THE DESTRUCTION OF TRYPTOPHANYL RESIDUES IN TRYPSIN BY 280-nm RADIATION

Abstract— The destruction of tryptophanyl residues in trypsin by 280-nm radiation was studied in relation to enzyme inactivation. Quantum yields for destruction of this residue (determined using the pDAB reagent) and for the inactivation of trypsin were measured when the enzyme was exposed to different environmental perturbations. The conformational modifications of trypsin induced in 6 M guanidine-HCl did not alter the rates of tryptophan destruction and enzyme inactivation. However, an enhanced destruction of the tryptophanyl residues was observed when trypsin solutions were irradiated at 60°C in the presence of air. The increased rate of tryptophan destruction at this temperature was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in the inactivation quantum yield. It was concluded that any photochemically induced reactions of this chromophore that are sensitive to conformational modifications or that result in the destruction of the indole ring are not important in the inactivation mechanism of trypsin.     

GEOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INTRAMOLECULAR QUENCHING OF INDOLE FLUORESCENCE BY AMIDE AND CARBOXYLIC ACID GROUPS IN RIGID MOLECULES WITH THE [2,2,1]BICYCLOHEPTENYL SKELETON

Abstract— The geometric requirements for intramolecular fluorescence quenching of indole by carboxylic acid and amide functions have been determined in rigid norbornyl ([2.2,1]bicycloheptenyl) skeleton: trans and cis 3-(3'-indolyl) norbornene 2-dimethylcarboxamides or carboxylic acids. The reference compound was the 3-(3'-indolyl) N-dimethylpropionamide or -propanoic acid. The quenching occurs mainly in protic solvents. In the cis compounds, the quantum yields are strongly decreased when compared to the trans and open chain compounds. As determined by the pH dependence of fluorescence of the acids, it is in the acid form—COOH that the fluorescence is quenched; in the ionized species -CO⁻₂, only small quenching is observed. The K_s of Stern-Volmer equations are very small for the cis bicyclic acid and amide, the indole nucleus being shielded on one side only. The results support the hypothesis that small rearrangement of the peptide bond in protein conformation changes may be detected by fluorescence.     

ROLE OF THE TRYPTOPHAN FLUORESCENT STATE IN THE ULTRAVIOLET-INDUCED INACTIVATION OF β-TRYPSIN*

Abstract— Stern-Volmer quenching constants for β-trypsin at pH 3 were determined for fluorescence quenching by histidine, acrylamide, and nitrate ion. A modified Stern-Volmer plot (Lehrer, 1971) was employed to show that all of the fluorescent tryptophanyl residues of β-trypsin were equally susceptible to quenching by acrylamide at pH 3 when the enzyme was either in its native conformation or denatured in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). Fluorescence lifetime measurements indicated that acrylamide quenched β-trypsin fluorescence by a purely collisional mechanism. Solvation of tryptophanyl residues of the protein was maximal at 2.5 M GuHCl, as monitored by fluorescence emission wavelength.
Investigations of the ultraviolet-induced inactivation of β-trypsin at 295 nm were performed in the presence of acrylamide at pH 3. The quantum yields for enzyme inactivation and indole destruction (determined using the PDAB reagent) were unchanged upon depopulation of the fluorescent state by 65 per cent, whether the enzyme was in its native conformation or denatured by 6 M GuHCl. It is concluded that the fluorescent state of tryptophanyl residues of β-trypsin is not involved in enzyme inactivation or tryptophan destruction.     

PHOTOPHYSICAL STUDIES OF INDOLE ALKANOIC ACIDS and TRYPTAMINE IN REVERSE MICELLES OF SODIUM DIOCTYL SULFOSUCCINATE

Abstract— The fluorescence spectra and emission lifetimes of several 3-alkanoic indoles of different chain length and tryptamine (TA) were studied in sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT)/heptane reverse micelles over a wide range of water/AOT ratio (R - 5 to 44). Fluorescence quenching experiments were done using carbon tetrachloride and acrylamide as quenchers. Experiments with TA were carried out using water at pH 3 in order to assure its protonation. Under these conditions, the results indicate that the indole moiety of TA remains at the micellar interface over all the range considered. Furthermore, the results can be interpreted assuming for the TA population a single microenvironment whose properties remain almost invariant when R increases from 11 to 44. The studies employing the 3-alkanoic indoles were carried out at pH 10. Under these conditions, the anions are progressively displaced to the water pool when the R value increases. This displacement is determined by the length of the side alkyl chain of the 3-indole derivatives. For these compounds, the quenching experiments indicate that, even at low R values, the excited indole moieties are distributed among different microenvironments.     

SENSITIZATION OF THE PHOSPHORESCENCE OF INDOLE THROUGH INTRAMOLECULAR ENERGY TRANSFER FROM THE TRIPLET STATE OF COVALENTLY LINKED ACETOPHENONE IN RIGID MEDIA AT 77 K

Abstract— In an attempt to study the quenching of the triplet state of acetophenone by indole, we have prepared the compounds containing these chromophores intramolecularly. The emission measurements in rigid glasses at 77 K have indicated that the quenching of the triplet acetophenone is due to intramolecular triplet-triplet energy transfer to the indole chromophore, resulting in the sensitization of the indole phosphorescence. The efficiency of the energy transfer has reached ca. 100% in ethanol glasses, while it has been suggested that in methylcyclohexane glasses, the indole chromophore except for 1-methyl derivative is subjected to strong interaction with the acetophenone chromophore other than electronic energy transfer.     

FLUOROMETRIC STUDY OF TRYPTOPHAN PHOTOLYSIS

Abstract— Measurements of fluorescence spectra and fluorescence intensity for tryptophan solutions at different pH show an effective decarboxylation and deamination of tryptophan molecules under UV irradiation. The nonexponential dose-relationship of decrease in total fluorescence of tryptophan solutions is due to the formation of the products retaining indole ring in the course of these reactions. Dose-relationships and quantum yields of indole ring photolysis, deamination and decarboxylation are determined for tryptophan at 254 nm irradiation. Indole ring destruction accounts for about 60% of the total photolysis of tryptophan. Decarboxylation of tryptophan is two times more effective than its deamination. In the absence of oxygen quantum yield of indole photolysis in tryptophan and in the products of decarboxylation and deamination is reduced by a factor of two and by approximately an order of magnitude, respectively. Tryptophan photolysis products which, when excited at 365 nm. fluoresce in the visible region are formed from an intermediate product of indole ring destruction.     

ROLE OF COMPLEX FORMATION IN THE PHOTOSENSITIZED DEGRADATION OF DNA INDUCED BY N'-FORMYLKYNURENINE

Abstract— N'-Formylkynurenine derivatives efficiently bind to DNA or polynucleotides. Homopolynucleotides and DNA display marked differences in the binding process. Association constants are derived which indicate that the oxidized indole ring is more strongly bound to DNA than the unoxidized one. Irradiation of such complexes with wavelengths greater than 320 nm induces pyrimidine dimer formation as well as DNA chain breaks. Complex formation is shown to play an important role in these photosensitized reactions.
The photodynamic action of N'-formylkynurenine on DNA constituents is negligible at neutral pH but guanine and xanthine derivatives are sensitizable at higher pH. Thymine dimer splitting can occur in aggregated frozen aqueous solutions of N'-formylkynurenine and thymine dimer but this photosensitized splitting is negligible in liquid solutions at room temperature.     

FLASH PHOTOLYSIS STUDIES OF PROTEINS AND INDOLE DERIVATIVES IN SOLUTION

Abstract— Transients obtained upon flash photolysis of a number of proteins in aqueous solution appear to derive from electron ejection from tryptophyl residue side chains. These decay by a second order process. Oxygen is an effective quencher for the protein transients but is less so for the flash-induced signals obtained from simple indole derivatives. Experiments using other quenchers indicate that the signals are not due to an indole triplet state, but that the triplet state may be a precursor of the flash-induced metastabie species. Compounds which bind to the active site of chymotrypsin were found to exert only non-specific effects on the flash-induced signals.     

FLASH PHOTOLYSIS OF BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN: IDENTIFICATION AND DECAY KINETICS OF TRANSIENT INTERMEDIATES

Abstract. Using the method of flash photolysis, the triplet of the single indole side chain of human serum albumin was detected at room temperature. In a nitrogen saturated solution, this species was found to decay exponentially for over a factor of ten with a lifetime τ 0.5 ms. Analogous experiments, reported here, with bovine serum albumin yield a non-exponential decay which may be decomposed into two components. The yield of the longer lived triplet, with an average τ of ∼6 ms, is significantly enhanced by addition of a 20 fold excess of sodium dodecyl sulfate or 1 M Br^-. The yield of the shorter lived triplet, τ 0.4 ms, is unaffected by these treatments as was previously observed for the single indole in HSA. Thus, the short lived triplet may be assigned to the indole in BSA which is homologous to the one in HSA. The longer lived triplet may be assigned to the remaining indole of BSA. On the bases of wavelength dependence studies, two additional transients may be identified; the electron adduct of the disulfide bond, λ; 420 with a τ 30 ms, and the neutral indole radical,λ; 520 nm with τ ls. These results suggest that the triplet, because of its long τ, will be a valuable intrinsic reporter group for the study of the structure and dynamics of proteins in solution at room temperature.     

LASER FLASH PHOTOLYSIS OF INDOLE IN THE PRESENCE OF AMINO ACIDS

The laser flash photolysis of indole at 265 nm in the presence of glycine, proline and hydroxy proline was studied. The relative yields of c _aq, triplet state, and indole cation radical were determined in the absence and in the presence of the amino acids. The yields were determined as a function of laser intensity and the values at very low intensity were compared with the fluorescence quenching results. It was concluded that in these conditions the photoionization of indole occurs via the fluorescent state. From the curves of triplet yield vs laser intensity, the triplet quantum yield extrapolated at low laser intensity was obtained, φr = 0.55 φ 0.05, relative to the literature value of 0.15 for φ_eag. This gives φ_F+φ_eaq= 1.0 ± 0.1 at room temperature. When proline and hydroxy proline were used as singlet quenchers, the yield of In was greater than the yield of c_aq. This was considered as evidence that a fraction of the quenching processes leads to complete electron transfer from indole to the amino acids.     

DETERMINATION OF THE ACRYLAMIDE QUENCHING CONSTANT FOR PROTEIN AND MODEL INDOLE TRIPLETS

Abstract— The decay of the indole triplet of single tryptophan-containing proteins and model compounds can be readily measured at room temperature in aqueous solution by monitoring the triplet-triplet absorption or phosphorescence emission following a 265 nm exciting laser pulse. The quenching action of acrylamide on the triplet excited state of indole side chains was studied in an analogous fashion to that previously done at the singlet level (Eftink and Ghiron, 1977). The acrylamide triplet quenching constant (^tk_q) ranged from a high of 7.8 times 10⁸M^-1 s^-1 for the exterior indole of corticotropin (ACTH) to a low of 2 times 10⁵ Af^-1 s^-1 for the interior indole of ribonuclease T, (RNase T,). The ratio (7) of these values with their respective acrylamide singlet quenching constants (^tk_q),(γ=^tk_q⁸K_q) ranged from a high of 0.22 for ACTH to a low of 0.001 for RNase T₁,. Acrylamide is also an inefficient quencher of model indoles in various solvents (i.e. it has a γ less than 1). The magnitude of γ varied from a high of 0.3 in H₂0 to a low of 0.02 in acetonitrile, but did not correlate with viscosity, dielectric constant or polarity. The lower efficiency observed for internal indole groups can not be explained by that class of models which predict the presence of static quenching at the triplet level, since none was observed. The present results confirm the observation of Calhoun et al. of a large discrepancy between acrylamide's singlet and triplet quenching constants for buried indole side chains, but suggest that it may be largely explained by the fact that acrylamide is an inefficient quencher of the indole triplet state (1983). The magnitude of this inefficiency is probably determined by specific microenvironmental factors. Thus, unlike ⁸K_q, the environmentally sensitive ^lk_H cannot be easily used to characterize the dynamics of proteins.     

THE FORMATION OF HYDRATED ELECTRONS FROM THE EXCITED STATE OF INDOLE DERIVATIVES

Abstract— –Hydrogen atoms can be observed in u.v. irradiated aqueous solutions of indole derivatives. These H' atoms are produced in a reaction between H⁺ and solvated electrons which are formed in the excited state of indole. Protons are also known to be good quenching agents for the fluorescence of indole. However the pH dependence and effect of oxygen on the yield of hydrogen atoms indicates clearly that although both fluorescence and electron ejection originate in the excited singlet state the fluorescence quenching by protons is not caused by a transfer of electronic charge from the excited ring to H⁺. The temperature dependencies of both fluorescence and electron ejection yield an abnormally large "activation energy". It is proposed that this temperature dependence is to a large extent determined by a process characteristic of water as a solvent.     

Efficient, one-pot transformation of indoles into functionalized oxindole and spirooxindole systems under Swern conditions

The reaction of indole derivatives bearing a 3- or 4-hydroxyalkyl chain with dimethylsulfoxide and oxalyl chloride under Swern conditions led to a one-pot, three-component process involving three different synthetic transformations, namely oxidation of indole to oxindole, introduction of a chlorine substituent at the oxindole C-3 position and substitution of the hydroxyl group in the side chain by chlorine, in good to excellent overall yields. The same conditions, applied to a 2-methylindole, afforded a 2-formylindole derivative oxidized at its side chain. The reaction starting from one indole with a 2-hydroxyalkyl chain furnished 3-(2-hydroxyalkyl)oxindoles. Finally, application of the Swern conditions to derivatives of indole-3-propionic or -butyric acid afforded 3-spirooxindole lactones.     

SPIN-TRAPPING and ESR STUDIES OF THE DIRECT PHOTOLYSIS OF AROMATIC AMINO ACIDS, DIPEPTIDES, TRIPEPTIDES and POLYPEPTIDES IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS—III. TRYPTOPHAN and RELATED COMPOUNDS

Abstract— The UV photolysis of tryptophan (Trp) and Trp-containing peptides in aerated aqueous solutions has been studied by ESR and spin-trapping techniques using f-nitrosobutane as the spin-trap. The photolysis of Trp alone at 290 nm gave rise to the addition of the spin-trap to carbon 3 of the indole ring. A large ESR signal from the hydronitroxide spin-adduct was also observed revealing the formation of hydrated electrons. Generally, the photolysis of Trp-containing dipeptides generated the deamination radical of the N-terminal amino acid followed by addition to the spin-trap. In the case of lysyl-Trp, a deamination radical from the side chain of lysine was proposed. A sensitization experiment with Trp as sensitizer and glycine (Gly) as substrate led to the generation of the deamination radical of Gly. Most of the observed free radicals resulting from the photolysis of Trp-containing peptides can be explained in terms of hydrated electrons reacting with the carbonyl group followed by deamination of the N-terminus.     

STUDIES ON THE PHOTO DEGRADATION OF TRYPTOPHAN

Abstract— The photodegradation of tryptophan in aqueous solution increases steadily with decrease in wavelength over the U.V. range 370–230 mμ, but the action spectrum does not parallel the absorption spectrum over these wavelengths. Thus appreciable decomposition occurs at wavelengths greater than 300 mp, even though at the concentrations tested the indole ring does not absorb energy in this region, and a photosensitive auto-oxidation mechanism is suggested to account for this.
The quantum efficiency for the destruction tryptophan at 265 mμ is 0 01 at pH 4 , 5 and 7 , but increases to 0.02 at pH 12. For the acetyl, ester and amide derivatives it is 0.03 in neutral solution.
The yellowing of tryptophan solutions during irradiation is accompanied by the appearance of an absorption maximum at about 305 mμ in the differential absorption spectrum. The increase in optical density at this wavelength bears a direct relationship to the decrease in optical density at 280 mμ: the degree of yellowing is related to the degree of destruction of tryptophan. It is less pronounced in neutral solution than at higher or lower pH values.
The yellowing of N-substituted tryptophan derivatives at 265 mμ is appreciably less than that of tryptophan, whereas derivatives with a free amino group are indistinguishable from the unsubstituted amino acid in this respect.     

In vitro phase I metabolism of the synthetic cannabimimetic JWH-018

A potent synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist, JHW-018, was recently detected as one of the most prominent active agents in abusively used incenses such as Spice and other herbal blends. The high pharmacological and addictive potency of JWH-018 highlights the importance of elucidating the metabolism of JWH-018, without which a meaningful insight into its pharmacokinetics and its toxicity would not be possible. In the present study, the cytochrome P450 phase I metabolites of JWH-018 were investigated, after in vitro incubation of the drug with human liver microsomes, followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. This revealed monohydroxylation of the naphthalene ring system, the indole moiety, and the alkyl side chain. In addition, observations were made of dihydroxylation of the naphthalene ring system, and the indole moiety, or as result of a combination of monohydroxylations of both the naphthalene ring system and the indole moiety or the alkyl side chain, or a combination of monohydroxylations of both the indole ring system and the alkyl side chain. There is also evidence of trihydroxylation at different locations of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule. Furthermore, dehydration of the alkyl side chain, in combination with both monohydroxylation and dihydroxylation as well as arene oxidation of the naphthalene ring system, combined with both monohydroxylation and dihydroxylation at different sites of oxidation were found. N-dealkylation also in combination with both monohydroxylation and dihydrodiol formation of the N-dealkylated metabolite was detected. Finally, a metabolite was found carboxylated at the alkyl side chain.     

THE PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF SPECIFIC TRYPTOPHAN RESIDUES IN PROTEINS AS ANALYZED BY THE FLUORESCENT SCANNING OF TRYPTIC PEPTIDE MAPS

Abstract— The fact that most proteins contain several tryptophans hinders the investigation of the photochemistry of a particular indole residue. A method is presented here that can be used to investigate the photochemistry of specific tryptophan residues in proteins. It consists simply of separating the peptides of a proteolytically digested protein by TLC and then scanning the peptides at the fluorescent maximum of tryptophan. The assignment of the resultant peaks to a particular peptide is based on the chromatographic comparison of the scans with peptide maps.
Using this method, the photochemistry of the tryptophan residues in alpha crystallin, a major protein of lenses, was investigated. Under photolytic conditions that mimic the transmission characteristics of the cornea (>293 nm), it was found that there is a differential photolysis of the tryptophan residues in the protein; with Trp-9 in the N-terminal peptide photolyzing at a considerably faster rate than Trp-60. In addition to tryptophan, photolytic losses of tyrosine were assessed by scanning the peptide maps at the tyrosine fluorescent maximum. Only one tyrosine residue photolyzes under these conditions. The differential photolysis of the tryptophan residues is explained in part by the presence of residues in the vicinity of the indole moieties.     

PHOTOKINETIC AND PHOTOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS OF THE SENSITIZED PHOTOOXIDATION OF THE TRYPTOPHYL RESIDUE IN N-ACETYL TRYPTOPHANAMIDE AND IN HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN

Abstract— The photosensitized oxidation of 10–100 μ M N -acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) in neutral aqueous solution and in the presence of various dyes proceeds by a pure O₂(¹Δ_g)-involving mechanism. Incorporation of the tryptophyl (Trp) residue into the polypeptide chain of human serum albumin (HSA) has no influence on the mechanism and efficiency of Trp photooxidation when sensitized either by methylene blue, a non-binding dye, or by rose bengal, a dye that gives non-covalent 1: 1 complexes with HSA. This is due to the location of the Trp residue in close proximity of the protein surface and, in the case of rose bengal, to the coincidence of the photophysical properties (including the quantum yield of O₂(¹Δ_g) generation) for the free and HSA-bound dye. Hematoporphyrin also binds to HSA with 1: 1 stoichiometry, although at a different site from rose bengal. Bound Hp again displays photophysical properties very similar with those of free Hp; however, the efficiency of Trp photo-oxidation in HSA is about 5-fold higher than in NATA owing to a limited rearrangement of the protein structure, induced by Hp binding, which enhances the probability of chemical quenching of O₂(¹Δ_g) by the indole ring.     

THE ASSOCIATION OF LIVING POLYSTYRYLLITHIUM IN BENZENE

The effects of the chain length,active end group and concentration on the association of living polystyryllithium (PS~-Li~+)chains in benzene were examined by a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering in a cuvette equipped with a high-vacuum stopcock.The results show that long PS~-Li~+ chains(M_w>1×10~4)usually form dimers in the solution. In contrast,shorter PS~-Li~+ chains exhibit two relaxation modes,where the fast mode is related to the translational diffusion of the living chain dim...     

Indole derivatives. 123. Effect of the substituent in the 2 position on the carbomethoxylation of 2-substituted 3-indolylacetonitriles

It is shown that the size rather than the electronegativity of the substituent in the 2 position of the indole ring has an effect on the Claisen condensation of 2-substituted 3-indolylacetonitriles with dimethyl carbonate. Carbomethoxylation of the side chain is generally accompanied by methylation of the nitrogen atom of the indole ring.See [1] for Communication 122.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 372–376, March, 1981.