Yuri F. Zuev

Time domain dielectric spectroscopy: An advanced measuring system

The new time domain measurement system for dielectric measurements is described. The current model is comprised of an IBM PC‐AT/486, ‘‘TDM‐2,’’ a new time domain measurement system, a set of thermostabilized sample holders, and operation and analysis software. This system is designed for use in the measurement of dielectric parameters of liquid and solid materials over the frequency range 100 kHz–10 GHz. Software consists of programs of registration, accumulation and data collection, Fourier analysis, time domain treatment, analysis software: fast and reliable nonlinear curve fitting programs to determine spectroscopic parameters and correlation analysis in time domain. The system utilizes the difference method of measurement with the registration of primary signals with multiwindow nonuniform sampling. Such a system permits the overlap of a frequency range of five orders in a single measurement.

Supramolecular Systems Based on Novel Mono- and Dicationic Pyrimidinic Amphiphiles and Oligonucleotides: A Self-Organization and Complexation Study

Novel mono- and dicationic pyrimidinic surfactants are synthesized and their aggregation behavior is studied by methods of tensiometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) self-diffusion. To estimate their potentiality as gene delivery agents, the complexation with oligonucleotides (ONus) is explored by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta-potential titration methods and ethidium bromide exclusion experiments. Bola-type pyrimidinic amphiphile (BPM) demonstrates rather a weak affinity to ONus. Although it induces mixed associations with ONus, only slight charge compensation changes occur at a large excess of bola, with no recharging reached. Similarly, the ethydium bromide exclusion study reveals a slow increase in the binding capacity toward an ONu with an increment in BPM concentration. The monocationic pyrimidinic surfactant (MPM) and its gemini analogue (GPM-1) are ranked as intermediates in both their aggregative activity and complexing properties toward ONus. They both form mixed associates with ONus well below the critical micelle concentrations (cmcs) of 2 and 15 mM respectively. However, GPM-1 has a much lower isoelectric point at the molar ratio surfactant/ONu r~1 compared to r~3 for MPM. This probably indicates a larger electrostatic contribution to the ONu complexation in the case of GPM-1. The most hydrophobic pyrimidinic surfactant (GPM-2), bearing three alkyl tails, demonstrates enhanced aggregative activity and binding capacity toward ONus as compared to former pyrimidinic surfactants. Due to effective aggregative (low cmc of 0.04 mM) plus binding properties (fraction of bound ONu β=0.76 at r=2.5), GPM-2 may be ranked as a promising agent for wider biological applications.

Interactions of β-lactoglobulin with serotonin and arachidonyl serotonin.

β-Lactoglobulin (β-LG) is a lipocalin, which is the major whey protein of cows milk and the milk of other mammals. However, it is absent from human milk. The biological function of β-LG is not clear, but its potential role in carrying fatty acids through the digestive tract has been suggested. β-LG has been found in complexes with lipids such as butyric and oleic acids and has a high affinity for a wide variety of compounds. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), an important compound found in animals and plants, has various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions such as memory and learning. In this study, the interaction of serotonin and one of its derivatives, arachidonyl serotonin (AA-5HT), with β-LG was investigated using circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence intensity measurements. These two ligands interact with β-LG forming equimolar complexes. The binding constant for the serotonin/β-LG interaction is between 10⁵ and 10⁶ M(-1) , whereas for the AA-5HT/β-LG complex it is between 10⁴ and 10⁵ M(-1) as determined by measurements of either protein or ligand fluorescence. The observed binding affinities were higher in hydroethanolic media (25% EtOH). The interactions between serotonin/β-LG and AA-5HT/β-LG may compete with self-association (micellization) of both the ligand and the protein. According to far- and near-UV CD results, these ligands have no apparent influence on β-LG secondary structure, however they partially destabilize its tertiary structure. Their binding by β-LG may be one of the peripheral mechanisms of the regulation of the content of serotonin and its derivatives in the bowel of milk-fed animals.

Engineering of caseins and modulation of their structures and interactions.

Beta-casein (beta-CN) is a milk protein widely used in food industries because of its mild emulsifying properties due to its amphiphilicity. However, the elements determining its micellization behavior in solution and interfacial behavior at the air-water interface are not well known. In order to study how the forced dimerisation influences functional properties of beta-CN, recombinant wild-type beta-CN was produced and distal cysteinylated forms of recombinant beta-CN were engineered. We show that 1) cysteinylated beta-CN formed mainly dimers bridged by disulfide bonds; 2) the process of dimerization adds to the micellization process with temperature and is poorly reversible; 3) covalent disulfide linkage forms at the air-water interface at a lower temperature than in bulk. In conclusion, the location of the cysteinylation in the C-terminus or N-terminus or both is of importance for the properties of beta-CN.

Brownian dynamics simulation of substrate motion near active site of enzyme entrapped inside reverse micelle

Brownian dynamics simulation has been applied to analyze the influence of the electrostatic field of a reverse micelle on the enzyme-substrate complex formation inside a micelle. The probability that the enzyme-substrate complex will form from serine protease (trypsin) and the specific hydrophilic cationic substrate Nα-benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester has been studied within the framework of the encounter complex formation theory. It has been shown that surfactant charge, dipole moments created by charged surfactant molecules and counterions, and permittivity of the inner core of reverse micelles can all be used as regulatory parameters to alter the substrate orientation near the active site of the enzyme and to change the probability that the enzyme-substrate complex will form.