Electrophoretic assay for penicillinase: substrate specificity screening by parallel CE with an active pixel sensor

We report application of a new UV imaging detector incorporating an active pixel sensor in an electrophoretic enzyme assay for penicillinase (beta-lactamase) with multiple substrates. The method based on electrophoretically mediated microanalysis was developed on a standard CE system with a single-point diode array detector and 200 nm UV wavelength, then transferred to a parallel capillary setup with the UV imaging detector for screening of penicillinase substrate specificity. One capillary is used for the assay and the other for reference, with an enzyme solution plug introduced into the first at the same time as a water plug into the second capillary. A mixture of antibiotics and markers is subsequently introduced as a sample plug to both capillaries, and driven through the enzyme (or water) plug by application of voltage. Most individual reactant and product peaks were separated and compounds amenable to beta-lactam hydrolysis could readily be identified and the extent of the reaction quantified within a single electrophoretic run.     

Non-isothermal degradation of a thermoset powder coating in inert and oxidant atmospheres

This paper studies the thermal stability of an epoxy powder coating. The study was carried out in a thermobalance at various heating rates and in different atmospheres: nitrogen, air and oxygen. Degradation in air and oxygen leads to a kinetic process which is clearly different from degradation in an inert atmosphere. To characterise each process, the DTG signal peaks were separated and kinetic parameters were associated to each by means of the isoconversional method and other standard methods. The results obtained were compared with the experimental results. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cationic gemini surfactant as dynamic coating in CE for the control of EOF and wall adsorption

The cationic gemini surfactant ethylene bis(1-dodecyldimethylammonium) dibromide was used as a dynamic coating to control EOF and prevent wall adsorption of basic proteins in CE for the first time. This gemini surfactant shows a more powerful capability in EOF reversal than traditional single-chained surfactant. The gemini surfactant reverses the EOF at a concentration level even less than 0.01 mM, and the EOF magnitude is affected by surfactant concentration, pH, ionic strength, and ions added in buffer. Highly efficient and rapid protein separation (N > 300,000) was obtained with buffer containing 2 mM gemini surfactant under pH ranging from 3 to 6. The effects of surfactant and buffer concentration on protein separation were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, good repeatability (RSD of migration time <0.6% for run-to-run and <2.5% for day-to-day assays) and recovery (>90%) of tested proteins were obtained. This new dynamic coating is also suitable for biosample analysis.     

Thermal decomposition of Prussian blue under inert atmosphere

The thermal decomposition of Prussian blue (iron(III) hexacyanoferrate) under inert atmosphere of argon was monitored by thermal analysis from room temperature up to 1000?°C. X-ray powder diffraction and ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy were the techniques used for phase identification before and after sample heating. The decomposition reaction is based on a successive release of cyanide groups from the Prussian blue structure. Three principal stages were observed including dehydration, change of crystal structure of Prussian blue, and its decomposition. At 400?°C, a monoclinic Prussian blue analogue was identified, while at higher temperatures the formation of various polymorphs of iron carbides was observed, including an orthorhombic Fe₂C. Increase in the temperature above 700?°C induced decomposition of primarily formed Fe₇C₃ and Fe₂C iron carbides into cementite, metallic iron, and graphite. The overall decomposition reaction can be expressed as follows: Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃·4H₂O????4Fe?+?Fe₃C?+?7C?+?5(CN)₂?+?4N₂?+?4H₂O.     

Electrophoretic mobility of a particle covered with an ion-penetrable membrane

The electrophoretic behavior of a planar particle covered by an ion-penetrable membrane, which simulates a biological entity, is investigated. We show that, in general, a point charge model will overestimate the electrophoretic mobility of a particle and the deviation increases with the increase in the concentration of fixed charge and with the decrease in the thickness of membrane layer. As in the case of a point charge model, the present model also predicts a local maximum in the absolute mobility as the thickness of membrane layer varies. If the sizes of counterions of various valences are the same, then the lower the valence of counterions, the larger the mobility, and the larger the counterions, the greater the mobility. The latter is consistent with the experimental observations in the literature. For the level of the concentration of fixed charge examined, the effect of coions on the mobility is negligible.     

A modified accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) with capabilities for handling gaseous samples under vacuum or an inert atmosphere

A simple modification was made to the accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC^®), which has allowed for gaseous samples to be tested without the introduction of air. The modified ARC^® can also be used to test solids, liquids, or mixtures of two phases under a particular atmospheric environment with more convenience than in the original ARC^®. After the experiment, the gaseous products and/or any unreacted gaseous sample can easily be collected for further characterization. This facilitates one's ability to understand the mechanism of the exothermal reactions. The utility of this modified ARC^® was demonstrated by examining the thermal properties and polymerization of 1,1-difluoroethylene.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis and high-throughput screening of an aminoglycoside-polyamine library: identification of high-affinity displacers and DNA-binding ligands

Chemoenzymatic parallel synthesis and high-throughput screening were employed to develop a multivalent aminoglycoside-polyamine library for use as high-affinity cation-exchange displacers and DNA-binding ligands. Regioselective lipase-catalyzed acylation, followed by chemical aminolysis, was used to generate vinyl carbonate and vinyl carbamate linkers, respectively, of the aminoglycosidic cores. These were further derivatized with polyamines, leading to library generation. A parallel batch-displacement assay was employed to identify the efficacy of the library candidates as potential displacers for protein purification. Using this approach, low-molecular-mass displacers with affinities higher than those previously observed have been identified. The aminoglycoside-polyamine library was also screened for DNA binding efficacy using an ethidium bromide displacement assay. These highly cationic molecules exhibited strong DNA-binding properties and may have potential for enhanced gene delivery.     

High-affinity mu opioid receptor ligands discovered by the screening of an exhaustively stereodiversified library of 1,5-enediols

In this communication, we report the synthesis of an exhaustively stereodiversified library of 16 1,5-enediols (2) and the screening of these compounds for mu opioid receptor (MOR) binding. The stereochemical configuration of 2 strongly impacted the binding affinity, and (S,S,S,R)-2 exhibited a Ki of 8.8 nM for MOR, comparable to that of endomorphin-2 (Ki = 1.2 nM). Moreover, compounds 2 exhibited 5-86-fold selectivity for MOR over delta opioid receptor (DOR) and 16-150-fold selectivity for MOR over kappa opioid receptor (KOR). Additionally, analogues of 2 were synthesized which showed the importance of the trans olefin for receptor binding but that modifications of the C-terminal amino acid were well tolerated. Ligand 11 is noteworthy because it retains only one of the amide bonds present in 1, but binds MOR with an affinity of 10 nM and 110- and 600-fold selectivity for MOR over DOR and KOR. These results demonstrate the utility of stereochemical diversity in the discovery of bioactive small molecules.     

Novel isomenthone-derived 1,3-diol ligands identified through parallel synthesis and screening catalyse an asymmetric aldol reaction

A library of new (+)-isomenthone-derived 1,3-diol ligands, containing 5 contiguous stereocentres (3 fixed, 2 variable), was prepared in 2 steps by parallel synthesis. Evaluation in parallel identified several different ligands from the library for catalysing a Mukaiyama aldol reaction with 87-90% e.e.     

TG-MS characterisation of pig bone in an inert atmosphere

A challenge for forensic examiners is the ageing and characterisation of bone fragments or decomposed skeletal remains. Due to the sensitivity of thermal methods to morphological states, thermal analysis has been selected as a technique which could overcome the difficulties. In this preliminary study, TG-MS was applied to the characterisation of bone fragments derived from the compact bone of pig rib specimens. TG-MS curves were collected by heating bone samples to 1000°C in an argon atmosphere. Under these conditions, both the organic and inorganic phases decomposed, producing a variety of organic fragments and carbon dioxide. Pyrolysis of the organic phase, which is composed predominantly of collagen, occurred resulting in the observation of ion fragments up to 110 amu. Selected fragments were monitored and their observation is discussed in terms of the decomposition of both the collagen phase and the inorganic carbonated hydroxyapatite phase.     

Organic and inorganic di-cations for capillary silica coating and EOF modulation in CE: Example of application in PEG analysis

EOF measurements, by using 1,4-di-(4-aza-1-azonia-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane)butane diiodide, barium and strontium tetraborate as silica wall modifiers, are reported and, as an example of application, analysis of PEG (PEG 400-2000) polydisperse preparations in free solution CZE is shown. PEGs have been derivatized with phthalic anhydride so as to form singly or doubly charged derivatives with strong UV absorbance at 214 nm. Whereas separations in plain tetraborate buffer, pH 9.0, without any EOF control, did not lead to good resolution of all-size oligomers and suffered from long analysis times, excellent resolution of all oligomers up to 40 ethylene oxide (EO) units could be obtained under EOF control. Such EOF modulation was engendered by addition of 1 mM M7C4M7, a doubly charged organic cation able to stick tenaciously to the silica wall. Further modulation of EOF and silica surface modification could be achieved also by addition of inorganic cations, notably those of group II, whereas monovalent cations did not seem to affect much the EOF flux. Among the doubly charged cations investigated, Ca++, Mg++, Sr++ and Ba++, the latter did seem to offer best EOF control and reproducible runs. A judicious blend of M7C4M7 (0.33-1 mM range) with barium (10-20 mM range) allowed baseline resolution of all PEG oligomers investigated up to PEG 2000 and >40 EO units in length. In this last case, best results in terms of reproducibility and separation efficiency of the more heavy homologues were obtained using Li+ salt in small amounts.     

Interaction of an anticancer drug, gemcitabine, with phospholipid bilayers

The molecular interaction between gemcitabine, an anticancer pyrimidine analogue, and fully hydrated phospholipid (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3-phosphatidylcholine, DPPC) membrane model has been investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Small and Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (SWAXS). The behaviour of the charged and uncharged forms of gemcitabine has been examined. Our results show that: (1) at physiological pH, gemcitabine does not modify significantly the thermal and structural properties of DPPC, (2) at pH of 2.4 the drug interacts electrostatically with the polar headgroups, inducing the formation of unilamellar vesicles and (3) at acidic pH the DPPC lamellar phase is recovered when salt is added.     

Virtual screening for ligands of the insect molting hormone receptor

Insect growth is regulated by the orchestrated event of ecdysteroids and their receptor proteins. Agonists/antagonists of ecdysteroid receptor are predicted to disrupt normal growth, providing good candidates of new insecticides. A database of over 2 million compounds was subjected to a shape-based virtual screening cascade to identify novel nonsteroidal hits similar to the known EcR ligand ponasterone A. Testing revealed micromolar hits against two strains of insect cells. Docking experiments against EcR were used to support the predicted binding mode of these ligands based on their overlay to ponasterone A.     

Discovery of powerful uranyl ligands from efficient synthesis and screening

New tripodal gem-(bis-phosphonates) uranophiles were discovered by a screening method that allowed for the selection of ligands with strong uranyl-binding properties in a convenient microtiter-plate format. The method is based on competitive uranium binding by using Sulfochlorophenol S as chromogenic chelate. This dye compound was found to present high uranyl complexation properties and allowed to highlight ligands presenting association constants for UO(2+)(2) up to 10(18) at pH 7.4 and 10(20) at pH 9. A collection of 40 known ligands including polycarboxylate, hydroxamate, catecholate, hydroxypyridonate and hydroxyquinoline derivatives was tested. Also screened was a combinatorial library prepared from seven amine scaffolds and eight acrylates bearing diverse chelating moieties. Among these 96 tested candidates, a tripod derivative bearing gem-bis-phosphonates moieties was found to present the highest complexation properties over a wide range of pH and was further studied.     

Investigation of agricultural residues pyrolysis behavior under inert and oxidative conditions

Three samples of biomass including rice straw, corn straw and corncob were analyzed by using TG–MS analyzer. The relevance of the oxidizing versus inert atmosphere to the conversion of Chinese typical agricultural residues are discussed and analyzed. Firstly the effect of oxygen concentration on three biomass conversion pathway is discussed. Secondly the releasing temperature and quantities of major non-condensable gases and tar components are analyzed, and finally the kinetic parameters is calculated and compared.The results show that the oxygen concentration and fuel type play an important role in biomass conversion pathway. All the detected non-condensable gases are favored by oxidative conditions for three samples. With the increase of oxygen concentration, all the condensable gases except H₂ are released over narrower temperature ranges under oxidizing conditions. All the tar components mainly evolve within 300–700 °C, with the increase of oxygen concentration, these major tar components show different features: except that benzene and phenol quickly decreases, other tar components basically changes moderately. The Coats and Redfern integral method is used for kinetic modeling, and Malek method is adopted to select the proper mechanism function. Most of experimental data can be simulated by F1 mechanism model. For the first temperature range of all samples, the values of the activation energy and of the reaction order are lower compared to the case of inert pyrolysis.     

High-throughput screening assay for the tunable selection of protein ligands

Here, we describe a new protein-ligand binding assay that is amenable to high-throughput screening applications. The assay involves the use of SUPREX (stability of unpurified proteins from rates of H/D exchange), a new H/D exchange and mass spectrometry-based technique we recently developed for the quantitative analysis of protein-ligand binding interactions. As part of this work, we describe a new high-throughput SUPREX protocol, and we demonstrate that this protocol can be used to efficiently screen peptide ligands in a model combinatorial library for binding to a model protein system, the S-protein. The high-throughput SUPREX protocol developed here is generally applicable to a wide variety of protein ligands, including DNA, small molecules, metals, and other proteins. On the basis of the results of the model study in this work, one person with access to one MALDI mass spectrometer should be able to screen approximately 10 000 compounds per 24-h period using the protocol described here. With full automation and the use of a commercially available MALDI mass spectrometer optimized for high-throughput analyses, we estimate that the SUPREX-based assay described here could be used to screen on the order of 100 000 ligands per day.