Protein matrix elasticity determined by fluorescence anisotropy of its tryptophan residues

Rotational motions of Trp residues embedded within human hemoglobin matrix have been measured by using their steady-state fluorescence anisotropy. The mean square angular displacement theta2 of Trp residues, depending on the temperature, can be expressed by W = 1/2Ctheta2 where W is the thermal energy acting on the Trp residues and C the resilient torque constant of the protein matrix. To study the external medium influencing the protein dynamics, comparative experiments were made with protein in aqueous buffer and in the presence of 32% glycerol. The data show that between 5 degrees C and 25 degrees C, external medium acts on the protein matrix elasticity.     

Molecular orbital calculations on the conformation of polypeptides and proteins

Quantum-mechanical calculations, by the PCILO method, on the conformations of the amino-acid residues of proteins have been extended to the seryl and threonyl residues. The conformationally stable regions, within 5 Kcal/mole above the global minima, represent 57% of the total available space for the seryl residue and 27% for the threonyl one. They are appreciably wider than those permitted by the empirical studies. The quantum-mechanical calculations account much more satisfactorily for the limiting contour of the distribution of the experimental conformations, as observed in lysozyme, myoglobin and -lactalbumin, than do the empirical computations. The situation is less satisfactory as concerns the position of the global minima which imply two intramolecular hydrogen bonds. This may be attributed to the fact that this position is more sensitive to the model employed in the calculations than the general contours. Experiments made on a seryl-containing dipeptide agree completely with our prediction on the two most stable conformations of that residue. The calculations indicate also that the seryl and threonyl residues should have a reduced tendency to assume theR conformation, which, however, is not forbidden to any of them.

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Zusammenfassung Die quantenmechanischen Berechnungen von Aminosäure-Anteilen in Proteinen mit Hilfe der PCILO-Methode wurden auf den Seryl- und Threonyl-Anteil ausgedehnt. Die Gebiete stabiler Konformation — innerhalb 5 Kcal/mol über dem absoluten Minimum — stellen 57 % des insgesamt möglichen Bereichs für den Seryl-Anteil und 27% für den Threonyl-Anteil dar. Diese Gebiete sind beträchtlich größer als diejenigen, die auf Grund empirischer Verfahren möglich sind. Die quantenmechanischen Rechnungen genügen dem Bereich der experimentellen Verteilung der Konformationen besser als die empirischen Rechnungen. Im Hinblick auf die Lage der absoluten Minima, die zu innermolekularen Wasserstoffbindungen gehören, ist die Beschreibung weniger befriedigend. Dies kann der Tatsache zugeschrieben werden, daß diese Werte empfindlicher bezüglich der verwendeten Modellverbindung sind als dies bei der allgemeinen Stabilitätskarte der Fall ist. Die Experimente mit einem Dipeptid mit Seryl-Anteil stimmen völlig mit unseren Voraussagen der stabilsten Konformation dieses Anteils überein. Die Berechnungen zeigen weiterhin, daß sowohl der Seryl- als auch der Threonyl-Anteil eine verhältnismäßig geringe Tendenz zur Aufnahme derR -Konformation haben sollten; sie ist jedoch für beide Anteile nicht verboten.

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Resume Les calculs quantiques par la méthode PCILO sur les conformations des résidus amino-acides des protéines ont été étendus au cas des résidus séryle et thréonyle. Les zones conformationnelles stables, dans la limite de 5 Kcal/mole au dessus du plus has minimum, répresentent 57%, de l'espace disponible pour le residue séryle et 27% de cet espace pour le résidu thréonyle. Elles sont nettement plus larges que celles permises par les calculs empiriques. Les calculs quantiques rendent compte d'une façon beaucoup satisfaisante que les calculs mpiriques des limites de la répartition sur la carte conformationnelle des points représentatifs des conformations des résidus séryle et thréonyle dans le lysozyme, la myoglobine et l'-lactalbumine. La situation est plus délicate en ce qui concerne la position du plus has minimum qui comporte deux liaisons hydrogéne intramoléculaires. Ceci pent être attribué au fait que cette position parait être plus sensible au modèle utilisé dans les calculs que ne le sont les contours généraux. Les expériences effectuées sur un dipeptide à résidu séryle confirment complètement nos prédictions sur les conformations les plus stables de ce résidu. Les calculs indiquent aussi que les résidues séryle et thréonyle devraient avoir une tendance réduite pour assumer la conformationR sans que celle-ci leur soit toutefois interdite.

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This work was supported by grant n° 67-00-532 of the Délégation Générale à la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (Comité de Biologie Moléculaire).     

Electronic computation of first-order wave functions using green's functions

Green's functions and the symbol manipulative computer language LISP have been used to obtain exact, closed form, first-order functions and second-order energies for the first fourteen states of the hydrogen atom in electric and magnetic fields.     

Stereospecific biocatalytic epoxidation: the first example of direct regeneration of a FAD-dependent monooxygenase for catalysis

Catalysis for chemical synthesis by cell-free monooxygenases necessitates an efficient and robust in situ regeneration system to supply the enzyme with reducing equivalents. We report on a novel approach to directly regenerate flavin-dependent monooxygenases. The organometallic complex [CpRh(bpy)(H(2)O)](2+) catalyzes the transhydrogenation reaction between formate and isoalloxazine-based cofactors such as FAD and FMN. Coupling this FADH(2) regeneration reaction to the FADH(2)-dependent styrene monooxygenase (StyA) resulted in a chemoenzymatic epoxidation reaction where the organometallic compound substitutes for the native reductase (StyB), the nicotinamide coenzyme (NAD), and an artificial NADH regeneration system such as formate dehydrogenase. Various styrene derivatives were converted into the essentially optically pure (S)-epoxides (ee > 98%). In addition, StyA was shown to be capable of performing sulfoxidation reactions. The productivity of the chemoenzymatic epoxidation reaction using 6.5 microM StyA reached up to 6.4 mM/h, corresponding to approximately 70% of a comparable fully enzymatic reaction using StyB, NADH, and formate dehydrogenase for regeneration. The coupling efficiency of the nonenzymatic regeneration reaction to enzymatic epoxidation was examined in detail, leading to an optimized reaction setup with minimized quenching of the electron supply for the epoxidation reaction. Thus, up to 60% of the reducing equivalents provided via [CpRh(bpy)(H(2)O)](2+) could be channeled into epoxide rather than hydrogen peroxide formation, allowing selective synthesis with high yields.     

A minor groove binding copper-phenanthroline conjugate produces direct strand breaks via beta-elimination of 2-deoxyribonolactone

Copper-phenanthroline complexes and their conjugates are useful reagents for studying nucleic acid interactions. Although DNA cleavage by such complexes was discovered more than 20 years ago, significant questions remain unanswered regarding the chemical mechanism(s) by which DNA is damaged. Kinetic evidence is provided, which demonstrates that the major pathway for DNA damage by a minor groove binding molecule conjugated to copper phenanthroline (6) involves C1'-oxidation. Additional experiments using 6 and a DNA substrate containing 2-deoxyribonolactone (1) show that direct strand breaks are produced via beta-elimination from 1. These studies support the original mechanism for DNA damage by copper phenanthroline put forth by Sigman and a more recent proposal concerning the mechanism for direct strand break formation.     

Synthesis of 2‐amino‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐quinolinones and diaminomethylene meldrum's acids derivatives as potential potassium channel openers

Starting from 5‐bismethylthiomethylene Meldrum's acid, the synthesis of 5‐diaminomethylene Meldrum's acids and 2‐aminoquinolone derivatives, structurally related to potassium channels openers pinacidil and diazoxide, is described.     

Determination of contact angles on microporous particles using the thin-layer wicking technique

The properties of particle-stabilized emulsions, especially with regard to phase inversion, are very dependent on the contact angle that the particles experience at the oil-water interface. For the very small particles used for such emulsions (often a few tens of nm), it is impossible to measure this contact angle directly. Its value could be calculated if it were possible to determine the components of the solid surface free energy. To establish a method suitable for such particles, we have investigated the imbibition of five probe liquids into a porous bed of silica (commercial TLC plates) using the thin-layer wicking technique. For all liquids, the difference between wicking rate for bare plates and for those pre-contacted with the vapors is large but it is not due to an advancing angle effect on bare plates. Our analysis shows that it is due to the diversion of flowing liquid into blind pores which are already filled in the pre-contacted case. Thus a new model is proposed describing wicking in a porous medium with very small blind pores by introducing a parameter into the Washburn equation that corrects for this capillary condensation effect. The parameter needed is determined independently using gravimetric adsorption measurements. When this modified Washburn equation is used, the difference between advancing and receding contact angle is actually quite small. When the averages are used as the Young's contact angles, values for the surface energy components of silica are obtained that are completely consistent between the five liquids and have magnitudes expected for this type of silica surface.     

Methylidyne tricobalt nonacarbonyl clusters; optically active silicon and germanium derivatives,and substitutions at silicon

The preparation and alcoholysis of chiral chlorosilanes containing the nonacarbonyltricobaltcarbon cluster, RR′Si(Cl)CCo₃(CO)₉, is described. The alkoxy derivatives react with i-Bu₂AlH or BF₃ · Et₂O to give the corresponding silicon hydride or fluoride. Reaction of methylidynetricobalt nonacarbonyl with optically active silanes of germane gave the optically active cluster complexes R¹R²R³M^*CCo₃(CO)₉ (M^* = Si, Ge). These compounds react with phosphine to give the monosubstituted R¹R²R³M^*CCo₃(CO)₈(PR₃ (M^* = Si, Ge). The diastereomers have been resolved in the case of the MePhSi (Obornyl) CCo₃(CO)₉ complex.     

The double-wedge algebra for quantum fields on Schwarzschild and Minkowski spacetimes

We consider the Klein-Gordon equation (m0) on the double Schwarzschild wedge of the Kruskal spacetime, and construct the Hartle-Hawking state _H as a thermal state relative to the Boulware quantization. We prove that, on the double wedge, _H is a pure state, and in the corresponding representation, the left- and right-wedgeC* algebras each have the Reeh-Schlieder property, while the corresponding von-Neumann algebras are typeIII ₁ factors which are dual to (i.e. commutants of) each other. We discuss the extent to which these properties may generalize to non-quasi-free field theories.Pursuing the Rindler-Fulling-Unruh analogy with the Klein-Gordon equation (m>0) in (d-dimensional) flat spacetime, we establish an explicit formula for the Minkowski vacuum on a spacelike double wedge as a thermal state relative to the Fulling quantization. We also treat the cased=2,m=0 of this formula since this is essential input for a paper with Dimock on scattering theory for the quantum Klein-Gordon equation on the Schwarzschild metric.Research supported in part by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds