Synthesis of ATP from ADP and phosphate, catalyzed by F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases, is the most abundant physiological reaction in almost any cell. F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases are membrane-bound enzymes that use the energy derived from an electrochemical proton gradient for ATP formation. We incorporated double-labeled F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases from Escherichia coli into liposomes and measured single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) during ATP synthesis and hydrolysis. The gamma subunit rotates stepwise during proton transport-powered ATP synthesis, showing three distinct distances to the b subunits in repeating sequences. The average durations of these steps correspond to catalytic turnover times upon ATP synthesis as well as ATP hydrolysis. The direction of rotation during ATP synthesis is opposite to that of ATP hydrolysis.

F 0 F 1 -ATP synthases catalyze proton transport-coupled ATP synthesis in bacteria, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In these complexes, the e-subunit is involved in the catalytic reaction and the activation of the enzyme. Fluorescencelabeled F 0 F 1 from Escherichia coli was incorporated into liposomes. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) revealed that the e-subunit rotates stepwise showing three distinct distances to the b-subunits in the peripheral stalk. Rotation occurred in opposite directions during ATP synthesis and hydrolysis. Analysis of the dwell times of each FRET state revealed different reactivities of the three catalytic sites that depended on the relative orientation of e during rotation. Proton transport through the enzyme in the absence of nucleotides led to conformational changes of e. When the enzyme was inactive (i.e. in the absence of substrates or without membrane energization), three distances were found again, which differed from those of the active enzyme. The three states of the inactive enzyme were unequally populated. We conclude that the active-inactive transition was associated with a conformational change of e within the central stalk.

BackgroundIt is imperative to have reliable and timely methodologies for analysis and monitoring of seed plants in order to determine climate-related plant processes. Moreover, impact of environment on plant fitness is predominantly based on studies of female functions, while the contribution of male gametophytes is mostly ignored due to missing data on pollen quality. We explored the use of infrared spectroscopy of pollen for an inexpensive and rapid characterization of plants.MethodologyThe study was based on measurement of pollen samples by two Fourier transform infrared techniques: single reflectance attenuated total reflectance and transmission measurement of sample pellets. The experimental set, with a total of 813 samples, included five pollination seasons and 300 different plant species belonging to all principal spermatophyte clades (conifers, monocotyledons, eudicots, and magnoliids).ResultsThe spectroscopic-based methodology enables detection of phylogenetic variations, including the separation of confamiliar and congeneric species. Furthermore, the methodology enables measurement of phenotypic plasticity by the detection of inter-annual variations within the populations. The spectral differences related to environment and taxonomy are interpreted biochemically, specifically variations of pollen lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and sporopollenins. The study shows large variations of absolute content of nutrients for congenital species pollinating in the same environmental conditions. Moreover, clear correlation between carbohydrate-to-protein ratio and pollination strategy has been detected. Infrared spectral database with respect to biochemical variation among the range of species, climate and biogeography will significantly improve comprehension of plant-environment interactions, including impact of global climate change on plant communities.

The EF 0 F 1 -ATP synthase mutants bQ64C and Q QT106C were labelled selectively with the £uorophores tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) at the b-subunit and with a cyanine (Cy5) at the Q Q-subunit. After reconstitution into liposomes, these double-labelled enzymes catalyzed ATP synthesis at a rate of 33 s 31 . Fluorescence of TMR and Cy5 was measured with a confocal set-up for single-molecule detection. Photon bursts were detected, when liposomes containing one enzyme traversed the confocal volume. Three states with di¡erent £uorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) e⁄ciencies were observed. In the presence of ATP, repeating sequences of those three FRETstates were identi¢ed, indicating stepwise rotation of the Q Q-subunit of EF 0 F 1 . ß 2002 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Classification, discrimination, and biochemical assignment of vibrational spectra of pollen samples belonging to 43 different species of the order Pinales has been made using three different vibrational techniques. The comparative study of transmission (KBr pellet) and attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and FT-Raman spectroscopies was based on substantial variability of pollen grain size, shape, and relative biochemical composition. Depending on the penetration depth of the probe light, vibrational techniques acquire predominant information either on pollen grain walls (FT-Raman and ATR-FT-IR) or intracellular material (transmission FT-IR). Compared with the other two methods, transmission FT-IR obtains more comprehensive information and as a result achieves superior spectral identification and discrimination of pollen. The results strongly indicate that biochemical similarities of pollen grains belonging to the same plant genus or family lead to similar features in corresponding vibrational spectra. The exploitation of that property in aerobiological monitoring was demonstrated by simple and rapid pollen identification based on relatively small spectral libraries, with the same (or better) taxonomic resolution as that provided by optical microscopy. Therefore, the clear correlation between vibrational spectra and pollen grain morphology, biochemistry, and taxonomy is obtained, while successful pollen identification illustrates the practicability of such an approach in environmental studies.

(2015) Comparison of methods for the analysis of therapeutic immunoglobulin G Fc-glycosylation profiles-Part 1: Separation-based methods, mAbs, 7:1, 167-179, DOI: 10.4161/19420862.2014.986000 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10. 4161/19420862.2014 Abbreviations: mAb, monoclonal antibody; Fc, fragment crystallizable; IgG, immunoglobulin G; HILIC-UPLC, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-ultra high performance liquid chromatography; 2-AB, 2-aminobenzamide; Fab, fragment, antigen-binding; CE-LIF, capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; MALDI-MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry; ESI-MS, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry; HPAEC-PAD, high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection; APTS, 8-aminopyrene-1, 3, 6-trisulfonic acid; DSA-FACE, DNA-sequencer-aided fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis; ANTS, 8-aminonaphthalene-1, 3, 6-trisulfonate; CCGE, cartridge-based capillary gel electrophoresis; HR, high resolution; IAB, InstantAB labeling; CHO, Chinese hamster ovaryImmunoglobulin G (IgG) crystallizable fragment (Fc) glycosylation is crucial for antibody effector functions, such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and for their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics behavior. To monitor the Fc-glycosylation in bioprocess development, as well as product characterization and release analytics, reliable techniques for glycosylation analysis are needed. A wide range of analytical methods has found its way into these applications. In this study, a comprehensive comparison was performed of separation-based methods for Fcglycosylation profiling of an IgG biopharmaceutical. A therapeutic antibody reference material was analyzed 6-fold on 2 different days, and the methods were compared for precision, accuracy, throughput and other features; special emphasis was placed on the detection of sialic acid-containing glycans. Seven, non-mass spectrometric methods were compared; the methods utilized liquid chromatography-based separation of fluorescent-labeled glycans, capillary electrophoresis-based separation of fluorescent-labeled glycans, or high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-ultra high performance liquid chromatography of 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB)-labeled glycans was used as a reference method. All of the methods showed excellent precision and accuracy; some differences were observed, particularly with regard to the detection and quantitation of minor glycan species, such as sialylated glycans.

BackgroundOleaginous fungi can accumulate lipids by utilizing a wide range of waste substrates. They are an important source for the industrial production of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (gamma-linolenic and arachidonic acid) and have been suggested as an alternative route for biodiesel production. Initial research steps for various applications include the screening of fungi in order to find efficient fungal producers with desired fatty acid composition. Traditional cultivation methods (shake flask) and lipid analysis (extraction-gas chromatography) are not applicable for large-scale screening due to their low throughput and time-consuming analysis. Here we present a microcultivation system combined with high-throughput Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for efficient screening of oleaginous fungi.ResultsThe microcultivation system enables highly reproducible fungal fermentations throughout 12 days of cultivation. Reproducibility was validated by FTIR and HPLC data. Analysis of FTIR spectral ester carbonyl peaks of fungal biomass offered a reliable high-throughput at-line method to monitor lipid accumulation. Partial least square regression between gas chromatography fatty acid data and corresponding FTIR spectral data was used to set up calibration models for the prediction of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, unsaturation index, total lipid content and main individual fatty acids. High coefficients of determination (R2 = 0.86–0.96) and satisfactory residual predictive deviation of cross-validation (RPDCV = 2.6–5.1) values demonstrated the goodness of these models.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated in this study, that the presented microcultivation system combined with rapid, high-throughput FTIR spectroscopy is a suitable screening platform for oleaginous fungi. Sample preparation for FTIR measurements can be automated to further increase throughput of the system.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-017-0716-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Calculating derivatives of spectral data by the Savitzky-Golay (SG) numerical algorithm is often employed as a preliminary preprocessing step in order to resolve overlapping signals, enhance signal properties, and to suppress unwanted spectral features that arise due to nonideal instrument and sample properties. Addressing these issues, the study on the simulated and the measured infrared data by partial least squares regression has been conducted. The simulated data sets were modelled by considering a range of undesired chemical and physical spectral anomalies and variations that can occur in a measured spectrum, such as baseline variations, noise and scattering effects. The study has demonstrated the importance of optimization of the SG parameters during the conversion of spectra into derivative form, specifically window size and polynomial order of the fitting curve. A specific optimal window size is associated with an exact component in the system being estimated, and this window size does not necessarily apply for some other component present in the system. Since the optimization procedure can be time consuming, as a rough guideline spectral noise level can be used for assessment of window size. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that, when the extended multiplicative signal correction (EMSC) is used alongside the SG procedure, the derivative treatment of data by the SG algorithm must precede the EMSC normalization.