Les Kinases cycline-dépendantes (CDK / cyclines) jouent un rôle majeur dans la régulation de la progression du cycle cellulaire et la prolifération des cellules cancéreuses, et constituent ainsi des cibles d'intérêt pour le développement de stratégies de diagnostic et thérapeutiques anticancéreuse. L'objectif de cette étude a consisté à développer une famille de biosenseurs fluorescents pour mesurer l'activité des CDK/ cycline in vitro, in cellulo et in vivo.Nous avons conçu et développé un biosenseur polypeptidique sensible à l'environnement comprenant une séquence substrat des CDKs, qui est marquée avec une sonde fluorescente sensible à l'environnement à proximité du site de phosphorylation, et un domaine de liaison phospho-amino acide, qui se lie à la séquence du substrat lorsqu'il est phosphorylé, ce qui modifie l'environnement de la sonde fluorescente et conduit par conséquent à l'augmentation de la fluorescence. Plusieurs variants de ce premier biosenseur CDKACT ont été développés. Les biosenseurs ont d'abord été caractérisés in vitro en utilisant plusieurs complexes CDK / cycline recombinants et avec des CDK / cyclines endogènes à partir d'extraits cellulaires, induisant des changements dynamiques de l'intensité de fluorescence, qui ont été mesurés en temps réel. Nous avons caractérisé la spécificité de ces biosenseurs pour les kinases CDK/ cycline par rapport à d'autres kinases (Plk1, Plk3, CIV, PKA, MAPK). En outre ces biosenseurs permettent de mesurer des différences dans l'activité des CDK/Cyclines entre différentes lignées cellulaires saines et cancéreuses. Enfin, nous avons mis en place les conditions pour internaliser ces biosenseurs dans des cellules vivantes grâce à des formulations de peptides pénétrants, afin de mesurer l'activité des CDK / cycline en temps réel. L'imagerie time-lapse et la quantification ratiométrique de fluorescence de la sonde sensible à l'environnement par rapport à une sonde fluorescente standard a permis de suivre l'activité des CDK/ cycline au cours du cycle cellulaire de cellules en division, des cellules ne se divisant pas et des cellules traitées avec des inhibiteurs des CDK / cycline. Les biosenseurs ont également été utilisé pour établir des conditions nécessaires à réaliser un criblage haut débit et des essais d'imagerie in vivo dans des modèles de souris comportant des xénogreffes. / Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK/Cyclins) play central roles in regulation of cell cycle progression and proliferation of cancer cells, thereby constituting attractive targets for development of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The objective of this study consisted in developing a family of fluorescent biosensors to probe CDK/Cyclin activity in vitro, in cellulo and in vivo. To this aim, we designed and engineered an environmentally sensitive polypeptide sensor consisting of a CDK substrate sequence labelled with an environmentally-sensitive dye proximal to the phosphorylation site, and a phospho-amino acid binding domain, which binds the substrate sequence when it is phosphorylated, thereby altering the environment of the fluorescent probe and consequently leading to fluorescence enhancement. Several variants of this first CDKACT biosensor were further engineered. The biosensors were first characterized in vitro using several recombinant CDK/Cyclin complexes and endogenous CDK/Cyclins from cell extracts, inducing dynamic changes in fluorescence intensity, which were measured in real-time. We further characterized the specificity of these biosensors for CDK/Cyclin kinases as opposed to other kinases (Plk1, Plk3, CIV, PKA, MAPK). We further applied CDK biosensors to measure CDK/Cyclin kinase activity between different healthy and cancer cell lines. Finally, we established conditions to deliver the biosensors into living cells thanks to cell-penetrating peptide formulations, to monitor CDK/Cyclin activity in real time. Time-lapse imaging and ratiometric quantification of fluorescence of the environmentally sensitive probe over that of a fluorescent standard allowed to monitor CDK/Cyclin activity throughout the cell cycle of dividing cells, non-dividing cells and cells treated with CDK/Cyclin inhibitors. The biosensors were further applied to establish conditions for a high throughput screen and an in vivo imaging assay using xenografted mouse models.

<p>The design and application of effective drug carriers is a fundamental concern in the delivery of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other vexing health problems. Traditionally utilized chemotherapeutics are limited in efficacy due to poor bioavailability as a result of their size and solubility as well as significant deleterious effects to healthy tissue through their inability to preferentially target pathological cells and tissues, especially in treatment of cancer. Thus, a major effort in the development of nanoscopic drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment has focused on exploiting the inherent differences in tumor physiology and limiting the exposure of drugs to non-tumorous tissue, which is commonly achieved by encapsulation of chemotherapeutics within macromolecular or supramolecular carriers that incorporate targeting ligands and that enable controlled release. The overall aim of this work is to engineer a hybrid nanomaterial system comprised of protein and silica and to characterize its potential as an encapsulating drug carrier. The synthesis of silica, an attractive nanomaterial component because it is both biocompatible as well as structurally and chemically stable, within this system is catalyzed by self-assembled elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) micelles that incorporate of a class of biologically-inspired, silica-promoting peptides, silaffins. Furthermore, this methodology produces near-monodisperse, hybrid inorganic/micellar materials under mild reaction conditions such as temperature, pH and solvent. This work studies this material system along three avenues: 1) proof-of-concept silicification (i.e. the formation and deposition of silica upon organic materials) of ELP micellar templates, 2) encapsulation and pH-triggered release of small, hydrophobic chemotherapeutics, and 3) selective silicification of templates to potentiate retention of peptide targeting ability.</p> / Dissertation

糖尿病是一种呈现流行趋势的代谢紊乱综合症，现如今，全球大约有3.46亿糖尿病患者， 这庞大的数字给各国的公共健康安全支出带来了严重的财政负担。 其中，二型糖尿病（T2DM）占90%。其特点是周围组织的胰岛素抵抗以及后期损伤的胰岛β细胞的功能。在饮食后，小肠会分泌两种肠促胰岛素，葡萄糖依赖性促胰岛素多肽（GIP）和胰高血糖素样肽-1（GLP-1）。两种多肽的主要功能是促进餐后胰岛细胞中胰岛素的分泌，另外他们还可以通过其自身的G蛋白偶联受体，GIPR和GLP-1R发挥其他作用，如葡萄糖依赖性的刺激胰岛素的生成，刺激胰岛β细胞的增殖，抑制细胞的凋亡等。这些功能也使肠促胰岛素成为糖尿病治疗的一种手段，比如Exendin-4和DPP4抑制剂。 然而，除了在胰岛中的作用，肠促胰岛还可能和脂质代谢相关，其中GIP和脂质代谢的报导研究的更加深入。在肥胖的状态下，血液中GIP含量高于正常水平；GIPR基因敲除老鼠和GIPR的抑制剂喂养的小鼠可以抵抗高脂饮食诱导的肥胖和2型糖尿病；GIP还可以直接调节脂肪细胞的脂肪生成和脂解。这些数据表明GIP在肥胖和糖尿病的发生过程中可能存在促进作用,这使得GIP治疗药物的开发需要谨慎的对待。 / 为了进一步研究GIP在脂肪细胞中发挥的生物学效应，在本研究中，我们利用腺病毒介导技术通过在脂肪细胞中过表达GIPR来增加GIP的活性，然后检查GIP在脂肪细胞中所起的作用。实验结果表明,GIP可以通过cAMP-PKA信号通路迅速并且长期的刺激脂肪细胞的炎症反应，增强IKKβ-NFκB信号通路和增加炎症基因的表达。更深入的机制研究表明，JNK 信号通路也参与GIP诱导的炎症反应，抑制JNK通路可以大部分恢复GIP增加的炎症因子的表达和IKKβ的磷酸化水平。由于长期的炎症反应，脂肪细胞的胰岛素信号通路受到GIP的损伤，在GIPR过表达的脂肪细胞中，胰岛素刺激的AKT磷酸化水平和葡萄糖吸收能力都被GIP降低，葡萄糖转运蛋白4（Glut-4）的表达水平也同时减少。因此，本研究结果表明GIP可能在肥胖的发展过程中，通过诱导脂肪细胞的炎症反应来损伤胰岛素敏感性而最终导致2型糖尿病的发生。 / Diabetes mellitus is a type of metabolic syndrome that has prevailed all over the world with the development of economic and over-nutrient lifestyle. It is estimated to 346 million diabetes patients in the worldwide most recently. The huge population put a major burden on the cost of public health care to all the countries. Among the types of diabetes, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) makes up 90% of recorded cases. The characteristics of T2DM are insulin resistance of peripheral tissues and impaired pancreatic cell function and mass. Two major incretins GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) are secreted from gut in response to food ingestion. The prominent role of GIP and GLP-1 is to stimulate glucose-dependent insulin release in pancreatic β cell. In addition, they both exert multiple biological effects via their relative G-protein coupled receptors, GIPR and GLP-1R, including glucose-stimulated insulin production, cell proliferation and anti-apoptosis in pancreatic β cells. The beneficent effects of incretins potentiate them as targets for the treatment of diabetes. GLP-1 analog, exendin-4 and DDP4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors (to prevent GIP and GLP-1 from degradation) have been already used in clinical research. However, in addition to their effects on pancreatic β cell, both peptides are also related to lipid metabolism. The role of GIP has been studied more extensively. In obese state, the circulating level of GIP is elevated. GIPR knockout (KO) mice are resistant to high fat diet (HFD) induced obesity, a similar phenotype is found in GIPR antagonist administrated HFD-mice. Moreover, GIP also directly promotes lipogenesis and lipolysis in adipocytes. The rising evidence suggests a potential role of GIP in adipocyte biology and lipid metabolism, which diminishes the enthusiasm of GIP as a candidate therapeutic reagent for T2DM. / In order to further understand the biological effects of GIP in adipocytes, here, we over-expressed GIPR in 3T3-L1 CAR adipocytes via adenovirus-mediated gene transfer technology to enhance the activity of GIP. The results demonstrate that GIP impairs the physiological functions of adipocytes as a consequence of increasing the production of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and phosphorylation of IkB kinase (IKK) β through activation of the cyclic AMP-protein kinase A (cAMP-PKA) pathway. Activation of Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) pathway is also observed in GIP-induced inflammatory responses in adipocytes. An inhibitor of JNK blocks GIP-stimulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as phosphorylation of IKKβ. The chronic inflammatory response eventually impairs insulin signaling in adipocytes, as demonstrated by reduction of protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) phosphorylation. The subsequently physiological analysis also indicates that GIP inhibits insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and gene expression analysis reveals a decrease of glucose transporter 4 (Glut-4) in the meanwhile. The results suggest that GIP may be one of stimuli attributable to obesity induced insulin resistance via induction of adipocyte inflammation. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Nie, Yaohui. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-111). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.v / INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter Part 1 --- Obesity and Type 2 diabetes --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction to diabetes --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Physiology of adipocyte --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Mechanism of obesity induced diabetes --- p.10 / Chapter Part 2 --- Incretins and T2DM --- p.12 / Chapter 2.1 --- History of incretins --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- Physiological actions of incretins --- p.14 / Chapter 2.3 --- Molecular mechanism of incretin actions in pancreas --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4 --- Incretins and T2DM --- p.19 / Chapter Part 3 --- Incretins and lipid metabolism --- p.23 / Objective --- p.26 / Methods and materials --- p.28 / Chapter 1 --- Cell culture --- p.28 / Chapter 1.1 --- 3T3-L1 culture and differentiation --- p.28 / Chapter 1.2 --- 3T3-L1 CAR culture and differentiation --- p.29 / Chapter 2 --- Cloning and recombinant adenovirus construction --- p.30 / Chapter 2.1 --- Plasmid construct --- p.30 / Chapter 2.2 --- Construct of recombinant adenoviruses --- p.30 / Chapter 2.3 --- Generation and infection of the adenoviruses --- p.31 / Chapter 3 --- Physiological and morphological assays --- p.32 / Chapter 3.1 --- Lipolysis assay --- p.32 / Chapter 3.2 --- TUNEL assay --- p.32 / Chapter 3.3 --- Glucose uptake --- p.33 / Chapter 3.4 --- Glut-4 localization --- p.33 / Chapter 4 --- Gene expression analysis --- p.35 / Chapter 4.1 --- Quantitative real-time PCR --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2 --- Immunoblot analysis --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3 --- ELISA assay --- p.36 / Chapter 5 --- Isolation of primary adipocytes --- p.37 / Results --- p.38 / Chapter Part 1 --- Role of GIP in 3T3-L1 cells --- p.38 / Chapter 1.1 --- Differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes --- p.38 / Chapter 1.2 --- GIP slightly stimulates phosphorylation of p-CREB and lipolysis in 3T3-L1 cells. --- p.40 / Chapter 1.3 --- Analysis of gene expression in GIP-treated adipocytes --- p.42 / Chapter 1.4 --- Discussion --- p.44 / Chapter Part 2 --- Role of GIP in GIPR over-expressing 3T3-L1 CAR adipocytes --- p.46 / Chapter 2.1 --- Differentiation of 3T3-L1 CAR adipocytes --- p.46 / Chapter 2.2 --- Functional tests in GIPR over-expressing 3T3-L1 CAR adipocytes. --- p.48 / Chapter 2.3 --- Effect of GIP on cell viability --- p.50 / Chapter 2.4 --- Analysis of gene expression in GIP-treated adipocytes --- p.52 / Chapter 2.5 --- GIP activates inflammatory responses in GIPR over-expressing adipocytes --- p.54 / Chapter 2.6 --- Inhibition of IKKb pathway restores GIP-induced inflammatory responses --- p.56 / Chapter 2.7 --- Effects of GIP on adipocytes are partially dependent on the cAMP-PKA pathway --- p.58 / Chapter 2.8 --- Activation of cAMP-PKA pathway induces adipocyte inflammation. --- p.60 / Chapter 2.9 --- cAMP-Epac pathway is not involved in GIP-induced inflammation --- p.62 / Chapter 2.10 --- GIP stimulates cell stress activated kinases --- p.64 / Chapter 2.11 --- JNK partially mediates GIP-induced adipocyte inflammation --- p.65 / Chapter 2.12 --- Inhibition of JNK pathway partially restores GIP-induced inflammatory responses --- p.67 / Chapter 2.13 --- GIP impairs insulin signaling in GIPR over-expressing 3T3-L1 CAR adipocytes via inducing inflammatory response --- p.69 / Chapter 2.14 --- GIP enhances basal glucose uptake but impairs insulin stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 CAR GIPR over-expressing adipocytes --- p.71 / Chapter 2.15 --- Discussion --- p.73 / Chapter Part 3 --- Role of GIP in primary adipocytes --- p.78 / Chapter 3.1 --- GIPR expression level in primary adipocytes --- p.78 / Chapter 3.2 --- Analysis of gene expression in primary adipocytes after GIP treatment --- p.80 / Chapter 3.3 --- Discussion --- p.81 / SUMMARY --- p.82 / Chapter Future investigation --- p.83 / Chapter Appendix 1: --- Abbreviations --- p.86 / Chapter Appendix 2: --- Protocols --- p.90 / Preparation of competent cells --- p.90 / Outlines of recombinant adenovirus preparation --- p.91 / Virus titering (TCID50) --- p.92 / Primers for real-time PCR --- p.93 / Chapter Publications and Scientfic activities --- p.94 / Thesis related publication: --- p.94 / Other pubiliations: --- p.94 / Scientific activities: --- p.94 / References --- p.95

Es wurden Poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazolin)-Makroinitiatoren mit terminaler Ammoniumtrifluoracetat-Endgruppe synthetisiert, die anschließend für die Ammonium vermittelte NCA Polymerisation in NMP eingesetzt wurden. Die hierbei synthetisierten Poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazolin)-block-poly(L-glutamat) (PIPOX-PEP) Blockcopolymere hatten eine Molekulargewichtsverteilung von 1,2 (UZ). Es wurde beobachtet, dass Poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazolin) bei langen Zeiten oberhalb der LCST irreversibel sphärische Strukturen bildet, die eine hierarchische Struktur besitzen und bei denen es sich möglicherweise um "large compound micelles" handelt. PIPOX-PEP kann in wässeriger Lösung bei langen Zeiten oberhalb der LCST "cottonball" Strukturen bilden. Die Aggregate wurden mittels Lichtstreuung, NMR und TEM charakterisiert. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurden Strukturbildungsmodelle entwickelt. / A convenient procedure for the synthesis of well-defined poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)-block-poly(L-glutamate) (PIPOX-PEP) through combined cationic/anionic ring-opening polymerization is described. The key step is the preparation of an ω-(ammonium trifluoroacetate)-poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline), which is used as a macroinitiator for the “ammonium-mediated” polymerization of γ-benzyl L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (NCA). PIPOX is a thermoresponsive polymer exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) near human body temperature, while PEP responds to changes in pH (helix-to-coil transition). The phase behavior of aqueous PIPOX and PIPOX-PEP solutions has been characterized by means of light scattering, NMR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Phase transition is usually reversible, but renders irreversible when solution are annealed for longer times at 65 °C, far above the LCST. Coagulate particles with hierarchical ordering in the range of nanometers to micrometers, considered as “large compound micelles” or “cottonballs”, are then produced. A tentative mechanism for the formation of such particles is described.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第23920号 / 工博第5007号 / 新制||工||1781(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科高分子化学専攻 / (主査)教授 秋吉 一成, 教授 大内 誠, 教授 大塚 浩二 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2000--Berlin.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2003--Berlin.

abstract: Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), also known as amylin, is a 37-residue intrinsically disordered hormone involved in glucose regulation and gastric emptying. The aggregation of hIAPP into amyloid fibrils is believed to play a causal role in type 2 diabetes. To date, not much is known about the monomeric state of hIAPP or how it undergoes an irreversible transformation from disordered peptide to insoluble aggregate. IAPP contains a highly conserved disulfide bond that restricts hIAPP(1-8) into a short ring-like structure: N_loop. Removal or chemical reduction of N_loop not only prevents cell response upon binding to the CGRP receptor, but also alters the mass per length distribution of hIAPP fibers and the kinetics of fibril formation. The mechanism by which N_loop affects hIAPP aggregation is not yet understood, but is important for rationalizing kinetics and developing potential inhibitors. By measuring end-to-end contact formation rates, Vaiana et al. showed that N_loop induces collapsed states in IAPP monomers, implying attractive interactions between N_loop and other regions of the disordered polypeptide chain . We show that in addition to being involved in intra-protein interactions, the N_loop is involved in inter-protein interactions, which lead to the formation of extremely long and stable &beta;-turn fibers. These non-amyloid fibers are present in the 10 &mu;M concentration range, under the same solution conditions in which hIAPP forms amyloid fibers. We discuss the effect of peptide cyclization on both intra- and inter-protein interactions, and its possible implications for aggregation. Our findings indicate a potential role of N_loop-N_loop interactions in hIAPP aggregation, which has not previously been explored. Though our findings suggest that N_loop plays an important role in the pathway of amyloid formation, other naturally occurring IAPP variants that contain this structural feature are incapable of forming amyloids. For example, hIAPP readily forms amyloid &#64257;brils in vitro, whereas the rat variant (rIAPP), differing by six amino acids, does not. In addition to being highly soluble, rIAPP is an effective inhibitor of hIAPP &#64257;bril formation . Both of these properties have been attributed to rIAPP's three proline residues: A25P, S28P and S29P. Single proline mutants of hIAPP have also been shown to kinetically inhibit hIAPP fibril formation. Because of their intrinsic dihedral angle preferences, prolines are expected to affect conformational ensembles of intrinsically disordered proteins. The specific effect of proline substitutions on IAPP structure and dynamics has not yet been explored, as the detection of such properties is experimentally challenging due to the low molecular weight, fast reconfiguration times, and very low solubility of IAPP peptides. High-resolution techniques able to measure tertiary contact formations are needed to address this issue. We employ a nanosecond laser spectroscopy technique to measure end-to-end contact formation rates in IAPP mutants. We explore the proline substitutions in IAPP and quantify their effects in terms of intrinsic chain stiffness. We find that the three proline mutations found in rIAPP increase chain stiffness. Interestingly, we also find that residue R18 plays an important role in rIAPP's unique chain stiffness and, together with the proline residues, is a determinant for its non-amyloidogenic properties. We discuss the implications of our findings on the role of prolines in IDPs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Physics 2013

Polypeptides are polymerized chains of amino acids linked covalently through peptide bonds. Polyelectrolyte polypeptides are polypeptides with electrolyte repeating groups. Several amino acids contain ionizable side chains which result in charge distributions when dissolved in aqueous solutions. This dissertation is motivated by a desire to gain knowledge of polyelectrolyte polypeptides as recent advances in chemical synthesis of polypeptides have made possible the fabrication of designed polypeptides that do not naturally occur in nature. Potential applications of newly designed polypeptides span the range from medical to clothing and energy even to robotics. In this dissertation we compare the characteristic behavior of two polypeptide polyanions: Poly-(L-Glutamic Acid) [PLE] and Poly-(L-Glutamic Acid4, Tyrosine1) [PLEY(4:1)]. Comparative characteristic behaviors of each is conducted through relaxation phenomena in the context of mechanical elasticity measurements of hydrogels and dielectric relaxation of aqueous solutions in a radio frequency range of 1 MHz to 1000 MHz. Hydrogels are fabricated by crosslinking each polyanion with Poly-(L-Lysine) [PLK], a polycation, via the crosslinker 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Elasticity and viscoelasticity measurements are conducted in a fixture designed by our lab. Dielectric relaxation behavior is studied on aqueous solution of both PLEY and PLE using a capacitive fixture, also designed in our lab. RF signals provided by an impedance analyzer are converted to permittivity and dielectric loss measurements. Peaks in dielectric loss provide evidence of relaxation mechanisms. A comparison of experimental results to theoretical expectations reveal both expected and some surprising behavior. Relaxation times for crosslinked hydro-gels scale according to theoretical expectations according to so-called reptation dynamics. However, relaxation times of aqueous solutions did not scale as entangled polyelectrolytes. First, both PLEY and PLE scaled as neutral polymers rather than polyelectrolytes. This was expected because of the high concentrations studied. However, due to the high concentrations, it was expected that polypeptides were entangled in solutions. Data compared to theory did not support this expectation. We, additionally, conducted a self-crosslinking experiment of a polyampholyte: RADA16. RADA16 is known to self-assemble into nano-fibers formed by -sheet stacking. The self-crosslinking was also mediated by EDC. Results of crosslinking showed formation of polypeptide spherules as well as nano-crystals nominally orthorhombic in shape. It was not possible to ascertain composition of the nano-crystals due to both the limited amount of raw material available and the capabilities of measurement equipment as of this writing. It is hypothesized that nano-crystals are composed of some type of urea by-product from the crosslinking reaction. The spherules, on the other hand, seem to be described by the theory of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes. Additional research conducted with regards to electromagnetic hydrodynamic flows during the time frame of this dissertation is also included. The research uses hydrodynamic conservation equations as a starting point to derive one electromagnetic flow momentum equation analogous to the Cauchy momentum equation of hydrodynamics. It also introduces a mass- energy conservation equation for electromagnetic flow that has no hydrodynamic analogue. We begin this dissertation by introducing in Chapter 1 some of the theoretical background necessary to understand results from experiments. Chapter 2 introduces experimental results from elasticity and viscoelasticity measurements and Chapter 3 explains the dielectric relaxation experiment. We then follow with Chapter 4 which presents conclusions from mechanical and dielectric relaxation experiments in a concise format. Results from the self- crosslinking of RADA16 are presented in Chapter 5. Finally, the additional research on electromagnetic flow is presented in Chapter 6.

Functional properties of living cells depend on the thermodynamic variables such as temperature and pressure. A unique tool to investigate volume effects on structure and metabolism of the cell and biomolecules is pressure perturbation. We have developed a new setup that enables micro-spectroscopy and optical imaging of individual live cells at variable pressure from 0.1 to 400 MPa. Following characterization of the setup, pressure and temperature effects on the secondary structure of the peptide Poly-L-glutamic acid (PGA) in deuterated water buffer solution were investigated. The amide I band of PGA is sensitive to pressure and temperature, and by spectral deconvolution, we determined the relative contributions due to the ?-helix and random coil conformations. The population of ?-helix increases with increasing pressure. Pressure effects on single red blood cells and the intracellular protein hemoglobin were studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. In particular, we observed a shift in the frequency of the iron-histidine vibrational band in both the intracellular hemoglobin and hemoglobin in solutions. The iron-histidine mode is a sensitive structural marker of the crucial iron-protein linkage in heme proteins. The pressure dependent shift suggests a conformational change of the heme environment. This finding was further supported by micro-absorption measurements at variable pressure. In additional experiments, Raman spectroscopy was employed to probe molecular changes that occurred in hemoglobin in erythrocytes infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The spectra of infected cells indicated that hemoglobin degradation can be correlated with the stages of the parasite multiplication cycle. The research was further extended towards probing size and shape changes of individual cells with pressure. The lateral diameter in yeast cells was observed to decrease with pressure in a reversible way. These results suggest that transport of the intra-cellular water may play a significant role for volume changes. In summary, pressure changes were shown to induce conformational changes in proteins and shape changes in yeast cells. A Raman technique was developed to monitor the states of Plasmodium falciparum multiplication cycle within a red blood cell.