Resolving Multiple Protein–Peptide Binding Events: Implication for HLA-DQ2 Mediated Antigen Presentation in Celiac Disease

Techniques that can effectively separate protein–peptide complexes from free peptides have shown great value in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)–peptide binding studies. However, most of the available techniques are limited to measuring the binding of a single peptide to an MHC molecule. As antigen presentation in vivo involves both endogenous ligands and exogenous antigens, the deconvolution of multiple binding events necessitates the implementation of a more powerful technique. Here we show that capillary electrophoresis coupled to fluorescence detection (CE–FL) can resolve multiple MHC–peptide binding events owing to its superior resolution and the ability to simultaneously monitor multiple emission channels. We utilized CE–FL to investigate competition and displacement of endogenous peptides by an immunogenic gluten peptide for binding to HLA-DQ2. Remarkably, this immunogenic peptide could displace CLIP peptides from the DQ2 binding site at neutral but not acidic pH. This unusual ability of the gluten peptide supports a direct loading mechanism of antigen presentation in extracellular environment, a property that could explain the antigenicity of dietary gluten in celiac disease.     

In-site observation of the crystallization of nylon-6 mediated by the interfacial hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen bonds exist in many polymer systems and play a large role in the physical and chemical properties. In this study, nylon-6, which consists of repeated amide groups and contains large number of hydrogen bonds, is chosen as an example. Meanwhile, the oxidized unzipped MWCNTs (μCNTs) with oxygenated species such as carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are used as mediator to regulate the crystallization process of nylon-6 thin films. In-site experimental techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and polarized optical microscopy were utilized to get more direct insights on the crystallization mechanism of nylon-6 and μCNTs systems.     

Interlayer Space Engineering of MXenes for Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications

The increasing demand for high-performance rechargeable energy storage systems has stimulated the exploration of advanced electrode materials. MXenes are a class of two-dimensional (2D) inorganic transition metal carbides/nitrides, which are promising candidates in electrodes. The layered structure facilitates ion insertion/extraction, which offers promising electrochemical characteristics for electrochemical energy storage. However, the low capacity accompanied by sluggish electrochemical kinetics of electrodes as well as interlayer restacking and collapse significantly impede their practical applications. Recently, interlayer space engineering of MXenes by different chemical strategies have been widely investigated in designing functional materials for various applications. In this review, an overview of the most recent progress of 2D MXenes engineering by intercalation, surface modification as well as heterostructures design is provided. Moreover, some critical challenges in future research on MXene-based electrodes have been also proposed.     

Simultaneous determination of phthalates and adipates in human serum using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with solid‐phase extraction

A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry assay was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of phthalates and adipates in human serum. The phthalates and adipates studied were dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, benzylbutyl phthalate, di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate, di‐n‐octyl phthalate, diethyl adipate, dibutyl adipate, diisobutyl adipate, bis(2‐butoxyethyl) adipate and di‐2‐ethylhexyl adipate, with diisooctyl phthalate as internal standard. The extraction and cleaning up procedure was carried out with solid‐phase extraction cartridges containing dimethyl butylamine groups, which showed extraction efficiencies over 88% for each analyte and the internal standard. The calibration curves obtained were linear with correlation coefficients greater than 0.98. For all analytes, the assay gave CV% values for intra‐day precision from 4.9 to 13.3% and mean accuracy values from 91.4 to 108.4%, while inter‐day precision was 5.2–13.4% and mean accuracy 91.0–110.2%. The limits of detection for the assay of phthalates and adipates were in the range 0.7–4.5 ng/mL. The method is simple, sensitive and accurate, and allows for simultaneous determination of nanogram levels of phthalates and adipates in human serum. It was successfully applied to an investigation on the level of phthalates and adipates in a non‐occupationally exposed population.     

Characterization of anti‐Coxsackie virus B3 constituents of Radix Astragali by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

To profile the anti‐Coxsackie virus B3 constituents of Radix Astragali, an HPLC‐DAD‐MSⁿ analytical method, combined with an in vivo test, has been developed to identify the constituents of the active part, which has been demonstrated to have potency to inhibit the proliferation of virus in cardiac muscle, alleviate infraction in heart and elevate the survival rate of the animal. By comparing their retention time and MS data with those obtained from the authentic compounds and the published data, a total of 19 compounds, including 11 isoflavonoids and eight saponins, were identified, among which one pterocarpane glucoside was reported for the first time. The present study provides an approach to rapidly screening bioactive constituents in traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper‐catalyzed one‐pot synthesis of propargylamines via C?H activation in PEG

An efficient and convenient three‐component A³ coupling reaction of aldehyde, amine and alkyne via C? H activation with CuI alone as the catalyst in PEG is developed, providing a wide range of propargylamines with yields ranging from moderate to excellent. Additionally, the catalyst system was recovered and reused several times without evident loss in activity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Introduction to Co-split Lie Algebras

In this work, we introduce a new concept which is obtained by defining a new compatibility condition between Lie algebras and Lie coalgebras. With this terminology, we describe the interrelation between the Killing form and the adjoint representation in a new perspective.