Heterometallic Ln/Hg compounds with fluorinated thiolate ligands

The early lanthanide benzenefluorothiolates (Ln(SC(6)F(5))(3); Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) react with Hg(SC(6)F(5))(2) in DME to form ionic heterometallic compounds with Ln cations and Hg anions. X-ray diffraction analyses of all compounds reveal an isostructural series with the general formula [(DME)(3)Ln(SC(6)F(5))(2)](2)[Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6)]. In the structures, a fluorothiolate ligand has been extracted from the Ln coordination sphere that is saturated with three neutral DME donor ligands and a dative interaction between one ortho fluorine and the Ln. Distances between Ln and F do not vary simply with Ln ionic radius. There are two Ln cations with charge balanced by a Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6) dianion composed of two distinctly nonideal Hg(II) tetrahedra, all connected through a series of pi-pi interactions that link cations with anions in a one-dimensional array and anions to anions in a more complex 2D network.     

PHOTOSENSITIZED INHIBITION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC 14CO2 FIXATION BY α-TERTHIENYL AND ULTRAVIOLET-A*

Abstract: A variety of naturally occurring photosensitizers of plant origin were tested for their ability to cause ultraviolet-A (UVA)-dependent inhibition of photosynthetic ¹⁴CO₂ fixation in leaf disks of Pisum sativum L. At 0.1 mM concentrations and 60 min UVA irradiation, α-terthienyl was strongly inhibitory, harmine and sanguinarine inhibited to a lesser degree, and curcumin, 8-methoxypsoralen and nordihydroguaiaretic acid had no effect under the conditions tested. Alpha-terthienyl + UVA treatments that fully inhibited ¹⁴CO₂ fixation had no effect on fresh weight, chlorophyll or protein content of the tissue. Chloroplast malate dehydrogenase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were inhibited 45% and 29%, respectively, by α-terthienyl + UVA treatment. Electron transport from H₂O to the reducing side of photosystem I was inhibited to a similar extent, suggesting interference with the reductive activation of chloroplast enzymes. Alpha-terthienyl + UVA-treated tissue exhibited a seven-fold increase in leakage of labeled photosynthate into the external medium. Treated leaf disks showed no ability to recover ¹⁴CO₂ fixing ability over a 24 h period. These results indicate photosensitized damage at the level of the thylakoid membranes resulting in partial loss of electron transport capability and more general damage to chloroplast and cell membranes.     

Biosensing by Tandem Reactions of Structure Switching,Nucleolytic Digestion,and DNA Amplification of a DNA Assembly

ϕ29 DNA polymerase (ϕ29DP) is able to carry out repetitive rounds of DNA synthesis using a circular DNA template by rolling circle amplification (RCA). It also has the ability to execute 3′–5′ digestion of single‐stranded but not double‐stranded DNA. A biosensor engineering strategy is presented that takes advantage of these two properties of ϕ29DP coupled with structure‐switching DNA aptamers. The design employs a DNA assembly made of a circular DNA template, a DNA aptamer, and a pre‐primer. The DNA assembly is unable to undergo RCA in the absence of cognate target owing to the formation of duplex structures. The presence of the target, however, triggers a structure‐switching event that causes nucleolytic conversion of the pre‐primer by ϕ29DP into a mature primer to facilitate RCA. This method relays target detection by the aptamer to the production of massive DNA amplicons, giving rise to dramatically enhanced detection sensitivity.     

Pullulan Encapsulation of Labile Biomolecules to Give Stable Bioassay Tablets

A simple and inexpensive method is reported for the long‐term stabilization of enzymes and other unstable reagents in premeasured quantities in water‐soluble tablets (cast, not compressed) made with pullulan, a nonionic polysaccharide that forms an oxygen impermeable solid upon drying. The pullulan tablets dissolve in aqueous solutions in seconds, thereby facilitating the easy execution of bioassays at remote sites with no need for special reagent handling and liquid pipetting. This approach is modular in nature, thus allowing the creation of individual tablets for enzymes and their substrates. Proof‐of‐principle demonstrations include a Taq polymerase tablet for DNA amplification through PCR and a pesticide assay kit consisting of separate tablets for acetylcholinesterase and its chromogenic substrate, indoxyl acetate, both of which are highly unstable. The encapsulated reagents remain stable at room temperature for months, thus enabling the room‐temperature shipping and storage of bioassay components.     

Adsorption and diffusion of argon in disordered nanoporous carbons

Application-specific optimization of disordered nanoporous carbons remains a formidable challenge due to the difficulty in accurately characterizing their microstructures with current empirical methods. Using molecular simulation techniques, we investigated the adsorptive and diffusive behavior of argon in three models of disordered nanoporous carbons. We found that the structural and morphological differences between these models gave rise to distinct phenomenological properties. The adsorptive behavior of argon in both the low and high pressure regimes was enhanced dramatically in the models with more crystalline microstructures. As for dynamic properties, we found that the adsorbent’s structure and energetic topology significantly alters the rates of diffusion as well as the characteristics of the underlying diffusion mechanisms.     

Ultrasensitive ATP detection using firefly luciferase entrapped in sugar-modified sol-gel-derived silica

Firefly luciferase (FL) was entrapped in sol-gel-derived silica containing precursors based on covalent linkage of d-gluconolactone or d-maltonolactone to (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane to form N-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)gluconamide or N-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)maltonamide. The enzyme was active and stable in this material and showed catalytic constants close to those in solution. As little as 20 amol ATP could be detected with the entrapped FL, and the entrapped enzyme could be used over several cycles.     

Palladium-containing perovskites: recoverable and reuseable catalysts for Suzuki couplings

Palladium-containing perovskites (LaFe0.57Co0.38Pd0.05O3) have been exploited as recoverable and reuseable catalysts in Suzuki coupling reactions; residual levels of Pd after removal of the catalyst by filtration are low (2 ppm) despite evidence that the reaction is occurring via a homogeneous process.     

Synthetic UDP-furanoses as potent inhibitors of mycobacterial galactan biogenesis

UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf) is a substrate for two types of enzymes, UDP-galactopyranose mutase and galactofuranosyltransferases, which are present in many pathogenic organisms but absent from mammals. In particular, these enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of cell wall galactan, a polymer essential for the survival of the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We describe here the synthesis of derivatives of UDP-Galf modified at C-5 and C-6 using a chemoenzymatic route. In cell-free assays, these compounds prevented the formation of mycobacterial galactan, via the production of short "dead-end" intermediates resulting from their incorporation into the growing oligosaccharide chain. Modified UDP-furanoses thus constitute novel probes for the study of the two classes of enzymes involved in mycobacterial galactan assembly, and studies with these compounds may ultimately facilitate the future development of new therapeutic agents against tuberculosis.