Evaluation method of steric shielding effect around nitroxide radical reaction center based on molecular volume within a virtual ball

Steric shielding affects the stability of various molecules such as nitroxide radicals, which have many applications in a variety of fields. Thus, the mechanisms that maintain molecular stability are of particular interest. A new method for nitroxide radicals to quantify the steric shielding effect around the reaction center in a molecule was developed. The steric hindrance in this method is defined as the volume of the molecules contained within a virtual ball centered on the radical atom. With the proposed method, it is possible to evaluate the influences of the β-substituent, the basic molecular skeleton, and other parameters on steric hindrance, which cannot be calculated with E_s^c, a known parameter that indicates bulkiness. This method can acquire more accurate data that more closely resembles the behavior of the actual molecule. Because this method is very simple in that it requires only the optimal stable structure of the molecule, it can be used to estimate the steric shielding of various nitroxide radicals as well as other molecules.

     

DNA mismatch detection using a pyrene-excimer-forming probe

A pyrene-excimer-forming probe allowed the easy and sensitive detection of a single base mismatch in target DNA. This was due to the faster strand exchange rate compared to a fully-matched target.     

Application of combined reagent solution to the oxidative refolding of recombinant human interleukin 6

Human interleukin 6 (hIL-6), which is a cytokine involved in diverse biological activities, consists of a four-helix bundle with two disulfide bonds. For the clinical use of hIL-6 in cancer therapy, designing of commercial-scale production systems of recombinant hIL-6 (rhIL-6) expressed by E. coli has been attempted. Since rhIL-6 has been produced as inclusion bodies in the expression systems reported to date, establishment of a strategy to achieve a high yield of refolding of this recombinant protein is quite desirable. It has been reported that oxidation of rhIL-6 under a completely denaturing condition suppresses aggregation during the refolding process [Ejima et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng., 62, 301-310 (1999)]. In this protocol, however, small but significant amounts of unidentified by-products unavoidably arose, which might be problematic in the therapeutic use of rhIL-6. In the present study, detailed characterization of the individual by-products has been performed on inspection of peptide maps, and the by-products found to originate from improperly formed disulfide bonds, most of which are disulfide-linked dimers. In order to minimize these by-products, combined solutions of urea and LiCl were used for oxidative refolding of rhIL-6. It was demonstrated that combined use of 1-2 M urea and 1-3 M LiCl effectively suppresses the formation of the by-products as well as aggregates. We propose that the use of the combined reagents can be an alternative method for refolding of rhIL-6 for clinical purposes.     

Study on oxygen source and its effect on film properties of ZnO deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

The structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited at various oxygen partial pressure and rf-power of rf magnetron sputtering were investigated. The sputtered ZnO films are mainly formed with the oxygen which was supplied from a sputtering gas; therefore the film stoichiometry can be controlled by the oxygen partial pressure and rf-power. From photoluminescence study, it was found that the wide emission band above 550 nm was observed due to an increase of oxygen vacancies when the ZnO film changed from O-rich to Zn-rich. The chemical stoichiometry of the film will help us to understand the formation mechanism of intrinsic defects in ZnO films.     

Preparation and performance comparison of LiMn2O3.95Br0.05 and LiMn2O3.95Br0.05/SiO2 cathode materials for lithium-ion battery

LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05 and LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05/SiO₂ cathode composites for lithium-ion battery are prepared by solid-state reaction methods. The crystalline structures of the as-synthesized samples are investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope; at the same time, the electrochemical performances are tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling. The results reveal that the sample of LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05/SiO₂ has more excellent electrochemical performance than the sample of LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05. It delivers an initial discharge capacity of 145.3 mA h g⁻¹ at ambient temperature, and 138.9 mA h g⁻¹ at the higher temperature of 55 °C with good capacity retention with the voltage range of 3.0–4.35 V (vs. Li) at a current density of 0.5 C; while the sample of LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05 only deliver initial discharge capacity 136.5 mA h g⁻¹ at ambient temperature, and 119.2 mA h g⁻¹ at 55 °C in the same conditions; in addition, the rate performance of LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05/SiO₂ is excellent too, so the SiO₂ layer has improved the electrochemical behaviors of LiMn₂O_3.95Br_0.05 availably.