Trapping and characterization of a reaction intermediate in carbapenem hydrolysis by B. cereus metallo-beta-lactamase

Metallo-beta-lactamases hydrolyze most beta-lactam antibiotics. The lack of a successful inhibitor for them is related to the previous failure to characterize a reaction intermediate with a clinically useful substrate. Stopped-flow experiments together with rapid freeze-quench EPR and Raman spectroscopies were used to characterize the reaction of Co(II)-BcII with imipenem. These studies show that Co(II)-BcII is able to hydrolyze imipenem in both the mono- and dinuclear forms. In contrast to the situation met for penicillin, the species that accumulates during turnover is an enzyme-intermediate adduct in which the beta-lactam bond has already been cleaved. This intermediate is a metal-bound anionic species with a novel resonant structure that is stabilized by the metal ion at the DCH or Zn2 site. This species has been characterized based on its spectroscopic features. This represents a novel, previously unforeseen intermediate that is related to the chemical nature of carbapenems, as confirmed by the finding of a similar intermediate for meropenem. Since carbapenems are the only substrates cleaved by B1, B2, and B3 lactamases, identification of this intermediate could be exploited as a first step toward the design of transition-state-based inhibitors for all three classes of metallo-beta-lactamases.     

Quantum mechanical studies on the existence of a trigonal bipyramidal phosphorane intermediate in enzymatic phosphate ester hydrolysis

Phosphate ester hydrolysis is a key step in several enzymatic processes, which follow either a dissociative or an associative mechanism. While in the aqueous phase both pathways are favoured to about the same extent, the associative mechanism is relatively rarely observed. In this paper we report on quantum mechanical calculations for three enzymes HIV integrase, β-phosphoglucomutase and dUTPase, and try to find an explanation for the preference of the associative mechanism in a given enzyme. It is reasonable to suppose that the stabilisation of the pentacovalent, trigonal bipyramidal phosphorane moiety by formation of a covalent bond, one or more hydrogen bonds, or by co-ordination of a divalent metal cation with the equatorial oxygen atoms is the key factor. In all three enzymes studied one of the equatorial oxygen atoms is co-ordinated to a magnesium dication, while a second one is involved in a covalent bond. While in HIV integrase the third oxygen atom may only form a weak hydrogen bond with a solvent water molecule, in β-phosphoglucomutase this atom is stabilised by two strong hydrogen bonds with adjacent protein side chains and in dUTPase it is involved in a covalent bond. Contribution to the Fernando Bernardi Memorial Issue.     

Reactivity of a germa-alkyne: Evidence for a germanone intermediate in the hydrolysis and alcoholysis processes

The formation of a new transient germa-alkyne Ar-GeC-SiMe₃ [Ar = 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(diisopropylaminomethyl)phenyl] is achieved by photolysis of the corresponding trimethylsilyldiazomethylgermylene ArGeC(N₂)SiMe₃ (2). The germa-alkyne is characterized by trapping reactions with H₂O and an equimolar mixture of tert-butanol and water. The respective adducts, the gem-germanediol 5 and the alkoxygermanol 4 have been fully characterized by spectroscopic methods. A study of the mechanism is proposed and in both cases, the addition involves the transient formation of a germanone. The structures of 2 and 5 are determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Enhanced hydrogen release by catalyzed hydrolysis of sodium borohydride-ammonia borane mixtures: a solution-state 11B NMR study

Hydrolysis of mixtures consisting of sodium borohydride NaBH(4) (SB) and ammonia borane NH(3)BH(3) (AB) was studied in the absence/presence of a Co catalyst. The kinetics of the H(2) evolutions was measured. The reactions were followed in situ by solution-state (11)B NMR and the hydrolysis by-products characterized by NMR, XRD and IR. It is demonstrated that the combination of the two compounds gives a synergetic effect. SB rapidly reduces the Co catalyst precursor and the NH(4)(+) ions from AB contribute in the dispersion of the in situ formed Co nanoparticles. As a result, the kinetics of H(2) evolution is greatly improved. For instance, a hydrogen generation rate of 29.6 L min(-1) g(-1)(Co) was found for a mixture consisting of 81 wt% NH(3)BH(3), 9 wt% NaBH(4) and 10 wt% CoCl(2). By (11)B NMR, it was showed that the reaction mechanisms are quite trivial. As soon as the Co catalyst forms in situ, SB, rather than AB, hydrolyzes until it is totally converted. Then, the overall hydrolysis continues with that of AB. Both reactions follow a bimolecular Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism; no reaction intermediates were observed during the process. In fact, SB and AB convert directly into B(OH)(4)(-), which comes in equilibrium with a polyborate compound identified as B(3)O(3)(OH)(4)(-). All of these results are discussed herein.     

Primary structure of subunit B of the 11S globulin of cotton seeds of variety 108-F. IV. High-molecular-weight peptides from the complete tryptic hydrolysis and from tryptic hydrolysis at the arginine residues of subunit B

The high-molecular-weight peptides from the complete tryptic hydrolysis and tryptic hydrolysis at arginine residues of subunit B, which contained uncleaved bonds of the basic amino acids, have been studied. In the investigation of these peptides, use was made of additional cleavage by trypsin at lysine residues and of cyanogen bromide cleavage.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 227–230, March–April, 1984.     

Primary structure of subunit B of the 11S globulin of seeds of cotton plant variety 108-F. I. Acid-soluble peptides from complete tryptic hydrolysis of subunit B

The 11S globulin of cotton seeds consists of three types of subunits: A, B, and C. The complete tryptic hydrolysis of subunit B has given acid-soluble and acid-in-soluble peptides. The amino acid compositions and amino acid sequences of the acid-soluble peptides have been determined.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 88–93, January–February, 1984.     

Primary structure of subunit B of the 11S globulin of cotton seeds of variety 108-F. II. Peptides of tryptic hydrolysis at lysine residues

Six large lysine peptides have been isolated from a tryptic hydrolysate at lysine residues, making up all together 172 amino acid residues of the 180–190 amino acid residues of the whole polypeptide chain of the molecule.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 220–224, March–April, 1984.     

Crystal structure of Li2B12H12: a possible intermediate species in the decomposition of LiBH4

The crystal structure of solvent-free Li2B12H12 has been determined by powder X-ray diffraction and confirmed by a combination of neutron vibrational spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. This compound is a possible intermediate in the dehydrogenation of LiBH4, and its structural characterization is crucial for understanding the decomposition and regeneration of LiBH4. Our results reveal that the structure of Li2B12H12 differs from other known alkali-metal (K, Rb, and Cs) derivatives.     

Changes in enzymatic and membrane-adsorbing activities of sphingomyelinase from Bacillus cereus by modification with a polyethylene glycol derivative.

Sphingomyelinase (SMPLC) from Bacillus cereus was modified with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative, methoxypolyethylene glycol-succinimidyl succinate (ss-PEG). The molecular weight of the ss-PEG-modified SMPLC was calculated to be approx. 150 kDa by gel-filtration whereas that of the native enzyme, was 25 kDa. By this modification, the enzyme increased its thermostability and retained its hydrolytic activity toward 2-(N-hexadecanoylamino)-4-nitrophenylphosphocholine (HNP) and sphingomyelin (SM) in the mixed micelles with the surfactants such as Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate (SDC). However, the activity toward liposomal SM was significantly decreased, and all the enzyme activities toward bovine erythrocytes, including membraneous SM-hydrolyzing and hemolytic activities as well as the enzyme adsorption onto the erythrocyte membranes, were completely lost.     

Prof. Tao Zhang Invited to Become a Correspondent for the News Brief Section of Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

This position will last for a period of two years,which can be extended by mutual agreement. Themain duty of Prof.Zhang, Deputy Director of DalianInstitute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy ofSciences and a catalytic scientist, would be to com-municate items of interest to the readership of Applied     

Inducing a high twisted conformation in the polyimide structure by bulky donor moieties for the development of non-volatile memory

Two polyimides, PI(DAT-6FDA) and PI(DAPT-6FDA), from N-(2,4-diaminophenyl)-N,N-diphenylamine (DAT) or N-(4-(2′,4′-diaminophenoxy)phenyl-N,N-diphenylamine (DAPT) and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) were prepared to clarify the structural effect on the resulting memory properties. The memory device based on PI(DAT-6FDA) showed an unstable volatile behavior, while the device based on PI(DAPT-6FDA) with a more bulky donor (D) unit exhibited a stable non-volatile FLASH type memory characteristic with a long retention time over 10⁴ s. The theoretical simulation based on the density functional theory (DFT) suggested that the greater distinct charge separation between the ground and charge transfer (CT) states led to a highly stable memory behavior. Also, it was clarified that PI(DAPT-6FDA) had a highly twisted conformation compared to PI(DAT-6FDA) in the ground state, and a more twisted dihedral angle between the D and acceptor (A) units was induced in the CT state, which led to the non-volatile memory characteristic.     

The molecular structure and conformation of acetamides in the vapour phase: Part II. 2-Iodoacetamide

2-Iodoacetamide has been studied by electron diffraction, utilizing a new nozzle construction. A skew conformation with a dihedral angle of 126.3(1.1)° from syn (C-I bond eclipsing the C-N bond), and a gauche conformation with a dihedral angle of 42.3(1.6) both fit the experimental data almost equally well. However, comparison with the X-ray structure and the results for the two models indicate a slight preference for the skew form.The most important structural parameters are: r_g(CO) = 1.222(3)Å, r_g(C-N) = 1.370(3)Å, r_g(C-C) = 1.515(4) Å, r_g(C-I) = 2.160(4) Å, ∠_αOCC = 120.0(6)°, ∠_αNCC = 116.9(4)° and ∠_αCCl = 117.3(4)°. Parenthesized values are one standard deviation.     

New developments in the field of vitamin B12: enzymatic reactions dependent upon corrins and coenzyme B12.

Simple corrins such as vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin B₁₂ coenzyme catalyze a variety of unusual enzymatic reactions of which some are still without analogy in organic or organometallic chemistry. The mechanisms of these reactions are currently the subject of lively discussion. The present review focuses attention on new ideas about the mode of action of vitamin B₁₂ coenzymes in enzymatic reactions.     

Conformation of 1,4-dineopentyl-2,5-cis-diphenylpiperazine and its diammonium salts: remarkable change in conformation depending upon the counter anion

The free base of 1,4-dineopentyl-2,5-diphenylpiperazine takes a chair conformation in CDCl3, while the conformation of its diammonium salts changes depending upon the counter anion.     

Catalysis of enantiomeric ester hydrolysis in polymer domains: Catalytic effects of N-decanoyl-histidine and of dipeptide derivatives containing a histidyl residue

The catalytic activities of N-decanoyl-L -histidine and its methyl ester and of dipeptide derivatives containing an L -histidine residue toward the stereoselective hydrolysis of enantiomeric substrates have been studied at pH 7.30 (in 0.01M Bis-tris buffer) and 25°C in the presence of poly(ethyleneimine) derivatives. The dipeptide catalyst revealed greatest stereoselectivity in a quaternized poly(ethyleneimine) derivative. A comparison of catalytic effects on both the rate constants and stereoselectivities of N-decanoyl-L -histidine and its methyl ester elucidates the cooperative effects of carboxyl groups in the polymer domains. The structure of the substrates influenced both the rate constants and stereoselectivities in polymer domains.     

Na6 TlSb4: synthesis,structure, and bonding. An electron-rich salt with a chain conformation and a Tl-Tl bond length determined by the cation

The title compound forms on fusion and annealing of a stoichiometric mixture of the elements. The structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods in the monoclinic space group C2/c, with a = 15.154(3) A, b = 10.401(2) A, c = 17.413(4) A, and beta = 113.57(3) degrees, Z = 8. Four-membered Tl-Sb1-Sb4-Sb3 rings interlinked by pairs of Sb2 bridges generate swinglike repeat units [Tl(2)Sb(8)] that are further interlinked through external Tl-Tl bonds to form infinite one-dimensional chains. Cations play a major role in the structure. In contrast to the Zintl-phase K(6)Tl(2)Sb(3) with similar swinglike [Tl(4)Sb(6)] repeating units and Tl-Tl interlinkages, Na(6)TlSb(4) has a more compact conformation of the chains and a notably smaller cell volume than expected. The new phase is metallic with two excess cations according to empirical electron counting, EHTB band calculations for the anion, and the compound's measured resistivities and magnetic susceptibilities. The notably shorter Tl-Tl bond in the present salt (2.954 A) can be directly attributed to the smaller cation and reduced intercation repulsions across that bond.