A new type of nanocomposite hydrogels based on covalent cross-linked interactions with excellent mechanical properties and good stability has been prepared by using in situ free-radical polymerization; polystyrene nanoparticles with photo-activity are used as the cross-linking agent.

The formation of interstrand cross-links in nucleic acids can have a strong impact on biological function of nucleic acids; therefore, many cross-linking agents have been developed for biological applications. Despite numerous studies, there remains a need for cross-linking agents that exhibit both efficiency and selectivity. In this study, a 4-vinyl-substituted analog of thymidine (T-vinyl der...

Chondroitin sulphate (CS) is a linear sulfated polysaccharide found in cartilage and other tissues in the body. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements are made on semi-dilute CS solutions to determine ion induced changes in the local order of the CS chains and in their dynamic properties. In salt-free CS solutions SANS detects the correlation peak ...

Previous experiments using intermolecular thiol cross-linking to determine surface-exposed positions in the transmembrane helices of the lactose permease suggest that only positions accessible from the aqueous phase are susceptible to cross-linking. This approach is now extended to most of the remaining positions in the molecule. Of an additional 143 single-Cys mutants studied, homodimer format...