Hydrogen bond breaking mechanism and water reorientational dynamics in the hydration layer of lysozyme

The mechanism and the rate of hydrogen bond-breaking in the hydration layer surrounding an aqueous protein are important ingredients required to understand the various aspects of protein dynamics, its function, and stability. Here, we use computer simulation and a time correlation function technique to understand these aspects in the hydration layer of lysozyme. Water molecules in the layer are found to exhibit three distinct bond-breaking mechanisms. A large angle orientational jump of the donor water molecule is common among all of them. In the most common ( approximately 80%) bond-breaking event in the layer, the new acceptor water molecule comes from the first coordination shell (initially within 3.5 A of the donor), and the old acceptor water molecule remains within the first coordination shell, even after the bond-breaking. This is in contrast to that in bulk water, in which both of the acceptor molecules involve the second coordination shell. Additionally, the motion of the incoming and the outgoing acceptor molecules involved is not diffusive in the hydration layer, in contrast to their observed diffusive motion in the bulk. The difference in rotational dynamics between the bulk and the hydration layer water molecules is clearly manifested in the calculated time-dependent angular van Hove self-correlation function ( G(theta, t)) which has a pronounced two-peak structure in the layer, and this can be traced to the constrained translational motion in the layer. The longevity of the surrounding hydrogen bond network is found to be significantly enhanced near a hydrophilic residue.     

Diffusion constant of a nonspecifically bound protein undergoing curvilinear motion along DNA

The mechanism of a protein's diffusion along a DNA segment is a subject of much current interest because of the involvement of this diffusion in numerous biological processes, including the recognition of DNA sequences and chemical modifications of DNA. In this work we present a theoretical derivation of the diffusion coefficient of a nonspecifically bound protein, assuming that the protein follows a helical track along the DNA. It is shown that, for protein-sized molecules, the principal contribution to the total translational friction comes from the curvilinear motion along the helix, and this contribution is given by 6pietaRR(oc)(2) + 8pietaR(3), where R is the protein radius, ROC is the distance of separation between the center of mass of the protein and the helical axis of DNA, and eta is the viscosity of the medium. The translational diffusion of the protein along the helical track of DNA is thus predicted to have a nearly R(-3) size dependence, not the R(-1) dependence characterizing simple translational diffusion. It is shown that this expression gives rather good estimates of the translational diffusion coefficient measured in single molecule experiments.     

Analgesic and antimicrobial studies of some 2,4-dichloro-5-fluorophenyl containing arylidenetriazolothiadiazines

2,4-Dichloro-5-fluorophenyl containing 7-arylidenetriazolothiadiazines were obtained by the reaction of 4-amino-3-(2,4-dichloro-5-fluorophenyl)-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole with 2,3-dibromo-1,3-diarylpropan-1-ones, and also by the reaction of 4-amino-3-(2,4-dichloro-5-fluorophenyl)-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole with α-bromopropenones in the presence of a base. The structure of the 7-arylidenetriazolothiadiazines was confirmed by an alternative synthesis. A plausible mechanism for the formation of 7-arylidenetriazolothiadiazines is proposed. All newly synthesized compounds were screened for their analgesic and antimicrobial activities. Compounds bearing 4-chlorophenyl or 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl moieties at position 7 of the arylidenetriazolothiadiazines showed excellent analgesic activity. Arylidenetriazolothiadiazines carrying a phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 4-methylphenyl, 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl, and 2,4-dichlorophenyl moieties at position 7 showed excellent antibacterial and antifungal activities. Correspondence: Mari Sithambaram Karthikeyan, Department of Chemistry, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri 574199, Karnataka, India.     

Synthetic and spectroscopic studies of some new 2‐[1‐aryl‐4{4‐methoxyphenyl}‐6‐thioxo‐1,6‐dihydro‐1,3,5‐triazinyl]amino/hydrazonothiazolidin‐4‐ones

A series of 4‐thiazolidinones having triazinethione moieties have been synthesized by the systematic chemical modification of S‐benzylmercapto‐1‐aryl‐4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐1,6‐dihydro‐1,3,5‐triazine‐6‐thione.     

Chemical dissection of the link between streptozotocin, O-GlcNAc, and pancreatic cell death

Streptozotocin is a natural product that selectively kills insulin-secreting beta cells, and is widely used to generate mouse models of diabetes or treat pancreatic tumors. Several studies suggest that streptozotocin toxicity stems from its N-nitrosourea moiety releasing nitric oxide and possessing DNA alkylating activity. However, it has also been proposed that streptozotocin induces apoptosis by inhibiting O-GlcNAcase, an enzyme that, together with O-GlcNAc transferase, is important for dynamic intracellular protein O-glycosylation. We have used galacto-streptozotocin to chemically dissect the link between O-GlcNAcase inhibition and apoptosis. Using X-ray crystallography, enzymology, and cell biological studies on an insulinoma cell line, we show that, whereas streptozotocin competitively inhibits O-GlcNAcase and induces apoptosis, its galacto-configured derivative no longer inhibits O-GlcNAcase, yet still induces apoptosis. This supports a general chemical poison mode of action for streptozotocin, suggesting the need for using more specific inhibitors to study protein O-GlcNAcylation.     

Wurtzite CuGaS2 with an In-Situ-Formed CuO Layer Photocatalyzes CO2 Conversion to Ethylene with High Selectivity

We present surface reconstruction-induced C−C coupling whereby CO₂ is converted into ethylene. The wurtzite phase of CuGaS_2. undergoes in situ surface reconstruction, leading to the formation of a thin CuO layer over the pristine catalyst, which facilitates selective conversion of CO₂ to ethylene (C₂H₄). Upon illumination, the catalyst efficiently converts CO₂ to C₂H₄ with 75.1 % selectivity (92.7 % selectivity in terms of R_electron) and a 20.6 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ evolution rate. Subsequent spectroscopic and microscopic studies supported by theoretical analysis revealed operando-generated Cu²⁺, with the assistance of existing Cu⁺, functioning as an anchor for the generated *CO and thereby facilitating C−C coupling. This study demonstrates strain-induced in situ surface reconstruction leading to heterojunction formation, which finetunes the oxidation state of Cu and modulates the CO₂ reduction reaction pathway to selective formation of ethylene.