Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Probing The Unfolding And The Stability Of The Last Four Metal Binding Domains Of Wilson Disease Protein Using Circular Dichroism And Novel Spectroscopic Techniques, Ibtesam Yaseen Alja’Afreh

Dissertations

Wilson disease protein is a copper-transporting P_1B type ATPase. It has large N-terminal copper binding domain which is composed of six homologous sub-domains. Each of these six domains is ~72 residues and connected to one another by linking regions of various lengths. They all possess similar ferrodoxin fold, and metal-binding motif, MXCXXC.

The need of having six metal binding domains and the manner in which they are communicating with each other is not well understood. To better understand how the last four metal binding domains function, I pursued a detailed biophysical characterization of these domains. Using molecular biology I …

Ultrafast Interfacial Electron Transfer Across Molecule-Tio2 Nanocomposites: Towards Solar Cells And Two Photon Absorption, Edwin Mghanga

Dissertations

Interfacial charge transfer (ICT) across the molecule-TiO2 nanoparticle interface has gained enormous research attention for applications in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC), photo-catalysis, water splitting and nonlinear optics. DSSCs are promising clean alternative energy sources. However, current DSSCs suffer from lower efficiencies and higher cost. Better understanding of the ICT processes in DSSCs can help solve these problems. We have used two strategies to understand ICT in the context of DSSCs. Firstly, we used a computationally validated anchor group, acetylacetonate (acac) to bind molecules to the semiconductor surface and facilitate charge separation. Secondly, we used natural dye sensitizers, …

Biophysical Characterization Of The First Four Metal-Binding Domains Of Human Wilson Disease Protein, Alia V.H. Hinz

Dissertations

Wilson disease protein (WLNP) is a P_1b-type ATPase crucial for maintaining copper homeostasis in humans. Mutations in this protein result in the autosomal recessive disorder Wilson disease, a condition characterized by copper accumulation in the liver and brain. WLNP provides copper for incorporation into cuproproteins and exports excess copper into the bile for excretion. There are six metal-binding domains (MBDs) in WLNP, found within the first 650 amino acids of this 1,465 amino acid protein. Though each MBD has a different amino acid sequence, all MBDs possess a similar ferredoxin fold with a conserved hydrophobic core and a …

Synthesis, Characterization And Potential Applications Of Palladium And Ruthenium Nanostructures, Clara Patrice Adams

Dissertations

Controlling the size and shape of metal nanostructures is important for tuning the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of materials, and consequently their potential technological applications. Modulating the morphology of metal nanostructures is essential to understanding the structure-function relationship (for example, optical, magnetic, catalytic, and electronic properties) under various environmental conditions. Our work describes the development of new procedures for the synthesis of well-defined isotropic and anisotropic nanoparticles consisting of palladium (Pd) and ruthenium (Ru). Characterization of the nanostructures was carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution-TEM (HRTEM), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and …

Size-Dependent Interactions Of Metal Nanoparticles With Fluorophores And Semiconductors, Liyana A. Wajira Ariyadasa

Dissertations

In recent years, nanoscale metallic particles have gained considerable interest due to their potential applications in advanced technology. Despite such interest, synthetic procedures that produce gram-scale, well-defined metallic nanoparticles with controlled size and shape, especially with diameters less than 5 nm remains a challenge. Our work has focused on developing synthetic procedures that produce well-defined platinum and palladium metal nanoparticles in the 1-5 nm size range. Thioether ligands were used as stabilizers and resulted in metal nanoparticles with controlled size. The nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy …

Fundamental Studies Of Protein Ionization For Improved Analysis By Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry And Related Methods, Kevin A. Douglass

Dissertations

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique in which a sample is converted to gas-phase ions that are subsequently separated and detected. It offers great speed, selectivity, and sensitivity during analysis, characteristics which have enabled it to become a leading method for the study of proteins. The applications of MS for these biologically significant macromolecules range from accurately determining identity and sequence to shedding light on post-translational modifications and protein-molecule interactions. As a first step towards analysis by MS, gas-phase protein ions must be formed. A common method for ionization is electrospray ionization (ESI), where a liquid sample including the …