Photoaffinity labeling of bovine rhodopsin

Photoaffinity labeled (3-diazoacetoxy)-9-cis-retinal (1) and (9-methylenediazoacetoxy)-9-cis-retinal (20) were synthesized and bound to absorption maxima at 465 and 460 nm respectively. Binding studies established that synthetic retinals 1 and 2 bind to the natural binding site and that the integrity of the diazoacetoxy photoaffinity label is preserved in the process. Incorporation of 3-(O¹⁴COCHN₂)-labeled 9-cis retinal could be conveniently carried out in high yield using apomembrane solubilized in CHAPS as detergent to afford the pigment analog in a pure form. Photolysis of the diazoacetoxy group within the binding site led to 15–20%, crosslinking of rhodopsin as estimated by using radiocarbon containing labeled retinal 1 thus showing that this synthetic retinal is suitable for photoaffinity labeling of the active site in rhodopsin. Subsequent experiments to establish the site(s) of crosslinking by sequencing studies will then contribute to our knowledge of the structure of rhodopsin.     

芳香二磺酸的配位化学研究化合物[Ni(cyclam)(1,5nds)]·1/3H_2O(1)和[Co(cyclam)(H_2O)_2](1,5nds)·2H_2O(2)的合成与结构(英文)

合成了两个二价的过渡金属磺酸化合物,并通过X-射线衍射单晶结构分析进行结构表征。化合物犤Ni(cyclam)(1,5nds)犦·1/3H2O(1)以P2(1)/c空间群结晶,晶胞参数为a=8.583(5),b=10.533(6),c=12.946(7)?,β=92.433(9)°。犤Ni(cyclam)犦2+与两个磺酸基团形成弱配位,从而构筑了一维的配聚物。犤Ni(cyclam)犦2+与磺酸基团之间的作用还通过O2S-O…H-N型氢键进一步被加强。化合物犤Co(cyclam)(H2O)2犦(1,5nds)·2H2O(2)以P1珔空间群结晶,晶胞参数为a=8.738(5),b=9.324(5),c=10.118(5)?,α=81.382(8),β=64.868(8),γ=62.999(8)°。在该化合物中,磺酸基团没有与Co2+形成配位键,而是以平衡离子的形式存在并与配离子形成氢键,构筑了有序的三维结构。     

Mechanism and kinetics of thermal decomposition of precipitates of the zinc oxide-aluminium oxide system from non-isothermal tg curves

Kinetics of decomposition of the precipitates of the ZnO&2sbndAl₂O₃ system, prepared by coprecipitation and mechanical mixing of the individual precipitates, have been studied. The decomposition of zinc basic carbonate is a first order rate process with an activation energy of 34.5 kcal/mole (Coats and Redfern equation). The decomposition of aluminium hydroxide is also best described as a first order rate process with one break in the Coats and Redfern plot corresponding to activation energies of 29.4 and 8.3 kcal/mole respectively. The entire course of decomposition of coprecipitated as well as mechanically mixed samples cannot be described by any one of the many rate equations available. Consequently, the Coats and Redfern equation has been employed. The plots indicate one or two breaks and thus two to three values of activation energy are reported. From the results it is to be concluded that decomposition of these precipitates is a heterogeneous process. The first step is definitely the decomposition of zinc basic carbonate followed by decomposition of aluminium hydroxide and/or interaction of the two precipitates resulting in the formation of “precursor” to spinel. The results of our earlier investigation on the same system (especially the formation of precursors) are well supported by the results reported in this investigation. p]A new equation (a modified form of the Elovich equation) has been proposed for such heterogeneous decomposition processes. The proposed equation also appears to be the general form of the equations where diffusion is the rate controlling process.     

STUDIES ON HUMAN LENS: I. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORESCENT PIGMENTS

Abstract
Fluorescence spectra of normal mature human lenses have been measured and at least eight species with distinct emission characteristics identified. To determine the specific photochemical and photophysical processes responsible for the origin and development of these fluorophores, emission behavior of the products generated by successive irradiation of young human lenses (3–6 y old) as well as of L-tryptophan solution have been systematically monitored. Fluorescent products that resulted from this irradiation were comparable to many of the fluorophores detected in aged lenses, indicating that light plays a major role in the development of these pigments. In addition to photogenerated species, there are other compounds in human lenses, presumably advanced glycosylated end products, with marked fluorescence properties.
Several oxidation products of tryptophan including N -formylkynurenine or its derivatives, β-carboline or its derivatives, and anthranilic acid have been identified in the mature human lens. The development of several photoproducts also was attributed to endogenous ascorbate-mediated Maillard reaction products, which undergo photoconversion by the visible light. Although some of these chromophores could act as photosensitaizers, the sensitizing efficiency of many are low. Conversely, the near-UV filtering capability of these colored compounds conceivably could protect the vitreous and retina from development of any photochemical lesion.     

Theoretical Study on the Isomerization Mechanism of Enol Ester from 2-Acyl-1, 3-cyclohexanediones

The present paper employed density function theory to investigate two reaction pathways for isomerization of enol ester proposed by Yang(path a) and the present authors(path a), respectively. The base catalytic effects of solvent triethylamine on these two reactions were also evaluated. It is demonstrated that path B is more preferable than path a due to low barrier height for the rate-determining step.     

THE 'OPSIN SHIFT' IN BACTERIORHODOPSIN: STUDIES WITH ARTIFICIAL BACTERIORHODOPSINS

Abstract— The difference (in cm⁻¹) in absorption maxima between the protonated Schiff base of retinals and the pigment derived therefrom has been defined as the opsin shift. It represents the influence of the opsin binding site on the chromophore. The analysis of the opsin shifts of a series of dihydrobacteriorhodopsins has led to the external point-charge model, which in addition to a counter anion near the Schiff base ammonium, carries another negative charge in the vicinity of the β-ionone ring. This is in striking contrast to the external point-charge model proposed earlier for the bovine visual pigment. The absorption maxima of rhodopsins formed from bromo- and phenyl retinals support the two models. A retinal carrying a photoaffinity label has yielded a nonbleachable bacteriorhodopsin.     

链酚胺型配体锌(Ⅱ)配合物模拟碳酸酐酶研究

合成了酚胺型链状配体,N,N'-二(2-羟基苄基)丙二胺(H~2L)及其Zn(Ⅱ)配合物(ZnL),通过元素分析、IR和^1HNRM等手段进行了表征。采用pH电位滴定法,在25℃±0.1℃,I=0.1mol·dm^-^3(KNO~3)条件下,测定了配体的质子化常数以及配体与金属离子Zn(Ⅱ)配位反应平衡常数。讨论了配体与金属离子Zn(Ⅱ)的配位情况,得到了配位酚羟基的解离常数。运用分光光度法,在25℃±0.1℃,I=0.1mol·dm^-^3(KNO~3)条件下,在pH=5.5～9.0(50mmol·dm^-^3缓冲溶液)范围内,研究了配合物作为碳酸酐酶模拟物催化对-硝基苯酚乙酸酯(NA)水解动力学,得到了NA酯水解的配合物催化速率常数k~N~P。实验结果表明,ZnHL^+的配位酚羟基的解离常数pK~a为6.83;催化速率常数k~N~P与pH之间不存在Sigmoidal型曲线关系,而是在pH值中性附近有最大值,ZnHL^+对NA酯水解有很好的催化效果,并且采取双重催化机理,是碳酸酐酶很好的模拟物。     

Conformational studies of basic poly (α-amino acid)s in reversed micelles

The conformation of various basic poly (-amino acid)s was investigated by CD measurements in aqueous solutions containing bis (2-ethylhexyl)sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) as well as in the AOT reversed micelles. The addition of AOT into an aqueous solution of poly(L-lysine) induces the conformational transition from coil to ordered structure, followed by aggregation. On the other hand, poly(L-lysine) assumes-structure in the reversed micelles at low w_ovalue (w_o=[H₂O]/[AOT]). Similarly to poly(L-lysine), poly(L-ornithine) takes an ordered structure in the aqueous solution containing AOT and-structure in the reversed micelles. In this case, however, these ordered structures are not so stable, compared with that of poly(L-lysine). Poly(L-arginine) undergoes the conformational transition from coil to helix by addition of AOT into the aqueous solution. Further addition of AOT allows transformation into-structure. Copoly(L-lysyl-L-leucine) with 63% leucine residue was shown to take a stable helical conformation even in pure water. In the reversed micelles, however, this ordered structure is significantly changed probably because the hydrophobic interaction among the leucyl residues is lowered in the reversed micelles.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of thiosulphate by hexachloroplatinate(IV)

Summary Rate constants for the oxidation of thiosulphate by hexachloroplatinate(IV) have been measured. The kinetics of the oxidation of thiosulphate follow a second-order rate law, first order with respect to thiosulphate and first order with respect to platinum(IV). The influence of pH is small. The rates are found to depend on the nature and concentration of the cations and follow the order: Cs⁺>Rb⁺>K⁺>Na⁺>Li⁺. The activation parameters calculated from the temperature studies are: H=42.9 k J mol^–1 and S=–102 JK^–1 mol^–1. A mechanism of the reaction in terms of intermediate formation of free radicals followed by the formation of tetrathionate is postulated to explain the kinetic behaviour.     

Net information measures for modified Yukawa and Hulthén potentials

The dimensional analyses of the position and momentum variances‐based quantum mechanical Heisenberg uncertainty measure, as well as the entropic information measures given by the Shannon information entropy sum and the product of Fisher information measures are carried out for two widely used nonrelativistic isotropic exponential‐cosine screened Coulomb potentials generated by multiplying the superpositions of (i) Yukawa‐like, ?Z(e^?μr/r), and (ii) Hulthén‐like, ?Zμ(1/(e^μr ? 1)), potentials by cos(bμr) followed by addition of the term a/r², where a and b ≥ 0, μ are the screening parameters and Z, in case of atoms, denotes the nuclear charge. Under the spherical symmetry, all the information measures considered are shown to be independent of the scaling of the set [μ, Z] at a fixed value of μ/Z, a, and b and the other parameters defining the superpositions of the potentials. Numerical results are presented, which support the validity of the scaling properties. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007