Crystallographic and spectroscopic evidence for high affinity binding of FeEDTA(H2O)- to the periplasmic nickel transporter NikA

Because nickel is both essential and toxic to a great variety of organisms, its detection and transport is highly regulated. In Escherichia coli and other related Gram-negative bacteria, high affinity nickel transport depends on proteins expressed by the nik operon. A central actor of this process is the periplasmic NikA transport protein. A previous structural report has proposed that nickel binds to NikA as a pentahydrate species. However, both stereochemical considerations and X-ray absorption spectroscopic results are incompatible with that interpretation. Here, we report the 1.8 A resolution structure of NikA and show that it binds FeEDTA(H2O)- with very high affinity. In addition, we provide crystallographic evidence that a metal-EDTA complex was also bound to the previously reported NikA structure. Our observations strongly suggest that nickel transport in E. coli requires the binding of this metal ion to a metallophore that bears significant resemblance to EDTA. They also provide a basis for the potential use of NikA in the bioremediation of toxic transition metals and the design of artificial metalloenzymes.     

Binuclear manganese compounds of potential biological significance. Part 2. Mechanistic study of hydrogen peroxide disproportionation by dimanganese complexes: the two oxygen atoms of the peroxide end up in a dioxo intermediate

The dimanganese(II,II) complexes 1a [Mn(2)(L)(OAc)(2)(CH(3)OH)](ClO(4)) and 1b [Mn(2)(L)(OBz)(2)(H(2)O)](ClO(4)), where HL is the unsymmetrical phenol ligand 2-(bis-(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl)-6-((2-pyridylmethyl)(benzyl)aminomethyl)-4-methylphenol, react with hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile solution. The disproportionation reaction was monitored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and EPR and UV-visible spectroscopies. Extensive EPR studies have shown that a species (2) exhibiting a 16-line spectrum at g approximately 2 persists during catalysis. ESI-MS experiments conducted similarly during catalysis associate 2a with a peak at 729 (791 for 2b) corresponding to the formula [Mn(III)Mn(IV)(L)(O)(2)(OAc)](+) ([Mn(III)Mn(IV)(L)(O)(2)(OBz)](+) for 2b). At the end of the reaction, it is partly replaced by a species (3) possessing a broad unfeatured signal at g approximately 2. ESI-MS associates 3a with a peak at 713 (775 for 3b) corresponding to the formula [Mn(II)Mn(III)(L)(O)(OAc)](+) ([Mn(II)Mn(III)(L)(O)(OBz)](+) for 3b). In the presence of H(2)(18)O, these two peaks move to 733 and to 715 indicating the presence of two and one oxo ligands, respectively. When H(2)(18)O(2) is used, 2a and 3a are labeled showing that the oxo ligands come from H(2)O(2). Interestingly, when an equimolar mixture of H(2)O(2) and H(2)(18)O(2) is used, only unlabeled and doubly labeled 2a/b are formed, showing that its two oxo ligands come from the same H(2)O(2) molecule. All these experiments lead to attribute the formula [Mn(III)Mn(IV)(L)(O)(2)(OAc)](+) to 2a and to 3a the formula [Mn(II)Mn(III)(L)(O)(OAc)](+). Freeze-quench/EPR experiments revealed that 2a appears at 500 ms and that another species with a 6-line spectrum is formed transiently at ca. 100 ms. 2a was prepared by reaction of 1a with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as shown by EPR and UV-visible spectroscopies and ESI-MS experiments. Its structure was studied by X-ray absorption experiments which revealed the presence of two or three O atoms at 1.87 A and three or two N/O atoms at 2.14 A. In addition one N atom was found at a longer distance (2.3 A) and one Mn at 2.63 A. 2a can be one-electron oxidized at E(1/2) = 0.91 V(NHE) (DeltaE(1/2) = 0.08 V) leading to its Mn(IV)Mn(IV) analogue. The formation of 2a from 1a was monitored by UV-visible and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Both concur to show that an intermediate Mn(II)Mn(III) species, resembling 4a [Mn(2)(L)(OAc)(2)(H(2)O)](ClO(4))(2), the one-electron-oxidized form of 1a, is formed initially and transforms into 2a. The structures of the active intermediates 2 and 3 are discussed in light of their spectroscopic properties, and potential mechanisms are considered and discussed in the context of the biological reaction.     

Characteristics of Lariat Crown Ether‐Copper (II) Ion‐Selective Electrodes

An ion‐selective electrode using ionophore 2′‐picolyl sym‐dibenzo‐16‐crown‐5 ether as membrane carrier, sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as an anion excluder, and 2‐nitrophenyl‐octyl ether (NOPE) as the plasticing solvent mediator has been successfully developed. This electrode exhibits al in ear response with a slope of 42 mV/decade in concentration ranging from 10^?5 molL^?1 to 10^?1 molL^?1, slightly larger than the 30 mV expected from the one‐to‐one complex. The reason for the super‐Nernstain slope is the partial dimmer formation in side the membrane of the electrode, because this dimmer [Cu(C₂₅H₂₇NO₆)₂(H₂O)₂] 2ClO₄, has been isolated and confirmed by single crystal X‐ray crystallography. The detection limit for the cop per (II) ion was estimated to be 1 × 10^?6 molL^?1. Electrades composed of other plasticing solvent mediators such as tris(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphate (TOP), bis (2‐ethylhexyl) sebacate (DOS) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were also investigated. Stability constants (logKs) of the two to one and the one to one 2‐picolylsym‐dibenzo‐16‐crown‐5 ether‐Cu (II) complexes have been determined by potentiometric titration in methanol.     

The Mass Spectral Studies of Halogenated Vinyl Methanesulfonates

The mass spectra of saturated sulfonate esters^1,2) have been reported recently. No study has been made on the vinylic methanesulfonates. In order to understand their breakdown patterns, several chloro- and fluoro-containing vinyl methanesulfonates have been made³⁾ and their mass spectra studied. The chlorine compounds are chosen because the natural abundance of isotope ³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl can serve as a internal tag. The vinyl methanesulfonates containing electronegative fluorine are used as a comparison to the chloro-compounds because of their similar electronegativities.     

A GENERALIZED GAUSS-TYPE QUADRATURE FORMULA AND ITS APPLICATIONS TO PSEUDOSPECTRAL METHOD

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Secondary interactions in 4‐bromo‐N,N‐dimethylanilinium bromide

The crystal packing of the title compound, C₈H₁₁BrN⁺·Br^?, involves three types of secondary interaction: a classical N—H?Br^? hydrogen bond, a `weak' but short C—H?Br^? interaction (normalized H?Br distance of 2.66 Å) and a cation–anion Br?Br contact of 3.6331 (4) Å. The hydrogen bonds connect two cations and two anions to form rings of graph set R(14). The Br?Br contacts link these rings to form layers parallel to the bc plane.     

First and second kind paraorthogonal polynomials and their zeros

Given a probability measure μ with infinite support on the unit circle , we consider a sequence of paraorthogonal polynomials h_n(z,λ) vanishing at z=λ where is fixed. We prove that for any fixed z₀supp(dμ) distinct from λ, we can find an explicit ρ>0 independent of n such that either h_n or h_n+1 (or both) has no zero inside the disk B(z₀,ρ), with the possible exception of λ.Then we introduce paraorthogonal polynomials of the second kind, denoted s_n(z,λ). We prove three results concerning s_n and h_n. First, we prove that zeros of s_n and h_n interlace. Second, for z₀ an isolated point in supp(dμ), we find an explicit radius such that either s_n or s_n+1 (or both) have no zeros inside . Finally, we prove that for such z₀ we can find an explicit radius such that either h_n or h_n+1 (or both) has at most one zero inside the ball .     

Preparative Isolation and Purification of Three Sesquiterpenoid Lactones from <em>Eupatorium lindleyanum</em> DC. by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography

A high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was established for the preparative separation of three sesquiterpenoid lactones from Eupatorium lindleyanum DC. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:4:2:3, v/v/v/v) was selected. From 540 mg of the n-butanol fraction of Eupatorium lindleyanum DC., 10.8 mg of 3β-hydroxy-8β-[4'-hydroxy-tigloyloxy]-costunolide, 17.9 mg of eupalinolide A and 19.3 mg of eupalinolide B were obtained in a one-step HSCCC separation, with purities of 91.8%, 97.9% and 97.1%, respectively, as determined by HPLC. Their structures were further identified by ESI-MS and ¹H-NMR.