Patents and literature

Protein engineering and site-directed mutagenesis is becoming immensely important in both fundamental studies and commercial applications involving proteins and enzymes in biocatalysis. Protein engineering has become a powerful tool to help biochemists and molecular enzymologists elucidate structure-function relationships in enzymic active sites, to understand the intricacies of protein folding and denaturation, and to alter the selectivity of enzymatic catalysis. Commercial applications of engineered enzymes are being developed to increase protein stability, widen or narrow substrate specificity, and to develop novel approaches for use of enzymes in organic synthesis, drug design, and clinical applications. In addition to protein engineering, novel expression systems have been designed to prepare large quantities of genetically engineered proteins. Recent US patents and scientific literature on protein engineering, site-directed mutagenesis, and protein expression systems related to protein engineering are surveyed. Patent abstracts are summarized individually and a list of literature references are given.     

CHEMICALLY MODIFIED PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIAL REACTION CENTERS: CIRCULAR DICHROISM, RAMAN RESONANCE, LOW TEMPERATURE ABSORPTION, FLUORESCENCE AND ODMR SPECTRA AND POLYPEPTIDE COMPOSITION OF BOROHYDRIDE TREATED REACTION CENTERS FROM Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26

Abstract— Reaction centers from Rhodobacter sphaeroides have been modified by treatment with sodium borohydride similar to the original procedure [Ditson et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 766 , 623 (1984)], and investigated spectroscopically and by gel electrophoresis.
(1) Low temperature (1.2 K) absorption, fluorescence, absorption- and fluorescence-detected ODMR, and microwave-induced singlet-triplet absorption difference spectra (MIA) suggest that the treatment produces a spectroscopically homogeneous preparation with one of the 'additional' bacteriochlorophylls being removed. The modification does not alter the zero field splitting parameters of the primary donor triplet (^TP870).
(2) From the circular dichroism and Raman resonance spectra in the1500–1800 cm^-1 region, the removed pigment is assigned to Bchl_M, e.g. the "extra" Bchl on the "inactive" M-branch.
(3) A strong coupling among all pigment molecules is deduced from the circular dichroism spectra, because pronounced band-shifts and/or intensity changes occur in the spectral components assigned to all pigments. This is supported by distinct differences among the MIA spectra of untreated and modified reaction centers, as well as by Raman resonance.
(4) The modification is accompanied by partial proteolytic cleavage of the M-subunit. The preparation is thus spectroscopically homogeneous, but biochemically heterogenous.     

1H- and 13C-NMR. Studies of some metal complexes of o,o′-dihydroxyazobenzenes

The aromatic ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. spectra of some metal complexes of o, o′-dihydroxyazobenzenes are shown to be useful in distinguishing the two possible isomers (acolar and discolar) stemming from the non equivalence of the two ligating azo nitrogen atoms. The ortho aromatic carbon atoms, C(6) and C(12) experience relatively large upfield shifts between 12.8 and 15.7 ppm when the adjacent nitrogen atom is coordinated. The protons attached to these carbon atoms are shifted downfield. The values ⁿJ (¹⁵N, ¹³C) for the ligand 2,2′-dihydroxy-3-methyl-4′-chloro-5-(t-butyl)-¹⁵N-azobenzene are reported.     

Neue schnelle Ionenleiter vom Typ MMIIICl6 (MI = Li,Na, Ag; MIII = In,Y)

Novel Fast Ion Conductors of the Type M M^IIICl₆ (M^I = Li, Na, Ag; M^III = In, Y) The ternary chlorides Li₃InCl₆, Na₃InCl₆, Ag₃InCl₆, and Li₃YCl₆ have been studied by difference scanning calorimetry, high-temperature X-ray, infrared, and high-temperature Raman methods. Impedance spectroscopic measurements exhibit fast ionic conductivity increasing in the sequence Na₃InCl₆ < Li₃YCl₆ < Ag₃InCl₆ < Li₃InCl₆. In the range of 300°C, Li₃InCl₆ is the best lithium ion conductor known so far (σ = 0,2 Ω^?1 cm^?1 at 300°C). With the exception of Na₃InCl₆, the chlorides exhibit complicated order-disorder phase transitions.     

A graph-theoretic approach to quantitative structure—activity/reactivity studies

Characterization of molecular species based on the use of suitable graph invariants (graph paths, in particular) can provide a quantitative means of encoding structure; the technique is complementary to commoner approaches to studies of quantitative structure— activity relationships. Graph path encoding is here applied to quantitative studies of relationships between molecular structures and biological activity; the examples are the rates of various substrate reactions with hexoldnase, and the potential opiate-like activity of enkephalin analogs.     

β-Lactam Derivatives as Enzyme Inhibitors: Peptidic Derivatives of ( RS )-2-Oxo-4-phenylazetidine-1-alkanoic Acids

4-Phenylazetidine-2-one was transformed into 4-phenylazetidine-1-alkanoic acids, which were reacted in the presence of diphenylphosphoroazidate with amino acid esters and dipeptide esters yielding β-lactam peptides with different spacers between the lactam ring and the peptide moiety. All structures were established by elementary analyses, HPLC, optical rotation, and spectroscopic data and all new compounds were tested as inhibitors of PPE using standard procedures. Four compounds exhibited a weak activity compared with the standard inhibitor trifluoroacetyl-l-val-l-tyr-l-val.