Single-Cell Growth Rates in Photoautotrophic Populations Measured by Stable Isotope Probing and Resonance Raman Microspectrometry

A newmethod tomeasure growth rates of individual photoautotrophic cells by combining stable isotope probing (SIP) and single-cell resonance Raman microspectrometry is introduced. This report explores optimal experimental design and the theoretical underpinnings for quantitative responses of Raman spectra to cellular isotopic composition. Resonance Raman spectra of isogenic cultures of the cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp., grown in 13C-bicarbonate revealed linear covariance between wavenumber (cm−1) shifts in dominant carotenoid Raman peaks and a broad range of cellular 13C fractional isotopic abundance. Single-cell growth rates were calculated from spectra-derived isotopic content and empirical relationships. Growth rates among any 25 cells in a sample varied considerably;mean coefficient of variation, CV, was 29±3%(s/x), of which only ∼2% was propagated analytical error. Instantaneous population growth rates measured independently by in vivo fluorescence also varied daily (CV ≈ 53%) and were statistically indistinguishable from single-cell growth rates at all but the lowest levels of cell labeling. SCRR censuses of mixtures prepared from Synechococcus sp. and T. pseudonana (a diatom) populations with varying 13C-content and growth rates closely approximated predicted spectral responses and fractional labeling of cells added to the sample. This approach enables direct microspectrometric interrogation of isotopically- and phylogenetically-labeled cells and detects as little as 3% changes in cellular fractional labeling. This is the first description of a non-destructive technique to measure single-cell photoautotrophic growth rates based on Raman spectroscopy and well-constrained assumptions, while requiring few ancillary measurements

Single-Cell Growth Rates in Photoautotrophic Populations Measured by Stable Isotope Probing and Resonance Raman Microspectrometry

A new method to measure growth rates of individual photoautotrophic cells by combining stable isotope probing (SIP) and single-cell resonance Raman microspectrometry is introduced. This report explores optimal experimental design and the theoretical underpinnings for quantitative responses of Raman spectra to cellular isotopic composition. Resonance Raman spectra of isogenic cultures of the cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp., grown in 13C-bicarbonate revealed linear covariance between wavenumber (cm−1) shifts in dominant carotenoid Raman peaks and a broad range of cellular 13C fractional isotopic abundance. Single-cell growth rates were calculated from spectra-derived isotopic content and empirical relationships. Growth rates among any 25 cells in a sample varied considerably; mean coefficient of variation, CV, was 29 ± 3% (σ/x¯), of which only ~2% was propagated analytical error. Instantaneous population growth rates measured independently by in vivo fluorescence also varied daily (CV ≈ 53%) and were statistically indistinguishable from single-cell growth rates at all but the lowest levels of cell labeling. SCRR censuses of mixtures prepared from Synechococcus sp. and T. pseudonana (a diatom) populations with varying 13C-content and growth rates closely approximated predicted spectral responses and fractional labeling of cells added to the sample. This approach enables direct microspectrometric interrogation of isotopically- and phylogenetically-labeled cells and detects as little as 3% changes in cellular fractional labeling. This is the first description of a non-destructive technique to measure single-cell photoautotrophic growth rates based on Raman spectroscopy and well-constrained assumptions, while requiring few ancillary measurements

Solution Structure of Duplex DNA Containing a β‑Carba-Fapy-dG Lesion

The addition of hydroxyl radicals to the C8 position of guanine can lead to the formation of a 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamido-2′-deoxypyrimidine (Fapy-dG) lesion, whose endogenous levels in cellular DNA rival those of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine. Despite its prevalence, the structure of duplex DNA containing Fapy-dG is unknown. We have prepared an undecameric duplex containing a centrally located β-cFapy-dG residue paired to dC and determined its solution structure by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and restrained molecular dynamic simulations. The damaged duplex adopts a right-handed helical structure with all residues in an <i>anti</i> conformation, forming Watson–Crick base pair alignments, and 2-deoxyribose conformations in the C2′-endo/C1′-exo range. The formamido group of Fapy rotates out of the pyrimidine plane and is present in the <i>Z</i> and <i>E</i> configurations that equilibrate with an approximate 2:1 population ratio. The two isomeric duplexes show similar lesion-induced deviations from a canonical B-from DNA conformation that are minor and limited to the central three-base-pair segment of the duplex, affecting the stacking interactions with the 5-lesion-neighboring residue. We discuss the implications of our observations for translesion synthesis during DNA replication and the recognition of Fapy-dG by DNA glycosylases

Chemical Strategies for Enhancing Activity and Charge Transfer in Ultrathin Pt Nanowires Immobilized onto Nanotube Supports for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) represent a promising support medium for electrocatalysts, especially Pt nanoparticles (NPs). The advantages of using MWNTs include their large surface area, high conductivity, as well as long-term stability. Surface functionalization of MWNTs with various terminal groups, such as −COOH, −SH, and −NH₂, allows for rational electronic tuning of catalyst–support interactions. However, several issues still need to be addressed for such systems. First, over the course of an electrochemical run, catalyst durability can decrease, due in part to metal NP dissolution, a process facilitated by the inherently high surface defect concentration within the support. Second, the covalent functionalization treatment of MWNTs adopted by most groups tends to lead to a loss of structural integrity of the nanotubes (NTs). To mitigate for all of these issues, we have utilized two different attachment approaches (i.e., covalent versus noncovalent) to functionalize the outer walls of pristine MWNTs and compared the catalytic performance of as-deposited ultrathin (<2 nm) 1D Pt nanowires with that of conventional Pt NPs toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our results demonstrated that the electrochemical activity of Pt nanostructures immobilized onto functionalized carbon nanotube (CNT) supports could be dramatically improved by using ultrathin Pt nanowires (instead of NPs) with noncovalently (as opposed to covalently) functionalized CNT supports. Spectroscopic evidence corroborated the definitive presence of charge transfer between the metal catalysts and the underlying NT support, whose direction and magnitude are a direct function of (i) the terminal chemistry as well as (ii) the attachment methodology, both of which simultaneously impact upon the observed electrocatalytic performance. Specifically, the use of a noncovalent π–π stacking method coupled with a −COOH terminal moiety yielded the highest performance results, reported to date, for any similar system consisting of Pt (commercial NPs or otherwise) deposited onto carbon-based supports, a finding of broader interest toward the fabrication of high-performing electrocatalysts in general