Publications by authors named "Nikolai Gadjev"

Two newly synthesized symmetrical heptamethine cyanine dyes, AK7-5 and AK7-6, absorbing in the region of low autofluorescence of biological samples, have been tested for their ability to detect proteins aggregated into amyloid fibrils. In aqueous solution these probes possess three absorption bands corresponding to the monomer, dimer and H-aggregate species. The association of the dye with fibrillar lysozyme was followed by the enhancement of the monomer band and the reduction of the H-band.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a powerful fluorescence technique that has found numerous applications in medicine and biology. One area where FRET proved to be especially informative involves the intermolecular interactions in biological membranes. The present study was focused on developing and verifying a Monte-Carlo approach to analyzing the results of FRET between the membrane-bound fluorophores.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A novel squaraine probe SQ-1 has been found to be appropriate for monitoring the peroxidation processes in membrane systems. Formation of free radicals was triggered by methemoglobin (metHb) or cytochrome c (cyt c) binding to the model lipid membranes composed of zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and anionic lipid cardiolipin (CL). Protein association with the lipid vesicles was followed by drastic quenching of SQ-1 fluorescence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The fluorescence enhancement mechanisms of a series of DNA stains of the oxazole yellow (YO) family have been investigated in detail using steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The strong increase in the fluorescence quantum yield of these dyes upon DNA binding is shown to originate from the inhibition of two distinct processes: 1) isomerisation through large-amplitude motion that non-radiatively deactivates the excited state within a few picoseconds and 2) formation of weakly emitting H-dimers. As the H-dimers are not totally non-fluorescent, their formation is less efficient than isomerisation as a fluorescent contrast mechanism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The novel symmetric squarylium derivative SQ-1 has been synthesized and tested for its sensitivity to the formation of protein-lipid complexes. SQ-1 binding to the model membranes composed of zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and its mixtures with anionic lipid cardiolipin (CL) in different molar ratios was found to be controlled mainly by hydrophobic interactions. Lysozyme (Lz) and ribonuclease A (RNase) exerted an influence on the probe association with lipid vesicles resulting presumably from the competition between SQ-1 and the proteins for bilayer free volume and modification of its properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The excited-state dynamics of the DNA bisintercalator YOYO-1 and of two derivatives has been investigated using ultrafast fluorescence up-conversion and time-correlated single photon counting. The free dyes in water exist in two forms: nonaggregated dyes and intramolecular H-type aggregates, the latter form being only very weakly fluorescent because of excitonic interaction. The excited-state dynamics of the nonaggregated dyes is dominated by a nonradiative decay with a time constant of the order of 5 ps associated with large amplitude motion around the monomethine bridge of the cyanine chromophores.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The use of novel intercalating dyes as labels in DNA restriction fragment analysis by capillary electrophoresis with frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime detection is described. The dyes, including one mono-intercalating dye with three positive charges and three bis-intercalating, homodimeric dyes with four positive charges, were excited by the 488 nm line of an argon ion laser and exhibited lifetimes in the range of 1-3 ns. The separations were performed using a gel containing 1% high-molecular-weight (HMW) hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) (90,000-105,000) and 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF