Characterization of aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase from the medulla of rat kidney

Aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase from the medulla of the rat kidney have been purified to homogeneity by using affinity chromatography, gel filtration and chromatofocusing. The molecular weights of aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were found to be 37000 and 39000, respectively. The isoelectric points of aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase were found to be 5.4 and 6.2 by chromatofocusing, respectively. The major differences of amino acid compositions between both enzymes were found in serine, alanine and aspartic acid. Substrate specificity studies showed that aldose reductase utilized aldo-sugars such as D-glucose and D-galactose, but aldehyde reductase did not use them. The Km values of aldose reductase for various substrates were lower than those of aldehyde reductase. Aldose reductase utilized both reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) as coenzymes, whereas aldehyde reductase utilized only NADPH. The presence of the sulfate ion resulted in a dramatic activation of aldose reductase whereas it did not affect aldehyde reductase activity. These enzymes were strongly inhibited by the known aldose reductase inhibitors. However, aldose reductase was more susceptible than aldehyde reductase to inhibition by the aldose reductase inhibitors.     

Microwave spectrum of nitrogen dioxide in excited vibrational states—Equilibrium structure

Microwave spectra were observed for ¹⁴NO₂ in the vibrationally excited ν₁, ν₂, ν₃, and 2ν₂ states, as well as for ¹⁵NO₂ in the ν₁ and ν₂ states. The rotational constants, spin-rotation coupling constants and hyperfine interaction constants were precisely determined. Second-order change of the spin-rotation coupling constants with respect to the bending vibrational quantum number v₂ was also determined. Combined use of the rotational constants obtained by the present microwave investigation and those reported in high-resolution infrared spectroscopic studies leads to the determination of all the vibration-rotation interaction constants α_s and γ_ss′ and the equilibrium structure of nitrogen dioxide, $\text{r}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>e</mtext>}}\text{(}\text{N}\text{O) = 1.19389 ± 0.00004}\text{A}\text{?}$ and θ_e (ONO) = 133°51.4′ ± 0.2′, in the second-order approximation with respect to the vibrational quantum numbers.     

Microwave spectrum and conformation of vinyl mercaptan: The anti rotamer

Microwave spectra of the anti rotamer of vinyl mercaptan and its SD isotopic species have been studied in the frequency range 12–60 GHz. For the normal species rotational and centrifugal distortion constants have been obtained for the ground and first three excited states of the SH torsional mode, the ground state values being A = 49 422.75(5) MHz, B = 5 897.215(9) MHz, C = 5 279.436(9) MHz, D_J = 3.12(11) kHz, D_JK = ?38.50(1.71) kHz, and δ_J = 0.498(51) kHz. An approximate potential function for the SH torsion in the vicinity of the anti conformation, derived using the observed variation of rotational constants with vibrational quantum number, reveals the presence of a small potential barrier of 19 cm^?1 at the planar conformation. The v = 0 state lies above this barrier so the molecule is essentially planar in the ground state in spite of the observed negative value for the inertia defect (?0.1976(2) a.m.u.Ų). The anti rotamer is found to be 50 ± 25 cm^?1 less stable than the syn rotamer. The dipole moment has the ground state values μ_a = 0.425(10), μ_b = 1.033(10), and μ_total = 1.117(14) D and is shown to vary considerably with vibrational quantum number. Evidence for significant structural changes in going from the syn rotamer to the anti rotamer is also presented.     

Water molecules in the schiff base region of bacteriorhodopsin

The Schiff base region of bacteriorhodopsin (BR), a light-driven proton pump, contains a pentagonal cluster, being composed of three water molecules and one oxygen each of Asp85 and Asp212. Asp85 and Asp212 are located at similar distances from the retinal Schiff base, whereas the Schiff base proton is transferred only to Asp85 during the pump function. The present FTIR study experimentally established the stretching vibration of water402 hydrating with Asp85 by use of various BR mutants, whose frequency (2171 cm-1 as the O-D stretch) indicates very strong hydrogen bond.     

RhI‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Carbonylative C−H/C−I Coupling of 2‐Iodobiphenyls Using Furfural as a Carbonyl Source

Synthesis of fluoren‐9‐ones by a Rh‐catalyzed intramolecular C?H/C?I carbonylative coupling of 2‐iodobiphenyls using furfural as a carbonyl source is presented. The findings indicate that the rate‐determining step is not a C?H bond cleavage but, rather, the oxidative addition of the C?I bond to a Rh^I center.     

Molecular structure of helical supramolecular dendrimers

The molecular structure of helical supramolecular dendrimers generated from self-assembling dendrons and dendrimers and from self-organizable dendronized polymers was elucidated for the first time by the simulation of the X-ray diffraction patterns of their oriented fibers. These simulations were based on helical diffraction theory applied to simplified atomic helical models, followed by Cerius2 calculations based on their complete molecular helical structures. Hundreds of samples were screened until a library containing 14 supramolecular dendrimers and dendronized polymers provided a sufficient number of helical features in the X-ray diffraction pattern of their oriented fibers. This combination of techniques provided examples of single-9(2) and -11(3) helices, triple-6(1), -8(1), -9(1), and -12(1) helices, and an octa-32(1) helix that were assembled from crownlike dendrimers, hollow and nonhollow supramolecular crownlike dendrimers, hollow and nonhollow supramolecular disklike dendrimers, and hollow and nonhollow supramolecular and macromolecular helicene-like architectures. The method elaborated here for the determination of the molecular helix structure was transplanted from the field of structural biology and will be applicable to other classes of synthetic helical assemblies. The determination of the molecular structure of helical supramolecular assemblies is expected to provide an additional level of precision in the design of helical functional assemblies resembling those from biological systems.     

Differentiation of isomeric compounds by two-stage proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry

We investigated a two-stage ion source for proton transfer reaction (PTR) ionization to achieve more selective mass spectrometric (MS) detection of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than that achieved with commonly used PTR-MS instruments, which are based on single-step PTR ionization with H3O+. The two-stage PTR ion source generated reagent ions other than H3O+ by an initial PTR between H3O+ and a selected VOC, and then a second PTR ionization occurred only for VOCs with proton affinities larger than the affinity of the reagent VOC. Acetone and acetonitrile were useful as reagent VOCs because they provided dominant peaks as a protonated form. Using two-stage PTR-MS, we differentiated isomeric VOCs (for example, ethyl acetate and 1,4-dioxane) by means of differences in their proton affinities; protonated acetone formed the [M + H]+ ion from ethyl acetate but not from 1,4-dioxane. The PTR-MS-derived concentrations agreed quantitatively with those independently determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) at parts per million by volume (ppmv) levels. In addition, interfering fragment ions formed from alkyl benzenes at m/z 79 (C6H7+) could be distinguished from the m/z 79 ion arising from protonation of benzene, and therefore this method would prevent overestimation of benzene concentrations in air samples in which both benzene and alkyl benzenes are present. This two-stage PTR ionization may be useful for distinguishing various isomeric species, including aldehydes and ketones, if appropriate reagent ions are selected.