Investigating peak dispersion in free-flow counterflow gradient focusing

Free-flow electrophoresis (FFE) enables the continuous separation and collection of charged solutes, and as a result, it has drawn interest as both a preparative and an analytical tool for biological applications. Recently, a free-flow counterflow gradient focusing (FF-CGF) mechanism has been proposed with the goal of improving the resolution and versatility of FFE. To realize this potential, the factors that influence solute dispersion deserve further attention, including the gradient strength and the parabolic profile of the counterflow. Therefore, the goal of this work is to develop a theoretical model to study the interplay between these factors and molecular diffusion. Overall, an asymmetric solute distribution emerges for a wide range of parameters, and this behavior can be characterized with an exponentially modified Gaussian function. Results show that FF-CGF can achieve high-resolution separations, with the potential for high-throughput protein purification. Moreover, this work provides a practical guide for optimizing experimental conditions, as well as a strong framework for understanding and developing FF-CGF further.     

Novel protein kinase D inhibitors cause potent arrest in prostate cancer cell growth and motility

Background  

Protein kinase D (PKD) has been implicated in a wide range of cellular processes and pathological conditions including cancer. However, targeting PKD therapeutically and dissecting PKD-mediated cellular responses remains difficult due to lack of a potent and selective inhibitor. Previously, we identified a novel pan-PKD inhibitor, CID755673, with potency in the upper nanomolar range and high selectivity for PKD. In an effort to further enhance its selectivity and potency for potential in vivo application, small molecule analogs of CID755673 were generated by modifying both the core structure and side-chains.     

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of beta-ketosulfonamide adenylation inhibitors as potential antitubercular agents

[reaction: see text] The antitubercular nucleoside antibiotics 1 and 2 were recently described that inhibit the adenylate-forming enzyme MbtA and disrupt biosynthesis of the virulence-conferring siderophore known as mycobactin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Herein, we report efforts to refine this inhibitor scaffold by replacing the labile acylsulfamate linkage (highlighted) with the more chemically robust beta-ketosulfonamide linkage of 3 and 4.     

Multimode wavelet basis calculations via the molecular self-consistent-field plus configuration-interaction method

Wavelets provide potentially useful quantum bases for coupled anharmonic vibrational modes in polyatomic molecules as well as many other problems. A single compact support wavelet family provides a flexible basis with properties of orthogonality, localization, customizable resolution, and systematic improvability for general types of one-dimensional and separable systems. While direct product wavelet bases can be used in coupled multidimensional problems, exponential scaling of basis size with dimensionality ultimately provides limits on the number of coupled modes that can be treated simultaneously in exact quantum calculations. The molecular self-consistent-field plus configuration-interaction method is used here in multimode wavelet calculations to reduce the basis size without sacrificing flexibility or the ability to systematically control errors. Both two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate and three-dimensional curvilinear coordinate systems are examined with wavelets serving as universal bases in each case. The first example uses standard Daubechies [Ten Lectures on Wavelets (SIAM, Philadelphia (1992)] wavelets for each mode and the second adapts symmlet wavelets to intervals for each of the curvilinear coordinates.     

Measurement of the diameter of a laser beam

A new and simple technique for measuring the effective diameter of a laser beam used in material processing is described. The time for the temperature of a spot heated by the laser beam to rise to 90% of equilibrium is compared with that predicted theoretically for a Gaussian TEM₀₀ laser beam. A Gaussian beam diameter equivalent is thus deduced. This calculated diameter is of particular relevance to applications where the laser is used as a heat source.     

Activated barrier crossing: Comparison of experiment and theory

Photochemical isomerization in stilbene and diphenyl butadiene has been studied as a model for activated barrier crossing. Experiments have been carried out from isolated molecule conditions up to 3000 atm pressure in solution-phase samples. The qualitative features predicted by Kramers theory are observed. The system undergoes a transition from energy-controlled to diffusion-controlled behavior in the high-pressure gas phase. The influences of multidimensionality, intramolecular vibrational relaxation, and frequency dependent friction are discussed.Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher Scholar.     

Acid-catalyzed reactions of aromatic aldehydes with ethyl diazoacetate: an investigation on the synthesis of 3-hydroxy-2-arylacrylic acid ethyl esters

Several commercial Lewis acids, including those of the Bronsted type, specifically HBF(4).OEt(2), are able to catalyze the reaction between aromatic aldehydes and ethyl diazoacetate to produce 3-hydroxy-2-arylacrylic acid ethyl esters and 3-oxo-3-arylpropanoic acid ethyl esters. Reactions catalyzed by the iron Lewis acid [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(+)(CO)(2)(THF)]BF(4)(-) (i.e., 1) have the best yields and greatest ratio of 3-hydroxy-2-arylacrylic acid ethyl ester. The product distribution of 1 is not affected in the presence of Proton Sponge, but is dependent on temperature and the nature of the substrate aldehyde, whereas the activity of HBF(4).OEt(2) is affected by the presence of Proton Sponge and is reactive at temperatures as low as -78 degrees C. Consequently, both 1 and HBF(4).OEt(2) are valuable catalysts in producing important 3-hydroxy-2-arylacrylic acid ethyl esters as precursors to biologically active compounds.     

Investigations on the Q and CT Bands of Cytochrome c Submonolayer Adsorbed on an Alumina Surface Using Broadband Spectroscopy with Single-Mode Integrated Optical Waveguides

In this work, we report experimental results on the molar absorptivity of cytochrome c adsorbed at different submonolayer levels onto an aluminum oxide waveguide surface; our data show a clear dependence of the protein optical properties on its surface density. The measurements were performed using the broadband, single-mode, integrated optical waveguide spectroscopic technique, which is an extremely sensitive tool able to reach submonolayer levels of detection required for this type of studies. This investigation focuses on the molar absorptivity at the Q-band (centered at 525 nm) and, for the first time to our knowledge, the weak charge transfer (CT) band (centered at 695 nm) of surface-adsorbed cyt c. Polarized light in the spectral region from 450 to 775 nm was all-coupled into an alumina thin film, which functioned as a single-mode planar optical waveguide. The alumina thin-film waveguide used for this work had a thickness of 180 nm and was deposited on a glass substrate by the atomic layer deposition process. The protein submonolayer was formed on the alumina waveguide surface through electrostatic adsorption from an aqueous buffer solution at neutral pH. The optical properties of the surface-adsorbed cyt c were investigated for bulk protein concentrations ranging from 5 nM to 8200 nM in the aqueous buffer solution. For a protein surface density of 2.3 pmol/cm(2), the molar absorptivity measured at the charge transfer band was 335 M(-1) cm(-1), and for a surface density of 15 pmol/cm(2) was 720 M(-1) cm(-1), which is much closer to the value of cyt c dissolved in an aqueous neutral buffer (830 M(-1) cm(-1)). The modification of the protein molar absorptivity and its dependence on the surface density can most likely be attributed to conformational changes of the surface-adsorbed species.