Cyclopropanations of olefin-containing natural products for simultaneous arming and structure activity studies

Cyclopropanations of alkene-containing natural products that proceed under mild conditions are reported for simultaneous arming and structure-activity relationship studies. An alkynyl diazo ester under Rh(II) catalysis is employed for cyclopropanations of electron-rich olefins while an alkynyl sulfonium ylide is used for electron-poor olefins. This approach enables simultaneous natural product derivatization for SAR studies and arming (i.e., via alkyne attachment) for subsequent conjugation with reporter tags (e.g., biotin, fluorophores, photoaffinity labels) for mechanism of action studies including cellular target identification and proteome profiling experiments.     

Biochemical and structural characterization of germicidin synthase: analysis of a type III polyketide synthase that employs acyl-ACP as a starter unit donor

Germicidin synthase (Gcs) from Streptomyces coelicolor is a type III polyketide synthase (PKS) with broad substrate flexibility for acyl groups linked through a thioester bond to either coenzyme A (CoA) or acyl carrier protein (ACP). Germicidin synthesis was reconstituted in vitro by coupling Gcs with fatty acid biosynthesis. Since Gcs has broad substrate flexibility, we directly compared the kinetic properties of Gcs with both acyl-ACP and acyl-CoA. The catalytic efficiency of Gcs for acyl-ACP was 10-fold higher than for acyl-CoA, suggesting a strong preference toward carrier protein starter unit transfer. The 2.9 ? germicidin synthase crystal structure revealed canonical type III PKS architecture along with an unusual helical bundle of unknown function that appears to extend the dimerization interface. A pair of arginine residues adjacent to the active site affect catalytic activity but not ACP binding. This investigation provides new and surprising information about the interactions between type III PKSs and ACPs that will facilitate the construction of engineered systems for production of novel polyketides.     

Semiexperimental equilibrium structures for the equatorial conformers of N-methylpiperidone and tropinone by the mixed estimation method

N-Methylpiperidone (MPIP) and tropinone, which contain a structural motif found in numerous alkaloids, are too large to determine an accurate equilibrium structure either by ab initio methods or by experiment. However, the ground state rotational constants of the parent species and of all isotopologues with a substituted heavy atom ((13)C, (15)N, (18)O) are known from microwave spectroscopy. These constants have been corrected for the rovibrational contribution calculated from an ab initio cubic force field. These semiexperimental equilibrium rotational constants have been supplemented by carefully chosen structural parameters from medium level ab initio calculations. The two sets of data have been used in a weighted least-squares fit to determine reliable equilibrium structures for both molecules. This work shows that it is possible to determine reliable equilibrium structures for large molecules (34 degrees of freedom in the case of tropinone) at a detailed level of accuracy, and the method could be applied without too much difficulty to still larger molecules.     

FCl:PCX complexes: old and new types of halogen bonds

MP2/aug'-cc-pVTZ calculations have been performed to investigate the halogen-bonded complexes FCl:PCX, for X = NC, CN, F, H, CCH, CCF, CH(3), Li, and Na. Although stable complexes with a F-Cl···P halogen bond exist that form through the lone pair at P (configuration I), except for FCl:PCCN, the more stable complexes are those in which FCl interacts with the C≡P triple bond through a perturbed π system (configuration II). In complexes I, the nature of the halogen bond changes from traditional to chlorine-shared and the interaction energies increase, as the electron-donating ability of X increases. The anionic complex FCl:PC(-) has a chlorine-transferred halogen bond. SAPT analyses indicate that configuration I complexes with traditional halogen bonds are stabilized primarily by the dispersion interaction. The electrostatic interaction is the most important for configuration I complexes with chlorine-shared halogen bonds and for configuration II complexes except for FCl:PCNa for which the induction term is most important. The F-Cl stretching frequency is red-shifted upon complexation. EOM-CCSD/(qzp,qz2p) spin-spin coupling constants have been obtained for all FCl:PCX complexes with configuration I. (1)J(F-Cl) decreases upon complexation. (2X)J(F-P) values are quadratically dependent upon the F-P distance and are very sensitive to halogen-bond type. (1X)J(Cl-P) tends to increase as the Cl-P distance decreases but then decreases dramatically in the chlorine-transferred complex FCl:PC(-) as the Cl-P interaction approaches that of a covalent Cl-P bond. Values of (1)J(F-Cl) for configuration II are reduced relative to configuration I, reflecting the longer F-Cl distances in II compared to those of the neutral complexes of I. Although the F-P and Cl-P distances in configuration II complexes are shorter than these distances in the corresponding configuration I complexes, (2X)J(F-P) and (1X)J(Cl-P) values are significantly reduced, indicating that coupling through the perturbed C-P π bond is less efficient. The nature of F-P coupling for configuration II is also significantly different, as evidenced by the relative importance of PSO, FC, and SD components.     

Cerium oxide nanoparticles scavenge nitric oxide radical (˙NO)

In this study we have obtained evidence that cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO(2) NPs) are able to scavenge nitric oxide radical. Surprisingly, this activity is present in CeO(2) NPs with a lower level of cerium in the 3+ state (CeO(2) NPs with low 3+/4+ ratio and therefore a reduced number of oxygen vacancies), in contrast to the superoxide scavenging properties which are correlated with an increased level of cerium in the 3+ state (CeO(2) NPs with high 3+/4+ ratio and therefore an increased number of oxygen vacancies).     

The cyclobutane dimers of 2'-deoxyuridine, 2'-deoxycytidine, 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine

Irradiation of DNA and RNA pyrimidine nucleosides with UV light in frozen aqueous solution or in solution with acetone often results in the formation of cyclobutane dimers (CBDs). Many of these photodimers have not been characterized. We present here the results of work designed to achieve the isolation, spectroscopic characterization and determination of the stereochemical nature of a number of little studied or previously unstudied CBDs of four 2'-deoxyribonuclesides. These nucleosides are 2'-deoxyuridine (dUrd), 2'-deoxycytidine (dCyd), 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine (5-MedCyd) and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (5-BrdUrd). In particular, we have isolated and characterized six dUrd CBDs, five dCyd CBDs, five 5-MedCyd CBDs and four 5-BrdUrd CBDs. Photoproducts were studied by UV spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, proton NMR spectroscopy and via chemical approaches. Also presented are results from less definitive studies of a number of (6-4) (or 5-4) photoadducts of these nucleosides. In addition, results from exploratory photochemical studies of other 2'-deoxyribonucleosides in frozen solution, as well as some mixtures of two nucleosides, are given. The latter results indicate that 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (5-IdUrd), 5-bromo-2'-deoxycytidine and 5-iodo-2'-deoxycytidine each form putative CBDs and that 5-BrdUrd is capable of forming putative mixed CBDs and (6-4) and/or (5-4) adducts with thymidine (Thd); 5-IdUrd similarly forms a (6-4) (or (5-4)) adduct with Thd.     

Fluxes in "free" and total zinc are essential for progression of intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

Dynamic fluxes in the concentration of ions and small molecules are fundamental features of cell signaling, differentiation, and development. Similar roles for fluxes in transition metal concentrations are less well established. Here, we show that massive zinc fluxes are essential in the infection cycle of an intracellular eukaryotic parasite. Using single-cell quantitative imaging, we show that growth of the blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasite requires acquisition of 30 million zinc atoms per erythrocyte before host cell rupture, corresponding to a 400% increase in total zinc concentration. Zinc accumulates in a freely available form in parasitophorous compartments outside the food vacuole, including mitochondria. Restriction of zinc availability via small molecule treatment causes a drop in mitochondrial membrane potential and severely inhibits parasite growth. Thus, extraordinary zinc acquisition and trafficking are essential for parasite development.     

Structures, binding energies, and spin-spin coupling constants of geometric isomers of pnicogen homodimers (PHFX)2, X = F, Cl, CN, CH3, NC

Ab initio MP2/aug'-cc-pVTZ calculations have been carried out to determine the structures and binding energies of homodimers (PHFX)(2) for X = F, Cl, CN, CH(3), and NC. Geometric isomers of these complexes with C(i) symmetry exist, which are differentiated in terms of the nature of the atoms (F-P···P-F, H-P···P-H, or A-P···P-A, with A being the atom of X directly bonded to P), which approach a nearly linear alignment. Of these, isomers having F-P···P-F linear are the most stable. Binding energies, intermolecular distances, and EOM-CCSD spin-spin coupling constants are sensitive to both the nature of X and the atoms that assume the linear alignment.