Biosynthesis of isoprenoids. purification and properties of IspG protein from Escherichia coli

[Structure: see text]. The IspG protein is known to catalyze the transformation of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate into 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl 4-diphosphate in the nonmevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis. We have found that the apparent IspG activity in the cell extracts of recombinant Escherichia coli cells as observed by a radiochemical assay can be enhanced severalfold by coexpression of the isc operon which is involved in the assembly of iron-sulfur clusters. The recombinant protein was isolated by affinity chromatography under anaerobic conditions. With a mixture of flavodoxin, flavodoxin reductase, and NADPH as the reducing agent, stringent assay methods based on photometry or on 13C NMR detection of multiply 13C-labeled substrate/product ratios afforded catalytic activities greater than 60 nmol mg(-1) min(-1) for the protein "as isolated" (i.e., without reconstitution of any kind). Lower apparent activities were found using photoreduced deazaflavin as an artifactual electron donor, whereas dithionite was unable to serve as an artificial electron donor. The apparent Michaelis constant for 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate was 700 microM. The enzyme was inactivated by EDTA and could be reactivated by Mn2+. The pH optimum was at 9.0. The protein contained 2.4 iron ions and 4.4 sulfide ions per subunit. The replacement of any of the three conserved cysteine residues afforded mutant proteins which were devoid of catalytic activity and contained less than 6% of Fe2+ and less than 23% of S2- as compared to the wild-type protein. Sequence comparison indicates that putative IspG proteins of plants, the apicomplexan protozoan Plasmodium falciparum, and bacteria from the Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi group contain an insert of about 170-320 amino acid residues as compared with eubacterial enzymes.     

High-resolution Mn EXAFS of the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II: structural implications for the Mn4Ca cluster

The biological generation of oxygen by the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (PS II) is one of nature's most important reactions. The recent X-ray crystal structures, while limited by resolutions of 3.2-3.5 A, have located the electron density associated with the Mn4Ca cluster within the multiprotein PS II complex. Detailed structures critically depend on input from spectroscopic techniques, such as EXAFS and EPR/ENDOR, as the XRD resolution does not allow for accurate determination of the position of Mn/Ca or the bridging and terminal ligand atoms. The number and distances of Mn-Mn/Ca/ligand interactions determined from EXAFS provide important constraints for the structure of the Mn4Ca cluster. Here, we present data from a high-resolution EXAFS method using a novel multicrystal monochromator that show three short Mn-Mn distances between 2.7 and 2.8 A and, hence, the presence of three di-mu-oxo-bridged units in the Mn4Ca cluster. This result imposes clear limitations on the proposed structures based on spectroscopic and diffraction data and provides input for refining such structures.     

Asymmetric Hydroalkoxylation of Non‐Activated Alkenes: Titanium‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Allylphenols at High Temperatures

The asymmetric catalytic addition of alcohols (phenols) to non‐activated alkenes has been realized through the cycloisomerization of 2‐allylphenols to 2‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofurans (2‐methylcoumarans). The reaction was catalyzed by a chiral titanium–carboxylate complex at uncommonly high temperatures for asymmetric catalytic reactions. The catalyst was generated by mixing titanium isopropoxide, the chiral ligand (aS)‐1‐(2‐methoxy‐1‐naphthyl)‐2‐naphthoic acid or its derivatives, and a co‐catalytic amount of water in a ratio of 1:1:1 (5 mol % each). This homogeneous thermal catalysis (HOT‐CAT) gave various (S)‐2‐methylcoumarans with yields of up to 90 % and in up to 85 % ee at 240 °C, and in 87 % ee at 220 °C.     

Ansa‐Bridged Bis(benzene) Titanium Complexes

Taking advantage of an improved synthesis of [Ti(η⁶‐C₆H₆)₂], we report here the first examples of ansa‐bridged bis(benzene) titanium complexes. Deprotonation of [Ti(η⁶‐C₆H₆)₂] with nBuLi in the presence of N,N,N′,N′′,N′′‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (pmdta) leads to the corresponding 1,1′‐dilithio salt [Ti(η⁶‐C₆H₅Li)₂] ? pmdta that enables the preparation of the first one‐ and two‐atom‐bridged complexes by simple salt metathesis. The ansa complexes were fully characterized (NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X‐ray crystallography) and further studied electrochemically and computationally. Moreover, [Ti(η⁶‐C₆H₆)₂] is found to react with the Lewis base 1,3‐dimethylimidazole‐2‐ylidene (IMe) to give the bent sandwich complex [Ti(η⁶‐C₆H₆)₂(IMe)].     

Comparing Cyclophellitol N‐Alkyl and N‐Acyl Cyclophellitol Aziridines as Activity‐Based Glycosidase Probes

The synthesis and evaluation as activity‐based probes (ABPs) of three configurationally distinct, fluorescent N‐alkyl cyclophellitol aziridine isosteres for profiling GH1 β‐glucosidase (GBA), GH27 α‐galactosidase (GLA) and GH29 α‐fucosidase (FUCA) is described. In comparison with the corresponding acyl aziridine ABPs reported previously, the alkyl aziridine ABPs are synthesized easily and are more stable in mild acidic and basic media, and are thus easier to handle. The β‐glucose‐configured alkyl aziridine ABP proves equally effective in labeling GBA as its N‐acyl counterpart, whereas the N‐acyl aziridines targeting GLA and FUCA outperform their N‐alkyl counterparts. Alkyl aziridines can therefore be an attractive alternative in retaining glycosidase ABP design, but in targeting a new retaining glycosidase both N‐alkyl and N‐acyl aziridines are best considered at the onset of a new study.     

Complexes of polyacids with poly(vinylbenzocrown ether)s and polyvinylbenzoglymes in water

Insoluble complexes are formed in acidic aqueous media when poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly-(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) (P18C6) or polyvinylbenzoglymes are mixed. Complex formation results from hydrogen bonding between carboxyl groups and crown ether- or glyme–oxygen atoms as well as from hydrophobic interactions. The precipitation is pH dependent and was determined as a function of the ratio PAA to P18C6 or to polyglyme at different HCl concentrations in 10^?4M solutions of polycrown or polyglyme. Precipitation is nearly quantitative in 0.01N HCl. The compositions of PAA/P18C6 precipitates were determined as a function of the initial PAA/P18C6 ratio in solution. The complexes with P18C6 can be solubilized in acidic media when crown-complexable cations (K⁺, Cs⁺, Ba²⁺) are added, but the charged P18C6 reprecipitates in basic solution as a polysalt complex with the PAA–polyanion. More stable PAA–P18C6 complexes in the form of fibers can be obtained by interfacial complex formation. Poly(methacrylic acid) is less effective as a complex former.     

The discovery of two kinds of ion pairs

The discovery and implications of the existence of two kinds of ion pairs in solutions of carbanion salts is described. Also discussed are the factors controlling tight–loose ion pair equilibrium: the nature of the carbanion and its counterion, temperature, pressure, solvent, and cation‐complexing additives. A few examples are presented of the effect of these ionic species on the mechanisms of anionic polymerization and proton transfer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3655–3667, 2004     

Highly Selective Catalytic Conversion of Phenolic Bio‐Oil to Alkanes

Oil and water : A new energy‐efficient and atom‐economical catalytic route for the production of alkanes and methanol by upgrading the phenolic fraction of bio‐oil has been developed. The one‐pot aqueous‐phase hydrodeoxygenation process is based on two catalysts facilitating consecutive hydrogenation, hydrolysis, and dehydration reactions.

     

Nitrogen‐Rich Compounds of the Lanthanoids: The 5,5′‐Azobis[1H‐tetrazol‐1‐ides] of some Yttric Earths (Tb,Dy, Ho,Er, Tm,Yb, and Lu)

A set of N‐rich salts, 3 – 9 , of the heavy lanthanoids (terbium, 3 ; dysprosium, 4 ; holmium 5 ; erbium, 6 ; thulium, 7 ; ytterbium, 8 ; lutetium, 9 ) based on the energetic 5,5′‐azobis[1H‐tetrazole] (H₂ZT) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, vibrational (IR and Raman) spectroscopy, and X‐ray structure determination. The synthesis of the lanthanoid salts 3 – 9 was performed by crystallization from concentrated aqueous solutions of disodium 5,5′‐azobis[1H‐tetrazol‐1‐ide] dihydrate (Na₂ZT?2 H₂O; 1 ) and the respective Ln(NO₃)₃?5 H₂O and yielded large rhombic crystals of the type [Ln(H₂O)₈]₂(ZT)₃?6 H₂O in ca. 70% of the theoretical yield. The compounds 3 – 9 are isostructural (triclinic space group P ) to the previously published yttrium salt 2 ; they show, however, a clear lanthanoid contraction of several crystallographic parameters, e.g., the cell volume or the Ln? O bond lengths of the Ln³⁺ ions and the coordinating H₂O molecules. The lanthanoid contraction influences the strengths of the H‐bonds, which can be observed as a red shift by 4 cm^?1 in the characteristic IR band, in particular from 3595 cm^?1 ( 3 ) to 3599 cm^?1 ( 9 ). In good agreement with previous works, 2 – 9 are purely salt‐like compounds without a coordinative bond between the tetrazolide anion and the Ln³⁺ cation.