Improvement of in-gel digestion protocol for peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

High-sensitivity, high-throughput analysis of proteins for proteomics studies is usually performed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in combination with mass spectrometry. However, the quality of the data obtained depends on the in-gel digestion procedure employed. This work describes an improvement in the in-gel digestion efficiency for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) analysis. A dramatic improvement in the coverage of tryptic peptides was observed when n-octyl glucoside was added to the buffer. Whole cell extracted proteins from S. cerevisiae were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and stained with silver. Protein spots were identified using our improved in-gel digestion method and MALDI-TOFMS. In addition, the mass spectra obtained by using the matrix alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) were compared with those obtained using 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). The DHB matrix usually gave more peaks, which led to higher sequence coverage and, consequently, to higher confidence in protein identification. This improved in-gel digestion protocol is simple and useful for protein identification by MALDI-TOFMS.     

Rapid determination of 89Sr and 90Sr in radioactive waste using Sr extraction disk and beta-ray spectrometer

A rapid determination method in which beta-ray spectrometry was combined with solid phase extraction using Sr Rad Disk was developed for the determination of ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr in low-level radioactive waste. Various amounts of ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Sr, and ⁹⁰Y retained by the Sr Rad Disk was measured by a beta-ray spectrometer, and it was found that both ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr were simultaneously determined with <30% error (2σ) at ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr radioactivity ratio of 0.3 to 45. The present method was successfully applied to actual radioactive liquid waste samples arising from nuclear facilities in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Strontium was simply separated from interfering nuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁵⁴Eu, and matrix components by the Sr Rad Disk, and the results obtained by beta-ray spectrometry was in good agreement with that of the conventional analysis.     

Effect of intercalation of metal ions on the colloidal and solid properties of vanadium pentaoxide hydrate,V2O5 nH2O

The colloidal stability of V₂O₅ nH₂O was studied on the basis of the measurements of critical flocculation concentration (CFC) by metal ions, amount of ions exchanged (or intercalated), and -potential. In total, the CFC values obeyed the Schulze Hardy law and strong Hofmeister's series was found in the systems including alkaline ions. The sequence of colloidal stability of V₂O₅ nH₂O in the electrolyte solutions was related to the intercalation of metal ions in the interlayer spaces of the solid. The largest CFC value for Li⁺ (87 mmol dm^–3) was explained by smaller affinity of Li⁺ to be intercalated in V₂O₅ nH₂O as well as smaller Hamaker constant of the intercalated solid compared to the other systems.Effect of intercalation of metal ions on the crystalline properties of the materials was measured by use of XRD and electron microscope. Under highly dehydrated condition the ions whose radii are smaller than 0.1 nm are captured in the structure of V₂O₅ nH₂O without changing interlayer distances, while those larger than 0.1 nm increase the interlayer distance. In a saturated H₂O vapor interlayer distances increased with increasing charge of intercalated ions. However, when intercalated with ions carrying the same valency the interlayer distances of the sample decreased with decrease in the hydration property of ions. Hydrolyzable Cr³⁺ gave exceptionally larger interlayer distances, both in a vacuum and in H₂O vapor.     

Sensitive determination of bisphenol A and alkylphenols by high performance liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatization with 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole

A new and sensitive high-performance chromatographic method for the determination of bisphenol A and 8 alkylphenols with fluorescence detection is reported. Each phenol was derivatized by reaction with 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole at 40 degrees C for 60 min. The fluorescence derivatives were separated on a Wakosil 5C18 column (4.0 i.d. x 300 mm, 5 microm) with methanol:water (10:90) as mobile phase (detection wavelength: lambda(ex) 336 nm, lambda(em) 440 nm). The detection limits were in the range of 0.1-10.0 pg/mL in serum. The calibration graphs were linear to 1.0 microg/mL. The relative standard deviations were 7.2-8.9%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of bisphenol A in mother and infant rat serum.     

Anionic copolymerizations of acrylonitrile with β-propiolactone

Anionic copolymerizations of acrylonitrile (monomer 1) with β-propiolactone (monomer 2) and the structures of the resulting copolymers were studied. The copolymerization with sodium cyanide in N,N-dimethylformamide gave copolymers of the structure I containing acid anhydride linkage in the molecular chains, with the monomer reactivity ratios, r₁ = 1.20, r₂ = 0.00. The copolymerization with potassium hydroxide gave either copolymers of the structure II (r₁ = 0.00, r₂ = 3.64 at 30°C; r₁ = 0.00, r₂ = 5.00 at 40°C) in N,N-dimethylformamide or only β-propiolactone homopolymer in toluene.      

Cloning, sequencing, and functional analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster of macrolactam antibiotic vicenistatin in Streptomyces halstedii

Vicenistatin, an antitumor antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces halstedii, is a unique 20-membered macrocyclic lactam with a novel aminosugar vicenisamine. The vicenistatin biosynthetic gene cluster (vin) spanning approximately 64 kbp was cloned and sequenced. The cluster contains putative genes for the aglycon biosynthesis including four modular polyketide synthases (PKSs), glutamate mutase, acyl CoA-ligase, and AMP-ligase. Also found in the cluster are genes of NDP-hexose 4,6-dehydratase and aminotransferase for vicenisamine biosynthesis. For the functional confirmation of the cluster, a putative glycosyltransferase gene product, VinC, was heterologously expressed, and the vicenisamine transfer reaction to the aglycon was chemically proved. A unique feature of the vicenistatin PKS is that the loading module contains only an acyl carrier protein domain, in contrast to other known PKS-loading modules containing certain activation domains. Activation of the starter acyl group by separate polypeptides is postulated as well.     

Preparation and analytical properties of a chelating resin containing phenylalanine groups

A polystyrene-based macroreticular resin containing phenylalanine groups has been prepared and its analytical properties have been investigated and compared with Dowex A-1. The phenylalanine resin shows high selectivity for mercury(II) and copper(II) in the pH region 2-3. The sorption behaviour of copper has been examined in detail, with the intention of using the resin analytically. The important characteristics of the resin are fast equilibration, high selectivity and small volume change between its hydrogen form and metal forms. These enable it to be applied for the rapid concentration of trace amounts of copper in the presence of large amounts of diverse metals. It may be used for the determination of copper in sea-water and the separation of copper/cobalt and copper/nickel.     

Chelate and intramolecular ion-pair formation: A guiding concept for structure/selectivity relationships in the liquid-liquid extraction of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions by anionic crown ether derivatives

Crown ether dyes with pendent anionic side-arms were synthesized for extractionspectrophotometry of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. Dramatic changes in metal selectivity were obtained simply by changing the nature of the anionic side-arm on the same crown ether skeleton. A structure/metal selectivity relationship is discussed in detail in terms of “chelate” and “intramolecular ion-pair” formation. Small metal cations (high charge density) are preferred in the extraction by a crown ether reagent with a charge-localized anionic side-arm through the formation of a “chelate”. Large metal cations (low charge density) are preferred in the extraction by reagents with a charge-delocalized anionic side-arm through the formation of an “intramolecular ion-pair”. Steric restrictions imposed by the side-arm on the metal ion approaching the crown ether are also important factor in controlling the selectivity of these reagents.