Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-forming functional amyloid by molecular tweezers.

Biofilms are rigid and largely impenetrable three-dimensional matrices constituting virulence determinants of various pathogenic bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that molecular tweezers, unique supramolecular artificial receptors, modulate biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus. In particular, the tweezers affect the structural and assembly properties of phenol-soluble modulin α1 (PSMα1), a biofilm-scaffolding functional amyloid peptide secreted by S.

Systematic Ligand Effects in the Reactions of Fe(D) and FeX(Δ) with CFX (X = Cl, Br, I). Ion Mobility Measurements of FeX(Δ) (X = F, Cl, Br, I) in He.

The gas phase reactions of Fe(D) and FeX(Δ) with CFX (X = Cl, Br, I) were examined using a selected-ion drift cell reactor under near-thermal energetic conditions. All reactions were carried out in a uniform electric field at a total pressure of 3.5 Torr at room temperature.