Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins in dry-cured hams: data registration and multivariate analysis across multiple gels

This study investigates whether dry-cured hams from two European countries can be distinguished using SDS-PAGE. Thirty-seven commercial hams (19 Spanish, 18 French) were used in the study. Four protein fractions were extracted from each sample, with sufficient material prepared to allow each fraction to be analysed in triplicate lanes. The complete extraction process was carried out in duplicate. The 24 specimens originating from each ham sample were randomly allocated to different lane positions and gels, as were at least two reference lanes (for reference proteins). In total, 118 gels were prepared. Mathematical routines were developed using a matrix language to process the gel image files. Procedures were written to carry out 'within-gel' image correction, lane extraction and normalization, 'between-gel' data registration and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of each fraction's data to establish whether the provenance could be systematically distinguished. The between-gel registration was carried out using a genetic algorithm (GA). Feature selection was also performed using a GA, to pass subsets of features to the LDA routine. Cross-validated classification success rates were 84, 91, 81 and 85%, respectively, for the four fractions. We conclude that SDS-PAGE can be conducted in a sufficiently quantitative manner and can potentially verify the provenance of regional speciality dry-cured hams.     

Interfacial behavior of cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles at hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces

The adsorption behavior of self-assembled lipid liquid crystalline nanoparticles at different model surfaces was investigated in situ by use of ellipsometry. The technique allows time-resolved monitoring of the adsorbed amount and layer thickness under transient and steady-state conditions. The system under study was cubic-phase nanoparticle (CPNP) dispersions of glycerol monooleate stabilized by a nonionic block copolymer, Pluronic F-127. Depending on the surface properties and presence of electrolytes, different adsorption scenarios were discerned: At hydrophilic silica thick surface layers of CPNPs are generated by particle adsorption from dispersions containing added electrolyte, but no adsorption is observed in pure water. Adsorption at the hydrophobic surface involves extensive structural relaxation and formation, which is not electrolyte sensitive, of a classic monolayer structure. The different observations are rationalized in terms of differences in interactions among the CPNP aggregates, their unimer constituents, and the surface and show a strong influence of interfacial interactions on structure formation. Surface self-assembly structures with properties similar to those of the corresponding bulk aggregates appear exclusively in the weak interaction limit. This observation is in agreement with observations for surfactant self-assembly systems, and our findings indicate that this behavior is applicable also to complex self-assembly structures such as the CPNP structures discussed herein.     

Direct deprotected glycosyl-asparagine ligation

A simple and efficient synthesis of N-linked glycoamino acids and glycopeptides from deprotected sugars using the Staudinger reaction.     

New protocols for the assembly of the tetracyclic framework associated with the aromatic erythrina alkaloids

[reaction: see text] Treatment of the anion derived from the ring-fused gem-dichlorocyclopropane 4c with silver tetrafluoroborate afforded the spirocyclic compound 17 in 74% yield. Product 17 was readily converted, over three steps, into the beta-iodoethyl derivative 20 and treatment of this latter compound with n-Bu(3)SnH then afforded, in 93% yield and via a radical addition/elimination sequence, compound 2 incorporating the ABCD framework of the aromatic erythrina alkaloids.     

Fragmentation of negative ions from N‐linked carbohydrates,Part 4. Fragmentation of complex glycans lacking substitution on the 6‐antenna

Negative ion CID spectra of N‐linked glycans released from glycoproteins contain many ions that are diagnostic for specific structural features such as the detailed arrangement of antennae and the location of fucose residues. Identification of such ions requires reference glycans that are often difficult to acquire in a pure state. The recent acquisition of a sample of N‐glycans from a patient lacking the enzyme N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase‐2 provided an opportunity to investigate fragmentation of glycans lacking a 6‐antenna. These glycans contained one or two galactose‐N‐acetylglucosamine‐chains attached to the 3‐linked mannose residue of the trimannosyl‐chitobiose core with and without fucose substitution. The spectra from the patient sample clearly defined the antenna distribution and showed striking differences from the spectra of isomeric compounds obtained from normal subjects. Furthermore, they provided additional information on previously identified antenna‐specific fragment ions and indicated the presence of additional ions that were diagnostic of fucose substitution. Glycans obtained from such enzyme‐deficient patients can, thus, be a valuable way of obtaining spectra of specific isomers in a relatively pure state for interpretation of mass spectra. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Camphor-derived sulfonylhydrazines: catalysts for Diels-Alder cycloadditions

Camphor-derived sulfonylhydrazines proved to be very active for organocatalyzed Diels-Alder cycloadditions with cyclopentadiene. Good chemical yields and enantiomeric excesses up to 89% and 88% are obtained for endo/exo adducts.     

Novel N-(4-Piperidinyl)benzamide antimalarials with mammalian protein farnesyltransferase inhibitory activity

Protein farnesyltransferase of Plasmodium falciparum is a potential target in the treatment of malaria for which increased drug resistance is observed. The design, synthesis and evaluation of a series of N-(4-piperidinyl)benzamides is reported. The most potent compounds showed in vitro activity against the parasite at submicromolar concentrations.     

Effective dissipation and turbulence in spectrally truncated euler flows

A new transient regime in the relaxation towards absolute equilibrium of the conservative and time-reversible 3D Euler equation with a high-wave-number spectral truncation is characterized. Large-scale dissipative effects, caused by the thermalized modes that spontaneously appear between a transition wave number and the maximum wave number, are calculated using fluctuation dissipation relations. The large-scale dynamics is found to be similar to that of high-Reynolds number Navier-Stokes equations and thus obeys (at least approximately) Kolmogorov scaling.     

Investigation of the rh-catalyzed asymmetric reductive aldol reaction. Expanded scope based on reaction analysis

[reaction: see text] A series of experiments are described that suggest that the Rh-catalyzed reductive aldol reaction proceeds by addition of a Rh(I) hydride, generated in situ, to the reacting acrylate followed by a stereochemistry-controlling aldol addition reaction. On the basis of this hypothesis, reaction conditions are engineered that allow for increased substrate scope.     

Using the 1,2‐dihydro‐1,2‐diphosphinine ring as a template for the synthesis of new bicyclic structures and new trans‐chelating bis‐phosphines

The 1,2‐dihydro‐1,2‐diphosphinine decacarbonylditungsten complex 1 has been used as a synthetic equivalent of the corresponding 1,2‐dianion 2 . These two 1,2‐positions can be linked by a (CH₂)₄ bridge to yield a [4.4.0] bicyclic structure 6 whose identity has been confirmed by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. Alternatively, two ω‐iodohexyl chains can be grafted onto these positions and the resulting diiodo derivative 9 transformed into a long‐chain bis‐phosphine 10 by reaction with lithium diphenylphosphide. This bis‐phosphine gives a chelate complex with PdCl₂ whose trans‐stereochemistry was established by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:44–48, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20073