Peptides-XXXXVI: Studies in the synthesis of an analogue of hen egg white lysozyme

The previously synthesised (1–37), (38–75), (76–93), (94–104), (105–117) and (118–129) fragments of the analogue were combined making extensive use of the DCCI/HONSu method. The final coupling involved the (1–75) and (76–129) sub-fragments. Aggregation of the latter fragment caused problems in purification by routine gel filtration methods employing Enzacryl K2 or Sephadex LH60. The fully protected (1–129) product was partially purified by washing, then deprotectcd and purified by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Satisfactory removal of the acetamidomethyl group used for cysteine protection could not be achieved.     

Bayesian analysis and inference from QSAR predictive model results

QSAR models have been under development for decades but acceptance and utilization of model results have been slow, in part, because there is no widely accepted metric for assessing their reliability. We reapply a method commonly used in quantitative epidemiology and medical decision-making for evaluating the results of screening tests to assess reliability of a QSAR model. It quantifies the accuracy (expressed as sensitivity and specificity) of QSAR models as conditional probabilities of correct and incorrect classification of chemical characteristic, given a true characteristic. Using Bayes formula, these conditional probabilities are combined with prior information to generate a posterior distribution to determine the probability a specific chemical has a particular characteristic, given a model prediction. As an example, we apply this approach to evaluate the predictive reliability of a CATABOL model and base on it a "ready" and "not ready" biodegradability classification. Finally, we show how predictive capability of the model can be improved by sequential use of two models, the first one with high sensitivity and the second with high specificity.     

Crystal structure of dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 potassium 2-nitrophenoxide

The first crystal structure of a potassium cation complex with dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 is reported. The potassium 2-nitrophenoxide complex ofsyn-cis-syn dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with cell constantsa=8.604(2),b=10.772(4),C=16.123(5)Å, =73.86(3)°,=77.61(3)°, =82.68(3)° andZ=2 forD _c =1.31 g cm^–3. Least-squares refinement based on 2742 observed reflections led to a final conventionalR value of 0.040. Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 has the shape of a saddle with the potassium cation sitting at the saddlepoint. The structure of the 2-nitrophenoxide anion is dominanted by the quinoid resonance contributor. Because the complex is devoid of significant intercomplex interactions, it is a prototypical 1:1:1 complex. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82043 (26 pages).Now Mrs. K. M. Balo.     

A computational study of the LiH dimer

A theoretical study of the properties of the linear LiH dimer was undertaken. In this dimer, an unusual type of hydrogen bonding (termed "inverse" hydrogen bonding by some authors), which involves the hydrogen bonded molecule acting as an electron donor (rather than as a proton donor), is exhibited. The optimized geometry, dipole moment, interaction energy, atomic charges, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and frequency shifts for the dimer are computed at the SCF, MP2, and QCISD levels of theory using mainly a 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. We also examined the relative stability of the mono-deuterated isotopomers of linear (LiH)(2), i.e., Li-H...Li-D and Li-D...Li-H. Analysis of the normal vibrational modes, changes in the partial atomic charges, and changes in the vibrational frequencies of LiH on complexation were used to gain insight into the bonding and properties of the linear LiH dimer and its isotopomers.     

Discovery of a new phosphotyrosine mimetic for PTP1B using breakaway tethering

Protein tyrosine phosphatases play important roles in many signaling cascades involved in human disease. The identification of druglike inhibitors for these targets is a major challenge, and the discovery of suitable phosphotyrosine (pY) mimetics remains one of the key difficulties. Here we describe an extension of tethering technology, "breakaway tethering", which is ideally suited for discovering such new chemical entities. The approach involves first irreversibly modifying a protein with an extender that contains both a masked thiol and a known pY mimetic. The extender is then cleaved to release the pY mimetic, unmasking the thiol. The resulting protein is screened against a library of disulfide-containing small molecule fragments; any molecules with inherent affinity for the pY binding site will preferentially form disulfides with the extender, allowing for their identification by mass spectrometry. The ability to start from a known substrate mimimizes perturbation of protein structure and increases the opportunity to probe the active site using tethering. We applied this approach to the anti-diabetic protein PTP1B to discover a pY mimetic which belongs to a new molecular class and which binds in a novel fashion.     

Sparsely substituted chlorins as core constructs in chlorophyll analogue chemistry. II. Derivatization

Stable chlorins bearing few or no substituents have been subjected to a variety of reactions including demetalation, magnesium insertion, oxochlorin formation, and bromination followed by Suzuki coupling. The kinetics of deuteration also have been determined for two oxochlorins and a series of chlorins bearing 0, 1, 2, or 3 meso-aryl substituents.     

Shake-up satellites in Hel photoelectron spectra: N2O4 and CH3O

Low-lying vacant molecular orbitals may lead not only to a breakdown of Koopmans' theorem but also to satellite structure in photoelectron spectra. This paper reports examples of the relatively infrequent appearance of shake-up satellites in Hel photoelectron spectra, namely those of N₂O₄ and CH₃NO. An extended version of the HAM/3 program was used to interpret these spectra.     

The photoelectron spectrum of HCP and comments on the first photoelectron band of HCN

The photoelectron spectrum of HCP has been obtained, Ionization potentials are found at 10.79 ± 0.01 eV (X² Π) and 12.86 ± 0.01 eV (A ² Σ). By comparison with HCP, a new interpretation of the first photoelectron band of HCN has been proposed which involves a Renner-Teller interaction in the Σ⁺ vibronic states of the molecular ion.     

Sparsely substituted chlorins as core constructs in chlorophyll analogue chemistry. I. Synthesis

Five routes to stable chlorins bearing 0 or 1 meso substituents have been investigated, among which reaction of a 9-bromo-1-formyldipyrromethane and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1,3,3-trimethyldipyrrin proved most effective. Application of this route afforded metallochlorins [Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pd(II)] including the chlorin lacking any β-pyrrole and meso substituents.     

Determination of the curcuminoid pigments in turmeric (Curcuma domestica Val) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A rapid, simple and reproducible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the quantitative determination of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin in ethanolic extracts of turmeric. The pigments were separated on a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer column (Hamilton PRP-1), using an acetonitrile-water (5545, v/v) mobile phase. The pigments were monitored with a diode-array detector at 425 nm. The limit of detection was 10.2 ng curcumin, 11.1 ng demethoxycurcumin and 6.2 ng bis-demethoxycurcumin. Comparison of HPLC and spectrophotometric results for the determination of the total curcuminoid content for a number of turmeric samples, reveal that the spectrophotometric method invariably yielded higher results, indicating an overestimation of curcuminoids.