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Vibrational Spectroscopy Methods to Investigate Macromolecules

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 8378

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Dr. Francesco D'Amico

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Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SS14—Km 163.5, 34149 Trieste, Italy
Interests: Raman spectroscopy; biophysics; physical chemistry; green chemistry; organic semiconductors; synchrotron radiation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce a call for submission to a Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences dedicated to the investigation of the chemical conformation of macromolecules via vibrational spectroscopies. In combination with the standard microscopical techniques such as TEM, SEM AFM, etc., FTIR and Raman (in particular, SERS, TERS and Resonant Raman), are often used to disentangle the macromolecules chemical constitution, often corroborated with conventional absorption and fluorescence measurements.

We encourage the submission of original research articles and topical reviews, both theoretical and experimental, on all aspects of spectroscopically investigation of macromolecules, from FTIR to Raman, spanning from biomolecules (DNA, proteins) to organic semiconductors and polymers, with particular attention to green chemistry.

Dr. Francesco D'Amico
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

FTIR
Raman
resonant Raman
SERS
DNA
proteins
polymers
green chemistry

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interactions and Insertion of Escherichia coli Hfq into Outer Membrane Vesicles as Revealed by Infrared and Orientated Circular Dichroism Spectroscopies

by Florian Turbant, Jehan Waeytens, Anaïs Blache, Emeline Esnouf, Vincent Raussens, Grzegorz Węgrzyn, Wafa Achouak, Frank Wien and Véronique Arluison

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11424; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411424 - 13 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1750

Abstract

The possible carrier role of Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) for small regulatory noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) has recently been demonstrated. Nevertheless, to perform their function, these sRNAs usually need a protein cofactor called Hfq. In this work we show, by using a combination of infrared and circular dichroism spectroscopies, that Hfq, after interacting with the inner membrane, can be translocated into the periplasm, and then be exported in OMVs, with the possibility to be bound to sRNAs. Moreover, we provide evidence that Hfq interacts with and is inserted into OMV membranes, suggesting a role for this protein in the release of sRNA outside the vesicle. These findings provide clues to the mechanism of host–bacteria interactions which may not be defined solely by protein–protein and protein–outer membrane contacts, but also by the exchange of RNAs, and in particular sRNAs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vibrational Spectroscopy Methods to Investigate Macromolecules)

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14 pages, 3346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Cytotoxic Effect of Pd₂Spm against Prostate Cancer through Vibrational Microspectroscopies

by Raquel C. Laginha, Clara B. Martins, Ana L. C. Brandão, Joana Marques, M. Paula M. Marques, Luís A. E. Batista de Carvalho, Inês P. Santos and Ana L. M. Batista de Carvalho

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 1888; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24031888 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2239

Abstract

Regarding the development of new antineoplastic agents, with a view to assess the selective antitumoral potential which aims at causing irreversible damage to cancer cells while preserving the integrity of their healthy counterparts, it is essential to evaluate the cytotoxic effects in both healthy and malignant human cell lines. In this study, a complex with two Pd(II) centers linked by the biogenic polyamine spermine (Pd₂Spm) was tested on healthy (PNT-2) and cancer (LNCaP and PC-3) prostate human cell lines, using cisplatin as a reference. To understand the mechanisms of action of both cisplatin and Pd₂Spm at a molecular level, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopies were used. Principal component analysis was applied to the vibrational data, revealing the major metabolic changes caused by each drug, which were found to rely on DNA, lipids, and proteins, acting as biomarkers of drug impact. The main changes were observed between the B-DNA native conformation and either Z-DNA or A-DNA, with a higher effect on lipids having been detected in the presence of cisplatin as compared to Pd₂Spm. In turn, the Pd-agent showed a more significant impact on proteins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vibrational Spectroscopy Methods to Investigate Macromolecules)

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16 pages, 3930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lignin Microspheres Modified with Magnetite Nanoparticles as a Selenate Highly Porous Adsorbent

by Vesna Marjanovic, Radmila Markovic, Mirjana Steharnik, Silvana Dimitrijevic, Aleksandar D. Marinkovic, Aleksandra Peric-Grujic and Maja Đolic

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 13872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232213872 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1710

Abstract

Highly porous lignin-based microspheres, modified by magnetite nanoparticles, were used for the first time for the removal of selenate anions, Se(VI), from spiked and real water samples. The influence of experimental conditions: selenate concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time on the adsorption capacity was investigated in a batch experimental mode. The FTIR, XRD, SEM techniques were used to analyze the structural and morphological properties of the native and exhausted adsorbent. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 69.9 mg/g for Se(VI) anions at pH 6.46 from the simulated water samples. The modified natural polymer was efficient in Se(VI) removal from the real (potable) water samples, originated from six cities in the Republic of Serbia, with an overage efficacy of 20%. The regeneration capacity of 61% in one cycle of desorption (0.5 M NaOH as desorption solution) of bio-based adsorbent was gained in this investigation. The examined material demonstrated a significant affinity for Se(VI) oxyanion, but a low potential for multi-cycle material application; consequently, the loaded sorbent could be proposed to be used as a Se fertilizer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vibrational Spectroscopy Methods to Investigate Macromolecules)

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17 pages, 2766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Development of a Bimodal Optical Instrument for Simultaneous Vibrational Spectroscopy Measurements

by Laura A. Arévalo, Stephen A. O’Brien, Eneko Lopez, Gajendra Pratap Singh and Andreas Seifert

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6834; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23126834 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2106

Abstract

Vibrational spectroscopy techniques are widely used in analytical chemistry, physics and biology. The most prominent techniques are Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Combining both techniques delivers complementary information of the test sample. We present the design, construction, and calibration of a novel bimodal spectroscopy system featuring both Raman and infrared measurements simultaneously on the same sample without mutual interference. The optomechanical design provides a modular flexible system for solid and liquid samples and different configurations for Raman. As a novel feature, the Raman module can be operated off-axis for optical sectioning. The calibrated system demonstrates high sensitivity, precision, and resolution for simultaneous operation of both techniques and shows excellent calibration curves with coefficients of determination greater than 0.96. We demonstrate the ability to simultaneously measure Raman and infrared spectra of complex biological material using bovine serum albumin. The performance competes with commercial systems; moreover, it presents the additional advantage of simultaneously operating Raman and infrared techniques. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first demonstration of a combined Raman-infrared system that can analyze the same sample volume and obtain optically sectioned Raman signals. Additionally, quantitative comparison of confocality of backscattering micro-Raman and off-axis Raman was performed for the first time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vibrational Spectroscopy Methods to Investigate Macromolecules)

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