Cellular logic with orthogonal ribosomes

The creation and use of unnatural molecules to control cellular function is a long standing goal of the chemical community, but in general, these efforts have been directed at finding molecules to inhibit or activate a particular molecular target or function, or to elicit a particular phenotype. Here we show that multiple unnatural molecules (orthogonal ribosomes) can be used combinatorially, in a single cell, to program Boolean logic functions. These experiments show how attention to the molecular specificity of noncovalent interactions between unnatural macromolecules allows the synthesis of complex function from the "bottom-up" in living matter.     

The application of "click chemistry" for the decoration of 2(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold: generation of templates

The "click chemistry" approach has been explored on the 2-(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold for the generation of pharmacologically interesting heterocyclic moieties. Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition has been evaluated as the key step for the construction of the 1,2,3-triazole ring at the C-3 position of 2-(1H)-pyrazinones. Two different pathways have been successfully evaluated: (1) via C-C or C-O linkage of the acetylenic part to the C-3 position of the 2-(1H)-pyrazinone scaffold or (2) via azide introduction in the C-3 position. The subsequent application of "click chemistry" resulted in the formation of hitherto unknown skeletons. Microwave irradiation has successfully been applied in different steps of the sequence.     

Extraction of capsaicins in aerosol defense sprays from fabrics

The use of aerosol defense sprays has increased as a means of self-defense and as a weapon in the commission of a crime. The residue of these sprays is often left behind as physical evidence on a victim's clothing or personal belongings. As the popularity of self-defense weaponry increases, so does the likelihood that it will be encountered in forensic casework. The extraction, recovery from fabrics, and identification of residue from defense sprays is described. The commonly used extraction method of liquid-liquid extraction is compared to solid phase microextraction (SPME) to recover capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin from cotton swabs. The use of SPME resulted in lower limits of detection and greater recovery efficiency when compared to solvent extraction. SPME also provided more consistent recovery and less variability when compared to solvent extraction. The effect of use of various types of evidence packages on the preservation of this type of evidence is also reported. The collection and analysis of hand swabs after normal discharge of pepper spray canisters was studied indicating the low persistence of these compounds on the hands of the person conducting the spraying. Finally, the results of a real case whereby solvent-solvent extraction did not provide the necessary sensitivity for extracting the capsaicin compounds on the garments of a victim of an alleged spraying and the SPME extraction provided the recovery and identification of the compounds is also presented.     

Second-harmonic generation in an optically poled azo-dye/polymer film

The power dependence of the optical poling process of a new azo chromophore in the polymethylmethacrylate matrix at room temperature has been investigated. The existing theory is found to be inconsistent with the experiment. A simple model based on the rate equation is proposed to describe the writing process of the chromophore/polymer system. The measured growth rate and the plateau second-harmonic generation intensity as induced by all optical poling are found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the simple model.     

Rb7[SiO4][VO4]: ein Ortho‐Silicat‐Vanadat(V)

Rb₇[SiO₄][VO₄]: an Ortho‐Silicate‐Vanadate(V) Rb₇[SiO₄][VO₄] has been obtained from a redox reaction between CdO and vanadium metal in the presence of Rb₂O and SiO₂ at 600 °C in an Ag container as yellow‐greenish transparent single crystals. The crystal structure determination (IPDS data: P2₁/c, a = 637.6(1) pm, b = 1039.7(1) pm, c = 2076.8(4) pm, β = 93.21(2)°, Z = 4, wR2 = 0.1319) reveals the presence of isolated complex anions, [SiO₄]^4— and [VO₄]^3—.     

The crystal structure of di-ortho-tolylmercury

The structure of di-ortho-tolylmercury has been determined by single crystal X-ray methods from counter data. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with unit cell dimensions a 10.970(2), b 10.448(3), c 11.409(3) Å; β 115.48(2)°, V 1180.5(5) ų, ?_calc 2.158 g/cm³ and Z = 4. The structure was solved with conventional heavy atom techniques. The crystal consists of individual molecular units with the mercury atom located on the crystallographic 2-fold axis of symmetry. The CHgC fragment is nearly linear with an angle of 178.0(4)°. The methyl groups lie on the same side of the molecule and the rings are twisted with respect to one another by 58.9°. The HgC bond distance is 2.09(1) Å.     

Multiplexed hybridizations of positively charge-tagged peptide nucleic acids detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a novel class of DNA analogues in which the entire sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide counterpart. Owing to its neutral character and the consequent lack of electrostatic repulsion, PNA exhibits very stable heteroduplex formation with complementary nucleic acid that is essentially ionic strength independent and enables hybridization under minimum salt conditions. This feature as well as its superior ion stability and easy ionization compared to DNA renders PNA very attractive for hybridization-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) applications. We have developed an approach to DNA characterization that takes advantage of multiplexed PNA hybridizations analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS. Our motivation was the further development of oligonucleotide fingerprinting, an efficient technique for cDNA and genomic DNA library characterization. Through positive 'charge-tagging' of PNA the efficiency of detection in MALDI-TOFMS was considerably enhanced permitting an unparalleled degree of multiplexing. Results from the simultaneous hybridization of 21 charge-tagged PNA hexamer oligonucleotides showed that genomic DNA and cDNA clones are successfully characterized on the basis of their hybridization profiles. The degree of multiplexing achieved may render a significant increase in throughput and hence efficiency of oligonucleotide fingerprinting possible.     

Controlling the DNA binding specificity of bHLH proteins through intramolecular interactions

Reversible control of the conformation of proteins was employed to probe the relationship between flexibility and specificity of the basic helix-loop-helix protein MyoD. A fusion protein (apaMyoD) was designed where the basic DNA binding helix of MyoD was stablized by an amino-terminal extension with a sequence derived from the bee venom peptide apamin. The disulfide-stabilized helix from apamin served as a nucleus for a helix that extended for a further ten residues, thereby holding apaMyoD's DNA recognition helix in a predominantly alpha-helical conformation. The thermal stability of the DNA complexes of apaMyoD was increased by 13 degrees C relative to MyoD-bHLH. Measurements of the fluorescence anisotropy change on DNA binding indicated that apaMyoD bound to E-box-containing DNA sequences with enhanced affinity relative to MyoD-bHLH. Consequently, the DNA binding specificity of apaMyoD was increased 10-fold.     

Solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides

A new flexible and efficient methodology for the solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides has been developed. The approach is based on the use of previously synthesized building blocks and overcomes the limitations of previously reported methods, since long doubly lipidated peptides can be synthesized by using this route. Furthermore, it was thus possible to prepare a large number of N- and H-Ras peptides bearing a wide range of reporter and/or linking groups--efficient tools for the investigation of biological processes. In terms of efficiency and flexibility this solid-phase method is superior to the solution-phase synthesis. It gives pure peptides in multimilligram amounts within a much shorter time and with superior overall yield.