Structure and stability of short beta-peptide nanotubes: a non-natural representative of collagen?

Since secondary structure elements are known to play a key role in stabilizing the 3D-fold of proteins for the design of non-natural proteins composed of beta-amino acid residues, the construction of suitable secondary structural elements is mandatory. Folding analogues of alpha-helices and beta-strands of beta-polypeptides were already described (Chem. Biodiversity 2004, 1, 1111 (1)). Here, we present several collagen-like folds composed exclusively of beta-Ala(s). Unlike their natural counterpart, these tubular nanostructures can be composed of more than three polypeptide chains aligned parallel and/or antiparallel. By using ab initio and DFT calculations we have optimized a large number of versatile collagen-like antiparallel nanostructures. In these tubular systems, oligopeptide strands are interconnected by i --> (i) type H-bonds, except for the "closing" set. This latter is called "the H-bond zipper" and is either (i) --> i, ( i + 1) --> i, or ( i + 2) --> i type. Antiparallel, tubular foldamers composed of l number of strands, each of k number of beta-amino acid residues (e.g., apbeta-T(l) i+l ) k , ap(beta-T(l) i+1 ) k , or ap(beta-T(l) i+2 ) k ), are unexpectedly stable supramolecular complexes. Independent of k and l, the local backbone fold of the amino acid residues is usually spiral, abbreviated as "S(P)" or "S*(P)". Nevertheless, in contrast to parallel, in antiparallel nanotubes the backbone fold can occasionally twist out from S(P) or S*(P) type into an alternative local structure. However, the more the local geometry of the strands resembles to S(P) or S*(P), the higher the stability is. Besides the backbone twisting, the overall stability is determined by the type and the geometrical properties of the constituent H-bonds. Interestingly, higher number of total H-bonds can provide a lower overall stability, when H-bond parameters are inferior. In general, the increase of both the number of strands and their length stabilize the supramolecular complex. Now that, for beta-peptides, collagen-like overall folds with their stability were determined, their POG- or PPG-like sequence specificity has to be revealed.     

pH transients during salt removal in isoelectric trapping separations: a curse revisited

The pH transients that occur during isoelectric trapping separations as a result of the removal of nonampholytic ionic components have been re-examined. Salts containing strong electrolyte anions and cations, both with equal and dissimilar mobilities, have been studied using anodic and cathodic buffering membranes whose pH values were both equidistant and nonequidistant from pH 7. The direction and magnitude of the pH transient (acidic or basic) was found to depend on both the mobilities of the anion and cation (mu(anion)/mu(cation)) and the pH difference between pH 7 and the pH of the buffering membranes (|pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)|). When |pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)| = 1, mu(anion)/mu(cation)<1 leads to an acidic pH transient, mu(anion)/mu(cation) = 1 eliminates the pH transient and mu(anion)/mu(cation)>1 leads to a basic pH transient. When mu(anion)/mu(cation) = 1, |pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)|<1 leads to a basic pH transient, |pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)| = 1 eliminates the pH transient and |pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)|>1 leads to an acidic pH transient. By selecting appropriate anodic and cathodic buffering membranes to adjust the |pH(memb) (anodic) - 7|/|7 - pH(memb) (cathodic)| value, pH transients caused by dissimilar anion and cation mobilities can be avoided.     

Rapid isoelectric trapping in a micropreparative-scale multicompartment electrolyzer

A multicompartmental electrolyzer called membrane-separated wells for isoelectric focusing and trapping (MSWIFT) has been developed and tested for micropreparative-scale isoelectric trapping separations. In the MSWIFT, the length of the heat conduction path from the center of the compartments to the wall is less than 1 mm. The compartments are made from 99.8% nonporous alumina that has a high heat conductivity and a high specific heat capacity, leading to adequate Joule heat dissipation even at power loads as high as 5 W. The length of any compartment parallel to the electric field (the intermembrane distance) can be selected to be multiples of 1.5 mm, leading to compartment volumes that are multiples of about 60 muL. A maximum of 20 (1.5 mm long) separation compartments can be readily assembled in the current version of MSWIFT. The MSWIFT has been used to desalt samples, isolate small ampholytic components (amino acids, peptides, and dyes), prefractionate complex protein mixtures and enrich minor components; these separations were achieved in 20-60 min.     

Synthesis of mono-6-deoxy-6-N,N,N',N',N'-pentamethylethylenediammonio-cyclomaltoheptaose, a single-isomer, monosubstituted, permanently dicationic beta-CD and its use for enantiomer separations by CE

The dichloride salt of mono-6-deoxy-6-N,N,N',N',N'-pentamethylethylenediammonio-cyclomaltoheptaose (PEMEDA-BCD), the first single-isomer, monosubstituted, permanently dicationic beta-CD has been synthesized, analytically characterized, and used for the capillary electrophoretic separation of the enantiomers of a group of analytes in acidic and basic BGEs. When the concentration of PEMEDA-BCD was changed in the BGEs, the resulting effective mobilities of the analytes and the respective separation selectivities followed the predictions of the ionic strength-corrected charged resolving agent migration model. Good separation selectivities and favorable normalized EOF mobilities allowed for the rapid, efficient separation of the enantiomers of anionic, weak acid and nonionic analytes in the low- and/or high-pH BGEs.     

Violation of distribution symmetry in statistical evaluation of absolute enantioselective synthesis

Enantiomeric excesses obtained in absolute enantioselective synthesis by chiral autocatalysis (Soai-reaction) were statistically analyzed. Two sets of parallel experiments, which were performed under chemically different conditions, are available. One group contains 37, while the other contains 84 preparative results. The former group shows some interesting tendencies but does not give conclusive statistical results. The sample of 84 parallel experiments, providing 39 R- and 45 S-excesses have shown that these data represent two distinct, non-symmetric sets with different non-Gaussian distributions. Clear S preference was found.     

Misgivings from the theoretical foundation of the path‐following procedures based on the Elber–Karplus strategy

A mathematical proof against the theoretical foundation of the Elber–Karplus (EK) global reaction path‐following method and the improvements based on the EK strategy have been discussed. According to our arguments the minimization of the average value of the potential energy along a path to two energy minima never defines a reaction path (RP) unless in the chemically irrealistic situation where the points of the curve joining the two minima of reactants and products have constant energy values. Therefore, finding approximate RPs by EK‐strategies for large chemical systems or even in mathematical test examples is impossible or at least strongly doubtful (the larger the system the more doubtful). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stereoselective Reduction of `Capsanthol‐3′‐ones' (=3,6′‐Dihydroxy‐β,κ‐caroten‐3′‐ones) by Complex Hydrides

The (3R,5′R,6′R)‐ and (3R,5′R,6′S)‐capsanthol‐3′‐one (=3,6′‐dihydroxy‐β,κ‐caroten‐3′‐one; 4 and 5 , resp.) were reduced by different complex metal hydrides containing organic ligands. The ratio of the thus obtained diastereoisomeric (3′S)‐capsanthols 2 and 3 or (3′R)‐capsanthols 6 and 7 , respectively, was investigated. Four complex hydrides showed remarkable stereoselectivity and produced the (3′R,6′S)‐capsanthol ( 6 ) in 80 – 100% (see Table 1). The starting materials and the products were characterized by UV/VIS, CD, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and mass spectra.     

Isomerization of (all‐E)‐Cucurbitaxanthin A

Cucurbitaxanthin A (=(all‐E,3S,5R,6R,3′R)‐3,6‐epoxy‐5,6‐dihydro‐β,β‐carotene‐5,3′‐diol; 1 ) was submitted to thermal isomerization and to I₂‐catalysed photoisomerization. The structure of the main reaction products (9Z)‐ ( 2 ), (9′Z)‐ ( 3 ), (13Z)‐ ( 4 ), and (13′Z)‐cucurbitaxanthin A ( 5 ) was determined by their UV/VIS, CD, ¹H‐NMR, and mass spectra.