Analysis of Colubroidea snake venoms by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry: evolutionary and toxinological implications

The evolution of the venomous function of snakes and the diversification of the toxins has been of tremendous research interest and considerable debate. It has become recently evident that the evolution of the toxins in the advanced snakes (Colubroidea) predated the evolution of the advanced, front-fanged delivery mechanisms. Historically, the venoms of snakes lacking front-fanged venom-delivery systems (conventionally grouped into the paraphyletic family Colubridae) have been largely neglected. In this study we used liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to analyze a large number of venoms from a wide array of species representing the major advanced snake clades Atractaspididae, Colubrinae, Elapidae, Homalopsinae, Natricinae, Psammophiinae, Pseudoxyrhophiinae, Xenodontinae, and Viperidae. We also present the first sequences of toxins from Azemiops feae as well as additional toxin sequences from the Colubrinae. The large body of data on molecular masses and retention times thus assembled demonstrates a hitherto unsuspected diversity of toxins in all lineages, having implications ranging from clinical management of envenomings to venom evolution to the use of isolated toxins as leads for drug design and development. Although definitive assignment of a toxin to a protein family can only be done through demonstrated structural studies such as N-terminal sequencing, the molecular mass data complemented by LC retention information, presented here, do permit formulation of reasonable hypotheses concerning snake venom evolution and potential clinical effects to a degree not possible till now, and some hypotheses of this kind are proposed here. The data will also be useful in biodiscovery.     

2-Vinylcyclobutanones by Cycloaddition of Vinylketenes to Simple Olefins

Selected [2+2]-cycloadditions of three alkylvinylketenes 2 to one mono- and seven dialkyl-olefins 3 yielded eleven 2-alkyl-2-vinylcyclobutanones 4 (Tables 1 and 2). Three methods were compared, all involving in situ generation of the ketenes 2 by HCl-elimination from α,β-unsaturated acid chlorides 1 ; the most effective employed a large excess of olefin 3 and a high reaction temperature. The [2+2]-cycloadditions were fully regio- and stereoselective with respect to the olefin 3 , but less so with respect to the ketene 2 , so that - where possible - two stereoisomers of 4 resulted, namely A and B , whose configurations were determined from their ¹H-NMR, spectra, mechanistic considerations and, in one case, 4f , by chemical correlation with a previously known cycloadduct 8 .     

Identification of radicals spin-trapped in autoxidized linoleic acids: A high performance liquid chromatography and electron spin resonance study

Radicals generated in linoleic acid and deuterated linoleic acid have been trapped by the spin trap 2-methyl-2-nitroso-propane (MNP) and identified by electron spin resonance (ESR) and ENDOR spectroscopy. The formation of two distinct secondary alkyl radical adducts (one conjugated, the other non-conjugated, as shown by their UV absorption spectra) was demonstrated by 11, 11-dideuterio-9-cis-12-cis-linoleic acid using HPLC and ESR spectroscopy.     

An electron spin resonance study of radicals from chloramine-t-1 : Spin trapping of radicals produced in acid media

Under acid conditions aqueous solutions of chloramine-T form nitrogen-centred radicals via loss of the chlorine atom. The nitrogen radicals produced have been studied by ESR spectroscopy using the spintrapping method. Adducts of the spin trap phenyl-t-butyl nitrone are oxidized by chloramine-T in acid media to give a paramagnetic product in which the unpaired electron interacts with two inequivalent nitrogen atoms. The spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidine-1 -oxide is oxidized rapidly to 5,5-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidone-1-oxyl by chloramine-T under acid onditions. The water soluble trap α-4-pyridyl-1-oxide-N-t-butyl nitrone forms a stable nitroxide adduct with a nitrogen radical of chloramine-T in acid solution. Identical results were obtained with chloramine-B (sodium salt of N-chlorobenzene sulfonamide), indicating the involvement of the N-chloramine group in radical formation.     

Synthesis of 9-methyl-1H-[1,4]thiazino[3,2-g]quinoline-2,5,10(3H)-trione, the B,C,D ring core of the shermilamine alkaloids

Synthesis of 9-methyl-1H-[1,4]thiazino[3,2-g]quinoline-2,5,10(3H)-trione (4), from N-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)acetamide (23) is described. Oxidative cyclisation of 2,2'-disulfanediylbis[N-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)acetamide] (19) to 5,8-dimethoxy-2H-1,4-benzothiazin-3(4H)-one (7b) is also reported.     

Elastic properties of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) gels: Network topology

Current network theory exhibits inconsistencies which show up particularly clearly in deformation of networks prepared by crosslinking a polymer in solution. A check of theory can be obtained if one knows precisely the number of crosslinks in the network and if a range of deformations is applied to the network. In an effort to explore this problem we have examined the relation of shear modulus to crosslink density, primary molecular weight, and polymer concentration for a series of poly(vinyl alcohol) gels at low to intermediate concentrations. Aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions were crosslinked to form infinite networks using terephthalaldehyde. We find a large discrepancy with these poly(vinyl alcohol) gels between measured shear modulus and that calculated from classical elasticity theory assuming quantitative reaction of crosslinking. The ratio of measured to calculated modulus is independent of crosslink density for a given primary molecular weight and concentration. It shows linear dependence on polymer concentration prior to crosslinking and extrapolates to a critical concentration which is consistent with the effective sizes of the polymer molecules.     

Reinvestigation of CS2 dissociation at 193 nm by means of product state-selective vacuum ultraviolet laser ionization and velocity imaging

A branching ratio of 1.6 +/- 0.3 for S(3P)/S(1D) is obtained for the dissociation of CS2 with very low fluence 193 nm laser (less than 2 mJ/cm2), in which the S(3P) and S(1D) have been state-selectively ionized using VUV lasers at different wavelengths. The anisotropy parameters betamax(3P) = 0.8 and betamax(1D) = 1.9 indicate that these channels are preferentially populated at different geometries and the lifetime is very short.     

DMC: A multifunctional hybrid dynamics/Monte Carlo simulation algorithm for the evaluation of conformational space

A hybrid conformational search algorithm (DMC) is described that combines a modified form of molecular dynamics with Metropolis Monte Carlo sampling, using the COSMIC(90) force field. Trial configurations are generated by short bursts of high-temperature dynamics in which the initial kinetic energy is focused into single bond rotations or alternatively into “corner-flapping” motions in ring systems. Constant temperature and simulated annealing search protocols have been applied to the conformational analysis of several model hydrocarbons (cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, cycloheptadecane, decane, and tetradecane), and the performance compared with conventional molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo sampling methods. Optimum Metropolis sampling temperatures have been determined and range from 1000–2000 K for acyclic molecules to 3000 K for cyclic systems. Simulated annealing runs are most successful at locating the global minimum when cooling slowing from these optimum temperatures.     

A three-component coupling process based on vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS(AR))-alkylation reactions: an approach to indoprofen and derivatives.

The intermediate anion derived from the vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) of hydrogen reacts with a series of alkyl halides to generate the corresponding alpha-alkylated conventional VNS product in a one-pot process. This one-pot VNS-alkylation reaction offers a convenient route to a range alpha-substituted nitrobenzyl phosphine oxides, sulfones, and esters via a three-component coupling reaction. Reactions of alpha-chloroethyl phenyl sulfone (14) and ethyl 2-chloropropionate (16) with nitrobenzene followed by subsequent addition of an alkylating agent give a series of sulfones and esters bearing an alpha-aryl quaternary center. The VNS-alkylation protocol has been applied to the synthesis of derivatives of Indoprofen from nitrobenzene using readily available inexpensive starting materials. Indoprofen itself was prepared using the conventional VNS reaction in four steps and 24% overall yield from nitrobenzene.     

Polyaromatic amines. Part 3: Synthesis of poly(diarylamino)styrenes and related compounds

The title compounds were synthesised and characterised as part of a study into new aromatic amines for charge transporting materials. Compounds 12-16, 20-24 and 27-34 are alkene linked triarylamines, compounds 35-36 are hydrazone derivatives and compounds 38-41 are pyrrole substituted triarylamines. Each compound was characterised by cyclic voltammetry.