Conformational Space Sampled by Domain Reorientation of Linear Diubiquitin Reflected in Its Binding Mode for Target Proteins

Linear polyubiquitin chains regulate diverse signaling proteins, in which the chains adopt various conformations to recognize different target proteins. Thus, the structural plasticity of the chains plays an important role in controlling the binding events. Herein, paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy is employed to explore the conformational space sampled by linear diubiquitin, a minimal unit of linear polyubiquitin, in its free state. Rigorous analysis of the data suggests that, regarding the relative positions of the ubiquitin units, particular regions of conformational space are preferentially sampled by the molecule. By combining these results with further data collected for charge-reversal derivatives of linear diubiquitin, structural insights into the factors underlying the binding events of linear diubiquitin are obtained.     

Existence and uniqueness of viscosity solutions for a degenerate parabolic equation associated with the infinity-Laplacian

The existence, uniqueness and regularity of viscosity solutions to the Cauchy–Dirichlet problem are proved for a degenerate nonlinear parabolic equation of the form , where denotes the so-called infinity-Laplacian given by . To do so, a coercive regularization of the equation is introduced and barrier function arguments are also employed to verify the equi-continuity of approximate solutions. Furthermore, the Cauchy problem is also studied by using the preceding results on the Cauchy–Dirichlet problem. Dedicated to the memory of our friend Kyoji Takaichi. The research of the first author was partially supported by Waseda University Grant for Special Research Projects, #2004A-366.     

Electrochemical Synthesis and Optical Properties of a Chiral Poly[1,4‐bis(3′,4′‐ethylenedioxythienyl)‐phenylene] Derivative

Summary: Optically active poly[(R)‐ or (S)‐1,4‐bis(2‐(3′,4′‐ethylenedioxy)thienyl)‐2‐benzoic acid 1‐methylheptyl ester] was prepared by an electrochemical technique and characterized by circular dichroism measurements. It was found that the optical activity and optical rotation of the film could be controlled by adjusting the electronic state of the electrochemical process. Polymer films prepared in the oxidized state exhibit a weak Cotton effect, while the reduced polymer film exhibits the expected mirror‐image bisignate Cotton effect in the region of the π–π* transition of the polymer main chain. These results indicate that the main chain itself is chiral in the film state. This procedure has great potential for the preparation of functional electrochromic devices and the improved preparation of durable electrochromic devices based on the good film‐forming properties of the chiral polymer.

Cyclic voltammogram and CD spectra of the chiral polymer thin film produced here.     

Development of a fluorescent probe library enabling efficient screening of tumour-imaging probes based on discovery of biomarker enzymatic activities

Fluorescent probes that can selectively detect tumour lesions have great potential for fluorescence imaging-guided surgery. Here, we established a library-based approach for efficient screening of probes for tumour-selective imaging based on discovery of biomarker enzymes. We constructed a combinatorial fluorescent probe library for aminopeptidases and proteases, which is composed of 380 probes with various substrate moieties. Using this probe library, we performed lysate-based in vitro screening and/or direct imaging-based ex vivo screening of freshly resected clinical specimens from lung or gastric cancer patients, and found promising probes for tumour-selective visualization. Further, we identified two target enzymes as novel biomarker enzymes for discriminating between tumour and non-tumour tissues. This library-based approach is expected to be an efficient tool to develop tumour-imaging probes and to discover new biomarker enzyme activities for various tumours and other diseases.

Efficient methodology to develop tumor-imaging fluorescent probes based on screening with our newly constructed probe library for aminopeptidase/protease (380 probes) and clinical samples has been established.     

A convenient synthesis of substituted γ-pyrones

An efficient and general synthetic method for various 2-mono- and 2,6-disubstituted γ-pyrones has been developed. This utilizes the $\text{C}$-acylation (70–85%) of β-methoxy-α,β-enone lithium enolates $\text{4}$ by acid chlorides $\text{3}$ followed by the acid-catalyzed cyclization (>80%) of the resulting enols $\text{5}$ to γ-pyrones $\text{6}$.     

Heterogeneous Fenton Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Water Enhanced by Combining Iron-type Layered Double Hydroxide and Sulfate

Water pollution derived from organic pollutants is one of the global environmental problems. The Fenton reaction using Fe²⁺ as a homogeneous catalyst has been known as one of clean methods for oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. Here, a layered double hydroxide (Fe²⁺Al³⁺-LDH) containing Fe²⁺ and Al³⁺ in the structure was used to develop a “heterogeneous” Fenton catalyst capable of mineralizing organic pollutants. We found that sulfate ion (SO₄²⁻) immobilized on the Fe²⁺Al³⁺-LDH significantly facilitated oxidative degradation (mineralization) of phenol as a model compound of water pollutants to carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a heterogeneous Fenton process. The phenol conversion and mineralization efficiency to CO₂ reached >99% and ca. 50%, respectively, even with a reaction time of only 60 min.     

Thermodynamic properties of binary mixtures: Hexamethylphosphoric triamide + a polar liquid at 25°C

Excess enthalpies H _m ^E excess isobaric heat capacities C _p,m ^E , densities, and speeds of sound of hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA)+acetonitrile (AN), + N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and + dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were measured at 25degrC. H _m ^E =–1200 J-mol^–1 for HMPA + AN, –180 J-mol^–1 for HMPA + DMF, and 75 J-mol^–1 for HMPA + DMSO C _p,m ^E is positive and considerably larger than C _v,m ^E . V _m ^E for HMPA + DMSO was small and changed sign from negative to positive around HMPA mole fraction x=0.6. V _m ^E for the other two mixtures were negative. The excess compressibilities, K _m ^E for the other two mixtures were negative. The excess compressibilities, K _S ^E and K _T ^E were similar to V _m ^E Presented at the Symposium, 76^th CSC Congress, Sherbrooke, Quebec, May 30-June 3, 1993, honoring Professor Donald Patterson on the occasion of his 65^th birthday.     

Bond-selective photodissociation of partially deuterated ammonia molecules: photodissociations of vibrationally excited NHD(2) in the 5nu(NH) state and NH(2)D in the 5nu(ND) state

Ultraviolet photodissociation of NHD(2) excited to the fourth overtone state of the NH stretching mode (5nu(NH)) and NH(2)D excited to that of the ND stretching mode (5nu(ND)) has been investigated by using a crossed laser and molecular beams method. Branching ratio between the NH and ND bond dissociations has been determined by utilizing a (2+1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization scheme of H and D atoms. For the photolysis of NHD(2) in the 5nu(NH) state, the NH dissociation cross section is 5.1+/-1.4 times as large as the ND dissociation cross section per bond. On the other hand, for the photolysis of NH(2)D in the 5nu(ND) state, the ratio of the NH dissociation cross section per bond to the ND dissociation cross section decreases to 0.68+/-0.16. In comparison with the branching ratios for the photolysis of vibrationally unexcited NH(2)D and NHD(2), the present results indicate that the excitation of the NH stretching mode enhances the NH dissociation with ca. two times larger NH/ND branching ratio, whereas the excitation of the ND stretching mode results in the preferential ND dissociation with ca. 3-4 times larger ND/NH branching ratio than that for the vibrational ground states. The mechanism of the bond-selective enhancement has been discussed in terms of the energetics and dynamics of wave packet.