Total luminescence spectroscopy was applied to the fluorescence characterization of humic substances obtained from the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS). Results show that total luminescence spectra, represented as excitation−emission matrices (EEMs), may be used to discriminate between soil-derived and aquatic-derived IHSS humic substances and between humic and fulvic acids derived from the same source (soil or aquatic). Ionic strength in the range of 0−1 M KCl and humic substance concentration in the range of 5−100 mg/L had little effect on the fluorescence spectral characteristics of the humic substances, while pH had significant effects as expected. Absorbance correction was shown to be essential for accurate representation and comparison of the EEMs of the humic substances at high concentrations.

Linked by strings of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) molecules, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins (CDs) can form nanotube aggregates that contain as many as approximately 20 betaCDs (20 nanometers long) or approximately 20 to 35 gammaCDs (20 to 35 nanometers long). Nanotube formation was indicated in solution, by fluorescence anisotropy and light scattering results, and on graphite surfaces, by scanning tunneling microscopy. Tubes were not observed for the smaller alphaCDs. Molecular modeling shows that CD cavity size and the rodlike DPH structure are key factors in nanotube formation. Spectra generated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance indicate the inclusion of DPH in the interior of the CDs and formation of nanotubes in betaCDs and gammaCDs only. The photophysical properties of DPH are affected by its arrangement into a one-dimensional array within the CD nanotube, possibly because of exciton formation.

A new method to detect bacterial endospores and determine their concentration was demonstrated by the addition of a solution of terbium chloride to a suspension of bacterial endospores. The terbium chloride reacted with the calcium dipicolinate in the spore case to form terbium(III) dipicolinate anion. Solid particles, including residual bacterial particles, were removed by filtering. The photoluminescence from the solution was measured as a function of excitation wavelength, emission wavelength, and bacterial endospore concentration. The photoluminescence from terbium(III) dipicolinate anion in the solution was easily identified.

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Insulin capture by a G-quadruplex DNA oligonucleotide containing a two-repeat sequence of the insulin-linked polymorphic region (ILPR) of the human insulin gene promoter region is reported. The immobilized oligonucleotide was demonstrated to capture human insulin from standard solutions and from nuclear extracts of pancreatic cells with high selectivity, using affinity MALDI-mass spectrometry and affinity capillary chromatography. Insulin was preferentially captured by the tworepeat ILPR oligonucleotide over another G-quadruplex forming oligonucleotide, the thrombin binding aptamer, as well as over a single repeat of the ILPR sequence that is not capable of forming the G-quadruplex architecture. Binding was shown to involve the beta chain of insulin, most likely through association with the two parallel loops of the G-quadruplex structure. The discovery raises the possibility that insulin may bind to G-quadruplex DNA formed in the ILPR in vivo and thereby play a role in modulation of insulin gene expression, and provides a basis for design of insulin analogs to probe this hypothesis. The availability of a DNA ligand to human insulin has analytical importance as well, offering an alternative to antibodies for in vitro or in vivo detection and sensing of insulin as well as its isolation and purification from biological samples.

The thrombin-binding DNA aptamer was used for affinity capture of thrombin in MALDI-TOF-MS. The aptamer was covalently attached to the surface of a glass slide that served as the MALDI surface. Results show that thrombin is retained at the aptamer-modified surface while nonspecific proteins, such as albumin, are removed by rinsing with buffer. Upon application of the low-pH MALDI matrix, the G-quartet structure of the aptamer unfolds, releasing the captured thrombin. Following TOF-MS analysis, residual matrix and protein can be washed from the surface, and buffer can be applied to refold the aptamers, allowing the surface to be reused. Selective capture of thrombin from mixtures of thrombin and albumin and of thrombin and prothrombin from human plasma was demonstrated. This simple approach to affinity capture, isolation, and detection holds potential for analysis, sensing, purification, and preconcentration of proteins in biological fluids.

It is well-known that aqueous solutions of individual guanosine compounds can form gels through reversible self-assembly. Typically, gelation is favored at low temperature and acidic pH. We have discovered that binary mixtures of 5'-guanosine monophosphate (GMP) and guanosine (Guo) can form stable gels at neutral pH over a temperature range that can be tuned by varying the relative proportions of the hydrophobic Guo and the hydrophilic GMP in the mixture. Gelation was studied over the temperature range of 5-40 degrees C or 60 degrees C at pH 7.2 using visual detection, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and CD thermal melt experiments. Solutions with high GMP/Guo ratios behaved similar to solutions of GMP alone while solutions with low GMP/Guo formed firm gels across the entire temperature range. Most interesting were solutions between these two extremes, which were found to exhibit thermoassociative behavior; these solutions are liquid at refrigerator temperature and undergo sharp transitions to a gel only at higher temperatures. Increasing the GMP/Guo ratio and increasing the total concentration of guanosine compounds shifted the onset of gelation to higher temperatures (ranging from 20 to 40 degrees C), narrowed the temperature range of the gel phase, and sharpened the reversible phase transitions. The combination of self-assembly, reversibility, and tunability over biologically relevant temperature ranges and pH offers exciting possibilities for these simple and inexpensive materials in medical, biological, analytical, and nanotechnological applications.

The ability of DNA aptamers to separate nontarget compounds is demonstrated. Two G-quarter forming aptamers, a 15-mer and a 20-mer, were covalently linked to fused silica capillary columns to serve as stationary-phase reagents in capillary electrochromatography. Separations of binary mixtures of amino acids (D-trp and D-tyr), enantiomers (D-trp and L-trp), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were achieved. Aptamers offer several attractive features for stationary-phase reagents, including ease of synthesis and of attachment to surfaces and modification of their binding properties through minor changes in sequence.