Oxidation of heme to beta- and delta-biliverdin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa heme oxygenase as a consequence of an unusual seating of the heme

The origin of the unusual regioselectivity of heme oxygenation, i.e. the oxidation of heme to delta-biliverdin (70%) and beta-biliverdin (30%), that is exhibited by heme oxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa-HO) has been studied by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and resonance Raman spectroscopies. Whereas resonance Raman indicates that the heme-iron ligation in pa-HO is homologous to that observed in previously studied alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenases, the NMR spectroscopic studies suggest that the heme in this enzyme is seated in a manner that is distinct from that observed for all other alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes for which a structure is known. In pa-HO, the heme is rotated in-plane approximately 110 degrees, so the delta-meso-carbon of the major orientational isomer is located within the HO-fold in the place where the alpha-hydroxylating enzymes typically place the alpha-meso-carbon. The unusual heme seating displayed by pa-HO places the heme propionates so that these groups point in the direction of the solvent-exposed heme edge and appears to originate in large part from the absence of stabilizing interactions between the polypeptide and the heme propionates, which are typically found in alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes. These interactions typically involve Lys-16 and Tyr-112, in Neisseriae meningitidis HO, and Lys-16 and Tyr-134, in human and rat HO-1. The corresponding residues in pa-HO are Asn-19 and Phe-117, respectively. In agreement with this hypothesis, we found that the Asn-19 Lys/Phe-117 Tyr double mutant of pa-HO exists as a mixture of molecules exhibiting two distinct heme seatings; one seating is identical to that exhibited by wild-type pa-HO, whereas the alternative seating is very similar to that typical of alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenase enzymes and is related to the wild-type seating by approximately 110 degrees in-plane rotation of the heme. Furthermore, each of these heme seatings in the pa-HO double mutant gives rise to a subset of two heme isomeric orientations that are related to each other by 180 degrees rotation about the alpha-gamma-meso-axis. The coexistence of these molecules in solution, in the proportions suggested by the corresponding area under the peaks in the (1)H NMR spectrum, explains the unusual regioselectivity of heme oxygenation observed with the double mutant, which we found produces alpha- (55%), delta- (35%), and beta-biliverdin (10%). Alpha-biliverdin is obtained by oxidation of the heme seated similar to that of alpha-hydroxylating enzymes, whereas beta- and delta-biliverdin are formed from the oxidation of heme seated as in wild-type pa-HO.     

Vibrational spectrum of glycine molecule

The infrared and Raman spectra of glycine molecule has been studied in spectral region 400-4000 cm(-1) in solid form as well as in water. The vibrational frequencies for the fundamental modes of the glycine in neutral and its zwitterionic form have also been calculated using AM1 semiempirical method as well as ab initio method with minimal basis set. The reliability of the minimal basis set and AM1 method with higher basis sets, for IR spectra of the neutral glycine conformers were examined. We find that the 6-21G basis set calculation yields structural parameters, rotational constant and dipole moment of glycine conformers, which are very similar to those obtained from extended basis set calculation as well as experimental values. IR frequencies for glycine conformer I are also calculated in water using SCRF=PCM model and compared with experimental values. A comparison between calculated frequencies for neutral glycine, and its zwitterionic form with observed IR and Raman bands have been made. The total energies for gas phase glycine and its zwitterionic form along with those of hydrated forms were also calculated. It is found from the calculations that in the gas phase neutral glycine is more stable as compared to its zwitterionic form.     

Contact metric hypersurfaces of ℂ2

Kaehler 2-form of ² being exact, it gives rise to a 1-form defined on a hypersurface of ². We show that if this 1-form defines a contact metric structure with respect to the induced metric on the compact and connected hypersurface of ², then the hypersurface is a round sphere of radius 1.This work is supported by Research Grant No. (Math/1409/05) of the Research Center, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh.     

Kinetics of the Ru(III) catalyzed oxidation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III)

The kinetics of ruthenium(III) catalyzed oxidation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III) has been studied spectrophotometrically. The rate of oxidation of formaldehyde is directly proportional to [Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ] while that of acetaldehyde is proportional tok[Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ]/{k +k[Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ]}, wherek, k andk are rate constants. The order of reaction in acetylaldehyde is unity while that in formaldehyde falls from 1 to 0. The rate of reaction is proportional to [Ru(III)] _T in each case. A suitable mechanism is proposed and discussed.

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Die Kinetik der Ru(III)-katalysierten Oxidation von Formaldehyd und Acetaldehyd mittels alkalischem Hexacyanoferrat(III)

Zusammenfassung Die Untersuchung der Kinetik erfolgte spektrophotometrisch. Die Geschwindigkeitskonstante der Oxidation von Formaldehyd ist direkt proportional zu [Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ], währenddessen die entsprechende Konstante für Acetaldehyd proportional zuk[Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ]/{k +k[Fe(CN) _3– ⁶ ]} ist, wobeik,k undk Geschwindigkeitskonstanten sind. Die Reaktionsordnung für Acetaldehyd ist eine erste, die für Formaldehyd fällt von erster bis zu nullter Ordnung. Die Geschwindigkeitskonstante ist in jedem Fall proportional zu [Ru(III)] _T . Es wird ein passender Mechanismus vorgeschlagen.

     

A gamma-spectrometric method for the determination of plutonium isotope ratios

A gamma-spectrometric method using an intrinsic high resolution germanium detector has been developed for the determination of isotope ratios of plutonium from samples in solution form. The method is based on the assay of low energy gamma-rays of²³⁸Pu,²³⁹Pu,²⁴⁰Pu and²⁴¹Pu and does not require the use of branching intensities or the knowledge of detection efficiencies for different gamma rays. Since low energy gamma-rays are used, the effect of²⁴¹Am has also been studied. It is found that results are not affected up to 0.5 wt% of²⁴¹Am in plutonium samples. An accuracy of 3% is achievable in the determination of²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu and²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios as demonstrated by carrying out measurements on isotopic standards of plutonium.     

1,5-Benzothiazepine Derivatives: Green Synthesis,In Silico and In Vitro Evaluation as Anticancer Agents

Considering the importance of benzothiazepine pharmacophore, an attempt was carried out to synthesize novel 1,5-benzothiazepine derivatives using polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400)-mediated pathways. Initially, different chalcones were synthesized and then subjected to a cyclization step with benzothiazepine in the presence of bleaching clay and PEG-400. PEG-400-mediated synthesis resulted in a yield of more than 95% in less than an hour of reaction time. Synthesized compounds 2a–2j were investigated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity. Moreover, the same compounds were subjected to systematic in silico screening for the identification of target proteins such as human adenosine kinase, glycogen synthase kinase-3β, and human mitogen-activated protein kinase 1. The compounds showed promising results in cytotoxicity assays; among the tested compounds, 2c showed the most potent cytotoxic activity in the liver cancer cell line Hep G-2, with an IC₅₀ of 3.29 ± 0.15 µM, whereas the standard drug IC₅₀ was 4.68 ± 0.17 µM. In the prostate cancer cell line DU-145, the compounds displayed IC₅₀ ranges of 15.42 ± 0.16 to 41.34 ± 0.12 µM, while the standard drug had an IC₅₀ of 21.96 ± 0.15 µM. In terms of structural insights, the halogenated phenyl substitution on the second position of benzothiazepine was found to significantly improve the biological activity. This characteristic feature is supported by the binding patterns on the selected target proteins in docking simulations. In this study, 1,5-benzothiazepines have been identified as potential anticancer agents which can be further exploited for the development of more potent derivatives.     

Computation of pressure drop for dilute gas-solid suspension across thin and thick orifices

The present work deals with the computation of the gas-solid two-phase flow pressure drop across thin and thick orifices for a vertically downward flow configuration at the higher limits of a dilute phase flow situation(0.01≤αs,in≤0.10).The Eulerian-Eulerian(two-fluid)model has been used in conjunction with the kinetic theory of granular flow with a four-way coupling approach.The validation of the solution process has been performed by comparing the computational result with the existing experimental data.It is observed that the two-phase flow pressure drop across the orifice increases with an increase in the thickness of the orifice,and the effect is more prominent at higher solid loading.The pressure drop is found to increase with an increase in the solid volume fraction.An increase in the Reynolds number or the area ratio increases the pressure drop.An increase in the size of the particles reduces the pressure drop across the orifice at both small and relatively large solid volume fractions.Finally,a two-phase multiplier has been proposed in terms of the relevant parameters,which can be useful to evaluate the gas-solid two-phase flow pressure drop across the orifice and can subsequently help to improve the system performance.     

Effect of electrolytic colouration on dislocation density in KBr and KCl

Average dislocation density in a number of electrolytically coloured and uncoloured crystals of KBr and KCl has been measured using the etch-pit technique. A decrease in density of dislocation after electrolytic colouration has been observed. This is attributed to the change in the dislocation pattern inside the crystals during colouration to produce more number of vacancies under the typical conditions of large electric field gradient at high temperature.     

Surface Modification of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene Membranes Using Underwater Plasma Polymerization

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene membranes were modified and subsequently polymer coated using the underwater plasma produced by glow discharge electrolysis. This plasma pretreatment generated various O-functional groups among them OH groups have dominated. This modified inner (pore) surface of membranes showed complete wetting and strong adhesion to a hydrogel copolymerized by glow discharge electrolysis also. The deposited hydrogel consists of plasma polymerized acrylic acid crosslinked by copolymerization with the bifunctional N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide). Tuning the hydrogel hydrophilicity and bio-compatibility poly(ethylene glycol) was chemically inserted into the copolymer. Such saturated polymer could only be inserted on a non-classic way by (partial) fragmentation and recombination thus demonstrating the exotic properties of the underwater plasma. The modification of membrane was achieved by squeezing the reactive plasma solution into the pores by plasma-induced shock waves and supported by intense stirring. The deposited copolymer hydrogel has filled all pores also in the inner of membrane as shown by scanning electron microscopy of cross-sections. The copolymer shows the characteristic units of acrylic acid and ethylene glycol as demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy. A minimum loss in carboxylic groups of acrylic acid during the plasma polymerization process was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Additional cell adhesion tests on copolymer coated polyethylene using IEC-6 cells demonstrated the bio-compatibility of the plasma-deposited hydrogel.