Genetically Encodable Scaffolds for Optimizing Enzyme Function

Enzyme engineering is an indispensable tool in the field of synthetic biology, where enzymes are challenged to carry out novel or improved functions. Achieving these goals sometimes goes beyond modifying the primary sequence of the enzyme itself. The use of protein or nucleic acid scaffolds to enhance enzyme properties has been reported for applications such as microbial production of chemicals, biosensor development and bioremediation. Key advantages of using these assemblies include optimizing reaction conditions, improving metabolic flux and increasing enzyme stability. This review summarizes recent trends in utilizing genetically encodable scaffolds, developed in line with synthetic biology methodologies, to complement the purposeful deployment of enzymes. Current molecular tools for constructing these synthetic enzyme-scaffold systems are also highlighted.     

Synthesis of Poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) for Use as a Fuel‐Cell Membrane

Summary: Poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) (ABPBI) was synthesized in a novel polymerization medium containing CH₃SO₃H and P₂O₅. 3,4‐Diaminobenzoic acid, a monomer for ABPBI, is soluble in the medium and the polymerization was therefore performed in a homogeneous state. It produced polymer fibers, thus simplifying the work‐up process. The membrane was cast directly from the polymerization mixture. Proton conductivities of the ABPBI membranes ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 S · cm⁻¹ above 100 °C, without humidification, and the tensile strength of the membrane was approximately 100 MPa.

Synthesis of ABPBI in a medium containing methanesulfonic acid and P₂O₅.     

Multiple Solitary Waves Due to Second-Harmonic Generation in Quadratic Media

Summary. A detailed mathematical analysis is undertaken of solitary-wave solutions of a system of coupled nonlinear Schr?dinger equations describing second-harmonic generation in optical materials with χ ⁽²⁾ nonlinearity. The so-called bright-bright case is studied exclusively. The system depends on a single dimensionless parameter α that includes both wave and material properties. Using methods from the calculus of variations, the first rigorous mathematical proof is given that at least one solitary wave exists for all positive α . Recently, bound states (multipulsed solitary waves) have been found numerically. Using numerical continuation, the region of existence of these solutions is revealed to be α ∈ (0,1), and the bifurcations occurring at the two extremes of this interval are uncovered. Received February 12, 1997; second revision received September 22, 1997     

Determination of storage stability of the crude extracts of Ganoderma lucidum using FTIR and 2D-IR spectroscopy

In this paper, the feasibility and advantage of employing FTIR spectroscopy and the corresponding second-derivative spectroscopy combined with 2D-IR spectroscopy for the analysis of water extracts of Ganoderma lucidum with different storage durations were investigated and demonstrated for the first time. In order to compare the second-derivative microscopic fingerprint spectra from the four periods of storage, the range from 1200 to 500 cm⁻¹ has to be ignored due to the detection of starch in the samples and the standard as well. This is crucial because the main characteristic band of polysaccharide was assigned within this range. The addition of starch as outer constituent was considered spoilage of polysaccharide content investigation. In fact, polysaccharide content in G. lucidum plays a main role as anti-cancer properties. The ranges from 1480 to 1200 cm⁻¹ and from 1700 to 1480 cm⁻¹ were interpreted and directly compared. For the range (from 1800 to 400 cm⁻¹), the 22 months sample was closest to the control, followed by 38 months, 13 months and 6 months product. The matching of the extract spectra with the control was not consistent and depended on which range of spectra had been chosen. Many factors can be considered which may have possibly affected inferences of the composition of the extract from different storage durations.     

Pheromone synthesis. Part 250: Determination of the stereostructure of CH503, a sex pheromone of male Drosophila melanogaster,as (3R,11Z,19Z)-3-acetoxy-11,19-octacosadien-1-ol by synthesis and chromatographic analysis of its eight isomers

All the eight stereoisomers of 3-acetoxy-11,19-octacosadien-1-ol (1), the male sex pheromone (CH503) of Drosophila melanogaster, were synthesized from two acetylenic starting materials and the enantiomers of 3,4-epoxy-1-butanol PMB ether. Complete separation of the eight isomers of 1 by reversed phase HPLC at ?20 °C was achieved after their esterification with (1R,2R)-2-(2,3-anthracenedicarboximido)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (27), and the natural CH503 was found to be (3R,11Z,19Z)-1.     

Synthesis of Highly Substituted Pyridines through Copper-Catalyzed Condensation of Oximes and α,β-Unsaturated Imines

A copper-catalyzed condensation reaction of oxime acetates and α,β-unsaturated ketimines to give pyridine derivatives is reported. The reaction features mild conditions, high functional-group compatibility, and high regioselectivity with respect to unsymmetrical oxime acetates, thus allowing the preparation of a wide range of polysubstituted pyridines, many of which are not readily accessible by conventional condensation methods.     

Physical and dispersive optical characteristics of ZrON/Si thin-film system

To date, the complex evaluation of physical and dispersive optical characteristics of the ZrON/Si film system has yet been reported. Hence, ZrON thin films have been formed on Si(100) substrates through oxidation/nitridation of sputtered metallic Zr in N₂O environment at 500, 700, and 900 ^°C. Physical properties of the deposited films have been characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). It has been shown that ZrON/Si thin films without optical absorption can be prepared by oxidation/nitridation reaction in N₂O environment at 700–900 ^°C.     

Molecular simulation of the frictional behavior of polymer-on-polymer sliding

Molecular simulations of the sliding processes of polymer-on-polymer systems were performed to investigate the surface and subsurface deformations and how these affect tribological characteristics of nanometer-scale polymer films. It is shown that a very severe deformation is localized to a band of material about 2.5 nm thick at the interface of the polymer surfaces. Outside of this band, the polymer films experience a uniform shear strain that reaches a finite steady-state value of close to 100%. Only after the polymer films have achieved this steady-state shear strain do the contacting surfaces of the films show significant relative slippage over each other. Because severe deformation is limited to a localized band much thinner than the polymeric films, the thickness of the deformation band is envisaged to be independent of the film thickness and hence frictional forces are expected to be independent of the thickness of the polymer films. A strong dependency of friction on interfacial adhesion, surface roughness, and the shear modulus of the sliding system was observed. Although the simulations showed that frictional forces increase linearly with contact pressure, adhesive forces contribute significantly to the overall friction and must therefore be accounted for in nanometer-scale friction. It is also shown that the coefficient of friction is lower for lower-density polymers as well as for polymers with higher molecular weights.