We report on a high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy study on molecular-thick layers of L-cysteine deposited under ultrahigh vacuum conditions on Au(110). The analysis of core level shifts allowed us to distinguish unambiguously the states of the first-layer molecules from those of molecules belonging to the second layer. The first-layer molecules strongly interact with the metal through their sulfur headgroup. The multipeaked structure of the N 1s, O 1s, and C 1s core levels is interpreted in terms of different molecular moieties. The neutral acidic fraction (HSCH2CH(NH2)COOH) is abundant at low coverage likely associated with isolated molecules or dimers. The zwitterionic phase (HSCH2CH(NH3+)COO-) is largely dominant as the coverage approaches the monolayer limit and is related to the formation of ordered self-assembled molecular structures indicated by electron diffraction patterns. The occurrence of a small amount of cationic molecules (HSCH2CH(NH3+)COOH) is also discussed. The second-layer molecules mainly display zwitterionic character and are weakly adsorbed. Mild annealing up to 100 degrees C leads to the desorption of the second-layer molecules leaving electronic states of the first layer unaltered.

Single living yeast cells have been encapsulated by the alternate adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Exploiting fluorescence techniques, we provide evidence of the shell and cell integrity after the coating procedure. The most relevant result, however, is that, after encapsulation, cells preserve their metabolic activities and they are still able to divide. These hybrid polyelectrolyte cells can provide a cheap model system in a wide range of biophysical and biotechnological applications, thanks to the tunable properties of the polyelectrolyte shell.

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The increasing demand for heterogeneous materials prompts the interest for the physics and chemistry of organic-inorganic interfaces. Within this field of interest we have investigated the electronic states of L-cysteine (Cys) adsorbed on Au(111) from aqueous solution with synchrotron-based, high resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The analysis of the S 2p core level region in pristine samples prepared with purified Cys indicates that Cys adsorbs on gold as a thiolate. The absence of a signal related to physisorbed sulfur indicates that Cys forms a monomolecular layer. The high resolution allowed us to resolve two components in the C 1s spectral region related to carboxyl. The comparative analysis of C 1s, N 1s and O 1s core level regions indicates the presence of the neutral and ionic form for both the carboxyl and the amine groups. From the quantitative analysis of the C 1s and N 1s data we can infer that the zwitterionic form is the prevalent one, with a ratio of zwitterionic to neutral molecules of 3 : 1. This value is quite different from that in the deposition solution. Prolonged exposure to the X-ray beam and thermal annealing induce the formation of atomic sulfur through S-C bond breaking and molecular fragment desorption. This response to X-ray irradiation differs from the results recently reported on long chain alkanethiols.

A study of the self-assembly of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT; HS-CH(2)-(C(6)H(4))-CH(2)-SH) monolayers on gold is presented. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are characterized by reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements. The ensemble of measurements consistently shows that well-organized BDMT SAMs, with "standing-up" molecules, can be obtained on high quality gold films with incubation in n-hexane provided that N(2)-degassed solutions are used and all preparation steps are performed at 60 degrees C in the absence of ambient light. SE data indicate that the optical interface properties of the BDMT-Au system are different from those of simple alkanethiol SAMs. A possible mechanism for the formation of the "standing-up" phase from the lying-down phase via a hydrogen exchange reaction involving chemisorbed lying-down and free dithiol molecules is discussed.

The tissue specificity of fibrillar deposition in dialysis-related amyloidosis is most likely associated with the peculiar interaction of ␤ 2 -microglobulin (␤ 2 -m) with collagen fibers. However, other co-factors such as glycosaminoglycans might facilitate amyloid formation. In this study we have investigated the role of heparin in the process of collagen-driven amyloidogenesis. In fact, heparin is a well known positive effector of fibrillogenesis, and the elucidation of its potential effect in this type of amyloidosis is particularly relevant because heparin is regularly given to patients subject to hemodialysis to prevent blood clotting. We have monitored by atomic force microscopy the formation of ␤ 2 -m amyloid fibrils in the presence of collagen fibers, and we have discovered that heparin strongly accelerates amyloid deposition. The mechanism of this effect is still largely unexplained. Using dynamic light scattering, we have found that heparin promotes ␤ 2 -m aggregation in solution at pH 6.4. Morphology and structure of fibrils obtained in the presence of collagen and heparin are highly similar to those of natural fibrils. The fibril surface topology, investigated by limited proteolysis, suggests that the general assembly of amyloid fibrils grown under these conditions and in vitro at low pH is similar. The exposure of these fibrils to trypsin generates a cleavage at the C-terminal of lysine 6 and creates the 7-99 truncated form of ␤ 2 -m (⌬N6␤ 2 -m) that is a ubiquitous constituent of the natural ␤ 2 -m fibrils. The formation of this ␤ 2 -m species, which has a strong propensity to aggregate, might play an important role in the acceleration of local amyloid deposition. Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA),2 a severe disease arising as a complication of long term hemodialysis, involves the deposition of ␤ 2 -microglobulin (␤ 2 -m) amyloid fibrils in bones and ligaments. ␤ 2 -m constitutes the light chain of the major histocompatibility complex class I and CD1 (1), and in normal catabolism, it is continuously released in the serum and cleared from the circulation by the kidney. The replacement of renal function by hemodialysis does not efficiently remove ␤ 2 -m. The persistent increase of its plasma concentration is associated with ␤ 2 -m deposition in the osteotendineous system, which is the specific target tissue of this type of amyloidosis. Among extra-cerebral amyloidoses, DRA represents the most striking case of tissue-specific targeting. Although other organs can be involved, bones and ligaments never escape amyloid deposition. Homma (2) first pointed out that collagen might be involved in determining this tissue specificity and demonstrated a collagen/␤ 2 -m interaction.We have recently determined the binding properties governing the collagen/␤ 2 -m interaction, and we found that the latter is quite weak but is enhanced when ␤ 2 -m is truncated at the N-terminal end, and the pH is reduced from 7.4 to 6.4 (3). We subsequently demonstrated that fibrillar collagen (type I), which is abundant in skeletal...

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We show that selective electroless deposition (ELD) can be used as a tool for electrochemical nanostructuring. In a first step, we bound palladium ions to an aminothiolate (AT) layer on an Au(111) surface. Chemical reduction then served for the fabrication of metallic palladium islands of monatomic height that can in turn activate the ELD of cobalt. We studied the growth of cobalt islands as a function of the oxygen concentration in the deposition bath and of the aminothiolate concentration in mixed amino-/alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements showed that palladium and cobalt form islands of 1-3 nm up to 60 nm diameter, the size being controlled by the oxygen concentration in the bath.