A model explaining declining rate in hydrolysis of lignocellulose substrates with cellobiohydrolase I (cel7A) and endoglucanase I (cel7B) of Trichoderma reesei

It is commonly observed that the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of solid cellulose substrates declines markedly with time. In this work the mechanism behind the rate reduction was investigated using two dominant cellulases of Trichoderma reesei: exoglucanase Cel7A (formerly known as CBHI) and endoglucanase Cel7B (formerly EGI). Hydrolysis of steam-pretreated spruce (SPS) was performed with Cel7A and Cel7B alone, and in reconstituted mixtures. Throughout the 48-h hydrolysis, soluble products, hydrolysis rates, and enzyme adsorption to the substrate were measured. The hydrolysis rate for both enzymes decreases rapidly with hydrolysis time. Both enzymes adsorbed rapidly to the substrate during hydrolysis. Cel7A and Cel7B cooperate synergistically, and synergism was approximately constant during the SPS hydrolysis. Thermal instability of the enzymes and product inhibition was not the main cause of reduced hydrolysis rates. Adding fresh substrate to substrate previously hydrolyzed for 24 h with Cel7A slightly increased the hydrolysis of SPS; however, the rate increased even more by adding fresh Cel7A. This suggests that enzymes become inactivated while adsorbed to the substrate and that unproductive binding is the main cause of hydrolysis rate reduction. The strongest increase in hydrolysis rate was achieved by adding Cel7B. An improved model is proposed that extends the standard endo-exo synergy model and explains the rapid decrease in hydrolysis rate. It appears that the processive action of Cel7A becomes hindered by obstacles in the lignocellulose substrate. Obstacles created by disordered cellulose chains can be removed by the endo activity of Cel7B, which explains some of the observed synergism between Cel7A and Cel7B. The improved model is supported by adsorption studies during hydrolysis.     

First order magnetic transition,magnetic structure,and vacancy distribution in Fe2P

The para- to ferromagnetic transition in Fe₂P has been studied using Mössbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic hyperfine fields drop abruptly from about half of their saturation values to zero at 214.5 K indicating a first order transition. The isomer shifts show a discontinuous change at the transition point. For some samples the transition takes place over a wide temperature range, probably due to impurities and other imperfections in the samples. From the magnetic hyperfine fields at 15 K the magnetic moments can be deduced to be 1.14 μ_B and 1.78 μ_B for Fe(1) and Fe(2), respectively. An assignment of the components in the Mössbauer spectra to the two crystallographically nonequivalent iron positions has been made from the temperature variation of the spectra.The ordering of metal vacancies has been investigated by a Mössbauer study of a nonstoichiometric Fe₂P sample and by an X-ray diffraction study of a nonstoichiometric Mn₂P crystal.     

Analysis of proteins from a glioma cell line by using micro-scale solution isoelectric focusing in combination with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

In this study we have investigated whether micro-solution isoelectric focusing (microsol-IEF) can be used as a pre-fractionation step prior to liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and if extensive sample purification of the different fractions is required. We found that, in spite of the high concentrations of buffer and detergents, no clean up of the digested microsol-IEF fractions was necessary before analysis by LC/MS/MS. We also concluded that it is possible to identify at least twice as many proteins in a glioma cell lysate with the combination of microsol-IEF and LC/MS/MS than with LC/MS/MS alone. Furthermore, most of the proteins that were identified from one microsol-IEF fraction by using analytical narrow-range two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and peptide mass fingerprinting with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) were also identified by LC/MS/MS. Finally, we used the combination of microsol-IEF and LC/MS/MS to compare two sample preparation methods for glioma cells and found that several nuclear, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum proteins were only present in the sample that had been subjected to lipid extraction by incubating the homogenized cells in chloroform/methanol/water.     

Micropatterning of DNA-tagged vesicles

We present a novel concept for the creation of lipid vesicle microarrays based on a patterning approach termed Molecular Assembly Patterning by Lift-off (MAPL). A homogeneous MAPL-based single-stranded DNA microarray was converted into a vesicle array by the use of vesicles tagged with complementary DNAs, permitting sequence-specific coupling of vesicles to predefined surface regions through complementary DNA hybridization. In the multistep process utilized to fulfill this achievement, active spots consisting of PLL-g-PEGbiotin with a resistant PLL-g-PEG background, as provided by the MAPL process, was converted into a DNA array by addition of complexes of biotin-terminated DNA and NeutrAvidin. This was then followed by addition of POPC vesicles tagged with complementary cholesterol-terminated DNA, thus providing specific coupling of vesicles to the surface through complementary DNA hybridization. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy monitoring were used to optimize the multistep surface modification process. It was found that the amount of adsorbed biotinDNA-NeutrAvidin complexes decreases with increasing molar ratio of biotinDNA to NeutrAvidin and decreasing ionic strength of the buffer solution. Modeling of the QCM-D data showed that the shape of the immobilized vesicles depends on the amount of available anchoring groups between the vesicles and the surface. Fluorescent microscopy images confirmed the possibility to create well-defined patterns of DNA-tagged, fluorescently labeled vesicles in the micrometer range.     

Chemical studies of marine invertebrates—XXVIII: Diterpenes from clavularia inflata (coelenterata,octocorallia, stolonifera)

The presence of terpenoids in the order Stolonifera has been established by the isolation of three novel diterpenes, 1α,4β-dihydroxyclavular-17-ene (1), 4β-hydroxyclavulara-1(15),17-diene (2) and 3α.4β-dihydroxyclavulara-1(15), 17-diene (3) from Clavularia infiata. The structure of 1 has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and those of 2 and 3 by chemical intercorrelation with 1.     

Fast reduction of a copper center in laccase by nitric oxide and formation of a peroxide intermediate

The rapid reduction of one of the copper atoms (type 2) of tree laccase by nitric oxide (NO) has been detected. Addition of NO to native laccase in the presence of oxygen leads to EPR changes consistent with fast reduction and slow reoxidation of this metal center. These events are paralleled by optical changes that are reminiscent of formation and decay of the peroxide intermediate in a fraction of the enzyme population. Formation of this species is only possible if the trinuclear copper cluster (type 2 plus type 3) is fully reduced. This condition can only be met if, as suggested previously, a fraction of the enzyme contains both type 3 coppers already reduced before addition of NO. Our data are consistent with this assumption. We have suggested recently that fast reduction of copper is the mechanism by which NO interacts with the oxidized dinuclear center in cytochrome c oxidase. The present experiments using laccase strongly support this view and suggest this reaction as a general mechanism by which copper proteins interact with NO. In addition, this provides an unexploited way to produce a stable peroxide intermediate in copper oxidases in which the full complement of copper atoms is present. This enables the O-O scission step in the catalytic cycle to be studied by electron addition to the peroxide derivative through the native electron entry site, type 1 copper.     

Charge influence in semi-empirical calculations of heteroatomic ionic and neutral molecules

Iterative extended Hükel calculations for all valence electrons and iterative PPP calculations in the variable electronegativity formalism for -electrons were performed on benzene, pyridine, fluorobenzene, and the pyrylium ion. The charge distributions for all compounds were found more uniform and plausible with the iteration procedures than without. Polarization effects from the-electrons were found to be of importance for the -electrons. The lone-pair picture of the highest occupied MO in pyridine is preserved in the iterative extended Hückel method, and two lone-pairs were obtained on the fluorine atom of fluorobenzene. The results indicate that this atom is not hybridized.

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Zusammenfassung Benzol, Pyridin, Fluorbenzol und Pyriliumion wurden mit einer iterativen EH-Methode und einer iterativen PPP-VE-Methode berechnet. Es zeigte sich, daß Ladungsverteilungen bei Benutzung des Iterationsverfahrens besser beschrieben werden. Polarisationseffekte der-Elektronen auf die -Elektronen stellen sich als wichtig heraus. Auch in der IEH-Methode bleibt das oberste besetzte MO des Pyridins ein einsames Elektronenpaar. Am Fluoratom im Fluorbenzol werden zwei einsame-Elektronenpaare erhalten. Die Resultate führen zu der Annahme, daß dieses Atom nicht hybridisiert ist.

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Resumé Des calculs par les méthodes itératives de Hückel étendu pour tous les électrons de valence et de PPP avec électronégativité variable pour les électrons ont été effectués pour le benzène, la pyridine, le fluorobenzène et l'ion pyrylium. Les distributions de charge pour tons ces composés sont plus uniformes et plus plausibles avec les procédés itératis que sans. Les électrons ont un effet de polarisation important sur les électrons . La plus haute orbitale occupée dans la pyridine reste identifiable comme la paire libre dans la méthode de Hückel étendue, et l'on obtient deux paires libres sur l'atome de fluor du fluorobenzène. Cet atome n'est pas hybride.

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Sponsored in part by King Gustaf VI Adolfs 70-Years Fund for Swedish Culture, Knut and Alice Wallenberg's Foundation, and in part by the Swedish National Research Council.