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Alexander V Stoyanov

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander V Stoyanov.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

On the possibility of applying noncovalent dyes for protein labeling in isoelectric focusing.

Noncovalent fluorescent dyes are widely used for protein quantification and postcolumn detection in electrophoretic separations and recently some attempts to separate the precolumn labeled proteins using isoelectric focusing (IEF) have been made. In the present study, the possibility of applying the technique of protein labeling with noncovalent dyes for IEF is investigated. We found that fluorescent signal emitted by NanoOrange dye increases essentially in presence of carrier ampholyte (CA) components, which makes problematic a reliable protein detection in CA environment. Since in an isoelectric focusing mode the CA species are present in much greater concentration than the concentrations of fractionated proteins, the method of protein labeling with NanoOrange is not suitable for precolumn labeling and cannot be used for CA-IEF, at least without more detailed study of the dye-protein interaction mechanism.

Ampholyte Mixtures↗

Conductivity properties of carrier ampholyte pH gradients in isoelectric focusing.

The conductivity properties of natural pH gradient created by carrier ampholytes were studied during the process of isoelectric focusing (IEF). IEF was performed in capillaries (10-30 mm long) or in microchips with the same channel length. A 10-30x reduction of the conductivity of the separation medium was observed during the establishment of pH gradient. Results obtained using different IEF voltages indicate that there is a nonlinear relationship between the conductivity of an established pH gradient and the applied electric field. Our theoretical analysis using a simplified model generated values that reasonably agree with the experimental data. In addition, we found that above a certain electric field ( approximately 300 V/cm), resolution does not increase with the applied voltage as predicated; we observed band-broadening and gel breakdown. The approach presented in this work can be used for optimization of the IEF separation and judicious selection of IEF conditions.

Ampholyte Mixtures↗

Buffer composition changes in background electrolyte during electrophoretic run in capillary zone electrophoresis.

The electrophoretic behaviors of different analytes in capillary zone electrophoresis were studied by the Whole Column Imaging Detection (WCID). For capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in conventional buffer systems, non-constant sample plug movement characterized by progressive decrease of peak migration velocity was observed. The appropriate velocity decrease was correlated with a degree of ionization of the analyzed ion, thus the effect observed could be explained by fast buffer composition change resulting in the development of a non-linear pH gradient. To visualize the appropriate pH gradient, the concentration profile of initially uniformly distributed amphoteric substances was also monitored. The evolution of the concentration profile exhibited very complex dynamics. In addition, it was found that the nature of the electrode solutions strongly affect changes in the background electrolyte. In the case of traditional background electrolytes with an acid-base pair for electrode solutions a non-uniform ampholyte concentration developed quickly, leading finally to a quasi-stationary profile similar to those typical of IEF. Possible approaches to suppress a negative impact of the background electrolyte composition changes during electrophoretic run on CE-separation are presented herein. In particular it was observed that zwitterionic buffers are able to withstand prolonged electrolysis much better compared to traditional buffers.

Journal Article↗

CE in a nonuniform capillary modulated by a cylindrical insert, and zone-narrowing effects during sample injection.

The electrophoretic behavior of an analyte in a capillary consisting of two parts of different cross section has been investigated. Modulation of the cross-sectional area of the separation channel has been achieved by inserting a cylindrical fiber different distances into the capillary. It was shown that the zone injected into the capillary part with smaller cross section could be moved using electromigration into the wider part of the capillary with zone compression. As we observed, the zone narrowed longitudinally in the wide part of the capillary in accordance with the ratio of the electric field strength in the two parts of the capillary. The concentration of plug introduced into the capillary by electroinjection can be increased by use of low-conductivity sample buffer. Efficient introduction of extracted analytes desorbed from an SPME fiber to the separation channel was achieved using this approach. Thermoinduced effects caused by temperature increase in the narrow part of the capillary and their influence on sample stacking are analyzed. Possible applications of the effect observed to the sample introduction optimization are also discussed in this study.

Letter↗

Heterogeneity of protein labeling with a fluorogenic reagent, 3-(2-furoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde.

Fluorogenic reagents are used for protein labeling when high-sensitivity fluorescence detection is required. Similar to traditional labeling with activated fluorescent dyes, such as fluorescein isothiocyanate, a fluorogenic reaction is expected to change the physical-chemical properties of proteins. Knowledge of these changes may be essential for efficient separation and identification of labeled proteins. Here we studied the effect of labeling of myoglobin with a fluorogenic reagent on the acid-base properties of the protein. The fluorogenic reagent used was 3-(2-furoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (FQ). In slab-gel isoelectric focusing, we found that the labeling reaction generated at least six species with pI values lower than that of non-labeled myoglobin. These species can be identified as products of progressive labeling of myoglobin with one to six FQ molecules. The same series of FQ-labeled species were observed when the reaction products were analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis. The comparison of experimental and theoretical pI values allowed us to elucidate the labeling pattern--the number of FQ molecules corresponding to each labeled product detected by isoelectric focusing.

Electrophoresis, Capillary↗