Studies on palytoxins

The complete structure of palytoxin (1) was elucidated by us in 1982.¹ Our continuous interests in palytoxin led us to examine minor constituents of Okinawan Palythoa tuberculosa. In this paper, we describe successful isolation and structural elucidation of four minor toxins, which were named homopalytoxin (2), bishomopalytoxin (3), neopalytoxin (4) and deoxypalytoxin (5).     

Structure of cypridina biluciferyl,a dimer of cypridina luciferyl radical having bioluminescent activity

Structure of $\text{Cypridina}$ biluciferyl (luciferyl radical dimer), which is produced by chemical oxidation of $\text{C}$. luciferin with such as ferricyanide, was determined to be the symmetric 5,5′-dimer of $\text{C}$. luciferin. It gives light in the presence of $\text{C}$. luciferase, although the bioluminescent rate is very low. We suggest that the biluciferyl is an intermediate in the oxidation of the luciferin to $\text{C}$. luciferinol.     

Effect of cationic surfactant on the formation of ferron complexes

In the spectrophotometric determination of aluminium and iron with ferron (7-iodo-8-quinolinol-5-sulphonic acid, H(2)L), the addition of cationic surfactants greatly improves the linearity of the calibration curve and widens the useful pH range. The effect of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTMAC) on the stepwise stability constants (K(1),K(2) and K(3)) of the ferron complexes of aluminium and iron (ML(+), ML(-)(2) and ML(3-)(3)) and on the acid-dissociation constants (K(a1) and K(a2)) of ferron has been studied in connection with the role of the surfactant. CTMAC greatly increases the value of K(3) while exerting little effect on K(1) and K(2), thus rendering ML(3-)(3) the predominant species even at very low concentration of free L(2-). It also has some effect on the acid-dissociation constants of ferron, but sometimes it acts to decrease the free L(2-) concentration. At is therefore concluded that the improvements due to addition of surfactant should be attributed to the increased K(3) value. The presence of surfactant micelles is not essential, because the surfactant has a favourable effect when present at well below its critical micelle concentration, and because the continuous variations plots show a peak at a point corresponding to the composition M: L: Q (Q = cationic surfactant) = 1:3:3.     

Effect of hydrophobic amino acids on the conformational change of decapeptides in micellar environments

A series of peptides containing various hydrophobic amino acids [methionine (Met), leucine (Leu), norleucine (Nle), phenylalanine (Phe), 2-aminooctanoic acid (Aoc), and 2-aminodecanoic acid (Ade)] were synthesized and their conformations were studied using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in different solvents such as water, methanol, and aqueous solution of ammonium tetradecanesulfonate. Peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids with linear side chains formed -sheets in water and methanol. Electrostatic interaction between the charged side chain (lysine) and a micelle consisting of an anionic surfactant, ammonium tetradecanesulfonate, is necessary for the formation of -helices in micellar environments. The conformational transition from -helix to -sheet structure required moderate hydrophobicity and linear side chains. This conformational transition depended on the surfactant concentration.     

Photoinduced face-inversion of conjugated tetraene ligands on a Pd-Pd-Pd moiety

The linear sandwich tripalladium complexes [Pd3{Ar(CH=CH)4Ar}2[BArf]2 (Ar = Ph, p-t-Bu-C6H4, p-styryl-C6H4) undergo photoinduced isomerization involving face-inversion of the tetraene ligands. Irradiation of these complexes with visible light (>510 nm) resulted in rac (staggered sandwich) to meso (eclipsed sandwich) isomerization. The structures of rac and meso isomers are determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses.     

Fused silica capillary tube isotachophoresis using a multichannel photodiode array detector

Isotachophoresis carried out in a 0.25 mm i.d. fused-silica capillary tube yielded high resolution, compared with that in a fluorinated ethylene-propylene polymer tube. The use of an ultraviolet-visible multichannel spectrophotometer with photodiode array as detector together with a cross flow cell (volume 0.01 μl) was investigated. The system was successfully applied to the analysis of cationic dyes such as neutral red, bismarck brown, and basic fuchsine.     

Structural variety of membrane permeable peptides

Peptide-mediated protein delivery into living cells has been attracting our attention. Among the peptides that have been reported to have carrier activity, the one from the human immunodeficient virus (HIV)-1 Tat has been most often used for the introduction of exogenous macromolecules into cells. We have shown that not only the Tat peptide, but also various arginine-rich peptides showed very similar characteristics in translocation, and the possible presence of ubiquitous internalization mechanisms among the arginine-rich peptides has also been suggested. These arginine-rich peptides includes ones derived from HIV-1 Rev and flock house virus coat proteins. The linear- and branched-chain peptides containing approximately 8 residues of arginine also show a similar ability. In this review, we present the structural variety of membrane permeable peptides and provide a survey of the findings on the translocation of these peptides through the cell membranes.     

The surface of ordered mesoporous benzene-silica hybrid material: an infrared and ab initio molecular modeling study

Joint IR and computational results allow a detailed characterization of the surface properties of a mesoporous benzene-silica hybrid material with crystal-like wall structure. After outgassing at 450 degrees C, hydroxyl species mainly consist of noninteracting silanols, with both O-H and Si-O stretching modes at lower frequencies than those of SiOH in silica. Interaction with several probe molecules, followed both by experiment and calculus, shows that the aryl group in the coordination sphere of Si imparts a lesser acidity with respect to the isolated silanol in silica. In contrast, adsorption isotherms indicate that the interaction with acetone is stronger with benzene-silica than with silica: this is interpreted in terms of secondary interactions taking place between the slightly acidic CH in acetone and the electronic cloud in benzene-like rings. This suggests that both the inorganic component and the organic one play a role in dictating the surface behavior.     

A comparison of supercritical carbon dioxide and organic solvents for the intercalation of 4-phenylazoaniline into a pillared clay mineral

The intercalation of 4-phenylazoaniline (PAA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO(2)) into montmorillonite (TMA-Mnt) pillared with tetramethylammonium ions at 313 K and 15 MPa was investigated. The adsorption rate and equilibrium PAA uptake were compared with those in n-hexane, CCl(4) and benzene solutions at 313 K. The XRD and N(2) adsorption/desorption analyses showed that TMA-Mnt after adsorption of PAA in SC-CO(2) had the same pore structure as after adsorption of PAA in normal solvents. SC-CO(2) was found to be a good medium for PAA adsorption owing to its having a relatively high adsorption rate and the highest adsorptivity at the same PAA concentration. The properties of PAA adsorption on TMA-Mnt could be well elucidated by the difference in solubility parameters between liquid and solid phases.     

The counterion releasing effect and the partition coefficient of branched alkanols in ionic micellar solution

In the micellar solution of SDS, the partition coefficient (K_x) of following branched alkanols at infinite dilution was determined by applying a differential conductivity method: the alkanols used were i-C_mH_2m+1OH (m=4-9, i=1-5) in which the position of OH group (i) shifts from an end to the center of a hydrocarbon chain. The method provides two significant quantities, d!/dX_am and dC_sf/dC_af in addition to K_x. The following results have been obtained. (1) The dependence of K_x on i indicates that the hydrophobicity of alkanol is weakened with increasing i, whereas the increase in m strengthens the hydrophobicity. (2) The degree of counterion disossiation of micelles (!) is accelerated by the solubilized alkanols in micelles (mole fraction: X_am) and the acceleration rate, d!/dX_am (=0.17), depends on neither m nor i. (3) In the bulk water, the monomerically dissolved alkanols (concentration: C_af) depresses the concentration of free monomer surfactant (C_sf), and the depressing rate, dC_sf/dC_af, in micellar solution is identical with the corresponding quantity, ((CMC/(C_a)_o at CMC.