A highly sensitive assay for protein with dibromochloro-arsenazo-Al(3+) using resonance light scattering technique and its application

A simple, sensitive and selective method has been developed for the determination of protein using resonance light scattering (RLS) technique. The method is based on the interaction of protein and arsenazo-DBC-Al(3+) in the pH range of 5.0-7.0, which causes a substantial enhancement of the resonance scattering signal of arsenazo-DBC-Al(3+) in the wavelength range of 300-550 nm with the maximum RLS platform at 405-420 nm. With this method, 2.50-50.00 mug ml(-1) of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 2.50-60.00 mug ml(-1) of human serum albumin (HSA) can be determined, and the detection limits, calculated three times the standard deviation (S.D.) of six blank measurements, for BSA and HSA were 123.4 and 89.6 ng ml(-1), respectively. Moreover, the method is free from interference from many amino acids and metal ions. The method, with high sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility, was satisfactorily applied to the determination of total protein in human serum samples. Mechanism studies indicated that arsenazo-DBC-Al(3+) could bind to BSA depending mainly on electrostatic forces, which results in enhanced RLS in the arsenazo-DBC-Al(3+)-protein system.     

Chemical Constituents from the Stems of Mahonia Japonica

A new dihydroberberine alkaloid, 7,8‐dihydro‐8‐methoxyberberine ( 1 ), along with six known compounds including two dihydroberberine alkaloids, 7,8‐dihydro‐8‐hydroxyberberine ( 2 ) and oxyberberine ( 3 ) and four protoberberine alkaloids, berberine ( 4 ), palmatine ( 5 ), jatrorrhizine ( 6 ) and columbamine ( 7 ), were isolated from the stems of Mahonia japonica. These compounds were characterized and identified by physical and spectral evidence.     

High-level expression of soluble human β-defensin-2 fused with green fluorescent protein in Escherichia coli cell-free system

Human β-defensin-2 (hBD2), a small cationic peptide, exhibits a broad range of antimicrobial activity and does not acquire any microbial resistance. To produce this uneasily detectable, degradable, and toxic polypeptide efficiently, an alternative approach based on the Escherichia coli cell-free biosynthesis system was proposed. The approach implies that a polypeptide of interest is synthesized as a fusion protein linked to a green fluorescent protein (GFP) through a cleavable spacer. With batch-mode operation, a significant amount of hBD2 fused with GFP (0.25 mg/mL) can be expressed in this cell-free system. The productivity of the fusion protein can be improved up to 1.2 mg/mL by employing a continuous-exchange cell-free system. Furthermore, the GFP moiety provides directly visible and quantitative monitoring of the polypeptide synthesis, and the product is soluble and stable. This work will be helpful in allowing the rapid and visible expression of other similar defensins using an in vitro cell-free system.     

过渡金属络合物成键本质分析的常用方法

过渡金属络合物中过渡金属与配体间所形成的化学键的成键本质,可以在理论化学基础上,采用定量的方法进行分析。本文重点以铁羰基络合物为例,对常用的分析方法,如自然键轨道方法(NBO)、电荷分解分析(CDA)、分子中的原子(AIM)拓扑分析方法以及ETS和EDA能量分解方法等,在应用中的优缺点进行了分析和评述。借助于这些方法提供的电荷、能量和电子密度等配分项可以深刻认识和理解过渡金属-配体间形成的化学键的成键本质。     

Synthesis of cationic guar gum-graft-polyacrylamide at low temperature and its flocculating properties

Acrylamide grafted cationic guar gum (CGG-g-PAM), induced by ceric ammonium sulfate, was synthesized using aqueous polymerization technique at 10 °C and the flocculation property was studied with high-turbidity tobacco wastewater (NTU > 4500). Thus five grades of graft copolymers were obtained through alteration of initiator and monomer concentrations in order to understand the effect of molecular weight on flocculation. The grafted copolymer was characterized by FTIR and SEM. Study of DTG demonstrated that CGG-g-PAM had better heat-resistant performance than guar gum, cationic guar gum (CGG) and polyacrylamide. The dosage of polyaluminium chloride (PAC) and CGG-g-PAM, pH value and molecular weight were considered to be the factors that can influence flocculation efficiency. The result showed best flocculation efficiency occurs at pH 5 when the dosage of CGG-g-PAM and PAC are 3.6 ppm and 120 ppm, respectively. The percentage of turbidity and COD removal are 98% and 24% correspondingly, and its flocculating efficiency prevails over that of CGG and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM).     

Elucidating Factors Manipulated the Formation of Multiply Charged Protein Homomultimeric Complexes by Electrospray Ionization

Native non‐covalently bonded protein‐protein and protein‐substrate complexes are of great interest and have been extensively studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS). Multiply charged protein homomultimeric complexes are shown to form by ESI‐MS. This study addresses factors that can artificially induce the formation of multiply charged protein homomultimeric complexes. Cytochrome c (Cyt c) and ubiquitin, which are monomers in solution, were found to generate (Cyt c)_mⁿ⁺ by electrospray ionization (ESI). The homomultimeric complexes were not limited to dimeric complexes but include also multiply charged trimers, tetramers, and pentamers. The observation of these homomultimeric complexes has never been revealed from a Cyt c solution at the concentration as low as 10 μM. Increasing the concentration of Cyt c enhanced the formation of (Cyt c)_mⁿ⁺ as expected; however, the protein concentration does not affect the relative intensities of monomeric and dimeric complexes. Additionally the enrichment of NH₄OH also promotes the formation of (Cyt c)_mⁿ⁺. Notably, source collision‐induced dissociations (source‐CID) of (Cyt c)_mⁿ⁺ alter the charge state distribution (CSD) and may lead to an incorrect interpretation of Cyt c conformations. Hence, extra care should be taken when using CSD to interpret the conformation of a protein derived from ESI‐MS.     

2-Deoxy-d-glucose Promotes Buforin IIb-Induced Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer DU145 Cells and Xenograft Tumors

Inhibition of the glycolytic pathway is a critical strategy in anticancer therapy because of the role of aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells. The glycolytic inhibitor 2-Deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) has shown potential in combination with other anticancer agents. Buforin IIb is an effective antimicrobial peptide (AMP) with broad-spectrum anticancer activity and selectivity. The efficacy of combination treatment with 2-DG and buforin IIb in prostate cancer remains unknown. Here, we tested the efficacy of buforin IIb as a mitochondria-targeting AMP in the androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell line DU145. Combining 2-DG with buforin IIb had a synergistic toxic effect on DU145 cells and mouse xenograft tumors. Combination treatment with 2-DG and buforin IIb caused stronger proliferation inhibition, greater G1 cell cycle arrest, and higher apoptosis than either treatment alone. Combination treatment dramatically decreased L-lactate production and intracellular ATP levels, indicating severe inhibition of glycolysis and ATP production. Flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy results indicate that 2-DG may increase buforin IIb uptake by DU145 cells, thereby increasing the mitochondria-targeting capacity of buforin IIb. This may partly explain the effect of combination treatment on enhancing buforin IIb-induced apoptosis. Consistently, 2-DG increased mitochondrial dysfunction and upregulated Bax/Bcl-2, promoting cytochrome c release to initiate procaspase 3 cleavage induced by buforin IIb. These results suggest that 2-DG sensitizes prostate cancer DU145 cells to buforin IIb. Moreover, combination treatment caused minimal hemolysis and cytotoxicity to normal WPMY-1 cells. Collectively, the current study demonstrates that dual targeting of glycolysis and mitochondria by 2-DG and buforin IIb may be an effective anticancer strategy for the treatment of some advanced prostate cancer.     

Novel 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives containing a hydrazide moiety: Design,synthesis and bioactive evaluation against phytopathogenic fungi in vitro and in vivo

A series of novel 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives bearing a hydrazide moiety were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their biological activities against phytopathogenic fungi. The antifungal bioassays indicated that the title compound 5b impressively displayed the obvious selectivity and specificity aganist Rhizoctonia solani (Rs) in vitro and in vivo. The above researches provide a significant reference for the further structural optimization of 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives bearing a hydrazide moiety as potential fungicides.     

Temperature-programmed desorption and adsorption of hydrogen on Mo2N

Hydrogen adsorption-desorption over Mo₂N has been studied using a temperature-programmed technique. It is revealed that hydrogen on Mo₂N exhibits very high mobility leading to migration of the surface hydrogen into the sublayer and bulk of the sample or the reverse. The surface hydrogen species are preferentially formed when adsorption is carried out below 573 K. On increasing the adsorption temperature to above 573 K, the quantity of hydrogen species located in the sublayer or/and bulk of the Mo₂N sample increases significantly.     

Anodic stripping voltammetric determination of bismuth(III) using a Tosflex-coated mercury film electrode

A Tosflex-mercury film electrode (TMFE) was prepared by spin-coating a solution of the perfluorinated anion exchange polymer Tosflex onto a glassy carbon electrode surface followed by electrodeposition of mercury film on this electrode. This electrode was used for the determination of trace bismuth(III) which was preconcentrated onto the TMFE as anionic bismuth(III) complexes with chloride in a chloride medium. The preconcentration was carried out at a potential of-0.2 V, and the preconcentration of the bismuth(III) was enhanced significantly by the anion-exchange feature of Tosflex. The accumulated bismuth(III) was then determined by anodic square-wave stripping voltammetry (SWSV). Various parameters influencing the determination of bismuth(III) were examined in detail. With 2 min accumulation, the analytical signal versus concentration dependence was linear up to 50 ppb, and the detection limit was 0.58 ppb. This modified electrode showed good resistance to the interferences from surface-active compounds and common ions.