A versatile amino acid analogue of the solvatochromic fluorophore 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide: a powerful tool for the study of dynamic protein interactions

We have developed a new unnatural amino acid based on the solvatochromic fluorophore 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide (4-DMN) for application in the study of protein-protein interactions. The fluorescence quantum yield of this chromophore is highly sensitive to changes in the local solvent environment, demonstrating "switch-like" emission properties characteristic of the dimethylaminophthalimide family of fluorophores. In particular, this new species possesses a number of significant advantages over related fluorophores, including greater chemical stability under a wide range of conditions, a longer wavelength of excitation (408 nm), and improved synthetic accessibility. This amino acid has been prepared as an Fmoc-protected building block and may readily be incorporated into peptides via standard solid-phase peptide synthesis. A series of comparative studies are presented to demonstrate the advantageous properties of the 4-DMN amino acid relative to those of the previously reported 4-N,N-dimethylaminophthalimidoalanine and 6-N,N-dimethylamino-2,3-naphthalimidoalanine amino acids. Other commercially available solvatochromic fluorophores are also include in these studies. The potential of this new probe as a tool for the study of protein-protein interactions is demonstrated by introducing it into a peptide that is recognized by calcium-activated calmodulin. The binding interaction between these two components yields an increase in fluorescence emission greater than 900-fold.     

氨基酸和多肽在碱性硅胶载体上的固相衍生研究

为进行复杂体系中痕量生理活性物质 (如氨基酸和多肽等 )的高灵敏度分析 ,往往需要对其进行柱前或柱后的荧光衍生 -高效液相色谱或毛细管电泳分析 [1] .在一个存在着竞争反应的体系中 ,为保证样品有足够的反应产率 ,往往需使衍生试剂过量很多 ,这就使得衍生后的样品中必然含有高浓度的衍生试剂及其水解后形成的副产物 ,从而大大地干扰了分离与分析 .为解决这一问题 ,通常可采取溶剂萃取[2～ 5] 或加入 1 -金刚烷胺 [6 ,7] 或羟胺 [8,9] 等方法除去过量试剂 .但这些额外的处理使衍生方法更加烦琐 ,有时还导致收率的降低 .也有使用固相化的衍…     

Highly enantioselective alkynylation of aldehydes catalyzed by a readily available chiral amino alcohol-based ligand

A new inexpensive chiral amino alcohol-based ligand, (1S,2S)-2-N,N-dimethylamino-1-(p-nitrophenyl)-3- (t-butyldimethylsilyloxy)propane-1-ol, was developed for the asymmetric alkynylation of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes, to prepare the corresponding propargylic alcohols in high yields with up to 99% ee.     

Validated high-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of selenomethionine using isothiocyanate based chiral derivatizing reagents

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for enantioseparation of selenomethionine (SeMet) was developed using two isothiocyanate-based chiral derivatizing reagents [(R)-methyl benzyl isothiocyanate (MBIC) and (S)-1-(1-naphthyl) ethyl isothiocyanate (NEIC)] and UV detection. Diastereomers of selenomethionine were synthesized either via stirring (using MBIC) or by microwave irradiation (using NEIC). Derivatization conditions were optimized and the synthesized diastereomers were successfully resolved using triethyl ammonium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile on a reversed-phase column. The method was validated for accuracy, precision and limit of detection. The mechanism of separation is also discussed.     

Concerning the Basicity of 4-Dimethylaminoquinazoline Derivatives

 Two series of selected 4-N,N-dimethylamino-2-phenylquinazoline and 2-N,N-diethylamino-4-N,N-dimethylamino-quinazoline derivatives obtained in the reaction of substituted N-phenylbenzimidoyl chlorides or N¹,N¹-diethyl-N²-phenylchlorocarboxyamidines with N,N-dimethylcyanamide in the presence of TiCl₄ were examined in order to detect the protonation centre. The untypical correlations between pK _a and σ were supported by MNDO calculations and single crystal X-ray diffraction data and point to a protonation of the ring-N-atoms with delocalization of the positive charge into the N,N-dimethylamino group.     

Voltammetric Sensing of Amino Acids in the Presence of Cu(II) in Acidic and Alkaline Solutions

A number of amino acids have been determined at carbon film electrodes in the presence of copper. Strongly acidic, 0.1 M HCl, in the presence of 0.1 mM Cu(II), as well as alkaline, 0.1 M NaOH, solution permit successful measurement of individual amino acids, clearer separation between oxidation of Cu and Cu‐complexes occurring in alkaline solution. Electrochemical impedance showed that Cu(II) facilitates charge transfer, particularly in alkaline medium. Square wave voltammetry with preconcentration increased the response compared to linear sweep voltammetry. Protein hydrolysis rates were monitored through determination of amino acids produced by decomposition, injecting samples into alkaline electrolyte solution.     

Enhancement of Photocurrent Generation of a Novel Stilbazolium Dye Dimer in LB Monolayer Films

A novel dye dimer,bis-{[1-(N-hexadecyl-4-pyridinium)-2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminopheyl)] ethenyl} methane diiodide (C16BP) was synthesized,and the photoelectrochemistry of the dye Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer modified ITO electrode was investigated.For comparison,the photoelectrochemistry of the monomer (E)-N-hexadexyl-4-[2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl) ethenyl] pyridinium iodide (C16P) was also measured.The results show that the photocurrent generation property of the dimer is enhanced.The photocurrent generation quantum yield is 0.38% for C16BP,while that for C16P is 0.23%.     

Enantioseparation of protonated primary arylalkylamines and amino acids containing an aromatic moiety on a pyridino-crown ether based new chiral stationary phase

This paper reports the preparation and testing of a new pyridino-18-crown-6 ether based chiral stationary phase (CSP). The chiral crown ether was covalently bound to silica gel. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was used for probing the complex formation of the chiral crown ether with the enantiomers of protonated primary arylalkylamines. The (S,S)-dimethylpyridino-18-crown-6 ether selector having a terminal double bond was first transformed to a triethoxysilyl derivative by regioselective hydrosilylation, and then heated with spherical HPLC quality silica gel to obtain the CSP. The discriminating power of the HPLC column filled with the above CSP was tested by using the hydrogenperchlorate salts of racemic α-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine (1-NEA), α-(2-naphthyl)ethylamine (2-NEA) and the hydrochloride salts of aromatic α-amino acids and α-amino acids containing different aromatic side-chain protecting groups.     

有机晶体材料DAST和DSTMS的电子结构与光学性质

采用基于赝势平面波基组的密度泛函理论(DFT)方法,研究了有机晶体材料4-(4-二甲氨基苯乙烯基)甲基吡啶对甲苯磺酸盐(DAST)和4-(4-二甲氨基苯乙烯基)甲基吡啶2,4,6-三甲基苯磺酸盐(DSTMS)的电子结构和光学性质.结果表明,两种化合物具有相似的能带结构,其中价带顶和导带底分别含有较多二甲氨基和甲基吡啶中N原子的2p轨道成分.在线性光学性质方面,两种化合物具有较高的双折射率(Δn>0.5),在中远红外区均具有较好的透过性能.在二阶非线性光学性质方面,该类晶体具有较强的二阶倍频(SHG)效应,静态倍频系数d11约为150 pm V-1.由能带结构分析结果可知,体系的SHG效应与推拉电子基团之间的电荷转移密切相关,同时乙烯桥键在该电子转移过程中也起着重要作用.     

Synthesis of N-arylsulfonyl-2-aryl(hetaryl)aminoacetic acids

Hydrolytic transformations of 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)-and-(ethoxycarbonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl)acetic acids under microwave irradiation in alkaline medium involve both trichloromethyl group and ester fragment to give N-arylsulfonyl-2-[4-carboxymethyloxy(or sulfanyl)phenyl]-2-aminoacetic acids in good yields. Hydrolysis of methyl 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl)acetates without microwave activation occurs only at the ester group with quantitative formation of 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl) acetic acids. N-[2,2,2-Trichloro-1-(1-naphthyl, 2-furyl, and 1-methylindol-3-yl)ethyl]-4-chlorobenzenesulfonamides in alkaline medium under microwave irradiation were converted in 10–15 min into the corresponding N-(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl)-2-aryl-2-aminoacetic acids in preparative yields.     

纳米晶TiO2电极上半菁衍生物光敏染料

合成了具有不同共轭链长度的吡啶盐类及喹啉盐类半菁染料(E)-N-(4-磺酸丁基)-4-[2-(4-N, N-二甲基氨基苯基)乙烯基]吡啶鎓盐(P1)、(E)-N-(4-磺酸丁基)-4-[2-(4-N, N-二甲基氨基苯基)丁二烯基]吡啶鎓盐(P2)、(E)-N-(4-磺酸丁基)-4-[2-(4-N, N-二甲基氨基苯基)乙烯基]喹啉鎓盐(Q1)以及(E)-N-(4-磺酸丁基)-4-[2-(4-N, N-二甲基氨基苯基)丁二烯基]喹啉鎓盐(Q2).研究了它们的光物理性质，并将它们用作TiO2纳米晶电极的光敏化剂引入光电化学电池.与含有乙烯基共轭桥的染料P1和Q1相比，含有丁二烯基共轭桥的染料P2和Q2在甲醇和氯仿中的最大吸收均发生一定程度的红移，而且吸收光谱变宽.这两类染料都能很好地吸附于TiO2电极上.在比较了四个染料的吸收光谱、摩尔消光系数以及在TiO2电极表面的吸附量后，发现Q1具有最好的光电转化性质.     

Improper hydrogen C-H...O bonds cause self-association of alpha, beta-enaminoketones containing fluorosubstituted alkyl groups.

Concentration- and temperature-dependent IR, NMR and dipole-moment studies on 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,1,1-trifluoro-3-buten-2-one and two of its higher homologues showed that these compounds undergo reversible dimerization in nonpolar solvents. Antiparallel "closed" dimers are formed with a network of improper intermolecular C-H...O hydrogen bonds. Quantitative analysis of the 1H NMR data yielded delta H0 = -17.6 kJ mol-1 and delta S0 = -46.9 J deg-1 mol-1. The interactions observed are the strongest among those involving a C-H group reported so far. The complex described here is the first example of a cyclic complex stabilized by two improper C-H...O hydrogen bonds. The conclusions drawn from the solution and solid-state data were confirmed by ab initio calculations.     

Water-soluble zinc porphyrins as artificial receptors for amino acids

The binding of amino acids to water-soluble zinc porphyrins in basic aqueous solution was spectrophotometrically analyzed. The amino acids were bound to the porphyrins through the coordination of the N atom with the central zinc ion. Additional attractions arise due to Coulomb interactions between the -COO(-) anion of the amino acids and the -N(CH(3))(3)(+) cation of the porphyrin substituents and due to hydrophobic interactions between the porphyrin plane and the hydrophobic substituents of the amino acids. These attractions could be explained based on the binding data. The compensatory relationships of DeltaS and DeltaH were also discussed.     

Kulokekahilide-1, a cytotoxic depsipeptide from the cephalaspidean mollusk Philinopsis speciosa

The cytotoxic depsipeptide kulokekahilide-1, which contains two unusual amino acids, 4-phenylvaline and 3-amino-2-methylhexanoic acid, was isolated from the cephalaspidean mollusk Philinopsis speciosa. Structure elucidation of kulokekahilide-1 was carried out by spectroscopic analysis and chemical degradation. The absolute stereochemistry was determined by Marfey analysis for amino acids and chiral HPLC analysis for hydroxy acids. All four stereoisomers of 4-phenylvaline and 3-amino-2-methylhexanoic acid, which were necessary for Marfey analysis, were synthesized by use of the Heck reaction and Evans's method, respectively. Kulokekahilide-1 showed cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells with an IC(50) value of 2.1 microg/mL.     

亚甲基蒽苯乙烯吡啶盐的合成、结构及双光子吸收性质

以氯化4-甲基-N-9-亚甲基蒽吡啶盐为原料,合成了一种新型的苯乙烯吡啶盐,通过红外、核磁共振氢谱、碳谱、电喷雾质谱、单晶X射线衍射等测试技术对化合物的结构进行了表征。单晶X射线衍射结果表明,该化合物属于单斜晶系,空间群为P21/c,晶胞参数a=1.255 7(1)nm,b=1.539(1)nm,c=2.220 2(8)nm,β=101.099(1)°,V=4.210 5(4)nm3,Z=4,Dc=1.159 g/cm3。用1 064 nm皮秒脉冲激光研究其三阶非线性光学特性,双光子吸收系数β=0.028 cm/GW,吸收截面为σ=8.68×10-48cm4.s.photon-1,表明目标化合物具有良好的三阶非线性光学性质。     

Application of amino acid analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with phenyl isothiocyanate derivatization to the rapid determination of free amino acids in biological samples.

An amino acid analysis by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after precolumn derivatization with phenyl isothiocyanate was adapted to the determination of free amino acids in plasma or other biological fluids and in tissue homogenates. Preparation of samples included deproteinization by 3% sulphosalicylic acid, and careful removal under high vacuum of residual phenyl isothiocyanate after derivatization. A Waters Pico-Tag column (15 cm long) was used, immersed in a water-bath at 38 degrees C. In rat or human plasma, separation of 23 individual amino acids, plus the unresolved pair tryptophan and ornithine, was obtained within 13 min. Including the time for column washing and re-equilibration, samples could be chromatographed at 23-min intervals. Variability was tested for each amino acid by calculating the coefficients of variation of retention times (less than 1% in the average) and peak areas (less than 4% for both intra-day and inter-day determinations). The linearity for each standard amino acid was remarkable over the concentration range 3-50 nmol/ml. The mean recovery of amino acid standards added to plasma prior to derivatization was 97 +/- 0.8%, except for aspartate (82%) and glutamate (81%). This method is rapid (almost three samples per hour can be analysed, more than in any other reported technique), with satisfactory precision, sensitivity and reproducibility. Therefore, it is well suited for routine analysis of free amino acids in both clinical and research work.     

Preliminary study on the way of formation of amino acids on primitive earth under non-reducing conditions

Low energy ions were produced by N₂ glow discharge. The positive ions were accelerated into three kinds of carboxylate solution to induce chemical reactions. HPLC analysis showed that N was deposited into the solution, ammonia and amino acids were produced by such kind of implantation. The time-response of amounts of amino acids was given. The results presented a new way for the production of ammonia and amino acids under primitive earth conditions.     

Analysis of kanamycin A in human plasma and in oral dosage form by derivatization with 1-naphthyl isothiocyanate and high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple and sensitive HPLC method has been developed for trace determination of kanamycin A by derivatization. Plasma proteins are precipitated by acetonitrile and chemical derivatization is performed on the supernatant containing kanamycin A with 1-naphthyl isothiocyanate in pyridine at 70 degrees C. After the derivatization reaction, a methylamine/acetonitrile solution was added to the reaction mixture to eliminate the excess of derivatizing agent and shorten the analysis time. The resulting derivative was separated using a Lichrocart Purospher STAR RP-18e column and water/methanol (33:67, v/v) as a mobile phase (detection at 230 nm). Optimization conditions for the derivatization of kanamycin A were investigated by HPLC. The linear range for the quantitation of kanamycin A in spiked plasma was over 1.2-40 microg/mL; the detection limit (signal to noise ratio = 3; injection volume, 10 microL) was about 0.3 microg/mL. The relative standard deviation was less than 2.9% for intra-day assay (n = 6) and inter-day assay (n = 6) and relative recoveries were found to be greater than 98%. Preliminary application of the method for monitoring kanamycin A in humans upon intramuscular injection of the injection product demonstrated the usefulness of the assay for clinical studies. The proposed method can also be used to analyze the compound in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Sensitive determination of dissolved tryptophan in freshwater by alkaline hydrolysis and HPLC.

A sensitive method involving alkaline hydrolysis and HPLC analysis has been developed to detect nanomolar levels of tryptophan dissolved in freshwater. The procedure includes 1) alkaline hydrolysis with nitrogen atmosphere in Teflon-lined Pyrex tubes with 4.2 M sodium hydroxide at 110 degrees C for 16 h, in which ascorbic acid was used as an antioxidant; 2) a determination step, in which tryptophan was separated efficiently from other amino acids by HPLC and measured by fluorescence. The mean recovery for tryptophan standard was 91.4% with an RSD of 3.3%. Using this method, dissolved tryptophan concentrations ranged from 10.91 to 41.83 nM in water samples from Lake Biwa, Japan.     

Determination of aromatic and branched-chain amino acids in plasma by HPLC with electrogenerated Ru(bpy)3(3+) chemiluminescence detection

An HPLC method is described for the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection of amino acids, following cycloaddition reaction of their amino groups with divinyl sulfone (DVS), using electrogenerated tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(III). The derivatization reaction conditions were examined, with the optimum conditions found to be 40 mM DVS (pH 8.0) at 50 degrees C for 15 min. Detection limits for the 15 amino acids examined varied greatly (0.04-8.0 pmol) using a standard solution by flow injection analysis (FIA). These optimized conditions were used for HPLC determination of the amino acids in human plasma. A linear relationship was obtained up to 100 pmol on a column for aromatic and branched-chain amino acids. Recoveries of Tyr, Met, Val, Leu, Ile, Phe and Trp when added to human plasma (1 micromol/10 ml plasma, n=5) were 101.5+/-1.1, 99.0+/-1.2, 98.0+/-1.4, 101.1+/-1.6, 95.1+/-1.6, 99.2+/-1.5 and 97.7+/-1.3 % (mean+/-S.D.) respectively. The concentrations of the amino acids in the plasma are in good agreement with other published data.