A simple, inexpensive method for the salt-free concentration of proteins for analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

A rapid, inexpensive method for the salt-free concentration of small quantities of proteins for analysis by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) has been developed. Proteins adsorbed to diatomaceous earth are subsequently removed using either sodium dodecyl sulfate or urea solubilization reagents for 2D-PAGE analysis. This procedure has been found to concentrate proteins having wide ranges of molecular weight and charge. It is also valuable for the concentration of large numbers of small samples from cells cultured in vitro.     

Ultraviolet emission spectra of sunbeds

It is well known that UV radiation contributes to the development of skin cancer. Exposure to solar radiation is predominantly responsible for the high incidence rate of skin cancer, but there are also indications that sunbeds are involved. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the UV emission spectra of sunbeds. It included the most common sunbed models, which cover more than 50% of the Swiss market. The UV emission spectra of sunbeds have special characteristics and are different from the sun spectrum, which can be seen in high-resolution spectral measurements. Sunbed emission spectra are similar to the sun spectrum in the UVB (280-320 nm) range but reach values 10 to 15 times higher in the UVA (320-400 nm) range. An average erythema-effective irradiance of 0.33 W/m2 was determined for sunbeds. This corresponds to a UV index of 13, which is significantly higher than the UV index of 8.5 of the high summer sun at noon at intermediate latitudes. The measurements were spread over the whole effective area of the sunbeds, and an inhomogeneous distribution of the irradiances with variations of up to 30% from the average value was found.     

Infrared spectroscopy of gas-phase Cr+ coordination complexes: determination of binding sites and electronic states

Infrared spectra were recorded for a series of gas-phase Cr+ complexes using infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The functionalized aromatic ligands (acetophenone, anisole, aniline, and dimethyl aniline) offer a choice of either aromatic ring-pi or n-donor-base binding sites. Use of the FELIX free electron laser light source allowed convenient, rapid scanning of the chemically informative wavelength range from approximately 500 to 1800 cm(-1), which in many cases characterized the preferred site of metal binding, as well as the electronic spin state of the complex. Mono-complex ions, Cr+(ligand), for anisole, aniline, and dimethyl aniline and bis-complex ions, Cr+(ligand)(2), for anisole, aniline, and acetophenone were produced by ligand attachment to laser-desorbed Cr+ ions in the FT-ICR cell. The photodissociation yields plotted as a function of wavelength were interpreted as approximations to the infrared absorption spectra and were compared with computed spectra of different possible geometries and spin states. Clear-cut diagnostic features in the spectra of the acetophenone, anisole, and aniline complexes showed the sites of Cr+ attachment to be the carbonyl oxygen site for acetophenone (bis-complex) and the ring-pi site for anisole and aniline (both mono- and bis-complexes). The bis-complexes of aniline and anisole are low-spin (probably doublet) states, while the mono-complexes of these same ligands are high-spin (sextet) states. The dimethyl aniline complex gave a cluttered spectrum in poor agreement with calculations, which may reflect a mixture of binding-site isomers in this case.     

Bit-string methods for selective compound acquisition

Selective compound acquisition programs need to ensure that the compounds that are chosen do not contain undesirable functionality. This is easy to achieve if a supplier is prepared to provide unambiguous structure representations for the compounds that they have available: this paper discusses selection techniques that can be used when a supplier is prepared to make available only fragment bit-string representations for the compounds in their catalog. Experiments with three databases and three types of bit-string show that a simple k-nearest-neighbor searching method provides a surprisingly effective, although far from perfect, way of selecting compounds when only bit-string representations are available. A second approach, based on the use of a fragment weighting scheme analogous to those used in substructural analysis studies, proved to be noticeably less effective in operation.     

SPOCC-194, a new high functional group density PEG-based resin for solid-phase organic synthesis

A novel polymer matrix for solid-phase synthesis, SPOCC(194) resin (1), was designed featuring a backbone of homogeneous tetraethylene glycol (TEG(194)) macromonomer linked by quaternary carbon junctions and terminating in primary alcohol functionality. Beaded SPOCC(194) resin was effectively prepared by suspension polymerization of oxetanylated TEG macromonomer 5 in stirred silicon oil. Mechanically stable and inert to a diverse range of reaction conditions, SPOCC(194) possessed a high hydroxyl group loading (0.9-1.2 mmol/g) for substrate attachment and swelled effectively ( approximately 2-4 mL/g) in a variety of organic and aqueous solvents. Developed for solid-phase synthesis at high reactant concentrations for driving organic and aqueous reactions to completion, SPOCC(194) exhibited high functional group density (mmol/mL) similar to that of low-loaded aminomethylated polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (PS-1%DVB) yet significantly higher than that of PEGA(1900), SPOCC(1500), and TentaGel S. High-resolution MAS NMR spectra of Fmoc-derivatized SPOCC(194) indicate that monitoring of functional group transformation is possible. Moreover, by employment of a nonaromatic resin-linker combination, electrophilic chemistry, such as Lewis acid catalyzed glycosylation and Friedel-Crafts acylation, was selectively performed on substrate bound to SPOCC(194) resin. Such properties make SPOCC(194) resin a promising new polymer matrix for the support-bound construction of small organic molecules by parallel and combinatorial synthesis and the scavenging of solution-phase reactants or byproducts.     

High electron mobility in solution-cast and vapor-deposited phenacyl-quaterthiophene-based field-effect transistors: toward N-type polythiophenes

New carbonyl-functionalized quaterthiophenes, 5,5' '-diperfluorophenylcarbonyl-2,2':5',2' ':5' ',2' '-quaterthiophene [DFCO-4T], 5,5' '-diphenyl-2,2':5',2' ':5' ',2' '-quaterthiophene [DPCO-4T], and a polymer having the same basic motif as DFCO-4T, poly{1,4-bis[(3'-n-octyl-2,2'-dithiophene)carbonyl]-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzene} [P(COFCO-4T)], have been synthesized, characterized, and the crystal structures of the molecules determined. Field-effect transistors fabricated with vapor-deposited and solution-cast films of DFCO-4T exhibit very high Ion:Ioff current ratios (up to 108) and electron mobilities up to approximately 0.51 and approximately 0.25 cm2.V-1.s-1, respectively. Solution-cast blends of P(COFCO-4T) and DFCO-4T (1:1 weight ratio) exhibit an electron mobility of approximately 0.01 cm2.V-1.s-1 (Ion:Ioff = 104).     

A study of structural and bonding variations in the homologous series [Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2)](n-) (n = 2, 1, 0)

Reaction of Mo(2)Cl(4)(dppm)(2) (dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) with 6 equiv of [n-Bu(4)N][CN] or [Et(4)N][CN] in dichloromethane yields [n-Bu(4)N](2)[Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2)] (1) and [Et(4)N](2)[Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2)] (2), respectively. The corresponding one- and two-electron oxidation products [n-Bu(4)N][Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2)] (3) and Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2) (4)were prepared by reactions of 1 with the oxidant NOBF(4). Single-crystal X-ray structures of 2.2CH(3)CN, 3.2CH(3)CN.2H(2)O, and 4.2CH(3)NO(2) were performed, and the results confirmed that all three complexes contain identical ligand sets with trans dppm ligands bisecting the Mo(2)(mu-CN)(2)(CN)(4) equatorial plane. The binding of the bridging cyanide ligands is affected by the oxidation state of the dimolybdenum core as evidenced by an increase in side-on pi-bonding overlap of the mu-CN in going from 1 to 4. The greater extent of pi-donation into Mo orbitals is accompanied by a lengthening of the Mo-Mo distance (2.736(1) A in Mo(2)(II,II) (2), 2.830(1) A in Mo(2)(II,III) (3), and 2.936(1) A in Mo(2)(III,III) (4)). A computational study of the closed-shell members of this homologous series, [Mo(2)(CN)(6)(dppm)(2)](n)() (n = 2-, 0), indicates that the more pronounced side-on pi-donation evident in the X-ray structure of 4 leads to significant destabilization of the delta orbital and marginal stabilization of the delta() orbitals with respect to nearly degenerate delta and delta orbitals in the parent compound, 2. The loss of delta contributions combined with the reduced orbital overlap due to higher charges on molybdenum centers in oxidized complexes 3 and 4 is responsible for the observed increase in the length of the Mo-Mo bond.     

Lifetime of 2s2p 23s 3 P in N II and other allowed triplet transitions

Systematic transition calculations have been performed for all triplet decay channels from 2s2p ²3s ³ P of N II. The lifetime of 0.505 ns compares favourably with experiment. Transitions in absorption from the 2s ²2p ^{2 3} P ground state have also been determined along with a number of other triplet transitions. Length and velocity forms of thef-value are in agreement at the 2–3% level for most transitions.     

Controlling the DNA binding specificity of bHLH proteins through intramolecular interactions

Reversible control of the conformation of proteins was employed to probe the relationship between flexibility and specificity of the basic helix-loop-helix protein MyoD. A fusion protein (apaMyoD) was designed where the basic DNA binding helix of MyoD was stablized by an amino-terminal extension with a sequence derived from the bee venom peptide apamin. The disulfide-stabilized helix from apamin served as a nucleus for a helix that extended for a further ten residues, thereby holding apaMyoD's DNA recognition helix in a predominantly alpha-helical conformation. The thermal stability of the DNA complexes of apaMyoD was increased by 13 degrees C relative to MyoD-bHLH. Measurements of the fluorescence anisotropy change on DNA binding indicated that apaMyoD bound to E-box-containing DNA sequences with enhanced affinity relative to MyoD-bHLH. Consequently, the DNA binding specificity of apaMyoD was increased 10-fold.