Nucleophilic proteolytic antibodies

Proteolytic antibodies appear to utilizecatalytic mechanisms akin to nonantibody serine proteases, assessed from mutagenesis and protease-inhibitor studies. The catalytic efficiency derives substantially from the ability to recognize the ground state with high affinity. Because the proteolytic activity is germline-encoded, catalysts with specificity for virtually any target polypeptide could potentially be developed by applying appropriate immunogens and selection strategies. Analysis of transition-state stabilizing interactions suggests that chemical reactivity ofactive-site serine residues is an important contributor to catalysis. A prototype antigen analog capable of reacting covalently with nucleophilic serine residues permitted enrichment of the catalysts from a phage-displayed lupus light-chain library. Further mechanistic developments in understanding proteolytic antibodies may lead to the isolation of catalysts suitable for passive immunotherapy of major diseases, and elicitation of catalytic immunity as a component of prophylactic vaccination.     

The first immobilization of pyridine-bis(oxazoline) chiral ligands

[formula: see text] A chiral pyridine-bis(oxazoline) ligand, functionalized with a vinyl group in the pyridine ring, can be polymerized with styrene and divinylbenzene to obtain supported chiral ligands. As proof of the usefulness of this supported ligands, the corresponding ruthenium complexes are catalysts for the cyclopropanation reaction of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate with up to 85% ee.     

A study on the influence of the structure of the glycosyl acceptors on the stereochemistry of the glycosylation reactions with 2-azido-2-deoxy-hexopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates

The stereochemical outcome of glycosylations with 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-gluco- and D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates as glycosyl donors has been investigated by using a series of chiro-inositol derivatives as glycosyl acceptors. The influence of the absolute configuration, the conformation and the conformational flexibility of the glycosyl acceptor has been studied by using different glycosyl donors under similar pre-established experimental conditions. Although the structure of the acceptor may play a role in governing the stereochemistry of these glycosylations, the results show that, in general terms, the relative influence of these factors is difficult to evaluate. For a given set of experimental conditions, the stereochemical course of these glycosylations depends on structural features of both glycosyl donor and glycosyl acceptor. It is a balance of these factors, where the structure of the glycosyl donor always plays a major role, which determines the stereochemistry of the coupling reaction. Therefore, the examples reported in the literature in which the structure of the glycosyl acceptor appears to be crucial in determining the stereochemistry of the reaction constitute particularly favorable cases which do not presently allow any further generalization.     

Variable coordination mode of chloranilic acid. Synthesis, structure, and electrochemical properties of some osmium complexes

Reaction of chloranilic acid (H2ca) with [Os(bpy)2 Br2] (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) affords a dinuclear complex of type [{Os(bpy)2}2 (ca)]2+, isolated as the perchlorate salt. A similar reaction of H2ca with [Os(PPh3)2 (pap)Br2] (pap = 2-(phenylazo)pyridine) affords a dinuclear complex of type [{Os(PPh3)2 (pap)}2 (ca)]2+ (isolated as the perchlorate salt) and a mononuclear complex of type [Os(PPh3)2 (pap)(ca)]. Reaction of H2ca with [Os(PPh3)2(CO)2(HCOO)2] gives a dinuclear complex of type [{Os(PPh3)2(CO)2}2 (r-ca)], where r-ca is the two electron reduced form of the chloranilate ligand. The structures of the [{Os(PPh3)2 (pap)}2 (ca)](ClO4)2, [Os(PPh3)2 (pap)(ca)], and [{Os(PPh3)2(CO)2}2 (r-ca)] complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. In the [{Os(bpy)2}2 (ca)]2+ and [{Os(PPh3)2 (pap)}2 (ca)]2+ complexes, the chloranilate dianion is serving as a tetradentate bridging ligand. In the [Os(PPh3)2 (pap)(ca)] complex, the chloranilate dianion is serving as a bidentate chelating ligand. In the [{Os(PPh3)2(CO)2}2 (r-ca)] complex, the reduced form of the chloranilate ligand (r-ca(4-)) is serving as a tetradentate bridging ligand. All the four complexes are diamagnetic and show intense metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transitions in the visible region. The [Os(PPh3)2 (pap)(ca)] complex shows an Os(II)-Os(III) oxidation, followed by an Os(III)-Os(IV) oxidation on the positive side of a standard calomel electrode. The three dinuclear complexes show two successive oxidations on the positive side of SCE. The mixed-valent Os(II)-Os(III) species have been generated in the case of the two chloranilate-bridged complexes by coulometric oxidation of the homovalent Os(II)-Os(II) species. The mixed-valent Os(II)-Os(III) species show intense intervalence charge-transfer transitions in the near-IR region.     

Weak Liouville-Arnol′d Theorems and Their Implications

This paper studies the existence of invariant smooth Lagrangian graphs for Tonelli Hamiltonian systems with symmetries. In particular, we consider Tonelli Hamiltonians with n independent but not necessarily involutive constants of motion and obtain two theorems reminiscent of the Liouville-Arnol′d theorem. Moreover, we also obtain results on the structure of the configuration spaces of such systems that are reminiscent of results on the configuration space of completely integrable Tonelli Hamiltonians.     

Existence of Non-degenerate Continua of Singular Radial Solutions for Several Classes of Semilinear Elliptic Problems

We establish the existence of countably many branches of uncountably many solutions to elliptic boundary value problems with subcritical, and subsuper critical growth. We also prove the existence of two branches of uncountably many solutions to a problem with jumping nonlinearities. This case is remarkable since, generically, this problem has only finitely many regular solutions.     

pH‐Dependent Chloride Transport by Pseudopeptidic Cages for the Selective Killing of Cancer Cells in Acidic Microenvironments

Acidic microenvironments in solid tumors are a hallmark of cancer. Inspired by that, we designed a family of pseudopeptidic cage‐like anionophores displaying pH‐dependent activity. When protonated, they efficiently bind chloride anions. They also transport chloride through lipid bilayers, with their anionophoric properties improving at acidic pH, suggesting an H⁺/Cl^? symport mechanism. NMR studies in DPC micelles demonstrate that the cages bind chloride within the lipid phase. The chloride affinity and the chloride‐exchange rate with the aqueous bulk solution are improved when the pH is lowered. This increases cytotoxicity towards lung adenocarcinoma cells at the pH of the microenvironment of a solid tumor. These properties depend on the nature of the amino‐acid side chains of the cages, which modulate their lipophilicity and interactions with the cell membrane. This paves the way towards using pH as a parameter to control the selectivity of cytotoxic ionophores as anticancer drugs.     

Janus Gold Nanostars–Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for NIR-Light-Triggered Drug Delivery

Janus gold nanostar–mesoporous silica nanoparticle ( AuNSt–MSNP ) nanodevices able to release an entrapped payload upon irradiation with near infrared (NIR) light were prepared and characterized. The AuNSt surface was functionalized with a thiolated photolabile molecule ( 5 ), whereas the mesoporous silica face was loaded with a model drug (doxorubicin) and capped with proton-responsive benzimidazole-β-cyclodextrin supramolecular gatekeepers ( N 1 ). Upon irradiation with NIR-light, the photolabile compound 5 photodissociated, resulting in the formation of succinic acid, which induced the opening of the gatekeeper and cargo delivery. In the overall mechanism, the gold surface acts as a photochemical transducer capable of transforming the NIR-light input into a chemical messenger (succinic acid) that opens the supramolecular nanovalve. The prepared hybrid nanoparticles were non-cytotoxic to HeLa cells, until they were irradiated with a NIR laser, which led to intracellular doxorubicin release and hyperthermia. This induced a remarkable reduction in HeLa cells viability.