A model for short alpha-neurotoxin bound to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica: comparison with long-chain alpha-neurotoxins and alpha-conotoxins

Short-chain alpha-neurotoxins from snakes are highly selective antagonists of the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Although their spatial structures are known and abundant information on topology of binding to nAChR is obtained by labeling and mutagenesis studies, the accurate structure of the complex is not yet known. Here, we present a model for a short alpha-neurotoxin, neurotoxin II from Naja oxiana (NTII), bound to Torpedo californica nAChR. It was built by comparative modeling, docking and molecular dynamics using 1H NMR structure of NTII, cross-linking and mutagenesis data, cryoelectron microscopy structure of Torpedo marmorata nAChR [Unwin, N., 2005. Refined structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4A resolution. J. Mol. Biol. 346, 967-989] and X-ray structures of acetylcholine-binding protein (AChBP) with agonists [Celie, P.H., van Rossum-Fikkert, S.E., van Dijk, W.J., Brejc, K., Smit, A.B., Sixma, T.K., 2004. Nicotine and carbamylcholine binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors as studied in AChBP crystal structures. Neuron 41 (6), 907-914] and antagonists: alpha-cobratoxin, a long-chain alpha-neurotoxin [Bourne, Y., Talley, T.T., Hansen, S.B., Taylor, P., Marchot, P., 2005. Crystal structure of Cbtx-AChBP complex reveals essential interactions between snake alpha-neurotoxins and nicotinic receptors. EMBO J. 24 (8), 1512-1522] and alpha-conotoxin [Celie, P.H., Kasheverov, I.E., Mordvintsev, D.Y., Hogg, R.C., van Nierop, P., van Elk, R., van Rossum-Fikkert, S.E., Zhmak, M.N., Bertrand, D., Tsetlin, V., Sixma, T.K., Smit, A.B., 2005. Crystal structure of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor homolog AChBP in complex with an alpha-conotoxin PnIA variant. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 12 (7), 582-588]. In complex with the receptor, NTII was located at about 30 A from the membrane surface, the tip of its loop II plunges into the ligand-binding pocket between the alpha/gamma or alpha/delta nAChR subunits, while the loops I and III contact nAChR by their tips only in a 'surface-touch' manner. The toxin structure undergoes some changes during the final complex formation (for 1.45 rmsd in 15-25 ps according to AMBER'99 molecular dynamics simulation), which correlates with NMR data. The data on the mobility and accessibility of spin- and fluorescence labels in free and bound NTII were used in MD simulations. The binding process is dependent on spontaneous outward movement of the C-loop earlier found in the AChBP complexes with alpha-cobratoxin and alpha-conotoxin. Among common features in binding of short- and long alpha-neurotoxins is the rearrangement of aromatic residues in the binding pocket not observed for alpha-conotoxin binding. Being in general very similar, the binding modes of short- and long alpha-neurotoxins differ in the ways of loop II entry into nAChR.     

Pheromones of insects and their analogs. XX. Methyl-branched pheromones based on 4-methyltetrahydropyran.

A synthesis is proposed of 4,8-dimethyldecanal (VIII) — a pheromone of the flour beetlesTribolium confusum andT. castaneum. By heating 71.2 g of 4-methyltetrahydropyran (I), 83.2 g of AcBr and 1.57 g of ZnCl₂ (45°C), then 120°C, 2 h), 1-acetoxy-5-bromo-3-methylpentane (II) was obtained. The hydrolysis of 19.8 g of (II) (MeOH-H₂O, TsOH, 20°C, 15 h) gave 5-bromo-3-methylpentan-1-ol (III). From 18.1 g of (III) and 38.9 ml of 2,3-dihydropyran (Et₂O, TsOH, 20°C, 20 h) was obtained the 2-THPL ester of (III), (IV), which was converted into 3-methyloct-7-en-1-ol (V) by the treatment of the corresponding Grignard reagent with allyl bromide (THF, CuI-bi-2-pyridyl, 2°C, 4 h, Ar). The interaction of 1.42 g of (V) with Et₃Al (hexane, 20°C, Cp₂ZrCl₂, Ar) gave 3,7-dimethylnonan-1-ol (VI), boiling which with 48% HBr in the presence of concentrated H₂SO₄ gave 1-bromo-3,7-dimethylnonane (VII) which was then converted into the desired (VIII) by the reaction of the corresponding Grignard reagent with DMFA (0–2°C, 1 h; 20°C, 2 h; Ar). The characteristics of the compounds — yield (%), n_D (°C): (I), 79, 1.4340 (22); (III) 89, 1.4660 (23); (IV), 82, 1.4739 (23); (V), 85, —; (VI), 90, 1.4483 (20); (VII), 88, 1.4409 (22); (VIII), 88, 1.4589 (22). Details of the IR and PMR spectra of compounds (II)–(VII) are given.Institute of Chemistry, Bashkir Scientific Center, Urals Branch, USSR Academy of Sciences, Ufa. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 272–276, March–April, 1989.     

Synthesis of N-unsubstituted and N-methyl derivatives of 4-aryl-2,6-dimethyl-1,2-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles

In the reduction of 2,6-dimethyl-4-arylpyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles or their N-oxides by sodium borohydride, a mixture of 1,2- and 1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles is formed. 1,2,6-Trimethyl-4-aryl-1,2-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles were obtained by reducing the corresponding pyridinium perchlorates or by alkylating 4-aryl-2,6-dimethyl-1,2-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives by methyl iodide.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 81–85, January, 1987.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline derivatives as model compounds for non-linear optical organic materials

Molecular and crystal structure of a series of derivatives of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline has been studied by both X-ray diffraction method and high-level ab initio calculations. According to these data, the dimethylamino groups were found to have a trigonal-pyramidal configuration and are considerably turned with respect to the ring plane in all molecules having a substituent in the ortho-position; on the contrary, this group is planar in the meta-substituted molecules. Topological analysis of the electron density function for all molecules studied within the framework of Bader's ‘atoms in molecules’ (AIM) theory revealed that introduction of a substituent into the ortho- or meta-position of the ring results in increasing of the contribution of the resonance forms different from the quinoid one. Contribution of the latter form is predominant for the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline (1). Topological analysis of the electron density distribution was used to explain a decreasing of the molecular hyperpolarisabilites of the ortho- and meta-substituted compounds as compared with those for 1.     

DFT studies on the multi‐channel reaction of CH3S+NO2

The mechanisms for the reaction of CH₃S with NO₂ are investigated at the QCISD(T)/6‐311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) on both single and triple potential energy surfaces (PESs). The geometries, vibrational frequencies, and zero‐point energy (ZPE) correction of all stationary points involved in the title reaction are calculated at the B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) level. More accurate energies are obtained at the QCISD(T)/6‐311++G(d,p). The results show that 5 intermediates and 14 transition states are found. The reaction is more predominant on the single PES, while it is negligible on the triple PES. Without any barrier height for the whole process, the main channel of the reaction is to form CH₃SONO and then dissociate to CH₃SO+NO. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Bromination of 4-aryl-3,5-dialkoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridines

4-Aryl-3,5-dialkoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridines are brominated by N-bromosuccinimide in methanol at room temperature at the methyl groups at positions 2 and 6 to form mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrabromo derivatives. When the N-unsubstituted bromomethyl-1,4-dihydropyridines are heated they are easily converted to tetrahydrofuropyridines, but in the case of the analogous N-substituted-1,4-dihydropyridines cyclization does not occur. The 2,6-bis(bromomethyl)-substituted products easily replace bromine under the influence of nucleophilic reagents.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1230–1235, September, 1991.     

Photochemical synthesis of 2-amino-1-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-9-alkyl(aryl)imines

Irradiation of a mixture of 1-aryloxy-2-amino-9,10-anthraquinone and amines in benzene results in formation of the derivatives of 2-amino-1-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-9-alkyl(aryl)imines in a high yield. 2-Amino-1-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-9-aikylimines were shown by¹³C and¹⁵N NMR to exist predominantly in the enaminoquinoid form whereas 2-amino-1-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-9-arylimines exist in the oxyimine form. Sunlight irradiation of the derivatives of 2-benzoylamino-9,10-anthraqumone-9-alkylimines results in formation of the photocyclization products — 4-benzoylaminoanthra-[9,1-d,e]-1,3-oxasinones-7.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 940–944, May, 1993.     

Synthesis of methyl-branched low-molecularmass insect bioregulators from the products of the acid decyclization of 4-methyltetrahydropyran

This review generalizes work on the chemoselective synthesis of racemic methyl-branched insect pheromones and the juvenoid hydroprene from 1,5-bifunctional 3-methylpentanes produced by the acid opening of the ring of 4-methyltetrahydropyran.Institute of Organic Chemistry, Ufa Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientific-Research Institute of Fine Organic Synthesis Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ufa. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 170–177, March–April, 1977.     

Investigation on the Extraction Mechanism of Au（I） from Cyanide Solution with Quaternary Ammonium System

During the past decades, there has been a renewed interest in the application of solvent extraction to the recovery of Au (I) from cyanide solutions1,2. Among those various extractants, the amine extractants with the addition of organic phosphorus oxide as cosolvent have been widely investigated3,4. Various diluents and modifiers have been selected to optimize the extraction system so as to increase the loading capacity, improve the selectivity and/or reduce emulsification5. Quaternary amm…     

钐(II)类卡宾CH3SmCH2I与乙烯环丙烷化反应及溶剂化效应的理论研究

用密度泛函B3LYP方法研究了过渡金属钐类卡宾与乙烯的环丙烷化反应的机理. 对钐类卡宾试剂CH₃SmCH₂I和CH₂CH₂反应的反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物构型的全部结构几何参数进行了优化, 并计算了THF溶液的溶剂化效应, 用内禀反应坐标(IRC)计算和频率分析方法, 对过渡态进行了验证. 结果表明: CH₃SmCH₂I与CH₂CH₂环丙烷化反应按亚甲基转移机理(通道A)和卡宾金属化机理(通道B)都可以进行, 与锂类卡宾的反应机理相同, 通道A比通道B反应的势垒降低了14.65 kJ/mol. 溶剂化效应使通道B比通道A的反应势垒大幅度提高, 更有利于反应沿通道A进行, 而不利于通道B.