Simple and rapid enzymatic assay of ornithine decarboxylase activity

Since the induction of putrescine synthesis by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is observed in many pathological and physiological processes, a useful and simple method to assay this enzyme activity should be an interesting tool to quantify the biological importance of its induction. An enzymatic method to assay ODC is reported here. This method is based on the reaction between putrescine and soya diamine oxidase. The reaction releases H(2)O(2), which is measured by a colorimetric method. The validation of this method showed good accuracy (98+/-5% of recovery). High precision and reproducibility were obtained. A linearity with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 in the range of 2.5-25 nmol was obtained. This method is also rugged and specific. The application of the assay of ODC activity showed that it is useful as a rapid and simple tool for assaying ODC activity in vitro. Comparison with the HPLC determination of ODC activity shows strong correlation along with the high accuracy of the two methods.     

Synthesis of various sulfoforms of the trisaccharide beta-d-GlcpA-(1-->3)- beta-d-Galp-(1-->3)-beta-d-Galp-(1-->OMP) as probes for the study of the biosynthesis and sorting of proteoglycans

A straightforward preparation of various sulfoforms of the trisaccharide 4-methoxyphenyl O-(sodium beta-d-glucopyranosyluronate)-(1-->3)-( beta-d-galactopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-beta-d-galactopyranoside (1), namely its 6a- and 4a-monosulfate, 6b- and 4b-monosulfate and 6a,6b-disulfate derivatives, is reported for the first time. These compounds, which are partial structures of the linkage region of proteoglycans, will serve as probes for the study of the biosynthesis and sorting of these macromolecules. A key trisaccharide derivative, in which the two similar d-Gal units were differentiated at C-4,6 with 4,6-benzylidene and 4,6-di-tert-butylsilylene acetals, respectively, was used as a common intermediate. Both acetal groups showed excellent orthogonality, and allowed the preparation of all target compounds in high yield. Noteworthy is the possibility to prepare the 6a- and 6b-monosulfated and the 6a,6b-disulfated species through a one-pot regioselective procedure starting from a tetrol precursor.     

Study of peptides containing modified lysine residues by tandem mass spectrometry: precursor ion scanning of hexanal-modified peptides

Upon hexanal-modification in the presence of NaCNBH(3), the oxidized B chain of insulin becomes mono- and further dialkylated on both the N-terminal and Lys(29) residues. A pseudo-MS(3) study was performed with a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer on the different modified lysine-containing species to gain further insights into the characteristic fragmentation pattern. These fragmentations, in good agreement with true MS(3) measurements obtained using an ion trap mass spectrometer, highlighted characteristic monoalkylated lysine (immonium-NH(3)) and protonated modified caprolactam ions at m/z 168 and 213, respectively. In contrast, no fragment ion derived from a modified lysine residue (immonium or caprolactam) was observed when dialkylation occurs on Lys(29). However, a fragment ion corresponding to a protonated dihexylamine was observed at m/z 186. This loss, characteristic of dialkylated lysine fragmentation, was also observed upon dialkylation of N(alpha)-acetyllysine with either hexanal or pentanal. On the other hand, acetylation and malondialdehyde-modification of the N(alpha)-acetyllysine side chain led mainly to the corresponding modified (immonium-NH(3)) fragment ions at m/z 126 and 138, respectively. Finally, it was demonstrated that precursor ion scanning for both m/z 168 and 213 ions led to specific and sensitive identification of peptides containing hexanal-modified lysine residues within an unfractionated tryptic digest of hexanal-modified apomyoglobin. Thus, Lys(42), Lys(45), Lys(62), Lys(63), Lys(77), Lys(87), Lys(96), Lys(98), Lys(145) and Lys(147) were found to be modified upon reaction with hexanal.     

IsoméRisation avant la perte d'eau des ions aldéhydes et cétones protonés en spectrométrie de masse

Isomerization of Protonated Aldehyde and Ketone Ions in the Mass-Spectrography Before the Loss of Water In mass spectrometry, protonated aldehyde and ketone ions isomerize before the loss of a molecule of water. In order to specify this process, the spectra of deuterium labelled protonated aldehydes and ketones have been compared to the spectra of the corresponding isomer ions.     

Reaction de metathese des olefines induite photochimiquement en presence d'un complexe de metal de transition : V. Intervention d'un complexe dinucleaire du tungstene

The photoinduced metathesis [W(CO)₆CCl₄hν] of cis- and trans-RCH=CHMe gives 2-butene in a very high trans but low cis stereoselectivity. Propene behaves like a cis olefin. These results are consistent with the proposal of a dinuclear tungsten intermediate, which requires high steric constraints in the transalkylidenation step.     

Structural characterization of nanosized CeO(2)-SiO(2), CeO(2)-TiO(2), and CeO(2)-ZrO(2) catalysts by XRD, Raman, and HREM techniques

Structural characteristics of nanosized ceria-silica, ceria-titania, and ceria-zirconia mixed oxide catalysts have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area, thermogravimetry, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM). The effect of support oxides on the crystal modification of ceria cubic lattice was mainly focused. The investigated oxides were obtained by soft chemical routes with ultrahighly dilute solutions and were subjected to thermal treatments from 773 to 1073 K. The XRD results suggest that the CeO(2)-SiO(2) sample primarily consists of nanocrystalline CeO(2) on the amorphous SiO(2) surface. Both crystalline CeO(2) and TiO(2) anatase phases were noted in the case of CeO(2)-TiO(2) sample. Formation of cubic Ce(0.75)Zr(0.25)O(2) and Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2) (at 1073 K) were observed in the case of the CeO(2)-ZrO(2) sample. Raman measurements disclose the fluorite structure of ceria and the presence of oxygen vacancies/Ce(3+). The HREM results reveal well-dispersed CeO(2) nanocrystals over the amorphous SiO(2) matrix in the cases of CeO(2)-SiO(2), isolated CeO(2), and TiO(2) (anatase) nanocrystals, some overlapping regions in the case of CeO(2)-TiO(2), and nanosized CeO(2) and Ce-Zr oxides in the case of CeO(2)-ZrO(2) sample. The exact structural features of these crystals as determined by digital diffraction analysis of HREM experimental images reveal that the CeO(2) is mainly in cubic fluorite geometry. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) as determined by thermogravimetry reveals that the OSC of the mixed oxide systems is more than that of pure CeO(2) and is system dependent.     

Structure of New 2-Oxo-2,8-dihydro-[l,2,4]oxadiazolo-[2,3-a]pyrimidinecarbamates

The structure of new 2-oxo-2,8-dihydro-[l,2,4]oxadiazolo-[2,3-a]pyrimidine-carbamates 1 was established by correlating the IR. and NMR. data with these of analogous compounds. A X-ray crystallographic analysis of 1c gave an unequivocal proof of structural assignment.     

Anionic copper complex fragmentations from enkephalins under low-energy collision-induced dissociation in an ion trap mass spectrometer

Peptide metallation with Cu2+ was explored in the negative ESI mode using an ion trap mass spectrometer. Under these conditions, the [(M-3H) + CuII]- species formed were investigated under low-energy collision-induced dissociation conditions. MS2 experiments indicate a very different behavior of CuII metallated complexes compared with [M-H]- species. CuII induces an easy loss of CO2 and specific side-chain cleavages (by radical losses) at the C-terminal residue, as observed previously by prompt 'in source' dissociation experiments. The loss of CO2 yields an unstable carbylide that leads to further dissociations involving the migration of a proton or a hydrogen radical (through the reduction of CuII). Multistage MS3 experiments were carried out to rationalize this behavior. Fragmentation pathways are proposed in order to explain the product ions observed. The side-chain radical loss at the C-terminus was demonstrated to be a consecutive process. Finally, evidence is provided that the specific side-chain cleavages can be used for the differentiation of Leu/Ile and Gln/Lys residues when they are located at the C-terminus. The existence of a zwitterionic form in the case of the anionic YGGFK-CuII complex is proposed.     

Microgels and ionic associations in solutions of cellulose diacetate

Solutions of cellulose diacetate (CDA) from two sources (cotton linters and wood pulp Floranier) were analysed in various solvents by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Without special precautions, the SEC chromatograms presented three peaks — or prehumps — before the main polymer peak. The first prehump which could be eliminated by ultracentrifugation corresponded to microgels whose sugar composition was determined. These microgels were also investigated by electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffraction analysis. They corresponded mainly to cellulose triacetate (CTA-II) in the case of CDA from cotton linters and a mixture of CTA-II and xylan diacetate (XDA) in the case of CDA from the wood pulp Floranier. The second and third prehumps could be attributed to ionic effects corresponding to the association of remaining sulfate groups on the CDA molecules with residual calcium. It was found that these ionic effects could be eliminated by the addition of LiBr or LiCl to the elution solvents. This led to chromatograms devoid of prehumps.Presented in part at the Cellulose '91 meeting in New Orleans.