Probing the kinetic landscape of transient peptide-protein interactions by use of peptide (15)n NMR relaxation dispersion spectroscopy: binding of an antithrombin peptide to human prothrombin

Protein-ligand interactions may lead to the formation of multiple molecular complexes in dynamic exchange, affecting the kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of the binding equilibrium. We followed the dissociation kinetics of the transient and specific complex of an antithrombotic peptide N-acetyl-Asp(55)-Phe-Glu-Glu-Ile-Pro(60)-Glu-Glu-Tyr-Leu-Gln(65) with human prothrombin by use of (15)N NMR relaxation dispersion spectroscopy of the peptide. Every one of the five (15)N-labeled adjacent residues of the peptide exhibited apparently different kinetic exchange and relaxation behaviors, which were especially evident at different concentrations of prothrombin. Binding-induced (15)N relaxation dispersion of residues Phe(56), Glu(57), Glu(58), and Ile(59) can be fitted phenomenologically to a two-site on-and-off exchange mechanism with physically feasible relaxation and kinetic parameters obtained for residues Phe(56), Glu(58), and Ile(59), independent of the prothrombin concentration. The apparent kinetic parameters of Glu(57) show some dependence on the concentration of prothrombin and the extracted transverse relaxation rate for Glu(57) in the bound state was severalfold higher than that expected for a protein-peptide complex with a size of approximately 72 kDa. In addition, the equilibrium population of the bound peptide obtained for Glu(57) was inconsistent with those for Phe(56), Glu(58), and Ile(59) and with the prothrombin/peptide ratios used in the experiments. These discrepancies can be explained by the presence of two conformations for the peptide-protein complex exchanging at a rate of approximately 100 s(-)(1). In all, our study shows that fast dissociation of protein-peptide complexes can be studied quantitatively using peptide (15)N NMR relaxation dispersion measurements without a precise knowledge of the peptide and protein concentrations. In addition, protein titration was found to improve the accuracy of quantitative analysis and may make it possible to determine the rate of conformational changes within the protein-peptide complex.     

An Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Acyl-diazenes Using NaNO_2/NaHSO_4·H_2O

Azo compounds are widely utilized as analytic reagents and dyes1, they can also be used in material of non-linear optics, material of optics information storing in laser disks, and dyes with oil solubility in photochromy in modern technology2. Recently, many noteworthy studies have shown that some azo compounds possess excellent optical memory and photoelectric properties3,4. For example, polymer scaffolds bearing azobenzene-potential are useful for optical information storage, azo-dye doped…     

A Novel Synthesis of tert- Alkyl Sulfides

tert- Alkyl sulfides are conveniently prepared from α-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)alkyl sulfides by displacement of the 1H-benzotriazol-1-yl group with Grignard reagents. The 1-[α-(alkylthio)alkyl]- and 1-[α-(arylthio)alkyl]-1H-benzotriazole intermediates are easily available by several routes: (i) displacement of the halogen from appropriate halides by sodium salts of thiols, (ii) condensation of 1H-benzotriazole and thiols with carbonyl compounds, or (iii) lithiation of N-substituted 1H-benzotriazoles and subsequent treatment with electrophiles.     

振动噪声等高图的电驱动桥噪声预测及优化*

在项目开发前期通过优化电驱动桥扭矩特性的设计,可以规避噪声大问题。根据电驱动桥台架在对应扭矩下的振动噪声特性,提出了一套稳定高效的测试流程和分析方法。首先设计了一套完整的试验流程,制定了精准的数据分析方法。然后绘制出能够全面反映电驱动桥振动噪声特性的等高图。最后利用电驱动桥台架的振动噪声等高图,准确评估电驱动桥加速工况下振动噪声风险,为主机厂和电驱动桥零部件企业提供电驱动桥扭矩特性设计前期指导。利用该方法成功识别到某电驱动桥匀速及加速工况下电机及齿轮的啸叫问题。通过优化电驱动桥扭矩特性设计,电机48阶噪声峰值降低了8.5dB(A),确认该方法准确可靠,具备推广应用价值。     

The Antioxidant and Hypolipidemic Effects of Mesona Chinensis Benth Extracts

In this study, the antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects of Mesona Chinensis Benth (MCB) extracts were evaluated. Seven fractions (F0, F10, F20, F30, F40, F50 and MTF) were obtained from the MCB ethanol extracts. Compared to the commercial antioxidants (vitamin C), MTF and F30 exhibited higher antioxidant activities in the antiradical activity test and the FRAP assay. The half-inhibition concentration (IC50) for MTF and F30 were 5.323 µg/mL and 5.278 µg/mL, respectively. MTF at 200 µg/mL significantly decreased the accumulation of TG in oleic acid (OA)-induced HepG2 cells and reversed the inhibitory effect of Compound C on AMPK (MTF and F30 significantly increased the glucose utilization of insulin-induced HepG2 cells). In addition, the components of MTF were identified by HPLC-MS, which were caffeic acid, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, isoquercetin, astragalin, rosmarinic acid, aromadendrin-3-O-rutinoside, rosmarinic acid-3-O-glucoside and kaempferol-7-O-glucoside. Through statistical correlations by Simca P software, it was found that the main antioxidant and hypolipidemic components of MCB might be caffeic acid, kaempferol-7-O-glucoside, rosmarinic acid-3-O-glucoside and aromadendrin-3-O-rutinoside, which may play important roles in the AMPK pathway. MTF and F30 in MCB could be potential health products for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.     

Photochemical Reactions of Carbohydrate Triflates

Abstract

The photochemical reactions of eight carbohydrate trifluoromethanesulfonates (triflates) have been investigated in methanol in the presence of potassium iodide. For those compounds which do not contain an aromatic chromophore, photolysis results in two types of reaction. One type produces deoxy sugars by replacement of the trifluoromethylsulfonyloxy (triflyloxy) group with a hydrogen atom. The second type of reaction generates partially protected sugars by replacement of the trifluoromethylsulfonyl (triflyl) group with a hydrogen atom. When the triflate being irradiated also has a protecting group containing an aromatic ring (i.e., benzyl, benzoyl, or p-tolylsulfonyl group), removal of the protecting group is the exclusive reaction pathway.     

Synthesis of tetrasubstituted thiophenes from pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates and modified activated alkynes

Pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates were applied to a formal [3 + 2] annulation reaction with modified activated alkynes, affording various tetrasubstituted thiophenes with aryl, alkenyl, alkyl or silyl group at the special position. The structural modification of alkyne substrates enabled the synthesis of diverse thiophenes to be achieved using the pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates as the sulfur-containing building blocks. This approach is metal-free and catalyst-free.     

Finite-element calculation of the influence of interdiffusion on eigenstates in a GaAs/Al x Ga1-x As single-quantum-well structure

The influence of interdiffusion on eigenstates in an interdiffusion-induced GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs single-quantum-well structure is analysed numerically by the finite element method. In this approach, the confinement potential profile of the interdiffused quantum well structure is nonlinear and is modelled by an error function and, in particular, the nature of the effective mass of an electron is considered. The results show that the number of eigenstates and energy levels varies with the extent of the interdiffusion. Numerical results for the quasi-bound states in the quantum well structure with an applied electric field are also presented.     

优质GaAs/Si和AlGaAs/Si材料的MOCVD生长研究

用自制常压MOCVD装置,在Si衬底上生长GaAs和AlGaAs外延层,在高温去除Si衬底表面氧化膜之后,采用两步法,即低温生长过渡层,再提高温度生长外延层。得到了表面镜面光亮的优质GaAs和AlGaAs外延层。X射线双晶衍射仪测试GaAs外延层,其回摆曲线半峰宽是200孤秒,GaAs和AlGaAs外延层在77K温度下,PL谱半峰宽分别是17meV和24meV。