Unexpected subtilisin-catalyzed hydrolysis of a sulfinamide bond in preference to a carboxamide bond in N-acyl sulfinamides

Subtilisin Carlsberg-catalyzed hydrolysis of N-chloroacetyl p-toluenesulfinamide favored cleavage of the sulfinamide (S(O)-N) bond with a minor amount ( approximately 25%) of the expected carboxamide (C(O)-N) bond. The sulfinamide hydrolysis was enantioselective (E approximately 17) and yielded remaining starting material enriched in the R-enantiomer and achiral product, sulfinic acid and chloroacetamide, as confirmed by mass spectra and NMR. In contrast, the related subtilisin BPN' and E favored the carboxamide hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of the pseudo-symmetrical N-p-toluoyl p-toluenesulfinamide, which contains a sulfinamide and a carboxamide in similar steric and electronic environments, gave only sulfinamide cleavage (>10:1) for subtilisin Carlsberg, showing that sulfinamide cleavage is the preferred path even when a similar carboxamide is available.     

The incorporation of a photoisomerizable amino acid into proteins in E. coli

An orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair has been evolved that allows the incorporation of the photoisomerizable amino acid phenylalanine-4'-azobenzene (AzoPhe) into proteins in E. coli in response to the amber nonsense codon. Further, we show that AzoPhe can be used to photoregulate the binding affinity of catabolite activator protein to its promoter. The ability to selectively incorporate AzoPhe into proteins at defined sites should make it possible to regulate a variety of biological processes with light, including enzyme, receptor, and ion channel activity.     

Asymmetric reduction of ketones with recombinant E. coli whole cells in neat substrates

The asymmetric reduction of ketones is performed by using lyophilized whole cells in neat substrates with defined water activity (a(w)). Ketones and alcohols prone to be unstable in aqueous media can now be converted via biocatalysis.     

An anti E. coli O157:H7 antibody-immobilized microcantilever for the detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli).

A silicon microcantilever sensor was developed for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The microcantilever was modified by anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies on the silicon surface of the cantilever. When the aquaria E. coli O157:H7 positive sample is injected into the fluid cell where the microcantilever is held, the microcantilever bends upon the recognition of the E. coli O157:H7 antigen by the antibodies on the surface of the microcantilever. A negative control sample that does not contain E. coli O157:H7 antigen did not cause any bending of the microcantilever. The detection limit of the sensor was 1 x 10(6) cfu/mL when the assay time was < 2 h.     

Bactericidal effect of an electrodialysis system on E. coli cells

Using a new electrodialysis system with both cation- and anion-exchange membranes, the bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli has been investigated in detail from the standpoint of electrochemistry. Various electrolyte solutions containing E. coli (10⁸ cells/cm³) were passed through a desalting chamber at a flow rate of 3 cm³/min under varying current densities, and the viability of the cell (%) and the pH changes in the effluents were measured. When a 0.1 M NaCl aqueous suspension was used, a disinfection effect emerged in the vicinity of the limiting current density (LCD 0.81 A/dm²) and increased with an increase in the current density. The pH value of the suspensions decreased owing to the dissociation of water to H⁺ and OH⁻ ions by the well-known “neutrality disturbance phenomenon” in the region beyond the LCD. These tendencies were also observed when other electrolyte suspensions were used. Concerning the effect of the various species on the disinfection of E. coli cells, ionic systems in which a LCD was easily attained were found to have a strong effect.The germicidal effect may be due to a synergistic effect of acidic H⁺ and basic OH⁻ ions which are produced on the anion-exchange membrane and cation-exchange membrane, respectively, of the desalting chamber.     

Peptide bond isosteres: ester or (E)-alkene in the backbone of the collagen triple helix

[structure: see text] Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. Interstrand N-H...O=C hydrogen bonds between backbone amide groups form a ladder in the middle of the collagen triple helix. Isosteric replacement of the hydrogen-bond-donating amide with an ester or (E)-alkene markedly decreases the conformational stability of the triple helix. Thus, this recurring hydrogen bond is critical to the structural integrity of collagen. In this context, an ester isostere confers more stability than does an (E)-alkene.     

Promiscuity of carbonic anhydrase II. Unexpected ester hydrolysis of carbohydrate-based sulfamate inhibitors

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are enzymes whose endogenous reaction is the reversible hydration of CO(2) to give HCO(3)(-) and a proton. CA are also known to exhibit weak and promiscuous esterase activity toward activated esters. Here, we report a series of findings obtained with a set of CA inhibitors that showed quite unexpectedly that the compounds were both inhibitors of CO(2) hydration and substrates for the esterase activity of CA. The compounds comprised a monosaccharide core with the C-6 primary hydroxyl group derivatized as a sulfamate (for CA recognition). The remaining four sugar hydroxyl groups were acylated. Using protein X-ray crystallography, the crystal structures of human CA II in complex with four of the sulfamate inhibitors were obtained. As expected, the four structures displayed the canonical CA protein-sulfamate interactions. Unexpectedly, a free hydroxyl group was observed at the anomeric center (C-1) rather than the parent C-1 acyl group. In addition, this hydroxyl group is observed axial to the carbohydrate ring while in the parent structure it is equatorial. A mechanism is proposed that accounts for this inversion of stereochemistry. For three of the inhibitors, the acyl groups at C-2 or at C-2 and C-3 were also absent with hydroxyl groups observed in their place and retention of stereochemistry. With the use of electrospray ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS), we observed directly the sequential loss of all four acyl groups from one of the carbohydrate-based sulfamates. For this compound, the inhibitor and substrate binding mode were further analyzed using free energy calculations. These calculations suggested that the parent compound binds almost exclusively as a substrate. To conclude, we have demonstrated that acylated carbohydrate-based sulfamates are simultaneously inhibitor and substrate of human CA II. Our results suggest that, initially, the substrate binding mode dominates, but following hydrolysis, the ligand can also bind as a pure inhibitor thereby competing with the substrate binding mode.     

Detection of E. coli using a microfluidics-based antibody biochip detection system

This work demonstrates the detection of E. coli using a 2-dimensional photosensor array biochip which is efficiently equipped with a microfluidics sample/reagent delivery system for on-chip monitoring of bioassays. The biochip features a 4 x 4 array of independently operating photodiodes that are integrated along with amplifiers, discriminators and logic circuitry on a single platform. The microfluidics system includes a single 0.4 mL reaction chamber which houses a sampling platform that selectively captures detection probes from a sample through the use of immobilized bioreceptors. The independently operating photodiodes allow simultaneous monitoring of multiple samples. In this study the sampling platform is a cellulosic membrane that is exposed to E. coli organisms and subsequently analyzed using a sandwich immunoassay involving a Cy5-labeled antibody probe. The combined effectiveness of the integrated circuit (IC) biochip and the immunoassay is evaluated for assays performed both by conventional laboratory means followed by detection with the IC biochip, and through the use of the microfluidics system for on-chip detection. Highlights of the studies show that the biochip has a linear dynamic range of three orders of magnitude observed for conventional assays, and can detect 20 E. coli organisms. Selective detection of E. coli in a complex medium, milk diluent, is also reported for both off-chip and on-chip assays.     

Detection of E. coli using a microfluidics-based antibody biochip detection system

This work demonstrates the detection of E. coli using a 2-dimensional photosensor array biochip which is efficiently equipped with a microfluidics sample/reagent delivery system for on-chip monitoring of bioassays. The biochip features a 4 × 4 array of independently operating photodiodes that are integrated along with amplifiers, discriminators and logic circuitry on a single platform. The microfluidics system includes a single 0.4 mL reaction chamber which houses a sampling platform that selectively captures detection probes from a sample through the use of immobilized bioreceptors. The independently operating photodiodes allow simultaneous monitoring of multiple samples. In this study the sampling platform is a cellulosic membrane that is exposed to E. coli organisms and subsequently analyzed using a sandwich immunoassay involving a Cy5-labeled antibody probe. The combined effectiveness of the integrated circuit (IC) biochip and the immunoassay is evaluated for assays performed both by conventional laboratory means followed by detection with the IC biochip, and through the use of the microfluidics system for on-chip detection. Highlights of the studies show that the biochip has a linear dynamic range of three orders of magnitude observed for conventional assays, and can detect 20 E. coli organisms. Selective detection of E. coli in a complex medium, milk diluent, is also reported for both off-chip and on-chip assays. Received: 13 October 2000 / Revised: 13 November 2000 / Accepted: 13 November 2000     

Biomimetic synthesis of petuniasterone D via the epoxy ester[bond]ortho ester rearrangement

The side chain of the insecticidal steroid petuniasterone D was synthesized by the biomimetic acid-catalyzed epoxy ester[bond]ortho ester rearrangement. In addition to the natural (22R,24R)-configuration of the side chain ortho ester, compounds bearing the epimeric (22R,24S)-, (22S,24R)-, and (22S,24S)- [3.2.1]-bicyclic ortho esters were also produced by stereospecific rearrangement of the corresponding isomeric epoxy esters. Functionalization of the steroid nucleus of the (22R,24R)-ortho ester completed the synthesis of the natural product.     

A new enzymatic method for determination of E. coli

Inthispaper,arapid,sensitiveandsimpleenzymaticmethodfordetectingtheE.coltcellshasbeenestablished.P-GalactosidaseisakindofendoenzymeexistingintheE.coltcells.Itcanbereleasedfromthecellsbythepore-formingactionofcolicinEI,andcanbedetectedrapidlybyenZymatic..thodl.Colici.,areplasmid-encodedproteins,bindspecificallytoparticularreceptorsontheoutermembraneofsensitivecellsan.dactmainlythroughtwopathways'.Beca.s.theycanformporesinthemembrane,colicinshavebeenwidelyusedastoolstostudythebiologicalandphy…     

Unexpected reversal of regioselectivity in the palladium-catalysed addition of the tin-germanium bond to allenes

Whereas the addition of tributyl(trimethylgermyl)stannane to 1-alkynes in the presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium proceeds regiospecifically, the direction of its addition to allenes is dependent on the structure of the allene.     

Antibacterial mechanism of chitosan microspheres in a solid dispersing system against E. coli

In this study, we investigated the antibacterial mechanism through the interfacial contacting inhibition behaviors of chitosan antimicrobials against Escherichia coli in solid dispersing state. Chitosan microspheres (CMs) were prepared by emulsification cross-linking reaction, and oleoyl-CMs (OCMs) were obtained by introduction of oleoyl groups to the chitosan. The CMs were with smooth surface and spherical shape of diameter of about 124 microm. The antibacterial activity was directly proportional to the concentration and the hydrophobic property of CMs. The fluorescence experiments indicated CMs had influenced the structure of membrane, especially the OCMs were speculated to interact with proteins on the cell membrane. SEM photographs showed E. coli adhered to the surface of the CMs and provided evidences for the disruption of the cells, while the bacterium conglomerated on the surface of the OCMs. The CMs changed the permeability of membrane and caused cellular leakage that correlated with the hydrophobic interaction between CMs and cytoplasmic membrane phospholipids of Gram-negative bacteria. Solid dispersing system makes the antibacterial activities of CMs counted as a sequent event-driven to study the antibacterial mechanism of chitosan originally.     

Structures of E. coli peptide deformylase bound to formate: insight into the preference for Fe2+ over Zn2+ as the active site metal

E. coli peptide deformylase (PDF) catalyzes the deformylation of nascent polypeptides generated during protein synthesis. While PDF was originally thought to be a zinc enzyme, subsequent studies revealed that the active site metal is iron. In an attempt to understand this unusual metal preference, high-resolution structures of Fe-, Co-, and Zn-PDF were determined in complex with its deformylation product, formate. In all three structures, the formate ion binds the metal and forms hydrogen-bonding interactions with the backbone nitrogen of Leu91, the amide side chain of Gln50, and the carboxylate side chain of Glu133. One key difference, however, is how the formate binds the metal. In Fe-PDF and Co-PDF, formate binds in a bidentate fashion, while in Zn-PDF, it binds in a monodentate fashion. Importantly, these structural results provide the first clues into the origins of PDF's metal-dependent activity differences. On the basis of these structures, we propose that the basis for the higher activity of Fe-PDF stems from the better ability of iron to bind and activate the tetrahedral transition state required for cleavage of the N-terminal formyl group.     

Immunomagnetic nanoparticle-based sandwich chemiluminescence-ELISA for the enrichment and quantification of E. coli

Rapid methods for the quantification of Escherichia coli are required for the monitoring of faecal contamination in water to secure public health. The immunomagnetic separation (IMS) offers rapid enrichment and purification of bacteria in complex matrices and is compatible with immunoassays. By means of this technique, non-target cells and matrix components which might interfere with subsequent analytical methods are removed. We present the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and covalent coupling to antibodies against the enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) for use with IMS. Quantification was carried out with a chemiluminescence-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our anti-ECA-MNPs allow for a group-specific enrichment of bacterial cells, which can be combined with a species-specific analytical method. The particles were used along with commercially available magnetic columns for the selective enrichment of E. coli from 10-mL water samples. The volumetric enrichment factor was 9. For enriched samples, the limit of detection was reduced from 5.0?×?10⁶ cells·mL^-1 to 2.6?×?10⁵ cells·mL^-1. Using 200 µL anti-ECA-MNPs, we determined a recovery of 97?±?6% for a sample containing 10⁶ cells·mL^-1 and 89?±?2% for a sample containing 10⁷ cells·mL^-1. The overall time for cell enrichment and detection was 3 h 45 min.