Discrimination against 13C during degradation of simple and complex substrates by two white rot fungi

Changes in isotopic 13C signatures of CO2-C evolved during decomposition of a sugar (glucose), a fatty acid (palmitic acid), a protein (albumin), a structural biopolymer (lignin) and bulk plant tissue (aerial shoots from Lolium perenne) were monitored over a period of 76 days. All materials were sterilized and inoculated with either of two different species of white rot fungi, Phanerochaete chrysosporium or Coriolus versicolor, and incubated in sealed bottles at 28 degrees C. The CO2 concentration in the jars was periodically determined using an infrared gas analyzer and its isotopic (13C) signature was assessed using a trace gas (ANCA TGII) module coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS, Europa 20-20). L. perenne material inoculated with C. versicolor showed the highest C mineralization activity with approximately 70% of total C evolved as CO2 after 76 days of incubation, followed by glucose. Substrates inoculated with C. versicolor generally decomposed faster than when degraded by P. chrysosporium, except for lignin, where no significant differences between the two fungi types were found and CO2-C released was less than 2% of the initial C. Considerable 13C isotopic fractionation during the degradation of plant tissue and of pure biochemical compounds was revealed as well as progressive shifts in cumulative CO2-13C isotopic signatures over time. During the first stages of decomposition, the CO2-C released was usually depleted in 13C as compared with the initial solid substrate, but with ongoing decomposition the CO2-C evolved became progressively more enriched in 13C. P. chrysosporium usually showed a slightly higher 13C fractionation than C. versicolor during the first decomposition phase. At posterior decomposition stages isotopic discrimination was often stronger by C. versicolor. These findings on isotopic 13C discrimination during microbial degradation both of simple biochemical compounds and of complex vegetal tissue confirmed not only the existence of significant 13C isotopic fractionation during plant residue decomposition, but also the existence of non-random isotopic distribution within substrates. They also demonstrated the ability of microorganisms to selectively discriminate against 13C even when degrading an isolated simple substrate.     

Sensitivity and precision of the 13C-breath test

Sensitivity and precision of the 13C-breath test were assessed by examining a couple of limiting factors caused by the sensitivity of the instrument used for 13CO2 analysis, endogenous fluctuation of 13CO2 abundance, and the residual CO2 in sample storing tubes, vacutainers, etc. For 13CO2 analysis, a mass spectrometer equipped with a dual inlet, a dual collector, and an automated pressure matching system, was used. 15 ml vacutainers were used for sample storage. Endogenous fluctuation of 13CO2 abundance, however, was measured by putting the breath samples directly into the evacuated CO2 purification system, instead of using vacutainers. Endogenous fluctuation (S.D. = 0.202%) was the most significant limiting factor, compared with instrumental limitation (0.085%), or with influence of the residual CO2 (0.136%). Consequently, the sensitivity of the 13C-breath test was figured out to be 0.52%. This sensitivity is about 1,000 times lower than that of 14C-breath test. The precision was linearly dependent on 13C increase from basal 13C observed after administration of 13C enriched compounds, delta 13C, and was determined to be expressed as 1.94 delta 13C.     

CP/MAS (13)C NMR study of cellulose and cellulose derivatives. 1. Complete assignment of the CP/MAS (13)C NMR spectrum of the native cellulose

The precise assignments of cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) (13)C NMR spectra of cellulose I(alpha) and I(beta) were performed by using (13)C labeled cellulose biosynthesized by Acetobacter xylinum (A. xylinum) ATCC10245 strain from culture medium containing D-[1,3-(13)C]glycerol or D-[2-(13)C]glucose as a carbon source. On the CP/MAS (13)C NMR spectrum of cellulose from D-[1,3-(13)C]glycerol, the introduced (13)C labeling were observed at C1, C3, C4, and C6 of the biosynthesized cellulose. In the case of cellulose biosynthesized from D-[2-(13)C]glucose, the transitions of (13)C labeling to C1, C3, and C5 from C2 were observed. With the quantitative analysis of the (13)C transition ratio and comparing the CP/MAS (13)C NMR spectrum of the Cladophora cellulose with those of the (13)C labeled celluloses, the assignments of the cluster of resonances which belong to C2, C3, and C5 of cellulose, which have not been assigned before, were performed. As a result, all carbons of cellulose I(alpha) and I(beta) except for C1 and C6 of cellulose I(alpha) and C2 of cellulose I(beta) were shown in equal intensity of doublet in the CP/MAS spectrum of the native cellulose, which suggests that two inequivalent glucopyranose residues were contained in the unit cells of both cellulose I(alpha) and I(beta) allomorphs.     

In situ temperature-jump dynamic nuclear polarization: enhanced sensitivity in two dimensional 13C-13C correlation spectroscopy in solution

Dynamic nuclear polarization is combined with temperature-jump methods to develop a new 2D 13C-13C NMR experiment that yields a factor of 100-170 increase in sensitivity. The polaization step is performed at 100 K, and the sample is subsequently melted with a 10.6 microm laser pulse to yield a sample with highly polarized 13C spins. 13C detected 2D 13C-13C spectroscopy is performed in the usual manner.     

Rapid preparation of isotopolog libraries by in vivo transformation of 1)C-glucose. Studies on 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine, a biosynthetic precursor of vitamin B2

An Escherichia coli strain engineered for expression of the ribABGH genes of Bacillus subtilis was shown to produce 100 mg of the riboflavin precursor 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine per liter of minimal medium. Growth of the recombinant strain in medium supplemented with [U-13C6]glucose and/or 15NH4Cl as single sources of carbon and/or nitrogen afforded 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine universally labeled with 13C and/or 15N. The yield of [U-13C13]-6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine based on [U-13C6]glucose was 25 mg/g. Fermentation with [1-13C1]-, [2-13C1]-, or [3-13C1]glucose afforded mixtures of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine isotopologs, predominantly with 13C enrichment of single carbon atoms. The isotope-labeled samples enabled a comprehensive NMR analysis of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine. Isotopolog libraries of a wide variety of microbial metabolites can be produced by the same experimental approach.     

Catalytic transformation of methane over in-loaded ZSM-5 zeolite in the presence of ethene

Methane is shown to react with ethene over In-loaded ZSM-5 to higher hydrocarbons such as propene and toluene at around 673 K. Such methane conversion is not catalyzed by proton-exchanged ZSM-5 (H-ZSM-5) under the same conditions, only C2H4 being converted to higher hydrocarbons. By using 13C-labeled methane (13CH4) as a reactant, the reaction paths for the formation of propene, benzene and toluene were examined. 13C-labeled propene (13CC2H6) is formed by the reaction of 13CH4 with C2H4. The lack of 13C-labeled benzene revealed that propene is not transformed to benzene, which instead originates entirely from C2H4. The 13C atom is inserted both into the methyl group and benzene ring in the toluene formed. This indicates that toluene is formed by two reaction paths; the reaction of 13CC2H6 with butenes formed by the dimerization of C2H4 and the reaction of benzene with 13CH4. The existence of the latter path was proved by the direct reaction of 13CH4 with benzene. The reaction of methane with benzene was also carried out in a continuous flow system over In-loaded ZSM-5. The reaction afforded 7.6% and 0.9% yields of toluene and xylenes, respectively, at 623 K.     

Detailed analysis of coupling constants and isotope effects in NMR spectra of isotopomers of (12)C(68) (13)C(2)

A preliminary study of the long-range (i.e. two-bond or longer) (13)C--(13)C coupling constants in natural abundance C(70) shows, consistent with recent theoretical calculations by Peralta et al. that the largest long-range J(CC) values for the polar and equatorial sites are clearly smaller than the largest long-range J(CC) values for the other three sites. The unusually large size of the (2)J(CC) couplings between inequivalent carbons in a nonpolar pentagon in C(70) has no analog among (2)J(CC) data reported for planar aromatic compounds. No long-range J(CC) values appear to have been reported for any curved aromatic compounds. In addition, much more precise (1)J(CC) values were obtained for C(70) than was possible about 15 years ago. Comparing the chemical shifts for each of the five isotopomers of C(70) containing only one (13)C nucleus and the frequencies of the satellites for each of the four isotopomers containing two adjacent and inequivalent (13)C nuclei indicates that replacing (12)C with (13)C shields the adjacent (13)C nucleus by 15 to 23 ppb, consistent with the limited (1)Delta(13)C((13/12)C) isotope effect data available on a few small aromatic molecules. Such measurements become possible with natural abundance C(70) only by using a (13)C cryoprobe and a high-field spectrometer (700 MHz). The additional information that could be obtained from a spectrum obtained under ultrahigh resolution conditions is discussed. Secure identification of the singlets arising from the four (12)C(68) (13)C(2) isotopomers with equivalent adjacent (13)C nuclei is necessary to allow the largest long-range J(CC) values to be precisely determined. The presence of numerous isotopomers containing two or more (13)C nuclei would present a great challenge in interpreting the various signals in a spectrum obtained under ultrahigh resolution conditions.     

13C,15N]2-Acetamido-2-deoxy-D-aldohexoses and their methyl glycosides: synthesis and NMR investigations of J-couplings involving 1H, 13C, and 15N

[reaction: see text] A series of 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-[1-13C]aldohexoses and their methyl glycosides was prepared with use of a simplified cyanohydrin reduction route. Four d-aldopentosylamines (arabino, lyxo, ribo, xylo) were prepared from the corresponding D-aldopentoses by reaction with NH3(g) in MeOH solvent, isolated in solid form, and characterized by 13C and 1H NMR. Hydrolysis of beta-D-xylopyranosylamine was studied using 13C-labeled substrates to establish optimal solution conditions for cyanohydrin formation. Major hydrolytic intermediates were observed and identified by time-lapse 1D and 2D NMR analyses of reaction mixtures. The aldopentosylamines were subsequently employed in cyanohydrin reduction reactions with K13CN to yield C2-epimeric [1-13C]2-aminosugars, which were separated by chromatography on ion-exchange columns. N-Acetylation and methyl glycosidation followed by chromatography gave pure 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-[1-13C]aldohexopyranosides. J(CH) and J(CC) spin-spin coupling constants involving the labeled anomeric carbon were measured and compared to those observed previously in methyl D-[1-13C]aldohexopyranosides. In parallel studies, theoretical J-couplings were calculated in model N-acetylated aldopyranosides using density functional theory (DFT) to predict the effect of OH vs NHCOCH(3) substitution at C2 on J(CH) and J(CC) values in aldopyranosyl rings. The synthetic method was also modified to accommodate (15)N- and (13)C-labeling within the N-acetyl side-chain, and some J-couplings involving 1H, 13C, and 15N atoms in 2-[1,2-13C2;15N]acetamido-2-deoxy-D-[1-13C]glucose were measured and interpreted.     

Biosynthetic study of amphidinolide B

The biosynthetic origins of amphidinoide B (1) were investigated on the basis of 13C-NMR data of 13C-enriched samples obtained by feeding experiments with [1-(13)C], [2-(13)C], and [1,2-(13)C2] sodium acetates in cultures of a dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. These incorporation patterns suggested that 1 was generated from three successive polyketide chains, an isolated C1 unit from C-2 of acetates, six branched C1 units from C-2 of acetates, and an "m-m" and an "m-m-m" unit derived only from C-2 of acetates. The labeling patterns of amphidinolide B (1) were different from those of amphidinolide H (2), a 26-membered macrolide closely related to 1.     

Theoretical aspects of C metabolic flux analysis with sole quantification of carbon dioxide labeling

The potential of using sole respirometric CO2 labeling measurement for 13C metabolic flux analysis was investigated by metabolic simulations. For this purpose a model was created, considering all CO2 forming and consuming reactions in the central catabolic and anabolic pathways. To facilitate the interpretation of the simulation results, the underlying metabolic network was parameterized by physiologically meaningful flux parameters such as flux partitioning ratios at metabolic branch points and reaction reversibilities. For real case flux scenarios of the industrial amino acid producer Corynebacterium glutamicum and different commercially available (13)C-labeled tracer substrates, observability and output sensitivity towards key flux parameters was investigated. Metabolic net fluxes in the central metabolism, involving, e.g. glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acid cycle, anaplerotic carboxylation, and glyoxylate pathway were found to be determinable by the respirometric approach using a combination of [1-13C] and [6-13C] glucose in two parallel studies. The reversibilities of bidirectional reactions influence the isotopic labeling of CO2 only to a negligible degree. On one hand, they therefore cannot be determined. On the other hand, their precise values are not required for the quantification of net fluxes. Computer-aided optimal experimental design was carried out to predict the quality of the information from the respirometric tracer experiments and identify suitable tracer substrates. A combination of [1-13C] and [6-13C] glucose in two parallel studies was found to yield a similar quality of information as compared to an approach with mass spectrometric labeling analysis of secreted products. The quality of information can be further increased by additional studies with [1,2-13C2] or [1,6-13C2] glucose. Respirometric tracer studies with sole labeling analysis of CO2 are therefore promising for 13C metabolic flux analysis.     

Theoretical aspects of 13C metabolic flux analysis with sole quantification of carbon dioxide labeling

The potential of using sole respirometric CO2 labeling measurement for 13C metabolic flux analysis was investigated by metabolic simulations. For this purpose a model was created, considering all CO2 forming and consuming reactions in the central catabolic and anabolic pathways. To facilitate the interpretation of the simulation results, the underlying metabolic network was parameterized by physiologically meaningful flux parameters such as flux partitioning ratios at metabolic branch points and reaction reversibilities. For real case flux scenarios of the industrial amino acid producer Corynebacterium glutamicum and different commercially available (13)C-labeled tracer substrates, observability and output sensitivity towards key flux parameters was investigated. Metabolic net fluxes in the central metabolism, involving, e.g. glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acid cycle, anaplerotic carboxylation, and glyoxylate pathway were found to be determinable by the respirometric approach using a combination of [1-13C] and [6-13C] glucose in two parallel studies. The reversibilities of bidirectional reactions influence the isotopic labeling of CO2 only to a negligible degree. On one hand, they therefore cannot be determined. On the other hand, their precise values are not required for the quantification of net fluxes. Computer-aided optimal experimental design was carried out to predict the quality of the information from the respirometric tracer experiments and identify suitable tracer substrates. A combination of [1-13C] and [6-13C] glucose in two parallel studies was found to yield a similar quality of information as compared to an approach with mass spectrometric labeling analysis of secreted products. The quality of information can be further increased by additional studies with [1,2-13C2] or [1,6-13C2] glucose. Respirometric tracer studies with sole labeling analysis of CO2 are therefore promising for 13C metabolic flux analysis.     

Temperature dependence and resonance assignment of 13C NMR spectra of selectively and uniformly labeled fusion peptides associated with membranes

HIV-1 and influenza viral fusion peptides are biologically relevant model fusion systems and, in this study, their membrane-associated structures were probed by solid-state NMR (13)C chemical shift measurements. The influenza peptide IFP-L2CF3N contained a (13)C carbonyl label at Leu-2 and a (15)N label at Phe-3 while the HIV-1 peptide HFP-UF8L9G10 was uniformly (13)C and (15)N labeled at Phe-8, Leu-9 and Gly-10. The membrane composition of the IFP-L2CF3N sample was POPC-POPG (4:1) and the membrane composition of the HFP-UF8L9G10 sample was a mixture of lipids and cholesterol which approximately reflects the lipid headgroup and cholesterol composition of host cells of the HIV-1 virus. In one-dimensional magic angle spinning spectra, labeled backbone (13)C were selectively observed using a REDOR filter of the (13)C-(15)N dipolar coupling. Backbone chemical shifts were very similar at -50 and 20 degrees C, which suggests that low temperature does not appreciably change the peptide structure. Relative to -50 degrees C, the 20 degrees C spectra had narrower signals with lower integrated intensity, which is consistent with greater motion at the higher temperature. The Leu-2 chemical shift in the IFP-L2CF3N sample correlates with a helical structure at this residue and is consistent with detection of helical structure by other biophysical techniques. Two-dimensional (13)C-(13)C correlation spectra were obtained for the HFP-UF8L9G10 sample and were used to assign the chemical shifts of all of the (13)C labels in the peptide. Secondary shift analysis was consistent with a beta-strand structure over these three residues. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the 2D spectra suggests that membrane-associated fusion peptides with longer sequences of labeled amino acids can also be assigned with 2D and 3D methods.     

Synthesis of 13C-labelled,bicyclic mimetics of natural enediynes

Using a versatile synthesis with 13CH3PPh3I and CH(3)13CO2Et as 13C sources, the first examples of nine-membered chromophores which have been differentially labelled with 13C in their carbocyclic enediyne cores are described.     

Conformational studies of cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro-Gly-L-Pro)2 by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance

The 13C-NMR spectrum (Fig. 2,1) of cyclooctapeptide cyclo(L-phe-L-Pro-Gly-L-Pro)2 (A) in CDC13 suggested that its conformation involved the coexistence of two kinds of C2-symmetric conformation with trans-trans-trans-trans and cis-trans-trans-trans forms. Adding 0.5 equivalent of CsSCN or one equivalent of DL-Phe-OMe.HCl to the solution of cyclopeptide (A) in CDC13 yielded 13C-NMR spectra (Fig. 2,2 and Table I) which suggested a single C2-symmetric conformation with trans-trans-trans-trans form, resulting from the formation of complexes with CsSCN or DL-Phe-OMe.HCl. The 13C-NMR spectrum of complexes of A with DL-Phe-OMe.HCl displayed separate resonances for C(gamma), C(o), C(m), C(alpha), and C(beta) of D-Phe-OMe.HCl and L-Phe-OMe.HCl (Table I).     

Biosynthesis of chaetochromin A, a bis(naphtho-gamma-pyrone), in Chaetomium spp

The biosynthesis of chaetochromin A, a metabolite of Chaetomium gracile, has been studied using [13CH3]methionine, sodium [1-13C]acetate, sodium [1,2-13C2]acetate, sodium [1-13C,2,2,2-2H3]acetate, and sodium [1-13C,1,1-18O2]acetate as precursors. The folding pattern of the polyketide chain in chaetochromin A, biosynthesized from sodium [1,2-13C2]acetate as the precursor, was determined to be the same as that of rubrofusarin by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) analysis. By using [13CH3]methionine as a precursor, the source of 2-CH3 was determined. When sodium [1-13C,2,2,2-2H3]acetate was fed, a beta-isotope-shifted peak was observed only for carbon 2. In the 13C-NMR spectra of chaetochromin A and of its hexamethyl ether derived from sodium [1-13C,1,1-18O2]acetate, isotope-shifted peaks were observed for carbons 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10a, but not for carbon 2. These results showed that oxygen 1 originated from the same unit of acetate as carbon 10a.     

Tailoring 13C labeling for triple-resonance solid-state NMR experiments on aligned samples of proteins

In order to develop triple-resonance solid-state NMR spectroscopy of membrane proteins, we have implemented several different (13)C labeling schemes with the purpose of overcoming the interfering effects of (13)C-(13)C dipole-dipole couplings in stationary samples. The membrane-bound form of the major coat protein of the filamentous bacteriophage Pf1 was used as an example of a well-characterized helical membrane protein. Aligned protein samples randomly enriched to 35% (13)C in all sites and metabolically labeled from bacterial growth on media containing [2-(13)C]-glycerol or [1,3-(13)C]-glycerol enables direct (13)C detection in solid-state NMR experiments without the need for homonuclear (13)C-(13)C dipole-dipole decoupling. The (13)C-detected NMR spectra of Pf1 coat protein show a substantial increase in sensitivity compared to the equivalent (15)N-detected spectra. The isotopic labeling pattern was analyzed for [2-(13)C]-glycerol and [1,3-(13)C]-glycerol as metabolic precursors by solution-state NMR of micelle samples. Polarization inversion spin exchange at the magic angle (PISEMA) and other solid-state NMR experiments work well on 35% random fractionally and metabolically tailored (13)C-labeled samples, in contrast to their failure with conventional 100% uniformly (13)C-labeled samples.     

Selective conversion of plasma glucose into CO2 by Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the measurement of 13C abundance by isotope ratio mass spectrometry: proof of principle

To study carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, time-dependent (13)C enrichment in plasma glucose is measured after oral administration of naturally occurring (13)C-enriched carbohydrates. The isotope enrichment of the administered carbohydrate is low (APE <0.1%) and plasma (13)C glucose measurements are routinely determined with gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) or liquid chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/C/IRMS). In this study, plasma glucose was converted into CO(2) by an in-tube reaction with yeast permitting direct measurement of (13)CO(2) in the headspace. Saccharomyces cerevisiae incubated under anaerobic conditions was able to convert sufficient glucose into CO(2) to produce a consistent CO(2) peak in IRMS with little variation in peak area and precise delta(13)C(PDB) values for corn glucose: -11.40 +/- 0.16 per thousand, potato glucose: -25.17 +/- 0.13 per thousand, and plasma glucose: -26.29 +/- 0.05 per thousand. The measurement showed high linearity (R(2) = 0.999) and selectivity and was not affected by the glucose concentration in the tested range of 5-15 mM. Comparison with GC/C/IRMS showed a good correlation of enrichment data: R(2) > 0.98 for both sources of glucose and plasma samples. Commercially available, instant dried baker's yeast was qualitatively and quantitatively comparable with freshly prepared yeast: R(2) > 0.96, slope 1.03 and 1.08 for glucose solutions and plasma, respectively. Thus, yeast conversion of plasma glucose into CO(2) and (13)C measurement applying a breath (13)CO(2) analyzer is an inexpensive, simple and equally accurate alternative to the more expensive and laborious GC/C/IRMS and LC/C/IRMS measurements.     

Experimental and theoretical study of~(13)C shielding tensors in new-style molybdenum complex

~~Experimental and theoretical study of~(13)C shielding tensors in new-style molybdenum complex~~     

Biosynthetic study of amphidinolide W

The biosynthetic origins of amphidinolide W (1) were investigated on the basis of (13)C-NMR data of 13C-enriched samples obtained by feeding experiments with [1-13C], [2-13C], and [1,2-13C2] sodium acetate in cultures of a strain Y-42 of the dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. These incorporation patterns suggested that 1 was generated from a hexaketide chain, two acetate units, four isolated C1 units from C-2 of acetates, and four branched C1 units from C-2 of acetates. The acetate-incorporation patterns for C-1-C-2-(C-21) and C-8-C-18-(C-23, C-24) of 1 corresponded well to those for C-1-C-2-(C-27) and C-5-C-15-(C-28, C-29) of amphidinolide H (2) isolated from this strain.     

Comparative structural connectivity spectra analysis (CoSCoSA) models of steroid binding to the corticosteroid binding globulin

A three-dimensional quantitative spectrometric data-activity relationship (3D-QSDAR) model was developed that is built by combining NMR spectral information with structural information in a 3D-connectivity matrix. The 3D-connectivity matrix is built by displaying all possible carbon-to-carbon connections with their assigned carbon NMR chemical shifts and distances between the carbons. Selected 2D (13)C-(13)C COrrelation SpectroscopY (COSY) (through-bond nearest neighbors) and selected theoretical 2D (13)C-(13)C distance connectivity spectral slices from the 3D-connectivity matrix to produce a relationship among the spectral patterns for 30 steroids binding to corticosteroid binding globulin. We call this technique a comparative structural connectivity spectra analysis (CoSCoSA) modeling. A CoSCoSA principal component linear regression model based on the combination of (13)C-(13)C COSY and (13)C-(13)C distance spectra principal components (PCs) had an r(2) of 0.96 and a leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation q(2) of 0.92. A CoSCoSA parallel distributed artificial neural network (PD-ANN) model based on the combination of (13)C-(13)C COSY and (13)C-(13)C distance spectra had an r(2) of 0.96, a leave-three-out q(3)(2) of 0.78, and a leave-ten-out q(10)(2) of 0.73. CoSCoSA modeling attempts to uniquely combine the quantum mechanics information from the NMR chemical shifts with internal molecular atom-to-atom distances into an accurate modeling technique. The CoSCoSA modeling technique has the flexibility and accuracy to outperform the cross-validated variance q(2) of previously published quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), quantitative spectral data-activity relationship (QSDAR), self-organizing map (SOM), and electrotopological state (E-state) models.