Tobacco protein separation by aqueous two-phase extraction

Tobacco has long been considered as a host to produce large quantity of high-valued recombinant proteins. However, dealing with large quantities of biomass is a challenge for downstream processing. Aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) has been widely used in purifying proteins from various sources. It is a protein-friendly process and can be scaled up easily. In this paper, ATPE was studied for its applicability to recombinant protein purification from tobacco with egg white lysozyme as the model protein. Separate experiments with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-salt-tobacco extract and PEG-salt-lysozyme were carried out to determine the partition behavior of tobacco protein and lysozyme, respectively. Two-level fractional factorial designs were used to study the effects of factors such as, PEG molecular mass, PEG concentration, the concentration of phase forming salt, sodium chloride concentration and pH, on protein partitioning. The results showed that, among the studied systems, PEG-sodium sulfate system was most suitable for lysozyme purification. Detailed experiments were conducted by spiking lysozyme into the tobacco extract. The conditions with highest selectivity of lysozyme over native tobacco protein were determined using a response surface design. The purification factor was further improved by decreasing the phase ratio along the tie line corresponding to the phase compositions with the highest selectivity. Under selected conditions the lysozyme yield was predicted to be 87% with a purification factor of 4 and concentration factor of 14. From this study, ATPE was shown to be suitable for initial protein recovery and partial purification from transgenic tobacco.     

Capillary electrophoresis analysis of gentamicin sulphate with UV detection after pre-capillary derivatization with 1,2-phthalic dicarboxaldehyde and mercaptoacetic acid

A selective, sensitive, and rapid pre-capillary derivatization method for determination of the multicomponent aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin is described. The derivatization reagents 1,2-phthalic dicarboxaldehyde and mercaptoacetic acid were used and the thioisoindole derivative was UV detected at 330 nm. A central composite experimental design was performed to optimize selectivity and derivatization conditions. Baseline separation of gentamicin C1, C1a, C2, C2a, C2b, sisomicin and several minor components was achieved with a background electrolyte containing 30 mM sodium tetraborate, 7.5 mM beta-cyclodextrin and 12.5% (v/v) methanol at pH 10. Quantitative analysis was performed and illustrated the potential use of capillary electrophoresis for the identification and quantitation of gentamicin as an alternative to methods prescribed in the United States Pharmacopeia and European Pharmacopoeia.     

Polarographic analysis for corticosteroids: Part 4. Determination of Corticosteroids in Multicomponent and Complex Pharmaceutical Preparations

Differential pulse polarographic methods for determination of corticosteroids in multicomponent and complex pharmaceutical preparations are described. The influence of other reducible common components of such preparations and excipients on the height of the reduction peaks of corticosteroids and the accuracy of the results was investigated, as well as the interference of excipients by adsorption processes at the electrode or at solid particles of the preparations. In the procedures developed, variations in composition of the supporting electrolyte according to the lipophilicity of the preparation, and the use of standard additions, produce results quickly and reliably. Standard deviations vary from 0.8 to 2.8%.     

Photophysical properties of borondipyrromethene analogues in solution

The photophysical properties of seven new 8-(p-substituted)phenyl analogues of 4,4-difluoro-3,5-dimethyl-8-(aryl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (derivatives of the well-known fluorophore BODIPY) in several solvents have been studied by means of absorption and steady-state and time-resolved fluorimetry. For each compound, the fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime are lower in solvents with higher polarity owing to an increase in the rate of nonradiative deactivation. Increasing the electron withdrawing strength of the p-substituent on the phenyl group in position 8 also leads to lower fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes. When the p-substituent on the phenyl group in position 8 is a tertiary amine [8-(4-piperidinophenyl), 8-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl), and 8-(4-morpholinophenyl)], the low quantum yields of these compounds in more polar solvents can be rationalized by the inversion of the energy levels of an apolar, highly fluorescent and a polar, nonfluorescent excited state, where charge transfer from the tertiary amine to the BODIPY unit occurs. These amine analogues can be protonated at low pH in aqueous solution. Fluorescence titrations yielded pK(a) values of their conjugate ammonium salts which are in agreement with the electron donating tendency of the amine group: piperidino (4.15) > dimethylamino (2.37) > morpholino (1.47), with the pK(a) values in parentheses. The rate constant of radiative deactivation (k(f)) is the same for all compounds in all solvents studied (k(f) = 1.4 x 10(8) s(-1)).     

Synthesis of dityrosine cross-linked peptide dimers using the Miyaura-Suzuki reaction

[reaction: see text] Since peroxidase-catalyzed dityrosine formation is inefficient for peptides, we have developed alternative conditions for intermolecular dityrosine formation using the Miyaura-Suzuki reaction. A one-pot reaction is effective for cross-linking short peptides, but longer peptides inhibit the Suzuki step, mandating a traditional two-step procedure using potassium acetate for the Miyaura reaction and potassium carbonate for the Suzuki coupling. These palladium-based methods are complementary to the well-established peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative phenolic coupling of full-length proteins.     

Spontaneous Liquid/Liquid Displacement in a Capillary

When a two-phase column consisting of paraffin oil and silicon oil is placed in an otherwise air-filled, horizontal glass capillary, the column starts moving spontaneously. Silicon oil displaces paraffin oil, which in its turn displaces air at atmospheric conditions; a stable film of silicon oil is left at the receding silicon oil/air meniscus. The driving force for the motion is the difference in capillary pressure at the free interfaces. However, the column moves considerably more slowly than predicted by the driving forces; it appears that the forces resisting the motion at the moving liquid/liquid/solid line are much larger than one would expect on the basis of the interfacial tension and the viscosities of the two phase system. Some considerations are made on the relationship of the theory of Fowkes to our system. Also, a method for measuring low interfacial tensions between immiscible liquids is proposed.     

Cumulated double bond systems as ligands : X. N-sulfinylaniline complexes of rhodium(I) and iridium(I) of the type [MCl(PR3)2L] in which L is coordinated via the π-NS and via the sulfur atom respectively; crystal and molecular structure of [RhCl(P-i-Pr3)2(4-MeC6H4NSO)]; determination of the 1J(103Rh15N) by 15N NMR spectroscopy

Each of the compounds [MCl(Pr₃)₂(ArylNSO)] (M = Rh^I, Ir^I; R = i-Pr, Cy: Aryl = C₆H₅, 4-MeC₆H₄, 4-ClC₆H₄, 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂ appears to exist as two isomers both in the solid state and in solution. The molecular and single crystal structure of one of the isomers of [RhCl(P-i-Pr)₃)₂(4-Me₆H₄NSO)] shows that the N-sulfinylaniline ligand is in the cis-configuration and coordinated to the rhodium atom via the sulfur-atom. The ligand lies in a plane which includes the rhodium atom and is in agreement with the Rh-S distance of 2.10 Å. IR results of the compounds (solid and solutions), ²¹P NMR data and ¹⁵N NMR of a ¹⁵N labelled compound, which yielded a ¹⁰³Rh¹⁵N coupling constant of 15.5 Hz, show that in the second isomer the N-sulfinylaniline ligand is probably bonded to the metal atom via the π-NS bond.The ratio of the metal-π-NS bonded isomer and the metal-S bonded isomer decreases in the order Aryl = 4-ClC₆H₄ > C₆H₅ > 4-MeC₆H₄; R = i-Pr > Cy and M = Rh > Ir. The interconversion of the two isomers is intramolecular and becomes observable on the ³¹P NMR time scale at about 40° C for M = Rh.In the case of [Ir(P-i-Pr₃)₂(4-MeC₆H₄NSO)], cyclometallation of the sul- finylaniline is observed via the ortho-carbon atom, whereas cyclometallation via P-i-Pr₃ is observed when the ortho-positions are blocked by methyl groups, e.g. when L = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂NSO.     

Systematic computer-aided interpretation of vibrational spectra

The diagnostic value of an interpretation system for vibrational spectra has been investigated in relation to the number of structural units the system can cope with. For five structural units the correlated wavenumber intervals are derived from three infrared and three Raman files by the CRISE program. The interpretative value of each interval in relation to the intensity threshold is discussed. For most intervals a decrease is found on increasing the number of structural units.