Protein footprinting by pyrite shrink-wrap laminate

Chemical Generation of Hydroxyl Radical for Oxidative 'Footprinting'

BACKGROUND

For almost four decades, hydroxyl radical chemically generated by Fenton chemistry has been a mainstay for the oxidative 'footprinting' of macromolecules.

OBJECTIVE

In this article, we start by reviewing the application of chemical generation of hydroxyl radical to the development of oxidative footprinting of DNA and RNA and the subsequent application of the method to oxidative footprinting of proteins. We next discuss a novel strategy for generating hydroxyl radicals by Fenton chemistry that immobilizes catalytic iron on a solid surface (Pyrite Shrink Wrap laminate) for the application of nucleic acid and protein footprinting.

METHOD

Pyrite Shrink-Wrap Laminate is fabricated by depositing pyrite (Fe-S2, aka 'fool's gold') nanocrystals onto thermolabile plastic (Shrinky Dink). The laminate can be thermoformed into a microtiter plate format into which samples are deposited for oxidation.

RESULTS

We demonstrate the utility of the Pyrite Shrink-Wrap Laminate for the chemical generation of hydroxyl radicals by mapping the surface of the T-cell co-stimulatory protein Programmed Death - 1 (PD-1) and the interface of the complex with its ligand PD-L1.

CONCLUSION

We have developed and validated an affordable and reliable benchtop method of hydroxyl radical generation that will broaden the application of protein oxidative footprinting. Due to the minimal equipment required to implement this method, it should be easily adaptable by many laboratories with access to mass spectrometry.

Rapid prototyping of all-solution-processed multi-lengthscale electrodes using polymer-induced thin film wrinkling

Three-dimensional electrodes that are controllable over multiple lengthscales are very important for use in bioanalytical systems that integrate solid-phase devices with solution-phase samples. Here we present a fabrication method based on all-solution-processing and thin film wrinkling using smart polymers that is ideal for rapid prototyping of tunable three-dimensional electrodes and is extendable to large volume manufacturing. Although all-solution-processing is an attractive alternative to vapor-based techniques for low-cost manufacturing of electrodes, it often results in films suffering from low conductivity and poor substrate adhesion. These limitations are addressed here by using a smart polymer to create a conformal layer of overlapping wrinkles on the substrate to shorten the current path and embed the conductor onto the polymer layer. The structural evolution of these wrinkled electrodes, deposited by electroless deposition onto a nanoparticle seed layer, is studied at varying deposition times to understand its effects on structural parameters such as porosity, wrinkle wavelength and height. Furthermore, the effect of structural parameters on functional properties such as electro-active surface area and surface-enhanced Raman scattering is investigated. It is found that wrinkling of electroless-deposited thin films can be used to reduce sheet resistance, increase surface area, and enhance the surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal.

Understanding geometric instabilities in thin films via a multi-layer model

When a thin stiff film adhered to a compliant substrate is subject to compressive stresses, the film will experience a geometric instability and buckle out of plane. For high film/substrate stiffness ratios with relatively low levels of strain, the primary mode of instability will either be wrinkling or buckling delamination depending on the material and geometric properties of the system. Previous works approach these systems by treating the film and substrate as homogenous layers, either consistently perfectly attached, or perfectly unattached at interfacial flaws. However, this approach neglects systems where the film and substrate are uniformly weakly attached or where interfacial layers due to surface modifications in either the film or substrate are present. Here we demonstrate a method for accounting for these additional thin surface layers via an analytical solution verified by numerical results. The main outcome of this work is an improved understanding of how these layers influence global behavior. We demonstrate the utility of our model with applications ranging from buckling based metrology in ultrathin films, to an improved understanding of the formation of a novel surface in carbon nanotube bio-interface films. Moving forward, this model can be used to interpret experimental results, particularly for systems which deviate from traditional behavior, and aid in the evaluation and design of future film/substrate systems.

Conducting shrinkable nanocomposite based on au-nanoparticle implanted plastic sheet: tunable thermally induced surface wrinkling

A thermally shrinkable and conductive nanocomposite material is prepared by supersonic cluster beam implantation (SCBI) of neutral Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) into a commercially available thermo-retractable polystyrene (PS) sheet. Micronanowrinkling is obtained during shrinking, which is studied by means of SEM, TEM and AFM imaging. Characteristic periodicity is determined and correlated with nanoparticle implantation dose, which permits us to tune the topographic pattern. Remarkable differences emerged with respect to the well-known case of wrinkling of bilayer metal-polymer. Wrinkled composite surfaces are characterized by a peculiar multiscale structuring that promises potential technological applications in the field of catalytic surfaces, sensors, biointerfaces, and optics, among others.