Site-directed photochemical disruption of the actin cytoskeleton by actin-binding Rose Bengal-conjugates

The in situ light-induced, non-enzymatic digestion of cytoskeletal actin by a xanthene dye conjugated to heavy meromyosin, anti-actin antibodies and/or anti-myosin antibodies is reported. The dye Rose Bengal was conjugated to either anti-actin antibodies, anti-myosin antibodies or heavy meromyosin. Under our experimental conditions, visible light induced the non-enzymatic breakdown of cytoskeletal actin when mammalian tissue culture cells were probed either with Rose Bengal-conjugated anti-actin and/or anti-myosin antibodies. Similar results were obtained when tissue culture cells were probed with Rose Bengal-conjugated heavy meromyosin before irradiation with visible light. The in situ photochemical reaction depended on the presence of actin-binding Rose Bengal-conjugates.     

Size-dependent chemistry: properties of nanocrystals

Properties of materials determined by their size are indeed fascinating and form the basis of the emerging area of nanoscience. In this article, we examine the size dependent electronic structure and properties of nanocrystals of semiconductors and metals to illustrate this aspect. We then discuss the chemical reactivity of metal nanocrystals which is strongly dependent on the size not only because of the large surface area but also a result of the significantly different electronic structure of the small nanocrystals. Nanoscale catalysis of gold exemplifies this feature. Size also plays a role in the assembly of nanocrystals into crystalline arrays. While we owe the beginnings of size-dependent chemistry to the early studies of colloids, recent findings have added a new dimension to the subject.     

The utilization of chemical shift and spin-lattice (T1) relaxation time data for the discrimination of isomeric indenoisoxazoles

Treatment of 2-pivaloyl-1,3-indandione with hydroxylamine leads to the formation of a pair of isomeric indenoisoxazoles, the product formed dependent upon the cyclization conditions. Under acidic conditions, 8-t-butylindeno[1,2-c]isoxazol-7-one ( 5 ) is formed while under neutral or basic conditions, an oxime, 2 , is generated which may then be cyclized under acidic conditions to give 3-t-butylindeno[1,2-c]isoxazol-4-one ( 4 ). Although these isomeric indenoisoxazoles may be discriminated by chemical means, we were interested in developing an unequivocal method for distinguishing these and potentially other isomeric pairs by spectroscopic means. A ¹³C-nmr based method for the discrimination of these isomers which is based on the utilization of chemical shift arguments and spin-lattice relaxation data is thus presented.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of n-butyl glycidyl ether

A novel high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique for the determination of n-butyl glycidyl ether (n-BGE) at concentrations down to 1 ppb (1 μg/liter) has been developed. This HPLC procedure is simple, highly sensitive, and rapid within the limits described.     

Pico-second pulse radiolysis of cyclohexane solutions

A rapid (t < 500 psec) transfer of singlet energy is observed in the picosecond pulse radiolysis of dilute (10⁻³–10⁻² M) solutions of aromatic solutes in cyclohexane. This event is not associated with any ion neutralization reaction, but is a direct transfer of energy from an excited state of cyclohexane (t_e < 500 psec) to the solute.     

Biosynthesis of cis-Jasmone: a pathway for the inactivation and the disposal of the plant stress hormone jasmonic acid to the gas phase?

Flowers of Jasminum rincospernum convert deuterium-labeled jasmonic acid [²H₅]- 4a and methyl 1,2-didehy-drojasmonate [²H₄]- 8 into labeled cis-jasmone [²H₄]- 1. The labeling pattern of the resulting cis-jasmone ( 1 ) is consistent with a Grob fragmentation of the didehydrojasmonic acid 8a by decarboxylation after protonation of the keto group. The pathway is also operative in leaves of several higher plants, including mono- and dicotyledonous specimens. In Lima beans besides cis-jasmone ( 1 ) an equimolar mixture of trans- and cis-isomers of methyl jasmonate ( 4 ) and epi- 4 , is emitted after treatment with Jasmonic acid ( 4a ). The relative ratio of 1 and 4 /epi- 4 is critically dependent on the concentration of the administered jasmonic acid ( 4a ) and the ambient temperature of the plant. Unlike 4a , the 1,2-didehydrojasmonic acid ( 8a ) is not able to induce volatile biosynthesis. Therefore, the transformation of 4a via 8 a into 1 appears to have a special importance for the irreversible inactivation and disposal of the plant stress hormone jasmonic acid to the gas phase and may serve, besides other modes of inactivation, as a shunt in case of high internal of the stress hormone 4a. The conversion of the biologically active jasmonic acid ( 4a ) into the inactive and volatile cis-jasmone (1) is the first example of a disposal of an inactive metabolite of a phytohormone to the gas phase as an infinite sink.     

A general synthesis of bis(n6−[2n]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds

Hydride reduction of (n⁶-arene)(n⁶?[2_n]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds, followed by treatment with acid, gives (n⁶?[2_n]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) solvates and thus provides a general synthesis for bis(n⁶?[2_n]cyclophane)ruthenium(II) compounds.     

Conformationally controlled (entropy effects), stereoselective vibrational quenching of singlet oxygen in the oxidative cleavage of oxazolidinone-functionalized enecarbamates through solvent and temperature variations

On photooxygenation (methylene blue as sensitizer) of E/Z enecarbamates, equipped with the oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary, the oxidative cleavage of the alkenyl functionality releases the enantiomerically enriched methyldesoxybenzoin (MDB) product. The extent (% ee) as well as the sense (R vs S) of the stereoselectivity in the MDB formation depends on the choice of the alkene configuration; the efficacy of stereocontrol may be tuned by appropriate solvent and temperature conditions. Highlighted is the finding that the formation of the preferred MDB enantiomer (R or S) depends for the E isomer on the chosen solvent and temperature, but not for the corresponding Z isomer. The activation parameters for the various solvents disclose that differential entropy effects (ΔΔS^‡) dominate the conformationally more flexible E diastereomers. As mechanistic rationale for this unprecedented conformationally imposed stereochemical behavior, we propose the competitive action of stereoselective vibrational quenching of the attacking singlet oxygen by the enecarbamate versus sterically controlled stereoselective oxidative cleavage of its double bond.     

Synthesis of functionalized rab GTPases by a combination of solution- or solid-phase lipopeptide synthesis with expressed protein ligation

Prenylated proteins with non-native functionalities are generally very difficult to obtain by recombinant or enzymatic means. The semisynthesis of preparative amounts of prenylated Rab guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) from recombinant proteins and synthetic prenylated peptides depends largely on the availability of functionalised prenylated peptides corresponding to the proteins' native structure or modifications thereof. Here, we describe and compare solution-phase and solid-phase strategies for the generation of peptides corresponding to the prenylated C terminus of Rab7 GTPase. The solid-phase with utilisation of a hydrazide linker emerges as the more favourable approach. It allows a fast and practical synthesis of pure peptides and gives a high degree of flexibility in their modification. To facilitate the analysis of semisynthetic proteins, the synthesised peptides were equipped with a fluorescent group. Using the described approach, we introduced fluorophores at several different positions of the Rab7 C terminus. The position of the incorporated fluorescent groups in the peptides did not influence the protein-ligation reaction, as the generated peptides could be ligated onto thioester-tagged Rab7. However, it was found that the positioning of the fluorescent group had an influence on the functionality of the Rab7 proteins; analysis of the interaction of the semisynthetic Rab7 proteins with REP (Rab escort protein) and GDI (guanosine diphosphate dissociation inhibitor) molecules revealed that modification of the peptide side chains or of the C-terminal isoprenoid did not significantly interfere with complex formation. However, functionalisation of the C terminus was found to have an adverse effect on complex formation and stability, possibly reflecting low structural flexibility of the Rab GDI/REP molecules in the vicinity of the lipid-binding site.     

Nickel oxidation states of F(430) cofactor in methyl-coenzyme M reductase

Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy and variable-temperature variable-field MCD are used in combination with density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations to characterize the so-called ox1-silent, red1, and ox1 forms of the Ni-containing cofactor F430 in methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR). Previous studies concluded that the ox1 state, which is the precursor of the key reactive red1 state of MCR, is a Ni(I) species that derives from one-electron reduction of the Ni(II)-containing ox1-silent state. However, our absorption and MCD data provide compelling evidence that ox1 is actually a Ni(II) species. In support of this proposal, our DFT and TD-DFT calculations indicate that addition of an electron to the ox1-silent state leads to formation of a hydrocorphin anion radical rather than a Ni(I) center. These results and biochemical evidence suggest that ox1 is more oxidized than red1, which prompted us to test a new model for ox1 in which the ox1-silent species is oxidized by one electron to form a thiyl radical derived from coenzyme M that couples antiferromagnetically to the Ni(II) ion. This alternative ox1 model, formally corresponding to a Ni(III)/thiolate resonance form but with predicted S = 1/2 EPR parameters reminiscent of a Ni(I) (3dx2-y2)1 species, rationalizes the requirement for reduction of ox1 to yield the red1 species and the seemingly incongruent EPR and electronic spectra of the ox1 state.