A highly active fungal β-glucosidase

A highly active thermostable β-glucosidase was purified to homogeneity from a strain ofTrichoderma sp. The enzyme was an extracellular glycoprotein and showed hydrolytic activity toward several β-glucosides. Cellobiose was found to be the substrate of choice for this enzyme. This finding could suggest future technological applications of the purified protein.     

Synthesis of new purine,pteridine, and other pyrimidine derivatives

The reaction of malononitrile dimer with phenyl isothiocyanate gave (6-amino-1-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-4-ylidene)malononitrile which was then used as starting material in the synthesis of pharmacologically important fused pyrimidine derivatives, such as 4-dicyanomethylidene-1,5-diphenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine, 6-cyano-4-dicyanomethylidene-7-methylsulfanyl-5-oxo-1-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4,5,8-hexahydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine, 6-dicyanomethylidene-3-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-9H-purine, and 6-substituted 4-dicyanomethylidene-7-oxo-1-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4,7,8-hexahydropteridines. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 443–449. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Acidity of a Cu-bound histidine in the binuclear center of cytochrome C oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is a crucial enzyme in the respiratory chain. Its function is to couple the reduction of molecular oxygen, which takes place in the Fea3-CuB binuclear center, to proton translocation across the mitochondrial membrane. Although several high-resolution structures of the enzyme are known, the molecular basis of proton pumping activation and its mechanism remain to be elucidated. We examine a recently proposed scheme (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 1858; FEBS Lett. 2004, 566, 126) that involves the deprotonation of the CuB-bound imidazole ring of a histidine (H291 in mammalian CcO) as a key element in the proton pumping mechanism. The central feature of that proposed mechanism is that the pKa values of the imidazole vary significantly depending on the redox state of the metals in the binuclear center. We use density functional theory in combination with continuum electrostatics to calculate the pKa values, successively in bulk water and within the protein, of the Cu-bound imidazole in various Cu- and Cu-Fe complexes. From pKas in bulk water, we derived a value of -266.34 kcal.mol(-1) for the proton solvation free energy (Delta). This estimate is in close agreement with the experimental value of -264.61 kcal.mol(-1) (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 7314), which reinforces the conclusion that Delta is more negative than previous values used for pKa calculations. Our approach, on the basis of the study of increasingly more detailed models of the CcO binuclear center at different stages of the catalysis, allows us to examine successively the effect of each of the two metals' redox states and of solvation on the acidity of imidazole, whose pKa is approximately 14 in bulk water. This analysis leads to the following conclusions: first, the effect of Cu ligation on the imidazole acidity is negligible regardless of the redox state of the metal. Second, results obtained for Cu-Fe complexes in bulk water indicate that Cu-bound imidazole pKa values lie within the range of 14.8-16.6 throughout binuclear redox states corresponding to the catalytic cycle, demonstrating that the effect of the Fe oxidation states is also negligible. Finally, the low-dielectric CcO proteic environment shifts the acid-base equilibrium toward a neutral imidazole, further increasing the corresponding pKa values. These results are inconsistent with the proposed role of the Cu-bound histidine as a key element in the pumping mechanism. Limitations of continuum solvation models in pKa calculations are discussed.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis study of the linkage existing between proton and zinc ion binding to bacitracin A1

Measurements by capillary electrophoresis (CE) of bacitracin A(1) effective mobility at different pH values permitted to estimate the five acidic dissociation constants and the Stokes radii at different protonation stages of the macrocyclic dodecapeptide. The pK(a) values were 3.6 and 4.4 for the two carboxylic groups of the lateral chains of D-Asp-11 and D-Glu-4, respectively, 6.4 for the aza-atom of the imidazole ring of His-10, 7.6 for the amino group of N-terminal Ile-1 and 9.7 for the delta-amino group of D-Orn-7, very close to the values obtained by other researchers by titration experiments. In agreement with a rigid macrocyclic structure the Stokes radii of different protonated forms ranged only between 14.3 and 14.8 A. Best fitting procedures performed on experimental mobility measured at two different pH values (5.50 and 6.72) in the presence of increasing Zn(+2) concentration allowed confirming the model that assumes the binding of Zn(+2) to P(0) peptide form with a 1.5 x 10(3) M(-1) intrinsic association constant. Following to Zn(+2) binding, the pK(a) of the amino group of N-terminal Ile-1 is shifted from 7.6 to 5.9 and the Stokes radius is reduced of about 3 A. The mean charge of the bacitracin A(1)-Zn(+2) complex resulted +1.67 and +1.12 at pH 5.50 and 6.72, respectively. These results suggest that the amino group of N-terminal Ile-1 is not essential for Zn(+2) binding.     

Advances in 1,8-Naphthyridines Chemistry

This review reports a broad overview of the synthetic procedures of 1,8-naphthyridines, dibenzo[b,g][1,8]naphthyridine, dibenzo[c,f][1,8]naphthyridine, 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid, 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide, and 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carbohydrazide compounds and their reactions. The physical properties, spectral data, and biological importance of naphthyridines are discussed.     

Synthesis of Novel 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydrocarbazole Derivatives of Biological Interest

2-Cyano-N-(tetrahydrocarbazole)acetamide (1) was utilized for the synthesis of several new arylazocarbazole derivatives (2a–e). Compound (1) reacted with phenyl isothiocyanate to yield the corresponding non-isolable intermediate (3), which gave, upon treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid, thiocarbamoyl derivative (4). Compound (3) reacted with chloroacetone, chloroacetic acid, chloroacetyl chloride, ethyl bromoacetate, and phenacyl bromide to afford thiazolone derivatives (6), (8), and (10), respectively. Compound (1) was heated in the presence of pyridine and/or hydrazine hydrate and/or isatine to give the corresponding tetrahydrocarbazole derivatives (13), (14), and (18), respectively.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

Enamine Rearrangement of Pyridinium Salts to Indole Ring: A Combined Experimental and Molecular Modeling Study

N‐Alkyl pyridinium ( II ) and N‐alkyl isoquinolinium salts V undergo cyclization reaction when heated with sodium bicarbonate to give the corresponding indolizine derivatives III and VIa , VIb , VIc , VId , VIe , respectively, which undergo ring opening and recyclization reactions when heated with aqueous sodium hydroxide to give the corresponding indole derivatives IV and IXa , IXb , IXc , IXd , IXe , respectively. Molecular modeling tools including Molecular Mechanics using Augmented MM3 parameters followed by geometry optimization calculations in MO‐G using PM3 parameters were performed to gain better understanding and more insights on the thermodynamic properties of the recyclization reactions of compounds IIa , IIb , IIc , IId , IIe , IIf , IIg to the corresponding IIIa , IIIb , IIIc , IIId , IIIe , IIIf , IIIg and IIIa , IIIb , IIIc , IIId , IIIe , IIIf , IIIg to the corresponding IVa , IVb , IVc , IVd , IVe , IVf , IVg . The results were in excellent agreement with the experimental data and hence were proven to be a good tool in explaining different yields % because of the steric and electronic effects of electron‐withdrawing groups on the reactivity of the pyridine ring for nucleophilic attack.     

Synthesis of Some New 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydropyrimidine‐2‐thione and Their Thiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidine,Thiazino and Benzothiazepine Derivatives

The starting N‐(2‐pyridyl)‐6‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐2‐thioxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydropyrimidine‐5‐carboxamide ( 4 ) was used as a key intermediate for the synthesis of new 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydropyrimidine‐2‐thione and their thiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidine, thiazino and benzothiazipen derivatives. The reaction of 4 with haloketones in ethanol catalyzed by base afforded the corresponding thiophenopyrimidine and pyrimidothiazipine derivatives 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 . Methylation and formylation of 4 led to the pyrimidine derivatives 15 and 16 , respectively. The preventative compounds were established on the basis of elemental and spectral data.     

Recent Progress in the Chemistry of 2-Tosylacetonitrile

This review is a broad overview of the chemistry of 2-tosylacetonitrile, which considered as a very reactive synthetic compound. The synthetic methods are reported. The reactions of the title compound lead to the preparation of a variety of heterocyclic ring systems, such as five- and six-membered ring systems containing one, two, or three heteroatoms. The reaction mechanisms are discussed.