Combined Chemical and Enzymatic Synthesis of a Disialylated Tetrasaccharide Analogous to M and N Bloodgroup Determinants of Glycophorin a

Abstract

Reaction of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-galactopyraaosyl bromide (1) with phenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4,6-O-(4-methoxy-benzylidene)-α-D-galactopyranoside (3) mediated by mercuric salts, followed by removal of the 4-methoxybenzylidene group and O-deacylation afforded phenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-p-D-galactopyranosyl-α-D-galactopyranoside (6). Compound 6 was used as a substrate for the selective introduction of two neuraminic acid residues with partially purified sialyltrans-ferase preparations. First, disaccharide 6 was treated with CMP-[¹⁴c]-NeuAc as donor substrate and CMP-NeuAc: Gal-p(l-3)-GalNac-a(2-3)sialyltransferase from human placenta to afford trisaccharide 7 (yield 85X), sialylated at C-3 of the galactose residue. Treatment of 7 with CMP-[³H]-NeuAc and a micro-somal fraction from regenerating rat liver, containing the CMP-NeuAc: NeuAc-a(2-3)-Gal-p(l-3)GalNAc-α(2-6) sialyltrans-ferase activity, gave the disialylated tetrasaccharide 8 in 10X yield.     

HPLC Analysis of Amino Acids with Ion Exchange Chromatography and O-Phthalaldehyde Post-Column Derivatization: Applications to the Assay of Endogenous Free Amino Acids and Their Transport in Human Placental Villus

Abstract

A method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis of primary amino acids in human placenta is described. This method involves separation of primary amino acids by high performance ion-exchange chromatography followed by post column derivatization using O-phlthalaldehyde (OPA) and 2-mercaptoethanol and fluorescence (excitation 340 nm and emission 410 nm) detection of derivatives. Waters 840 HPLC Amino Acid System was used for this purpose.

For analysis, villus tissue was extracted with acetonitrile, and the recovered amino acids were reconstituted in a sodium diluent (pH 2.2). The complete profile of the primary amino acids in the sample could be constructed in about 90 minutes. Up to 44 samples can be analyzed without special attention. Using this method, essential amino acids (threonine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine) and nonessential amino acids (aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, arginine) were detected and quantified in human placental villus in pmol quantities. Plots of peak heights (or areas) were linear for several amino acids. The same method was also used for (a) the assay of free primary amino acids in umbilical bloods, (b) the efflux of amino acids from isolated human placental villus, and (c) to study the uptake of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), a non-metabolizable amino acid, by the isolated placental villus.     

MS Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Botrytis cinerea Protease Prot-2. Use in Bioactive Peptides Production

Prot-2 protease previously purified to homogeneity from Botrytis cinerea showed potentiality to be used in detergency and for production of bioactive peptides. To extend the characterization of Prot-2 protease, antifungal and antibacterial assays were performed in vitro using protein hydrolysates prepared from muscle of mackerel (Scomber scomborus) treated with this enzyme. The most active hydrolysate (degree of hydrolysis of 8 %) exhibited inhibition effect towards bacteria and phytopathogenic fungi, demonstrating that Prot-2 proteolysis generated bioactive peptides. Biochemical and molecular characterization of the purified Prot-2, by SDS-PAGE/Tryptic in gel-digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis, was investigated. The peptide amino acid sequence alignment search in database revealed a moderate homology between the determined amino acid sequence of Prot-2 protease and the known fungal trypsin/chymotrypsin in particular from Glomerella, Metarhizium and Streptomyces. From peptide sequence data obtained by mass spectrometry and sequences homologies, primers were defined and a cDNA fragment of 786 bp was amplified by RT-PCR. The cDNA nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame coding for 262 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Prot-2 showed moderate identity with trypsin of Glomerella graminicola (74 %) and with chymotrypsin from Metarhizium anisopliae (71 %). Prot-2 exhibited a Ser protease homology and showed in addition the specific His motif of trypsin/chymotrypsin family.     

Distribution of 131I-labeled recombinant human erythropoietin in maternal and fetal organs following intravenous administration in pregnant rats

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the possible transplacental transmission of ¹³¹I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin (¹³¹I-rh-EPO) in pregnant rats and its distribution through maternal and fetal organs. Six Wistar Albino Rats in their pregnancy of 18 days were used ¹³¹I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin (specific activity = 2.4 μCi/IU) was injected into the tail vein of rats. After 30 minutes labeled erythropoietin infusion maternal stomach, kidney, lung, liver, brain and heart as well as fetus were removed. Then, the same organs were removed from each fetus. Measuring weight of maternal and fetal organs as well as placenta were followed by radioactivity count via Cd(Te) detector. ¹³¹I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin was found to be able to pass rat placenta and its distribution order in fetal organs was similar to those of maternal organs. Besides, as measurements were performed closer to cornu uteri, uptakes were decreasing in every fetus and its corresponding placenta.     

Nano silver particles catalyzed synthesis,molecular docking and bioactivity of α-thiazolyl aminomethylene bisphosphonates

Abstract

A new series of α-thiazolyl aminomethylene bisphosphonates were synthesized by a three component reaction of 4-aryl substituted thiazol-2-amine with different dialkyl/aryl phosphites and triethyl orthoformate in the presence of Ag NPs (nano particles) as a catalyst under solvent free conditions. All the synthesized target compounds were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P, mass and elemental analysis. The target compounds were screened for their in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity. Molecular docking studies were also performed. The results revealed that among the synthesized compounds tetramethyl(((4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazol-2-yl)amino) methylene)bis(phosphonate) (5d), tetramethyl(((4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)amino) methylene) bis(phosphonate) (5h), and tetramethyl(((4-(4-bromophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)amino)methylene) bis (phosphonate) (5j) showed remarkably higher antioxidant activity by DPPH and H₂O₂ than the standard ascorbic acid. Compounds tetramethyl(((4-phenyl thiazol-2-yl)amino) methylene) bis(phosphonate) (5a), 5d, 5h and tetraethyl(((4-(4-bromophenyl)thiazol-2-yl) amino)methylene)bis (phosphonate) (5k) showed good antibacterial activity. 5a, 5d, and 5h also showed rather higher antifungal activity than the standard flucanozole. Computational docking methods have been used to predict how several aminomethylene bisphosphonate derivatives compete against the inhibitor BPH-1330 at the crystal enzyme structure of the 4H3A protein active site and how R and R₁ influence their binding ability.     

A Novel Porcine Gene-<Emphasis Type="Italic">erlin2</Emphasis>, Differentially Expressed in the Liver Tissues from Meishan and Large White Pigs

The messenger RNA differential display technique was performed to investigate the differences of gene expression in the liver tissues from Meishan and Large White pigs. A fragment of one differentially expressed gene was isolated and sequenced. A complete complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence was obtained using the rapid amplification of cDNA end method. Nucleotide sequence of the gene is not homologous to any of the known porcine genes. The sequence prediction analysis revealed that the open reading frame of this gene encodes a protein of 339 amino acids which have high homology with those of the ER lipid-raft-associated 2 isoform 2 (ERLIN2) of eight species—human (97%), rhesus monkey (97%), rat (96%), horse (97%), cattle (97%), mouse (97%), dog (95%), and red jungle fowl (90%)—so that it can be defined as the swine erlin2 gene. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the swine erlin2 gene has a closer genetic relationship with the erlin2 genes of human and rhesus monkey. The tissue expression profile analysis indicated that the swine erlin2 gene is differentially expressed in detected tissues from Meishan and Large White pigs. Our experiment suggested that the swine erlin2 gene might play an important role in the superabundant fat deposition of Chinese pigs.     

The use of Phosphorescence in Characterizing Components of the Cell Nucleus

Abstract

Phosphorescence spectra were used in the identification and in the evaluation of relative homogeneity of some chromatin components of rat liver nuclei. In particular, histone proteins were distinguished from nonhistone proteins by their respective aromatic amino acid composition.     

Molecular cloning, expression and sequence analysis of DNA polymerase I from an Iranian thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus sp. G (2006)

Thermostable DNA polymerases are widely used in DNA amplification reactions such as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), requiring the activity of the enzymes at high temperatures. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential biotechnological capabilities of Iranian thermostable DNA polymerases. To this end, we cloned the gene encoding a DNA polymerase from a novel thermophilic eubacterium, Bacillus sp. G (2006). Phylogentic analysis of this gene revealed that the new isolate belongs to the genera Bacillus. Sequence analysis of the fragment produced by degenerate primers also showed that it consists of 2,631 bp encoding an 876 amino acid protein, and subsequent amino acid sequence analysis of this DNA polymerase showed that it belongs to family A-type DNA polymerases. The expression vector pET28a (+) was chosen for expression of the gene fragment in the mesophilic host bacterium E. coli BL21. This expression vector has some advantages such as attachment of a Poly-His tag to the N-terminus of the protein for the ease of purification and a powerful promoter of lac-Z induced by IPTG. The band corresponding to the protein product was observed in the molecular weight range of about 100KDa on the SDS-PAGE gel after heat and Ni⁺²-NTA column chromatography. Using the dot blot technique, the polymerase activity of the enzyme was qualitatively confirmed at 70 °C. Therefore, it is suggested that optimizations of this activity could make this enzyme appropriate for PCR processes in future.     

Explanation of Ionic Sequences in Various Phenomena. III. Salting-in and -out of Amino Acids

Abstract

Previous developed theories were applied in explaining the mechanism for the salting-in and -out of various amino acids. Glycine is salted-in according to the cationic sequences Li⁺ > Na⁺ > K⁺ > Rb⁺ and Ca²⁺ > Ba²⁺ > Sr²⁺. The ability of a cation to increase the solubility of an amino acid therefore corresponds to the destruction of the ion-ion bond between the - CO-₂and the -NH_{+ 2}group of the amino acid by forming an insoluble ion-ion bond between the added cation and the - CO?² group. This insolubilizing effect produces a positive charge on the amino acid. If, however, the anion of the added salt forms a relatively insoluble ion-ion bond with the -NH₊₂ group of the amino acid, then the effect is minimized because now both charges on the amino acid are reduced. Consequently, the more insoluble the cation amino acid salt and the more soluble the anion amino acid salt (or vice versa), the greater will be the salting-in effect. Titration of either charged group on the amino acid zwitterion has the same effect, since now the ion-ion bond of the amino acid is again destroyed. Aliphatic and carboxylic acid groups also effect the salting-in sequence, since these groups are salted-out by addition of salt when D^± < D_H2o. These mechanisms explain how leucine is first salted-out, then salted-in (at 4 M) and finally salted-out again (at 9 M) in LiCl solutions. Urea salts-in hydrophobic amino acids by increasing the dielectric constant and salts-out polar amino acids by increasing the interaction between the two charge groups on the amino acid. Glycine reverses the salting-in effect of NaCl on asparagine by competing for the Na⁺ ion.     

Purification and biochemical characterisation of acid phosphatase-I from seeds of Nelumbo nucifera

Acid phosphatase-I (Apase-I) from seeds of Nelumbo nucifera was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, size-exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. SDS-PAGE of purified Apase-I gave a single band with molecular mass of 80 kDa under reducing and non-reducing conditions, indicating that the enzyme was a monomer. The purified enzyme showed maximum activity at 50°C and at pH 5. The Km, Vmax and Kcat for p-nitrophenyl phosphate were 132 μM, 10 μmol/min/mg and 6.7/sec respectively. Apase-I activity was strongly inhibited by Zn²⁺, W²⁺; weakly inhibited by Cu²⁺, Mo²⁺ and Cr⁶⁺ and moderately activated by Mg²⁺. The enzyme was shown to be thermolabile as it lost 50% of its activity at 50°C after incubation for 1 hour. The amino acid analysis of enzyme revealed high proportion of acidic amino acids, which is very similar to that of tomato Apase-I and lower than potato Apase.     

Identification of the Biotransformation Products of 2-Ethylhexyl 4-(N,N-Dimethylamino)benzoate

Nowadays, 2-ethylhexyl 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)benzoate (EDP) is one of the most widely used UV filters in sunscreen cosmetics and other cosmetic products. However, undesirable processes such as percutaneous absorption and biological activity have been attributed to this compound. The in vitro metabolism of EDP was elucidated in the present work. First of all, the phase I biotransformation was studied in rat liver microsomes and two metabolites, N,N-dimethyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (DMP) and N-monomethyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (MMP), were identified by GC-MS analysis. Secondly, the phase II metabolism was investigated by means of LC-MS. The investigated reactions were acetylation and glucuronidation working with rat liver cytosol and with both human and rat liver microsomes, respectively. Analogue studies with p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) were carried out in order to compare the well established metabolic pathway of PABA with the unknown biotransformation of EDP. In addition, a method for the determination of EDP and its two phase I metabolites in human urine was developed. The methodology requires a solid-phase extraction prior to LC-MS analysis. The method is based on standard addition quantification and has been fully validated. The repeatability of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was in the range 3.4–7.4% and the limit of detection for all quantified analytes was in the low ng mL^?1 range.     

A New Aminopeptidase from the Keratin-Degrading Strain Streptomyces fradiae var. k11

An aminopeptidase gene fragment was isolated from a keratin-degrading strain, Streptomyces fradiae var. k11, by PCR amplification using a degenerate primer set designed based on the partial amino acid sequence of the native enzyme. The gene, designated sfap, encoded a polypeptide of 461 amino acids comprised of three domains: a signal peptide, a mature region, and a C-terminal propeptide. The aminopeptidase, SFAP, had highest amino acid sequence identity (79%) with a putative aminopeptidase from Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus NBRC 13350. The gene with and without C-terminal propeptide was successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and the gene without C-terminal propeptide encoded a functional enzyme. Purified recombinant SFAP exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.0 and 60 °C, and retained >60% peak activity over a broad range of temperature. The enzyme was thermal and pH stable, and showed metalloprotease characteristics, which was inhibited by EDTA but activated by Ca²⁺ and Co²⁺. This is the first study to report the gene cloning and expression of a leucine aminopeptidase from S. fradiae.     

High-resolution MALDI imaging mass spectrometry allows localization of peptide distributions at cellular length scales in pituitary tissue sections

Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has been used to determine peptide distributions directly from rat, mouse and human pituitary tissue sections. Since these organs are small (10²–10³ μm) the spatial resolution of IMS is a key issue in molecular imaging of pituitary tissue sections. Here we show that high-resolution IMS allows localization of neuropeptide distributions within different cell clusters of a single organ of a pituitary tissue section. The sample preparation protocol does not result in analyte redistribution and is therefore applicable to IMS experiments at cellular length scales. The stigmatic imaging mass spectrometer used in this study produces selected-ion-count images with pixel sizes of 500 nm and a resolving power of 4 μm, yielding superior spatial detail compared to images obtained in microprobe imaging experiments. Furthermore, we show that with imaging mass spectrometry a distinction can be made between different mammalian tissue sections based on differences in the amino acid sequence of neuropeptides with the same function. This example demonstrates the power of IMS for label-free molecular imaging at relevant biological length scales.     

Molecular recognition properties of acyclic cucurbiturils toward amino acids,peptides, and a protein

The binding of 1 and 2 toward 19 amino acid amides by ¹H NMR and ITC is reported. Hosts 1 and 2 bind to aromatic or hydrophobic residues by cavity inclusion leaving the cationic residues at the C=O portals. K_a values range from 10² to >10⁶ M^?1 with H-Phe-NH₂, H-Trp-NH₂, and H-Tyr-NH₂ displaying sub-micromolar K_d values. Hosts 1 and 2 bind tightly to dicationic H-Lys-NH₂ and H-Arg-NH₂ which are poor guests for CB[7]. Comparison of the affinity of 1 and 2 toward the amino acid amide, N-acetyl-amino-acid amide, and amino acid forms of Phe revealed that the removal of the NH₃⁺ to O=C and SO₃^? electrostatic interactions costs 3.8 kcal/mol whereas the introduction of an unfavourable CO₂^? to O=C and SO₃^? electrostatic interactions costs 2.1 kcal/mol. Hosts 1 and 2 bind to insulin with low micromolar affinity. Acyclic CB[n] display high affinity toward a wider range of N-terminal amino acids residues than CB[n] which suggests a broad range of applications.     

Purification,Characterization and N‐terminal Sequence Analysis of Betel Leaf (Piper betle) Invertase

The present study is the first report describing the purification, enzymatic properties and N‐terminal amino acid sequence of a native invertase in betel leaf. The invertase was purified as a monomeric glycoprotein of molecular mass (Mr) 68 kDa. The enzyme was capable to attack β‐fructofuranoside linkages from the fructose end of sucrose, raffinose and stachyose indicating it as an authentic β‐D‐fructofuranosidase with high specificity for sucrose (Km 4.83 mM). The maximum activity was detected at pH 5.2 and 37 °C. Glucose and fructose showed typical inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity where as lectin was found to be effective activators of the enzyme. Significant inhibition by heavy metal ion Hg²⁺ and sulfhydryl group modifying agents suggesting that free sulfhydryl group containing amino acid, cysteine is necessary for the catalytic activity of the invertase. A BLAST search of the N‐terminal amino acid sequence of betel leaf invertase showed significant homology with the homologous invertases in database.     

Identification and characterization of a novel gene-encoded antioxidant peptide obtained from amphibian skin secretions

Abstract

Amphibian skin is known to secrete gene-encoded antioxidant peptides of small molecular weight, which play important roles in host defense. However, recognition of such peptides is still in its infancy. Here, we discovered a novel gene-encoded antioxidant peptide (named OM-GF17) from skin secretions of amphibian species, Odorrana margaretae. Produced by the post-translational processing of a 61-residue prepropeptide, the amino acid sequence of OM-GF17 was 'GFFKWHPRCGEEHSMWT', with a molecular mass of 2135.7?Da. Functional analysis revealed that OM-GF17 scavenged ABTS⁺, DPPH, NO and decreased iron oxidation. Our results also implied that five amino acid residues, including Cys, Pro, Met, Trp, and Phe, be related to the antioxidant activity of OM-GF17. Furthermore, OM-GF17 did not exhibit direct microbe-killing activity. This novel gene-encoded antioxidant peptide could help in the development of new antioxidant agents and increase our understanding of the biological functions of amphibian skin.      

糖基修饰的氨基酸类化合物的合成

通过对5种氨基酸酯化和氨基保护得到苄氧羰基氨基酸甲酯, 经肼解制备苄氧羰基氨基酸酰肼, 然后分别与3种不同的糖基异硫氰酸酯反应, 制备了相应的目标化合物15个, 且产率均在60%以上. 所有新化合物均经元素分析, IR, MS和¹H NMR确证. 同时探索了苄氧羰基氨基酸甲酯肼解的最佳反应条件.     

Determination of Abnormal Hemoglobins by the Combined use of Reversed-Phase high Performance Liquid Chromatography and Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Separation by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) of peptide mixtures obtained from tryptic digestion of abnormal human hemoglobins and subsequent analysis by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) of selected peptides allow unambiguous, rapid identification of the hemoglobin variants. By this method two varied hemoglobins, Hb D Punjab and Hb J Sardegna, have been determined. The methodology described, which is simple and reliable, could be used for the detection and structural identification of known and unknown Hb variants, without amino acid (a.a.) or sequence analysis.     

Cu-assisted two dimensional charge-mass double focusing gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis of histone variants

Abundant isoforms and dynamic posttranslational modifications cause the separation and identification of histone variants to be experimentally challenging. To meet this need, we employ two-dimensional electrophoretic gel separation followed by mass spectrometric detection which takes advantage of the chelation of Cu²⁺ with amino acid residues exposed on the surfaces of the histone proteins. Acid-extracted rat liver histones were first mixed with CuSO₄ solution and then separated in one dimension with triton–acid–urea (TAU) gel electrophoresis and in a second dimension using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The separations result from both the changes in charge and mass upon Cu²⁺ chelation. Identities of each separated gel bands were obtained by using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). It was found that the migration of H3 histone isoforms of rat liver is markedly affected by the use of Cu²⁺ ions.