Sulfate as a synergistic anion facilitating iron binding by the bacterial transferrin FbpA: the origins and effects of anion promiscuity

The ferric binding protein, FbpA, has been demonstrated to facilitate the transport of naked Fe3+ across the periplasmic space of several Gram-negative bacteria. The sequestration of iron by FbpA is facilitated by the presence of a synergistic anion, such as phosphate or sulfate. Here we report the sequestration of Fe3+ by FbpA in the presence of sulfate, at an assumed periplasmic pH of 6.5 to form FeFbpA-SO4 with K'(eff) = 1.7 x 10(16) M(-1) (at 20 degrees C, 50 mM MES, 200 mM KCl). The iron affinity of the FeFbpA-SO4 protein assembly is 2 orders of magnitude lower than when bound with phosphate and is the lowest of any of the FeFbpA-X assemblies yet reported. Iron reduction at the cytosolic membrane receptor may be an essential aspect of the periplasmic iron-transport process, and with an E(1/2) of -158 mV (NHE), FeFbpA-SO4 is the most easily reduced of all FeFbpA-X assemblies yet studied. The variation of FeFbpA-X assembly stability (K'(eff)) and ease of reduction (E(1/2)) with differing synergistic anions X(n-) are correlated over a range of 14 kJ, suggesting that the variations in redox potentials are due to stabilization of Fe3+ in FeFbpA-X by X(n-). Anion promiscuity of FbpA in the diverse composition of the periplasmic space is illustrated by the ex vivo exchange kinetics of FeFbpA-SO4 with phosphate and arsenate, where first-order kinetics with respect to FeFbpA-SO4 (k = 30 s(-1)) are observed at pH 6.5, independent of entering anion concentration and identity. Anion lability and influence on the iron affinity and reduction potential for FeFbpA-X support the hypothesis that synergistic anion exchange may be an important regulator in iron delivery to the cytosol. This structural and thermodynamic analysis of anion binding in FeFbpA-X provides additional insight into anion promiscuity and importance.     

In vitro study of magnesium-calcite biomineralization in the skeletal materials of the seastar Pisaster giganteus

The mechanisms of formation of biogenic magnesium-rich calcite remain an enigma. Here we present ultrastructural and compositional details of ossicles from the seastar Pisaster giganteus (Echinodermata, Asteroidea). Powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analyses confirm that the ossicles are composed of magnesium-rich calcite, whilst also containing about 0.01 % (w/w) of soluble organic matrix (SOM) as an intracrystalline component. Amino acid analysis and N-terminal sequencing revealed that this mixture of intracrystalline macromolecules consists predominantly of glycine-rich polypeptides. In vitro calcium carbonate precipitation experiments indicate that the SOM accelerates the conversion of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) into its final crystalline product. From this observation and from the discovery of ACC in other closely related taxa, it is suggested that substitution of magnesium into the calcite lattice through a transient precursor phase may be a universal phenomenon prevalent across the phylum echinodermata.     

制备大直径无气泡聚苯乙烯空心微球

 高品质聚苯乙烯（PS）空心微球是惯性约束聚变（ICF）实验用多层塑料微球靶的重要芯轴,常由乳液技术制备。针对由乳液技术制备的PS微球壳壁内容易形成气泡而且大直径微球制备困难的问题,实验研究了对壳壁内存在的气泡以及消除方法和制备大直径PS微球的制备技术。     

Extrusion processing for ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX)

The ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) process, previously run only in a batch reactor, has been adapted to run on a twin-screw extruder. The sugar yield of AFEX material after enzymatic hydrolysis has been increased up to 3.5 times over that of completely untreated material. The ruminant digestibility of corn fodder has been increased up to 32% (from 54–71%) over completely untreated material, and 23% (from 63–77%) over material extruded with no ammonia. Extrusion-treated material proved more digestible by the ruminant at 48 h than material treated in the batch reactor.     

Measurement of Titanium and Manganese K -shell Ionization Cross Sections by Electron Impact

报道了电子引起的钛、锰原子的Ｋ壳层电离截面实验值。实验中,采用了薄靶厚衬底技术,并将衬底中反射的电子对测量值的影响进行了修正。实验结果与其他文献报道的测量结果相吻合。最后,还将实验结果与Ｃａｓｎａｔｉ等人的经验公式进行了比较。     

A data mining and ab initio study of the interaction between the aromatic and backbone amide groups in proteins

Interactions between aromatic groups and backbone amide groups in protein environments are characterized both through data mining analyses of X‐ray protein structures and through ab initio molecular orbital calculations on a model complex. The data mining analyses of 1029 X‐ray protein structures elucidate the configurational characteristics of the interaction as well as the positions of the interacting moieties involved. On a statistical average, more than seven such interactions occur in a typical protein structure. The configurations of these interactions are restricted with the face‐to‐face orientation as the preferred arrangement. The interaction occurs mainly within a single peptide chain. Both α‐helix and β‐strand secondary structures provide an almost equal number of backbone amides to participate within this interaction. The interaction energy was evaluated with the supermolecular ab initio method at the MP2 level. It is shown that aromatic–amide(backbone) interactions identified in proteins can achieve a stabilization energy of 3.3 kcal/mol. The interaction involves the entirety of the backbone amide rather than only its amine portion. This study concludes that the interaction between aromatic and backbone amide groups is of general significance to protein structure due to its strength and common occurrence. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 80: 44–60, 2000     

Three variations of genetic algorithm for searching biomolecular conformation space: Comparison of GAP 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0

Three genetic algorithm programs, GAP 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, were used in conjunction with the ECEPP/2 force field to search the conformation space of [Met]-enkephalin. Each program was proficient at quickly finding many diverse low-energy conformers. Conformer populations displayed a variety of secondary structure motifs including those likely to bind to the μ-opioid receptor. Limitations in the program's sampling behavior are discussed and method improvements are suggested. Although still in a developmental stage, the GAP programs represent a useful addition to conformational search techniques when no a priori structural information is available. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 1329–1342, 1999     

Mechanism of PdO thin film formation during the oxidation of Pd(1 1 1)

We investigated the mechanism by which a surface oxide layer on Pd(1 1 1) transforms to a PdO(1 0 1) thin film during oxidation with gaseous oxygen atoms in ultrahigh vacuum. Our results provide evidence that the precursor to bulk PdO formation is a distinct oxide phase that forms as small particles, referred to as PdO seeds, after the surface oxide saturates. With increasing oxygen coverage, the PdO seeds grow in size and eventually transform to more stable particles that agglomerate to yield a PdO film. Oxidation effectively ceases when the surface oxide layer is completely replaced by the bulk PdO film, demonstrating that the surface oxide is needed for PdO formation at the conditions studied. Both the kinetics of PdO formation and the final thickness of the PdO thin film depend strongly on the thermal stability of the PdO seeds. Below the decomposition temperature of the seeds (600 K), oxidation follows kinetics similar to Langmuirian adsorption and appears to be limited only by the rate of oxygen adsorption onto the surface oxide. In contrast, PdO formation above 600 K initially exhibits acceleratory kinetics, with the rates starting low but increasing steadily during the initial growth of PdO. We also observe a significant decrease in PdO(1 0 1) film thickness and improved crystallinity when oxidation is conducted below 600 K. We show that the trends observed in the oxidation kinetics and film thickness can be qualitatively explained within the context of a model in which the thermodynamic stability of PdO particles increases with increasing particle size and PdO seeds/particles coexist with a two-dimensional (2D) gas of oxygen atoms adsorbed on the surface oxide layer. This model suggests that the PdO particle-2D gas coexistence relation gives rise to three distinct growth regimes, namely, stable seed nucleation, metastable seed nucleation and oxygen dissolution into the subsurface where the latter is established at 2D gas coverages below the stability limit of a flat PdO surface.     

Excited-state mixed-valence distortions in a diisopropyl diphenyl hydrazine cation

Excited-state mixed valence (ESMV) occurs in the 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-diisopropyl hydrazine radical cation, a molecule in which the ground state has a symmetrical charge distribution localized primarily on the hydrazine, but the phenyl to hydrazine charge-transfer excited state has two interchangeably equivalent phenyl groups that have different formal oxidation states. Electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectra are presented. The neighboring orbital model is employed to interpret the absorption spectrum and coupling. Resonance Raman spectroscopy is used to determine the excited-state distortions. The frequencies of the enhanced modes from the resonance Raman spectra are used together with the time-dependent theory of spectroscopy to fit the two observed absorption bands that have resolved vibronic structure. The origins of the vibronic structure and relationships with the neighboring orbital model are discussed.     

Advantages of deuterium-labelled mixed triacylglycerol in studies of intraluminal fat digestion

The (13)C-mixed triacylglcerol (MTG, 1,3-distearyl, 2-[1-(13)C]octanoyl glycerol) breath test is a non-invasive measure of intraluminal fat digestion. Recovery of (13)C in breath CO(2) is incomplete (<50%) owing to sequestration of (13)C into organic molecules via the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. In addition lack of knowledge of CO(2) production rate (VCO(2)) during the test leads to errors in the calculated percentage dose recovered (PDR). (2)H sequestration into organic molecules is low ( approximately 4%) and is not influenced by factors that affect VCO(2) such as food intake or physical activity. After oxidation of (2)H-labelled macromolecules, the label appears in body water, which can be sampled non-invasively in urine or saliva. After an overnight fast, two healthy adults consumed [(2)H]MTG (1,3-distearyl, 2-[(2)H(15)]octanoyl glycerol) and [(13)C]MTG (1,3 distearyl, 2-[1-(13)C]octanoyl glycerol) simultaneously. Total body water (TBW) was measured by (18)O dilution and also estimated from height and weight. Urine and saliva were sampled at baseline and for 10 h after consumption of the test meal. The abundance of (2)HOH and H(2) (18)O in urine and saliva was measured by continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Cumulative PDR of (2)H and (18)O was calculated from the plateau enrichment, which was reached by 6 h in both saliva and urine. Recovery of (2)H calculated using measured TBW was compared with that using an estimated value of TBW. Mean recovery of (2)H in saliva was 99.3% and in urine was 96.4%. Errors introduced by estimating TBW were <5%. [(2)H]MTG could provide a simpler, more robust, indirect test of intraluminal fat digestion compared with the (13)C-breath test. Further studies are required in pancreatic insufficient patients.