Structure and dynamics of metallomacrocycles: recognition of zinc xylyl-bicyclam by an HIV coreceptor

As platforms for the design of metal-based therapeutic and diagnostic agents, macrocycles are rigid enough to provide strong metal binding sites and orient functional groups stereoselectively, yet flexible enough to accommodate structural changes required for induced-fit recognition of biological targets. We consider the recognition of the Zn(II) complex of the bis-tetraazamacrocycle xylyl-bicyclam, a potent anti-HIV agent, by the coreceptor CXCR4, a G-protein-coupled receptor used by HIV for membrane fusion and cell entry. NMR studies show that the macrocycles of Zn(II)(2)-xylyl-bicyclam perchlorate exist in aqueous solution as two major configurations, trans-I (nitrogen chirality R,S,R,S), and trans-III (S,S,R,R). Acetate addition induced a major structural change. X-ray crystallography shows that the acetate complex contains the unusual cis-V cyclam configuration (R,R,R,R and folded) with bidentate coordination of acetate to Zn(II) plus second-coordination-sphere double H-bond formation between diagonal NH protons on the opposite cyclam face and acetate carboxylate oxygens. Detailed 1D and 2D NMR studies show that the major configuration of Zn(II)(2)-xylyl-bicyclam acetate in aqueous solution is cis-V/trans-I. Molecular modeling shows that an analogous cis-V site can be formed when Zn(II)(2)-xylyl-bicyclam binds to CXCR4, involving the carboxylate groups of Asp262 (Zn(II) coordination) and Glu288 (double H-bonding). The second cyclam can adopt the trans-I (or trans-III) configuration with Zn(II) binding to Asp171. These interactions are consistent with the known structure-activity relationships for bicyclam anti-HIV activity and receptor mutation. Consideration of the anti-HIV activity of xylyl-bicyclam complexes of other metal ions suggests that affinity for carboxylates, configurational flexibility, and kinetic factors may all play roles in receptor recognition. For example, Pd(II) cyclam complexes interact only weakly with axial ligands and are inflexible and inactive, whereas Co(III) cyclams bind carboxylates strongly, are configurationally flexible, and yet have low activity. Our findings should aid the design of new generations of active macrocycles including highly specific chemokine receptor antagonists.     

Zur Ermittlung und rechnerischen Überprüfung thermodynamischer Daten aus experimentell gefundenen Werten, 10. Mitt.: Zur Frage der Parameterzahl und Fehlerverteilung bei einigen Rechenansätzen für binäre thermodynamische Systeme

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine vergleichende Untersuchung über die Anwendungsmöglichkeit zweier dreiparametriger und zweier zweiparametriger Ansätze angestellt. Die Bestimmung der Konstanten erfolgt nach der Methode der kleinsten Quadrate, die entstehenden Fehlerquadratsummen werden als Funktion der Iterationszahl dargestellt und verglichen. Ebenso wird mit den Verbesserungen _i und den mittleren Fehlern der einzelnen Parameter verfahren. Es ergibt sich, daß der Ansatz vonWilson für stark assoziierende Systeme mit nahezu horizontaler Grenztangente die kleinste Fehlerverteilung aufweist. Die beiden dreiparametrigen Ansätze vonRedlich-Kister und vonMusil-Breitenhuber zeigen sich für das Systemn-Hexan-Methylamin besser geeignet als für die Systeme Benzol-Methanol und CCl₄-Methanol. Die Problematik der Parameterzahl wird an Hand der Fehlerverteilung bei den Ansätzen vonMB undRK aufgezeigt und diskutiert.Das Programm wurde in der Programmiersprache FORTRAN erstellt und mit der UNIVAC-490-Computer-Anlage des Grazer Rechenzentrums gerechnet.

---

Four thermodynamical statements are tested with regard to their applicability to binary systems, two statements having three and two only two parameters. The least square method ofGauss shows that theWilson statement has the smallest dispersion of errors for systems with nearby horizontal boundary tangent. [vv], _i and are shown as functions of the number of iterations. The problem of the parameters' number is shown and discussed by means of the dispersion of errors for theMusil-Breitenhuber (MB) andRedlich-Kister (RK)-statements.The programme is written in FORTRAN and has been used the UNIVAC-490-Computer of the Graz Computer Centre.

---

---

Mit 5 Abbildungen

---

Herrn Professor Dr.Robert Fischer zum 65. Geburtstag in Dankbarkeit und Verehrung gewidmet.

---

bis 6. Mitt.:F. Gölles, Mh. Chem.92, 981 (1961);93, 191, 201 (1962);94, 1108 (1963);95, 1656 (1964);96, 1366 (1965);7. bis 9. Mitt.:F. Gölles undA. Höpfner, Mh. Chem.97, 368, 911 (1966);99, 230 (1968).     

Nucleophilic reactions of polydialkylcyclosilazanes

A study is made of the catalytic condensation polymerization of polydialkylcyclosilazanes [RR'SiNH]_n (n=3,4; R=CH₃, C₂H₅; R'=C₂H₅, C₄H₉, C₆H₁₃, C₉H₁₉) in the presence of small amounts of nucleophilic reagents, to give compounds of the general type R₅R₆'Si₆N₃(NH)₂ and oligomers. The reactivities of polydialkylsilazanes decrease with increase in aliphatic group chain length.     

Polyazoxyfurazans in reactions with ammonia

The reaction of 4,4"-bis(4-nitrofurazan-3-yl-NNO-azoxy)azoxyfurazan with ammonia affords a product of nucleophilic substitution for the furazanyldiazene oxide fragment, while the nitro groups remain intact.     

Production of recombinant bleaching enzymes from thermophilic microorganisms in fungal hosts

Cost-effective production of enzymes for industrial processes makes the appropriate selection of the host-vector expression system critical. We have developed two systems for the bulk production of bleaching enzymes from thermophiles. Kluyveromyces lactis has been developed as a secretion host employing expression vectors based on the 2μ-like plasmid pKD1 of Kluyveromyces drosophilarium. Our second system involves the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. Fusion and nonfusion vectors have been constructed using the strong cellobiohydrolase 1 (cbh1) promoter. The KEX2 protease cleavage site and a 6 × HIS-tag have been incorporated to facilitate both cleavage and purification of the mature foreign proteins.     

The relationship between the chemical structure of nematic liquid crystals and their pretilt angles

About 50 different additives in one or more of three different nematic mixtures have been investigated to clarify the relationship between the chemical structure of the liquid crystal and the pretilt angle on a polyimide surface. The pretilts found for cells have been explained within our recently proposed population distribution model. For compounds with cyano-groups at one end, we find that the in-plane order is governed both by the surface-mesogen interaction and by the relative strength of the intermolecular interactions in the nematic phase. This strength is nearly linear in alkyl chain length for the compounds investigated. Changes in the strength due to variations in the core of the molecules can be calculated easily by using group contributions from the known Parachors. The in-plane order can be treated as a simple product of the contributions from the liquid crystal and from the polyimide. Different polar end groups will give different angles between the surface and the optical axis of the individual mesogens in the first monolayer. The cyano-group gives the highest angle and alkyl groups the lowest. For nitro-compounds the dimers formed are so strongly bound that they do not break up at the surface. Nitro-compounds will thus act as dialkyl compounds. For dialkyl compounds the pretilt angles are dominated by the difference between the chain lengths at the two ends of the molecule.     

Different specificities in the bromination of 6-(2-furyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole and its derivatives with 1 mole of bromine

The action of 1 mole of bromine on 6-(2′-furyl)imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, its 2-methyl-, 3-methyl-, and 2,3-dimethyl-substituted derivatives, and their hydrobromides in chloroform and glacial acetic acid was studied. The bromination of bases containing a methyl group in the 3 position leads primarily to the 5′-derivatives with respect to the furan ring in chloroform, whereas in the remaining cases 5-bromo derivatives with respect to the imidazothiazole system are formed. Compounds of the latter type are formed by the action of bromine in glacial acetic acid or of sodium hypobromite in alkaline media on the bases. The hydrobromides are brominated in both acetic acid and chloroform, regardless of the substituents in the thiazole ring, primarily in the 5′ position of the furan ring. The structures of the bromination products were proved by means of alternative syntheses, thin-layer chromatography, and the PMR spectra.     

Selective imidoylnitrenes

Two new imidoylnitrenes and alkoxycarbonylnitrene form a sequence of reactivities : Only ROCON attacks CH bonds, it and ROC(NCN)N convert benzene to azepines. Benzene is not attacked by ROC(NSO₂CH₃)N, but all three nitrenes react with olefins, alcohols, etc.     

A new synthesis of hydroxyphthalides

Cyclization of suitable enamino ketones can produce hydroxyphthalides.     

The MC SCF theory: Method of one-electron Hamiltonian

The one-electron Hamiltonian method is developed to solve the variational equations of the MC SCF theory. The many-parameter family of the one-electron Hamiltonian is derived and conditions for parameters to provide convergence of the SCF procedure to the energy minimum are obtained. A computation scheme based on the use of the one-electron Hamiltonian is described.