Optical isomers of N,N'-bis(1-phenylethyl)-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide coordinated to europium(III) ions as reliable circularly polarized luminescence calibration standards

The synthesis of two optical isomers of N,N'-bis(1-phenylethyl)-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide and the constant circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity of their acetonitrile trivalent europium complex solutions over a long period of time open new perspectives for performing accurate routine CPL calibration tests at low cost.     

Biomembrane interactions reveal the mechanism of action of surface-immobilized host defense IDR-1010 peptide

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Highlights? Biomembrane interactions of surface-tethered host defense peptides are studied ? Polymer brush-tethered IDR-1010cys showed enhanced biomembrane interactions ? Mechanism of action of surface-tethered peptides is different from its soluble form     

Probing the Gaseous Structure of a β-Hairpin Peptide with H/D Exchange and Electron Capture Dissociation

An improved understanding of the extent to which native protein structure is retained upon transfer to the gas phase promises to enhance biological mass spectrometry, potentially streamlining workflows and providing fundamental insights into hydration effects. Here, we investigate the gaseous conformation of a model β-hairpin peptide using gas-phase hydrogen–deuterium (H/D) exchange with subsequent electron capture dissociation (ECD). Global gas-phase H/D exchange levels, and residue-specific exchange levels derived from ECD data, are compared among the wild type 16-residue peptide GB1p and several variants. High protection from H/D exchange observed for GB1p, but not for a truncated version, is consistent with the retention of secondary structure of GB1p in the gas phase or its refolding into some other compact structure. Four alanine mutants that destabilize the hairpin in solution show levels of protection similar to that of GB1p, suggesting collapse or (re)folding of these peptides upon transfer to the gas phase. These results offer a starting point from which to understand how a key secondary structural element, the β-hairpin, is affected by transfer to the gas phase. This work also demonstrates the utility of a much-needed addition to the tool set that is currently available for the investigation of the gaseous conformation of biomolecules, which can be employed in the future to better characterize gaseous proteins and protein complexes.

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The dissociation of vibrationally excited CH3OSO radicals and their photolytic precursor, methoxysulfinyl chloride

The dissociation dynamics of methoxysulfinyl radicals generated from the photodissociation of CH(3)OS(O)Cl at 248 nm is investigated using both a crossed laser-molecular beam scattering apparatus and a velocity map imaging apparatus. There is evidence of only a single photodissociation channel of the precursor: S-Cl fission to produce Cl atoms and CH(3)OSO radicals. Some of the vibrationally excited CH(3)OSO radicals undergo subsequent dissociation to CH(3) + SO(2). The velocities of the detected CH(3) and SO(2) products show that the dissociation occurs via a transition state having a substantial barrier beyond the endoergicity; appropriately, the distribution of velocities imparted to these momentum-matched products is fit by a broad recoil kinetic energy distribution extending out to 24 kcal/mol in translational energy. Using 200 eV electron bombardment detection, we also detect the CH(3)OSO radicals that have too little internal energy to dissociate. These radicals are observed both at the parent CH(3)OSO(+) ion as well as at the CH(3)(+) and SO(2)(+) daughter ions; they are distinguished by virtue of the velocity imparted in the original photolytic step. The detected velocities of the stable radicals are roughly consistent with the calculated barriers (both at the CCSD(T) and G3B3 levels of theory) for the dissociation of CH(3)OSO to CH(3) + SO(2) when we account for the partitioning of internal energy between rotation and vibration as the CH(3)OSOCl precursor dissociates.     

Analyzing velocity map images to distinguish the primary methyl photofragments from those produced upon C-Cl bond photofission in chloroacetone at 193 nm

We use a combination of crossed laser-molecular beam scattering experiments and velocity map imaging experiments to investigate the three primary photodissociation channels of chloroacetone at 193 nm: C-Cl bond photofission yielding CH(3)C(O)CH(2) radicals, C-C bond photofission yielding CH(3)CO and CH(2)Cl products, and C-CH(3) bond photofission resulting in CH(3) and C(O)CH(2)Cl products. Improved analysis of data previously reported by our group quantitatively identifies the contribution of this latter photodissociation channel. We introduce a forward convolution procedure to identify the portion of the signal, derived from the methyl image, which results from a two-step process in which C-Cl bond photofission is followed by the dissociation of the vibrationally excited CH(3)C(O)CH(2) radicals to CH(3) + COCH(2). Subtracting this from the total methyl signal identifies the methyl photofragments that result from the CH(3) + C(O)CH(2)Cl photofission channel. We find that about 89% of the chloroacetone molecules undergo C-Cl bond photofission to yield CH(3)C(O)CH(2) and Cl products; approximately 8% result in C-C bond photofission to yield CH(3)CO and CH(2)Cl products, and the remaining 2.6% undergo C-CH(3) bond photofission to yield CH(3) and C(O)CH(2)Cl products.     

Comparative analysis of glycosylinositol phosphorylceramides from fungi by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry with low-energy collision-induced dissociation of Li(+) adduct ions.

Glycosylinositol phosphorylceramides (GIPCs) are a class of acidic glycosphingolipids (GSLs) expressed by fungi, plants, and certain parasitic organisms, but not found in cells or tissues of mammals or other higher animals. Recent characterizations of fungal GIPCs point to an emerging diversity which could rival that already known for mammalian GSLs, and which can be expected to present a multitude of challenges for the analytical chemist. Previously, the use of Li(+) cationization, in conjunction with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and low-energy collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/CID-MS), was found to be particularly effective for detailed structural analysis of monohexosylceramides (cerebrosides) from a variety of sources, including fungi, especially minor components present in mixtures at extremely low abundance. In applying Li(+) cationization to characterization of GIPCs, a substantial increase in both sensitivity and fragmentation was observed on collision-induced dissociation of [M + Li](+) versus [M + Na](+) for the same components analyzed under similar conditions, similar to results obtained previously with cerebrosides. Molecular adduct fragmentation patterns were found to be systematic and characteristic for both the glycosylinositol and ceramide moieties with or without phosphate. Interestingly, significant differences were observed in fragmentation patterns when comparing GIPCs having Manalpha1 --> 2 versus Manalpha1 --> 6Ins core linkages. In addition, it was useful to perform tandem product ion scans on primary fragments generated in the orifice region, equivalent to ESI-(CID-MS)(2) mode. Finally, precursor ion scanning from appropriate glycosylinositol phosphate product ions yielded clean molecular ion profiles in the presence of obscuring impurity peaks. The methods were applied to detailed characterization of GIPC fractions of increasing structural complexity from a variety of fungi, including a non-pathogenic Basidiomycete (mushroom), Agaricus blazei, and pathogenic Euascomycete species such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Sporothrix schenckii. The analysis confirmed a remarkable diversity of GIPC structures synthesized by the dimorphic S. schenckii, as well as differential expression of both glycosylinositol and ceramide structures in the mycelium and yeast forms of this mycopathogen. Mass spectrometry also established that the ceramides of some A. fumigatus GIPC fractions contain very little 2-hydroxylation of the long-chain fatty-N-acyl moiety, a feature that is not generally observed with fungal GIPCs.