Some estimates on entropy numbers

First we show that the Carl-Maurey inequality for entropy numbers

Top-down identification of endogenous peptides up to 9 kDa in cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue by nanoelectrospray quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Recent work on protein and peptide biomarker patterns revealed the difficulties in identifying their molecular components, which is indispensable for validation of the biological context. Cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue are used as sources to discover new biomarkers, e.g. for neurodegenerative diseases. Many of these biomarker candidates are peptides with a molecular mass of <10 kDa. Their identification is favourably achieved with a 'top-down' approach, because this requires less purification and an enzymatic cleavage will often not yield enough specific fragments for successful database searches. Here, we describe an approach using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) as a highly efficient mass spectrometric purification and identification tool after off-line decomplexation of biological samples by liquid chromatography. After initial peptidomic screening with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) TOFMS, the elution behaviour in chromatography and the exact molecular mass were used to locate the same signals in nanoelectrospray measurements. Most of the peaks detected in MALDI-TOFMS could be retrieved in nanoelectrospray quadrupole TOFMS. Suitable collision energies for informative fragment spectra were investigated for different parent ions, charge states and molecular masses. After collision-induced dissociation, the resulting fragmentation data of multiply charged ions can become much more complicated than those derived from tryptic peptide digests. However, the mass accuracy and resolution of quadrupole TOF instruments results in high-quality data suitable for determining peptide sequences. The protein precursor, proteolytic processing and post-translational modifications were identified by automated database searches. This is demonstrated by the exemplary identifications of thymosin beta-4 (5.0 kDa) and NPY (4.3 kDa) from rat hypothalamic tissue and ubiquitin (8.6 kDa) from human cerebrospinal fluid. The high data quality should also allow for de novo identification. This methodology is generally applicable for peptides up to a molecular mass of about 10 kDa from body fluids, tissues or other biological sources.     

Luminescent dendrimers as ligands for metal ions

Suitably designed luminescent dendrimers can play a role of ligands for luminescent and non-luminescent metal ions. This combination leads to species capable of exhibiting interesting and unusual properties, including (i) shielding excited states from quenching processes, (ii) light harvesting, (iii) conversion of incident UV light into visible or infrared emission, and (iv) metal ions sensing with signal amplification.     

Adrenaline recognition in water

Host molecule 1 displays a high affinity in water towards catecholamines and especially related structures such as beta-blockers with extended aromatic pi-faces (up to 7x10(3) M(-1) for each single complexation step or 5x10(7) M(-2) for both steps). The amphiphilic structural design leads to an extensive self-association of host molecules through their aromatic flanks. Above a cmc (critical micelle concentration) of 3x10(-4) M, host 1 forms micelles that produce a favorable microenvironment for hydrophobic interactions with the included guest molecules. Electrostatic attraction of the ammonium alcohol by the phosphonate anions is thus combined with hydrophobic contributions between the aromatic moieties. Ionic hydrogen bonds with polar OH or NH groups of the guest enforce the non-covalent interactions, and finally lead to increased specificity. Both its affinity and its selectivity towards adrenergic receptor substrates are greatly enhanced if the receptor molecule 1 is transferred from water into a lipid monolayer. Catecholamines and beta-blockers lead to drastically different effects at concentrations approaching the micromolar regime. Especially beta-blockers with minute structural changes can be easily distinguished from each other. In both cases, extensive hydrophobic interactions with a self-associated and/or self-organized microenvironment are largely responsible for the observed high efficiency and specificity.     

Towards synthetic adrenaline receptors

The macrocyclic bisphosphonate 2 forms complexes with amino alcohols, amines, and amino acid esters with high association constants in polar organic solvents. Exertion of solvophobic interactions inside the macrocyclic cavity in DMSO and methanol leads to specificity for guest molecules with hydrophobic moieties. Experimental evidence is presented for the insertion of the guest molecules' nonpolar groups into the macrocycle's hydrophobic cavity. NMR spectra of complexes with 2 in DMSO show a molecular imprint of the guest molecule; this gives information about its location inside the macrocycle. In aqueous solutions strong self-association of 2 occurs, which is explained by distinct structural similarities between 2 and micelle-forming phospholipids.     

A new approach for the detection of carbon-centered radicals in enzymatic processes using prefluorescent probes

In this communication we propose a novel application for prefluorescent probes in the detection of free carbon-centered radicals in enzymatic processes. Prefluorescent probes combine a fluorescent moiety tethered to a paramagnetic nitroxide that acts as a fluorescence quencher. Trapping of a radical by the nitroxide group restores the fluorescence properties. The increase in fluorescence intensity with time reflects the formation and quenching of carbon-centered radicals and can be used for the quantitative evaluation of yields and kinetics. As a test system we used horseradish peroxidase, an oxidoreductase that is widely accepted to operate by a radical-mediated mechanism. We used the prefluorescent probe (quinoline-TEMPO), where a quinoline moiety has been tethered to 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl.     

Kinetic studies of dicopper complexes in catechol oxidase model reaction by using an approximationless evaluating method

The oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol to 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone catalyzed by dinuclear copper(II) complexes {[Cu₂(L¹)(CF₃SO₃)₂(H₂O)₄]-(CF₃SO₃)₂ (1) and [Cu₂(L²O)](CF₃SO₃)₂ (2)| has been investigated in methanol saturated with O₂ at ambient temperature. Detailed kinetic studies were carried out and for the treatment the fitting software ZiTa was applied. On the basis of the results in the kinetic studies a possible mechanism of the catalytic reaction is proposed.This revised version was published online in December 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Chemical Applications of Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectorscopy is—like infrared spectroscopy—a method for the study of vibrations of molecules and crystals. The two methods are complementary: if a vibration results in a change of the polarizability of a molecule, it is Raman active; if a change in the molecular dipole moment results, it is infrared active Vibrations of nonpolar groups and totally symmetrical vibrations of molecules are often only Raman active. IR and Raman spectra together give information about the symmetries and structures of molecules and crystals and about the properties of chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions. Until about 10 years ago Raman spectra could only be recorded on relatively large amounts of essentially colorless substances. After the advent of laser light sources the situation changed completely. The amount of sample substance required is now in the region of milli- and micrograms. Gases, liquids and solid samples, especially air-sensitive and reactive substances, single crystals, crystal needles and filaments as well as aqueous solutions can be readily investigated. The identification of molecules and the elucidation of molecular structures, biochemical analysis, and control of evnivornmental pollution are important aplications of Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy now constitutes an additional powerful tool in instrumental analysis     

Using new structurally related additive schemes in the precalculation of gas chromatographic retention indices of polychlorinated hydroxybiphenyls on HP-5 stationary phase

A new additive scheme is proposed for the precalculation of gas chromatographic retention indices of complex organic compounds. The principal feature of this approach is the absence of previously calculated I increments for any structural fragments or functional groups in the molecule. Instead, arithmetical operations involving I values of simpler structural analogues of target compounds are used directly. I precalculation for polychlorinated hydroxybiphenyls (839 congeners) on the HP-5 stationary phase was chosen as one of the most important applications of the method under discussion. Such a large number of congeners cannot be obtained as reference samples and their gas chromatographic (GC)-mass spectrometric (MS) identification should therefore be based currently on precalculated I values.