scholarly journals Tapping Opportunity of Tiny-Shaped Particles and Role of Precursor in Developing Shaped Particles

NANO ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (07) ◽  
pp. 1850073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mubarak Ali ◽  
I-N. Lin ◽  
Chien-Jui Yeh

Metallic colloids are frequently used in industry and provide understanding of science at microns to nanometers scales along with their applicability for various technologically important applications. Present investigations deal with morphology and structure of gold, silver and their binary composition while processing certain amounts of their solutions in a newly designed process and tapping opportunities of developing tiny-shaped particles. At tuned ratio of pulse OFF to ON time and when gold solution was processed, several tiny-shaped particles developed at the solution’s surface. Such tiny particles exert force at the tip of each converting their structure of smooth element where steady-state immersing behavior directed them toward a common centre resulting into bind them for developing different geometric anisotropic shaped particles. Under identical parameters along with pulse time, processing solutions of silver nitrate and binary composition of chloroauric acid-silver nitrate result in the development of tiny particles having no specific shape where their assembling is under the mixed behavior of forces resulting in distorted particles. Elongation and deformation of gold and silver atoms while developing different structures are because of the plastically driven behavior of their electrons. In three-dimensional structures where atoms do not undergo transition to elongate, they retain the structure as it is, which is known as hcp structure or two-dimensional structure. Different nature of precursors along with morphology and structure of particles are discussed in this paper opening abundant avenues for research.

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dev K. Ranjit ◽  
Matthew A. Jorgenson ◽  
Kevin D. Young

ABSTRACT Peptidoglycan is a vital component of nearly all cell wall-bearing bacteria and is a valuable target for antibacterial therapy. However, despite decades of work, there remain important gaps in understanding how this macromolecule is synthesized and molded into a three-dimensional structure that imparts specific morphologies to individual cells. Here, we investigated the particularly enigmatic area of how peptidoglycan is synthesized and shaped during the first stages of creating cell shape de novo, that is, in the absence of a preexisting template. We found that when lysozyme-induced (LI) spheroplasts of Escherichia coli were allowed to resynthesize peptidoglycan, the cells divided first and then elongated to recreate a normal rod-shaped morphology. Penicillin binding protein 1B (PBP1B) was critical for the first stage of this recovery process. PBP1B synthesized peptidoglycan de novo, and this synthesis required that PBP1B interact with the outer membrane lipoprotein LpoB. Surprisingly, when LpoB was localized improperly to the inner membrane, recovering spheroplasts synthesized peptidoglycan and divided but then propagated as amorphous spheroidal cells, suggesting that the regeneration of a normal rod shape depends on a particular spatial interaction. Similarly, spheroplasts carrying a PBP1B variant lacking transpeptidase activity or those in which PBP1A was overproduced could synthesize new peptidoglycan and divide but then grew as oddly shaped spheroids. We conclude that de novo cell wall synthesis requires the glycosyltransferase activity of PBP1B but that PBP1B transpeptidase activity is needed to assemble cell walls with wild-type morphology. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan is synthesized and modified by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs), which are targeted by about half of all currently prescribed antibiotics, including penicillin and its derivatives. Because antibiotic resistance is rising, it has become increasingly urgent that we fill the gaps in our knowledge about how PBPs create and assemble this protective wall. We report here that PBP1B plays an essential role in synthesizing peptidoglycan in the absence of a preexisting template: its glycosyltransferase activity is responsible for de novo synthesis, while its transpeptidase activity is required to construct cell walls of a specific shape. These results highlight the importance of this enzyme and distinguish its biological roles from those of other PBPs and peptidoglycan synthases.


Author(s):  
M. Boublik ◽  
W. Hellmann ◽  
F. Jenkins

The present knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of ribosomes is far too limited to enable a complete understanding of the various roles which ribosomes play in protein biosynthesis. The spatial arrangement of proteins and ribonuclec acids in ribosomes can be analysed in many ways. Determination of binding sites for individual proteins on ribonuclec acid and locations of the mutual positions of proteins on the ribosome using labeling with fluorescent dyes, cross-linking reagents, neutron-diffraction or antibodies against ribosomal proteins seem to be most successful approaches. Structure and function of ribosomes can be correlated be depleting the complete ribosomes of some proteins to the functionally inactive core and by subsequent partial reconstitution in order to regain active ribosomal particles.


Author(s):  
Robert Glaeser ◽  
Thomas Bauer ◽  
David Grano

In transmission electron microscopy, the 3-dimensional structure of an object is usually obtained in one of two ways. For objects which can be included in one specimen, as for example with elements included in freeze- dried whole mounts and examined with a high voltage microscope, stereo pairs can be obtained which exhibit the 3-D structure of the element. For objects which can not be included in one specimen, the 3-D shape is obtained by reconstruction from serial sections. However, without stereo imagery, only detail which remains constant within the thickness of the section can be used in the reconstruction; consequently, the choice is between a low resolution reconstruction using a few thick sections and a better resolution reconstruction using many thin sections, generally a tedious chore. This paper describes an approach to 3-D reconstruction which uses stereo images of serial thick sections to reconstruct an object including detail which changes within the depth of an individual thick section.


Author(s):  
T.D. Pollard ◽  
P. Maupin

In this paper we review some of the contributions that electron microscopy has made to the analysis of actin and myosin from nonmuscle cells. We place particular emphasis upon the limitations of the ultrastructural techniques used to study these cytoplasmic contractile proteins, because it is not widely recognized how difficult it is to preserve these elements of the cytoplasmic matrix for electron microscopy. The structure of actin filaments is well preserved for electron microscope observation by negative staining with uranyl acetate (Figure 1). In fact, to a resolution of about 3nm the three-dimensional structure of actin filaments determined by computer image processing of electron micrographs of negatively stained specimens (Moore et al., 1970) is indistinguishable from the structure revealed by X-ray diffraction of living muscle.


Author(s):  
J.L. Williams ◽  
K. Heathcote ◽  
E.J. Greer

High Voltage Electron Microscope already offers exciting experimental possibilities to Biologists and Materials Scientists because the increased specimen thickness allows direct observation of three dimensional structure and dynamic experiments on effectively bulk specimens. This microscope is designed to give maximum accessibility and space in the specimen region for the special stages which are required. At the same time it provides an ease of operation similar to a conventional instrument.


Author(s):  
G. E. Tyson ◽  
M. J. Song

Natural populations of the brine shrimp, Artemia, may possess spirochete- infected animals in low numbers. The ultrastructure of Artemia's spirochete has been described by conventional transmission electron microscopy. In infected shrimp, spirochetal cells were abundant in the blood and also occurred intra- and extracellularly in the three organs examined, i.e. the maxillary gland (segmental excretory organ), the integument, and certain muscles The efferent-tubule region of the maxillary gland possessed a distinctive lesion comprised of a group of spirochetes, together with numerous small vesicles, situated in a cave-like indentation of the base of the tubule epithelium. in some instances the basal lamina at a lesion site was clearly discontinuous. High-voltage electron microscopy has now been used to study lesions of the efferent tubule, with the aim of understanding better their three-dimensional structure.Tissue from one maxillary gland of an infected, adult, female brine shrimp was used for HVEM study.


Author(s):  
Jerome J. Paulin

Within the past decade it has become apparent that HVEM offers the biologist a means to explore the three-dimensional structure of cells and/or organelles. Stereo-imaging of thick sections (e.g. 0.25-10 μm) not only reveals anatomical features of cellular components, but also reduces errors of interpretation associated with overlap of structures seen in thick sections. Concomitant with stereo-imaging techniques conventional serial Sectioning methods developed with thin sections have been adopted to serial thick sections (≥ 0.25 μm). Three-dimensional reconstructions of the chondriome of several species of trypanosomatid flagellates have been made from tracings of mitochondrial profiles on cellulose acetate sheets. The sheets are flooded with acetone, gluing them together, and the model sawed from the composite and redrawn.The extensive mitochondrial reticulum can be seen in consecutive thick sections of (0.25 μm thick) Crithidia fasciculata (Figs. 1-2). Profiles of the mitochondrion are distinguishable from the anterior apex of the cell (small arrow, Fig. 1) to the posterior pole (small arrow, Fig. 2).


Author(s):  
Kenneth H. Downing ◽  
Hu Meisheng ◽  
Hans-Rudolf Went ◽  
Michael A. O'Keefe

With current advances in electron microscope design, high resolution electron microscopy has become routine, and point resolutions of better than 2Å have been obtained in images of many inorganic crystals. Although this resolution is sufficient to resolve interatomic spacings, interpretation generally requires comparison of experimental images with calculations. Since the images are two-dimensional representations of projections of the full three-dimensional structure, information is invariably lost in the overlapping images of atoms at various heights. The technique of electron crystallography, in which information from several views of a crystal is combined, has been developed to obtain three-dimensional information on proteins. The resolution in images of proteins is severely limited by effects of radiation damage. In principle, atomic-resolution, 3D reconstructions should be obtainable from specimens that are resistant to damage. The most serious problem would appear to be in obtaining high-resolution images from areas that are thin enough that dynamical scattering effects can be ignored.


Author(s):  
J.S. Wall ◽  
V. Maridiyan ◽  
S. Tumminia ◽  
J. Hairifeld ◽  
M. Boublik

The high contrast in the dark-field mode of dedicated STEM, specimen deposition by the wet film technique and low radiation dose (1 e/Å2) at -160°C make it possible to obtain high resolution images of unstained freeze-dried macromolecules with minimal structural distortion. Since the image intensity is directly related to the local projected mass of the specimen it became feasible to determine the molecular mass and mass distribution within individual macromolecules and from these data to calculate the linear density (M/L) and the radii of gyration.2 This parameter (RQ), reflecting the three-dimensional structure of the macromolecular particles in solution, has been applied to monitor the conformational transitions in E. coli 16S and 23S ribosomal RNAs in solutions of various ionic strength.In spite of the differences in mass (550 kD and 1050 kD, respectively), both 16S and 23S RNA appear equally sensitive to changes in buffer conditions. In deionized water or conditions of extremely low ionic strength both appear as filamentous structures (Fig. la and 2a, respectively) possessing a major backbone with protruding branches which are more frequent and more complex in 23S RNA (Fig. 2a).


Author(s):  
J.N. Turner ◽  
M. Siemens ◽  
D. Szarowski ◽  
D.N. Collins

A classic preparation of central nervous system tissue (CNS) is the Golgi procedure popularized by Cajal. The method is partially specific as only a few cells are impregnated with silver chromate usualy after osmium post fixation. Samples are observable by light (LM) or electron microscopy (EM). However, the impregnation is often so dense that structures are masked in EM, and the osmium background may be undesirable in LM. Gold toning is used for a subtle but high contrast EM preparation, and osmium can be omitted for LM. We are investigating these preparations as part of a study to develop correlative LM and EM (particularly HVEM) methodologies in neurobiology. Confocal light microscopy is particularly useful as the impregnated cells have extensive three-dimensional structure in tissue samples from one to several hundred micrometers thick. Boyde has observed similar preparations in the tandem scanning reflected light microscope (TSRLM).


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