Identification of nitrated tyrosine residues of protein kinase G-Iα by mass spectrometry

The nitration of tyrosine to 3-nitrotyrosine is an oxidative modification of tyrosine by nitric oxide and is associated with many diseases, and targeting of protein kinase G (PKG)-I represents a potential therapeutic strategy for pulmonary hypertension and chronic pain. The direct assignment of tyrosine residues of PKG-I has remained to be made due to the low sensitivity of the current proteomic approach. In order to assign modified tyrosine residues of PKG-I, we nitrated purified PKG-Iα expressed in insect Sf9 cells by use of peroxynitrite in vitro and analyzed the trypsin-digested fragments by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Among the 21 tyrosine residues of PKG-Iα, 16 tyrosine residues were assigned in 13 fragments; and six tyrosine residues were nitrated, those at Y71, Y141, Y212, Y336, Y345, and Y567, in the peroxynitrite-treated sample. Single mutation of tyrosine residues at Y71, Y212, and Y336 to phenylalanine significantly reduced the nitration of PKG-Iα; and four mutations at Y71, Y141, Y212, and Y336 (Y4F mutant) reduced it additively. PKG-Iα activity was inhibited by peroxynitrite in a concentration-dependent manner from 30 μM to 1 mM, and this inhibition was attenuated in the Y4F mutant. These results demonstrated that PKG-Iα was nitrated at multiple tyrosine residues and that its activity was reduced by nitration of these residues.     

Temperature-responsive stationary phase utilizing a polymer of proline derivative for hydrophobic interaction chromatography using an aqueous mobile phase

A new method of chromatography is proposed, utilizing a thermo-responsive polymer carrying an amino acid ester residue for the stationary phase of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We have been investigating the new concept of chromatography, a temperature-responsive chromatography, using temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-modified surface for HPLC with a constant aqueous media as the mobile phase. In this study, we designed and synthesized thermo-responsive poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester) and its copolymer with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). Homopolymers of acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester and copolymer were prepared by the reaction of radical telomerization. These polymers underwent a reversible phase transition from water-soluble forms into aggregates by changing the temperature, similar to PNIPAAm. The surface properties and functions of stationary phases modified with poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester) were controlled by the external temperature. In the chromatographic system, we separated steroids and amino acids with a variety of hydrophobicities using a sole aqueous mobile phase. In contrast to a PNIPAAm-modified surface, a poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester)-modified surface showed a greater affinity for hydrophobic amino acids.     

Kinetic study of the thermal inactivation of glucose oxidase in the presence of denaturant and stabilizer by means of bioelectrocatalysis method

The thermal inactivation of glucose oxidase (GOD) in aqueous solution has been studied by the electrochemical method to follow the bioelectrocatalytic current due to the oxidation of glucose by GOD. Exponential time-dependent decrease in bioelectrocatalytic current, that is, the decrease in the enzymatic activity of GOD, was observed at given temperatures to determine the rate constant (k) of a simple inactivation process: GOD (active) → GOD (inactive). The ln[k] vs. T(-1) plots gave straight lines with all solution conditions tested, so that the resulting Arrhenius activation parameters including ΔH(?) and ΔS(?) can be compared with each other. In the 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer at 70°C, k was determined to be (6.6 ± 1.6)× 10(-4) s(-1), and ΔH(?) and ΔS(?) were calculated to be 202 ± 13 kJ mol(-1) and 282 ± 39 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively. By addition of 3 mol/L guanidine hydrochloride, the k was increased to (4.7 ± 0.6)× 10(-3) s(-1), indicating that the denaturant accelerates the thermal inactivation. In this case, ΔH(?) was significantly reduced. By addition of 1 g/L ε-poly-L-lysine, which may adsorb onto the GOD surface to reduce the local disorder, k was decreased to (1.8 ± 0.6)× 10(-4) s(-1). In this case, ΔS(?) was reduced but ΔH(?) was not decreased much. This can be used as an important indication for selection of the enzyme stabilizer in solution.     

New iridoid glucosides from the aerial parts of Verbena brasiliensis

Two new iridoid glucosides, verbenabraside A (1) and verbenabraside B (2), were isolated from the aerial parts of Verbena brasiliensis VELL., along with six known iridoid glucosides, gelsemiol 3-O-beta-D-glucoside (3), verbraside (4), 9-hydroxysemperoside (5), griselinoside (6), aralidioside (7), and 6alpha-hydroxyforsythide dimethyl ester (8), three known phenylethanoid glycosides, 2-phenylethyl O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), acteoside (10), and leucosceptoside A (11), two known lignan glucosides, dihydroxymethyl-bis(3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) tetrahydrofuran-9 (or 9')-O-beta-glucopyranoside (12) and (+)-lyoniresinol 3alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (13), a known methyl salicylate glucoside, methyl 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylbenzoate (14), and two known sterols, beta-sitosterol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (15) and beta-sitosterol (16). Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data. Compound 1 exhibited stronger scavenging effect on the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl than that of alpha-tocopherol.     

Nanoscale coupling of photons to vibrational excitation of Ag nanoparticle 2D array studied by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy

Scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) spectroscopy has been utilized to elucidate the luminescence phenomena of Ag nanoparticles capped with myristate (myristate-capped AgNP) and 2-methyl-1-propanethiolate (C(4)S-capped AgNP) on the dodecanethiol-precovered Au substrate. The STM imaging revealed that myristate-capped AgNPs form an ordered hexagonal array whereas C(4)S-capped AgNPs show imperfect ordering, indicating that a shorter alkyl chain of C(4)S-capped AgNP is not sufficient to form rigid interdigitation. It should be noted that such a nanoparticle ordering affects the luminescence properties of the Ag nanoparticle. We found that the STM-LE is only detected from the Ag nanoparticles forming the two-dimensional superlattice. This indicates that the STM-LE of the Ag nanoparticle is radiated via the collective excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spread over the Ag nanoparticles. Note that the STM-LE spectra of the Ag nanoparticles exhibit spike-like peaks superimposed on the broad light emission peak. Using Raman spectroscopy, we concluded that the spike-like structure appearing in the STM-LE spectra is associated with the vibrational excitation of the molecule embedded between Ag nanoparticles.     

Biological monitoring of solar UV radiation at 17 sites in Asia, Europe and South America from 1999 to 2004

A small and robust dosimeter for determining the biologically effective dose of ambient UV radiation has been developed using UV-sensitive mutant spores of Bacillus subtilis strain TKJ6312. A membrane filter with four spots of the spores was snapped to a slide mount. The slide was wrapped and covered with two or more layers of polyethylene sheet to protect the sample from rain and snow and to reduce monthly-cumulative doses within the measurable range. From 1999, monthly data were collected at 17 sites for more than 1 year, and data for 4 to 6 consecutive years were obtained from 12 sites. Yearly total values of the spore inactivation dose (SID) ranged from 3200 at subarctic Oulu to 96000 at tropical Denpasar, and the mean yearly values of SID exhibited an exponential dependence on latitude in both hemispheres with a doubling for about every 14 degrees of change. During the observation period, increasing trends of UV doses have been observed at all sites with more than 5 years of data available. Year-to-year variations at high and middle latitude sites are considered due mostly to climatic variation. At three tropical sites, negative correlations between the yearly doses and the column ozone amounts were observed. The results verified the applicability of spore dosimetry for global and long-time monitoring of solar UV radiation, in particular at tropical sites where no monitoring is taking place.     

The parameterized Steiner problem and the singular Plateau problem via energy

The Steiner problem is the problem of finding the shortest network connecting a given set of points. By the singular Plateau Problem, we will mean the problem of finding an area-minimizing surface (or a set of surfaces adjoined so that it is homeomorphic to a 2-complex) spanning a graph. In this paper, we study the parametric versions of the Steiner problem and the singular Plateau problem by a variational method using a modified energy functional for maps. The main results are that the solutions of our one- and two-dimensional variational problems yield length and area minimizing maps respectively, i.e. we provide new methods to solve the Steiner and singular Plateau problems by the use of energy functionals. Furthermore, we show that these solutions satisfy a natural balancing condition along its singular sets. The key issue involved in the two-dimensional problem is the understanding of the moduli space of conformal structures on a 2-complex.

     

Proportional counter operated at 13–300 K and its application to CEMS

The operation of a proportional counter was investigated at temperatures between 13–300K. It was found that the suitable gases filled in the counter are purified belium at temperatures below 22K, purified neon at temperatures between 22–53K and He+5%N₂ or He+10%CO at temperatures above 46 or 47K, respectively. This experimental technique was applied to CEMS with natural iron and with a thin foil of iron oxide.     

Spectrophotometric determination of phosphate anion based on the formation of molybdophosphate in ethylene glycol-water mixed solution

New appropriate reaction system was found for spectrophotometric determination of phosphate anion. This spectrophotometric method is based on the color development due to the formation of yellow molybdophosphate anion in acidic ethylene glycol-water (EG-W) mixed solution containing Mo(VI) species. The solution containing e.g. 20 mM Na(2)MoO(4), 0.1 M HCl, and 40% (v/v) EG is colorless, and becomes immediately yellow by addition of phosphate anion. Thus the method is simple, rapid, and easy to carry out. Although Si(IV) species is well known to interfere with the determination of phosphate anion in many cases, the EG-W Mo(VI) solution remains colorless after addition of silicate anion at 1 mM level, indicating that no yellow molybdosilicate anion was formed in the EG-W solution. Under an optimized condition, the absorbance at e.g. 400 nm of the EG-W P(V)-Mo(VI) solution was proportional to the concentration of phosphate anion with good reproducibility, and the detection limit was 1 μM. Also the present method is less interfered by high concentrations of potassium and ammonium cations and oxidative nitrite anion as well as silicate anion.