In situ molecular imaging of adsorbed protein films in water indicating hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity.

In situ molecular imaging of protein films adsorbed on a solid surface in water was realized by using a vacuum compatible microfluidic interface and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Amino acid fragments from such hydrated protein films are observed and identified in the positive ion mode and the results are in agreement with reported works on dry protein films. Moreover, water clusters from the hydrated protein films have been observed and identified in both the positive and negative ion mode for a series protein films. Thus, the detailed composition of amino acids and water molecules in the hydrated protein films can be characterized, and the protein water microstructures can be revealed by the distinct three-dimensional spatial distribution reconstructed from in situ liquid ToF-SIMS molecular imaging. Furthermore, spectral principal component analysis of amino acid fragment peaks and water cluster peaks provides unique insights into the water cluster distribution, hydrophilicity, and hydrophobicity of hydrated adsorbed protein films in water.

An investigation of the beam damage effect on in situ liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis.

RATIONALE: During in situ liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis, the primary ion beam is normally scanned on a very small area to collect signals with high ion doses (1014 to 1016 ions/cm2 ). As a result, beam damage may become a concern when compared with the static limit of SIMS analysis, in which the dose is normally less than 1012 ions/cm2 . Therefore, a comparison of ion yields in in situ liquid SIMS analysis versus traditional static SIMS analysis of corresponding dry samples is of great interest. METHODS: In this study, a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposome solution was used as a model system. Both liquid sample and dry sample were examined. Secondary ion yields using three primary ion species (Bi+ , Bi3+ and Bi3++ ) with various beam currents were investigated. RESULTS: Usable ion yields for both positive and negative characteristic signals (including molecular ions and characteristic fragment ions) were achievable based on optimized experimental conditions for in situ liquid SIMS analysis. The ion yield of the key DPPC molecular ion was comparable to that of traditional static SIMS, and unexpected low fragmentation was observed. The flexible structure of the liquid plays an important role for these observations. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, beam damage may not be a concern in in situ liquid SIMS analysis if proper experimental conditions are used.

Boosting Gas Involved Reactions at Nanochannel Reactor with Joint Gas-Solid-Liquid Interfaces and Controlled Wettability.

The low solubility of gases in aqueous solution is the major kinetic limitation of reactions that involve gases. To address this challenge, we report a nanochannel reactor with joint gas-solid-liquid interfaces and controlled wettability. As a proof of concept, a porous anodic alumina (PAA) nanochannel membrane with different wettability is used for glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilization, which contacts with glucose aqueous solution on one side, while the other side gets in touch with the gas phase directly. Interestingly, it is observed that the O2 could participate in the enzymatic reaction directly from gas phase through the proposed nanochannels, and a hydrophobic interface is more favorable for the enzymatic reaction due to the rearrangement of GOx structure as well as the high gas adhesion. As a result, the catalytic efficiency of GOx in the proposed interface is increased up to 80-fold compared with that of the free state in traditional aqueous air-saturated electrolyte. This triphase interface with controlled wettability can be generally applied to immobilize enzymes or catalysts with gas substrates for high efficiency.

Confining a bi-enzyme inside the nanochannels of a porous aluminum oxide membrane for accelerating the enzymatic reactions.

An artificial metabolon with high conversion efficiency was constructed by confining a bi-enzyme into porous aluminum oxide nanochannels, which accelerated enzymatic reactions by minimizing the diffusion loss of intermediate species.

Improving the Molecular Ion Signal Intensity for In Situ Liquid SIMS Analysis.

In situ liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) enabled by system for analysis at the liquid vacuum interface (SALVI) has proven to be a promising new tool to provide molecular information at solid-liquid and liquid-vacuum interfaces. However, the initial data showed that useful signals in positive ion spectra are too weak to be meaningful in most cases. In addition, it is difficult to obtain strong negative molecular ion signals when m/z>200. These two drawbacks have been the biggest obstacle towards practical use of this new analytical approach. In this study, we report that strong and reliable positive and negative molecular signals are achievable after optimizing the SIMS experimental conditions. Four model systems, including a 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene (DBU)-base switchable ionic liquid, a live Shewanella oneidensis biofilm, a hydrated mammalian epithelia cell, and an electrolyte popularly used in Li ion batteries were studied. A signal enhancement of about two orders of magnitude was obtained in comparison with non-optimized conditions. Therefore, molecular ion signal intensity has become very acceptable for use of in situ liquid SIMS to study solid-liquid and liquid-vacuum interfaces. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Capturing the transient species at the electrode-electrolyte interface by in situ dynamic molecular imaging.

In situ time-resolved identification of interfacial transient reaction species were captured using imaging mass spectrometry, leading to the discovery of more complex elementary electrode reactions and providing an unprecedented understanding of the reaction mechanism on the electrode surface and solid-electrolyte interface using dynamic molecular imaging.

Chemical imaging of molecular changes in a hydrated single cell by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry and super-resolution microscopy.

Chemical imaging of single cells at the molecular level is important in capturing biological dynamics. Single cell correlative imaging is realized between super-resolution microscopy, namely, structured illumination microscopy (SIM), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) using a multimodal microreactor (i.e., System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface, SALVI). SIM characterized cells and guided subsequent ToF-SIMS analysis. Lipid fragments were identified in the cell membrane via dynamic ToF-SIMS depth profiling. Positive SIMS spectra show intracellular potassium and sodium ion transport due to exposure to nanoparticles. Spectral principal component analysis elucidates differences in chemical composition among healthy alveolar epithelial mouse lung C10 cells, cells that uptake zinc oxide nanoparticles, and various wet and dry control samples. The observation of Zn(+) gives the first direct evidence of ZnO NP uptake and dissolution by the cell membrane. Our results provide submicron chemical mapping for investigating cell dynamics at the molecular level.

In Situ Characterization of Hydrated Proteins in Water by SALVI and ToF-SIMS.

This work demonstrates in situ characterization of protein biomolecules in the aqueous solution using the System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface (SALVI) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The fibronectin protein film was immobilized on the silicon nitride (SiN) membrane that forms the SALVI detection area. During ToF-SIMS analysis, three modes of analysis were conducted including high spatial resolution mass spectrometry, two-dimensional (2D) imaging, and depth profiling. Mass spectra were acquired in both positive and negative modes. Deionized water was also analyzed as a reference sample. Our results show that the fibronectin film in water has more distinct and stronger water cluster peaks compared to water alone. Characteristic peaks of amino acid fragments are also observable in the hydrated protein ToF-SIMS spectra. These results illustrate that protein molecule adsorption on a surface can be studied dynamically using SALVI and ToF-SIMS in the liquid environment for the first time.

A novel photoelectrochemical immunosensor by integration of nanobody and TiO2 nanotubes for sensitive detection of serum cystatin C.

Cystatin C (CysC) is a sensitive marker for the estimation of the glomerular filtration rate and the clinical diagnosis of different diseases. In this paper, CysC-specific nanobodies (Nbs) were isolated from a phage display nanobody library. A simple and sensitive photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) was proposed for the sensitive detection of CysC. The TiO2 nanotube arrays deposited by electrochemical anodization displayed a high and stable photocurrent response under irradiation. After coupling CysC-specific nanobody to TNA (Nb/TNA), the proposed immunosensor for CysC can be utilized for tracking the photocurrent change of Nb/TNA caused by immunoreactions between CysC and the immobilized CysC-specific Nb. This allowed for the determination of CysC with a calibration range from 0.72 pM to 7.19 nM. The variation of the photocurrent was in a linear relationship with the logarithm of the CysC concentration in the range of 0.72 pM-3.6 nM. The immunosensor had a correlation coefficient of 0.97 and a detection limit of 0.14 pM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed immunosensor showed satisfactory intra- and inter-assay accuracy, high selectivity and good stability. As a result, this proposed strategy would offer a novel and simple approach for the detection of immunoreactions, provide new insights in popularizing the diagnosis of CysC, and extend the application of TiO2 nanotubes.

Novel chemiluminescent imaging microtiter plates for high-throughput detection of multiple serum biomarkers related to Down's syndrome via soybean peroxidase as label enzyme.

Novel chemiluminescent (CL) imaging microtiter plates with high-throughput, low-cost, and simple operation for detection of four biomarkers related to Down's syndrome screening were developed and evaluated. To enhance the sensitivity of CL immunosensing, soybean peroxidase (SBP) was used instead of horseradish peroxide (HRP) as a label enzyme. The microtiter plates were fabricated by simultaneously immobilizing four capture monoclonal antibodies, anti-inhibin-A, anti-unconjugated oestriol (anti-uE3), anti-alpha-fetoprotein (anti-AFP), and beta anti-HCG (anti-ß-HCG), on nitrocellulose (NC) membrane to form immunosensing microtiter wells. Under a sandwiched immunoassay, the CL signals on each sensing site of the microtiter plates were collected by a charge-coupled device (CCD), presenting an array-based chemiluminescence imaging method for detection of four target antigens in a well at the same time. The linear response to the analyte concentration ranged from 0.1 to 40 ng/mL for inhibin-A, 0.075 to 40 ng/mL for uE3, 0.2 to 400 ng/mL for AFP, and 0.4 to 220 ng/mL for ß-HCG. The proposed microtiter plates possessed high-throughput, good stability, and acceptable accuracy for detection of four antigens in clinical serum samples and demonstrated potential for practical applicability of the proposed method to Down's syndrome screening. Graphical Abstract Schematic evaluation of the microtiter plater for simultaneous detection of the four biomarkers.

Nanostructured 2D Diporphyrin Honeycomb Film: Photoelectrochemistry, Photodegradation, and Antibacterial Activity.

Surface patterns of well-defined nanostructures play important roles in fabrication of optoelectronic devices and applications in catalysis and biology. In this paper, the diporphyrin honeycomb film, composed of titanium dioxide, protoporphyrin IX, and hemin (TiO2/PPIX/Hem), was synthesized using a dewetting technique with the well-defined polystyrene (PS) monolayer as a template. The TiO2/PPIX/Hem honeycomb film exhibited a higher photoelectrochemical response than that of TiO2 or TiO2/PPIX, which implied a high photoelectric conversion efficiency and a synergistic effect between the two kinds of porphyrins. The TiO2/PPIX/Hem honeycomb film was also a good photosensitizer due to its ability to generate singlet oxygen ((1)O2) under irradiation by visible light. This led to the use of diporphyrin TiO2/PPIX/Hem honeycomb film for the photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of other metal-diporphyrin-based honeycomb films, such as TiO2/MnPPIX/Hem, TiO2/CoPPIX/Hem, TiO2/NiPPIX/Hem, TiO2/CuPPIX/Hem, and TiO2/ZnPPIX/Hem, were investigated. The result demonstrated that the photoelectric properties of diporphyrin-based film could be effectively enhanced by further coupling of porphyrin with metal ions. Such enhanced performance of diporphyrin compounds opened a new way for potential applications in various photoelectrochemical devices and medical fields.

Dissolution and liquid crystals phase of 2D polymeric carbon nitride.

Graphite-phase polymeric carbon nitride (GPPCN) has emerged as a promising metal-free material toward optoelectronics and (photo)catalysis. However, the insolubility of GPPCN remains one of the biggest impediments toward its potential applications. Herein, we report that GPPCN could be dissolved in concentrated sulfuric acid, the first feasible solvent so far, due to the synergistic protonation and intercalation. The concentration was up to 300 mg/mL, thousands of time higher than previous reported dispersions. As a result, the first successful liquid-state NMR spectra of GPPCN were obtained, which provides a more feasible method to reveal the finer structure of GPPCN. Moreover, at high concentration, a liquid crystal phase for the carbon nitride family was first observed. The successful dissolution of GPPCN and the formation of highly anisotropic mesophases would greatly pave the potential applications such as GPPCN-based nanocomposites or assembly of marcroscopic, ordered materials.

Quantitative detection of potassium ions and adenosine triphosphate via a nanochannel-based electrochemical platform coupled with G-quadruplex aptamers.

The development of synthetic nanopores and nanochannels that mimick ion channels in living organisms for biosensing applications has been, and still remains, a great challenge. Although the biological applications of nanopores and nanochannels have achieved considerable development as a result of nanotechnology advancements, there are few reports of a facile way to realize those applications. Herein, a nanochannel-based electrochemical platform was developed for the quantitative detection of biorelated small molecules such as potassium ions (K(+)) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in a facile way. For this purpose, K(+) or ATP G-quadruplex aptamers were covalently assembled onto the inner wall of porous anodic alumina (PAA) nanochannels through a Schiff reaction between -CHO groups in the aptamer and amino groups on the inner wall of the PAA nanochannels under mild reaction conditions. Conformational switching of the aptamers confined in the nanochannels occurs in the presence of the target molecules, resulting in increased steric hindrance in the nanochannels. Changes in steric hindrance in the nanochannels were monitored by the anodic current of indicator molecules transported through the nanochannels. As a result, quantitative detection of K(+) and ATP was realized with a concentration ranging from 0.005 to 1.0 mM for K(+) and 0.05 to 10.0 mM for ATP. The proposed platform displayed significant selectivity, good reproducibility, and universality. Moreover, this platform showed its potential for use in the detection of other aptamer-based analytes, which could promote its development for use in biological detection and clinical diagnosis.

Electrochemically driven drug metabolism via a CYP1A2-UGT1A10 bienzyme confined in a graphene nano-cage.

A graphene nano-cage with regulatable space for the assembly of a cytochrome P450 1A2-UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A10 bienzyme complex has been constructed via a click reaction, and successfully used to study drug sequential metabolism using an electrochemically-driven method.

Quantitative evaluation of biological reaction kinetics in confined nanospaces.

Evaluating the kinetics of biological reaction occurring in confined nanospaces is of great significance in studying the molecular biological processes in vivo. Herein, we developed a nanochannel-based electrochemical reactor and a kinetic model to investigate the immunological reaction in confined nanochannels simply by the electrochemical method. As a result, except for the reaction kinetic constant that was previously studied, more insightful kinetic information such as the moving speed of the antibody and the immunological reaction progress in nanochannels were successfully revealed in a quantitative way for the first time. This study would not only pave the investigation of molecular biological processes in confined nanospaces but also be promising to extend to other fields such as biological detection and clinical diagnosis.

Cytochrome P450 enzyme functionalized-quantum dots as photocatalysts for drug metabolism.

On the basis of the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) from CdTe quantum dots (QDs) to cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), a light-controlled drug metabolism system was successfully designed by using CYP2C9 functionalized-CdTe QDs as photocatalysts.

Enzymatic reactivity of glucose oxidase confined in nanochannels.

The construction of nanodevices coupled with an integrated real-time detection system for evaluation of the function of biomolecules in biological processes, and enzymatic reaction kinetics occurring at the confined space or interface is a significant challenge. In this work, a nanochannel-enzyme system in which the enzymatic reaction could be investigated with an electrochemical method was constructed. The model system was established by covalently linking glucose oxidase (GOD) onto the inner wall of the nanochannels of the porous anodic alumina (PAA) membrane. An Au disc was attached at the end of the nanochannels of the PAA membrane as the working electrode for detection of H2O2 product of enzymatic reaction. The effects of ionic strength, amount of immobilized enzyme and pore diameter of the nanochannels on the enzymatic reaction kinetics were illustrated. The GOD confined in nanochannels showed high stability and reactivity. Upon addition of glucose to the nanochannel-enzyme system, the current response had a calibration range span from 0.005 to 2 mM of glucose concentration. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)(app)) of GOD confined in nanochannel was 0.4 mM. The presented work provided a platform for real-time monitoring of the enzyme reaction kinetics confined in nanospaces. Such a nanochannel-enzyme system could also help design future biosensors and enzyme reactors with high sensitivity and efficiency.

Catalytic activity and stability of glucose oxidase/horseradish peroxidase co-confined in macroporous silica foam.

Investigation of the catalytic activity and stability of enzymes in confined nano/microspace provides valuable contributions to the fundamental understanding of biological reactions taking place on a mesoscopic scale within confined spaces. In this paper, macroporous silica foam (MSF) is used as a nanoreactor to co-confine glucose oxidase (GOD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Then, the enzymatic cascade reactions, which act in tandem inside nanoreactors, for oxidation of glucose and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) were studied. The catalytic kinetic parameters of apparent Michaelis constant (K(m)(app)) and maximum rate (V(max)) were obtained from Lineweaver-Burk plot by UV-vis spectrometry. Results showed that the catalytic activity of the co-confined enzymes is reduced compared to that of free enzymes in solution at room temperature. The stabilities of co-confined enzymes in denaturing agents, such as guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) and urea, were higher than those of free enzymes in solution. When employing a co-confined bienzyme system as a biosensor for the detection of glucose, a wider linear range of glucose was obtained for the co-confined bienzyme system than for free enzymes in solution.

Bioactivity of horseradish peroxidase entrapped in silica nanospheres.

Interest in the fabrication of micro/nanoreactors for evaluation of the function of biomolecules in biological processes, enzymatic reaction kinetics occurring inside the nanospace is rapidly increasing. With a simple reverse-micelle microemulsion method, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), a model biomolecule, was herein skillfully confined in silica nanoshells (HRP@SiO(2)) and its biocatalytical behaviors were investigated in detail. Spectroscopic measurements showed that the entrapped HRP molecules retained their native structure and had high enzymatic activity toward 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with Michaelis constant (K(m)) of 3.02 × 10(-5) mol L(-1). The entrapped HRP displayed a good direct electron transfer behavior and sensitive electrocatalytic response toward the reduction of H(2)O(2), which could be enhanced using thionine and o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) as electron mediators. When using thionine as mediator, the mass transport between the substrates in electrolyte and HRP confined in silica nanospheres through the mesoporous tunnels was slower than that of o-PD, which slowed down the electron transfer between heme in HRP in the confined nanospace and the electrode, and resulted in low sensitivity to H(2)O(2) with thionine as mediator when compared to o-PD.