Studies on the Chemical Structure of llexolide A

A new tritcrpene glycoside,ilexolidc-A(Ⅰ),exhibiting cardiac activity,has been isolated from the root of ilex publcscens HorJk et Am.(Ⅰ) has been determined as a β-xyloside of iicxolic acid(Ⅱ),(Ⅱ) is also a new triterpenic acid,and its structure has been assigned as 18-dehydro-20-epi-ursolic acid by chemical reactions and physical methods.The stcreochcnrstry of iicxolic acid was mainly confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction method.     

N^2-（1-Methoxycarbonylethyl）guanosine, a new nucleoside coupled with an amino acid derivative from Amanita exitialis

A new purine nucleoside coupled with an amino acid derivative,N~2-(1-methoxycarbonylethyl)guanosine 1,along withβ-carboline and russulaceramide was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Amanita exitialis,a newly described poisonous mushroom. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods.This is the first report of naturally occurring nucleosides in which anα-amino acid derivative is bonded through itsα-amino nitrogen to a nucleobase aglycone by a C-N bond.The new compound was found to be toxic in ...     

THE POLYHEDRIN GENE OF Bombyx mori NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS VIRUS

Cloned SalI fragments of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmSNPV) DNA were screened with the polyhedrin gene of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus as a probe. One positive clone, pBN61, with an insert of 1.65 Kb, was obtained. The Hind-Ⅲ, HpaⅡ and AluⅠ maps of the insert were constructed. Part of its nucleotide sequence has been determined. The 46 amino acid sequence, as determined from the nucleotide sequence, was compared with the reported sequence of BmSNPV polyhedrin. Only ono amino acid difference has been found. It is likely that clone pBN61 contains the whole BmSNPV polyhedrin gene.     

ISOLATION, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MARGARATENSIN, A NEUROTENSIN-RELATED PEPTIDE FROM THE SKIN OF Rana margaratae

A new neurotensin (NT)-related peptide, margaratensin, was obtained by Sep-Pak C_(18) and RP-HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of Chinese frog Rana margaratae. The structure of the peptide has been determined to be Asp-Lys-Arg-Pro-Tyr-lle-Leu-His-Glu, which is found to be homologous to the COOH-terminal sequence of NT, but has an extra His-Glu at the COOH-terminus. The synthetic preparation was shown to be indistinguishable from the native peptide during HPLC, amino acid analysis and bioassay. Margaratensin exhibited a hypotensive effect in the rat but the response was weaker than NT. The peptide could induce a potent and reproducible contractile activity on GPI which was different from xenopsin, another NT-related peptide from amphibian skin.     

Structure determination of glycopeptide of β-momorcharin

The structure of the N-linked oligosaccharide chain of β-momorcharin, a ribosome-inactivating protein from the seeds of Momordica charantia Linn (Cucurbitaceae), was determined. A glycopeptide liberated by pronase digestion of the glycoprotein was subjected to amino acid and neutral carbohydrate analysis to establish the composition of amino acid and sugar residues. The sequences and glycosylation hnkages of the sugar and amino acid residues in the glycopeptide were determined as Manαl-6(XyIβ1-2)-Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-4(Fucαl-3)-GlcNAc-Asn-Leu by 2D-NMR spectroscopy and FAB-MS data.     

WHOLLY-AROMATIC THERMOTROPIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER AND ITS BLOCK COPOLYMER

A wholly-aromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (WATLCP) composed ofp-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), 4,4'-dihydroxy bisphenyl (BP), terephthalic acid (TPA),m-phthalic acid (MPA) was synthesized. It was symbolized by BP-LCP. Using a simi-lar method, a new copolymer BP-PSF was prepared. BP-PSF has a semi-flexible chainpolysulfone and a rigid-rod chain like BP-LCP. By FT-IR, polarizing microscope and DSCtechnique, the structures and properties of BP-LCP and BP-PSF were studied.     

Study on Fmoc Solid-phase Synthesis and Activity of Thymosin α1

Thymosin α1 (Tα1), an immunologically polypeptide, [1] is highly acidic composed of 28 amino acid residues with acetylserine as the NH2 terminus. The MW of this peptide is 3108, with pI 4.2. There are many Asp and Glu in this molecule and the complete amino acid sequence of Tα1 is Ac-Ser-Asp-Ala-Ala-Val-Asp-Thr-Ser-Ser-Glu-IleThr-Thr-Lys-Asp-Leu-Lys-Glu-Lys-Lys-Glu-Val-Val-Glu-Glu-Ala-Glu-Asn-OH. This peptide has potent biological activity and has been found to be 10～ 1000 times as active as thymosin F5. In this paper, a Tα1 has been synthe sized by a solid-phase method. Peptide synthesis was performed manually by the stepwise solid-phase method using the base-labile Fmoc group for protecting the α-amino acid. [2]     

Structure Analysis of Streptococcal Protein G Fc Binding Domain

The gene fragment (191 bp) encoding protein G IgG Fc binding domain was isolated by PCR from group G streptococcus (CMCC32138), and a clone containing this gene fragment was found to give fine reactivity to human IgG when expressed in Escherichia coli. The complete nucleotide sequence of the gene fragment was determined. One base pair differs from previously reported protein Gnucleotide sequences, and resultsin an amino acid change (Ala-Thr), but this variation makes no difference in binding to the IgG Fc part by ELISA.The secondary structure of the protein G IgG Fc binding domain has been estimated by circular dichroism and assigned by computer algorithm.It shows a typical α-helix region in this domain.By breaking this α-helix region with recombinant DNA techniques, a 44 peptide, which contained the N-terminal 27 amino acid residues of this domain, was expressed in E. coli and showed no reactivity to IgG.The hydropathicity of this domain was also analyzed and compared with that of protein A relevant     

AMINO ACID SEQUENCE OF THE VARIABLE REGION OF AN UNUSUAL λ-TYPE HUMAN BENCE JONES PROTEIN (LEE)

The variable portion of a human λ-type Bence Jones protein (Lee) has been prepared by limited tryptic digestion. Its amino acid sequence is determined from analysis of tryptic peptides, CNBr cleavage fragments prepared from the reduced-aminocthylated protein. Peptides are aligned by homology to other λ-type proteins. The Lee L-chain has an unusual extension of two amino acid residues (Val-Thr) at the N-terminus. An idiotypic antibody of Lee can react with two other λ-type Bence Jones proteins, Meg (V_λⅣ) and Cap (V_2 Ⅲ). Application of the principle of Chou and Fasman to the sequence data indicates that two portions on the surface of the Ⅴ-region have identical secondary structures similar to the portions of the Meg and Cap λ-chains. This appears to relate to the idiotypic similarities of the three proteins.     

HPLC Determination of the Major Non-protein Amino Acids and Common Biogenic Amines in Lathyrus sativus Using a Novel Extraction Method

An assay is presented for simultaneously determining 5 biogenic amines and the major non-protein amino acids: the toxin β-N-oxalyl-L-α，β-diaminopropanoic acid (β-ODAP), its isomer α-ODAP and homoarginine in Lathyrus sativus extracts using the HPLC system after derivatization with para-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl chloride (PNZ-Cl). However, it is more worthy of noting that this paper also describes a new extraction method using 0.2 mol/L HClO4. The new method has some advantages: shorter extraction-time, simultaneous extraction of free amino acids and polyamines, better inhibiting the isomerization of β-ODAP to α-ODAR and so on.     

Thermochemical Properties and Non-isothermal Decomposition Reaction Kinetics of N-Guanylurea Dinitramide （GUDN）

Introduction N-Guanylurea dinitramide (GUDN) is a new ener-getic oxidizer with higher energy and lower sensitivity. Its crystal density is 1.755 g·cm-3. The detonation velocity is about 8210 m·s-1. Its specific impulse and pressure exponent are 213.1 s and 0.73, respectively. It has the potential for possible use as an energy ingredient of propellants and explosives from the point of view of the above-mentioned high performance. Its preparation,1 properties2 and hygroscopocity2 have been …     

THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF THE LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE ISOZYME M. FROM GIANT PANDA

The amino acid sequences of tryptic, chymotryptic and cyanogen bromide cleavage peptides of the lac-tate dehydrogenase isozyme M4 from giant panda have been determined. Based on the overlapping peptidesand by a comparison with the known sequence of porcine lactate dehydrogenase isozyme M subunit, thecomplete primary structure of the giant panda lactate dehydrogenase isozyme M subunit has been estab-lished. The polypeptide chain of giant panda lactate dehydrogenase isozyme M subunit consists of 331amino acid residues. There is a variance of 17 amino acid residues between the porcine and the giantpanda lactate dehydrogenase isozyme M subunits. Most of the variable residues are substitutions bychemically similar amino acids and take place at residues not related to the active center of the enzyme.     

Sensitive analysis of amino acids in injection liquor by reversed-phase HPLC

A convenient derivatization method of amino acids with l-fluoro-2,4-dimtrobenzene as reaction reagent and a separation system were described. The derivative amino acids were separated on a specific chemically bonded phase column with a simple linear gradient elution consisting of aqueous buffer and methanol. The eluate was detected by common ultraviolet absorption detector at 360 nm. The detection limits of amino acids were as low as 10 picomole. This method has been successfully applied to assay amino acid injection liquor used in hospital. It has good repro-ducibility and precision. The procedures avoid the requirements of particular derivative equipment and analyzer employed in conventional amino acid analysis.     

CROSS-LINKING OF CHITOSAN WITH GLUTARALDEHYDE IN THE PRESENCE OF CITRIC ACID——A NEW GELLING SYSTEM*

The procedure for preparing a new type of uniform and porous chitosan gel from citric acidmedium is described. Its swelling behavior in different media was compared with those of the gels preparedby other methods. The ultrastructure of the xerogel prepared from citric acid was characterized using electronmicroscopy (SEM).     

Purification and Characterization of Superoxide Dismutase （SOD） from Camellia Pollen

A superoxide dismutase（ SOD ） was purified to homogeneity from fresh camellia pollen by means of ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography with DEAE-cellulose（ DE52 ）, Sephadex G-100 and phenyl sepharose^TM 6 Fast Flow columns. Its specific activity could reach to 4034 U/mg protein and it was determined to be Cu/ Zn-SOD according to its different sensitivities to different inhibitors. The molecular weight of the SOD and its subunit were 69500 and 34700, respectively, based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS- PAGE）, which implicates that the SOD in camellia pollen is a dimmer composed of two identical subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was determined to be 4. 1 by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis and the N-terminal amino acid was identified to be Gly by the DNS-Cl method. Its α-Helix was also calculated to be approximately 21.8% according to the circular dichroism（CD） spectra.     

Purification, Characterization and 1H NMR Resonance Assignment of an a－Like Neurotoxin BmK 16 from the Venom of Chinese Scor－pion Buthus martensii Karsch

A natural scorpion toxin BmK 16 was purified for the first time from the venom of the Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK) by using combined gel-filtration, ion exchange and reversed phase chromatography. The sequence of the N-terminal 8 amino acid residues was determined by Edman degradation. Using the N-terminal sequence as a tag, the database searching revealed a hit in the scorpion cDNA Bank. The sequence for N-terminal 8 amino acid residues, molecular weight and amino acid compositions of BmK 16 were identical with the calculated values according to the first 64 residues‘ se-quence of the precursor peptide alpha-neurotoxin TX16 derived from the sequence of the cDNA AF156597 (EMBL). The se-quence-specific resonance assignment of BmK 16 was achieved and the intact sequence of BmK 16 was determined as follow-ings: VRDAY IAKPH NCVYE CARNE YCNDL CTKNG AKSGY CQWVG KYGNG CWCKE LPDNV PIRVP GKCH. Furthermore, the results from the sequence homology analysis and the toxicity assays indicated that BmK 16 was an α-likescorpion neurotoxin.     

Structure of an Extracellular Polysaccharide from a Strain of Lactic Acid Bacteria

A new extracellular polysaccharide (EPS-I) isolated and purified from Z222, a strain of Lactic acid bacteria has been investigated. Sugar composition analysis, methylation analysis and ^1H NMR and ^13C NMR spectroscopy reveal that the EPS-I is composed of a pentasaccharide repeating unit. The sequence of sugar residue was determined by using two-dlmensional NMR spectroscopy, including heteronudear multiple-bond correlation(HMBC) and nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY).     

Amino Acid Sequence of an Excitatory Insect-selective Toxin (BmK IT) From Venom of the Scorpion Buthus martensi Karsch

The insect-selective neurotoxin(BmK IT) of scorpion Buthus martensi Karsch was first reduced and S-alkylated, and then digested by TPCK-trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V-8 Protease. The enzymatic peptides were purified on TLC-plastic sheet and submitted to determine their amino acid compositions and sequences. The sequence of the 70 amino acid residues of BmK IT was established with reference to the primary structure of AaH IT, another excitatory insect-selective toxin from the venom of North African scorpion Androctonus australis Hector. About 75% of the homologous sequence was found in the molecules of BmK IT and AaH IT. It is obvious that the results contribute toward better understanding of the molecular structure characteristics, structure/activity relationship of scorpion insect-selective toxins, and they can serve as the molecular basis for utilizing the toxins as a tool to clarify molecular mechanism involved in channel gating, and to infer the possibility of developing them as new selective b     

A new Furostanoside from Asparagus filicinus

A new furostanoside,aspafiliosde D(1) has been isolated from the root of Asparagus filicinus.Its structure was determined by spectral and chemical methods.