles.

Horse anti-(human lymphocyte) globulin was immobilized together with fluorescein labelled dextran in spherical microparticles of polyacrylamide (AHLG-particles). The particles had a diameter of 1-5 micrometer and a density of 1.12g/cm3, with globulin exposed on the surface. Human lymphocytes bearing the antigen (thymus-derived lymphocytes) bound the particles, which were easily detected by fluorescence microscopy. In this way, about 58% of circulating human lymphocytes were able to bind AHLG-particles at 23 degrees C. Non-specific binding was low, only 3% when human serum albumin was present in the buffer, and only 4% when non-specific horse globulins were incorporated in the microparticles. The cell-particle complexes could be separated from cells that had not reacted by density-gradient centrifugation in Ficoll/metrizoate. The viability was not changed after the separation procedure. The number of cells binding AHLG-particles corresponded well the the relative amount of T-cells. When the cells binding AHLG-particles were separated from the lymphocytes, the number of T-cells decreased remarkably, indicating that the antibodies bind preferably to the T-cell population. Concanavalin A immobilized in microparticles was sufficiently exposed to initiate the agglutination of the lymphocytes. The agglutination was completely inhibited by preincubating the microparticles with alpha-methyl mannoside.     

Membrane reconstitution in chl-r mutants of Escherichia coli K 12. VII. Purification of the soluble ATPase of supernatant extracts and kinetics of incorporation into reconstituted particles.

Membrane-bound ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) of Escherichia coli K 12 is released in a soluble form by the mechanical treatments applied to the cells in order to break them. The purification of the soluble enzyme is described. The purified protein gives a single band in 7.5% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight is estimated to be 350 000. The enzyme is cold-labile, Mg-2+ dependent, insensitive to inhibition by N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and specific for ATP and ADP. Membranes depleted of their ATPase activity by dilution in a buffer of low ionic strength and without Mg-2+ are able to incorporate the purified ATPase only in the presence of 2-6 mM Mg-2+. ATPase binds to particles formed by complementation between supernatant extracts of chl A and chl B mutants. There are three kinds of particles of different buoyant densities (1.10, 1.18 and 1.23); ATPase binds only to the 1.10 and 1.18 particles. The kinetics of incorporation have been studied. ATPase begins to be incorporated into the 1.10 particles after 10 min of incubation up to a maximum at 20 min: from 30 min, ATPase is incorporated only into 1.18 particles and the amount of incorporated ATPase increased in proportion with the peak of 1.18 particles. These kinetics have a hyperbolic pattern. In order to explain the mechanism of assembly involved in complementation, two hypotheses are proposed.     

Development of macroporous poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel arrays within microfluidic channels

The mass transport of solutes through hydrogels is an important design consideration in materials used for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and protein arrays used to quantify protein concentration and activity. We investigated the use of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a porogen to enhance diffusion of macromolecules into the interior of polyacrylamide and PEG hydrogel posts photopatterned within microfluidic channels. The diffusion of GST-GFP and dextran-FITC into hydrogels was monitored and effective diffusion coefficients were determined by fitting to the Fickian diffusion equations. PEG-diacrylate (M(r) 700) with porogen formed a macroporous structure and permitted significant penetration of 250 kDa dextran. Proteins copolymerized in these macroporous hydrogels retained activity and were more accessible to antibody binding than proteins copolymerized in nonporous gels. These results suggest that hydrogel macroporosity can be tuned to regulate macromolecular transport in applications such as tissue engineering and protein arrays.     

Membrane reconstitution in chl-r mutants of Escherichia coli K 12.: VII. Purification of the soluble ATPase of supernatant extracts and kinetics of incorporation into reconstituted particles

Membrane-bound ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) of Escherichia coli K 12 is released in a soluble form by the mechanical treatments applied to the cells in order to break them. The purification of the soluble enzyme is described. The purified protein gives a single band in 7.5 % polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight is estimated to be 350 000. The enzyme is cold-labile, Mg²⁺ dependent, insensitive to inhibition by $\text{N,N′-}\text{dicyclohexylcarbodiimide}$ and specific for ATP and ADP. Membranes depleted of their ATPase activity by dilution in a buffer of low ionic strength and without Mg²⁺ are able to incorporate the purified ATPase only in the presence of 2–6 mM Mg²⁺. ATPase binds to particles formed by complementation between supernatant extracts of chl A and chl B mutants. There are three kinds of particles of different buoyant densities (1.10, 1.18 and 1.23); ATPase binds only to the 1.10 and 1.18 particles. The kinetics of incorporation have been studied. ATPase begins to be incorporated into the 1.10 particles after 10 min of incubation up to a maximum at 20 min: from 30 min, ATPase is incorporated only into 1.18 particles and the amount of incorporated ATPase increases in proportion with the peak of 1.18 particles. These kinetics have a hyperbolic pattern. In order to explain the mechanism of assembly involved in complementation, two hypotheses are proposed.     

cis- and trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) interstrand cross-linking of a defined sequence nucleosomal core particle

Interstrand cross-linking studies with the antitumor drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) and its clinically inactive isomer, trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II), were performed on a fragment of the 5S rRNA gene of Xenopus borealis in the free and nucleosomal state. 5S nucleosomes were formed via histone octamer exchange from chicken erythrocyte core particles. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to probe the ability of platinated DNA to reconstitute into core particles. Both isomers negatively impacted reconstitution when histones were present during incubation with the drug. When histones were not present during the drug treatment, platinated DNA was successfully reconstituted into core particles. These results suggest that platination of histones impedes reconstitution of free DNA. However, already-formed core particles were not disrupted upon platination. Sites of interstrand cross-linking were probed through denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and quantitative phosphorimagery. We found both site-specific enhancement and depression of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) cross-linking in the nucleosomal samples relative to free DNA at both drug concentrations that were tested (0.01 and 0.0025 mM). trans-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) exhibited no detectable differences in the interstrand cross-linking of free and nucleosomal samples.     

Enantioselective production of levofloxacin by immobilized porcine liver esterase

Porcine liver esterase, which cleaves ofloxacin butyl ester enantioselectively to levofloxacin, was successfully immobilized in calcium alginate and polyacrylamide gel. Immobilized esterase in 5% (w/v) calcium alginate exhibited 58% immobilization efficiency and could be reused five times without severe loss of enzyme activity. On the other hand, entrapped esterase in polyacrylamide gel, composed of 20% of total monomer and 8.3% of cross-linking agent, could be reused 10 times, and 51% of enzyme activity remained after the 10th batch without decrease of enantioselectivity. Compared with entrapped methods, significant reduction of enzyme activity was found in the case of physical adsorption on to QAE-Sephadex.     

Water-based nanoparticulate polymeric system for protein delivery: permeability control and vaccine application

The idea of using polymeric nanoparticles as drug carriers is receiving an increasing amount of attention both in academia and industry, Nanoparticles have a number of potential applications in protein, drug and vaccine delivery, as well as gene therapy applications. In this article, we focus on this unique drug delivery technology as a method to control the release rate of substances, not only for protein delivery but also for delivering an experimental vaccine immunogen. Nanoparticles were assembled on the basis of ionic interaction between water-soluble polymers so that the resulting particles were stable in physiologic media. Among the typical polymers used to assemble nanoparticles, different polysaccharides, natural amines, and poly-amines were investigated. The entrapped substances tested included a protein and antigens. Polydextran aldehyde was incorporated into the particle core, to enable physiologic cross-linking as a method to control permeability. This resulted in long-term retention of substances that would otherwise rapidly leak out of the nanoparticles. Results of cross-linking experiments clearly demonstrated that the release rate could be substantially reduced, depending on the degree of cross-linking. For vaccine antigen delivery tests, we measured an antibody production after subcutaneous and oral administration. The data indicated that only the cross-linked antigen was immunogenic when the oral route of administration was used. The data presented in this article address primarily the utility of nanoparticulates for oral delivery of vaccine antigen.     

Fibronectin and fibrin gel structure

Plasma fibronectin is covalently incorporated into alpha-chains of fibrin gels in the presence of Factor XIII activated by thrombin (FXIIIaT) but not by Factor XIII activated by the snake venom enzyme batroxobin (FXIIIaB). FXIIIaB catalyzes introduction of gamma-gamma cross-links in fibrin but cross-linked alpha-chains are not formed. In the presence of FXIIIaT, fibrin gels formed by batroxobin incorporated fibronectin and the alpha-chains are cross-linked indicating that FXIIIaB has a different substrate specificity from FXIIIaT. In the presence of FXIIIaT the incorporation of fibronectin approaches 1 mol/340 kDa unit weight of fibrin. Fibronectin when present in a fibrinogen thrombin mixture containing FXIII does not influence the clotting time of the system nor the release of fibrinopeptides. Incorporation of fibronectin is not appreciable before the gel point. This indicates that the polymerization and gelation of fibrinogen is essentially not perturbed by the presence of fibronectin and that fibrin in the gel matrix rather than the fibrin polymers formed prior to gel point is the preferred structure for fibronectin incorporation. Incorporation of fibronectin into fibrin gels during formation leads to an increase in turbidity and a small decrease in Ks (permeability coefficient). This suggests that the width of the strands in the gel increases as a result of fibronectin incorporation. Fibronectin is also incorporated into preformed gels having completely cross-linked gamma- and alpha-chains perhaps indicating that the sites in fibrin involved in fibronectin incorporation are different from those involved in fibrin cross-linking. FXIIIaT appeared to be adsorbed to fibrin gel matrix in the presence but not in the absence of calcium ions.     

Diol production byAeromonas hydrophila: Comparison of different immobilization techniques

Summary Techniques for immobilizing intact cells ofAeromonas hydrophila by cross-linking, attachment to an inorganic matrix, or entrapment in a polymeric gel are compared. Cells immobilized on a titanium (IV) hydroxide matrix were suitable for producing butane 2,3-diol from starch, whereas cells entrapped in polyacrylamide were a better catalyst for producing the diol from glucose.     

Studies on the bacteriophage MS 2

Summary The viral proteins synthesized in non-suppressor cells by amber mutants in the A protein cistron of the RNA bacteriophage MS2 were analyzed. Protein synthesis was studied in rifampicin-inhibited cultures and the labeled, viral proteins were separated on sodium dodecyl sulphate containing polyacrylamide gels. We found that 7 out of 19 mutants synthesized an A protein-fragment corresponding in length to 88% of the wild-type A protein. This fragment was not incorporated into the defective particles formed by the mutants. 12 mutants synthesized no detectable amount of fragment. It was shown that the absence of fragment is not due to selective proteolytic breakdown.     

Thymidine, leucine and acetate incorporation into soil bacterial assemblages at different temperatures

Abstract Thymidine, leucine and acetate incorporation into soil bacterial communities extracted from two different soils using homogenisation-centrifugation were measured at different temperatures (0–28°C). Similar effects of temperature were found for both soils used. Optimum temperatures for incorporation of acetate into lipids were found between 20 and 24°C, while the incorporation of thymidine and leucine into cold acid insoluble material increased with temperature. A good fit to the square root model (Ratkowsky model) was found for all three methods, when only data below optimum was considered for the acetate incorporation. The apparent T_min calculated from this model was −8.4 ± 0.77°C for thymidine incorporation. T_min for acetate incorporation was slightly higher. Leucine incorporation had significantly higher T_min (−6.0 ± 0.62°C), and the Q₁₀ between 0 and 10°C was also higher than for the two other measurements. This resulted in a leucine/thymidine incorporation ratio which increased from 0°C up to about 15°C, but remained constant at temperatures above 15°C. The amount of leucine incorporated into hot acid insoluble material (protein) as a percentage of that incorporated into cold acid insoluble material (total macromolecules) was also constant above 15°C (about 40%), but decreased at lower temperatures to less than 25%. No effects were found of temperature on non-specific incorporation of thymidine into macromolecules other than DNA, or acetate incorporation into different lipid fractions (neutral, glyco- and polar lipids). The fact that the temperature relationships for soil bacterial communities appeared to follow the square root model will facilitate comparisons of such relationships between different soils, as well as recalculation of data to actual field temperatures.     

Cytosolic delivery of macromolecules. II. Mechanistic studies with pH-sensitive morpholine lipids

Drug carriers containing weak acids or bases can promote cytosolic delivery of macromolecules by exploiting the acidic pH of the endosome. We have prepared two pH-sensitive mono-stearoyl derivatives of morpholine, one with a (2-hydroxy) propylene (ML1) linker and the other, an ethylene (ML2) linker. The pK(a) values of lipids ML1 and ML2, when incorporated into liposomes, are 6.12 and 5.91, respectively. Both lipids disrupt human erythrocytes at pH equal to or below their pK(a) but show no such activity at pH 7.4. Confocal microscopy studies suggest partial endosome-to-cytosol transfer of fluorescent dextran (MW 10 kDa) encapsulated in liposomes that contained 20 mol% of morpholine lipids. Interestingly, co-incubation of morpholine lipids in free or micellar form (without liposomal incorporation) with dextran resulted in efficient cytosolic delivery. Upon acidification to the endosomal pH, liposomes containing ML1 revealed: (a). leakage of entrapped solute that is independent of solute size; (b). lack of liposomal collapse into micelles as evidenced by photon correlation spectroscopy and UV light scattering; and (c). minimal inter-bilayer interactions as shown in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay. These observations are consistent with progressive intravesicular reorganization of lipids into stable liposomes of smaller size, but of more homogeneous distribution, upon acidification. The results emphasize a need to manipulate liposomal formulations containing ML1 such that ML1 will promote catastrophic collapse of liposomes to mixed micelles upon exposure to acidic pH. It is only then that micelle-mediated permeabilization of the endosomal membrane will lead to efficient cytosolic delivery of macromolecules originally loaded in liposomes.     

Crystine: fibrous biomolecular material from protein crystals cross-linked in a specific geometry

Cysteine substitutions were engineered on the surface of maltose binding protein to produce crystine fibers, linear polymers of folded protein formed within a crystal. Disulfide bond formation between adjacent protein molecules within the lattice was monitored by X-ray crystallography. The cross-linked crystals were resistant to dissolution in water or neutral buffer solutions, even though the cross-linking was one-dimensional. However, crystine fibers were observed by transmission electron microscopy to dissociate from the crystals in acidic solutions. Some fibers remained associated as two-dimensional bundles or sheets, with a repeat unit along the fibers consistent with the packing of the individual protein molecules in the crystal. Neutralization of the acidic solutions caused the fibers to re-associate as a solid. Crystine threads were drawn out of this solution. In scanning electron microscopy images, many individual fibers could be seen unwinding from the ends of some threads. Crystine fibers are a new type of biomolecular material with potential applications wherever the use of proteins in a fibrous form is desirable, for example, the incorporation of enzymes into cloth or filtration material.     

Crystallographic study of a site-specifically cross-linked protein complex with a genetically incorporated photoreactive amino acid

The benzophenone photophore is widely used to photo-cross-link macromolecules. Recent developments in genetic code expansion have allowed the biosynthesis of proteins with p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine (pBpa) at defined sites, for covalent bonding with interacting proteins. However, the structure of a photo-cross-linked protein complex had not been revealed, and thus neither the actual structure of the "photobridge" in a complex nor the influence of this covalent bridge on the overall complex structure was known. In this study, we determine the crystal structure of the cross-linked complex of the liver oncoprotein gankyrin and the C-terminal domain of S6 proteasomal protein (S6C), at 2.05 ? resolution. First, the photoreactive amino acid was separately incorporated into gankyrin at 16 sites on the protein surface, and two variants that efficiently formed a covalent bond with S6C were found. The yield of one of the cross-linked products, with pBpa in place of Arg85 in gankyrin, was maximized for crystallization via optimization of the duration of complex exposure to 365 nm light. The structure revealed that the carbonyl group of the benzophenone of pBpa85 formed a covalent bond exclusively with the Cγ atom of Glu356 in S6C, showing the high selectivity of formation of cross-links by pBpa. In addition, the cross-linked structure exhibited little structural distortion from the native complex structure. Our results demonstrated that cross-linking with site-specifically incorporated pBpa preserves the native binding mode and is useful for probing protein-protein interactions.     

The subunit structure of bovine heart mitochondrial transhydrogenase

Reaction of purified bovine heart transhydrogenase with bifunctional cross-linking reagents dimethyl adipimidate, dimethyl pimelimidate, dimethyl suberimidate, and dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) results in the appearance of a dimer band on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels with no higher oligomers formed. Treatment of the enzyme with 6 M urea led to inactivation and prevented cross-linking by dimethyl suberimidate. Transhydrogenase reconstituted into phosphatidylcholine proteoliposomes also yielded a dimer band on cross-linking. These data indicate that soluble and functionally reconstituted transhydrogenase possesses a dimeric structure.     

Mass spectrometric determination of apolipoprotein molecular stoichiometry in reconstituted high density lipoprotein particles

Plasma HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) levels are strongly inversely associated with cardiovascular disease. However, the structure and protein composition of HDL particles is complex, as native and synthetic discoidal and spherical HDL particles can have from two to five apoA-I molecules per particle. To fully understand structure-function relationships of HDL, a method is required that is capable of directly determining the number of apolipoprotein molecules in heterogeneous HDL particles. Chemical cross-linking followed by SDS polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis has been previously used to determine apolipoprotein stoichiometry in HDL particles. However, this method yields ambiguous results due to effects of cross-linking on protein conformation and, subsequently, its migration pattern on the gel. Here, we describe a new method based on cross-linking chemistry followed by MALDI mass spectrometry that determines the absolute mass of the cross-linked complex, thereby correctly determining the number of apolipoprotein molecules in a given HDL particle. Using well-defined, homogeneous, reconstituted apoA-I-containing HDL, apoA-IV-containing HDL, as well as apoA-I/apoA-II-containing HDL, we have validated this method. The method has the capability to determine the molecular ratio and molecular composition of apolipoprotein molecules in complex reconstituted HDL particles.     

Subunit structure of submitochondrial particle membrane transhydrogenase

The subunit structure of membrane-bound mitochondrial transhydrogenase was investigated. Chemical modification of bovine heart submitochondrial particles with the cleavable bifunctional cross-linking reagent, dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate), resulted in the formation of three dimeric "cross-link isomers" of the enzyme, identified by immunoautoradiography, that are characteristic of cross-linked purified transhydrogenase. A limited amount of cross-linking of transhydrogenase monomer to Mr = 25,000 polypeptide was also observed. At high concentration of the cross-linker, a small amount of a higher molecular weight species was formed with both purified and membrane enzyme. Reductive cleavage of the dimeric and higher molecular weight species resulted in the regeneration of transhydrogenase monomer and several other proteolytically derived fragments. It is concluded that transhydrogenase exists in the native membrane primarily as a dimeric species.