Solid-phase glycosylation of peptide templates and on-bead MAS-NMR analysis: perspectives for glycopeptide libraries

The efficient solid-phase glycosylation of amino acid side chains (serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and tyrosine (Tyr)) in peptides was demonstrated with a variety of glycosyl trichloroacetimidate donors in high yields and purities. A novel photolabile linker, with no chiral centre, was introduced to facilitate analysis by both matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and nanoprobe magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Product analysis by nanoprobe MAS NMR spectroscopy, LC-MS and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of the glycosylation reactions indicated that the reactivity order of the hydroxy side-chain functions of amino acids in peptides on the solid-phase was Tyr>Ser>Thr. The nearly quantitative glycosylation yields and the efficient on-bead product analysis by nanoprobe MAS NMR spectroscopy have made a truly solid-phase approach for the synthesis and analysis of glycopeptide libraries possible.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of oligosaccharides derivatized by reductive amination and N,N-dimethylation

Oligosaccharides were derivatized by reductive amination with benzylamine followed by N,N-dimethylation with methyl iodide and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) and MALDI post-source decay (PSD) TOFMS. The resulting derivatives have a positive charge localized to the modified reducing end. The derivatization methodology was tested on maltoheptaose and three different human milk oligosaccharides. The approximate detection limit for the resulting carbohydrate derivatives was determined to be 50 fmol of the derivative loaded onto the target, corresponding to a tenfold increase in sensitivity compared with underivatized oligosaccharides. When the derivatives were analyzed by MALDI-PSD TOFMS the observed fragmentation pattern was dominated by fragment ions retaining the modified reducing terminus, thus simplifying the interpretation of the mass spectral data.     

Adaptation of the human skin by chronic solar-simulating UV irradiation prevents ultraviolet-B irradiation-induced rise in serum C-reactive protein levels

Exposure of the skin to UV radiation induces local inflammation. We hypothesized that inflammation induced by erythemal UV-B irradiation could elevate levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and that suberythemal repeating doses of solar-simulating UV radiation (SSR) would produce photoadaptation to such inflammation. Separation-free high-sensitivity assays of CRP show an increase by 42% (P = 0.046) in CRP concentrations in healthy human subjects 24 h after a 3 minimal erythemal dose (MED) dose of UV-B delivered onto a 100 cm2 skin area. Preceding daily suberythemal doses of whole-body SSR for 10 or 30 consecutive days completely prevented the CRP increase. UV-B-induced skin erythema was partially attenuated by 30 preceding days of SSR only (P = 0.00066). After 10 daily SSR doses, the mean baseline CRP concentrations (0.24 +/- 0.21 mg/L) declined by 35% (P = 0.018). Using high-sensitivity analysis of serum CRP as the endpoint marker for cutaneous inflammation, we show that acute exposure of even a relatively small skin area to erythemal UV-B induces skin inflammation detectable also at the systemic level and that photoadaptation by preceding repeating suberythemal doses of SSR reduces signs of inflammation. Our data complement the view given by previous studies in that local photoadaptation also has systemic manifestations.     

Structures and properties of self-assembled monolayers of bistable [2]rotaxanes on Au (111) surfaces from molecular dynamics simulations validated with experiment

Bistable [2]rotaxanes display controllable switching properties in solution, on surfaces, and in devices. These phenomena are based on the electrochemically and electrically driven mechanical shuttling motion of the ring-shaped component, cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT(4+)) (denoted as the ring), between a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) unit and a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) ring system located along a dumbbell component. When the ring is encircling the TTF unit, this co-conformation of the rotaxane is the most stable and thus designated the ground-state co-conformer (GSCC), whereas the other co-conformation with the ring surrounding the DNP ring system is less favored and so designated the metastable-state co-conformer (MSCC). We report here the structure and properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of a bistable [2]rotaxane on Au (111) surfaces as a function of surface coverage based on atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) studies with a force field optimized from DFT calculations and we report several experiments that validate the predictions. On the basis of both the total energy per rotaxane and the calculated stress that is parallel to the surface, we find that the optimal packing density of the SAM corresponds to a surface coverage of 115 A(2)/molecule (one molecule per 4 x 4 grid of surface Au atoms) for both the GSCC and MSCC, and that the former is more stable than the latter by 14 kcal/mol at the optimum packing density. We find that the SAM retains hexagonal packing, except for the case at twice the optimum packing density (65 A(2)/molecule, the 3 x 3 grid). For the GSCC and MSCC, investigated at the optimum coverage, the tilt of the ring with respect to the normal is theta = 39 degrees and 61 degrees, respectively, while the tilt angle of the entire rotaxane is psi = 41 degrees and 46 degrees , respectively. Although the tilt angle of the ring decreases with decreasing surface coverage, the tilt angle of the rotaxane has a maximum at 144 A(2)/molecule (the 4 x 5 grid/molecule) of 50 degrees and 51 degrees for the GSCC and MSCC, respectively. The hexafluorophosphate counterions (PF(6)(-)) stay localized around the ring during the 2 ns MD simulation. On the basis of the calculated density profile, we find that the thickness of the SAM is 40.5 A at the optimum coverage for the GSCC and 40.0 A for MSCC, and that the thicknesses become less with decreasing surface coverage. The calculated surface tension at the optimal packing density is 45 and 65 dyn/cm for the GSCC and MSCC, respectively. This difference suggests that the water contact angle for the GSCC is larger than for the MSCC, a prediction that is verified by experiments on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of amphiphilic [2]rotaxanes.     

Vibrational frequencies and structural determinations of urazole

The vibrational frequencies and corresponding normal mode assignments of urazole are examined theoretically using the Gaussian98 set of quantum chemistry codes. All normal modes were successfully assigned to one of eight types of motion (N--H stretch, C=O stretch, C--N stretch, N--N stretch, N--H bend, C=O bend, N--C--N bend, ring torsion) utilizing the C2 symmetry of the molecule. The molecular orbitals of urazole are examined. The simultaneous double inversion of the amine groups in urazole is also examined.     

Vibrational frequencies and structural determination of triethynylmethylstannane

The normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of Triethynylmethylstannane (SnCH(3)(CCH)(3)) are examined theoretically using the Gaussian 98 set of quantum chemistry codes. Each of the vibrational modes was assigned to one of nine types of motion predicted by a group theoretical analysis (Sn-C stretch, C[triple bond]C stretch, C-H stretch, C[triple bond]C-H bend, Sn-C[triple bond]C bend, C-Sn-C bend, H-C-H bend, CH(3) wag, and CH(3) twist) utilizing the C(3v) symmetry of the molecule. A set of uniform scaling factors was derived for each type of motion. Predicted infrared and Raman intensities are reported.