Recent progress in the solid-phase synthesis of glycopeptide

The recent understanding of the biological role of glycoproteins has brought about a demand for the highly homogeneous glycopeptides as the functional model for glycoproteins. Thus, much efforts have been made to establish easy and efficient method for glycopeptide synthesis. In this paper, we briefly review the recent advances in the synthesis of O- and N-linked glycopeptide based on the solid-phase method. In O-glycopeptide section, the preparation of glycosylated amino acid units with mucin type and other O-linked carbohydrate chains and their use for solid-phase synthesis are summarized. Other approaches, such as the glycosylation of resin bound peptide are also overviewed. In N-glycopeptide section, the synthesis using glycosylated amino acid units as well as other methods are described.     

Arg-72 of pharaonis phoborhodopsin (sensory rhodopsin II) is important for the maintenance of the protein structure in the solubilized states

In bacteriorhodopsin (bR), Arg-82bR has been proven to be a very important residue for functional role of this light-driven proton pump. The arginine residue at this position is a super-conserved residue among archaeal rhodopsins. pharaonis phoborhodopsin (ppR; or called as "pharaonis sensory rhodopsin II") has its absorption maximum at 498 nm and acts as a sensor in the membrane of Natronobacterium pharaonis, mediating the negative phototaxis from the light of wavelength shorter than 520 nm. To investigate the role of the arginine residue (Arg-72ppR) of ppR corresponding to Arg-82bR, mutants whose Arg-72ppR was replaced by alanine (R72A), lysine (R72K), glutamine (R72Q) and serine (R72S) were prepared. These mutants were unstable in low concentrations of NaCl and lost their color gradually when the proteins were solubilized with 0.1% n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside. The order of instability was R72S > R72A > R72K > R72Q > the wild type. The rates of denaturation were reduced in a solution of high concentrations of monovalent anions.     

Stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether. III. Polymerization with VCl3 • LiCl

The polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether by vanadium trichloride in n-heptane was studied. VCl₃ ? LiCl was prepared by the reduction of VCl₄ with stoichiometric amounts of BuLi. This type of catalyst induces stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether without the action of trialkyl aluminum to an isotactic polymer when a rise in temperature during the polymerization was depressed by cooling. It is suggested that the cause of the stereospecific polymerization might be due to the catalyst structure in which LiCl coexists with VCl₃, namely, VCl₃ ? LiCl or VCl₂ ? 2LiCl as a solid solution in the crystalline lattice, since VCl₃ prepared by thermal decomposition of VCl₄ and a commercial VCl₃ did not produce the crystalline polymer and soluble catalysts such as VCl₄ in heptane and VCl₃ ? LiCl in ether solution did not yield the stereospecific polymer. It was found that some additives, such as tetrahydrofuran or ethylene glycol diphenyl ether, to the catalyst increased the stereospecific polymerization activity of the catalysts. Influence of the polymerization conditions such as temperature, time, monomer and catalyst concentrations, and the kind of solvent on the formed polymer was also examined.     

Nmr spectroscopic studies on the tautomerism in tenuazonic acid analogs

Nmr spectra of structural analogs of tenuazonic acid such as 3-acetyltetramic acid, 3-acetyltetronic acid, 3-acetylthiotetronic acid and others were investigated for elucidation of the tautomeric structures. These compounds have completely enolized β,β′-triketone systems, and the position of the nmr signals for the enolic proton shows that the strength of their intramolecular hydrogen-bonding is weaker than those of acyclic β,β′-triketones and six-membered cyclic triketones. The assignment was made for nmr signals split by the difference of the diamagnetic anisotropic effect in each tautomers. The percentages of each of the tautomers were calculated from the intensities of the corresponding nmr signals. The results were confirmed by means of ¹³C-nmr spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and photochemical properties of a photochromic iron(II) complex of hexaarylbiimidazole

The photochromic ligand bis(terpyridyl)hexaarylbiimidazole (bistpy-HABI) and the Fe(II) complex of bistpy-HABI with formula [{Fe(tpy)}2.bistpy-HABI](PF6)4.4H2O were synthesized and characterized. Bistpy-HABI is readily cleaved into a pair of terpyridyltriphenylimidazolyl radicals (tpy-TPI*) on irradiation with UV light. This photochemical reaction is completely reversible, and the light-induced radicals can thermally recombine to form bistpy-HABI in the dark. [{Fe(tpy)}2.bistpy-HABI]4+ is the first example of a transition-metal complex of an HABI derivative and was found to show photochromic reaction in solution. The spin state of the light-induced radical pair in a frozen matrix was investigated by ESR spectroscopy. The triplet state of the light-induced radical pair from [{Fe(tpy)}2.bistpy-HABI]4+, as well as that from bistpy-HABI, was confirmed to be a ground state or nearly degenerated with a singlet state. Kinetic studies on the radical recombination reaction in solution elucidated the decrease in the activation energy by forming the Fe(II) complex. This is the first observation of a decrease in the activation energy of the radical recombination reaction by the formation of a metal-coordinated radical complex. The syntheses, photochemical properties, and spin states of bistpy-HABI and [{Fe(tpy)}2.bistpy-HABI](PF6)4 are discussed.     

Metal-ion-assisted hydrolysis of dipeptides involving a serine residue in a neutral aqueous solution

Dipeptides having a serine residue at the C-terminus, X-Ser, where X is an appropriate amino acid residue, were efficiently hydrolyzed in the presence of ZnCl2 at pH 7.0. The rapid hydrolysis of X-Ser is due to an autocatalysis of the hydroxy group in the serine residue, and is found to be accelerated by a metal ion, in particular by ZnCl2. Roles of the metal ion in the hydrolysis of peptides involving a serine residue, in relation to the recently reported protein cleavages, are discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of polypropylene/mesoporous silica nanocomposites with confined polypropylene

Polypropylene (PP)/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposites were prepared by isospecific propylene polymerization with Ti-MCM-41/Al(i-C₄H₉)₃ catalyst. The cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) ¹³C NMR spectrum of the composite was similar to that of the conventional isotactic PP, and the decrease in the pore volume of Ti-MCM-41 in the nanocomposites, as measured by N₂ adsorption, was consistent with the value calculated from the weight loss in the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve; both these facts attest to propylene polymerization within the mesopores of Ti-MCM-41. Alkali treatment followed by extraction with o-dichlorobenzene allows us to extract the confined PP out of the Ti-MCM-41 mesopores. Although the PP/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposites do not exhibit a crystalline melting point, the same PP when extracted from the mesopores showed a clear melting point at 154.7 °C; this indicates that the crystallization of PP confined in mesopores is strongly hindered. For the PP polymerized within the confinement, the molecular weight (M_w) and molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) were 84,000 and 4.3, respectively; these values were considerably smaller than those of the PP polymerized concurrently outside the Ti-MCM-41 mesopores (M_w = 200,000–450,000, M_w/M_n = 40–75). Therefore, the confinement also has a marked effect on the molecular weight of the PP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3324–3332, 2003     

Polymer‐Assisted Solution‐Phase Synthesis and Neurite‐Outgrowth‐Promoting Activity of 15‐Deoxy‐Δ12,14‐PGJ2 Derivatives

An efficient solution‐phase synthesis of rac‐15‐deoxy‐Δ^12,14‐PGJ₂ (15dPGJ₂) derivatives that contain variable α and ω chains based on a polymer‐assisted strategy and their neurite‐outgrowth‐promoting activity are described. The strategy for the synthesis of PGJ₂ derivatives involves the use of a vinyl iodide bearing cyclopentenone as a key intermediate, which undergoes Suzuki–Miyaura coupling and subsequent Lewis acid catalyzed aldol condensation for incorporation of the ω and α chains, respectively. For easy access to the PGJ₂ derivatives, a polymer‐supported catalyst and scavengers were adapted for use in these four diverse steps, in which workup and purification can be performed by simple filtration of the solid‐supported reagents. By using this methodology, we succeeded in the synthesis of 16 PGJ₂ derivatives with four alkyl boranes and four aldehydes. The neurite‐outgrowth‐promoting activity of the 16 synthetic compounds in PC12 cells revealed that the side‐chains play a major role in modulating their biological activity. The carboxylic acid on the α chain improved the biological activity, although it was not absolutely required. Furthermore, a PGJ₂ derivative with a phenyl moiety on the ω chain was found to exhibit an activity comparable to that of natural 15dPGJ₂.     

Mapping analyses of Fe-diffused mc-Si using M?ssbauer microscope and photoluminescence

Twenty CK chondrites collected in the Antarctica Continent were characterized by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), prompt gamma ray analysis (PGA), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and ⁵⁷Fe-M?ssbauer spectroscopy. As a result of elemental analysis, it was revealed that 18.2~26.4 mass% of iron was included in the each chondrite. M?ssbauer spectrum of LEW86258, classified as a typical CK chondrite, was found to be composed of two paramagnetic doublets and two magnetic sextets. M?ssbauer spectra were assigned to the absorption due to forsterite (Mg_1.36Fe_0.64SiO₄) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄), as also confirmed by XRD. XRD study of LAP03834, reclassified from CK to R chondrite, revealed the presence of crystalline phase due to forsterite. These results indicate that LAP03834 and related chondrites, i.e., MET01149, LAP03923 and MAC02453, should be reclassified as R or LL chondrite.