Structure Elucidation and Activity of Kolossin A,the D‐/L‐Pentadecapeptide Product of a Giant Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase

The largest continuous bacterial nonribosomal peptide synthetase discovered so far is described. It consists of 15 consecutive modules arising from an uninterrupted, fully functional gene in the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. The identification of its cryptic biosynthesis product was achieved by using a combination of genome analysis, promoter exchange, isotopic labeling experiments, and total synthesis of a focused collection of peptide candidates. Although it belongs to the growing class of D ‐/ L ‐peptide natural products, the encoded metabolite kolossin A was found to be largely devoid of antibiotic activity and is likely involved in interspecies communication. A stereoisomer of this peculiar natural product displayed high activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, a recalcitrant parasite that causes the deadly disease African sleeping sickness.     

ESI‐MS/MS of expanded porphyrins: a look into their structure and aromaticity

Electrospray mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry was used to investigate the gas‐phase properties of protonated expanded porphyrins, in order to correlate those with their structure and conformation. We have selected five expanded meso‐pentafluorophenyl porphyrins, respectively, a pair of oxidized/reduced fused pentaphyrins (22 and 24 π electrons), a pair of oxidized/reduced regular hexaphyrins (26 and 28 π electrons) and a regular doubly N‐fused hexaphyrin (28 π electrons). The gas‐phase behavior of the protonated species of oxidized and reduced expanded porphyrins is different. The oxidized species (aromatic Hückel systems) fragment more extensively, mainly by the loss of two HF molecules. The reduced species (Möbius aromatic or Möbius‐like aromatic systems) fragment less than their oxidized counterparts because of their increased flexibility. The protonated regular doubly fused hexaphyrin (non‐aromatic Hückel system) shows the least fragmentation even at higher collision energies. In general, cyclization through losses of HF molecules decreases from the aromatic Hückel systems to Möbius aromatic or Möbius‐like aromatic systems to non‐aromatic Hückel systems and is related to an increase in conformational distortion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid-state NMR studies of some tin(II) compounds

High-resolution NMR spectra of [Formula: see text] nuclei, particularly (119)Sn and (31)P, in solid tin(II) phosphite, SnHPO(3), and tin(II) phosphate, SnHPO(4), are presented. The results are discussed in relation to the crystal structures. Spinning sideband analysis has been carried out for both nuclei, giving information on the shielding tensors. Satellite peaks allow the indirect Sn,Sn coupling constants to be determined. Surprisingly large values of 2600+/-200Hz and 4150+/-200Hz are reported for SnHPO(3) and SnHPO(4) respectively. The satellite peaks were investigated by using a single Hahn echo for each refocusing time, which showed that the observed splittings result from (119)Sn, (117)Sn coupling. For SnHPO(3), the calculated relative intensities of the satellites for six intra-layer coupling interactions are in agreement with the experiment values, but for SnHPO(4) the coupling appears to be inter-layer in nature. Tin-119 (and in one case phosphorus-31) shielding tensor data derived from MAS NMR are also reported for four other crystalline tin(II) compounds, namely tin diphosphate, tin oxalate, tin sulphate and calcium tin ethylenediamine tetraacetate.     

In vitro EVALUATION OF PHOTOTOXIC PROPERTIES OF FOUR STRUCTURALLY RELATED BENZOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVES

Four structural analogs of benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) have been studied and compared for photosensitizing activity in vitro. All analogs have an identical reduced tetrapyrrol porphyrin ring, and differ by the position of a cyclohexadiene ring (fused at either ring A or ring B of the porphyrin) and the presence of either two acid groups or one acid and one ester group at rings C and D of the porphyrin. Photosensitizer activity was tested with the M1 tumor cell line using an assay (the MTT assay) which detects mitochondrial hydrogenases as a measure of cell viability. This assay was shown to be equivalent to the standard clonogenicity or [3H]thymidine uptake assay. Comparative studies with the BPD analogs showed that the monoacid derivatives had equivalent cytotoxicity and were about five-fold more active than the diacid forms. This was the case whether the assays were performed in the presence or absence of fetal calf serum.