Influence of petroleum fractions on the process of methane hydrate self-preservation

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EThcD Discrimination of Isomeric Leucine/Isoleucine Residues in Sequencing of the Intact Skin Frog Peptides with Intramolecular Disulfide Bond

Our scientific interests involve de novo sequencing of non-tryptic natural amphibian skin peptides including those with intramolecular S–S bond by means of exclusively mass spectrometry. Reliable discrimination of the isomeric leucine/isoleucine residues during peptide sequencing by means of mass spectrometry represents a bottleneck in the workflow for complete automation of the primary structure elucidation of these compounds. MS³ is capable of solving the problem. Earlier we demonstrated the advanced efficiency of ETD-HCD method to discriminate Leu/Ile in individual peptides by consecutive application of ETD to the polyprotonated peptides followed by HCD applied to the manually selected primary z-ions with the targeted isomeric residues at their N-termini and registration of the characteristic w-ions. Later this approach was extended to deal with several (4–7) broad band mass ranges, without special isolation of the primary z-ions. The present paper demonstrates an advanced version of this method when EThcD is applied in the whole mass range to a complex mixture of natural non-tryptic peptides without their separation and intermediate isolation of the targeted z-ions. The proposed EThcD method showed over 81% efficiency for the large natural peptides with intact disulfide ring, while the interfering process of radical site migration is suppressed. Due to higher speed and sensitivity, the proposed EThcD approach facilitates the analytical procedure and allows for the automation of the entire experiment and data processing. Moreover, in some cases it gives a chance to establish the nature of the residues in the intact intramolecular disulfide loops.

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Chemical biology of salinomycin

Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been shown to be refractory to conventional therapeutic agents, can promote metastasis, and have been linked to cancer relapse. The natural product Salinomycin has been identified by means of high throughput phenotypic screening as a selective killer of CSC in vitro and in vivo. In this article we comprehensively review the chemistry of Salinomycin, documenting early total syntheses, along with strategies that have been developed over the years to effectively modify this natural product at key positions with the view to establish a robust structure-activity-relationship and to delineate the complex mechanism of action of this fascinating molecule in the context of cancer research. Then, we document the biology of Salinomycin, putting forward phenotypic alterations that have been observed in the relevant biological models and highlighting how chemistry has been instrumental in discovering unprecedented physiological features of cancer stem cells that can be exploited for therapeutic benefits.     

Reprogramming the chemical reactivity of iron in cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been shown to be refractory to conventional therapeutic agents, can promote metastasis, and have been linked to cancer relapse. Salinomycin can selectively kill CSCs. We have shown that salinomycin derivatives accumulate in lysosomes and sequester iron in this organelle. As a result, accumulation of iron leads to the production of reactive oxygen species and lysosomal membrane permeabilization, which in turn promotes cell death by ferroptosis. These findings have revealed the prevalence of iron homeostasis in CSCs and paved the way toward the development of next-generation therapeutics.     

Two polymorphs of chlorpropamide: the δ‐form and the high‐temperature ɛ‐form

The ɛ‐form of chlorpropamide [systematic name: 4‐chloro‐N‐(propylaminocarbonyl)benzenesulfonamide], C₁₀H₁₃ClN₂O₃S, has been obtained as single crystals from solution (and not as a polycrystalline sample by heating the α‐, γ‐ or δ‐forms). The results of anisotropic structure refinements for the ɛ‐ and δ‐forms are reported. The density of the δ‐polymorph is the highest, and that of the ɛ‐polymorph the lowest, among the five known chlorpropamide polymorphs. The main intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding pattern in polymorphs δ and ɛ is the same as in polymorphs α, β and γ, but the conformations differ. The densities of the polymorphs were found to depend on the molecular conformations.     

Bis(dl‐cysteinium) oxalate

In the title compound, 2C₃H₈NO₂S⁺·C₂O₄²⁻, the oxalate anion occupies an inversion centre and is coordinated to cysteine molecules of different chirality (l and d ) via O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds, the resulting cysteine–oxalate stoichiometry in the crystal structure being 2:1. The oxalate anion is completely deprotonated, whereas cysteine has a positively charged –NH₃⁺ group and a neutral protonated carboxyl group. The structure is built from infinite hydrogen‐bonded triple layers, consisting of an oxalate layer in the middle with layers of l ‐ and d ‐cysteine molecules on either side. The thiol groups are at the external sides of the layers and form S—H...O hydrogen bonds with the carboxyl groups of neighbouring cysteine molecules. An interesting feature of the structure is the occurrence of short S...S contacts between SH groups of molecules in neighbouring layers, which form not S—H...S but S—H...O intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Due to the effects of crystal packing and intermolecular hydrogen‐bond formation, the conformation of the cysteine cation in the title structure is different from that calculated theoretically for an individual cation, as well as from those of cysteine zwitterions in crystals of pure cysteine.     

Topical treatment with OGG1 enzyme affects UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis

Nonmelanoma skin cancer resulting from UVB exposure is a large and growing problem in the United States. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the UVB-induced inflammatory response results in the formation of oxidative DNA adducts such as 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanine (8-oxo-dG), which have been shown to contribute to the development of this cancer. The 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) enzyme repairs 8-oxo-dG adducts, suggesting that enhancing its activity in the skin might increase 8-oxo-dG repair thus preventing skin cancer development. We therefore used the SKH-1 murine model to examine the effect of topically applied OGG1 on UVB-induced skin cancer development. Mice were exposed three times weekly to UVB followed immediately by topical treatment with a formulation of liposome-encapsulated OGG1 enzyme for 25 weeks. While this treatment did not affect UVB-induced tumor multiplicity, it did reduce tumor size and dramatically reduced tumor progression, as indicated by tumor grade. These results suggest that oxidative DNA damage contributes to the progression of UVB-induced skin tumors and that a topical formulation containing OGG1, perhaps in conjunction with other DNA repair enzymes such as T4 endonuclease V, could be used in populations at high risk for skin cancer development.     

Thermodynamics of hydrophobic interaction chromatography of acetyl amino acid methyl esters

Thermodynamic analysis of hydrophobic interaction chromatography of amino acid methyl esters showed entropy-driven adsorption, consistent with solvophobic theory, except for phenyl ester on the Toyopearl resins. All esters adsorbed more strongly to the Toyopearl resins, including the polymethacrylate base matrix, than to Butyl Sepharose. Enthalpy changes were more favorable with the former, explaining the retention difference between Toyopearl Butyl and Butyl Sepharose. An enthalpy change versus heat capacity change plot showed Van der Waals interactions predominantly with the resin matrix. Literature data revealed the same effect for dansylamino acids, shown by isothermodynamic temperature analysis to adsorb more entropically than the esters.     

N‐alkylated 3,5‐bis(arylidene)‐4‐piperidones. Synthetic approaches,X‐ray structure and anticancer activity

In a search for cytotoxic fluorescent materials a series of N‐alkylated and N,N‐dialkylated 3,5‐bis(arylidene)piperidones was synthesized. Alkylation of 3,5‐bis(arylidene)‐4‐piperidone afforded quaternary salts only while condensation of N‐alkyl‐4‐piperidones with substituted benzaldehydes was a convenient route to the corresponding N‐alkylated compounds. Compounds and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts demonstrated high activity against resistant human lung carcinoma cell line A549 with IC₅₀ values in the range of 0.3‐6.5 μM.     

Terahertz absorption of DNA decamer duplex

This work combines experimental and theoretical approaches to investigate terahertz absorption spectra of the DNA formed by the sequence oligomer 5'-CCGGCGCCGG-3'. The three-dimensional structure of this self-complimentary DNA decamer has been well-studied, permitting us to perform direct identification of the low-frequency phonon modes associated with specific conformation and to conduct comprehensive computer simulations. Two modeling techniques, normal-mode analysis and nanosecond molecular dynamics with explicit solvent molecules, were employed to extract the low-frequency vibrational modes based on which the absorption spectra were calculated. The absorption spectra of the DNA decamer in aqueous solution were measured in the frequency range 10-25 cm(-1) using the terahertz Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Multiple well-resolved and reproducible resonance modes were observed. When calculated and experimental spectra were compared, the spectrum based on molecular dynamics simulations showed a better correlation with the experimental spectra than the one based on normal-mode analysis. These results demonstrate that there exist a considerable number of active low-frequency phonon modes in this short DNA duplex.