Mesoscopic gel at low agarose concentration in water: a dynamic light scattering study

Self-adaptive hydrogels to mineralization

Mineralized biological tissues, whose behavior can range from rigid to compliant, are an essential component of vertebrates and invertebrates. Little is known about how the behavior of mineralized yet compliant tissues can be tuned by the degree of mineralization. In this work, a synthesis route to tune the structure and mechanical response of agarose gels via ionic crosslinking and mineralization has been developed. A combination of experimental techniques demonstrates that crosslinking via cooperative hydrogen bonding in agarose gels is disturbed by calcium ions, but they promote ionic crosslinking that modifies the agarose network. Further, it is shown that the rearrangement of the hydrogel network helps to accommodate precipitated minerals into the network -in other words, the hydrogel self-adapts to the precipitated mineral- while maintaining the viscoelastic behavior of the hydrogel, despite the reinforcement caused by mineralization. This work not only provides a synthesis route to design biologically inspired soft composites, but also helps to understand the change of properties that biomineralization can cause to biological tissues, organisms and biofilms.

Early stages of beta2-microglobulin aggregation and the inhibiting action of alphaB-crystallin

Static and dynamic light scattering experiments on extremely clean (nanofiltered) samples of the well-known amyloidogenic protein beta2-microglobulin (R3Abeta2m and WTbeta2m) evidence the self-assembly of early aggregates showing unexpected features. Further, we find that alphaB-crystallin effectively inhibits aggregation of beta2m in a far less than stoichiometric proportion, from 1:60 alphaB-crystallin monomer to beta2m monomer ratio, down to at least a 1:2 x 10(3) alphaB-crystallin oligomerto beta2m monomer ratio. Therefore, inhibition of the early stage of beta2m aggregation by alphaB-crystallin does not necessarily require a mechanicistic chaperon-like action implying one-to-one binding. This highlights the role of the free energy landscape of the system and of related modifications of solute-solvent thermodynamics caused by co-solutes, in agreement with recent work from our and other laboratories.

Electrolysis induces gradients and domain orientation in agarose gels

We have used small-angle light-scattering (SALS), microscopy, and measurements to study structural changes produced in unbuffered agarose gels as ions migrate under applied electric fields (3-20 V/cm). Anisotropic, bowtielike, light-scattering patterns were observed, whose development occurred more quickly at higher fields. The horizontal lobes were more pronounced at higher polymer concentration. Analysis of the SALS data with a simple model of scattering from anisotropic rods in an electric field is consistent with anisotropic rodlike domains on the order of 10-15 microm in length, which align perpendicular to the electric field. The anisotropic domains in the gel reach almost the same level of orientation, regardless of the field strength. Microscope imaging revealed anisotropic domains on the same length scale, also aligned perpendicular to the field. Profiles of pH variation across the gel, measured by video photography, indicate that the anisotropic patterns appear when the H+ and OH- ions, migrating in opposite directions, meet. Calculations of pH profiles using a model based on electrodiffusion reproduce several features of measured pH profiles, including the power-law dependence on the electric field of the time at which the oppositely charged fronts meet. Ions migrating from both ends of the gel produce pH changes that are correlated with macroscopic shrinking and orientation of the gel.

Ordering of agarose near the macroscopic gelation point

Gel formation and spatial structure is an important area of study in polymer physics and in macromolecular and cellular biophysics. Agarose has a sufficiently complex gelation mechanism to make it an interesting prototype for many other gelling systems, including those involved in amyloid fibrillogenesis. Static (over a scattering vector range of 0.1-30 microm(-1)) and dynamic light scattering and rheology methods were used to follow the gelation kinetics of agarose at 0.5% in water or in the presence of 25 mM NaCl and quenched to temperatures of 20-43 degrees C. Light scattering results on gelling samples are fully described by a fractal aggregate model with four physically meaningful parameters. In all cases aggregates, with fractal dimensions at or near 3, form more rapidly and are smaller in characteristic size at lower quench temperatures. A region three to four times larger than the aggregate becomes depleted of agarose as the gelation proceeds. Below about 30 degrees C the aggregation process freezes spatial ordering rapidly, resulting in fragile macroscopic gels as determined by rheology. Salt effects are seen to be minimal and not important in the fundamental aggregation mechanism.

Interaction of processes on different length scales in a bioelastomer capable of performing energy conversion

This work concerns the aggregation properties of (Gly-Val-Gly-Val-Pro)(251) rec, a polypentapeptide reflecting a highly conserved repetitive unit of the bioelastomer, elastin. On raising the temperature of aqueous solutions above 25 degrees C, this polypeptide was already known to undergo concurrent conformational changes (hydrophobic folding), phase separation, and self-assembly with formation of aggregated three-stranded filaments composed of dynamic polypeptide helices, called beta-spirals. Aggregates obtained from the solution can be shaped into bands that acquire entropic elastic properties upon gamma-irradiation and can perform a variety of energy conversions. Previous studies have shown that aggregation is prompted by the (diverging) critical fluctuations of concentration occurring in the solution, in vicinity of its spinodal line. Here, we present combined circular dicroism (CD) and light scattering experiments, and independent fittings of experimental data to the theoretical spinodal and binodal (coexistence) lines. Results show the following logical and causal sequence of processes: (a) Smooth and progressive conformational changes promoted by concentration fluctuations occurring as temperature is raised "pull down" (in the temperature scale) the instability region of the solution. (b) This further promotes critical fluctuations. (c) The related locally high concentration prompts a further substantial conformational change ending in triple-helix formation and coacervation. (d) This intertwining of processes, covering different length scales (from that of individual peptides to the mesoscopic one of demixed regions), is related to the fact that solvent-induced interactions play a strong role over the entire scale span. These results concur with other recent ones in pointing out that process interactions over many length-scales probably reflect a frequent if not ubiquitous pattern in protein aggregation. This may be highly relevant to the desirable deep understanding of such phenomenon, whose interests cover many fields.

Effects of intermediates on aggregation of native bovine serum albumin

Protein aggregation has been recognized to be a pathological indicator for several fatal diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, etc. Aggregation usually involves conformational changes of proteins that have acquired an intermediate beta-structure-rich conformation and can occur even at low protein concentration. Recent work in our laboratory has shown that bovine serum albumin (BSA), even at low-concentration, exhibits self-association properties related to conformational changes, so providing a very convenient model system to study this class of problems. Here we report data (obtained by different experimental techniques) on a mixture of BSA in native and intermediate (beta-structure-rich) form. Results show that the interaction between the two species is responsible for a decrease in the thermodynamic stability of the solution. This occurs without requiring noticeable conformational changes of the native protein. Results presented here can provide new insight on the "protein only" hypothesis proposed for the formation of plaques involved in several neurodegenerative diseases.

Interacting processes in protein coagulation

A strong interest is currently focused on protein self-association and deposit. This usually involves conformational changes of the entire protein or of a fragment. It can occur even at low concentrations and is responsible for pathologies such as systemic amyloidosis, Alzheimer's and Prion diseases, and other neurodegenerative pathologies. Readily available proteins, exhibiting at low concentration self-association properties related to conformational changes, offer very convenient model systems capable of providing insight into this class of problems. Here we report experiments on bovine serum albumin, showing that the process of conformational change of this protein towards an intermediate form required for coagulation occurs simultaneously and interacts with two more processes: mesoscopic demixing of the solution and protein cross-linking. This pathway of three interacting processes allows coagulation even at very low concentrations, and it has been recently observed also in the case of a nonpeptidic polymer. It could therefore be a fairly common feature in polymer coagulation/gelation. Proteins 1999;37:116-120.

Effects of solvent perturbation on gelation driven by spinodal demixing

We study effects of solvent perturbation on kinetic competition between spinodal demixing and gelation in agarose solutions at a concentration of 5 g/l. Two different cosolutes (tert-butyl alcohol and trimethyl amine N-oxide) known for altering in opposite way solvent-mediated interactions are chosen. By rheometry, static and dynamic light scattering experiments, we show that the cosolute presence shifts the boundary of the instability region of solution leaving unaffected temperature and polymer concentration values required for percolation. Results suggest that an appropriate choice of quenching temperature and solvent allows controlling the gelation time and the gel structural properties.

Static and dynamic light scattering of biological macromolecules: what can we learn?

Laser light scattering comes in two major 'flavors': dynamic and static. This noninvasive technique provides a means for investigating key size and shape properties of macromolecules in solution. Light scattering has long been an indispensable tool to the polymer physical chemist, and is seeing increased use in exploring properties of biological macromolecules, alone and in association. As examples, recent investigations using light scattering have clearly demonstrated the relationship between the self-association and activity of important regulatory enzymes, and examined conformational properties of DNA and polysaccharides.

Mesoscopic gels at low agarose concentration: perturbation effects of ethanol

Aqueous agarose solutions at low concentrations (0.5 g/liter) were temperature quenched below the spinodal line to form mutually disconnected mesoscopic gels. In the presence of 6% ethanol, these solutions, obtained by quenching at the same temperature depth as in pure water, appear much more fluid, as determined by probe diffusion experiments. We show by static and dynamic light scattering that this can be explained by the solvent-mediated effects of ethanol, leading to a globular shape of mesoscopic agarose gels, rather than to an extended rodlike structure observed in pure water. Our findings show the significant effects of solvent perturbations on particle condensation and, therefore, may be useful in understanding the role of the solvent in the folding of biomolecules.