The photoreactions of recombinant phytochrome from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis: a low-temperature UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopic study

The interconvertible photoreactions of recombinant phytochrome from Synechocystis reconstituted with phycocyanobilin were investigated by light-induced optical and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) difference spectroscopy at low temperatures for the first time. The photochemistry was found to be deferred below -100 degrees C for the transformation of red-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pr)-->far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pfr), and no formation of an intermediate similar to the photoproduct of phytochrome A obtained at -140 degrees C (lumi-R) was observed. Two intermediates could be stabilized below -40 degrees C and between -40 and -20 degrees C, and were denoted as meta-Ra and meta-Rc, respectively. Above -20 degrees C Pfr was obtained. In the reverse reaction two intermediates could be stabilized below -60 degrees C (lumi-F) and between -60 and -40 degrees C (meta-F). The FT-IR difference spectra of the late Pr-->Pfr photoreaction show great similarities to the spectra obtained from oat phytochrome A suggesting similar conformation of the chromophore and interactions with its protein environment, whereas deviations in the spectra of meta-Ra were observed. A large band around 1700 cm-1 in the difference spectra between the intermediates and Pr which is tentatively assigned to the C19=O group of the prosthetic group indicates the Z,E isomerization around the C15=C16-methine bridge of the chromophore during the formation of meta-Ra. In the difference spectra of the parent states only small differences are observed in this region suggesting that the frequency of the carbonyl group is similar in Pr and Pfr. Since the FT-IR difference spectra between lumi-F and Pfr show great similarities to the spectra of the parent states, it is assumed that during the formation of lumi-F the chromophore largely returns into the primary Pr conformation. The FT-IR spectra recorded in a medium of 2H2O generally show a downshift of the significant bands due to the isotope effect. The appearance of a characteristic band around 935 cm-1 in all 2H2O spectra suggests an assignment to an N-2H bending vibration of the chromophore.     

Purification of a hybrid plasminogen activator protein

Recombinant DNA technology has been employed to produce a hybrid gene in which the kringle and serine protease domains of tissue plasminogen activator are linked to the heavy-chain Fd region of a fibrin-specific antibody. The hybrid gene is co-expressed with antibody light chains. This communication describes a purification procedure for the hybrid protein, involving affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. The purified hybrid protein has been used in vivo and in vitro clot lysis experiments and has been shown to be effective at clot dissolution.     

Two-photon laser spectroscopy of the muonium 1S–2S transition

The 1² S _1/2(F=1)?2² S _1/2(F=1) energy interval in muonium has been investigated by Doppler-free two-photon laser spectroscopy. The transition was observed by uniquely identifying and counting the muons released after the photoionization of the 2S state by the same laser field. The measured transition frequency of 2455 528016(58)(43) MHz is in good agreement with QED calculations. The experiment can be interpreted as a test of the Lamb shift contributions at the 1% level. The method is also well suited for a precise determination of the mass of the positive muon in a muoniumhydrogen isotope shift measurement.     

Self‐assembled polyurea macromer nanodispersion and resulting hybrid polyurea‐acrylic emulsions and films

A polyurea macromer (PUM) was synthesized and dispersed in basic conditions to form self‐assembled nanoparticles (<20 nm dispersions, up to 30 wt % aq. soln.). These nanoparticles enabled surfactant‐free emulsion polymerization to form hybrid polyurea‐acrylic particles despite the absence of a measureable water‐soluble fraction. The T_g of the starting PUM material was a strong function of the PUM's extent of neutralization and hydration (varying between 100 °C and >175 °C) due to changes in hydrogen and ionic bonding. Two separate hybrid polyurea‐acrylic emulsion systems were prepared: one by direct polymerization of (meth)acrylic monomers in the presence of the nanodispersion and a second by a physical blend of PUM nanodispersion with an acrylic latex control. The direct polymerization method resulted in a hybrid emulsion particle size that developed by a mechanism resembling conventional emulsion polymerization and was unlike that described for seeded polyurethane dispersion systems. Film hardness was shown to increase with increasing coating thickness for the hybrid film prepared by direct polymerization. The resulting mechanical properties could be explained by applying mechanical models for a composite foam structure. These results were unprecedented for normal elastomer films. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1373–1388     

Sterically demanding cyclopentadienyl chemistry: synthesis of iron and zirconium complexes of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl

Reaction of phenyl magnesium bromide with the ,β-unsaturated ketone 3-methyl-2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroind-8(9)-en-1-one, followed by an aqueous work-up, generates the pro-chiral tetra-substituted cyclopentadiene, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindene, Cp^‡H, a precursor to the η⁵-cyclopentadienyl ligand in (Cp^‡)₂Fe and [(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)]₂(μ-CO)₂. Both complexes were generated as mixtures of rac-(RR and SS)- and meso-(RS)-isomers, and in either case pure meso-isomer was isolated by crystallisation and characterised by single crystal X-ray structure, both molecules having crystallographic C_i symmetry. Reduction with Na/Hg cleaves meso-(RS)-[(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)]₂(μ-CO)₂ and the resulting mixture of (R)- and (S)-[(Cp^‡)Fe(CO)₂]⁻ anions reacts with MeI to give racemic (Cp^‡)Fe(CO)₂Me, which was characterised by the X-ray crystal structure. The Cp^‡ ligand is more electron donating than (η-C₅H₅) as revealed by the reduction potential of the (Cp^‡)₂Fe⁺/(Cp^‡)₂Fe couple, E°=−0.127 V (vs. Ag  AgCl). Reaction of LiCp^‡ with ZrCl₄ yields the zirconocene dichloride [Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] as mixture of rac- and meso-isomers, from which pure rac-isomer is obtained as a mixture of RR and SS crystals by recrystallisation. The reaction of rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] with LiMe gives rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Me₂]. The structures of RR-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Cl₂] and rac-[Zr(Cp^‡)₂Me₂] have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The structural studies reveal the influence of the bulky substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand on the metal---Cp^‡ distances and other metric parameters.     

TECRA Unique test for rapid detection of Salmonella in food: collaborative study

The TECRA Unique Salmonella test uses the principle of immunoenrichment to allow rapid detection of Salmonellae in food. A collaborative study was conducted to compare the TECRA Salmonella Unique test with the reference culture method given in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Three food types (milk powder, pepper, and soy flour) were analyzed in Australia and 2 food types (milk chocolate and dried egg) were analyzed in the United States. Forty-one collaborators participated in the study. For each of the 5 foods at each of the 3 levels, a comparison showed no significant differences (p > or = 0.05) in the proportion of positive test samples for Unique and that for the reference method using the Chi-square test for independence with continuity correction.     

Solid- and solution-phase synthesis of vancomycin and vancomycin analogues with activity against vancomycin-resistant bacteria

Vancomycin, the prototypical member of the glycopeptide family of antibiotics, is a clinically used antibiotic employed against a variety of drug-resistant bacterial strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The recent emergence of vancomycin resistance, viewed as a growing threat to public health, prompted us to initiate a program aimed at restoring the potency of this important antibiotic through chemical manipulation of the vancomycin structure. Herein, we describe the development of synthetic technology based on the design of a novel selenium safety catch linker, application of this technology to a solid-phase semisynthesis of vancomycin, and the solid- and solution-phase synthesis of vancomycin libraries. Biological evaluation of these compound libraries led to the identification of a number of in vitro highly potent antibacterial agents effective against vancomycin-resistant bacteria. In addition to aiding these investigations, the solid-phase chemistry described herein is expected to enhance the power of combinatorial chemistry and facilitate chemical biology and medicinal chemistry studies.     

BOVINE OCULAR SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA: UV SENSITIVITY IN LYMPHOCYTES

Abstract— Increased sensitivity to UV light has been demonstrated in Phytohaemagglutinin stimulated lymphocytes from normal and tumour-bearing Hereford cattle when compared to lymphocytes from other breeds. Trypan blue exclusion and inhibition of DNA synthesis were used to determine cell viability. The results obtained from time course and radiation dose experiments demonstrate biphasic survival kinetics. This is indicative of at least two separate cell populations, exhibiting differentia! sensitivity to UV. The increased sensitivity to UV observed in Herefords may reflect a general sensitivity to UV or alternatively a different cellular constitution in the mitogen stimulated cultures. DNA repair synthesis, measured in the presence of hydroxyurea, was of similar levels in cell cultures from Herefords and one of the control breeds.     

Maximal functions and ergodic averages related to Waring’s problem

We study the arithmetic analogue of maximal functions on diagonal hypersurfaces. This paper is a natural step following the papers of [13], [14] and [16]. We combine more precise knowledge of oscillatory integrals and exponential sums to generalize the asymptotic formula in Waring’s problem to an approximation formula for the Fourier transform of the solution set of lattice points on hypersurfaces arising in Waring’s problem and apply this result to arithmetic maximal functions and ergodic averages. In sufficiently large dimensions, the approximation formula, ? ²-maximal theorems and ergodic theorems were previously known. Our contribution is in reducing the dimensional constraint in the approximation formula using recent bounds of Wooley, and improving the range of ? ^p spaces in the maximal and ergodic theorems. We also conjecture the expected range of spaces.