Chemically-assisted fragmentation combined with multi-dimensional liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization post source decay, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of flight or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry for improved sequencing of tryptic peptides

Derivatization of tryptic peptides using an Ettan CAF matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) sequencing kit in combination with MALDI-post source decay (PSD) is a fast, accurate and convenient way to obtain de novo or confirmative peptide sequencing data. CAF (chemically assisted fragmentation) is based on solid-phase derivatization using a new class of water stable sulfonation agents, which strongly improves PSD analysis and simplifies the interpretation of acquired spectra. The derivatization is performed on solid supports, ZipTip(microC18, limiting the maximum peptide amount to 5 microg. By performing the derivatization in solution enabled the labeling of tryptic peptides derived from 100 microg of protein. To increase the number of peptides that could be sequenced, derivatized peptides were purified using multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) prior to MALDI sequencing. Following the first dimension strong cation exchange (SCX) chromatography step, modified peptides were separated using reversed-phase chromatography (RPC). During the SCX clean up step, positively charged peptides are retained on the column while properly CAF-derivatized peptides (uncharged) are not. A moderately complex tryptic digest, prepared from six different proteins of equimolar amounts, was CAF-derivatized and purified by MDLC. Fractions from the second dimension nano RPC step were automatically sampled and on-line dispensed to MALDI sample plates and analyzed using MALDI mass spectrometry fragmentation techniques. All proteins in the derivatized protein mixture digest were readily identified using MALDI-PSD or MALDI tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). More than 40 peptides were unambiguously sequenced, representing a seven-fold increase in the number of sequenced peptides in comparison to when the CAF-derivatized protein mix digest was analyzed directly (no MDLC-separation) using MALDI-PSD. In conclusion, MDLC purification of CAF-derivatized peptides significantly increases the success rate for de novo and confirmative sequencing using various MALDI fragmentation techniques. This new approach is not only applicable to single protein digests but also to more complex digests and could, thus, be an alternative to electrospray ionization MS/MS for peptide sequencing.     

种植沙生植物--沙棘改善内蒙古地区生态环境

结合内蒙古地区现状，对沙棘的生物学和生态学特性、沙棘属植物化学成分和微量元素及种植沙生植物——沙棘的重要性和必要性进行了详细的研究和探讨。研究表明，沙棘属植物具有极强的生态适应性并富含多种营养成分和生物活性物质，并以耐干旱、耐瘠薄、萌蘖及固氮能力强等特点被称为治理非宜林地水土流失、改善生态环境的先锋树种。种植沙棘是治理内蒙古脆弱生态环境最经济、最有效的措施，是贫瘠的不毛之地发展经济、增加收入的经济树种。另外．种植沙棘的技术简便，容易掌握，投资少，见效快。     

内蒙古地区天然植物沙棘果中黄色素的提取工艺及性质研究

以内蒙古地区沙棘果实为原料，研究了提取黄色素的工艺条件，同时对该色素的性质进行了初步探讨。结果表明，以95％的乙醇溶液作浸提剂，提取的黄色素浓度最高，工艺流程简单易行，且无毒，无污染。对提取的黄色素进行的性质试验表明，沙棘黄色素对光、热具有较好的稳定性，适用于酸性或弱碱性的食品中，葡萄糖、氧化剂(H2O2)、还原剂(Na2SO3)等食品添加剂均无明显影响以上结果为这种优良天然色素的开发与应用提供了参考。     

Solid-Phase Synthesis of a Monofunctional trans-a(2)Pt(II) Complex Tethered to a Single-Stranded Oligonucleotide

Cross-linking ability is possible with the oligonucleotide-tethered, monofunctional trans-Pt(II) complex shown. It was synthesized by a novel solid-phase approach comprising conjugation of immobilized tetrathymidylic acid with a trans-a(2)Pt(II) building unit, ammonolysis, and transformation of the resulting complex (R=1-N-cyclohexylmethylthyminate) into the chloro derivative (R=Cl). a=NH(2)CH(3), T=thymine.     

3D ultrasound reconstruction algorithms from analog and digital data

Freehand 3D ultrasound is increasingly being introduced in the clinic for diagnostics and image-assisted interventions. Various algorithms exist for combining 2D images of regular ultrasound probes to 3D volumes, being either voxel-, pixel- or function-based. Previously, the most commonly used input to 3D ultrasound reconstruction has been digitized analog video. However, recent scanners that offer access to digital image frames exist, either as processed or unprocessed data. To our knowledge, no comparison has been performed to determine which data source gives the best reconstruction quality. In the present study we compared both reconstruction algorithms and data sources using novel comparison methods for detecting potential differences in image quality of the reconstructed volumes. The ultrasound scanner used in this study was the Sonix RP from Ultrasonix Medical Corp (Richmond, Canada), a scanner that allow third party access to unprocessed and processed digital data. The ultrasound probe used was the L14-5/38 linear probe. The assessment is based on a number of image criteria: detectability of wire targets, spatial resolution, detectability of small barely visible structures, subjective tissue image quality, and volume geometry. In addition we have also performed the more “traditional” comparison of reconstructed volumes by removing a percentage of the input data. By using these evaluation methods and data from the specific scanner, the results showed that the processed video performed better than the digital scan-line data, digital video being better than analog video. Furthermore, the results showed that the choice of video source was more important than the choice of tested reconstruction algorithms.     

Toward modeling H-NOX domains: a DFT study of heme-NO complexes as hydrogen bond acceptors

Density functional theory calculations (PW91/STO-TZP, including basis-set superposition error corrections) have been used to evaluate hydrogen bond energies of five- and six-coordinate heme-NO complexes with phenol and imidazole, chosen as models for distal pocket tyrosine and histidine residues. The calculated interaction energies are approximately 2 kcal/mol for phenol and 3-4 kcal/mol for imidazole, which are 2-4 times smaller than the energies calculated for heme-O(2) complexes hydrogen-bonding with a distal histidine. Interestingly, the hydrogen bond energies are found to be very similar for five- and six-coordinate heme-NO complexes, which may be viewed as contrary to the interpretation of a recent observation on a bacterial H-NOX (Heme-Nitric oxide/OXygen-binding) protein with sequence homology to mammalian-soluble guanylate cyclase.