BIOLUMINESCENCE FROM THE REACTION OF FMN, H2O2 AND LONG CHAIN ALDEHYDE WITH BACTERIAL LUCIFERASE

Abstract— The bioluminescent oxidation of reduced flavin mononucleotide by bacterial luciferase involves a long-lived flavoenzyme intermediate whose chromophore has been postulated to be the 4a-sub-stituted peroxy anion of reduced flavin. Reaction of long chain aldehyde with this intermediate results in light emission and formation of the corresponding acid. These experiments show that the typical aldehyde-dependent, luciferase-catalyzed bioluminescence can also be obtained starting with FMN and H₂O₂ instead of FMNH₂ and O₂. We postulate that the 4a-peroxy anion intermediate is formed directly by attack of H₂O₂ on FMN. The latter may be bound to luciferase. An enzyme bound intermediate is formed which by kinetic analysis, flavin specificity for luminescence, aldehyde dependence, and bioluminescent emission spectrum appears to be identical with the species generated by reaction of FMNH, and O₂ with luciferase. The quantum yield of the H₂O₂-_- and FMN-initiated biolumlnescence is low but can be enhanced by certain metal ions, which also stimulate a chemiluminescent reaction of oxidized flavin with H₂O₂. The peak of this chemiluminescence. however, appears to be at a shorter wavelength than that (490 nm) of the bioluminescence.     

Itosides A – I,New Phenolic Glycosides from Itoa orientalis

Eight new benzoylated gentisyl alcohol (=2‐(hydroxymethyl)benzene‐1,4‐diol) glucosides, itosides A–H ( 1 – 8 ), together with the new pyrocatechol (=benzene‐1,2‐diol) glycoside itoside I ( 9 ) were isolated from the bark and twigs of Itoa orientalis (Flacourtiaceae). In itosides B–D ( 2 – 4 ), the gentisyl alcohol moiety was esterified by 1‐hydroxy‐6‐oxocyclohex‐2‐ene‐1‐carboxylic acid, while itosides E–H ( 5 – 8 ) contained instead an additional 2‐hydroxybenzoic acid moiety. The compounds were accompanied by the known derivatives 4‐hydroxytremulacin ( 10 ), poliothyrsoside ( 11 ), poliothyrsin ( 12 ), homaloside D ( 13 ), tremulacin, and pyrocatechol β‐D ‐glucopyranoside. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectral and chemical methods.     

Theoretical modeling of enzyme catalytic power: analysis of "cratic" and electrostatic factors in catechol O-methyltransferase

A comparative theoretical study of a bimolecular reaction in aqueous solution and catalyzed by the enzyme catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been carried out by a combination of two hybrid QM/MM techniques: statistical simulation methods and internal energy minimizations. In contrast to previous studies by other workers, we have located and characterized transition structures for the reaction in the enzyme active site, in water and in a vacuum, and our potential of mean force calculations are based upon reaction coordinates obtained from features of the potential energy surfaces in the condensed media, not from the gas phase. The AM1/CHARMM calculated free energy of activation for the reaction of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) with catecholate catalyzed by COMT is 15 kcal mol(-1) lower the AM1/TIP3P free-energy barrier for the reaction of the trimethylsulfonium cation with the catecholate anion in water at 300 K, in agreement with previous estimates. The thermodynamically preferred form of the reactants in the uncatalyzed model reaction in water is a solvent-separated ion pair (SSIP). Conversion of the SSIP into a contact ion pair, with a structure resembling that of the Michaelis complex (MC) for the reaction in the COMT active site, is unfavorable by 7 kcal mol(-1), largely due to reorganization of the solvent. We have considered alternative ways to estimate the so-called "cratic" free energy for bringing the reactant species together in the correct orientation for reaction but conclude that direct evaluation of the free energy of association by means of molecular dynamics simulation with a simple standard-state correction is probably the best approach. The latter correction allows for the fact that the size of the unit cell employed with the periodic boundary simulations does not correspond to the standard state concentration of 1 M. Consideration of MC-like species allows a helpful decomposition of the catalytic effect into preorganization and reorganization phases. In the preorganization phase, the substrates are brought together into the MC-like species, either in water or in the enzyme active site. In the reorganization phase, the roles of the enzymic and aqueous environments may be compared directly because reorganization of the substrate is about the same in both cases. Analysis of the electric field along the reaction coordinate demonstrates that in water the TS is destabilized with respect to the MC-like species because the polarity of the solute diminishes and consequently the reaction field is also decreased. In the enzyme, the electric field is mainly a permanent field and consequently there is only a small reorganization of the environment. Therefore, destabilization of the TS is lower than in solution, and the activation barrier is smaller.     

ETAAS determination of aluminium and copper in dialysis concentrates after microcolumn chelating ion-exchange preconcentration

A procedure was developed for the preconcentration and determination of aluminium and copper in dialysis concentrates at the ng cm^–3 level. The preconcentration was achieved on microcolumns filled with Chelex-100 resin adjusted to a pH of 4.0. Five repetitive cycles of the sample through the column ensured a sufficient contact time for quantitative retention of aluminium and copper ions. The retained ions were eluted with HNO₃ (0.5 mol dm^–3). Aluminium and copper were determined in the eluate by Zeeman ETAAS using the standard addition technique. The procedure was performed under clean room conditions (class 10,000), The reliability of the results was evaluated by recovery tests, using dialysis concentrates spiked with aluminium and copper. The recoveries obtained ranged from 86 to 106% for aluminium and from 92 to 97% for copper. Using the recommended procedure, the LOD of aluminium and copper in dialysis concentrates (preconcentration factor 2) was found to be 0.5 ng cm^–3 and 0.2 ng cm^–3, respectively. Received: 19 December 1997 / Revised: 10 March 1998 / Accepted: 28 March 1998     

The role of charge distribution on the antimalarial activity of artemisinin analogues

In this work the calculated nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCC; chi) of 17O in artemisinin and some of its derivatives and the effects of charge density due to the nature of ligands on NQCC of 17O were investigated. All calculations were performed at the HF/3-21G level using the Gaussian 98 program. The results show that the O-O linkage has a characteristic role in the antimalarial activity of artemisinin. In addition, various substitutions on C4 change the charge density on these oxygens and consequently change the pharmaceutical effect of artemisinin. Our results suggest that due to a larger charge density on O1, the heme iron approaches the endoperoxide moiety at the O1 position with preference to the O2 position.     

Stereochemical effects in mass spectrometry. Part 10-reaction mass spectrometry of cyclic glycols and monosaccharides with methylene chloride as reagent gas

The reaction mass spectrometry of cyclic glycols and monosaccharides with methylene chloride as reagent was studied. In the presence of ammonia, it was found that methylene chloride reacted stereoselectively with the quasi-molecular ions of cyclic glycols and monosaccharides to form characteristic ions, by comparison of the relative abundances of which the stereoisomers of cyclopentane-l,2-diols and cyclohexane-l,2-diols and some monosaccharides could be definitely distinguished.     

catena‐Poly­[[tetra­aqua­iron(II)]‐μ‐succinato‐κ2O:O′]

The title complex, {[Fe(C₄H₄O₄)(H₂O)₄]}_n, is an infinite poly­meric compound bridged by the succinate dianion. Two carboxyl­ate groups coordinate in a monodentate manner to the Fe^II atom, in a trans fashion, with an O—Fe—O bond angle of 175.72 (6)° and Fe—O distances of 2.0886 (14) and 2.1008 (15) Å. One of the uncoordinated carboxyl­ate O atom forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond with a coordinated water mol­ecule. Extensive hydrogen bonding between parallel poly­meric complex chains results in a three‐dimensional supramolecular structure.     

Particle Interactions in Diffusiophoresis and Electrophoresis of Colloidal Spheres with Thin but Polarized Double Layers

The diffusiophoretic and electrophoretic motions of two colloidal spheres in the solution of a symmetrically charged electrolyte are analyzed using a method of reflections. The particles are oriented arbitrarily with respect to the electrolyte gradient or the electric field, and they are allowed to differ in radius and in zeta potential. The thickness of the electric double layers surrounding the particles is assumed to be small relative to the radius of each particle and to the gap width between the particles, but the effect of polarization of the mobile ions in the diffuse layer is taken into account. A slip velocity of fluid and normal fluxes of solute ions at the outer edge of the thin double layer are used as the boundary conditions for the fluid phase outside the double layers. The method of reflections is based on an analysis of the electrochemical potential and fluid velocity disturbances produced by a single dielectric sphere placed in an arbitrarily varying electrolyte gradient or electric field. The solution for two-sphere interactions is obtained in expansion form correct to O(r(12)(-7)), where r(12) is the distance between the particle centers. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the available numerical solutions obtained using a boundary collocation method. On the basis of a model of statistical mechanics, the results of two-sphere interactions are used to analytically determine the first-order effect of the volume fraction of particles of each type on the mean diffusiophoretic and eletrophoretic velocities in a bounded suspension. For a suspension of identical spheres, the mean diffusiophoretic velocity can be decreased or increased as the volume fraction of the particles is increased, while the mean electrophoretic velocity is reduced with the increase in the particle concentration. Generally speaking, the particle interaction effects can be quite significant in typical situations. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Ion Recognition and Analytical Application of a Fibroin Modified Electrode

A novel fibroin modified electrode with ion recognition was reported. The membrane with isoelectric point of pH 4.5, was modified on graphite and carbon fiber electrodes. The pH-responsive ion recognition of the modified electrode was investigated by use of some neurocompounds. The fibroin carbon fiber electrode has been used for in-vivo determination.