Application of Pressure Probe and UV-MALDI-TOF MS for Direct Analysis of Plant Underivatized Carbohydrates in Subpicoliter Single-Cell Cytoplasm Extract

Single-cell cytoplasm sap (1-10 pL) was extracted by using a pressure probe glass microcapillary tip from tulip leaf and bulb and analyzed by UV-MALDI-TOF MS for free underivatized carbohydrate content. Three matrices including 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in positive ion mode were selected for analysis because of acceptable carbohydrate-related signal reproducibility. Disaccharide and oligosaccharide (up to 15 Hex when THAP was used, 11 Hex with DHB, and 7 Hex with CNTs) were detected in tulip bulb cell cytoplasm sample. When DHB was used as matrix, neutral carbohydrates were more abundantly detected as sodiated cations; the sugar-related signals, however, appeared as dominant potassiated cations when THAP and CNTs were used. Small amount of monosaccharide was also detected in bulb cell cytoplasm with CNTs as matrix. UV-MALDI-TOF MS of leaf cell extract resulted in high-resolution detection of hexose and disaccharide with DHB, THAP, and CNTs. © 2008 American Society for Mass Spectrometry.Fil:Erra-Balsells, R. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Photoacoustic determination of energy content and quantum yields of formation of transient states

Pulsed laser photoacoustic measurements were used to determine the energy content of the photoisomer of the cyanine dye DTCI and quantum yields of formation of triplet states of purinic compounds

Spectroscopic and quantum chemical characterization of the ground and lowest electronically excited singlet and triplet states of halo- And nitro-harmines in aqueous media

Halogenated and nitro b-carboline (bCs) alkaloids have garnered increasing interest for their role in a broad range of biological, pharmacological and biotechnological processes. Addressing their spectroscopic and photophysical properties provide tools to further explore the presence of these alkaloids in complex biological matrices. In addition, these studies help to elucidate processes where these alkaloids are involved. The UV-visible and steady-state room temperature fluorescence of bromoand nitro-harmines in an aqueous environment at different pHs, low-temperature phosphorescence (at 77 K) and quantum yields of singlet oxygen production are reported herein. Singlet (S0 and S1) and triplet (T1) electronic states are further analyzed using density functional theory (DFT) and the results compared with experimental data. Data are discussed in the framework of potential biotechnological applications of these bC alkaloids.Fil: Denofrio, Maria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Villarruel Tapia, Fernando Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Erra Balsells, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Ogilby, Peter R.. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Wolcan, Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Cabrerizo, Franco Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentin

Direct UV-MALDI-TOF MS analysis of (Glyco)proteins of fractions of bovine seminal plasma

Bovine seminal plasma was submitted to chromatography on Con A-Sepharose. The "noninteracting", "weakly-interacting" and "strongly-interacting" fractions were analyzed through UV-MALDI-TOF MS together with a subfraction of the "non-interacting" material, using sinapinic acid (SA) as matrix. The spectra were obtained in linear positive mode in the 4.0-90.0 kDa mass/charge range showing peaks in well defined zones, namely: 5.5-8.0 kDa, 10.0-12.0 kDa, 12.5-14.0 kDa (major), 23.2-23.7 kDa, 26.1-27.5 kDa and 38.0-40.0 kDa. High sensitivity spectra showed some very small peaks until 90 kDa. Bovine seminal protein (BSP-A3), acidic seminal fluid protein (aSFP) and PDC-109 glycoproteins (BSP-A1 and BSP-A2) were identified. Caltrin, the human epididymis-specific glycoprotein (HE4), the calcium transport inhibitor protein, the inhibitor of metalloprotease 2 (TIMP-2), osteopontin (OPN) and the prostatic acid protease (PAP) were tentatively identified. The molecular weight of some peaks can be arranged in a sequence from that of BSP-A3 going through the molecular weights of glycoforms (including the known BSP-A1 and BSP-A2) which differ in the amounts of neutral hexoses and sialic acids, composing a BSP-family more extended than previously reported. Another two families could be builded up from proteins of molecular weight of about 12730 and 12750 Da and glycoforms which differ from them also by hexoses and sialic acids. The structures of the deduced O-linked oligosaccharides of the glycoforms are in complete agreement to that determined for the BSP-A1 Oligosaccharide. Small differences in the m. w. of some (glyco)proteins were attributed to genetic polymorphysm. The identification of proteins and O-linked glycoproteins in the "interacting" fractions of the chromatography suggests that the fractionation was not due to specific affinity interactions but to non-specific hydrophobic interactions of the proteins with the hydrophobic pocked of the Con A.Fil:Cerezo, A.S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Giudicessi, S.L. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Erra-Balsells, R. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Marquinez, A.C. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Energetics of neutral and deprotonated (Z)-cinnamic acid

We have performed a study of structural, thermochemical and thermophysical properties of the (Z)-cinnamic acid neutral molecule and its corresponding oxyanion (formed by deprotonation of the carboxylic group). The thermophysical study (heat capacities, temperature and enthalpy of fusion) was made by DSC. The following intrinsic (gas-phase) thermochemical magnitudes have been experimentally determined: i/ standard enthalpy of formation, at 298.15 K, of the neutral molecule, (g) = -215.5 3.2 kJ?mol-1, by combustion calorimetry and by the Knudsen effusion technique, ii/ deprotonation enthalpy, ΔacidH0(g) = 1416.4 ± 8.8 kJ?mol-1 and acidity, GA = 1386.7 ± 8.8 kJ?mol-1, by the EKM method using ESI-TQ Mass Spectrometry. From these results we have also derived the enthalpy of formation of the oxyanion, (oxyanion,g) = -303.5 9.4 kJ?mol-1. A computational study, through density functional calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, was used to check the good consistency of the experimental results. The global results show that (Z)-cinnamic acid is significantly less stable than the corresponding (E)-isomer, which can be related to the greater acidity of the (Z)-form found in both the gas and aqueous solution phases.Fil: Dávalos, Juan Z.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Química Física; EspañaFil: Lima, Carlos F. R. A. C.. Universidad de Porto; Portugal. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Silva, Artur M. S.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Santos, Luís M. N. B. F.. Universidad de Porto; PortugalFil: Erra Balsells, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; ArgentinaFil: Salum, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; Argentin