Targeted lipidomics using electron capture atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

There is an increasing need to be able to conduct quantitative lipidomics analyses as a complement to proteomics studies. The highest specificity for proteomics analysis can be obtained using methodology based on electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) coupled with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). For lipidomics analysis it is often necessary to be able to separate enantiomers and regioisomers. This can be very challenging when using methodology based on conventional reversed-phase chromatography. Normal-phase chromatography using chiral columns can provide dramatic improvements in the resolution of enantiomers and regioisomers. However, conventional ESI- and APCI-MS/MS has limited sensitivity, which makes it difficult to conduct studies in cell culture systems where only trace amounts of non-esterified bioactive lipids are present. The use of electron capture APCI-MS/MS overcomes this problem. Enantiomers and regioisomers of diverse bioactive lipids can be quantified using stable isotope dilution methodology coupled with normal-phase chiral chromatography and electron capture APCI-MS/MS. This methodology has allowed a lipidomics profile from rat epithelial cells maintained in culture to be delineated and allowed the effect of a non-selective lipoxygenase inhibitor to be assessed.     

Oxygen binding to sulfur in nitrosylated iron--thiolate complexes: relevance to the Fe-containing nitrile hydratases

Iron-nitrosyl complex containing S-bonded monosulfinate [PPN][(NO)Fe(S,SO2-C6H4)(S,S-C6H4)] (3) has been isolated from sulfur oxygenation of complex [PPN][(NO)Fe(S,S-C6H4)2] (2) which is obtained from addition of NO molecule to [PPN][(C4H8O)Fe(S,S-C6H4)2] (1) in organic solvents. This result reveals that binding of NO to the iron center promotes sulfur oxygenation of iron dithiolates by dioxygen and stabilizes the S-bonded sulfinate iron species. Analysis of the bond angles for complexes 2 and 3 reveals that iron is best described as existing in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal coordination environment surrounded by one NO, three thiolates, and one sulfinate in complex 3, whereas the distorted square pyramidal geometry is adopted in complex 2. Complex 3 further reacts in organic solvents with molecular oxygen in the presence of [PPN][NO2] to produce the dinuclear bis(sulfinate) complex [PPN]2[(NO)Fe(SO2,SO2-C6H4)(S,S-C6H4)]2 (4). Complex 3 showed reaction with PPh3 in THF/CH2Cl2 to yield complex 2 and Ph3PO. Upon photolysis of CH2Cl2 solution of complex 3 under N2 purge at ambient temperature, the UV-vis and IR spectra consistent with the formation of complex 2 demonstrate that complex 2 and 3 are photochemically interconvertible. Obviously, complex 3 is thermally quite stable but is photochemically active toward [O] release. Also described are the X-ray crystal structures of 3 and 4.     

Ionic liquid-coated enzyme for biocatalysis in organic solvent

Ionic liquid-coated enzyme (ILCE) is described as a useful catalyst for biocatalysis in organic solvent. An ionic liquid, [PPMIM]-[PF(6)] (1, [PPMIM] = 1-(3'-phenylpropyl)-3-methylimidazolium), which is solid at room temperature and becomes liquid above 53 degrees C, was synthesized in two steps from N-methylimidazole. The coating of enzyme was done by simply mixing commercially available enzyme with 1 in the liquid phase above 53 degrees C and then allowing the mixture to cool. A representative ILCE, prepared with a lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia, showed markedly enhanced enantioselectivity without losing any significant activity.     

Phage-display selection of a human single-chain fv antibody highly specific for melanoma and breast cancer cells using a chemoenzymatically synthesized G(M3)-carbohydrate antigen

Overexpression of the cell-surface glycosphingolipid G(M3) is associated with a number of different cancers, including those of the skin, colon, breast, and lung. Antibodies against the G(M3) epitope have potential application as therapeutic agents in the treatment of these cancers. We describe the chemoenzymatic synthesis of two G(M3)-derived reagents and their use in the panning of a phage-displayed human single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody library derived from the blood of cancer patients. Three scFv-phage clones, GM3A6, GM3A8, and GM3A15, were selected for recombinant expression and were characterized using BIAcore and flow cytometry. BIAcore measurements using the purified, soluble scFvs yielded dissociation constants (K(d)) ranging from 4.2 x 10(-7) to 2.1 x 10(-5) M. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the ability of each scFv to discriminate between normal human cells (human dermal fibroblast, HDFa), melanoma cells (HMV-1, M21, and C-8161), and breast cancer cells (BCM-1, BCM-2, and BMS). GM3A6 displayed cross-reactivity with normal cells, as well as tumor cells, and GM3A15 possessed little or no binding activity toward any of the cell lines tested. However, GM3A8 bound to five of the six tumor cell lines and showed no measurable reactivity against the HDFa cells. Hence, we have demonstrated that a synthetic G(M3) panning reagent can be used to isolate a fully human scFv that is highly specific for native G(M3) on the surface of tumor cells. The result is a significant step toward effective immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.     

H-NMR studies of duplex DNA decamer containing a uracil cyclobutane dimer: implications regarding the high UV mutagenecity of CC photolesions

To determine the origin of the UV-specific CC to TT tandem mutation at the CC site, we made a duplex DNA decamer containing a uracil cis-syn cyclobutane dimer (CBD) as the deaminated model of a cytosine dimer. Two-dimensional 1H-NMR spectroscopy studies were performed on this sequence where two adenines (Ade) were opposite to the uracil dimer. Two imino protons of the uracil dimer were found to retain Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding with the opposite Ade, although the 5'-U(NH) of the dimer site showed unusual upfield shift like that of the 5'-T(NH) of the TT dimer, which seemed to be associated with deshielding by the flanking base rather than with reduced hydrogen bonding. (McAteer et al. 1998, J. Mol. Biol. 282:1013-1032). Hydrogen bondings at the dimer site were also supported by detecting typical strong nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) between two imino protons and the opposite Ade H2 or NH2. But sequential NOE interactions of base protons with sugar protons were absent at the two flanking nucleotides of the 5' side of the uracil dimer and at the intradimer site, contrasting with its thymine analog where sequential NOE was absent only at the A4-T5 step. In addition, NOE cross peak for U5(NH) <--> A4(H2) was detected, although the NOE interactions of U6(NH) with A7(H2) and A17(H2) were not observed in contrast to the thymine dimer duplex. This different local structural alteration may be affected by the induced right-hand twisted puckering mode of cis-syn cyclobutane ring of the uracil dimer in the B-DNA duplex, even though the isolated uracil dimer had left-hand twisted puckering rigidly. In parallel, these observations may be correlated with observed differences in mutagenic properties between cis-syn UU dimer and cis-syn TT dimer.     

Mimicry of tandem repeat peptides against cell surface carbohydrates

Our approach to multivalent peptide construction relies on tentacle peptides, also known as a multiple antigenic peptides, which contain two and four repeats of a selected peptide. In this communication, we report the results of preliminary studies aimed at (1) the selection of short peptides against the carbohydrate, sLeX, (2) the synthesis of tentacle dimers and tetramers of the selected peptides, and (3) the determination of affinities and specificities of the peptides to several related carbohydrates by using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and the equilibrium dialysis techniques. Binding affinity studies, as well as assays of in vitro binding of the peptides to a sLeX-specific cell line, have shown that the tetrameric peptides bind to the cell surface sugars.     

Copolymeric (lR-trans)-N,N'-1,2-cyclohexylene-bisbenzamide oligodimethylsiloxane chiral stationary phase for gas chromatography

A copolymeric stationary phase, consisting of a chiral selective part, i.e. (1R-trans)-N,N'-1,2-cyclohexylenebisbenzamide, and an efficient siloxane oligomeric part, was successfully applied to open tubular column GC analysis. The efficiency and the chiral selectivity of this stationary phase were studied in detail, and high capacity and efficiency at elevated GC temperatures were especially noted. Several drugs and other enantiomeric pairs were separated. The shown examples demonstrate a broad application range for this type of chiral stationary phase in GC analysis.     

Differential effects of Fas cross-linking on phospholipase D activation and related lipid metabolism in Fas-resistant A20 cells

A20 murine lymphoma cells undergoing Fas-mediated apoptosis showed increase in the activity of phospholipase D (PLD), which is involved in proliferative or mitogenic cellular responses. Using A20 cell lines that were resistant to Fas-induced apoptosis, we investigated the differential effects of Fas cross-linking on PLD activity and sphingolipid metabolism. The basal PLD activities in all of the selected three Fas-resistant clones (#5, #8, and #11) were about 2~4 folds higher than that of wild type A20 cells. Among the PLD isoforms, PLD2 expression was increased in all of the selected Fas-resistant clones. The Fas downstream signaling events triggered by Fas cross-linking, including the activations of PLD, phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC), sphingomyelinase (SMase), the increase in diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein phosphorylation levels, and the translocation of protein kinase C to membrane were not changed in both of Fas-resistant clone #5 and #8. In contrast, Fas cross-linking stimulated the activity of PLD, PC-PLC, and SMase, translocation of PKC, and protein phosphorylation in Fas-resistant clone #11, similar to that of wild type cells. We also found that clone #11 had a different Fas sequence encoding Fas B which has been known to inhibit Fas-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that increased PLD2 expression resulting in increased basal PLD activity and the blockade of Fas downstream signaling cascades may be involved to limit apoptosis induced by Fas cross-linking.     

Transient resonance Raman and density functional theory investigation of the chlorine atom/carbon disulfide molecular complex involved in selective alkane photochlorination reactions

The structure and bonding of the chlorine atom/carbon disulfide (CS(2)/Cl) complex involved in selective photochlorination reactions with alkanes was directly probed using transient resonance Raman spectroscopy. The experimental Raman vibrational frequencies were compared to those computed from density functional theory calculations for probable structures of the CS(2)/Cl complex. Our results indicate that the S [double bond] C [double bond] S...Cl complex species is responsible for the approximately 370 nm transient absorption band observed after ultraviolet photolysis of CCl(4) in the presence of CS(2). We discuss the structure and properties of the S [double bond] C [double bond] S...Cl complex and compare them with those for the related benzene/Cl and pyridine/Cl complexes.     

Syntheses of 1beta-methylcarbapenems bearing 5-methyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidinone

A new series of 1beta-methylcarbapenems 1a-d bearing 5-methyl-4-mercaptopyrrolidinone rings has been prepared and evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity and pharmacokinetic parameters. Most compounds showed excellent antibacterial activity and high stability to dehydropeptidase-1. We have synthesized optically active 5-methyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidinones from enantiomerically pure aziridine esters.