Stopped-flow spectrophotometric determination of nM level of Pb(II) using 5,10,15,20-terakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphine

A spectrophotometric determination method for nM levels of Pb(II) has been developed using a stopped-flow spectrophotometer with cationic water-soluble porphyrin. The stopped-flow spectrophotometer allows the monitoring of the incorporation reaction of the Pb(II) ion into 5,10,15,20-terakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphine (TMPYP) within a narrow time window (2.5 s) at pH 10.5–12.0 before the Pb-TMPYP complex is replaced with other foreign metal ions, since usually the Pb-TMPYP complex is very labile and readily replaced with other metal ions. This improved the selectivity of Pb(II) determination as compared to the conventional spectrophotometric determination of Pb(II) using water-soluble porphyrins.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of recombinant human α-2 interferon

Mass spectrometry (MS) was used for the characterization of recombinant human α-2 interferon (α-2 IFN) produced in E. coli. After purification by monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography, α-2 IFN showed two major peaks in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP- LC). Each component was digested with trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus protease V8, separately or in tandem, and the peptide mixture was analysed by MS without further purification. The first peak corresponded to the 165 amino acid sequence of human α-2 IFN and the main component of the second peak was the acetylated Cys₁ α-2 IFN. It was also possible to verify by MS the location of the SS bonds in α-2 IFN and the occurrence of incorrect SS bridges in the products of some renaturation processes. The best renaturation process for obtaining a product without adducts or scrambling of disulphide bonds could be found by using RP-LC and fast atom bombardment MS.     

Small-Angle electron scattering and electron density in carbon dioxide

The total (elastic and inelastic) intensity of electrons scattered by CO₂ was measured in the s range of 1 to 12 Å^?1 and compared with the theoretical intensity calculated from the Hartree-Fock molecular wave function and those calculated for the independent-atom-model (IAM ) molecule. In the range of s ? 4 Å^?1 the electron correlation effect on the total scattered intensity was found to be represented by that for the IAM molecule.     

Characterization of p-aminobenzamidine-based sorbent and its use for high-performance affinity chromatography of trypsin-like proteases

An affinity sorbent, hydrophilic polymer-based carrier of different pore size (Toyopearl) with immobilized p-aminobenzamidine (ABA), has been prepared. Its basic properties and some applications for protein purification were studied. ABA, which is a synthetic inhibitor for trypsin-like proteases, was covalently immobilized to Toyopearl by reductive amination. The ligand density and binding capacity for porcine trypsin varied depending on the pore size of Toyopearl. The maximum binding capacity of the immobilized p-aminobenzamidine Toyopearl (ABA-Toyopearl) for trypsin was more than 40 mg/ml gel. ABA-Toyopearl thus obtained was very stable below pH 8 and was successfully used for high-performance affinity chromatography of trypsin-like proteases such as trypsin, thrombin, tissue-type plasminogen activator or urokinase in a single step at 25 degrees C.     

Regulation of geometry around the ruthenium center of bis(2-pyridinecarboxylato) complexes by the nitrosyl moiety: syntheses, structures, and theoretical studies

cis-[Ru(NO)Cl(pyca)(2)] (pyca = 2-pyridinecarboxylato), in which the two pyridyl nitrogen atoms of the two pyca ligands coordinate at the trans position to each other and the two carboxylic oxygen atoms at the trans position to the nitrosyl ligand and the chloro ligand, respectively (type I shown as in Chart 1), reacted with NaOCH(3) to generate cis-[Ru(NO)(OCH(3))(pyca)(2)] (type I). The geometry of this complex was confirmed to be the same as the starting complex by X-ray crystallography: C(13.5)H(13)N(3)O(6.5)Ru; monoclinic, P2(1)/n; a = 8.120(1), b = 16.650(1), c = 11.510(1) A; beta = 99.07(1) degrees; V = 1536.7(2) A(3); Z = 4. The cis-trans geometrical change reaction occurred in the reactions of cis-[Ru(NO)(OCH(3))(pyca)(2)] (type I) in water and alcohol (ROH, R = CH(3), C(2)H(5)) to form [[trans-Ru(NO)(pyca)(2)](2)(H(3)O(2))](+) (type V) and trans-[Ru(NO)(OR)(pyca)(2)] (type V). The reactions of the trans-form complexes, trans-[Ru(NO)(H(2)O)(pyca)(2)](+) (type V) and trans-[Ru(NO)(OCH(3))(pyca)(2)] (type V), with Cl(-) in hydrochloric acid solution afforded the cis-form complex, cis-[Ru(NO)Cl(pyca)(2)] (type I). The favorable geometry of [Ru(NO)X(pyca)(2)](n)(+) depended on the nature of the coexisting ligand X. This conclusion was confirmed by theoretical, synthetic, and structural studies. The mono-pyca-containing nitrosylruthenium complex (C(2)H(5))(4)N[Ru(NO)Cl(3)(pyca)] was synthesized by the reaction of [Ru(NO)Cl(5)](2)(-) with Hpyca and characterized by X-ray structural analysis: C(14)H(24)N(3)O(3)Cl(3)Ru; triclinic, Ponemacr;, a = 7.631(1), b = 9.669(1), c = 13.627(1) A; alpha = 83.05(2), beta = 82.23(1), gamma = 81.94(1) degrees; V = 981.1(1) A(3); Z = 2. The type II complex of cis-[Ru(NO)Cl(pyca)(2)] was synthesized by the reaction of [Ru(NO)Cl(3)(pyca)](-) or [Ru(NO)Cl(5)](2)(-) with Hpyca and isolated by column chromatography. The structure was determined by X-ray structural analysis: C(12)H(8)N(3)O(5)ClRu; monoclinic, P2(1)/n; a = 10.010(1), b = 13.280(1), c = 11.335(1) A; beta = 113.45(1) degrees; V = 1382.4(2) A(3); Z = 4.     

Catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes catalyzed by well-defined chiral ru amido complexes

Well-defined chiral Ru amido complexes promoted asymmetric Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds including malonates, beta-keto esters, and 1,3-diketones to nitroalkenes to give the corresponding adducts with excellent ees and in excellent yields.     

Basic peptides as functional components of non-viral gene transfer vehicles

Improving the performance of non-viral gene-delivery vehicles that consist of synthetic compounds and nucleic acids is a key to successful gene therapy. Supplementing synthetic vehicles with various biological functions by using natural or artificial peptides is a promising approach with which to achieve this goal. One of the obstacles hindering this effort is that some of the potentially useful peptides, especially those with many basic amino acid residues, interfere with the formation of the complex owing to strong electrostatic interactions with the nucleic acid. In this review, we describe our recent work in examining the potential of these peptides in gene delivery, using a recombinant lambda phage particle as the model for the gene-delivery complex. Lambda phage encapsulates large duplex DNA in a rigid polyplex-like shell with a diameter of 55 nm, and can display various peptides on this capsid, independently of particle formation. By examining the expression of marker genes encapsulated in the phage capsid, we have demonstrated that the protein transduction domain of HIV Tat protein and the nuclear localization signal derived from SV40 T antigen can remarkably facilitate the delivery of these marker genes across the two major barriers, the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane, respectively. Our results indicate that these basic peptides can constitute effective components of synthetic gene-transfer complexes, as long as sufficient copies are displayed on the outer surface of the complex.