Oxidation studies of dipositive actinide ions, An2+ (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) in the gas phase: synthesis and characterization of the isolated uranyl, neptunyl, and plutonyl ions UO2(2+)(g), NpO2(2+)(g), and PuO2(2+)(g)

Reactions of atomic and ligated dipositive actinide ions, An2+, AnO2+, AnOH2+, and AnO2(2+) (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) were systematically studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Kinetics were measured for reactions with the oxidants, N2O, C2H4O (ethylene oxide), H2O, O2, CO2, NO, and CH2O. Each of the five An2+ ions reacted with one or more of these oxidants to produce AnO2+, and reacted with H2O to produce AnOH2+. The measured pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants, k, revealed disparate reaction efficiencies, k/k(COL): Th2+ was generally the most reactive and Am2+ the least. Whereas each oxidant reacted with Th2+ to give ThO2+, only C2H4O oxidized Am2+ to AmO2+. The other An2+ exhibited intermediate reactivities. Based on the oxidation reactions, bond energies and formation enthalpies were derived for the AnO2+, as were second ionization energies for the monoxides, IE[AnO+]. The bare dipositive actinyl ions, UO2(2+), NpO2(2+), and PuO2(2+), were produced from the oxidation of the corresponding AnO2+ by N2O, and by O2 in the cases of UO2+ and NpO2+. Thermodynamic properties were derived for these three actinyls, including enthalpies of formation and electron affinities. It is concluded that bare UO2(2+), NpO2(2+), and PuO2(2+) are thermodynamically stable toward Coulomb dissociation to [AnO+ + O+] or [An+ + O2+]. It is predicted that bare AmO2(2+) is thermodynamically stable. In accord with the expected instability of Th(VI), ThO(2+) was not oxidized to ThO2(2+) by any of the seven oxidants. The gas-phase results are compared with the aqueous thermochemistry. Hydration enthalpies were derived here for uranyl and plutonyl; our deltaH(hyd)[UO2(2+)] is substantially more negative than the previously reported value, but is essentially the same as our deltaH(hyd)[PuO2(2+)].     

Crystal structures of oseltamivir-resistant influenza virus neuraminidase mutants

The potential impact of pandemic influenza makes effective measures to limit the spread and morbidity of virus infection a public health priority. Antiviral drugs are seen as essential requirements for control of initial influenza outbreaks caused by a new virus, and in pre-pandemic plans there is a heavy reliance on drug stockpiles. The principal target for these drugs is a virus surface glycoprotein, neuraminidase, which facilitates the release of nascent virus and thus the spread of infection. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are two currently used neuraminidase inhibitors that were developed using knowledge of the enzyme structure. It has been proposed that the closer such inhibitors resemble the natural substrate, the less likely they are to select drug-resistant mutant viruses that retain viability. However, there have been reports of drug-resistant mutant selection in vitro and from infected humans. We report here the enzymatic properties and crystal structures of neuraminidase mutants from H5N1-infected patients that explain the molecular basis of resistance. Our results show that these mutants are resistant to oseltamivir but still strongly inhibited by zanamivir owing to an altered hydrophobic pocket in the active site of the enzyme required for oseltamivir binding. Together with recent reports of the viability and pathogenesis of H5N1 (ref. 7) and H1N1 (ref. 8) viruses with neuraminidases carrying these mutations, our results indicate that it would be prudent for pandemic stockpiles of oseltamivir to be augmented by additional antiviral drugs, including zanamivir.     

ChemInform Abstract: Structure,Properties, and Theoretical Electronic Structure of UCuOP and NpCuOP.

The title compounds are prepared by solid state reaction of U or Np, Cu and/or CuO, and P at 1073—1273 K (evacuated silica tube, 96 h).     

Structure of mammalian AMPK and its regulation by ADP

The heterotrimeric AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has a key role in regulating cellular energy metabolism; in response to a fall in intracellular ATP levels it activates energy-producing pathways and inhibits energy-consuming processes. AMPK has been implicated in a number of diseases related to energy metabolism including type 2 diabetes, obesity and, most recently, cancer. AMPK is converted from an inactive form to a catalytically competent form by phosphorylation of the activation loop within the kinase domain: AMP binding to the γ-regulatory domain promotes phosphorylation by the upstream kinase, protects the enzyme against dephosphorylation, as well as causing allosteric activation. Here we show that ADP binding to just one of the two exchangeable AXP (AMP/ADP/ATP) binding sites on the regulatory domain protects the enzyme from dephosphorylation, although it does not lead to allosteric activation. Our studies show that active mammalian AMPK displays significantly tighter binding to ADP than to Mg-ATP, explaining how the enzyme is regulated under physiological conditions where the concentration of Mg-ATP is higher than that of ADP and much higher than that of AMP. We have determined the crystal structure of an active AMPK complex. The structure shows how the activation loop of the kinase domain is stabilized by the regulatory domain and how the kinase linker region interacts with the regulatory nucleotide-binding site that mediates protection against dephosphorylation. From our biochemical and structural data we develop a model for how the energy status of a cell regulates AMPK activity.     

Preparation and X-ray diffraction studies of curium hydrides

Curium hydrides were prepared by reaction of curium-248 metal with hydrogen and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. Several of the syntheses resulted in a hexagonal compound with average lattice parameters of a₀ = 0.3769(8) nm and c₀ = 0.6732(12) nm. These products are considered to be CmH_3?δ by analogy with the behavior of lanthanide-hydrogen and lighter actinide-hydrogen systems. Face-centered cubic products with an average lattice parameter of a₀ = 0.5322(4) nm were obtained from other curium hydride preparations. This parameter is slightly smaller than that reported previously for cubic curium dihydride, CmH_2+x (B. M. Bansal and D. Damien, Inorg. Nucl. Chem. Lett., 6, 603, 1970). The present results established a continuation of typical heavy trivalent lanthanide-like behavior of the transuranium actinide-hydrogen systems through curium.     

High-resolution structure of a retroviral capsid hexameric amino-terminal domain

Retroviruses are the aetiological agents of a range of human diseases including AIDS and T-cell leukaemias. They follow complex life cycles, which are still only partly understood at the molecular level. Maturation of newly formed retroviral particles is an essential step in production of infectious virions, and requires proteolytic cleavage of Gag polyproteins in the immature particle to form the matrix, capsid and nucleocapsid proteins present in the mature virion. Capsid proteins associate to form a dense viral core that may be spherical, cylindrical or conical depending on the genus of the virus. Nonetheless, these assemblies all appear to be composed of a lattice formed from hexagonal rings, each containing six capsid monomers. Here, we describe the X-ray structure of an individual hexagonal assembly from N-tropic murine leukaemia virus (N-MLV). The interface between capsid monomers is generally polar, consistent with weak interactions within the hexamer. Similar architectures are probably crucial for the regulation of capsid assembly and disassembly in all retroviruses. Together, these observations provide new insights into retroviral uncoating and how cellular restriction factors may interfere with viral replication.     

Non‐linear,cata‐Condensed,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Materials: A Generic Approach and Physical Properties

A generic approach to the regiospecific synthesis of halogenated polycyclic aromatics is made possible by the one‐ or two‐directional benzannulation reactions of readily available (ortho‐allylaryl)trichloroacetates (the “BHQ” reaction). Palladium‐catalysed cross‐coupling reactions of the so‐formed haloaromatics enable the synthesis of functionalised polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with surgical precision. Overall, this new methodology enables the facile mining of chemical space in search of new electronic functional materials.