There is a particular need in protein analysis and purification for specific, functional, and generic methods of protein immobilization on solid supports. Here we describe a double-hexahistidine (His6) tag sequence, comprising two hexahistidines separated by an 11-amino acid spacer, which shows at least 1 order of magnitude stronger binding to Ni-NTA-modified surfaces than a conventional single...

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant that toxic and bio-accumulative. Previously, we used hydrated electrons (eaq–) generated by the UV photolysis of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) to initiate photoreductive decomposition PFOS. However, due protonation NTA scavenging effect H+ on eaq–, this process relies highly alkaline conditions. Herein, report an enhanced system b...

Novel chemical and biological sensors based on a single poly(pyrrole)-NTA chelator nanotube for sensitive, selective, rapid and real-time detection of histidine-tagged protein and cupric ions are reported. NTA groups on the nanotube surface provided a simple mechanism for metal ion sensing via the high-affinity interaction between NTA and the subsequent detection of histidine-tagged protein thr...

In a column experiment with horizontal permeable barriers, the effects of a biodegradable chelator-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) on the uptake of heavy metals from municipal solid waste (MSW) compost by Festuca arundinacea and metal leaching were investigated. The use of NTA was effective in increasing Cu, Pb, and Zn uptakes in shoots of two crops of F. arundinacea. In columns with barriers and t...

Lipid analogues carrying three nitrilotriacetic acid (tris-NTA) head groups were developed for the selective targeting of His-tagged proteins into liquid ordered (lo ) or liquid disordered (ld ) lipid phases. Strong partitioning into the lo phase of His-tagged proteins bound to tris-NTA conjugated to saturated alkyl chains (tris-NTA DODA) was achieved, while tris-NTA conjugated to an unsaturate...

Titania nanotube arrays (NTA) generated from anodizing processes are tested as the substrate for surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI MS). The background generated from titania NTA is very low, making the approach suitable for the analysis of small molecules. The upper detectable mass is approximately 29 kDa. Homogeneous sample deposition leads to good shot-to-s...

The applicability of tightly regulated transgenesis in domesticated animals is severely hampered by the present lack of knowledge of regulatory mechanisms and the long generation intervals. To capitalize on the tightly controlled expression of mammalian genes made possible by using prokaryotic control elements, we have used a single-step transduction to introduce an autoregulative tetracycline-...

We studied the cytotoxic effects of ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) on normal rat liver epithelial cells (RL34) cultured in medium containing 10% fetal calf serum. Marked cytolysis was present in cells exposed to greater than or equal to 25 micrograms/ml iron of Fe-NTA, but not all the cells exposed to 50 micrograms/ml iron were lethally injured. The remaining cells showed anomalous growth, n...

Labeling of proteins with fluorescent dyes offers powerful means for monitoring protein interactions in vitro and in live cells. Only a few techniques for noncovalent fluorescence labeling with well-defined localization of the attached dye are currently available. Here, we present an efficient method for site-specific and stable noncovalent fluorescence labeling of histidine-tagged proteins. Di...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis belongs to a large family of soil bacteria which can degrade a remarkably broad range of organic compounds and utilize them as carbon, nitrogen and energy sources. It has been proposed that a variety of mycobacteria can subsist on alternative carbon sources during latency within an infected human host, with the help of enzymes such as nitrilotriacetate monooxygenase (...