Alkyl-Diol Silica (ADS): restricted access precolumn packings for direct injection and coupled-column chromatography of biofluids

The direct and repetitive injection of untreated biological fluids (e.g., hemolyzed blood, plasma, serum, cell culture and tissue homogenates) onto an HPLC-system and the subsequent analysis of low-molecular weight compounds (e.g. drugs, xenobiotics, metabolites) is rendered possible by a coupled-column configuration and special precolumn packings. For this purpose a new family of chemically and enzymatically tailored reversed-phase packing materials have been prepared. The LC-integrated sample clean-up with these restricted access (bimodal) phases is based on the complete nonadsorptive size exclusion of macromolecules (e.g. proteins) and on the simultaneous dynamic partitioning of the target molecules. The bonded phase which exclusively covers the internal pore surface of a glyceryl-modified silica is a butyryl-(C-4), capryloyl-(C-8) or stearoyl-(C-18) moiety. These ligands allow a classical reversed-phase or ion-pair chromatography during the sample work-up step. The capacity of the n-alkyl phase is comparable with conventional silica based RP-materials. The broad hydrophobic retentive capability of these packings allows the extraction of a wide variety of compounds of biomedical interest. The electroneutral and hydrophilic particle exterior (glyceryl-residues) was generated using either soluble or immobilized enzymes (lipase, esterase) which cleave the fatty acid esters exclusively at the outer surface. Unwanted macromolecular components of a sample (e.g. proteins) are quantitatively eluted in the void volume due to the restricted access given by the pore size (6 nm) and the nonadsorptive external diol coverage. The lifetime of a precolumn (25 × 4 mm I.D.) packed with these novel bimodal, i.e. RP-SEC phases exceeds more than 200 injections of 500 l plasma. In addition to the synthesis, this paper describes an application of each of these Alkyl-Diol Silica (ADS) precolumn packings in fully automated coupled-column HPLC systems for the analysis of drugs and endogenous compounds in different biological matrices.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. J.F.K. Huber on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Total synthesis of erythromycin B

We report the details of the first total synthesis of erythromycin B using two different strategies for the end game. The first of these follows a classical approach in which the desosamine and cladinose residues are sequentially appended to a macrocyclic lactone, which was formed by cyclization of a seco acid derivative, to give a bis-glycosylated macrolide intermediate that is converted into erythromycin B. The second strategy features an abiotic approach in which a seco acid bearing a desosamine residue is cyclized to give a monoglycosylated macrocyclic lactone that is then transformed into erythromycin B via a sequence of steps involving refunctionalizations and a glycosylation to introduce the cladinose moiety. Attempts to prepare a bis-glycosylated seco acid by de novo synthesis were unsuccessful. The syntheses of the key seco acid intermediates feature the oxidative transformation of a furan containing C(3)-C(10) to provide a dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonenone that served as a template on which to create the stereocenters at C(6) and C(8). A stereoselective aldol reaction was used to establish the C(11)-C(15) segment, and a stereoselective crotylation was implemented to introduce the propionate subunit comprising C(1)-C(2).     

A Self‐Assembled Bicontinuous Cubic Phase with a Single‐Diamond Network

The first single‐diamond cubic phase in a liquid crystal is reported. This skeletal structure with the space group is formed by self‐assembly of bolaamphiphiles with swallow‐tailed lateral chains. It consists of bundles of π‐conjugated p‐terphenyl rods fused into an infinite network by hydrogen‐bonded spheres at tetrahedral four‐way junctions. We also present a quantitative model relating molecular architecture to the space‐filling requirements of six possible bicontinuous cubic phases, that is, the single‐ and double‐network versions of gyroid, diamond, and “plumber′s nightmare”.     

Mechanistic studies on the formation and reactivity of dioxygen adducts of diiron complexes supported by sterically hindered carboxylates

Dioxygen activation by enzymes such as methane monooxygenase, ribonucleotide reductase, and fatty acid desaturases occurs at a nonheme diiron active site supported by two histidines and four carboxylates, typically involving a (peroxo)diiron(III,III) intermediate in an early step of the catalytic cycle. Biomimetic tetracarboxylatodiiron(II,II) complexes with the familiar "paddlewheel" topology comprising sterically bulky o-dixylylbenzoate ligands with pyridine, 1-methylimidazole, or THF at apical sites readily react with O(2) to afford thermally labile peroxo intermediates that can be trapped and characterized spectroscopically at low temperatures (193 K). Cryogenic stopped-flow kinetic analysis of O(2) adduct formation carried out for the three complexes reveals that dioxygen binds to the diiron(II,II) center with concentration dependences and activation parameters indicative of a direct associative pathway. The pyridine and 1-methylimidazole intermediates decay by self-decomposition. However, the THF intermediate decays much faster by oxygen transfer to added PPh(3), the kinetics of which has been studied with double mixing experiments in a cryogenic stopped-flow apparatus. The results show that the decay of the THF intermediate is kinetically controlled by the dissociation of a THF ligand, a conclusion supported by the observation of saturation kinetic behavior with respect to PPh(3), inhibition by added THF, and invariant saturation rate constants for the oxidation of various phosphines. It is proposed that the proximity of the reducing substrate to the peroxide ligand on the diiron coordination sphere facilitates the oxygen-atom transfer. This unique investigation of the reaction of an O(2) adduct of a biomimetic tetracarboxylatodiiron(II,II) complex provides a synthetic precedent for understanding the electrophilic reactivity of like adducts in the active sties of nonheme diiron enzymes.     

Molecular rectification: self-assembled monolayers in which donor-(pi-bridge)-acceptor moieties are centrally located and symmetrically coupled to both gold electrodes

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) obtained from 1-(10-acetylsulfanyldecyl)-4-[2-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)vinyl]quinolinium iodide exhibit asymmetric current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The rectification may be reversibly switched: it is suppressed when the film is exposed to HCl vapor, the intramolecular charge-transfer axis being inhibited by protonation, but restored when exposed to NH(3). The behavior is intrinsic to the donor-(pi-bridge)-acceptor moiety, and ambiguity in the assignment has been excluded by matching the alkyl tails on the substrate and contacting STM tip to locate the chromophore midway between the electrodes: Au-S-C(10)H(21)//D-pi-A-C(10)H(20)-S-Au. Films contacted by gold tips exhibit rectification ratios of ca. 18 at +/-1 V, whereas those contacted by pentanethiolate (Au-S-C(5)H(11))- and decanethiolate (Au-S-C(10)H(21))-coated tips have corresponding ratios of ca. 11 and 5, respectively. The I-V curves are different, but when adjusted for thickness the current versus electric field dependence is indistinguishable. Seven dyes are reported: SAMs with sterically hindered D-pi-A moieties, in which the donor and acceptor are twisted out of plane, exhibit rectification, whereas those that are planar or have a weak donor-acceptor combination do not.     

Synthesis of oligonucleotides containing an O-G-alkyl-O-G interstrand cross-link

A methodology to synthesize oligonucleotides containing an alkyl interstrand cross-link between the two O6 atoms of deoxyguanosine has been developed. This cross-link is designed to serve as a stable structural mimic of the lesion formed in duplex DNA with the bifunctional alkylating agent hepsulfam. The O6-alkyl coupling is performed via a Mitsunobu reaction between a nucleoside and mono-protected 1,7-heptanediol. Solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis using a nucleoside bis-phosphoramidite allows for the assembly of the cross-linked duplex. Sufficient quantities of this cross-linked duplex were obtained for various structural and biological investigations.     

Synthesis of new derivatives of 4-amino-2,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazol-3-one as potential antibacterial agents

Thirty new 2-substituted-4-amino-5-alkyl or aryl-2,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazol-3-ones and ten 2-substituted-5-alkyl or aryl-4-(5-nitro-2-furfurylidene)amino-2,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazol-3-ones were synthesized and characterised by their sharp melting points, elemental analysis, ir and ¹H nmr spectra. These new derivatives of 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde were screened for their antibacterial activities. Most of the compounds showed good activity against one test organism, Staphylococcus aureus. For a few compounds, C.M.I. ranged from 4 to 8 μg/ml (higher results than nitrofurantoin).     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry studies of noncovalent myosin VI complexes reveal a new specific calmodulin binding site

Among the myosin superfamily, myosin VI differs from all others by a reverse directionality and a particular motility. Little structural information is available for myosin VI. It is known that it binds one calmodulin (CaM) by means of a single "IQ motif" and that myosin VI contains a specific insert located at the junction between the motor domain (MD) and the lever arm, likely to play a critical role for the unusual motility previously observed. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) was used to determine the CaM and Ca2+ stoichiometries in several myosin VI constructs. In particular, the experimental conditions required for the observation of multiprotein/Ca2+ noncovalent assemblies are detailed for two truncated MD constructs (less than 20 kDa) and for three full MD constructs (more than 90 KDa). The specificity of the detected stoichiometries is discussed for each construct and the resolving power of Time of Flight mass spectrometry is stressed, in particular for the detection of metal ions binding to high molecular weight complexes. MS reveals a new CaM binding site for myosin VI and highlights a different behavior for the five myosin VI constructs versus Ca2+ binding. In addition to these stoichiometry based experiments, gas-phase dissociation analyses on intact complexes are described. They reveal that Ca2+ transfer between protein partners occurs during the dissociation process for one construct with a full MD. Charge-transfer and dissociation behavior has allowed to draw structural assumptions for the interaction of the MD with the CaM N-terminal lobe.     

Integramides A and B, two novel non-ribosomal linear peptides containing nine C(alpha)-methyl amino acids produced by fungal fermentations that are inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase

[structure: see text]. Integramides A and B are two novel 16-mer linear peptides rich in C(alpha)-methyl amino acids that were isolated from fungal extracts of Dendrodochium sp. by employing a bioassay-guided isolation procedure using recombinant HIV-1 integrase. The structure and stereochemistry were elucidated by a combination of 2D NMR and ESI- and FAB-MS including MS/MS studies and by Marfey's method. Integramides A and B inhibited the coupled reaction of HIV-1 integrase with IC50 values of 17 and 10 microM, respectively.     

'Boomerang'-like insertion of a fusogenic peptide in a lipid membrane revealed by solid-state 19F NMR

Solid state (19)F NMR revealed the conformation and alignment of the fusogenic peptide sequence B18 from the sea urchin fertilization protein bindin embedded in flat phospholipid bilayers. Single (19)F labels were introduced into nine distinct positions along the wild-type sequence by substituting each hydrophobic amino acid, one by one, with L-4-fluorophenylglycine. Their anisotropic chemical shifts were measured in uniaxially oriented membrane samples and used as orientational constraints to model the peptide structure in the membrane-bound state. Previous (1)H NMR studies of B18 in 30% TFE and in detergent micelles had shown that the peptide structure consists of two alpha-helical segments that are connected by a flexible hinge. This helix-break-helix motif was confirmed here by the solid-state (19)F NMR data, while no other secondary structure (beta-sheet, 3(10)-helix) was compatible with the set of orientational constraints. For both alpha-helical segments we found that the helical conformation extends all the way to the respective N- and C-termini of the peptide. Analysis of the corresponding tilt and azimuthal rotation angles showed that the N-terminal helix of B18 is immersed obliquely into the bilayer (at a tilt angle tau approximately 54 degrees), whereas the C-terminus is peripherally aligned (tau approximately 91 degrees). The azimuthal orientation of the two segments is consistent with the amphiphilic distribution of side-chains. The observed 'boomerang'-like mode of insertion into the membrane may thus explain how peptide binding leads to lipid dehydration and acyl chain perturbation as a prerequisite for bilayer fusion to occur.