Total synthesis of calystegine A7

A straightforward chiral pool synthesis for the glycosidase inhibitor calystegine A₇ (isolated from Lycium chinense) from methyl α-d-glucopyranoside is described. Keysteps of this synthesis include a ultrasound assisted Zn-mediated tandem ring opening reaction followed by a Grubbs' catalyst mediated ring closure metathesis.     

A Lock-and-Kill Anticancer Photoactivated Chemotherapy Agent†

Photosubstitutionally active ruthenium complexes show high potential as prodrugs for the photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) treatment of tumors. One of the problems in PACT is that the localization of the ruthenium compound is hard to trace. Here, a ruthenium PACT prodrug, [Ru(3)(biq)(STF-31)](PF₆)₂ (where 3 = 3-(([2,2′:6′,2″-ter- pyridin]-4′-yloxy)propyl-4-(pyren-1-yl)butanoate) and biq = 2,2′-biquinoline), has been prepared, in which a pyrene tracker is attached via an ester bond. The proximity between the fluorophore and the ruthenium center leads to fluorescence quenching. Upon intracellular hydrolysis of the ester linkage, however, the fluorescence of the pyrene moiety is recovered, thus demonstrating prodrug cellular uptake. Further light irradiation of this molecule liberates by photosubstitution STF-31, a known cytotoxic nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibitor, as well as singlet oxygen via excitation of the free pyrene chromophore. The dark and light cytotoxicity of the prodrug, embedded in liposomes, as well as the appearance of blue emission upon uptake, were evaluated in A375 human skin melanoma cells. The cytotoxicity of the liposome-embedded prodrug was indeed increased by light irradiation. This work realizes an in vitro proof-of-concept of the lock-and-kill principle, which may ultimately be used to design strategies aimed at knowing where and when light irradiation should be realized in vivo.     

Effect of concentrate solution pH and mineral composition of a whey protein diluate solution on membrane fouling formation during conventional electrodialysis

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the concentrate solution pH and the composition in calcium, carbonate and protein of the diluate solution to be treated by conventional electrodialysis on the fouling of ion-exchange membranes. Conductivity, system resistance, pH of the diluate and cation migration were monitored to follow the evolution of the demineralization. Total cation migration was similar for all conditions although different forms of fouling were identified after three consecutive 100 min electrodialysis treatments. The nature of fouling and the membrane surface fouled depended on the concentrate pH value, the diluate mineral composition and the intrinsic composition of the whey isolate. Once conditions leading to membrane fouling were identified, an alternative configuration for our electrodialysis stack is proposed to prevent fouling onset.     

Parameterization of peptide 13C carbonyl chemical shielding anisotropy in molecular dynamics simulations.

NMR chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA) relaxation is an important tool in the study of dynamical processes in proteins and nucleic acids in solution. Herein, we investigate how dynamical variations in local geometry affect the chemical shielding anisotropy relaxation of the carbonyl carbon nucleus, using the following protocol: 1) Using density functional theory, the carbonyl (13)C' CSA is computed for 103 conformations of the model peptide group N-methylacetamide (NMA). 2) The variations in computed (13)C' CSA parameters are fitted against quadratic hypersurfaces containing cross terms between the variables. 3) The predictive quality of the CSA hypersurfaces is validated by comparing the predicted and de novo calculated (13)C' CSAs for 20 molecular dynamics snapshots. 4) The CSA fluctuations and their autocorrelation and cross correlation functions due to bond-length and bond-angle distortions are predicted for a chemistry Harvard molecular mechanics (CHARMM) molecular dynamics trajectory of Ca(2+)-saturated calmodulin and GB3 from the hypersurfaces, as well as for a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of an NMA trimer using a quantum mechanically correct forcefield. We find that the fluctuations can be represented by a 0.93 scaling factor of the CSA tensor for both R(1) and R(2) relaxations for residues in helix, coil, and sheet alike. This result is important, as it establishes that (13)C' relaxation is a valid tool for measurement of interesting dynamical events in proteins.     

An enzyme derivatized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane for use in membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS)

Membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) provides direct measurement of volatile and semivolatile analytes in condensed and gas-phase samples without sample preparation steps. Although MIMS has numerous advantages that include direct, on-line, real-time analysis with low detection limits, current applications of MIMS are predominantly limited to volatile and semivolatile analytes that permeate hydrophobic membranes (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane; PDMS). We report the first enzyme modified PDMS membrane for use with MIMS. This was achieved by immobilizing Candida rugosa lipase directly onto the surface of oxidized PDMS. These surface immobilized enzymes catalyze ester hydrolysis, releasing an alcohol product at the membrane interface that is readily detected. We have successfully used an enzyme modified membrane for the analysis and quantification of low-volatility and hydrophilic esters. We report the quantification of several carboxylic acid esters in dilute aqueous solutions, including a phthalate monoester carboxylate that is not readily detected by conventional MIMS. This new interface demonstrates the potential for extending the range and versatility of MIMS.     

Ultrafast structural dynamics of water induced by dissipation of vibrational energy

In the liquid phase, water molecules form a disordered fluctuating network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Using both inter- and intramolecular vibrations as structural probes in ultrafast infrared spectroscopy, we demonstrate a two-stage structural response of this network to energy disposal: vibrational energy from individually excited water molecules is transferred to intermolecular modes, resulting in a sub-100 fs nuclear rearrangement that leaves the local hydrogen bonds weakened but unbroken. Subsequent energy delocalization over many molecules occurs on an approximately 1 ps time scale and is connected with the breaking of hydrogen bonds, resulting in a macroscopically heated liquid.     

Nanoscale organization of the pathogen receptor DC-SIGN mapped by single-molecule high-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

DC-SIGN, a C-type lectin exclusively expressed on dendritic cells (DCs), plays an important role in pathogen recognition by binding with high affinity to a large variety of microorganisms. Recent experimental evidence points to a direct relation between the function of DC-SIGN as a viral receptor and its spatial arrangement on the plasma membrane. We have investigated the nanoscale organization of fluorescently labeled DC-SIGN on intact isolated DCs by means of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) combined with single-molecule detection. Fluorescence spots of different intensity and size have been directly visualized by optical means with a spatial resolution of less than 100 nm. Intensity- and size-distribution histograms of the DC-SIGN fluorescent spots confirm that approximately 80 % of the receptors are organized in nanosized domains randomly distributed on the cell membrane. Intensity-size correlation analysis revealed remarkable heterogeneity in the molecular packing density of the domains. Furthermore, we have mapped the intermolecular organization within a dense cluster by means of sequential NSOM imaging combined with discrete single-molecule photobleaching. In this way we have determined the spatial coordinates of 13 different individual dyes, with a localization accuracy of 6 nm. Our experimental observations are all consistent with an arrangement of DC-SIGN designed to maximize its chances of binding to a wide range of microorganisms. Our data also illustrate the potential of NSOM as an ultrasensitive, high-resolution technique to probe nanometer-scale organization of molecules on the cell membrane.     

Effect of bending and torsion rigidity on self-diffusion in polymer melts: a molecular-dynamics study

Extensive molecular-dynamics simulations have been performed to study the effect of chain conformational rigidity, controlled by bending and torsion potentials, on self-diffusion in polymer melts. The polymer model employs a novel torsion potential that avoids computational singularities without the need to impose rigid constraints on the bending angles. Two power laws are traditionally used to characterize the dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient on polymer length: D proportional to N(-nu) with nu=1 for NNe (reptation regime), Ne being the entanglement length. Our simulations, at constant temperature and density, up to N=250 reveal that, as the chain rigidity increases, the exponent nu gradually increases towards nu=2.0 for NNe. The value of Ne is slightly increased from 70 for flexible chains, up to the point where the crossover becomes undefined. This behavior is confirmed also by an analysis of the bead mean-square displacement. Subsequent investigations of the Rouse modes, dynamical structure factor, and chain trajectories indicate that the pre-reptation regime, for short stiff chains, is a modified Rouse regime rather than reptation.     

Filipin orientation revealed by linear dichroism. Implication for a model of action

The organization of the polyene antibiotic filipin in membranes containing cholesterol is a controversial matter of debate. Two contradictory models exist, one suggesting a parallel and the other perpendicular organization of filipin with respect to the plane of the membrane. UV-vis linear dichroism, ATR-FTIR, and fluorescence anisotropy decay techniques were combined to study the orientation of filipin in model systems of membranes composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) or 1,2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) with and without cholesterol. Filipin's orientation is determined by the presence/absence of cholesterol when it is inserted in gel crystalline phase model membranes. When cholesterol (33%) is present in DPPC bilayers, filipin stands perpendicular to the membrane surface as expected in "pore-forming" models. At variance, absence of cholesterol leaves filipin in an essentially random organization in the lipidic matrix. In liquid crystalline phase bilayers (POPC) filipin's orientation is perpendicular to the membrane surface even in absence of cholesterol. Thus filipin's activity/organization depends not only on cholesterol presence but also in the lipid phase domain it is inserted in. These findings were combined with spectroscopy and microscopy data in the literature, solving controversial matters of debate.     

Mobile phase selection for the combined use of liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

Four different organic solvents: dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane, n-propanol and ethanol were evaluated as alternative organic modifiers to acetonitrile for liquid chromatography (LC) separations. The aim was to establish common sets of chromatographic conditions that could be applied for LC hyphenation to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) as well as to electrospray ionization MS (ESIMS). The approach was to evaluate candidate solvents that, compared to acetonitrile, potentially could give improved analytical performance (low solvent vapor loading, maximized analyte sensitivity and minimized carbon depositions on instrumental parts) in ICPMS analysis while retaining chromatographic and ESIMS performances. The study showed that dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane, n-propanol and ethanol all can be advantageous chromatographic modifiers for LC–ICPMS analysis, giving superior performance compared to acetonitrile. For the combined use of LC–ICPMS and LC–ESIMS with a common set of chromatographic conditions, n-propanol gave the best overall performance. The ¹⁹⁵Pt⁺ signal in ICPMS was continuously monitored during a 0–60% organic solvent gradient and at 25% of organic modifier, 100% of the signal obtained at the gradient start was preserved for n-propanol compared to only 35% of the signal when using acetonitrile. Platinum detection limits were 5–8 times lower using n-propanol compared with acetonitrile. Signal-to-noise ratio in continuous ESIMS signal measurements was 100, 90 and 110 for a 100 μg/ml solution of leucine–enkephaline using acetonitrile, ethanol and n-propanol, respectively. Chromatographic efficiency in reversed phase separations was preserved for n-propanol compared to acetonitrile for the analysis of the whole protein cytochrome C and the peptide bacitracin on a column with particle and pore sizes of 5 μm and 300 Å, but slightly deteriorated for the separation of the peptides leucine–enkephaline and bacitracin on a 3 μm and 90 Å column as the peak width at half height for both peptides increased by a factor of two. The performance on the smaller dimensioned column could however be improved by running the separations at 40 °C.