A study on the condition for differential electrophoretic transport at a channel entrance

Electrophoretic exclusion microscale sample preparation for cryo-EM structural determination of proteins

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of biological samples has a long history and has provided many important insights into fundamental processes and diseases. While great strides have been made in EM data collection and data processing, sample preparation is still performed using decades-old techniques. Those sample preparation methods rely on extensive macroscale purification and concentration to achieve homogeneity suitable for high-resolution analyses. Noting that relatively few bioparticles are needed to generate high-quality protein structures, this work uses microfluidics that can accurately and precisely manipulate and deliver bioparticles to grids for imaging. The use of microfluidics enables isolation, purification, and concentration of specific target proteins at these small scales and does so in a relatively short period of time (minutes). These capabilities enable imaging of more dilute solutions and obtaining pure protein images from mixtures. In this system, spatially isolated, purified, and concentrated proteins are transferred directly onto electron microscopy grids for imaging. The processing enables imaging of more dilute solutions, as low as 5 × 10^-6 g/ml, with small total amounts of protein (<400 pg, 900 amol). These levels may be achieved with mixtures and, as proof-of-principle, imaging of one protein from a mixture of two proteins is demonstrated.

Simulation and experiment of asymmetric electrode placement for electrophoretic exclusion in a microdevice

Electrophoretic exclusion (EE) is a counterflow gradient technique that exploits hydrodynamic flow and electrophoretic forces to exclude, enrich, and separate analytes. Resolution for this technique has been theoretically examined and the smallest difference in electrophoretic mobilities that can be completely separated is estimated to be 10^-13  cm² /Vs. Traditional and mesoscale systems have been used, whereas microfluidics offers a greater range of geometries and configurations towards approaching this theoretical limit. To begin to understand the impact of seemingly subtle changes to the entrance flow and the electric field configurations, three closely related microfluidic interfaces were modeled, fabricated, and tested. These interfaces consisted of systematically varying placement of an asymmetric electrode relative to a channel entrance: leading electrode placed outside the channel entrance, leading electrode aligned with the channel, and leading electrode placed within the channel. A charged fluorescent dye is used as a sensitive and accurate probe for the model and to test the concentration variation at these interfaces. Models and experiments focused on visualizing the concentration profile in areas of high temporal dynamics, thus providing a severe test of the models. Experimental data and simulation results showed strong qualitative agreement. The complexity of the electric and flow fields about this interface and the agreement between models and testing suggests the theoretical assessment capabilities can be used to faithfully design novel and more efficient interfaces.

Development of the resolution theory for electrophoretic exclusion

Electrophoretic exclusion, a technique that differentiates species in bulk solution near a channel entrance, has been demonstrated on benchtop and microdevice designs. In these systems, separation occurs when the electrophoretic velocity of one species is greater than the opposing hydrodynamic flow, while the velocity of the other species is less than that flow. Although exclusion has been demonstrated in multiple systems for a range of analytes, a theoretical assessment of resolution has not been addressed. To compare the results of these calculations to traditional techniques, the performance is expressed in terms of smallest difference in electrophoretic mobilities that can be completely separated (R = 1.5). The calculations indicate that closest resolvable species (Δμmin ) differ by approximately 10(-13) m(2) /Vs and peak capacity (nc ) is 1000. Published experimental data were compared to these calculated results.

Quantitative assessment of flow and electric fields for electrophoretic focusing at a converging channel entrance with interfacial electrode

The electric field and flow field gradients near an electrified converging channel are amenable to separating and focusing specific classes of electrokinetic material, but the detailed local electric field and flow dynamics in this region have not been thoroughly investigated. Finite elemental analysis was used to develop a model of a buffer reservoir connected to a smaller channel to simulate the electrophoretic and flow velocities (which correspond directly to the respective electric and flow fields) at a converging entrance. A detailed PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) study using charged fluorescent microspheres was performed to assess the model validity both in the absence and presence of an applied electric field. The predicted flow velocity gradient from the model agreed with the PTV data when no electric field was present. Once the additional forces that act on the large particles required for tracing (dielectrophoresis) were included, the model accurately described the velocity of the charged particles in electric fields.

Using electrophoretic exclusion to manipulate small molecules and particles on a microdevice

Electrophoretic exclusion, a novel separations technique that differentiates species in bulk solution using the opposing forces of electrophoretic velocity and hydrodynamic flow, has been adapted to a microscale device. Proof-of-principle experiments indicate that the device was able to exclude small particles (1 μm polystyrene microspheres) and fluorescent dye molecules (rhodamine 123) from the entrance of a channel. Additionally, differentiation of the rhodamine 123 and polystyrene spheres was demonstrated. The current studies focus on the direct observation of the electrophoretic exclusion behavior on a microchip.

Electrophoretic exclusion for the selective transport of small molecules

A novel method capable of differentiating and concentrating small molecules in bulk solution termed "electrophoretic exclusion" is described and experimentally investigated. In this technique, the hydrodynamic flow of the system is countered by the electrophoretic velocity to prevent a species from entering into the channel. The separation can be controlled by changing the flow rate or applied electric field in order to exclude certain species selectively while allowing others to pass through the capillary. Proof of principle studies employed a flow injection regime of the method and examined the exclusion of Methyl Violet dye in the presence of a neutral species. Methyl Violet was concentrated almost 40 times the background concentration in 30 s using 6 kV. Additionally, a threshold voltage necessary for exclusion was determined. The establishment of a threshold voltage enabled the differentiation of two similar cationic species: Methyl Green and Neutral Red.

Wnt5a induces homodimerization and activation of Ror2 receptor tyrosine kinase

Wnts are secreted glycoproteins that control vital biological processes, including embryogenesis, organogenesis and tumorigenesis. Wnts are classified into several subfamilies depending on the signaling pathways they activate, with the canonical subfamily activating the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and the non-canonical subfamily activating a variety of other pathways, including the Wnt/calcium signaling and the small GTPase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase pathway. Wnts bind to a membrane receptor Frizzled and a co-receptor, the low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein. More recently, both canonical and non-canonical Wnts were shown to bind the Ror2 receptor tyrosine kinase. Ror2 is an orphan receptor that plays crucial roles in skeletal morphogenesis and promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Here we examine the effects of a canonical Wnt3a and a non-canonical Wnt5a on the signaling of the Ror2 receptor. We demonstrate that even though both Wnt5a and Wnt3a bound Ror2, only Wnt5a induced Ror2 homo-dimerization and tyrosine phosphorylation in U2OS human osteoblastic cells. Furthermore, Wnt5a treatment also resulted in increased phosphorylation of the Ror2 substrate, 14-3-3beta scaffold protein, indicating that Wnt5a binding causes activation of the Ror2 signaling cascade. Functionally, Wnt5a recapitulated the Ror2 activation phenotype, enhancing bone formation in the mouse calvarial bone explant cultures and potentiating osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. The effect of Wnt5a on osteoblastic differentiation was largely abolished upon Ror2 down-regulation. Thus we show that Wnt5a activates the classical receptor tyrosine kinase signaling cascade through the Ror2 receptor in cells of osteoblastic origin.