Mechanistic studies on pyridoxal phosphate synthase: the reaction pathway leading to a chromophoric intermediate

Two routes for the de novo biosynthesis of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) have been discovered and reconstituted in vitro. The most common pathway that organisms use is dependent upon the activity of just two enzymes, known as Pdx1 (YaaD) and Pdx2 (YaaE) in bacteria. Pdx2 has been shown to have glutaminase activity and most likely channels ammonia to the active site of the PLP synthase subunit, Pdx1, where ribose-5-phosphate (R5P), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P), and ammonia are condensed in a complex series of reactions. In this report we investigated the early steps in the mechanism of PLP formation. Under pre-steady-state conditions, a chromophoric intermediate (I320) is observed that accumulates upon addition of only two of the substrates, R5P and glutamine. The intermediate is covalently bound to the protein. We synthesized C5 monodeuterio (pro-R, pro-S) and dideuterio R5P and showed that there is a primary kinetic isotope effect on the formation of this intermediate using the pro-R but not the pro-S labeled isomer. Furthermore, it was shown that the phosphate unit of R5P is eliminated rather than hydrolyzed in route to intermediate formation and also that there is an observed C5-deuterium kinetic isotope effect on this elimination step. Interestingly, it was observed that the formation of the intermediate could be triggered in the absence of Pdx2 by the addition of high concentrations of NH4Cl to a preincubated solution of Pdx1 and R5P. The formation of I320 was also monitored using high-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry and revealed a species of mass 34,304 Da (Pdx1 + 95 Da). These results allow us to narrow the mechanistic possibilities for the complex series of reactions involved in PLP formation.     

PHOTOREACTIVITY OF 5-GERANOXYPSORALEN AND LACK OF PHOTOREACTION WITH DNA

5-Geranoxypsoralen, commonly called bergamottin, a major furocoumarin contained in bergamot oil, is reported in vitro as a highly photoreactive psoralen. In ethanol, it exhibits quite a high triplet state quantum yield (approximately 0.37). The triplet state is involved in subsequent photochemistry which depends on the initial concentration and on the presence of oxygen. In contrast to most psoralens, absorption and fluorescence data suggest that 5-geranoxypsoralen does not interact with DNA in the dark. No UVA-induced interstrand cross-links in DNA were shown.     

Differential non-destructive image current detection in a fourier transform quadrupole ion trap

Dual-detector differential non-destructive Fourier transform detection in a quadrupole ion trap is shown to improve signal intensity and reduce noise compared with spectra recorded using a single detector. A larger area detector in each end-cap electrode is machined to fit its hyperbolic shape and so minimize field imperfections on the z-axis. Argon, acetophenone and bromobenzene spectra were recorded to allow a comparison between single- and dual-detector (differential) modes of detection and to demonstrate the improvement achieved with differential detection. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid-state structures of sym-dibenzo-16-crown-5 and its derivatives

Solid-state structures of sym-dibenzo-16-crown-5 (1) and five derivatives with one or two substituents on the three-carbon bridge have been determined. The derivatives with three sp³-hybridized carbons include sym-(propyl)dibenzo-16-crown-5 (4), sym-(pentafluorophenoxy)-dibenzo-16-crown-5 (5), and sym-[di(methoxymethyl)]dibenzo-16-crown-5 (6). Structures of two derivatives with sp²-hybridization of the central carbon (7 and 8) were also determined. Twisting of the three-carbon bridge causes one of the terminal methylene groups to be oriented within the polyether cavity.     

MULTIDIMENSIONAL UPWIND RESIDUAL DISTRIBUTION SCHEMES FOR THE CONVECTION–DIFFUSION EQUATION

Multidimensional residual distribution schemes for the convection–diffusion equation are described. Compact upwind cell vertex schemes are used for the discretization of the convective term. For the diffusive term, two approaches are compared: the classical finite element Galerkin formulation, which preserves the compactness of the stencil used for the convective part, and various residual-based approaches in which the diffusive term, evaluated after a reconstruction step, is upwinded along with the convective term.     

电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)法测定铅锭中11种杂质元素

研究了用酸分解试样后不需分离基体直接用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)法测定铅锭中银、铜、铋、砷、锑、锡、锌、铁、镉、镍、铊11种杂质元素的方法。优化了样品前处理条件及仪器检测条件。方法的检出限为0.0012～0.0168μg/mL,回收率为89%～110%,RSD为2.3%～5.0%。方法简便快速,检出限低,精密度和准确度能满足铅锭中杂质元素的检测要求,具有较强的实用性和可操作性,可用于铅锭中杂质元素的测定。