Preparation of de novo globular proteins based on proline dendrimers

A synthetic method for the preparation of protein-like globular dendrimers derived from a combination of proline, glycine and imidazolidin ring as branching unit is described. The methodology allows the synthesis of novel peptide dendrimers up to fourth generation. Dendrimers were synthesized by a convergent solid-phase peptide synthesis approach. The conformational properties of branched polyproline peptides and proline dendrimers were studied by CD experiments. CD data suggest conformational plasticity of branched peptides for PPI and PPII, and a stable well-defined secondary structure of proline dendrimers for PPII.     

Stereoelectronic tuning of the structure and stability of the trp cage miniprotein

Proline residues are critical structural elements in proteins, defining turns, loops, secondary structure boundaries, and polyproline helices. Control of proline conformation therefore may be used to define protein structure and stability. 4-Substituted proline derivatives may be used to control proline ring pucker, which correlates with protein main chain conformation. To examine the use of proline conformational restriction to tune globular protein stability, a series of peptides derived from the trp cage miniprotein was synthesized. Proline at residue 12 of the trp cage miniprotein, which adopts a Cgamma-exo ring pucker in the NMR structure, was replaced with 4-substituted proline derivatives, including 4R derivatives favoring a Cgamma-exo ring pucker and 4S derivatives favoring a Cgamma-endo ring pucker. Eight trp cage peptides were synthesized, five of which included residues that are not commercially available, without requiring any solution phase chemistry. Analysis of the trp cage peptides by circular dichroism and NMR indicated that the structure and stability of the trp cage miniprotein was controllable based on the conformational bias of the proline derivative. Replacement of Pro12 with 4S-substituted proline derivatives that favor the Cgamma-endo ring pucker destabilized the trp cage, while replacement of Pro12 with 4R-substituted proline derivatives that favor a Cgamma-exo ring pucker resulted in increased alpha-helicity and thermal stability of the trp cage. The most stable trp cage derivatives contained benzoates of 4R-hydroxyproline, which also exhibited the most pronounced stereoelectronic effects in TYProxN model peptides. Overall, the stability of the trp cage was tunable by over 50 degrees C depending on the identity of the proline side chain at residue 12.     

Evaluation of potential cationic probes for the detection of proline and betaine

Osmoregulants are the substances that help plants to tolerate environmental extremes such as salinity and drought. Proline and betaine are two of the most commonly studied osmoregulants. An indirect UV CE method has been developed for simultaneous determination of these osmoregulants. A variety of reported probes and compounds were examined as potential probes for the indirect detection of proline and betaine. Mobility and UV‐absorption properties highlighted sulfanilamide as a potential probe for indirect analysis of proline and betaine. Using 5 mM sulfanilamide at pH 2.2 with UV detection at 254 nm, proline and betaine were separated in less than 15 min. The LODs for proline and betaine were 11.6 and 28.3 μM, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to quantification of these two osmoregulants in spinach and beetroot samples.     

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for simultaneous analyses of iminodipeptides containing an N-terminal or a C-terminal proline

Simultaneous analyses of synthetic iminodipeptides containing an N-terminal proline or a C-terminal proline have been demonstrated using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with an atmospheric pressure ionization interface system. The separation of iminodipeptides was carried out on a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic column using 0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid-methanol (75:25, v/v, pH 2.0) as mobile phase. Very intense protonated molecular ions [M + H]+ of various synthetic iminodipeptides, Pro-Gly, Gly-Pro, Pro-Ala, Ala-Pro, Pro-Val, Val-Pro, Pro-Leu and Leu-Pro, were observed. Pro-Gly (Pro-X) and Gly-Pro (X-Pro) have the same protonated molecular ion (m/z 173), but the peaks of these compounds on the mass chromatograms were clearly distinguished by the differences of the retention times and mass spectra. The synthetic iminodipeptides containing an N-terminal proline added to urine samples from a patient with prolidase deficiency were also distinguished from iminodipeptides containing a C-terminal proline in urine samples from a patient with prolidase deficiency by scanning the [M + H]+ ion of each iminodipeptide. We established the method to measure simultaneously the various iminodipeptides containing an N-terminal or a C-terminal proline in biological samples.     

对甲氧基苯磺酰氯柱前衍生测定尿中游离羟脯氨酸与脯氨酸

以对甲氧基苯磺酰氯为衍生试剂,建立了分离测定人尿中游离羟脯氨酸和脯氨酸的高效液相色谱方法。考察了衍生温度、衍生缓冲液pH值、衍生时间、衍生剂用量对衍生反应的影响以及流动相组成、流动相缓冲液浓度、pH值和柱温对分离的影响。在优化条件下,羟脯氨酸和脯氨酸分别在5～100μmol/L和5～250μmol/L范围内呈良好线性,相关系数分别为0.999 4、0.999 5,检出限(S/N=3)分别为0.50 nmol/L和0.20 nmol/L,回收率(n=5)分别为95%～99%和96%～102%,相对标准偏差分别为2.1%～4.3%和2.0%～4.8%。该方法可用于人尿中游离羟脯氨酸和脯氨酸的定性定量分析。     

Characteristic fragmentations of peptide derivatives containing proline in negative-ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Fragmentations of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-protected tripeptide ethyl esters containing proline were compared with those of the corresponding peptide derivatives not containing proline in negative-ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The fragment ion [M – 109]^? due to loss of the benzyloxy group followed by dehydrogenation from the peptide molecule was the base peak in the negative-ion mass spectra for the peptides not containing proline, whilst it was a very weak fragment ion or not observed at all in those for the peptides containing proline. These results suggest that the fragmentations of the peptide derivatives in negative-ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry depend on the conformational difference of the peptide derivatives owing to the existence of proline in the derivative.     

脯氨酰肼小分子催化的环己酮的直接α-硫代反应

研究了脯氨酰肼有机小分子催化环己酮的直接α-硫代反应. 考察了3种不同硫代试剂、9种溶剂、6种脯氨酰肼催化剂等对反应的活性和收率的影响. 结果表明, 硫代试剂、溶剂及催化剂的结构对反应的活性和反应收率均有较大的影响. 在优化条件下, 即以邻苯二甲酰亚胺为硫代试剂, 甲苯为溶剂, 脯氨酰肼1和4催化的环己酮的硫代反应活性比较高, 室温反应12 h, 收率达98%. 脯氨酰肼催化该类反应条件温和, 操作简单, 在药物合成中具有一定的应用潜力.     

β-Fluorinated proline derivatives: potential transition state inhibitors for proline selective serine dipeptidases

Three new types of β-fluorinated proline derivatives were synthesized as potential transition state inhibitors for proline selective serine dipeptidases. The fluorophosponate derived from protected proline was tested as a Wadsworth-Horner-Emmons reagent for the synthesis of fluoro-olefin-containing pseudodipeptides.     

Determination of proline in human serum by a robust LC‐MS/MS method: application to identification of human metabolites as candidate biomarkers for esophageal cancer early detection and risk stratification

Altered serum proline levels are related to cancer metabolism. This study developed and validated a LC‐MS/MS method to analyze proline in human serum. Surrogate blank serum, coupled with stable isotope l ‐proline‐¹³C₅,¹⁵ N as internal standard, was used for generating standard curves ranging from 2.5 to 100 μg/mL. Proline was extracted from serum samples using methanol. A Phenomenex Lux 5u Cellulose‐1 column (250 × 4.6 mm) was used for chromatographic separation with 40% methanol in 0.05% formic acid aqueous solution as a mobile phase. Mass detection was performed under positive ionization electrospray. Intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision were <10%. The extraction recovery and matrix factor were 99.17 and 1.47%, respectively. Our study showed that the chiral column had high specificity and selectivity for separating proline from serum components. The assay was successfully applied for the quantification of human serum proline levels from 30 esophageal cancer patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Statistical analyses showed significantly lower levels of serum proline in the patients as compared with the healthy volunteers (p‐value = 0.011). We report here a simple, specific and reproducible LC‐MS/MS method for the quantification of proline in human serum as a potential screening biomarker for esophageal cancer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the Botanical Origin of Polish Honeys Based on Physicochemical Properties and Bioactive Components with Chemometric Analysis

Is it possible to characterize the types of honey based on their chemical composition, their content of bioactive substances, and their physicochemical properties? The objective of this study was a comparative analysis of four types of honey from the Carpathian Foothills area, located in south-east Poland, based on the content of the main phenolic acids and proline, the mineral composition, and selected physicochemical properties. Most analyses, such as those of phenolic acids, sugars, and proline content, in honey samples were performed using chromatographic methods. These experiments demonstrated that honeydew honeys were the richest in phenolic acids, minerals, as well as oligosaccharides, compared to other honeys. Dark-colored honeys were characterized by the highest proline content. The dominant elements in all types of honey were potassium and calcium. The results of the present study show that analyses of specific phenolic acids, minerals, proline, and sugar content, in combination with chemometrics analysis, may successfully differentiate between the biological origins of honey samples and allow the preliminary verification of the samples before performing time-consuming pollen analysis.     

Fragmentation reactions of deprotonated peptides containing proline. The proline effect

The collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation reactions of a variety of deprotonated peptides containing proline have been studied in detail using MS(2) and MS(3) experiments, deuterium labelling and accurate mass measurements when necessary. The [M--H--CO(2)](-) (a(2)) ion derived from H-Pro-Xxx-OH dipeptides shows an unusual fragmentation involving loss of C(2)H(4); this fragmentation reaction is not observed for larger peptides. The primary fragmentation reactions of deprotonated tripeptides with an N-terminal proline are formation of a(3) and y(1) ions. When proline is in the central position of tripeptides, a(3), y(2) and y(1) ions are the primary fragmentation products of [M--H](-), while when the proline is in the C-terminal position, a(3)and y(1) ions are the major primary products. In the latter case, the a(3) ion fragments primarily to the 'b(2) ion; further evidence is presented that the 'b(2) ions have a deprotonated oxazolone structure. Larger deprotonated peptides having at least two amino acid residues N-terminal to proline show a distinct preference for cleavage of the amide bond N-terminal to proline to form, mainly, the appropriate y ion. This proline effect is compared and contrasted with the similar proline effect observed in the fragmentation of protonated peptides containing proline.     

硅胶键合手性配体交换固定相键合量对α-氨基酸拆分的影响

 合成了两种不同键合量的L 脯氨酸硅胶键合手性配体交换固定相 ,装柱后利用配体交换法分离了一系列的α 氨基酸。实验结果表明键合量不同的固定相对α 氨基酸的拆分能力差别较大。     

Synthesis of Chiral MOF-74 Frameworks by Post-Synthetic Modification by Using an Amino Acid

The synthesis of chiral metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is highly relevant for asymmetric heterogenous catalysis, yet very challenging. Chiral MOFs with MOF-74 topology were synthesised by using post-synthetic modification with proline. Vibrational circular dichroism studies demonstrate that proline is the source of chirality. The solvents used in the synthesis play a key role in tuning the loading of proline and its interaction with the MOF-74 framework. In N,N′-dimethylformamide, proline coordinates monodentate to the Zn²⁺ ions within the MOF-74 framework, whereas it is only weakly bound to the framework when using methanol as solvent. Introducing chirality within the MOF-74 framework also leads to the formation of defects, with both the organic linker and metal ions missing from the framework. The formation of defects combined with the coordination of DMF and proline within the framework leads to a pore blocking effect. This is confirmed by adsorption studies and testing of the chiral MOFs in the asymmetric aldol reaction between acetone and para-nitrobenzaldehyde.     

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Cyclotides from Clitoria ternatea: Xxx-Pro Bond Fragmentation as Convenient Diagnostic of Pro Residue Positioning

Cyclotides, a class of macrocyclic plant peptides, characterized by a cyclic backbone and three inter-locking disulfide bonds, may be divided into two major structural subfamilies, Möbius and Bracelet, based on the presence or absence of a specific proline residue. The present study describes the suite of cyclotides obtained from Clitoria ternatea, characterized by LC−MS and MS/MS techniques. Notable variations in product ion distributions were observed in cyclotides belonging to different structural subfamilies based on the number and positions of proline residues. For instance, Cter M which is an abundant Möbius cyclotide in this plant containing three proline residues, displayed distinct b- and y- ion characteristics in the MS/MS spectra compared to Cliotide T1, another commonly identified cyclotide but belonging to the Bracelet subfamily having two proline residues. The distinct fragmentation pattern of prototypical cyclotides of each structural subfamily, determined by Xxx-Pro bond fragmentation, was used to rapidly identify and sequence a novel cyclotide ctr pep 30 from this plant.     

Separation of Binary Mixtures of Histidine,Proline, and Methionine in Extraction Systems Based on Water-Soluble Polymers of Vinyl Series

Results of the extraction separation of binary mixtures of histidine, proline, and methionine using water-soluble homo- and copolymers with different molecular weights are presented. The recoveries and separation factors in the systems methionine–proline and histidine–proline are calculated. Amino acids were quantitatively determined by spectrophotometry using their intrinsic absorption in the UV spectral region. The efficiency of amino acid separation was increased using systems additionally containing chloride ions, which facilitate complex formation.     

Structure and hydration of L-proline in aqueous solutions

The structure and hydration of L-proline in aqueous solution have been investigated using a combination of neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution, empirical potential structure refinement modeling, and small-angle neutron scattering at three concentrations, 1:10, 1:15, and 1:20 proline/water mole ratios. In each solution the carboxylate oxygen atoms from proline accept less than two hydrogen bonds from the surrounding water solvent and the amine hydrogen atoms donate less than one hydrogen bond to the surrounding water molecules. The solute-solute radial distribution functions indicate relatively weak interactions between proline molecules, and significant clustering or aggregation of proline is absent at all these concentrations. The spatial density distributions for the hydration of the COO- group in proline show a similar shape to that found previously in L-glutamic acid in aqueous solution but with a reduced coordination number.     

负载(S)-脯氨酸手性固相催化剂制备和在不对称加氢反应中的应用

用亲水性、高比表面积、硅烷化硅小球担载钯,以（Ｓ）－脯氨酸为手性助剂、苯乙酮为反应底物,考察不对称加氢反应和不同有机碱助催化剂的影响。实验表明,当使用三辛胺助催化剂时,（Ｒ）－苯乙醇的对映异构体选择性可达１７．５％。将（Ｓ）－脯氨酸负载于亲水性、高比表面积、硅烷化硅小球担体表面,以Ｐｄ（ＯＡｃ）２为催经剂前体,制备负载型手性固相催化剂,初步考察了（Ｓ）－脯氨酸与中心金属钯的摩尔比、疏水性不同的有机     

Molecular recognition: A thermodynamic study of non bonded interactions in aqueous solutions of iminoacids. Effects of steric and geometric isomerism

Enthalpies of dilution of binary and ternary aqueous solutions containing L-and D-proline, cis-L- and cis-D-4-hydroxy proline, trans-L-4-hydroxy proline, have been determined by flow calorimetry at 25°C. Pairwise self-and cross-interaction coefficients of the virial expansion of the excess enthalpies were evaluated. They are positive for solutions of unsubstituted prolines. On the contrary, upon the introduction of a hydroxy group, they become negative, reaching the largest value for the cis-L-lcis-D-4-hydroxy proline system. The results are interpreted in terms of preferential configurations, stabilized by interactions between the hydrophilic groups.     

NMR studies of actinomycins varying at the proline sites

The proton NMR spectra of 14 actinomycins and the ¹³C NMR data for four of these compounds were compared with those of actinomycin D. These compounds differ from actinmycin D by the replacement of one or both proline residues by sarcosine, azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, 4-ketoproline, or cis or trans isomers of 4-hydroxy-, 4-chloro- or 4-methylproline. In those (aniso) compounds in which one proline residue is replaced, the possibility of isomerism was considered, since replacement could be located in either the α- or β-peptide. Except for the sarcosine case, for which both isomers have been isolated, the aniso-actinomycins gave spectra in which the presence of a second isomer was undetectable. Attempts to utilize the NMR data to determine which peptide contained proline, and which its congener, produced the tentative conclusion that in these compounds there is a biosynthetic preference for replacement of the β-peptide proline residue. In comparing conformationally dependent NMR parameters for the various actinomycins, the most obvious variations appeared in the proline congener α-proton splittings. Some of these (for cis isomers of 4-chloroproline and 4-methylproline) reflected different pyrrolidine ring geometries to that of proline, while others (for the corresponding trans isomers) did not. Only minor differences were apparent in the conformations of other regions of the peptide moieties.     

Growth, biochemical modifications and proline metabolism in Helianthus annuus L. as induced by drought stress

In the present investigation, two watering treatments, viz., 100% and 60% field capacity (FC) were used to understand the effects of water deficit on early growth, biomass allocation, pigment and biochemical constituents and proline metabolism of five varieties of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants. We found that there was a significant difference in early growth, dry matter accumulation, pigment, biochemical constituents and proline metabolism among the five varieties. The root length, shoot length, total leaf area, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid were significantly reduced under water stress treatments. Water stress increased the proline, free amino acid and glycinebetaine contents along with increased activity of γ-glutamyl kinase but the activity of proline oxidase reduced as a consequence of water stress.