This diploma thesis deals with the use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy technique for microrheological characterization of hydrogel in a system of hyaluronate-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Fluorescently labelled particles were used for microrheological FCS analysis. To optimize the method the most appropriate size of particles was chosen on the basis of Newtonian glycerol solutions analysis. Among other things, the discussion was focused on the influence of refractive index change of analysed solutions on analysis results. After hyaluronate solutions analysis it was possible to assess the biopolymer concentration and molecular weight impact on the FCS microrheology results, which could then be compared with analysis results of model hydrogels of hyaluronate and CTAB. Finally, usability and limitations of FCS microrheology have been discussed.

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is currently considered the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and places a large financial burden on society as healthcare resources are limited and the disease does not have a cure. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles; however current literature suggests Aβ oligomers are the main aggregating species leading to AD symptoms. Therefore, the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s, accumulation of amyloid beta, is currently being studied in hopes of developing treatment options. Our research aims at determining the mechanism and kinetics of Aβ oligomer dissociation into non-toxic monomers in the presence of denaturants or small molecule dissociators. These highly active small molecule dissociators, selected from the Apex Screen 5040 library, were previously identified by ELISA studies by the laboratory of Dr. Harry LeVine. We have used fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to characterize the size distribution and mole fraction of synthetically prepared fluorescein labeled Aβ (1-42) oligomers. Our FCS results show that in the presence of denaturants or small molecule dissociators, oligomer dissociation may proceed by at least two different mechanisms; high order cooperative dissociation and linear dissociation. A cooperative mechanism is more desirable for therapeutics as oligomer directly dissociates into monomer rather than through various oligomer intermediates. Our FCS studies show the most efficient dissociators proceed through the cooperative dissociation mechanism. We also observed a large retardation of the oligomer dissociation in the presence of gallic acid. We also started preliminary work to develop a total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) spectroscopy method to image Aβ (1-42) oligomers. This technique if successful will help to verify the two distinct mechanisms seen by FCS or determine if there is one mechanism that occurs at different rates as TIRF allows for faster analysis.

Fluorescent molecules commonly shift to transient dark states, induced bylight or triggered by chemical reactions. The transient dark states can beused as probes of the local environment surrounding the fluorescent molecules,and are therefore attractive for use in biomolecular applications. Thisthesis explores the use and development of novel fluorescence spectroscopictechniques for monitoring transient dark states.This work demonstrates that kinetic information regarding photoinduced transient dark states of fluorescent molecules can be obtained from the time-averaged fluorescence intensity of fluorescent molecules subject totemporally modulated illumination. Methods based on this approach havethe advantage that the light detectors can have a low time resolution, which allows for parallelization and screening of biomolecular interactions withhigh throughput. Transient state images are presented displaying local environmental differences such as those in oxygen concentration and quencher accessibility.Analysis of the fluorescence intensity fluctuations resulting from thetransitions to and from transient dark states can be used to obtain information regarding the transition rates and occupancy of the transient darkstates. Fluorescence fluctuation analysis was used to reveal rates of protonbinding and debinding to single fluorescent molecules located close to biological membranes and protein surfaces. The results from these studies show that the proton exchange rate increases dramatically when the fluorescent molecule is close to the membrane. / QC 20100809

Single-molecule spectroscopy has provided a means to uncover pathways and heterogeneities that were previously hidden beneath the ensemble average. Such heterogeneity, however, is often obscured by the artifacts of experimental noise and the occurrence of undesired processes within the experimental medium. This has subsequently caused in the need for new analytical methodologies. It is particularly important that objectivity be maintained in the development of new analytical methodology so that bias is not introduced and the results improperly characterized. The research presented herein identifies two such sources of experimental uncertainty, and constructs objective approaches to reduce their effects in the experimental results. The first, photoblinking, arises from the occupation of dark electronic states within the probe molecule, resulting in experimental data that is distorted by its contribution. A method based in Bayesian inference is developed, and is found to nearly eliminate photoblinks from the experimental data while minimally affecting the remaining data and maintaining objectivity. The second source of uncertainty is electronic shot-noise, which arises as a result of Poissonian photon collection. A method based in wavelet decomposition is constructed and applied to simulated and experimental data. It is iii found that, while making only one assumption, that photon collection is indeed a Poisson process, up to 75% of the shot-noise contribution may be removed from the experimental signal by the wavelet-based procedure. Lastly, in an effort to connect model-based approaches such as molecular dynamics simulation to model-free approaches that rely solely on the experimental data, a coarse-grained molecular model of a molecular ionic fluorophore diffusing within an electrostatically charged polymer brush is constructed and characterized. It is found that, while the characteristics of the coarse-grained simulation compare well with atomistic simulations, the model is lacking in its representation of the electrostatically-driven behavior of the experimental system.

The diffusible soluble oligomeric amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) has been identified as a toxic agent in Alzheimer’s disease that can cause synaptic dysfunction and memory loss, indicating its role as potential therapeutic targets for AD treatment. Recently an oligomer-specific sandwich biotin-avidin interaction based assay identified the Aβ oligomer dissociation potency of a series of dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) isomers. Because the sandwich assay is an ensemble method providing limited size information, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was employed to provide single molecule resolution of the disassembly mechanism. Using FCS coupled with atomic force microscopy, we investigated the size distribution of fluorescein labeled synthetic Aβ oligomers at physiological concentrations, and monitored in real time the change of size and mole fraction of oligomers in the presence of dissociating agents or conditions. The higher-order dissociation process caused by DHBA isomers produced no transient oligomeric intermediates, a desirable feature for an anti-oligomer therapeutic. Urea and guanidine hydrochloride, in contrast, produced a linear dissociation with a progressive decrease of size and mole fraction of oligomers. FCS allows the facile distinction of small molecule Aβ oligomer dissociators that do not produce stable potentially toxic oligomeric Aβ intermediates.

Diploma thesis main goal is to obtain new pieces of knowledge about relationship between hydrogel structures and its flow and transport properties. Thesis is mainly focusing on combining pertinent biopolymers into model hydrogels based on agarose. Then perform correlation of results obtained by diffusion methods, and by rheologic measurements on macroscopic and microscopic level. Properties of hydrogels were measured by selected rheologic measurements, dynamic light scattering method, and correlative fluorescence spectroscopy. From these methods various parameters (MSD modules, values of complex viscosity) were obtained. Afterwards transport properties of prepared hydrogels were studied by observing Rhodamine 6G diffusion. Here two different approaches were used. From macroscopic perspective, simple principles of mass diffusion from dye solution to cuvettes filled with hydrogels containing individual biopolymers were used. From microscopic perspective, dye was added during the sample preparation and then the mass diffusion was investigated using FCS. Based on evaluated results it was discovered that added biopolymers don’t influence properties of carrier medium, in this case agarose hydrogels. During the study of prepared hydrogels’ reactivity and barrier properties some differences were observed. Charge of biopolymer and its charge density were discovered as main factors influencing transport of charged solutes into prepared hydrogels.

Supported lipid bilayers have been used as an artificial model of biological membranes and their interaction with 5 selected antimicrobial peptides was studied by several experimental techniques, mainly ellipsometry, laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The thesis explains basic principles of the applied techniques focusing on their aspects relevant to characterization of lipid bilayers. The biological significance of antimicrobial peptides, their modes of interaction with membranes and the basic characteristics of the selected peptides are briefly discussed. The following text describes the main types of experimental studies performed and the interpretation of their results. Peptide-induced changes in lipid bilayer morphology were characterized by ellipsometry and laser scanning microscopy. Most interesting effects were observed in the case of melittin, which induced formation of long lipid tubules protruding from the bilayer. Lipid lateral diffusion measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy can provide information on bilayer organization on length-scales below resolution of optical microscopy.

La membrane plasmique constitue la première entité séparant la cellule de son environnement. A ce rôle de barrière s'ajoute celui de réguler la. Par conséquent, la membrane plasmique est une zone privilégiée pour le passage d'information. Cependant, son étude reste difficile, ne serait-ce que par l'extraordinaire complexité d'organisation de cet assemblage supramoléculaire.Mon projet de thèse vise à développer de nouvelles approches expérimentales pour explorer plus spécifiquement l'organisation et le rôle de la membrane plasmique d'une cellule dans les mécanismes de transduction de l'information. Deux axes ont été privilégiés : le premier, concerne la description de la dynamique d'organisation de la membrane ; le deuxième concerne l'inter-connectivité et la transmission du signal d'une cellule avec d'autres partenaires.Ce manuscrit se compose de plusieurs parties. Le premier chapitre introduira succinctement les questions biologiques. Dans le second chapitre, je présenterai des méthodes utilisées pour l'étude de la membrane. J'y présenterai aussi une série d'observation que j'ai réalisée sur la diffusion de l'EGFR. Le troisième chapitre sera consacré à la technique de corrélation croisée de fluorescence depuis le montage jusqu'à l'étude du modèle EGFR. Dans la quatrième partie, nous verrons comment les collaborations à l'interface biophysique ont permis des développements innovants sur un système de pinces optiques holographiques. J'y présenterai les applications de ce système à différent modèles d'intérêt biologique. Enfin, je conclurai ce document par une brève discussion autour des résultats obtenus aussi bien d'un point de vue méthodologique que biologique. / The plasma membrane separates the cell from its environment. But it is more than a barrier any cell has to communicate with the outside world. Therefore the plasma membrane plays a prime role in transferring and exchanging information. However, the biological study of the plasma membrane remains difficult due to the extraordinary complexity of it organization.My thesis is a part of an effort to develop new experimental approaches to explore more specifically the organization and the role of the plasma membrane in the signal transduction mechanisms. Two major aspects were followed: the first one concerns the description of the dynamics of membrane organization and of molecular interactions, the second concerns the inter-connectivity and signal transduction between a cell and other biological partners.This manuscript is composed of several parts. The first chapter briefly introduces the biological questions that I tried to answer. In the second chapter, I present the methods commonly used to study the membrane with a dynamic perspective. Additionally, I include a series of observations that I made on the EGF receptor diffusion. The third chapter is devoted to the fluorescence cross-correlation technique to study the assembly of the EGFR. In the fourth part, I demonstrate how scientific collaborations at the interface between biology and physics have led to the development of innovative solutions on a holographic optical tweezers system. I present applications of this system in different biological models. Finally, I conclude this thesis with a brief discussion about my technological and biological results.

Small devices capable of self-propulsion have potential application in areas of nanoscience where autonomous locomotion and programmability are needed. The specific base-pairing interactions that arise from DNA hybridisation permit the programmed assembly of matter and also the creation of controllable dynamical systems. The aim of this thesis is to use the tools of DNA nanotechnology to design synthetic active matter at the micro and nano scales. In the first section, DNA was used as an active medium capable of transporting information faster than diffusion in the form of chemical waves. DNA waves were generated experimentally using a DNA autocatalytic reaction in a microfluidic channel. The propagation velocity of DNA chemical waves was slowed down by creating concentration gradients that changed the reaction kinetics in space. The second section details the synthesis of chemically-propelled particles and the use of DNA as a 'programmable glue' to mediate their interactions. Janus micromotors were fabricated by physical vapour deposition and a wet-chemical approach was demonstrated to synthesise asymmetrical catalytic Pt-Au nanoparticles that function as nanomotors. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed nanomotor activity that depends on H₂O₂ concentration, consistent with chemical propulsion. Gold nanoparticles/Origami hybrids were assembled in 2D lattices of different symmetries arranged by DNA linkers. The third section details the design process and synthesis of nanomotors using DNA as a structural scaffold. 3D DNA Origami rectangular prisms were functionalised site-specifically with bioconjugated catalysts, i.e. Pt nanoparticles and catalase. Enzymatic nanomotors were also conjugated to various cargoes and their motor activity was demonstrated by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. In the final section, control mechanisms for autonomous nanomotors are studied, which includes the conformational change of DNA aptamers in response to chemical signals, as well as a design for an adaptive dynamical system based on DNA/enzyme reaction networks.