Molecular design and biological potential of galacto-type trehalose as a nonnatural ligand of shiga toxins

Galacto-type trehalose, a "C-4 epimer of trehalose", possesses a stereochemical structure around the alpha(1-1)-linkage analogous to that of the globobiosyl alpha(1-4)-linkage in Gb(2) and Gb(3) ceramides, which are known as the ligands of Shiga toxins produced by pathogenic E. coli. This paper presents evidence supporting the new idea of using a trehalosyl alpha(1-1)-linkage as a substitute for the galactobiosyl alpha(1-4)-linkage.     

Phenyl tributylstannyl selenide as a promising reagent for introduction [corrected] of the phenylseleno group

A new synthetic method of organoselenium compounds has been developed. When phenyl tributylstannyl selenide (PhSeSnBu(3)) was allowed to react with acyl or aroyl chlorides in the presence of a catalytic amount of a palladium complex such as Pd(PPh(3))(4), Se-phenyl selenol esters were obtained in moderate to good yields. Similarly, the palladium complex catalyzed the reaction of PhSeSnBu(3) with alpha-halo carbonyl compounds to afford the corresponding alpha-phenyseleno carbonyl compounds in moderate yields.     

Fission product separation from seawater by electrocoagulation method

At the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, seawater was urgently injected into the reactor core. Therefore a large amount of seawater containing highly radioactive fission products (FP) accumulated and its treatment has been a serious problem. FP such as Cs, Sr and I in water are generally removed by an ion exchanger such as zeolite and separated with column or chemical precipitation methods. An alternative electrocoagulation method, which efficiently separates fine particles from the liquid phase without a chemical reagent is expected to be part of a useful separation system that can reduce the amount of waste, decrease processing time and simplify the process. In this study, powdered adsorbents, such as ferrocyanide and zeolite, were added to seawater containing simulated FP, and the electrocoagulation effect with Al alloy electrodes were investigated. More than 99 % of Cs and 90 % of I were removed by potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) and silver zeolite, respectively. Sedimentation was promoted by electrocoagulation and addition of an inorganic cohesion promoter further increased the sedimentation rate. Moreover, rapid dissolution reaction with heating of the aggregation substance was not observed, so the thermal risk of aqueous processing of it would be low. In addition, thermal analyses showed that the electrocoagulation process did not lead to thermal decomposition. Therefore, if the electrocoagulation method is applied to a decontamination system, it has the potential to thermally stabilize and reduce waste.     

Synthetic Studies on Selectin Ligands/Inhibitors: A Systematic Synthesis of Sulfatide and Its Higher Congeners Carrying 2-(Tetradecyl)Hexadecyl Group as a Ceramide Substitute 1

Abstract

A systematic synthesis of sulfatide (I) and novel sulfatide analogs (II-VI) carrying 2-(tetradecyl)hexadecyl group as a ceramide substitute is described. The 3-O-, 4-O- and 3,4-di-O-levulinoyl derivatives of galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates (1, 12, and 13) were coupled with (2S,3R,4E)-3-O-acetyl-2-octadecanamido-4-octadecene-1,3-diol or 2-(tetradecyl)hexadecan-1-ol. The resulting glycolipids (2, 4, 14, and 15) were each transformed, by selective removal of the levulinoyl group(s), and successive sulfation and de-O-acylation, into the 3-sulfates (I, II), 4-sulfate (III), and 3,4-disulfate (IV). The 6-sulfate (V) was prepared from 2-(tetradecyl)hexadecyl β-D-galactopyranoside (21) via the 6-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl derivative, while the 3′-sulfate of 2-(tetradecyl)hexadecyl β-D-lactoside (VI) was synthesized from 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl 3′-O-benzyl-β-D-lactoside (26). The structures of the sulfated glycolipids (I-VI) were characterized by ion-spray MS, MS/MS, and ¹H NMR spectrometry.

     

13C NMR spectroscopic studies of the behaviors of carbonyl compounds in various solutions

¹³C NMR spectroscopic studies were performed for carbonyl compounds having a hydroxyl group, a carboalkoxy group, an acetoxy group, or a carboxyl group in various solvents with different polarities for observation of their behaviors of ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of carbonyl carbons in solutions. It was found that the chemical shifts of the carbonyl carbons in ¹³C NMR have good correlation with the empirical parameter for solvent polarities, E_T^N, depending on the structures. Inter- or intramolecular hydrogen bonding and dipolar-dipolar interactions appear to play a key role in this observation.     

A validated HPLC‐fluorescence method with a semi‐micro column for routine determination of homocysteine,cysteine and cysteamine,and the relation between the thiol derivatives in normal human plasma

A semi‐micro column HPLC‐fluorescence method for routine determination of thiol derivatives such as homocysteine (Hcy), cysteine (Cys) and cysteamine (CA) is described. The thiol derivatives labeled with ammonium‐7‐fluorobenzo‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐diazole‐4‐sulfonate (SBD‐F) were isocratically separated within 12 min on a semi‐micro ODS column (Daisopak‐SP‐120‐5‐ODS‐BP) with a mixture of 25 mm acetate buffer (pH 2.00) and CH₃CN as a mobile phase. The purity and similarity of SBD‐thiols by a multi‐wavelength fluorescence detector were more than 92.3 and 96.7%. The detection limits of Hcy, Cys and CA at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.16, 0.47 and 0.03 µm , respectively. Furthermore validation parameters such as accuracy, precision and robustness of the proposed method showed satisfactory results. Almost 850 plasma sample injections (range 572–1076, n = 3) for a column could be performed without differences in retention time and peak heights of labels. As an application of the proposed method, the determination of thiol derivatives in normal human plasma (n = 103) was demonstrated. The correlation coefficients between Hcy vs Cys and Hcy vs CA were 0.38 and −0.35, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photoreactivity of amino acids: tryptophan-induced photochemical events via reactive oxygen species generation.

Tryptophan (Trp), an aromatic amino acid, is a constituent of peptides/proteins and is also a precursor of serotonin, kynurenine derivatives, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides. There have been a number of reports on photochemical reactions involving peptides/proteins which contain Trp that showed significant photodegradation, dimerization, and photoionization. The photochemical properties of Trp have not been fully elucidated, and this would provide novel insight into the handling of Trp-containing peptides/proteins. Consequently, we have been trying to evaluate the photochemical properties of Trp, as well as other essential amino acids, focusing on their photosensitivity, photodegradation, and their ability to induce lipid peroxidation. Among all the essential amino acids tested, Trp exhibited the maximal level of superoxide anion generation under 18 h of light exposure (30000 lux). UV spectral analysis of Trp suggested the absorbability of UVA/B light, and exposure of Trp, in both solid and solution states, to UVA/B light resulted in significant photodegradation (t(0.5): 18 h) and gradual color changes. In addition, photoirradiated Trp generated lipoperoxidant, a causative agent of photoirritation, and this might be associated with ROS generation.     

Electron digital imaging toward high-resolution structure analysis of biological macromolecules

Digital imaging has been applied to structure analysis of biological macromolecules in combination with electron energy filtering. Energy filtering can improve the image contrast of frozen-hydrated specimens, but needs a high-sensitivity imaging device instead of photographic film, because of a decrease in electrons after filtration. Here, a lens-coupled slow-scan charge-coupled device (SSCCD) camera with a post-column-type energy filter were examined to image bacterial flagellar filaments embedded in ice. We first measured the modulation transfer function of this camera and showed the remarkable improvement, compared to other fiber-coupled SSCCD cameras. The 3D structure calculated at approximately 7-angstroms resolution clearly resolves alpha-helices. Furthermore, filtered datasets recorded on the SSCCD camera with liquid-nitrogen and liquid-helium cooling were compared with the previous unfiltered one on film with liquid-helium cooling. This report describes the suitability of digital imaging with energy filtering for higher-resolution structure studies from its practical application.