A fluorogenic cyclic peptide for imaging and quantification of drug-induced apoptosis

Programmed cell death or apoptosis is a central biological process that is dysregulated in many diseases, including inflammatory conditions and cancer. The detection and quantification of apoptotic cells in vivo is hampered by the need for fixatives or washing steps for non-fluorogenic reagents, and by the low levels of free calcium in diseased tissues that restrict the use of annexins. In this manuscript, we report the rational design of a highly stable fluorogenic peptide (termed Apo-15) that selectively stains apoptotic cells in vitro and in vivo in a calcium-independent manner and under wash-free conditions. Furthermore, using a combination of chemical and biophysical methods, we identify phosphatidylserine as a molecular target of Apo-15. We demonstrate that Apo-15 can be used for the quantification and imaging of drug-induced apoptosis in preclinical mouse models, thus creating opportunities for assessing the in vivo efficacy of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer therapeutics

Magnetic domain states in nano-sized Co nuclei electrodeposited onto monocrystalline silicon

In the present work, nano-sized magnetic nuclei of Co have been electrodeposited onto p-Si (111). The deposition follows a mechanism of progressive nucleation and growth controlled by diffusion. MFM studies showed that the transition between magnetic domain states is strongly dependent on the size and shape of the nuclei. A critical height h0 is defined below which the nuclei presented always a single-domain configuration. The limiting lower boundary for the single-domain state calculated from the theory is quantitatively coincident with the experimental results. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Orientational Dependence of the Affinity of Guanidinium Ions to the Water Surface

The behavior of guanidinium chloride at the surface of aqueous solutions is investigated using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It is found that the population of guanidinium ions oriented parallel to the interface is greater in the surface region than in bulk. The opposite is true for ions in other orientations. Overall, guanidinium chloride is depleted in the surface region, in agreement with the fact that the addition of guanidinium chloride increases the surface tension of water. The orientational dependence of the surface affinity of the guanidinium cation is related to its anisotropic hydration. To bring the ion to the surface in the parallel orientation does not require hydrogen bonds to be broken, in contrast to other orientations. The surface enrichment of parallel-oriented guanidinium indicates that its solvation is more favorable near the surface than in bulk solution for this orientation. The dependence of the bulk and surface properties of guanidinium on the force field parameters is also investigated. Despite significant quantitative differences between the force fields, the surface behavior is qualitatively robust. The implications for the orientations of the guanidinium groups of arginine side chains on protein surfaces are also outlined

Model Systems for Dynamics of π-Conjugated Biomolecules in Excited States

Mixed-quantum classical dynamics simulations have recently become an important tool for investigations of time-dependent properties of electronically excited molecules, including non-adiabatic effects occurring during internal conversion processes. The high computational costs involved in such simulations have often led to simulation of model compounds instead of the full biochemical system. This chapter reviews recent dynamics results obtained for models of three classes of biologically relevant systems: protonated Schiff base chains as models for the chromophore of rhodopsin proteins; nucleobases and heteroaromatic rings as models for UV-excited nucleic acids; and formamide as a model for photoexcited peptide bonds