Preparative high-yield electroelution of proteins after separation by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its application to analysis of amino acid sequences and to raise antibodies.

A method for the preparative high-yield electroelution of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel strips was established. The method consisted of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, detection of proteins with sodium acetate and electrophoretic elution at 200 V for 3 h by utilizing a horizontal flat-bed gel electrophoresis apparatus. Standard proteins with molecular masses of 14-66 kilodalton (cytochrome c, aldolase, ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin) were recovered with an average yield of 73.6 +/- 2.3%. A membrane-bound protein, rat skeletal muscle Ca(2+)-ATPase (100 kilodalton) was also well recovered (over 60%). This method was applicable to the purification of proteins required for N-terminal amino acid sequencing and to raise antibodies.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of formate as benzimidazole in biological samples

Formate was determined as benzimidazole by high-performance liquid chromatography after reaction with o-phenylenediamine at 130 degrees C for 2 h in 1 M perchloric acid. The useful concentration range was 1.6-40 mumol/l and the determination limit was 20 pmol. The recoveries from rat liver homogenate and human urine were 90.3 +/- 2.9 and 89.4 +/- 2.5%, respectively. Using this method, the activity of formaldehyde dehydrogenase in biological samples could be measured, and also the formate concentration in the liver and urine of rats to which methanol had been administered.     

Resazurin as an electron acceptor in glucose oxidase-catalyzed oxidation of glucose

The behavior of resazurin (1) as an electron acceptor in glucose oxidase (GOD)-catalyzed oxidation of glucose under anaerobic conditions is described. When a mixture of 1, glucose, and GOD in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 0.1 M) was incubated at 25 degrees C, the resulting solution turned purple to fluorescent pink due to the deoxygenated product, resorufin (2). On incubation of 1 with GOD alone or with H2O2 under essentially the same conditions, no color change was seen, indicating that generation of 2 in the enzymatic reaction is brought about through reduction of 1 by the reduced form (GODred) of GOD, which was also supported by the voltammetric behavior of 1. However, it was found that the enzymatic transformation of 1 to 2 is of no practical use as an indicator reaction for glucose determination using only GOD due to a slow reaction of 1 with GODred. Based on a ping-pong type mechanism with a steady-state approximation, KM and kcat for 1 as an electron acceptor from GODred were estimated to be 15+/-1.3 microM and (5.0+/-0.5) x 10(-2) s(-1), respectively.     

Enhanced collective optical response of vast numbers of silver nanoparticles assembled on a microbead

We investigated the optical response of a huge number of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) densely assembled on an organic microsphere, i.e., AgNP-fixed bead, under the collective phenomena of localized surface plasmons. For this purpose, various optical properties of such a AgNP-fixed bead were analyzed in aqueous solution by dark-field optical microscopy and laser Raman microscopy. In particular, in comparison with the optical spectrum of single AgNPs, significant spectral broadening and redshift were observed due to plasmonic superradiance with decreasing interparticle distance to the subnanoscale when using small binder molecules in the AgNP-fixed bead. Furthermore, we observed surface-enhanced Raman scattering and clarified the sensitivity of the signal intensity to the size of the binder molecules between the AgNPs, which can be explained based on optical response theory using a discrete integral with spherical cells. These results and discussion provide a guiding principle for broadband plasmonic light absorbers and for highly sensitive detection of small molecules and nanoscale biomaterials based on vast numbers of nanogaps produced by a bottom-up self-assembly process.     

Intramolecular Benzyne–Phenolate [4+2] Cycloadditions

An intramolecular benzyne–phenolate [4+2] cycloaddition is reported. Benzyne precursors, having vicinal halogen‐sulfonate functionalities, linked with a phenol(ate) by various tether groups undergo efficient intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition by treatment with either Ph₃MgLi or nBuLi for halogen–metal exchange to form various benzobarrelenes.     

Gelation process of amylose-DMSO-water system

Amylose gel is obtained by cooling amylose aqueous solution at a certain cooling rate. In order to clarify the gelation process of amylose in the mixed solvent of water and DMSO, the characteristics of turbidity and dynamic viscoelasticity of the solution as a function of temperature have been studied by optical and rheological methods, respectively. Accordingly, cloud temperature (Tc) at which the aggregation of amylose occurs, and gelation temperature (Tgel) at which the elasticity began to appear were obtained. Tc and Tgel were strongly dependent on cooling rate, and these values shifted to higher temperatures with decreasing cooling rate. However, there was difference between Tc and Tgel, and Tc was higher than Tgel, indicating the gelation process occurs in two stages.     

Synthesis and light‐emitting properties of carbazole‐based copolymers bearing cyano‐substituted arylenevinylene chromophore

Two arylenevinylene compounds bearing the cyano group at α‐position ( 6 ) and β‐position ( 9 ) from the dialkoxylphenylene unit were synthesized, in which the molecular termini were functionalized with 3‐bromocarbazole. The Suzuki coupling copolymerization of these compounds with 1,4‐bis[(3′‐bromocarbazole‐9′‐yl)methylene]‐2,5‐didecyloxybenzene and 9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐bis(boronic acid) was carried out to obtain copolymers ( cp67 and cp97 ) containing the cyano‐substituted arylenevinylene fluorophore of 7 mol %. Model compounds ( 6 ′ and 9 ′) corresponding to the arylenevinylene fluorophore were also prepared. The UV spectra of copolymers resembled that of homopolymer hp with no arylenevinylene segment in both CHCl₃ solution and thin film. The emission maxima of copolymers in CHCl₃ (394 nm) agreed with that of homopolymer indicating that the emission bands originated from the carbazole‐fluorene‐carbazole segment. The emission maximum wavelength of copolymer cp67 in thin film (477 nm) indicated fluorescence from the cyano‐substituted arylenevinylene fluorophore because of the occurrence of fluorescence resonance electron transfer. In contrast, copolymer cp97 showed fluorescence at 528 nm to suggest the formation of a new emissive species such as a charge‐transfer complex (exciplex). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 91–98, 2010     

Beta-replacement reaction of serine-O-carbonate derivatives with thiols catalyzed by a pyridoxal model having an ionophore side-chain

Serine-O-carbonate derivatives, including peptides having a serine-O-carbonate residue at the N-terminal position, are catalytically transformed into S-substituted cysteine derivatives employing the pyridoxal model having an ionophore function in the presence of Li+; this is the first artificial model mimicking cystathionine Beta-synthase.     

Sustained-release phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride bilayer caplets containing the hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2208 matrix. II. Effects of filling order in bilayer compression and manufacturing method of the prolonged-release layer on compactibility of bilayer caplets

The purpose of this study was to establish the manufacturing method of the formulated bilayer caplets containing the hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2208 (HPMC2208) matrix without lamination. In manufacturing the bilayer caplets containing the HPMC2208 (Metolose 90SH4000) matrix, some bilayer caplets were cracked. We found that cracking of bilayer caplets is not the separation of two layers, but lamination of the prolonged-release layer. It was assumed that Metolose 90SH4000 causes lamination of the prolonged-release layer. Two factors, roller compaction pressure on dry granulation of the prolonged-release layer and filling order of the prolonged-release layer in bilayer compression, were related to lamination of bilayer caplets. The compactibility of the prolonged-release layer decrease with an increase in roller compaction pressure on dry granulation. The compactibility of the prolonged-release layer manufactured by direct compression is superior to that manufactured by dry granulation. The compactibility of the prolonged-release layer in the shape of the second layer, convexo-concave, is superior to that in the shape of the first layer, convexo-convex. This is due to the fact that the density distribution inside the compact in the shape of convexo-concave was more uniform than that in the shape of convexo-convex. The manufacturing method of the formulated bilayer caplets having the prolonged-release layer whose Metolose 90SH4000 content is 60% without lamination is as follows: the prolonged-release layer manufactured by direct compression is fed as the second layer in bilayer compression.