Amyloids are associated with a number of protein misfolding disorders, including prion diseases. In this study, we used single-molecule force spectroscopy to characterize the nanomechanical properties and molecular structure of amyloid fibrils formed by human prion protein PrP90-231. Force-extension curves obtained by specific attachment of a gold-covered atomic force microscope tip to engineered Cys residues could be described by the worm-like chain model for entropic elasticity of a polymer chain, with the size of the N-terminal segment that could be stretched entropically depending on the tip attachment site. The data presented here provide direct information about the forces required to extract an individual monomer from the core of the PrP90-231 amyloid, and indicate that the beta-sheet core of this amyloid starts at residue approximately 164-169. The latter finding has important implications for the ongoing debate regarding the structure of PrP amyloid.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1529/biophysj.108.133108 | DOI Listing |
Food Res Int
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330047, China; Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., Ltd, Hohhot, China. Electronic address:
Biomimetic membrane was investigated as model systems to mimic the structure of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and to study the effects of thermal processing-induced changes in MFGM fractions on membrane morphology and physical properties. Molecular docking was utilized to screen xanthine oxidase (XO) as the MFGM protein most likely to bind to phospholipid molecules on MFGM. Fluorescence spectroscopy verified that XO formed stable complexes with DOPE, DPPC, and PS 18:0-18:1, with the strongest binding to DOPE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Condens Matter
January 2025
Physics, Xiamen University, Wulijidian Building 358, Haiyun campus, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, CHINA.
Newly-synthesized structure T (sT) hydrate show promising practical applications in hydrogen storage and transport, yet the properties remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a machine learning potential (MLP) of sT hydrogen hydrate derived from quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Using this MLP forcefield, the structural, hydrogen diffusion, mechanical and thermal properties of sT hydrogen hydrate are extensively explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
December 2024
Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovića Alasa 12-14, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia.
Pathogen bacteria appear and survive on various surfaces made of steel or glass. The existence of these bacteria in different forms causes significant problems in healthcare facilities and society. Therefore, the surface engineering of highly potent antimicrobial coatings is highly important in the 21st century, a period that began with a series of epidemics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Phys
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and System of Ministry of Education, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
Auxetic materials hold tremendous potential for many advanced applications, but candidates are quite scarce, especially at two dimensions. Here, we focus on two-dimensional (2D) metal dichalcogenides and dihalides with the chemical formula MX2 by screening structures sharing the P4̄m2 space group among 330 MX2 compounds from the computational 2D materials database. Via high-throughput first-principles computations, 25 stable MX2 (M = Mg, Ca, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Cd, Sn; X = F, Cl, Br, I, O, S, Se) systems with in-plane negative Poisson's ratios (NPRs) are successfully identified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTalanta
December 2024
Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-54000, Nancy, France.
There is a growing interest in the development of methods for the detection of nanoparticle (NP) toxicity to living organisms based on the analysis of relevant multidimensional data sets. In particular the detection of preliminary signs of NPs toxicity effects would benefit from the selection of data featuring NPs-induced alterations of biological barriers. Accordingly, we present an original Topological Data Analysis (TDA) of the nanomechanical properties of Escherichia coli cell surface, evaluated by multiparametric Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) after exposure of the cells to increasing concentrations of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiONPs).
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