Subject single molecular studies

Although the PKSs of plants have received little attention relative to those of microbial origin, the fatty acid synthases (FASs) of a wide range of plant, animal and microbial sources have been subjected to intensive study and shown to differ in their molecular structure and complexity. Thus type 1 FASs produced by animals, fimgi and yeasts are high molecular weight multienzyme complexes, in which the individual active sites may be covalently linked components of a single polypeptide chain. In the type II FASs of... 

Photocurrent generation is one of the most interesting direct applications of photosynthetic studies. The adsorption of sensitizers onto semiconductor surfaces has been found to be an efficient way to generate photocurrents and has been studied extensively. Ruthenium bipyridyl complexes, in particular, have been the focus of recent research [137-139]. In these cases, only the first layer of molecules, which is in direct contact with the surface, is active. A highly porous semiconductor material was therefore employed to compensate for the low level of absorption of the single molecular layer. Other varieties of chromophores, semiconductor materials, and electron carriers for totally solid systems have been the subjects of extensive studies. The present... 

Part 3. Ion Spectroscopy. In Chapter 9, we return to the theme of ion photodissociation, which was included also in Volume IV, Part 6, in an exploration of trapped-ion photodissociation, electron photodetachment, and fluorescence. Trapped-ion fluorescence may offer an alternative approach for the elucidation of ion conformation. Whereas these spectroscopic experiments require high ion densities, much attention is directed to the spectroscopic study of single ions confined in an ion trap. Chapters 10 and 11 are illustrative of such studies, with the former devoted to the study of a single molecular ion in a linear ion trap and the latter to a single atomic ion in Paul-type ion traps. While both types of studies require extensive cooling of the subject ion, once such cooling has been achieved, the ions can remain confined for many hours. 

Many industrial coatings can be micrometers thick, this book focuses on surface modification on the molecular scale. This is where the most drastic changes occur Many of the surface properties described above are fully established after only a single molecular layer of the coating has been applied. Molecular-scale coating studies require a surface-science approach to the subject, since well-defined, clean surfaces of the bulk material, or substrate are essential, if the properties of the coated object are to be predictable and the coating is to be readily characterized. 

The nature of the PE single-crystal surface as a function of molecular mass has been the subject of a study using scanning force microscopy by Takahara et al. [133]. In particular, the following molecular masses were used = 520 x 10, 10 x 10, and 45 x 10. ... 

In addition to the [4+2] cycloaddition, intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition was also successfully used as a main procedure in the synthesis of (i)-ginkgolide B <00JA8453>. The studies on the model reactions and molecular mechanics calculation show that the stereochemistry of the substituents at C6 and C8 should influence severely the reaction diastereoselectivity. When syn-diastereomer 41 is subjected to irradiation the reaction gives a single diastereomer 42 in a quantitative yield since two substituents at C6 and C8 would be in pseudo-equatorial orientation in the chair-like transition state. 

Over 300 peptides isolated in our laboratory were studied in one or more tumor or normal cell cultures [39-44]. Part of the results obtained is summarized in Table 2.3. Over 75% of the peptides showed pronounced proliferative or antiproliferative activity in at least one cell type (Fig. 2.3). As a rule, tumor cells are more sensitive to peptide action. Besides the cell type, experimental conditions such as cell density or composition of the culture medium also affected the overall effect. In several cases (13%, Fig. 2.3) even the sign of the effect was peptide concentration dependent. Generally, experiments with cell cultures conform with the view that the main physiological function of cell and tissue peptidomes is control of long term processes and the homeostatic balance (i.e. cell differentiation, proliferation and elimination). The overall effect of peptide pools is achieved by concerted action of total sets of peptides rather than by single components. The molecular mechanisms of peptide action in cells requires concrete study in each individual case and are the subject of current research. 

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