Near-infrared fluorescent probes: a next-generation tool for protein-labeling applications

The development of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes over the past few decades has changed the way that biomolecules are imaged, and thus represents one of the most rapidly progressing areas of research. Presently, NIR fluorescent probes are routinely used to visualize and understand intracellular activities. The ability to penetrate tissues deeply, reduced photodamage to living organisms, and a high signal-to-noise ratio characterize NIR fluorescent probes as efficient next-generation tools for elucidating various biological events. The coupling of self-labeling protein tags with synthetic fluorescent probes is one of the most promising research areas in chemical biology. Indeed, at present, protein-labeling techniques are not only used to monitor the dynamics and localization of proteins but also play a more diverse role in imaging applications. For instance, one of the dominant technologies employed in the visualization of protein activity and regulation is based on protein tags and their associated NIR fluorescent probes. In this mini-review, we will discuss the development of several NIR fluorescent probes used for various protein-tag systems.

This minireview describes the development of NIR chemical probes for various protein-tag systems.     

Theoretical study of the thermal interconversion mechanism between the norbornadiene and quadricyclane radical cations

Geometry optimizations at the UHF/6-31G^* and UMP2/6-31G^* levels of theory were performed to find the transition state in the interconversion between norbornadiene (N) and quadricyclane (Q) radical cations. Two transition structures, TS^+·₁ and TS^+·₂, were obtained which have C₁ and C₂ symmetry, respectively. Vibrational analysis at the UHF and UMP2 levels of theory and IRC calculation showed that TS^+·₁ is the true transition state connecting N^+· and Q^+·, while TS^+·₂ is a second order saddle point.     

The practical synthesis of a uterine relaxant, bis(2-[[(2S)-2-([(2R)-2-hydroxy-2-[4-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-phenyl]ethyl]amino)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-7-yl]oxy]-N,N-dimethylacetamide) sulfate (KUR-1246)

The synthetic route for a uterine relaxant, bis(2-[[(2S)-2-([(2R)-2-hydroxy-2-[4-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-phenyl]ethyl]amino)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-7-yl]oxy]-N,N-dimethylacetamide) sulfate (KUR-1246), was established by the coupling of optically active components, the bromohydrin 14 and the amine 24. We now describe the practical synthesis of these two optically active components. Bromohydrin 14 was obtained by the asymmetric borane reduction of the prochiral phenacyl bromide 13 using a catalyst prepared from aluminum triethoxide and a chiral amino alcohol. The other optically active component 24 was prepared from (S)-AMT.     

Enzymatic sulfation of polyphenols related to tannins by arylsulfotransferase.

This report discusses a novel type of arylsulfotransferase (AST) which was derived from human intestinal bacterium sulfated polyphenolic compounds when p-nitrophenyl sulfate (PNS) was taken as a donor substrate. (+)-Catechin, (+/-)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and (-)-epicatechin gallate were better substrates than tyramine. (-)-Epigallocatechin and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate were slightly worse substrates than tyramine. Although gallic acid was a bad substrate, alkyl gallate esters were better substrates than tyramine. The degree of acceptor specificity increased in proportion to the length of the alkyl group up to the carbon number of five. Pedunculagin, geraniin and corilagin were less effective than tyramine. Rosmarinic acid and penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose were similarly well sulfated. Two products, 4'-monosulfate and 4',5-disulfate of (+)-catechin, were detected at a two-fold molar excess of PNS over (+)-catechin. When (+)-catechin-4'-monosulfate as an acceptor was enzymatically sulfated with PNS as a donor, only the 4',5-disulfate was produced. Thus, arylsulfotransferase was useful for the convenient preparation of sulfate esters of polyphenols at their specific hydroxyl groups.     

Novel trichothecanes, paecilomycine A, B, and C, isolated from entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces tenuipes

Paecilomycine A (1), B (2), and C (3) were isolated from cultivated fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes (Isaria japonica), which is a popular entomopathogenic fungus used in folk medicine and health foods in China, Korea, and Japan. The structures of 1-3 were deduced from their spectroscopic data and their absolute configurations were elucidated by preparing their MPA esters. Compound 1 showed activity in the neurotrophic factor biosynthesis in glial cells.     

Steroid Cyclophanes as Artificial Cell-surface Receptors. Molecular Recognition and its Consequence in Signal Transduction Behavior

Steroid cyclophanes, bearing four bile acid moieties covalently placed on a tetraazaparacyclophane skeleton, were designed and synthesized as artificial cell-surface receptors. Guest-binding behavior of the steroid cyclophanes embedded in a bilayer membrane formed with a synthetic peptide lipid was clarified by means of fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy. We found that the steroid cyclophane effectively bound aromatic guests in both bilayer membranes and aqueous solution. In addition, copper(II) ions acted as a guest species for the steroid cyclophane and a competitive inhibitor toward a NADH-dependent lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). On these grounds, we constituted a supramolecular assembly as an artificial signaling system in combination with the steroid cyclophane, a cationic peptide lipid, and LDH. As a consequence, the steroid cyclophane acted as an effective artificial cell-surface receptor being capable of transmitting an external signal to the enzyme in collaboration with copper(II) ions as a signal transmitter.     

Hydrogen Effect on Coke Removal and Catalytic Performance in Pre-Carburization and Methane Dehydro-Aromatization Reaction on Mo/HZSM-5

1. Introduction As an effective utilization of methane, the methane dehydro-aromatization was focused in the last decade [1-28]. Over the Mo/HZSM-5 bi- functional catalyst at high reaction temperature, methane can be converted into light aromatics (ben- zene and naphthalene) and hydrogen. Mo active species can activate the C—H bond of methane; and HZSM-5 supplies the acid sites for the oligomeriza- tion and cyclization of hydrocarbons to form aromat- ics, and suppresses the deeper condens…     

Effect of initiators on grafting in the initial stage of the emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate using poly(vinyl alcohol) as a protective colloid

 To make clear the reason of unsuitability of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) protective colloid for the emulsion polymerization of conjugated monomers, a model experiment of emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out with ammonium persulfate (APS) or azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) initiators, where a small amount of MMA (1/100th of the concentration compared with ordinary emulsion polymerization) was employed. This corresponds to the initial stage of the emulsion polymerization. Grafting of MMA onto PVA took place remarkably irrespective of the kind of the initiators. Formation of homo-poly(MMA) was observed to a small extent. The formation of new emulsion particles smaller than 100 nm continued to increase to almost the end of the polymerization. PVA molecules in the grafted polymer are supposed to act as stabilizers of newly formed particles. From kinetic treatment using the experimental data, the important issues were derived as follows. Firstly, the sulfate anion radical from APS is much more reactive than the isobutyronitrile radical from AIBN in terms of hydrogen abstraction from PVA. Secondly, high grafting ability of the latter initiator system, notwithstanding the much lower reactivity in the hydrogen abstraction compared with the APS system, is attributed to the relative reactivity of the primary radicals, i.e., hydrogen abstraction reaction from PVA to initiation reaction with MMA. The much slower rate of addition of the isobutyronitrile radical to the monomer compared with that of hydrogen abstraction from PVA facilitates the grafting, although the rate constant of hydrogen abstraction is far smaller than that with the sulfate anion radical by 10⁻⁴ times. Received: 26 April 2001 Accepted: 6 September 2001     

Reaction of Aln clusters with oxygen and ammonia

Aluminum clusters were generated by a laser vaporization method. Ionization potential of Al₂ was found to be lower than that of Al. In the reaction with oxygen at high concentration, the mixed cluster Al₉O₇ survives predominantly as a stable cluster. Ammonia was found to be adsorbed weakly on the Al_n surface.     

Spatial geometric arrangements of disulfide-crosslinked loops in nonplanar proteins

The method presented earlier [T. Kikuchi, G. Némethy, and H.A. Scheraga, (1986) J. Comput. Chem. 7 , 67] for the classification of patterns of the three-dimensional folding of a covalently crosslinked polypeptide chain has been extended to nonplanar proteins. The procedure described earlier was applicable only to proteins termed planar, i.e., with a connexity of the crosslinks (e.g., disulfide bonds) that can be represented in a planar diagram. The procedure described in the present work is applicable to any (planar or nonplanar) pattern of crosslinking. The classification is based on a systematic and objective method of enumeration of spatial geometric arrangements of loops (SGAL) using no information other than the location of the disulfide bonds in the amino acid sequence. Various SGAL classes correspond to the presence of different ways of mutual penetration of loops, called thrustings and entanglements. Information on SGAL classes can be of use in structural predictions of folding patterns of proteins.