Design of coordination polymer as stable catalytic systems

Here we report the first example of catalytic metallogels, which are formed irreversibly in dimethylsulfoxide via the creation of cross-linked, three-dimensional coordination polymer networks by using transition-metal ions with multiple sites available for coordination and multidentate ligands. Conformational flexibility of the ligands and slow formation of the coordination polymers apparently favor the gelation. These metallogels are stable in water and most organic solvents and can catalyze the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde by using their PdII moieties as the catalytic centers. The best catalytic turnover of the metallogel is twice that of [Pd(OAc)2] under similar reaction conditions.     

Visible-light-induced photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol and phenolic compounds in aqueous suspension of pure titania: demonstrating the existence of a surface-complex-mediated path

The visible-light-induced degradation reaction of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was investigated in aqueous suspension of pure TiO2. Contrary to common expectations, 4-CP could be degraded under visible illumination (lambda > 420 nm), generating chlorides and CO2 concomitantly. The observed visible reactivity was not due to the presence of trace UV light since the visible-light-induced reactions exhibited behaviors distinguished from those of UV-induced reactions. Dichloroacetate could not be degraded under visible light, whereas it degraded with a much faster rate than 4-CP under UV irradiation. The addition of tert-butyl alcohol, a common OH radical scavenger, did not affect the visible reactivity of 4-CP, which indicates that OH radicals are not involved. Other phenolic compounds such as phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol were similarly degraded under visible light. The surface complexation between phenolic compounds and TiO2 appears to be responsible for the visible light reactivity. Diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra showed that 4-CP adsorbed on TiO2 powder induced visible light absorption. The visible light reactivity among several TiO2 samples was apparently correlated with the surface area of TiO2. The visible-light-induced photocurrents on a TiO2 electrode could be obtained only in the presence of 4-CP. It is proposed that a direct electron transfer from surface-complexed phenol to the conduction band of TiO2 upon absorbing visible light (through ligand-to-metal charge transfer) initiates the oxidative degradation of phenolic compounds. When the surface complex formation was hindered by surface fluorination, surface platinization, and high pH, the visible-light-induced degradation of 4-CP was inhibited. The evidence of visible-light-induced reactions and the experimental conditions affecting the visible reactivity were discussed in detail.     

CHIP-mediated hyperubiquitylation of tau promotes its self-assembly into the insoluble tau filaments

The tau protein is a highly soluble and natively unfolded protein. Under pathological conditions, tau undergoes multiple post-translational modifications (PTMs) and conformational changes to form insoluble filaments, which are the proteinaceous signatures of tauopathies. To dissect the crosstalk among tau PTMs during the aggregation process, we phosphorylated and ubiquitylated recombinant tau in vitro using GSK3β and CHIP, respectively. The resulting phospho–ub-tau contained conventional polyubiquitin chains with lysine 48 linkages, sufficient for proteasomal degradation, whereas unphosphorylated ub-tau species retained only one–three ubiquitin moieties. Mass-spectrometric analysis of in vitro reconstituted phospho–ub-tau revealed seven additional ubiquitylation sites, some of which are known to stabilize tau protofilament stacking in the human brain with tauopathy. When the ubiquitylation reaction was prolonged, phospho–ub-tau transformed into insoluble hyperubiquitylated tau species featuring fibrillar morphology and in vitro seeding activity. We developed a small-molecule inhibitor of CHIP through biophysical screening; this effectively suppressed tau ubiquitylation in vitro and delayed its aggregation in cultured cells including primary cultured neurons. Our biochemical findings point to a “multiple-hit model,” where sequential events of tau phosphorylation and hyperubiquitylation function as a key driver of the fibrillization process, thus indicating that targeting tau ubiquitylation may be an effective strategy to alleviate the course of tauopathies.

Multiple-hit model for tau aggregation, where sequential events of tau phosphorylation and hyperubiquitylation function as a key driver of the fibrillization process.     

ADENOSINE-MEDIATED PHOTOREACTION OF 4,5',8-TRIMETHYLPSORALEN WITH ALCOHOLS

Abstract— Irradiation of thin films consisting of 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP), adenosine and small amounts of alcohols led to TMP-alcohol photoadducts in addition to TMP-adenosine photoadducts. Four TMP-ethanol and two TMP-methanol adducts have been separated and characterized. Covalent bonds were formed between the 4-carbon of TMP and the α-carbon to the hydroxy group in the alcohols. The TMP-alcohol photoadducts were formed only in the TMP film containing small amounts of alcohol and adenosine. Furthermore, no photoadduct of TMP and ribose was detected upon photolysis of a TMP-ribose film, suggesting that the adenine moiety plays a specific role in the reaction. The interaction of adenosine with psoralens in a dry film may be related to the DNA sequence selectivity observed for the photoreaction of psoralens with DNA.     

Surfactant displacement of human serum albumin adsorbed on loosely packed self-assembled monolayers: cetyltrimethylammonium bromide versus sodium dodecyl sulfate

The surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) displace human serum albumin (HSA) from loosely packed self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of hydrophobic alkyl chains by different means. Removal of HSA is of interest because previous work has suggested that the adsorption of HSA to such loosely packed SAMs may be sufficiently tenacious to offer opportunities for surface passivation. While HSA remains on the surface after exposure to SDS and rinsing, no protein remains after exposure to CTAB and rinsing. X-ray reflectivity and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements indicate that CTAB molecules remain interdigitated in the loosely packed SAM after rinsing, suggesting that CTAB is more effective in removing the HSA because it interacts more strongly with the SAM.     

Recoverable solution reaction of HiPco carbon nanotubes with hydrogen peroxide

There is increasing interest in developing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)-based optical biosensors for remote or in vitro and in vivo sensing because the near-IR optical properties of SWNTs are very sensitive to surrounding environmental changes. Many enzyme-catalyzed reactions yield hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) as a product. To our knowledge, there is no report on the interaction of H(2)O(2) with SWNTs from the optical sensing point of view. Here, we study the reaction of H(2)O(2) with an aqueous suspension of water-soluble (ws) HiPco SWNTs encased in the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The SWNTs are optically sensitive to hydrogen peroxide in pH 6.0 buffer solutions through suppression of the near-IR absorption band intensity. Interestingly, the suppressed spectral intensity of the nanotubes recovers by increasing the pH, by decomposing the H(2)O(2) into H(2)O and O(2) with the enzyme catalase, and by dialytically removing H(2)O(2). Preliminary studies on the mechanisms suggest that H(2)O(2) withdraws electrons from the SWNT valence band by charge transfer, which suppresses the nanotube spectral intensity. The findings suggest possible enzyme-assisted molecular recognition applications by selective optical detection of biological species whose enzyme-catalyzed products include hydrogen peroxide.     

Separating Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu, and Sm in a Gd matrix using 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester extraction chromatography for ICP-AES analysis

The separation procedure for Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu and Sm as impurities in Gd matrix using ICP-AES technique with an extraction chromatographic column has been developed. The spectral interference of the Gd matrix on the elements was eliminated using a chromatography technique with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC-88A) as the mobile phase and XAD-16 resin as the stationary phase. Ag⁺, B₄O₇²⁻, and Cd²⁺ were eluted with 0.1 M HNO₃, while rare earth ions were not. The best eluent for separating Eu and Sm in the Gd matrix was 0.3 M HNO₃. The limit of quantitation for these elements was 0.6-3.0 ng mL⁻¹. The recovery of Ag, B, and Cd was 90-104% using 0.1 M HNO₃ as the eluent, while that of Eu, Gd, and Sm ranged from 100 to 102% with 0.3 M HNO₃. Dy was recovered quantitatively with 4 M HNO₃. The relative standard deviation of the methods for a set of three replicates was between 1.0 and 15.4% for the synthetic and standard Gd solutions. The proposed separation procedure was used to measure Ag, B, Cd, Dy, Eu, and Sm in a standard Gd solution.     

Visible light active platinum-ion-doped TiO2 photocatalyst

Platinum-ion-doped TiO2 (Pt(ion)-TiO2) was synthesized by a sol-gel method, and its visible light photocatalytic activities were successfully demonstrated for the oxidative and reductive degradation of chlorinated organic compounds. Pt(ion)-TiO2 exhibited a yellow-brown color, and its band gap was lower than that of undoped TiO2 by about 0.2 eV. The flat band potential of Pt(ion)-TiO2 was positively shifted by 50 mV compared with that of undoped TiO2. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that the Pt ions substituted in the TiO2 lattice were present mainly in the Pt(IV) state with some Pt(II) on the sample surface. Pt(ion)-TiO2 exhibited higher photocatalytic activities than undoped TiO2 under UV irradiation as well. The visible light activity of Pt(ion)-TiO2 was strongly affected by the calcination temperature and the concentration of Pt ion dopant, which were optimal at 673 K and 0.5 atom %, respectively. Under visible irradiation, Pt(ion)-TiO2 degraded dichloroacetate and 4-chlorophenol through an oxidative path and trichloroacetate via a reductive path. The activity of Pt(ion)-TiO2 was not reduced when used repeatedly under visible light. However, visible-light-illuminated Pt(ion)-TiO2 could not degrade substrates such as tetramethylammonium and trichloroethylene, which are degraded with UV-illuminated TiO2. The characteristics and reactivities of Pt(ion)-TiO2 as a new visible light photocatalyst were investigated in various ways and discussed in detail.     

Fast visible dye staining of proteins in one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels compatible with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry

A fast and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) compatible protein staining method in one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1- and 2-D SDS-PAGE) is described. It is based on the counterion dye staining method that employs oppositely charged two dyes, zincon (ZC) and ethyl violet (EV) to form an ion-pair complex. The protocol, including fixing, staining and quick washing steps, can be completed in 1-1.5 h depending upon gel thickness. It has a sensitivity of 4-8 ng, comparable to that of colloidal Coomassie Brilliant Blue G (CBBG) staining with phosphoric acid in the staining solution. The counterion dye stain does not induce protein modifications that complicate interpretation of peptide mapping data from MS. Considering the speed, sensitivity and compatibility with MS, the counterion dye stain may be more practical than any other dye-based protein stains for routine proteomic researches.