Purification of Peroxidase from Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra) by Affinity Chromatography

Peroxidase was purified in a single step using 4-amino benzohydrazide affinity chromatography from red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra), and some important biochemical characteristics of the purified enzyme were determined. The enzyme, with a specific activity of 3,550 EU/mg protein, was purified 120.6-fold with a yield of 2.9 % from the synthesized affinity matrix. The molecular weight of the enzyme was found to be 69.3 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.0 and 30 °C. For guaiacol substrate, the K _m and V _max values were found as 0.048 mM and 1.46 EU/mL/min, respectively. Additionally, the IC₅₀ and K _i values for 4-amino benzohydrazide were calculated to be 1.047 and 0.702?±?0.05 mM, respectively, and 4-amino benzohydrazide showed noncompetitive inhibition.     

Constants of acid‒base equilibria in an aqueous amikacin aminoglycoside solution at 298 K

The acid dissociation constants of form pK₁ = 7.34 ± 0.01, pK₂ = 7.84 ± 0.01, pK₃ = 8.77 ± 0.01, pK₄ = 9.49 ± 0.01, and pK₅ = 10.70 ± 0.02 of cationic amikacin are determined by pH-metric titration at 25°C against the background of 0.1 mol/L KNO₃. K₁, K₂, K₃, and K₄ correspond to the dissociation of protons coordinated to amino groups, while K₅ characterizes the dissociation of the hydroxyl hydrogen atom, testifying to the amphoteric character of amikacin molecules. Applying density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP hybrid functional and the 6-311G**++ basis set, the partial charges on the atoms of an amikacin molecule are calculated. It is concluded that the dissociation of H(55)hydrogen atom occurs with a greatest partial charge of +0.53631.     

NaSO 4 − ion pairs in aqueous solutions at pressures up to 2000 atm

Electrical-conductance measurements have been made at 25° C up to concentrations of 0.06M in aqueous solutions of Na₂SO₄ at atmospheric pressure and as a function of pressure up to 2000 atm. Calculations of the change of the dissociation constant for the NaSO ₄ ^? ion pair with pressure indicate that the difference in partial molal volumes between products and reactants at infinite dilution is \(\Delta \bar V^ \circ \tilde = - 8.25{\text{ }}cm^3 /mole\) . Using the equation of Davies, Otter, and Prue, we found the average dissociation constants for five concentrations between 0.005 and 0.06 moles/liter to be 0.097, 0.131, and 0.165 at 1, 1000, and 2000 atm, respectively, with a standard deviation of ±0.003. The atmospheric-pressure value is 0.080±0.016 over the entire concentration range from 0.00005 to 0.06 moles/liter, about half that obtained by Jenkins and Monk. This is consistent with a value ofK=0.077±0.006 recalculated from the limited-concentration-conductance work of Jenkins and Monk, with a value ofK=0.073 obtained by Fisher from data of Kurtze and Tamm on ultrasonic absorption in MgSO₄?NaCl solutions, and withK=0.067 calculated by Fisher from the potentiometric data of Pytkowicz and Kester at high ionic strength. The relationship of this work to sound absorption and ion pairing in seawater is discussed. The predicted pressure dependence of the NaSO ₄ ^? ion pair in seawater from this work differs substantially from earlier work by Kester and Pytkowicz and by Millero.     

Measurements ofL-subshell fluorescence yields for light and medium heavy elements (28≤Z≤47)

We report on the first determination ofL-subshell fluorescence yields, ω_Li, for various elements with 28≤Z≤47. The method applied is based on the subshell ionization by relativistic electron impact with an electron energy ofE ₀=50 keV and the detection of characteristic X rays by means of a high resolution crystal spectrometer calibrated absolutely with respect to its transmission and reflectivity. The number of initialL vacancies and its subshell distribution as well as the normalized X-ray transition probabilities, the Coster-Kronig yields and theK-shell Auger transition rates are taken from theory. The results obtained for ω_Li yield values that are for all three subshells in agreement with the predictions of a widely used semi-empirical formula and for ω _L2 and ω _L3 also with theoretical calculations. The values of ω _L1, however, exceed the theory systematically.     

Calculating the Ionization Constant of Functional Groups of Carboxyl Ion Exchangers

The potentiometric titration of a weakly basic carboxyl cation exchanger, obtained via alkaline hydrolysis of an acrylonitrile copolymer with divinyl benzene (degree of crosslinking, 12%) in a wide range of variation in a solution of рН (2–12) and NaCl (concentration 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1 М), is considered. The maximum ion-exchange capacity of the ion exchanger for Na⁺ is determined (10.10 ± 0.088 mmol/g of the dry mass) and found to be independent of the solution’s ionic strength. It is established that in the investigated range of NaCl concentrations and рН, the acid–base balance is adequately described by Gregor’s equation. The parameters of this equation are calculated as a function of the NaCl concentration: рK_а = 8.13 ± 0.04, n = 1.50 ± 0.02 for 0.01 М; рK_а = 6.56 ± 0.04, n = 2.60 ± 0.07 for 0.1 М; and рK_а = 5.66 ± 0.6, n = 2.62 ± 0.06 for 0.5 and 1 М. It is shown that to describe the acid–base balance correctly within the proposed model we must estimate the adequacy of the experimental and calculated values of the ion exchanger’s capacity at each рН value according to the calculated parameters of Gregor’s equation.     

Expression,Purification, and Characterization of NADP+-Dependent Malic Enzyme from the Oleaginous Fungus Mortierella Alpina

Malic enzymes are a class of oxidative decarboxylases that catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate and carbon dioxide, with concomitant reduction of NAD(P)⁺ to NAD(P)H. The NADP⁺-dependent malic enzyme in oleaginous fungi plays a key role in fatty acid biosynthesis. In this study, the malic enzyme-encoding complementary DNA (cDNA) (malE1) from the oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The recombinant protein (MaME) was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme used NADP⁺ as the cofactor. The K _m values for l-malate and NADP⁺ were 2.19?±?0.01 and 0.38?±?0.02 mM, respectively, while the V _max values were 147?±?2 and 302?±?14 U/mg, respectively, at the optimal condition of pH 7.5 and 33 °C. MaME is active in the presence of Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and low concentrations of Zn²⁺ rather than Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, or high concentrations of Zn²⁺. Oxaloacetic acid and glyoxylate inhibited the MaME activity by competing with malate, and their K _i values were 0.08 and 0.6 mM, respectively.     

Analysis of the reaction kinetics of single esterase sepharose beads by microfluorometry of the fluorogenic substrate turnover

Heterogeneous catalysis of esterase (E.C. 3.1.1.1) immobilized on CNBr-Sepharose 4B was analyzed by microfluorometry. The hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate was measured within single esterase-Sepharose beads during steady-state turnover. Fluorescence intensity profiles, total intensities, and reaction rates of single beads were measured by means of a microfluorometer. Their suitability for determining the kinetic constants of the system was evaluated by comparison with the theoretical values of the kinetic model. The computation was based on the kinetic equations describing the interaction of internal diffusion and enzymatic reaction with noncompetitive product inhibition within spherical particles. A method is described which can be used to derive the true K_m of the immobilized enzyme from a correlation of intensity- and turnover-dependent apparent K_m—s. Effectiveness factors and Damkohler numbers for individual esterase-Sepharose beads were determined from relative total fluorescence intensities and fluorescence intensity profiles, respectively.     

Chlorine K shell photoabsorption spectra of gas phase HCl and Cl2 molecules

High resolution photoabsorption spectra of HCl and Cl₂ have been measured near the chlorineK edge in the 2810–2850 eV photon energy range. Below the ClK edge, the strongest resonance is interpreted as a simple core excitation into the unoccupied σ* valence orbital for both molecules, leading to a markedly repulsive state. Higher resonances due to low lying Rydberg states, are observed in both systems, but with a larger oscillator strength for HCl as compared to Cl₂. In Cl₂, the σ* orbital is deep enough to avoid any mixing with Rydberg orbitals. In HCl, we observe the dipole forbidden Cl 1s → 4s transition which denotes a strong 4s–4p hybridization. Above the ClK edge, the multiplet features seen for HCl are analysed in terms of double-core-valence excited vacancy states. In Cl₂, their counterpart are found very close to the ionization threshold because of the deep σ* orbital and possibly because the excited core and valence electrons originates either from the same atomic site or from different ones.     

Analysis of drug interactions with very low density lipoprotein by high-performance affinity chromatography

High-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) was utilized to examine the binding of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) with drugs, using R/S-propranolol as a model. These studies indicated that two mechanisms existed for the binding of R- and S-propranolol with VLDL. The first mechanism involved non-saturable partitioning of these drugs with VLDL, which probably occurred with the lipoprotein’s non-polar core. This partitioning was described by overall affinity constants of 1.2 (±0.3)?×?10⁶ M^?1 for R-propranolol and 2.4 (±0.6)?×?10⁶ M^?1 for S-propranolol at pH 7.4 and 37 °C. The second mechanism occurred through saturable binding by these drugs at fixed sites on VLDL, such as represented by apolipoproteins on the surface of the lipoprotein. The association equilibrium constants for this saturable binding at 37 °C were 7.0 (±2.3)?×?10⁴ M^?1 for R-propranolol and 9.6 (±2.2)?×?10⁴ M^?1 for S-propranolol. Comparable results were obtained at 20 and 27 °C for the propranolol enantiomers. This work provided fundamental information on the processes involved in the binding of R- and S-propranolol to VLDL, while also illustrating how HPAC can be used to evaluate relatively complex interactions between agents such as VLDL and drugs or other solutes.     

Perturbations in thenp 1,3 P Rydberg sequences of neutralYb probed by Zeeman-effect and lifetime measurements

Thenp P Rydberg sequence of neutral Ytterbium is strongly perturbed. These perturbations were monitored by measuring theg _J factors and lifetimes of 19 states, including both singlets and triplets as well as states from the perturbing configurations. A pulsed laser setup was used. Theg _J factors were obtained from a Zeeman quantum-beat experiment and the lifetimes by direct observation of the decay of the fluorescence light.     

Probing matrix isolated SiO molecular clusters by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

TheK absorption edge of Si in matrix isolated SiO molecular clusters was studied for various dilutionsR(Ar/SiO). The spectra from the clusters at different dilutions show a dramatic evolution in their relative intensity. Two types of spectral features from Si atoms present in the clusters could be detected in the spectra. The first is due to the Si atoms which are tetrahedrally coordinated to Si and O atoms responsible for the presence of different Si oxidation states. The Si⁺, Si³⁺ and Si⁴⁺ oxidation states in SiO clusters and in bulk were readily identified. The Si²⁺ oxidation state whose abundance in SiO clusters is predicted by structural considerations is not clearly observed. The second type of feature, whose intensity decreases with the dilution R, can be attributed to the presence of Si atoms possessing unsaturated bonds. In order to explain this the clustering of 4–6 SiO molecules is simulated to yield different tetrahedral bonding microstructures in which the well coordinated as well as under coordinated Si atoms are present. The behaviour of the spectral features resulting from these microstructures is discussed.     

Renium(V) complexation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-ethylthiourea

The stepwise complexation of rhenium(V) with N-ethylthiourea has been studied by the potentiometric method in 6 mol/L HCI at 298 K. It has been found that rhenium(V) forms five complex species with this ligand of the following compositions: [ReOLCl₄]^?, [ReOL₂Cl₃], [ReOL₃Cl₂]⁺, [ReOL₄Cl]²⁺, and [ReOL₅]³⁺. The calculated logarithms of stepwise formation constants of the complexes are the following: logK₁ = 4.10 ± 0.05, logK₂ = 3.16 ± 0.02, logK₃ = 2.61 ± 0.02, logK₄ = 2.26 ± 0.02, and logK₅ = 1.80 ± 0.02. It has been shown that the introduction of the ethyl radical into the thiourea molecule leads to an increase in the stability of rhenium(V) complexes.     

On the determination of HCl+ (A,v′) vibrational populations from HCl+ (A→X) fluorescence spectra: direct comparison between photoionization and penning ionization

Using a beam apparatus, we have measured the HCl⁺ (A,v′→X,v″) fluorescence spectra of HCl⁺ (A,v′) ions formed in HeI (58.4 nm), and NeI (73.6 nm) photoionization and, for the first time, in He (2³ S) Penning ionization under single collision conditions with a wavelength bandwidth around 1 nm. In addition, we have studied Ne (3s ³ P _{2, 0}) Penning ionization of HCl at three different collision energies. The procedure and the problems in extracting HCl⁺ (A,v′) vibrational populations from the data are discussed in some detail. Thedirect comparison of photoionization and Penning ionization data allows definitive conclusions to be drawn on the question whether final state interactions in the Penning reaction change the “nascent” vibrational population (determined by electron spectrometry); for He (2³ S)+HCl, such changes are shown to be absent within the experimental uncertainty (<±10%). For Ne (3s ³ P _{2, 0})+HCl, the HCl⁺ (A,v′=0, 1) populations are also found to be close to those measured by electron spectrometry and essentially independent of collision energy in the range 34–96 meV. From measurements of the fluorescence intensity as a function of HCl density, we have evidence for a fast loss of HCl⁺ (A,v′) ions in collisions with HCl (rate constant around 5·10^?9 cm³s^?1).     

Determination of Internal Energy Distributions of Laser Electrospray Mass Spectrometry using Thermometer Ions and Other Biomolecules

The internal energy distributions for dried and liquid samples that were vaporized with femtosecond duration laser pulses centered at 800 nm and postionized by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LEMS) were measured and compared with conventional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The internal energies of the mass spectral techniques were determined by plotting the ratio of the intact parent molecular features to all integrated ion intensities of the fragments as a function of collisional energy using benzylpyridinium salts and peptides. Measurements of dried p-substituted benzylpyridinium salts using LEMS resulted in a greater extent of fragmentation in addition to the benzyl cation. The mean relative internal energies, int> were determined to be 1.62?±?0.06, 2.0?±?0.5, and 1.6?±?0.3 eV for ESI-MS, dried LEMS, and liquid LEMS studies, respectively. Two-photon resonances with the laser pulses likely caused lower survival yields in LEMS analyses of dried samples but not liquid samples. In studies with larger biomolecules, LEMS analyses of dried samples from glass showed a decrease in survival yield compared with conventional ESI-MS for leucine enkephalin and bradykinin of ~15% and 11%, respectively. The survival yields for liquid LEMS analyses were comparable to or better than ESI-MS for benzylpyridinium salts and large biomolecules. Figure

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A photoionization study of the van der Waals molecule C2H4 · HCl

The dissociation energy of the C₂H₄ · HCl van der Waals complex was determined to be 3.18±0.73 kcal mol^?1 by a dissociative photoionization technique. C₂H₄ · HCl was produced by free expansion of a 1:4 mixture of C₂H₄ in HCl and the clusters were ionized with tunable synchrotron radiation. The photoionization efficiency function of (C₂H₄ · HCl)⁺ from C₂H₄ · HCl was determined between 600 and 1,300 Å and the onset for (C₂H₄ · HCl)⁺ was established as 1,163±2 Å = 10.66±0.02 eV; these values give ΔH _f ⁰ (C₂H₄ · HCl) = ?10.7±0.7 kcal mol^?1 and ΔH _f ⁰ (C₂H₄·HCl⁺)=235.1±0.9 kcal mol^?1. A complex ion dissociation energyD ₀(C₂H₄ · HCl⁺) = ?0.3±0.9 kcal mol^?1 was calculated from the results. The major features on the PIE curve for C₂H₄ · HCl⁺ can be analyzed in terms of the known energetic features of C₂H ₄ ⁺ and HCl. An extended energy diagram for the C₂H₄ + HCl system is presented.     

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Pd and Pt Nanoparticles Using Piper betle L. Plant in a Photoreduction Method

An extremely rapid green approach that generates bulk quantities of nanocrystals of noble metals such as palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) with a small sizes of 3.8 ± 0.2 and 2.1 ± 0.4 nm by using Piper betle L. (Piperaceae) leaf extract is described. The highly stable and monodispersed Pd and Pt NPs were obtained at 10 min of continuous sunlight exposure. The bio-reduced Pd and Pt NPs were further characterized by using UV–Visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The particles, although discrete, were predominately associated with the P. betle plant proteins, which makes them stable over long time periods. These synthesized biogenic Pd and Pt NPs were evaluated for their acute toxicity studies against aquatic organism, Daphnia magna.     

Production of C2H4Cl+ by dissociative photoionization of weak molecular complexes in C2H4+HCl mixtures

The photoionization efficiency (PIE) spectrum from 600 to 1200 Å for the production of the ion C₂H₄Cl⁺ by dissociative photoionization of the products of room-temperature jet expansions of a 1:4 mixture of C₂H₄ and HCl was measured at several nozzle pressures. The results were resolved into the PIE yield curve for the heterodimer process C₂H₄·HCl+hv→C₂H₄Cl⁺+H+e. This reaction is necessarily characterized by a large change in geometry between neutral complex and ionic product. The observed spectrum exhibits an unusual and conspicuous peak at 15.2 eV that is characterized by a sharp cutoff to the high energy side. This feature points to the onset of strongly nonstatistical channels for the production of C₂H₄Cl⁺ at this energy such that product formation proceeds through very few states. The observed onset of C₂H₄Cl⁺ at 11.92±0.24 eV is 17±6 kcal mol^?1 above the true threshold. An important conclusion is that at all energies above the onset the yield of dissociative ionization of the heterodimer to the cation C₂H₄Cl⁺ is determined by dynamical factors.     

Binding interaction and conformational changes of human serum albumin with ranitidine studied by spectroscopic and time-resolved fluorescence methods

This study was designed to examine the interaction of histamine H₂-receptor antagonist drug ranitidine (RTN) with human serum albumin by multi-spectroscopic methods. The experimental results showed the involvement of dynamic quenching mechanism which was further confirmed by lifetime spectral studies. The binding constants (K _a) at three temperatures (288, 298, and 308 K) were 2.058 ± 0.020, 4.160 ± 0.010 and 6.801 ± 0.011 × 10⁴ dm³ mol^?1, respectively, and the number of binding sites (m) were 1.169, respectively; thermodynamic parameters ΔH ⁰ (44.152 ± 0.047 kJ mol^?1), ΔG ⁰ (?26.214 ± 0.040 kJ mol^?1), and ΔS ⁰ (236.130 ± 0.025 J K^?1 mol^?1) were calculated. The distance r between donor and acceptor was obtained (r = 3.40 nm) according to the Förster theory of non-radiative energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence, CD, AFM and 3D fluorescence spectral results revealed the changes in secondary structure of the protein upon interaction with RTN. A molecular modeling study further confirmed the binding mode obtained by the experimental studies.     

Interactions of a Low Molecular Weight Inhibitor from Streptomyces sp. MBR04 with Human Cathepsin D: Implications in Mechanism of Inactivation

Cathepsin D, a lysosomal aspartic protease, is of potential interest as a target for drug design due to its implication in breast and ovarian cancer. The article reports a low molecular weight cathepsin D inhibitor from Streptomyces sp. MBR04. The M_r of the inhibitor was 1,078 Da as determined by MALDI-TOF, and the amino acid analysis showed the presence of Asp, Asp, Gly, Ala, Lys, Leu, Tyr, Trp residues. The steady-state kinetic interactions revealed reversible, competitive, slow-tight-binding nature of the inhibitor with an IC₅₀ and K _i values of 3.2 and 2.5 nM, respectively. The binding of the inhibitor with the enzyme and the subsequent conformational changes were monitored by exploiting the intrinsic fluorescence of the surface exposed Trp-54 residue. Based on the fluorescence and circular dichroism studies, we demonstrate that the inhibitor binds to the active site of cathepsin D and causes inactivation. All these kinetic, thermodynamic, and quenching studies suggest that the newly isolated peptidic inhibitor could be a potential scaffold to study and can be used to develop new potent therapeutic lead molecule for the development of drugs. The inhibitor will be significant as a potential lead molecule to target cathepsin D.     

Quantification of Protein-Ligand Interactions by Laser Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

Laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS) measurement of the dissociation constant (K_d) for hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose (NAG₃) revealed an apparent K_d value of 313.2?±?25.9 μM for the ligand titration method. Similar measurements for N,N′,N″,N″’-tetraacetylchitotetraose (NAG₄) revealed an apparent K_d of 249.3?±?13.6 μM. An electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) experiment determined a K_d value of 9.8?±?0.6 μM. In a second LEMS approach, a calibrated measurement was used to determine a K_d value of 6.8?±?1.5 μM for NAG₃. The capture efficiency of LEMS was measured to be 3.6?±?1.8% and is defined as the fraction of LEMS sample detected after merging with the ESI plume. When the dilution is factored into the ligand titration measurement, the adjusted K_d value was 11.3 μM for NAG₃ and 9.0 μM for NAG₄. The calibration method for measuring K_d developed in this study can be applied to solutions containing unknown analyte concentrations.

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