In Situ Stability Test for mRNA Vaccines Based on Deep-UV Resonance Raman Spectroscopy.

Deep-UV resonance Raman spectroscopy has been shown to offer great potential for probing the in situ stability of mRNA vaccines. In this study, a vaccine model was subjected to controlled degradation using RNase A or through aging at room temperature. The degradation of mRNA was confirmed by using a cell transfection test and by gel electrophoresis.

Clarifying Glass Luminescence at Near-Infrared Excitation.

Glass is a unique material that is often encountered in chemical and biological studies as a convenient sample holder (vial or microscope slide in particular). If the sample is probed with light in fluorescence and Raman spectroscopic experiments, the contribution from glass is often present and can obscure the spectra from the analyte of interest. It is important to understand the nature of glass photoemission properties to control this potential interference.

Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy for the detection of cocaine in oral fluid.

Detecting and quantifying cocaine in oral fluid is of significant importance for practical forensics. Up to date, mainly destructive methods or biochemical tests have been used, while spectroscopic methods were only applied to pretreated samples. In this work, the possibility of using resonance Raman spectroscopy to detect cocaine in oral fluid without pretreating samples was tested.

Ionic and tautomeric composition of cytosine in aqueous solution: resonance and non-resonance Raman spectroscopy study.

A complex experimental and theoretical study of the structural composition of cytosine in water was performed. Raman and resonance Raman spectra of cytosine in acidic, neutral, and alkaline water solutions (pH = 3, 7, and 10, respectively) were recorded at excitation wavelengths of 514, 266, 218, and 200 nm. The temperature dependence of the frequencies and intensities of the resonance Raman bands was obtained in the temperature interval of 4-80 °C.

Raman spectroscopic study of the tautomeric composition of adenine in water.

An experimental and theoretical study of the tautomeric composition of adenine (Ade) in water using Raman spectroscopy is reported. Experimental resonance Raman spectra of adenine at excitation wavelengths of 200, 218, and 266 nm were compared with quantum-mechanical calculations of N(9)H- and N(7)H-adenine tautomers and their cations. Both theoretical and experimental studies of nonresonance Raman spectra (457 nm excitation) of adenine were also performed for comparison.

Charge distribution and amyloid fibril formation: insights from genetically engineered model systems.

The influence of electrostatic interactions on protein amyloidogenesis has been investigated using de novo designed repetitive polypeptides YEHK21 [GH6[(GA)3GY(GA)3GE(GA)3GY(GA)3GE]21GAH6] and YE8 [GH6[(GA)3GY(GA)3GE]8GAH6]. The beta-sheet forming polypeptides were designed with identical beta-strands but with variable substitution at the turns that enable precise location of charged residues (Topilina et al. Biopolymers 2007, 86 (4), 261-264; Topilina et al.

A de novo designed 11 kDa polypeptide: model for amyloidogenic intrinsically disordered proteins.

A de novo polypeptide GH(6)[(GA)(3)GY(GA)(3)GE](8)GAH(6) (YE8) has a significant number of identical weakly interacting beta-strands with the turns and termini functionalized by charged amino acids to control polypeptide folding and aggregation. YE8 exists in a soluble, disordered form at neutral pH but is responsive to changes in pH and ionic strength. The evolution of YE8 secondary structure has been successfully quantified during all stages of polypeptide fibrillation by deep UV resonance Raman (DUVRR) spectroscopy combined with other morphological, structural, spectral, and tinctorial characterization.

Hen egg white lysozyme fibrillation: a deep-UV resonance Raman spectroscopic study.

Amyloid fibrils are associated with numerous degenerative diseases. The molecular mechanism of the structural transformation of native protein to the highly ordered cross-beta structure, the key feature of amyloid fibrils, is under active investigation. Conventional biophysical methods have limited application in addressing the problem because of the heterogeneous nature of the system.

The first step of hen egg white lysozyme fibrillation, irreversible partial unfolding, is a two-state transition.

Amyloid fibril depositions are associated with many neurodegenerative diseases as well as amyloidosis. The detailed molecular mechanism of fibrillation is still far from complete understanding. In our previous study of in vitro fibrillation of hen egg white lysozyme, an irreversible partially unfolded intermediate was characterized.

Beta-sheet folding of 11-kDa fibrillogenic polypeptide is completely aggregation driven.

A de novo polypeptide GH(6)[(GA)(3)GY(GA)(3)GE](8)GAH(6) (YE8) was designed and genetically engineered to form antiparallel beta-strands of GAGAGA repeats. Modulation of pH enables control of solubility, folding, and aggregation of YE8 by control of the overall polypeptide charge, a consequence of the protonation or deprotonation of the glutamic acid and histidine residues. YE8 exhibits all the major properties of a fibrillogenic protein providing an excellent model for detailed study of the fibrillation.

Reversible thermal denaturation of a 60-kDa genetically engineered beta-sheet polypeptide.

A de novo 687-amino-acid residue polypeptide with a regular 32-amino-acid repeat sequence, (GA)(3)GY(GA)(3)GE(GA)(3)GH(GA)(3)GK, forms large beta-sheet assemblages that exhibit remarkable folding properties and, as well, form fibrillar structures. This construct is an excellent tool to explore the details of beta-sheet formation yielding intimate folding information that is otherwise difficult to obtain and may inform folding studies of naturally occurring materials. The polypeptide assumes a fully folded antiparallel beta-sheet/turn structure at room temperature, and yet is completely and reversibly denatured at 125 degrees C, adopting a predominant polyproline II conformation.

Metal ion binding by a bicyclic diamide: deep UV Raman spectroscopic characterization.

Deep UV resonance Raman spectroscopy was used for characterizing ligand-metal ion complexes. The obtained results demonstrated a strong intrinsic sensitivity and selectivity of a Raman spectroscopic signature of a bicyclic diamide, a novel chelating agent for lanthanides and actinides (Lumetta, G. J.

Multiple bicyclic diamide-lutetium complexes in solution: chemometric analysis of deep-UV Raman spectroscopic data.

The investigation of complex formation between a bicyclic diamide, a novel chelating agent for lanthanides and actinides, and lutetium in an acetonitrile solution is reported. A free ligand and its lutetium complexes showed weak, noncharacteristic near-UV absorption and no fluorescence, which limited the application of absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies for studying this system. Deep-UV Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis was shown to be a powerful tool for quantitative characterization of multiple equilibria between lutetium and a bicyclic diamide.

Bilayer fibril formation by genetically engineered polypeptides: preparation and characterization.

A de novo, genetically engineered 687 residue polypeptide expressed in E. coli has been found to form highly rectilinear, beta-sheet containing fibrillar structures. Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy, deep-UV Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy definitively established the tendency of the fibrils to predominantly display an apparently planar bilayer or ribbon assemblage.

Lysozyme fibrillation: deep UV Raman spectroscopic characterization of protein structural transformation.

Deep ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy was demonstrated to be a powerful tool for structural characterization of protein at all stages of fibril formation. The evolution of the protein secondary structure as well as the local environment of phenylalanine, a natural deep ultraviolet Raman marker, was documented for the fibrillation of lysozyme. Concentration-independent irreversible helix melting was quantitatively characterized as the first step of the fibrillation.

Deep-UV Raman spectrometer tunable between 193 and 205 nm for structural characterization of proteins.

A new deep-UV Raman spectrometer utilizing a laser source tunable between 193 and 205 nm has been designed, built, and characterized. Only selected wavelengths from this range have previously been accessible, by Raman shifting of the second, third, and fourth harmonics of the Nd:YAG fundamental in hydrogen. The apparatus was demonstrated to be a useful tool for characterizing hen egg white lysozyme structural rearrangements at various stages of fibril formation.