Detection of Surface Enrichment Driven by Molecular Weight Disparity in Virtually Monodisperse Polymers

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob A. Hill ◽  
Kevin J. Endres ◽  
Pendar Mahmoudi ◽  
Mark W. Matsen ◽  
Chrys Wesdemiotis ◽  
...  
1989 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell J. Composto ◽  
Richard S. Stein ◽  
Gian P. Felcher ◽  
Abdelkader Mansour ◽  
Alamgir Karim

ABSTRACTNeutron reflectivity has been used to determine the concentration profile at the vacuum-polymer interface for a two polymer blend. To quantify surface enrichment and evaporation due to differences in chain length, we have measured the reflectivity of a mixture of short deuterated and long protonated polystyrene chains (DPS & PS), with a weight fraction of 0.5. When a mixture of DPS and PS chains of molecular weight 720 and 910k respectively were annealed, a small but measurable increase in asymptotic reflectivity occured, coupled with a decrease of film thickness and scattering length density. This is indicative of surface enrichment and evaporation of the light chains (DPS). Ellipsometry studies confirmed that the short chains evaporated and its rate was established as a function of the temperature. Upon increasing the DPS molecular weight to 9600, the enrichment becomes considerably greater whilst the evaporation becomes negligible.


Author(s):  
Douglas C. Barker

A number of satisfactory methods are available for the electron microscopy of nicleic acids. These methods concentrated on fragments of nuclear, viral and mitochondrial DNA less than 50 megadaltons, on denaturation and heteroduplex mapping (Davies et al 1971) or on the interaction between proteins and DNA (Brack and Delain 1975). Less attention has been paid to the experimental criteria necessary for spreading and visualisation by dark field electron microscopy of large intact issociations of DNA. This communication will report on those criteria in relation to the ultrastructure of the (approx. 1 x 10-14g) DNA component of the kinetoplast from Trypanosomes. An extraction method has been developed to eliminate native endonucleases and nuclear contamination and to isolate the kinetoplast DNA (KDNA) as a compact network of high molecular weight. In collaboration with Dr. Ch. Brack (Basel [nstitute of Immunology), we studied the conditions necessary to prepare this KDNA Tor dark field electron microscopy using the microdrop spreading technique.


Author(s):  
W. Bernard

In comparison to many other fields of ultrastructural research in Cell Biology, the successful exploration of genes and gene activity with the electron microscope in higher organisms is a late conquest. Nucleic acid molecules of Prokaryotes could be successfully visualized already since the early sixties, thanks to the Kleinschmidt spreading technique - and much basic information was obtained concerning the shape, length, molecular weight of viral, mitochondrial and chloroplast nucleic acid. Later, additonal methods revealed denaturation profiles, distinction between single and double strandedness and the use of heteroduplexes-led to gene mapping of relatively simple systems carried out in close connection with other methods of molecular genetics.


Author(s):  
L. W. Labaw

Crystals of a human γGl immunoglobulin have the external morphology of diamond shaped prisms. X-ray studies have shown them to be monoclinic, space group C2, with 2 molecules per unit cell. The unit cell dimensions are a = 194.1, b = 91.7, c = 51.6Å, 8 = 102°. The relatively large molecular weight of 151,000 and these unit cell dimensions made this a promising crystal to study in the EM.Crystals similar to those used in the x-ray studies were fixed at 5°C for three weeks in a solution of mother liquor containing 5 x 10-5M sodium phosphate, pH 7.0, and 0.03% glutaraldehyde. They were postfixed with 1% osmium tetroxide for 15 min. and embedded in Maraglas the usual way. Sections were cut perpendicular to the three crystallographic axes. Such a section cut with its plane perpendicular to the z direction is shown in Fig. 1.This projection of the crystal in the z direction shows periodicities in at least four different directions but these are only seen clearly by sighting obliquely along the micrograph.


Author(s):  
M. Boublik ◽  
G. Thornton ◽  
G. Oostergetel ◽  
J.F. Hainfeld ◽  
J.S. Wall

Understanding the structural complexity of ribosomes and their role in protein synthesis requires knowledge of the conformation of their components - rRNAs and proteins. Application of dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), electrical discharge of the support carbon film in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen, and determination of the molecular weight of individual rRNAs enabled us to obtain high resolution electron microscopic images of unstained freeze-dried rRNA molecules from BHK cells in a form suitable for evaluation of their 3-D structure. Preliminary values for the molecular weight of 28S RNA from the large and 18S RNA from the small ribosomal subunits as obtained by mass measurement were 1.84 x 106 and 0.97 x 106, respectively. Conformation of rRNAs consists, in general, of alternating segments of intramolecular hairpin stems and single stranded loops in a proportion which depends on their ionic environment, the Mg++ concentration in particular. Molecules of 28S RNA (Fig. 1) and 18S RNA (not shown) obtained by freeze-drying from a solution of 60 mM NH+4 acetate and 2 mM Mg++ acetate, pH 7, appear as partially unfolded coils with compact cores suggesting a high degree of ordered secondary structure.


Author(s):  
C. E. Cluthe ◽  
G. G. Cocks

Aqueous solutions of a 1 weight-per cent poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) were degassed under vacuum, transferred to a parallel plate viscometer under a nitrogen gas blanket, and exposed to Co60 gamma radiation. The Co60 source was rated at 4000 curies, and the dose ratewas 3.8x105 rads/hr. The poly (ethylene oxide) employed in the irradiations had an initial viscosity average molecular weight of 2.1 x 106.The solutions were gelled by a free radical reaction with dosages ranging from 5x104 rads to 4.8x106 rads.


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