The effect of the source pressure on the abundance of ions of noncovalent protein assemblies in an electrospray ionization orthogonal time-of-flight instrument

The effect of elevating the pressure in the interface region of an electrospray ionization orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer on the ion intensity of different noncovalent protein assemblies has been investigated. Elevating the pressure in the interface region generally led to an enhanced detection of high m/z ions. The optimum pressure was found to be dependent on the m/z value of the ions. This pressure effect should be carefully addressed when relating ion abundance in the mass spectra to solution phase abundance of noncovalent protein assemblies.     

Interfacial phase transition of an environmentally responsive elastin biopolymer adsorbed on functionalized gold nanoparticles studied by colloidal surface plasmon resonance

The change in optical properties of colloidal gold upon aggregation has been used to develop an experimentally convenient colorimetric method to study the interfacial phase transition of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), a thermally responsive biopolymer. Gold nanoparticles, functionalized with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mercaptoundecanoic acid onto which an ELP was adsorbed, exhibit a characteristic red color due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of individual colloids. Raising the solution temperature from 10 degrees C to 40 degrees C thermally triggered the hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic phase transition of the adsorbed ELP resulting in formation of large aggregates due to interparticle hydrophobic interaction. Formation of large aggregates caused a change in color of the colloidal suspension from red to violet due to coupling of surface plasmons in aggregated colloids. The surface phase transition of the ELP was reversible, as seen from the reversible change in color upon cooling the suspension to 10 degrees C. The formation of colloidal aggregates due to the interfacial phase transition of adsorbed ELP was independently verified by dynamic light scattering of ELP-modified gold colloids as a function of temperature. Colloidal SPR provides a simple and convenient colorimetric method to study the influence of the solution environment, interfacial properties, and grafting method on the transition properties of ELPs and other environmentally responsive polymers at the solid-water interface.     

Facile chemoselective synthesis of dehydroalanine-containing peptides

Useful methodology is described for the synthesis of dehydroalanine residues (II) within peptides. The unnatural amino acid (Se)-phenylselenocysteine (I) can be incorporated into growing peptide chains via standard peptide synthesis procedures. Subsequent oxidative elimination affords a dehydroalanine at the desired position. The oxidation conditions are mild and tolerate functionalities commonly found in peptides, including variously protected cysteine residues. To illustrate its utility, cyclic lanthionines have been synthesized by this method.     

Extraction of californium/III/ from aqueous pyrophosphate and tripolyphosphate solutions with D2EHPA

Extraction of californium/III/ with di-/–2-ethylhexyl/ phosphoric acid /D2EHPA/ in heptane from pyrophosphate media is almost quantitative between pH 4 and 5. From tripolyphosphate media, however, two to three extractions are needed in the pH range of 3–5 to isolate Cf³⁺ completely. Reextraction experiments show that 1M H₂SO₄ can back-extract Cf³⁺ completely while two to three reextractions with 5M HNO₃ can only separate californium/III/. Reverse phase partition chromatography experiments were performed to recover 300 g of californium/III/. From slope analysis of the extraction data the composition of the extracted species has been found to be Cf/H₂P₂O₇/A.HA and Cf/H₄P₃O₁₀/.A₂.2HA from pyrophosphate and tripolyphosphate solutions, respectively, where D2EHPA is abbreviated as /HA/₂.     

Potentiometric titrations in methanol/water medium: Intertitration variability

Homogeneous sets of data from strong acid-strong base potentiometric titrations in a mixed solvent medium (9:1 v/v methanol/water), performed by means of the glass electrode, at various constant ionic strengths and with different reference electrodes, have been analysed by statistical criteria. A standardized procedure has been established to obtain reliable potentiometric data in mixed solvents. It has been demonstrated how, with the aid of a proper linearized model, analysis of variance (ANOVA) applied to the standardization titrations can be used to test the reliability of a potentiometric chain in a medium other than pure water. The error expected in the stability constants thus evaluated is related to the intertitration error of the operational pK*(')(w), for the same medium and the same chain. The results obtained by applying ANOVA to the mixed solvent data substantially confirm the trend found for aqueous media, the intertitration error being larger than the intratitration error for all the parameters investigated (E(')(0), pK*(')(w), mean equivalence volume). The stochastic error thus obtained depends on the ionic medium used and on the kind of reference electrode employed in the electrochemical chain.     

Azo coupling and aminomethylation of 2,5-diphenylpyrrole and its derivatives

The azo coupling of 2,5-diphenylpyrrole with arenediazonium chlorides has given previously unknown 3-arylazopyrroles and 4-phenylazo-3-phenylhydrazono-3H-pyrrole. The methylation and reductive acetylation of the anylazo derivatives have led to N-methylarylazo and acetylamino derivatives of 2,5-diphenylpyrrole. 3-Amino-2, 5-diphenylpyrrole has been obtained by the reduction of 3-p-chlorophenylazo-2,5-diphenylpyrrole. The aminomethylation of 2,5-diphenylpyrrole and its derivatives with bis(dialkylamino)methanes had led to aminomethyl derivatives.Deceased.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5. pp. 612–615, May, 1986.     

The Effects of Beating,Web Forming and Sizing on the Surface Energy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> Kraft Fibres Evaluated by Inverse Gas Chromatography

In this work attention has been focused on the effects of papermaking beating, web forming and sizing operations on the physical/chemical surface properties of bleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft fibres. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to determine the dispersive component of surface tension (γ_s^d) as well as the acidic/basic character (according to the Lewis concept) of the solid surfaces (pulp fibres and pulp handsheets). The results have shown that the main effect of beating is to increase the fibre's Lewis acidic character. Web forming caused a strong decrease in γ_s^d and significant increments in the adhesion works of both acidic and basic probes, lowering the ratio between the two. Nevertheless, the surface of handsheets still exhibited a dominant acidic character. The sizing operation did not change the dispersive component of the surface tension significantly but decreased the difference between the adhesion works of the acidic and basic probes, rendering the handsheet surface less Lewis acidic and more Lewis basic. Thus, although internal sizing is expected to strongly influence liquid spreading at the paper surface and liquid penetration of the fibre's network, it is concluded that beating and web forming lead to important changes in the surface energetic properties of the Eucalyptus globulus kraft fibres.     

Solution structure of a beta-peptide ligand for hDM2

We recently reported a beta-peptide foldamer, beta53-1, that folds into a 14-helix in aqueous solution, binds the oncoprotein hDM2 with submicromolar affinity, and potently inhibits the interaction of hDM2 with a peptide derived from the activation domain of p53 (p53AD). Here, we present the solution structure of beta53-1 in methanol. Details of the structure illustrate fundamental and novel elements of beta-peptide folding and recognition. These elements include the detailed arrangement of a complex, 14-helix-stabilizing salt bridge on one helical face, and a unique "wedge into cleft" packing interaction along a second. The structure also reveals how a subtle distortion in the beta53-1 14-helix geometry alters the presentation of its recognition epitope, rendering it particularly well suited for alpha-helix mimicry. The solution structure of beta53-1 demonstrates that well folded beta-peptide oligomers can effectively present an extended, highly variable surface that could be used as a general platform for targeting critical protein-protein interfaces.     

Synthesis and properties of enamines of the phenanthridine series

We have synthesized secondary and tertiary enamines, derivatives of 1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,10b-octahydrophenanthridine, and we have considered the Z,E-isomerism of the enaminoesters.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1374–1377, October, 1993.