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Yerragunta M, Tiwari A, Chakrabarti R, Rimer JD, Kahr B, Vekilov PG. A dual growth mode unique for organic crystals relies on mesoscopic liquid precursors. Commun Chem 2024; 7:190. [PMID: 39198705 PMCID: PMC11358147 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01275-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Organic solvents host the synthesis of high-value crystals used as pharmaceuticals and optical devices, among other applications. A knowledge gap persists on how replacing the hydrogen bonds and polar attraction that dominate aqueous environments with the weaker van der Waals forces affects the growth mechanism, including its defining feature, whether crystals grow classically or nonclassically. Here we demonstrate a rare dual growth mode of etioporphyrin I crystals, enabled by liquid precursors that associate with crystal surfaces to generate stacks of layers, which then grow laterally by incorporating solute molecules. Our findings reveal the precursors as mesoscopic solute-rich clusters, a unique phase favored by weak bonds such as those between organic solutes. The lateral spreading of the precursor-initiated stacks of layers crucially relies on abundant solute supply directly from the solution, bypassing diffusion along the crystal surface; the direct incorporation pathway may, again, be unique to organic solvents. Clusters that evolve to amorphous particles do not seamlessly integrate into crystal lattices. Crystals growing fast and mostly nonclassically at high supersaturations are not excessively strained. Our findings demonstrate that the weak interactions typical of organic systems promote nonclassical growth modes by supporting liquid precursors and enabling the spreading of multilayer stacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasa Yerragunta
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4226 Martin Luther King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA
- Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization, University of Houston, 4226 M.L. King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA
| | - Akash Tiwari
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Design Institute, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Rajshree Chakrabarti
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4226 Martin Luther King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Rimer
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4226 Martin Luther King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA
- Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization, University of Houston, 4226 M.L. King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, 3585 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-5003, USA
| | - Bart Kahr
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Design Institute, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Peter G Vekilov
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, 4226 Martin Luther King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA.
- Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization, University of Houston, 4226 M.L. King Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-4004, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, 3585 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX, 77204-5003, USA.
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2
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Ren S, Zhang X, Zhang R, Zhang H, Jiao D, Chang H. A microchip based Z-cell absorbance detector integrating micro-lenses and slits for portable liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1730:465099. [PMID: 38901298 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
A miniaturized microchip-based absorbance detector was developed for portable high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to test glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The microchip integrating a Z-shaped cell, two collimating micro-lenses and two ink-filled optical slits is small in size (30 mm × 15 mm × 7 mm). The Z-shaped cell has a cross-sectional size of 500 μm × 500 μm and a physical optical path length of 2 mm. Two collimating micro-lenses were inserted in empty grooves on both sides of the cell, one micro-lens for collimating the initial light and the other for focusing the transmitted light. Optical slits on each end of the cell were used to block the stray light. Therefore, this detector indicated a low stray light level (0.011 %) and noise level (2.5 × 10-4 AU). This detector was applied for the commercial HPLC system to detect HbA1c level, and showed a low limit of detection (0.5 μg/mL) and excellent repeatability (≤ 2.03 %). The sensitivity was enhanced by 3.4 times when the optical path length was increased from 0.5 mm to 2 mm and the stray light was blocked by optical slits. The miniaturized microchip-based absorbance detector developed shows a great potential for application in portable and compact HPLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Ren
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Xiaorui Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Ruirong Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
| | - Hantian Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Dezhao Jiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Honglong Chang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
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3
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Shin M, Chang E, Lee D, Kim N, Cho B, Cha N, Koranteng F, Song JJ, Shim J. Drosophila immune cells transport oxygen through PPO2 protein phase transition. Nature 2024; 631:350-359. [PMID: 38926577 PMCID: PMC11236712 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07583-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Insect respiration has long been thought to be solely dependent on an elaborate tracheal system without assistance from the circulatory system or immune cells1,2. Here we describe that Drosophila crystal cells-myeloid-like immune cells called haemocytes-control respiration by oxygenating Prophenoloxidase 2 (PPO2) proteins. Crystal cells direct the movement of haemocytes between the trachea of the larval body wall and the circulation to collect oxygen. Aided by copper and a neutral pH, oxygen is trapped in the crystalline structures of PPO2 in crystal cells. Conversely, PPO2 crystals can be dissolved when carbonic anhydrase lowers the intracellular pH and then reassembled into crystals in cellulo by adhering to the trachea. Physiologically, larvae lacking crystal cells or PPO2, or those expressing a copper-binding mutant of PPO2, display hypoxic responses under normoxic conditions and are susceptible to hypoxia. These hypoxic phenotypes can be rescued by hyperoxia, expression of arthropod haemocyanin or prevention of larval burrowing activity to expose their respiratory organs. Thus, we propose that insect immune cells collaborate with the tracheal system to reserve and transport oxygen through the phase transition of PPO2 crystals, facilitating internal oxygen homeostasis in a process that is comparable to vertebrate respiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyu Shin
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunji Chang
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Daewon Lee
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Nayun Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumsik Cho
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Nuri Cha
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ferdinand Koranteng
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Joon Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Shim
- Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Research Institute for Natural Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Hanyang Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Hanyang Institute of Advanced BioConvergence, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Zhang Q, Lin Z, Du X, Zhou Z. Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation within Dense-Core Vesicles in Sympathetic Adrenal Chromaffin Cells. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01201-6. [PMID: 38589711 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01201-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Quanfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Zhaohan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xinyu Du
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhuan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Beijing, 100871, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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5
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Senft MD, Maier R, Hiremath A, Zhang F, Schreiber F. Effective interactions and phase behavior of protein solutions in the presence of hexamine cobalt(III) chloride. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2023; 46:119. [PMID: 38051398 PMCID: PMC10698144 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-023-00376-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) exhibit a reentrant condensation (RC) phase behavior in the presence of the trivalent hexamine cobalt(III) cations (Hac) which can be important for their packing and folding. A similar behavior can be observed for negatively charged globular proteins in the presence of trivalent metal cations, such as Y3+ or La3+. This phase behavior is mainly driven by charge inversion upon an increasing salt concentration for a fixed protein concentration (cp). However, as Hac exhibits structural differences compared to other multivalent metal cations, with six ammonia ligands (NH3) covalently bonded to the central cobalt atom, it is not clear that Hac can induce a similar phase behavior for proteins. In this work, we systematically investigate whether negatively charged globular proteins β-lactoglobulin (BLG), bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) feature Hac-induced RC. Effective protein-protein interactions were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering. The reduced second virial coefficient (B2/B2HS) was obtained as a function of salt concentration. The virial coefficient analysis performed confirms the reentrant interaction (RI) behavior for BLG without actually inducing RC, given the insufficient strengths of the interactions for the latter to occur. In contrast, the strength of attraction for BSA, HSA and OVA are too weak to show RC. Model free analysis of the inverse intensity [Formula: see text] also supports this finding. Looking at different q-range by employing static (SLS) and dynamic light scattering experiments, the presence of RI behavior can be confirmed. The results are further discussed in view of metal cation binding sites in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), where Hac induced RC phase behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian D Senft
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Ralph Maier
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anusha Hiremath
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fajun Zhang
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Frank Schreiber
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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6
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Poudyal M, Patel K, Gadhe L, Sawner AS, Kadu P, Datta D, Mukherjee S, Ray S, Navalkar A, Maiti S, Chatterjee D, Devi J, Bera R, Gahlot N, Joseph J, Padinhateeri R, Maji SK. Intermolecular interactions underlie protein/peptide phase separation irrespective of sequence and structure at crowded milieu. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6199. [PMID: 37794023 PMCID: PMC10550955 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41864-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has emerged as a crucial biological phenomenon underlying the sequestration of macromolecules (such as proteins and nucleic acids) into membraneless organelles in cells. Unstructured and intrinsically disordered domains are known to facilitate multivalent interactions driving protein LLPS. We hypothesized that LLPS could be an intrinsic property of proteins/polypeptides but with distinct phase regimes irrespective of their sequence and structure. To examine this, we studied many (a total of 23) proteins/polypeptides with different structures and sequences for LLPS study in the presence and absence of molecular crowder, polyethylene glycol (PEG-8000). We showed that all proteins and even highly charged polypeptides (under study) can undergo liquid condensate formation, however with different phase regimes and intermolecular interactions. We further demonstrated that electrostatic, hydrophobic, and H-bonding or a combination of such intermolecular interactions plays a crucial role in individual protein/peptide LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manisha Poudyal
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Komal Patel
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
- Sunita Sanghi Centre of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Laxmikant Gadhe
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ajay Singh Sawner
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Pradeep Kadu
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Debalina Datta
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Semanti Mukherjee
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Soumik Ray
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ambuja Navalkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Siddhartha Maiti
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
- Department of Bioengineering, VIT Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway, Kothrikalan, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, 466114, India
| | - Debdeep Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Jyoti Devi
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Riya Bera
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Nitisha Gahlot
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Jennifer Joseph
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ranjith Padinhateeri
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Samir K Maji
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
- Sunita Sanghi Centre of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
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7
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Ma Q, Huang F, Guo W, Feng K, Huang T, Cai Y. Identification of Phase-Separation-Protein-Related Function Based on Gene Ontology by Using Machine Learning Methods. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1306. [PMID: 37374089 DOI: 10.3390/life13061306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase-separation proteins (PSPs) are a class of proteins that play a role in the process of liquid-liquid phase separation, which is a mechanism that mediates the formation of membranelle compartments in cells. Identifying phase separation proteins and their associated function could provide insights into cellular biology and the development of diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Here, PSPs and non-PSPs that have been experimentally validated in earlier studies were gathered as positive and negative samples. Each protein's corresponding Gene Ontology (GO) terms were extracted and used to create a 24,907-dimensional binary vector. The purpose was to extract essential GO terms that can describe essential functions of PSPs and build efficient classifiers to identify PSPs with these GO terms at the same time. To this end, the incremental feature selection computational framework and an integrated feature analysis scheme, containing categorical boosting, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, light gradient-boosting machine, extreme gradient boosting, and permutation feature importance, were used to build efficient classifiers and identify GO terms with classification-related importance. A set of random forest (RF) classifiers with F1 scores over 0.960 were established to distinguish PSPs from non-PSPs. A number of GO terms that are crucial for distinguishing between PSPs and non-PSPs were found, including GO:0003723, which is related to a biological process involving RNA binding; GO:0016020, which is related to membrane formation; and GO:0045202, which is related to the function of synapses. This study offered recommendations for future research aimed at determining the functional roles of PSPs in cellular processes by developing efficient RF classifiers and identifying the representative GO terms related to PSPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglan Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - FeiMing Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM) & Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200030, China
| | - KaiYan Feng
- Department of Computer Science, Guangdong AIB Polytechnic College, Guangzhou 510507, China
| | - Tao Huang
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yudong Cai
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
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8
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Bañuelos JL, Borguet E, Brown GE, Cygan RT, DeYoreo JJ, Dove PM, Gaigeot MP, Geiger FM, Gibbs JM, Grassian VH, Ilgen AG, Jun YS, Kabengi N, Katz L, Kubicki JD, Lützenkirchen J, Putnis CV, Remsing RC, Rosso KM, Rother G, Sulpizi M, Villalobos M, Zhang H. Oxide- and Silicate-Water Interfaces and Their Roles in Technology and the Environment. Chem Rev 2023; 123:6413-6544. [PMID: 37186959 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Interfacial reactions drive all elemental cycling on Earth and play pivotal roles in human activities such as agriculture, water purification, energy production and storage, environmental contaminant remediation, and nuclear waste repository management. The onset of the 21st century marked the beginning of a more detailed understanding of mineral aqueous interfaces enabled by advances in techniques that use tunable high-flux focused ultrafast laser and X-ray sources to provide near-atomic measurement resolution, as well as by nanofabrication approaches that enable transmission electron microscopy in a liquid cell. This leap into atomic- and nanometer-scale measurements has uncovered scale-dependent phenomena whose reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, and pathways deviate from previous observations made on larger systems. A second key advance is new experimental evidence for what scientists hypothesized but could not test previously, namely, interfacial chemical reactions are frequently driven by "anomalies" or "non-idealities" such as defects, nanoconfinement, and other nontypical chemical structures. Third, progress in computational chemistry has yielded new insights that allow a move beyond simple schematics, leading to a molecular model of these complex interfaces. In combination with surface-sensitive measurements, we have gained knowledge of the interfacial structure and dynamics, including the underlying solid surface and the immediately adjacent water and aqueous ions, enabling a better definition of what constitutes the oxide- and silicate-water interfaces. This critical review discusses how science progresses from understanding ideal solid-water interfaces to more realistic systems, focusing on accomplishments in the last 20 years and identifying challenges and future opportunities for the community to address. We anticipate that the next 20 years will focus on understanding and predicting dynamic transient and reactive structures over greater spatial and temporal ranges as well as systems of greater structural and chemical complexity. Closer collaborations of theoretical and experimental experts across disciplines will continue to be critical to achieving this great aspiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Leobardo Bañuelos
- Department of Physics, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Eric Borguet
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Gordon E Brown
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Randall T Cygan
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - James J DeYoreo
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Patricia M Dove
- Department of Geosciences, Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
| | - Marie-Pierre Gaigeot
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CNRS, LAMBE UMR8587, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Franz M Geiger
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Julianne M Gibbs
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2Canada
| | - Vicki H Grassian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, United States
| | - Anastasia G Ilgen
- Geochemistry Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States
| | - Young-Shin Jun
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Nadine Kabengi
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, United States
| | - Lynn Katz
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - James D Kubicki
- Department of Earth, Environmental & Resource Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Johannes Lützenkirchen
- Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung─INE, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
| | - Christine V Putnis
- Institute for Mineralogy, University of Münster, Münster D-48149, Germany
| | - Richard C Remsing
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Kevin M Rosso
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Gernot Rother
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Marialore Sulpizi
- Department of Physics, Ruhr Universität Bochum, NB6, 65, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Mario Villalobos
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y del Suelo, LANGEM, Instituto De Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Huichun Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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9
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Sun X, Chintakunta PK, Badachhape AA, Bhavane R, Lee H, Yang DS, Starosolski Z, Ghaghada KB, Vekilov PG, Annapragada AV, Tanifum EA. Rational Design of a Self-Assembling High Performance Organic Nanofluorophore for Intraoperative NIR-II Image-Guided Tumor Resection of Oral Cancer. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2206435. [PMID: 36721029 PMCID: PMC10074073 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202206435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The first line of treatment for most solid tumors is surgical resection of the primary tumor with adequate negative margins. Incomplete tumor resections with positive margins account for over 75% of local recurrences and the development of distant metastases. In cases of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the rate of successful tumor removal with adequate margins is just 50-75%. Advanced real-time imaging methods that improve the detection of tumor margins can help improve success rates,overall safety, and reduce the cost. Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window has the potential to revolutionize the field due to its high spatial resolution, low background signal, and deep tissue penetration properties, but NIR-II dyes with adequate in vivo performance and safety profiles are scarce. A novel NIR-II fluorophore, XW-03-66, with a fluorescence quantum yield (QY) of 6.0% in aqueous media is reported. XW-03-66 self-assembles into nanoparticles (≈80 nm) and has a systemic circulation half-life (t1/2 ) of 11.3 h. In mouse models of human papillomavirus (HPV)+ and HPV- OSCC, XW-03-66 outperformed indocyanine green (ICG), a clinically available NIR dye, and enabled intraoperative NIR-II image-guided resection of the tumor and adjacent draining lymph node with negative margins. In vitro and in vivo toxicity assessments revealed minimal safety concerns for in vivo applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianwei Sun
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
| | - Praveen Kumar Chintakunta
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Present address:
Sai Life Sciences LtdTurakapallyTelanganaIndia
| | | | - Rohan Bhavane
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Department of RadiologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTX77030USA
| | - Huan‐Jui Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of HoustonHoustonTX77204USA
| | - David S. Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of HoustonHoustonTX77204USA
| | - Zbigniew Starosolski
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Department of RadiologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTX77030USA
| | - Ketan B. Ghaghada
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Department of RadiologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTX77030USA
| | - Peter G. Vekilov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of HoustonHoustonTX77204USA
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of HoustonHoustonTX77204USA
| | - Ananth V. Annapragada
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Department of RadiologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTX77030USA
| | - Eric A. Tanifum
- Department of RadiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTX77030USA
- Department of RadiologyTexas Children's HospitalHoustonTX77030USA
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10
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Hansen J, Egelhaaf SU, Platten F. Protein solutions close to liquid-liquid phase separation exhibit a universal osmotic equation of state and dynamical behavior. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:3031-3041. [PMID: 36607608 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04553b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of protein solutions is governed by highly complex protein-protein interactions. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that based on the extended law of corresponding states (ELCS), as proposed for colloids with short-range attractions, one can rationalize not only the thermodynamics, but also the structure and dynamics of such systems. This claim is systematically and comprehensively tested here by static and dynamic light scattering experiments. Spinodal lines, the isothermal osmotic compressibility κT and the relaxation rate of concentration fluctuations Γ are determined for protein solutions in the vicinity of LLPS. All these quantities are found to exhibit a corresponding-states behavior. This means that, for different solution conditions, these quantities are essentially the same if considered at similar reduced temperature or second virial coefficient. For moderately concentrated solutions, the volume fraction ϕ dependence of κT and Γ can be consistently described by Baxter's model of adhesive hard spheres. The off-critical, asymptotic T behavior of κT and Γ close to LLPS is consistent with the scaling laws predicted by mean-field theory. Thus, the present work aims at a comprehensive experimental test of the applicability of the ELCS to structural and dynamical properties of concentrated protein solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Hansen
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Stefan U Egelhaaf
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Florian Platten
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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11
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Ahmad A, Uversky VN, Khan RH. Aberrant liquid-liquid phase separation and amyloid aggregation of proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 220:703-720. [PMID: 35998851 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence has shown that the processes of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) or liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs) are a crucial and prevalent phenomenon that underlies the biogenesis of numerous membrane-less organelles (MLOs) and biomolecular condensates within the cells. Findings show that processes associated with LLPS play an essential role in physiology and disease. In this review, we discuss the physical and biomolecular factors that contribute to the development of LLPS, the associated functions, as well as their consequences for cell physiology and neurological disorders. Additionally, the finding of mis-regulated proteins, which have long been linked to aggregates in neuropathology, are also known to induce LLPS/LLPTs, prompting a lot of interest in understanding the connection between aberrant phase separation and disorder conditions. Moreover, the methods used in recent and ongoing studies in this field are also explored, as is the possibility that these findings will encourage new lines of inquiry into the molecular causes of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azeem Ahmad
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P. 202002, India
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141700, Russia.
| | - Rizwan Hasan Khan
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P. 202002, India.
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12
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Wu Y, Nie Y, Long Z, Si P, Zhang D. Coacervation-Based Method for Constructing a Multifunctional Strain-Stiffening Crystalline Polyvinylamine Hydrogel. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:31354-31362. [PMID: 35771154 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c08838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Strain-stiffening hydrogels are essential in the development of ionic skin, as human skin possesses a strain-stiffening property for self-protection. Semicrystalline polymers such as poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have been widely investigated to fabricate strain-stiffening hydrogels via freeze-thaw cycling or chemical cross-linking but with limited adjustable properties. Compared with PVA, polyvinylamine (PVAm) has a higher reactive activity, making it easier to achieve multifunctionalities including strain-stiffening in a PVAm hydrogel. However, the amine moieties in the backbone tend to be ionized and form strong ionic hydrogen bonds with water, resulting in difficulties in forming crystalline hydrogels by conventional methods. Herein, a one-pot method to induce crystallinity and achieve multifunctional hydrogel is devised via coacervation of PVAm. Different from a published coacervation method to fabricate hydrogels with various properties via noncovalent interactions between different chemicals, coacervation occurs between PVAm to form aggregated and loose PVAm in our devised system. Such a strategy lowers the amine-water binding energy in the polymer-dense phase to achieve crystallinity and subsequently the strain-stiffening property; meanwhile, self-healability, self-adhesion, and ionic conductivity can be realized in the polymer-loose phase. The obtained hydrogel integrates stretchability (∼1300% elongation), toughness (227 kPa), the strain-stiffening property (∼10 times increase), self-adhesion (90 J m-2), self-healability (∼80% healing efficiency in toughness), and ionic conductivity (0.22 mS m-1). This convenient strategy will open a new horizon to design multifunctional skin-mimic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Wu
- College of Textile Science and Engineering Jiangnan University ,1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214222, China
| | - Yiping Nie
- College of Textile Science and Engineering Jiangnan University ,1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214222, China
| | - Zhu Long
- College of Textile Science and Engineering Jiangnan University ,1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214222, China
| | - Pengxiang Si
- College of Textile Science and Engineering Jiangnan University ,1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214222, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- College of Textile Science and Engineering Jiangnan University ,1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214222, China
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13
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Hansen J, Pedersen JN, Pedersen JS, Egelhaaf SU, Platten F. Universal effective interactions of globular proteins close to liquid–liquid phase separation: Corresponding-states behavior reflected in the structure factor. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:244903. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0088601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermolecular interactions in protein solutions, in general, contain many contributions. If short-range attractions dominate, the state diagram exhibits liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) that is metastable with respect to crystallization. In this case, the extended law of corresponding states (ELCS) suggests that thermodynamic properties are insensitive to details of the underlying interaction potential. Using lysozyme solutions, we investigate the applicability of the ELCS to the static structure factor and how far effective colloidal interaction models can help to rationalize the phase behavior and interactions of protein solutions in the vicinity of the LLPS binodal. The (effective) structure factor has been determined by small-angle x-ray scattering. It can be described by Baxter’s adhesive hard-sphere model, which implies a single fit parameter from which the normalized second virial coefficient b2 is inferred and found to quantitatively agree with previous results from static light scattering. The b2 values are independent of protein concentration but systematically vary with temperature and solution composition, i.e., salt and additive content. If plotted as a function of temperature normalized by the critical temperature, the values of b2 follow a universal behavior. These findings validate the applicability of the ELCS to globular protein solutions and indicate that the ELCS can also be reflected in the structure factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Hansen
- Heinrich Heine University, Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jannik N. Pedersen
- iNANO Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- iNANO Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Stefan U. Egelhaaf
- Heinrich Heine University, Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Florian Platten
- Heinrich Heine University, Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing IBI-4, Biomacromolecular Systems and Processes, Jülich, Germany
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14
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Jia G, Chen Y, Sun A, Orlien V. Control of ice crystal nucleation and growth during the food freezing process. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2022; 21:2433-2454. [DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.12950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guoliang Jia
- College of Biological Sciences and Technology Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Forest Food Processing and Safety Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Yimeng Chen
- College of Biological Sciences and Technology Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Forest Food Processing and Safety Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - AiDong Sun
- College of Biological Sciences and Technology Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Forest Food Processing and Safety Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Vibeke Orlien
- Department of Food Science Faculty of Science University of Copenhagen Frederiksberg C Denmark
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15
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Li M, Reichert P, Narasimhan C, Sorman B, Xu W, Cote A, Su Y. Investigating Crystalline Protein Suspension Formulations of Pembrolizumab from MAS NMR Spectroscopy. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:936-952. [PMID: 35107019 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Developing biological formulations to maintain the chemical and structural integrity of therapeutic antibodies remains a significant challenge. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) crystalline suspension formulation is a promising alternative for high concentration subcutaneous drug delivery. It demonstrates many merits compared to the solution formulation to reach a high concentration at the reduced viscosity and enhanced stability. One main challenge in drug development is the lack of high-resolution characterization of the crystallinity and stability of mAb microcrystals in the native formulations. Conventional analytical techniques often cannot evaluate structural details of mAb microcrystals in the native suspension due to the presence of visible particles, relatively small crystal size, high protein concentration, and multicomponent nature of a liquid formulation. This study demonstrates the first high-resolution characterization of mAb microcrystalline suspension using magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Crystalline suspension formulation of pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, U.S.) is utilized as a model system. Remarkably narrow 13C spectral linewidth of approximately 29 Hz suggests a high order of crystallinity and conformational homogeneity of pembrolizumab crystals. The impact of thermal stress and dehydration on the structure, dynamics, and stability of these mAb crystals in the formulation environment is evaluated. Moreover, isotopic labeling and heteronuclear 13C and 15N spectroscopies have been utilized to identify the binding of caffeine in the pembrolizumab crystal lattice, providing molecular insights into the cocrystallization of the protein and ligand. Our study provides valuable structural details for facilitating the design of crystalline suspension formulation of Keytruda and demonstrates the high potential of MAS NMR as an advanced tool for biophysical characterization of biological therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Li
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Paul Reichert
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | | | - Bradley Sorman
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Wei Xu
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Aaron Cote
- Biologics Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Yongchao Su
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
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16
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De Yoreo JJ, Nakouzi E, Jin B, Chun J, Mundy CJ. Assembly-based pathways of crystallization. Faraday Discuss 2022; 235:9-35. [DOI: 10.1039/d2fd00061j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Solution crystallization of materials ranging from simple salts to complex supramolecular assemblies has long been viewed through the lens of classical nucleation and growth theories in which monomeric building blocks...
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17
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Luo YY, Wu JJ, Li YM. Regulation of liquid-liquid phase separation with focus on post-translational modifications. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:13275-13287. [PMID: 34816836 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc05266g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), a type of phase transition that is important in organisms, is a unique means of forming biomolecular condensates. LLPS plays a significant role in transcription, genome organisation, immune response and cell signaling, and its dysregulation may cause neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. Exploring the regulatory mechanism of LLPS contributes to the understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of abnormal phase transition and enables potential therapeutic targets to be proposed. Many factors have been found to regulate LLPS, of which post-translational modification (PTM) is among the most important. PTMs can change the structure, charge, hydrophobicity and other properties of the proteins involved in phase separation and thereby affect the phase transition behaviour. In this review, we discuss LLPS and the regulatory effects of PTMs, RNA and molecular chaperones in a phase separation system. We introduce several common PTMs (including phosphorylation, arginine methylation, arginine citrullination, acetylation, ubiquitination and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation), highlight recent advances regarding their roles in LLPS and describe the regulatory mechanisms behind these features. This review provides a detailed overview of the field that will help further the understanding of and interventions in LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Yi Luo
- Key Lab of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
| | - Jun-Jun Wu
- Key Lab of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China. .,Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Yan-Mei Li
- Key Lab of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China. .,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100069, P. R. China.,Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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18
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Fahim A, Annunziata O. Effect of a Good buffer on the fate of metastable protein-rich droplets near physiological composition. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 186:519-527. [PMID: 34265335 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Metastable protein-rich microdroplets are produced from liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of protein aqueous solutions. These globules can be intermediates for the formation of other protein-rich phases. Lysozyme aqueous solutions undergo LLPS around 0 °C in the presence of NaCl near physiological conditions. Here, it is shown that insertion of small amounts of 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonate (HEPES, 0.1 M) as a second additive to lysozyme-NaCl-water solutions near physiological ionic strength (0.2 M) is an essential step for triggering conversion of protein-rich droplets into another phase. Specifically, LLPS induced by cooling reproducibly leads to a rapid and high-yield formation of compact tetragonal crystalline microparticles only in the presence of HEPES. These microcrystals exhibit small size (1-3 μm), narrow size distribution and guest-binding properties. The temperature-concentration phase diagram shows a characteristic topology with LLPS boundary metastable with respect to tetragonal microcrystals, which in turn become less stable than rod-shaped orthorhombic crystals above 40 °C. Interestingly, dynamic light scattering, hydrogen-ion titrations and isothermal titration calorimetry reveal that lysozyme-HEPES interactions were found to be weakly attractive and exothermic. Our findings indicate that additives of salting-in type can represent an important factor controlling the fate of metastable protein-rich microdroplets relevant to drug formulations, femtosecond crystallography, and potential implications in protein-driven cytoplasmic compartmentalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha Fahim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2950 W. Bowie St., Sid Richardson Bldg. #438, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA
| | - Onofrio Annunziata
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2950 W. Bowie St., Sid Richardson Bldg. #438, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA..
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19
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The Ambiguous Functions of the Precursors That Enable Nonclassical Modes of Olanzapine Nucleation and Growth. CRYSTALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst11070738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
One of the most consequential assumptions of the classical theories of crystal nucleation and growth is the Szilard postulate, which states that molecules from a supersaturated phase join a nucleus or a growing crystal individually. In the last 20 years, observations in complex biological, geological, and engineered environments have brought to light violations of the Szilard rule, whereby molecules assemble into ordered or disordered precursors that then host and promote nucleation or contribute to fast crystal growth. Nonclassical crystallization has risen to a default mode presumed to operate in the majority of the inspected crystallizing systems. In some cases, the existence of precursors in the growth media is admitted as proof for their role in nucleation and growth. With the example of olanzapine, a marketed drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, we demonstrate that molecular assemblies in the solution selectively participate in crystal nucleation and growth. In aqueous and organic solutions, olanzapine assembles into both mesoscopic solute-rich clusters and dimers. The clusters facilitate nucleation of crystals and crystal form transformations. During growth, however, the clusters land on the crystal surface and transform into defects, but do not support step growth. The dimers are present at low concentrations in the supersaturated solution, yet the crystals grow by the association of dimers, and not of the majority monomers. The observations with olanzapine emphasize that detailed studies of the crystal and solution structures and the dynamics of molecular association may empower classical and nonclassical models that advance the understanding of natural crystallization, and support the design and manufacture of promising functional materials.
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20
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Bai JL, Liu D, Wang R. Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers Induced by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-021-2563-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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21
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Jang S, Xuan Z, Lagoy RC, Jawerth LM, Gonzalez IJ, Singh M, Prashad S, Kim HS, Patel A, Albrecht DR, Hyman AA, Colón-Ramos DA. Phosphofructokinase relocalizes into subcellular compartments with liquid-like properties in vivo. Biophys J 2021; 120:1170-1186. [PMID: 32853565 PMCID: PMC8059094 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although much is known about the biochemical regulation of glycolytic enzymes, less is understood about how they are organized inside cells. We systematically examine the dynamic subcellular localization of glycolytic protein phosphofructokinase-1/PFK-1.1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. We determine that endogenous PFK-1.1 localizes to subcellular compartments in vivo. In neurons, PFK-1.1 forms phase-separated condensates near synapses in response to energy stress from transient hypoxia. Restoring animals to normoxic conditions results in cytosolic dispersion of PFK-1.1. PFK-1.1 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties, including spheroid shapes due to surface tension, fluidity due to deformations, and fast internal molecular rearrangements. Heterologous self-association domain cryptochrome 2 promotes formation of PFK-1.1 condensates and recruitment of aldolase/ALDO-1. PFK-1.1 condensates do not correspond to stress granules and might represent novel metabolic subcompartments. Our studies indicate that glycolytic protein PFK-1.1 can dynamically form condensates in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- SoRi Jang
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Zhao Xuan
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ross C Lagoy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Louise M Jawerth
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ian J Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Milind Singh
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Shavanie Prashad
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Hee Soo Kim
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Avinash Patel
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Dirk R Albrecht
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Anthony A Hyman
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Daniel A Colón-Ramos
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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22
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Yang DS, Saeedi A, Davtyan A, Fathi M, Sherman MB, Safari MS, Klindziuk A, Barton MC, Varadarajan N, Kolomeisky AB, Vekilov PG. Mesoscopic protein-rich clusters host the nucleation of mutant p53 amyloid fibrils. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2015618118. [PMID: 33653952 PMCID: PMC7958401 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015618118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein p53 is a crucial tumor suppressor, often called "the guardian of the genome"; however, mutations transform p53 into a powerful cancer promoter. The oncogenic capacity of mutant p53 has been ascribed to enhanced propensity to fibrillize and recruit other cancer fighting proteins in the fibrils, yet the pathways of fibril nucleation and growth remain obscure. Here, we combine immunofluorescence three-dimensional confocal microscopy of human breast cancer cells with light scattering and transmission electron microscopy of solutions of the purified protein and molecular simulations to illuminate the mechanisms of phase transformations across multiple length scales, from cellular to molecular. We report that the p53 mutant R248Q (R, arginine; Q, glutamine) forms, both in cancer cells and in solutions, a condensate with unique properties, mesoscopic protein-rich clusters. The clusters dramatically diverge from other protein condensates. The cluster sizes are decoupled from the total cluster population volume and independent of the p53 concentration and the solution concentration at equilibrium with the clusters varies. We demonstrate that the clusters carry out a crucial biological function: they host and facilitate the nucleation of amyloid fibrils. We demonstrate that the p53 clusters are driven by structural destabilization of the core domain and not by interactions of its extensive unstructured region, in contradistinction to the dense liquids typical of disordered and partially disordered proteins. Two-step nucleation of mutant p53 amyloids suggests means to control fibrillization and the associated pathologies through modifying the cluster characteristics. Our findings exemplify interactions between distinct protein phases that activate complex physicochemical mechanisms operating in biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Yang
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Arash Saeedi
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Aram Davtyan
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251
| | - Mohsen Fathi
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Michael B Sherman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555
- Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555
| | - Mohammad S Safari
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | | | - Michelle C Barton
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Navin Varadarajan
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251
| | - Peter G Vekilov
- William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204;
- Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
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23
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Finney A, Salvalaglio M. Multiple Pathways in NaCl Homogeneous Crystal Nucleation. Faraday Discuss 2021; 235:56-80. [DOI: 10.1039/d1fd00089f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
NaCl crystal nucleation from metastable solutions has long been considered to occur according to a single-step mechanism where the growth in the size and crystalline order of the emerging nuclei...
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24
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Minton AP. Water Loss in Aging Erythrocytes Provides a Clue to a General Mechanism of Cellular Senescence. Biophys J 2020; 119:2039-2044. [PMID: 33068538 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental evidence for age-dependent loss of intracellular water content as a widespread concomitant of cellular senescence is reviewed. Quantitative models are presented, indicating that an age-dependent increase in macromolecular crowding resulting from water loss may be responsible for three observed phenomena: a general age-dependent loss of intracellular protein solubility, a delayed and rapid appearance of high molecular weight aggregates, and an age-dependent transfer of intracellular protein from dilute to concentrated or condensed phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen P Minton
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland.
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25
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Cao K, Biskupek J, Stoppiello CT, McSweeney RL, Chamberlain TW, Liu Z, Suenaga K, Skowron ST, Besley E, Khlobystov AN, Kaiser U. Atomic mechanism of metal crystal nucleus formation in a single-walled carbon nanotube. Nat Chem 2020; 12:921-928. [DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-0538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Matsarskaia O, Roosen‐Runge F, Schreiber F. Multivalent ions and biomolecules: Attempting a comprehensive perspective. Chemphyschem 2020; 21:1742-1767. [PMID: 32406605 PMCID: PMC7496725 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ions are ubiquitous in nature. They play a key role for many biological processes on the molecular scale, from molecular interactions, to mechanical properties, to folding, to self-organisation and assembly, to reaction equilibria, to signalling, to energy and material transport, to recognition etc. Going beyond monovalent ions to multivalent ions, the effects of the ions are frequently not only stronger (due to the obviously higher charge), but qualitatively different. A typical example is the process of binding of multivalent ions, such as Ca2+ , to a macromolecule and the consequences of this ion binding such as compaction, collapse, potential charge inversion and precipitation of the macromolecule. Here we review these effects and phenomena induced by multivalent ions for biological (macro)molecules, from the "atomistic/molecular" local picture of (potentially specific) interactions to the more global picture of phase behaviour including, e. g., crystallisation, phase separation, oligomerisation etc. Rather than attempting an encyclopedic list of systems, we rather aim for an embracing discussion using typical case studies. We try to cover predominantly three main classes: proteins, nucleic acids, and amphiphilic molecules including interface effects. We do not cover in detail, but make some comparisons to, ion channels, colloidal systems, and synthetic polymers. While there are obvious differences in the behaviour of, and the relevance of multivalent ions for, the three main classes of systems, we also point out analogies. Our attempt of a comprehensive discussion is guided by the idea that there are not only important differences and specific phenomena with regard to the effects of multivalent ions on the main systems, but also important similarities. We hope to bridge physico-chemical mechanisms, concepts of soft matter, and biological observations and connect the different communities further.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felix Roosen‐Runge
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biofilms-Research Center for Biointerfaces (BRCB), Faculty of Health and SocietyMalmö UniversitySweden
- Division of Physical ChemistryLund UniversitySweden
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Meldrum FC, O'Shaughnessy C. Crystallization in Confinement. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2001068. [PMID: 32583495 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202001068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Many crystallization processes of great importance, including frost heave, biomineralization, the synthesis of nanomaterials, and scale formation, occur in small volumes rather than bulk solution. Here, the influence of confinement on crystallization processes is described, drawing together information from fields as diverse as bioinspired mineralization, templating, pharmaceuticals, colloidal crystallization, and geochemistry. Experiments are principally conducted within confining systems that offer well-defined environments, varying from droplets in microfluidic devices, to cylindrical pores in filtration membranes, to nanoporous glasses and carbon nanotubes. Dramatic effects are observed, including a stabilization of metastable polymorphs, a depression of freezing points, and the formation of crystals with preferred orientations, modified morphologies, and even structures not seen in bulk. Confinement is also shown to influence crystallization processes over length scales ranging from the atomic to hundreds of micrometers, and to originate from a wide range of mechanisms. The development of an enhanced understanding of the influence of confinement on crystal nucleation and growth will not only provide superior insight into crystallization processes in many real-world environments, but will also enable this phenomenon to be used to control crystallization in applications including nanomaterial synthesis, heavy metal remediation, and the prevention of weathering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona C Meldrum
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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Gnanasekaran K, Vailonis KM, Jenkins DM, Gianneschi NC. In Situ Monitoring of the Seeding and Growth of Silver Metal-Organic Nanotubes by Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy. ACS NANO 2020; 14:8735-8743. [PMID: 32578423 PMCID: PMC9836044 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c03209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Metal-organic nanotubes (MONTs) are highly ordered one-dimensional crystalline porous frameworks. Despite being nanomaterials, virtually all studies of MONTs rely on characterization of the bulk crystalline material (micron-sized) by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. For MONTs to achieve their raison d'être as tunable one-dimensional nanomaterials, individual tubes or small finite bundles of tubes must be synthesized and characterized. Therefore, to directly observe their formation under a variety of reaction conditions in solution, we employ liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM), which allows the early stages of MONT assembly to be monitored in real time. Notably, changing the metal-to-ligand ratio alters the local concentrations of reactant monomers, resulting in multiple nucleation and growth pathways and diverse morphologies at the nanoscale. These various initial seeds grow to form the same nanocrystalline needle phase. This approach of employing LCTEM to study these nanomaterials is analogous to monitoring typical homogeneous solution phase reactions by NMR for controlled nanomaterial formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthikeyan Gnanasekaran
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Simpson Querrey Institute, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Kristina M Vailonis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - David M Jenkins
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Nathan C Gianneschi
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Simpson Querrey Institute, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Rimer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
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Begam N, Matsarskaia O, Sztucki M, Zhang F, Schreiber F. Unification of lower and upper critical solution temperature phase behavior of globular protein solutions in the presence of multivalent cations. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:2128-2134. [PMID: 32016274 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02329a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In globular protein systems, upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior is common, but lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase transitions are rare. In addition, the temperature sensitivity of such systems is usually difficult to tune. Here we demonstrate that the charge state of globular proteins in aqueous solutions can alter their temperature-dependent phase behavior. We show a universal way to tune the effective protein interactions and induce both UCST and LCST-type transitions in the system using trivalent salts. We provide a phase diagram identifying LCST and UCST regimes as a function of protein and salt concentrations. We further propose a model based on an entropy-driven cation binding mechanism to explain the experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafisa Begam
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Olga Matsarskaia
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Michael Sztucki
- ESRF - The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Fajun Zhang
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Frank Schreiber
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Abstract
Emerging evidence indicates that liquid-liquid phase separation, the formation of a condensed molecular assembly within another diluted aqueous solution, is a means for cells to organize highly condensed biological assemblies (also known as biological condensates or membraneless compartments) with very broad functions and regulatory properties in different subcellular regions. Molecular machineries dictating synaptic transmissions in both presynaptic boutons and postsynaptic densities of neuronal synapses may be such biological condensates. Here we review recent developments showing how phase separation can build dense synaptic molecular clusters, highlight unique features of such condensed clusters in the context of synaptic development and signaling, discuss how aberrant phase-separation-mediated synaptic assembly formation may contribute to dysfunctional signaling in psychiatric disorders, and present some challenges and opportunities of phase separation in synaptic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter G. Vekilov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, United States
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McSwiggen DT, Mir M, Darzacq X, Tjian R. Evaluating phase separation in live cells: diagnosis, caveats, and functional consequences. Genes Dev 2019; 33:1619-1634. [PMID: 31594803 PMCID: PMC6942051 DOI: 10.1101/gad.331520.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 376] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The idea that liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) may be a general mechanism by which molecules in the complex cellular milieu may self-organize has generated much excitement and fervor in the cell biology community. While this concept is not new, its rise to preeminence has resulted in renewed interest in the mechanisms that shape and drive diverse cellular self-assembly processes from gene expression to cell division to stress responses. In vitro biochemical data have been instrumental in deriving some of the fundamental principles and molecular grammar by which biological molecules may phase separate, and the molecular basis of these interactions. Definitive evidence is lacking as to whether the same principles apply in the physiological environment inside living cells. In this Perspective, we analyze the evidence supporting phase separation in vivo across multiple cellular processes. We find that the evidence for in vivo LLPS is often phenomenological and inadequate to discriminate between phase separation and other possible mechanisms. Moreover, the causal relationship and functional consequences of LLPS in vivo are even more elusive. We underscore the importance of performing quantitative measurements on proteins in their endogenous state and physiological abundance, as well as make recommendations for experiments that may yield more conclusive results.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T McSwiggen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- California Institute of Regenerative Medicine Center of Excellence, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Mustafa Mir
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Xavier Darzacq
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- California Institute of Regenerative Medicine Center of Excellence, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Robert Tjian
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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Zimbitas G, Jawor-Baczynska A, Vesga MJ, Javid N, Moore BD, Parkinson J, Sefcik J. Investigation of molecular and mesoscale clusters in undersaturated glycine aqueous solutions. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.123633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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de Oliveira GAP, Cordeiro Y, Silva JL, Vieira TCRG. Liquid-liquid phase transitions and amyloid aggregation in proteins related to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2019; 118:289-331. [PMID: 31928729 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and phase transition (LLPT) of proteins and nucleic acids have emerged as a new paradigm in cell biology. Here we will describe the recent findings about LLPS and LLPT, including the molecular and physical determinants leading to their formation, the resulting functions and their implications in cell physiology and disease. Amyloid aggregation is implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, and LLPS of proteins involved in these diseases appear to be related to their function in different cell contexts. Amyloid formation would correspond to an irreversible liquid-to-solid transition, as clearly observed in the case of PrP, TDP43, FUS/TLS and tau protein in neurodegenerative pathologies as well as with the mutant tumor suppressor p53 in cancer. Nucleic acids play a modulatory effect on both LLPS and amyloid aggregation. Understanding the molecular events regulating how the demixing process advances to solid-like fibril materials is crucial for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against cancer and neurodegenerative maladies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme A P de Oliveira
- Programa de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Jiri Jonas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yraima Cordeiro
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - Jerson L Silva
- Programa de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Jiri Jonas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Tuane C R G Vieira
- Programa de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Jiri Jonas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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37
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Khan AR, James S, Quinn MK, Altan I, Charbonneau P, McManus JJ. Temperature-Dependent Interactions Explain Normal and Inverted Solubility in a γD-Crystallin Mutant. Biophys J 2019; 117:930-937. [PMID: 31422822 PMCID: PMC6731388 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein crystal production is a major bottleneck in the structural characterization of proteins. To advance beyond large-scale screening, rational strategies for protein crystallization are crucial. Understanding how chemical anisotropy (or patchiness) of the protein surface, due to the variety of amino-acid side chains in contact with solvent, contributes to protein-protein contact formation in the crystal lattice is a major obstacle to predicting and optimizing crystallization. The relative scarcity of sophisticated theoretical models that include sufficient detail to link collective behavior, captured in protein phase diagrams, and molecular-level details, determined from high-resolution structural information, is a further barrier. Here, we present two crystal structures for the P23T + R36S mutant of γD-crystallin, each with opposite solubility behavior: one melts when heated, the other when cooled. When combined with the protein phase diagram and a tailored patchy particle model, we show that a single temperature-dependent interaction is sufficient to stabilize the inverted solubility crystal. This contact, at the P23T substitution site, relates to a genetic cataract and reveals at a molecular level the origin of the lowered and retrograde solubility of the protein. Our results show that the approach employed here may present a productive strategy for the rationalization of protein crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir R Khan
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Susan James
- Department of Chemistry, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
| | | | - Irem Altan
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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38
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Crystal Growth in Gels from the Mechanisms of Crystal Growth to Control of Polymorphism: New Trends on Theoretical and Experimental Aspects. CRYSTALS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst9090443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A gel can be considered to be a two-phase (liquid and solid) system, which lacks flow once it reaches a stationary state. The solid phase is usually a tridimensional polymeric mesh, while the liquid phase is usually found in three forms: contained in great cavities, retained in the capillary pores between micelles, or adsorbed on the surface of a micelle. The influence of the use of gels in crystal growth is diverse and depends on the type of gel being used. A decrease in solubility of any solute in the liquid may occur if the solvent interacts extensively with the polymeric section, hence, the nucleation in gels in these cases apparently occurs at relatively low supersaturations. However, if the pore size is small enough, there is a possibility that a higher supersaturation is needed, due to the compartmentalization of solvents. Finally, this may also represent an effect in the diffusion of substances. This review is divided into three main parts; the first evaluates the theory and practice used for the obtainment of polymorphs. The second part describes the use of gels into crystallogenesis of different substances. The last part is related to the particularities of protein crystal polymorphism, as well as modern trends in gel growth for high-resolution X-ray crystallography.
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39
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40
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Jin B, Wang Y, Liu Z, France-Lanord A, Grossman JC, Jin C, Tang R. Revealing the Cluster-Cloud and Its Role in Nanocrystallization. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2019; 31:e1808225. [PMID: 30847959 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201808225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the early stages of crystallization from supersaturated solutions is of critical importance, but remains a great challenge. An in situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy study reveals an intermediate state of condensed atomic clusters during Pd and Au crystallizations, which is named a "cluster-cloud." It is found that nucleation is initiated by the collapse of a cluster-cloud, first forming a nanoparticle. The subsequent particle maturation proceeds via multiple out-and-in relaxations of the cluster-cloud to improve crystallinity: from a poorly crystallized phase, the particle evolves into a well-defined single-crystal phase. Both experimental investigations and atomistic simulations suggest that the cluster-cloud-mediated nanocrystallization involves an order-disorder phase separation and reconstruction, which is energetically favored compared to local rearrangements within the particle. This finding grants new insights into nanocrystallization mechanisms, and provides useful information for the improvement of synthesis pathways of nanocrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Jin
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
| | - Yanming Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Zhaoming Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
| | - Arthur France-Lanord
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Grossman
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Chuanhong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
| | - Ruikang Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
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41
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Matsarskaia O, Da Vela S, Mariani A, Fu Z, Zhang F, Schreiber F. Phase-Separation Kinetics in Protein-Salt Mixtures with Compositionally Tuned Interactions. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:1913-1919. [PMID: 30702291 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b10725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in protein systems is relevant for many phenomena, from protein condensation diseases to subcellular organization to possible pathways toward protein crystallization. Understanding and controlling LLPS in proteins is therefore highly relevant for various areas of (biological) soft matter research. Solutions of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been shown to have a lower critical solution temperature-LLPS (LCST-LLPS) induceable by multivalent salts. Importantly, the nature of the multivalent cation used influences the LCST-LLPS in such systems. Here, we present a systematic ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering investigation of the kinetics of LCST-LLPS of BSA in the presence of different mixtures of HoCl3 and LaCl3, resulting in different effective interprotein attraction strengths. We monitor the characteristic length scales ξ( t, Tfin) after inducing LLPS by subjecting the respective systems to temperature jumps in their liquid-liquid coexistence regions. With increasing interprotein attraction and increasing Tfin, we observe an increasing deviation from the growth law of ξ ∼ t1/3 and an increased trend toward arrest. We thus establish a multidimensional method to tune phase transitions in our systems. Our findings help shed light on general questions regarding LLPS and the tunability of its kinetics in both proteins and colloidal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Matsarskaia
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Stefano Da Vela
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Alessandro Mariani
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility , 71 Avenue des Martyrs , 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9 , France
| | - Zhendong Fu
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, JCNS@MLZ , Lichtenbergstrasse 1 , 85747 Garching , Germany
| | - Fajun Zhang
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Frank Schreiber
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
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Bhamidi V, Dumoleijn K, Guha D, Kirk SK, De Bruyn A, Pymer AK. From Experiments and Models to Business Decisions: A Scale-up Study on the Reactive Crystallization of a Crop Protection Agent. Org Process Res Dev 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.8b00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kim Dumoleijn
- Amines & Formic Acid Technology, Eastman Chemical Company, Pantserschipstraat 207, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Alain De Bruyn
- Amines & Formic Acid Technology, Eastman Chemical Company, Pantserschipstraat 207, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Anomalous Dense Liquid Condensates Host the Nucleation of Tumor Suppressor p53 Fibrils. iScience 2019; 12:342-355. [PMID: 30739016 PMCID: PMC6369220 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
About half of human cancers are associated with mutations of the tumor suppressor p53. Gained oncogenic functions of the mutants have been related to aggregation behaviors of wild-type and mutant p53. The thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms of p53 aggregation are poorly understood. Here we find that wild-type p53 forms an anomalous liquid phase. The liquid condensates exhibit several behaviors beyond the scope of classical phase transition theories: their size, ca. 100 nm, is independent of the p53 concentration and decoupled from the protein mass held in the liquid phase. Furthermore, the liquid phase lacks constant solubility. The nucleation of p53 fibrils deviates from the accepted mechanism of sequential association of single solute molecules. We find that the liquid condensates serve as pre-assembled precursors of high p53 concentration that facilitate fibril assembly. Fibril nucleation hosted by precursors represents a novel biological pathway, which opens avenues to suppress protein fibrillation in aggregation diseases.
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Tao F, Han Q, Yang P. Developing Biopolymer Mesocrystals by Crystallization of Secondary Structures. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:183-193. [PMID: 30554509 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Particle-based mesocrystals have been known for over 10 years; however, examples of biopolymer mesocrystals are rather scarce. The synthesis of particle precursors of biopolymers, the identification of particle-mediated crystallization processes, and thus the synthesis of mesocrystals of biopolymers are challenging. Here, we summarize the existing examples of biopolymer crystallization based on self-assembly of the secondary structures, which could induce the formation of biopolymer mesocrystals. As basic building units, simple secondary structures such as β-sheets or α-helixes could provide a useful tool for the design of biopolymer mesocrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Tao
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an 710119 , China
| | - Qian Han
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an 710119 , China
| | - Peng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an 710119 , China
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48
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Matsarskaia O, Roosen-Runge F, Lotze G, Möller J, Mariani A, Zhang F, Schreiber F. Tuning phase transitions of aqueous protein solutions by multivalent cations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:27214-27225. [PMID: 30351336 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp05884a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In the presence of trivalent cations, negatively charged globular proteins show a rich phase behaviour including reentrant condensation, crystallisation, clustering and lower critical solution temperature metastable liquid-liquid phase separation (LCST-LLPS). Here, we present a systematic study on how different multivalent cations can be employed to tune the interactions and the associated phase behaviour of proteins. We focus our investigations on the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the presence of HoCl3, LaCl3 and YCl3. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we find that the interprotein attraction induced by Ho3+ is very strong, while the one induced by La3+ is comparatively weak when comparing the data to BSA-Y3+ systems based on our previous work. Using zeta potential and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements, we establish different binding affinities of cations to BSA with Ho3+ having the highest one. We propose that a combination of different cation features such as radius, polarisability and in particular hydration effects determine the protein-protein interaction induced by these cations. Our findings imply that subtle differences in cation properties can be a sensitive tool to fine-tune protein-protein interactions and phase behaviour in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Matsarskaia
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Beck C, Grimaldo M, Roosen-Runge F, Braun MK, Zhang F, Schreiber F, Seydel T. Nanosecond Tracer Diffusion as a Probe of the Solution Structure and Molecular Mobility of Protein Assemblies: The Case of Ovalbumin. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:8343-8350. [PMID: 30106587 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b04349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Protein diffusion is not only an important process ensuring biological function but can also be used as a probe to obtain information on structural properties of protein assemblies in liquid solutions. Here, we explore the oligomerization state of ovalbumin at high protein concentrations by means of its short-time self-diffusion. We employ high-resolution incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering to access the self-diffusion on nanosecond timescales, on which interparticle contacts are not altered. Our results indicate that ovalbumin in aqueous (D2O) solutions occurs in increasingly large assemblies of its monomeric subunits with rising protein concentration. It changes from nearly monomeric toward dimeric and ultimately larger than tetrameric complexes. Simultaneously, we access information on the internal molecular mobility of ovalbumin on the nanometer length scale and compare it with results obtained for bovine serum albumin, immunoglobulin, and β-lactoglobulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Beck
- Institut Max von Laue-Paul Langevin (ILL) , B.P.156, F-38042 Grenoble , France.,Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Marco Grimaldo
- Institut Max von Laue-Paul Langevin (ILL) , B.P.156, F-38042 Grenoble , France
| | - Felix Roosen-Runge
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry , Lund University , Naturvetarvägen 16 , SE-22100 Lund , Sweden
| | - Michal K Braun
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Fajun Zhang
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Frank Schreiber
- Institut für Angewandte Physik , Universität Tübingen , Auf der Morgenstelle 10 , 72076 Tübingen , Germany
| | - Tilo Seydel
- Institut Max von Laue-Paul Langevin (ILL) , B.P.156, F-38042 Grenoble , France
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Ribeiro S, Ebbinghaus S, Marcos JC. Protein folding and quinary interactions: creating cellular organisation through functional disorder. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:3040-3053. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ribeiro
- Centre of Chemistry University of Minho Braga Portugal
| | - Simon Ebbinghaus
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Technical University Braunschweig Germany
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