Novel Tripod Amphiphiles for Membrane Protein Analysis

Integral membrane proteins play central roles in controlling the flow of information and molecules across membranes. Our understanding of membrane protein structures and functions, however, is seriously limited, mainly due to difficulties in handling and analysing these proteins in aqueous solution. The use of a detergent or other amphipathic agents is required to overcome the intrinsic incompatibility between the large lipophilic surfaces displayed by the membrane proteins in their native forms and the polar solvent molecules. Here, we introduce new tripod amphiphiles displaying favourable behaviours toward several membrane protein systems, leading to an enhanced protein solubilisation and stabilisation compared to both conventional detergents and previously described tripod amphiphiles.     

PHASE BEHAVIOUR IN THE SYSTEM TRS 10-80/BUTANOL/PETROL D/SODIUM CHLORIDE

The phase diagrams for the system TRS 10-80/ butanol/Petrol D/sodium chloride show that the weight ratio B = TRS/butanol is very important for the stability of the microemulsion. R = 1 results in a very limited microemulsion region. Provided the ratio is >1.22 the minimum amount of (TRS+butanol) necessary to form a microemulsion, with equal amounts of water and Petrol D, is 15% and approximately independent of R.However, as R is increased the solubility of water in the (TRS+butanol) mixture is reduced and a liquid crystalline phase is formed. Its presence increases the viscosity and the kinetic stability of the emulsions formed at low content of Petrol D.

Addition of electrolyte reduces the minimum amount of (TRS+butanol) necessary to form a microemulsion. Furthermore, systems rich in water separate into two phases; an upper microemulsion phase and a lower aqueous phase. This can be explained in terms of a redistribution of the butanol from the aqueous phase to the oil phase. It is shown that, although the studied system contains unpurified technical products, the phase behaviour is very similar to that of model systems of pure chemicals.

X-ray diffraction showed that the liquid crystal line phase was lamellar. The thickness of the amphiphilie layer was 26-28 Å. It is more difficult to obtain direct information of the structure of the microemulsion. However, conductivity data indicated a “bicontinuous” structure or at least, the occurrence of highly dynamic aggregates over a large concentration range.     

RADIATION CHEMISTRY OF AMINOALKYITHIOIS

Abstract

Radiation chemistry of aminoalkylthiols and some derivatives (aminoalkyl-S-thiophosphates and aminoalkyl-S-thiosulfates among which are most effective radioprotectors) in aqueous solutions has been studied in order to establish the relation between the structure of these compounds and their radiation-chemical properties. Increase in the number of methylene groups between the sulfur atom and nitrogen atom in the aminothiol molecule from 2 to 4 and substitution of the amino group hydrogene by an alkyl radical has been found to be without appreciable effect both on the “spectra” of radiolisis products and rate constants for interaction of H, e^? _aq and OH with aminothiols     

d9配合物MOSE曲面和几何构型的研究

d~9电子构型的金属离子所形成的配合物几何构型一般为拉长八面体或平面正方形,晶体场理论和角重叠模型都对此作出了较满意的描述,但就该电子构型的中心离子与指定配体配位时易形成配合物的配位数、配体所处的位置等问题,至今尚无满意解释.本文通过分子轨道稳定化能(MOSE)的计算及其曲面的绘制,形象地解释了上述问题.     

Nonionic latices in aqueous media part 1. Preparation and characterization of polystyrene latices

A series of non-ionic polystyrene latices in aqueous media containing particles with a narrow size distribution have been prepared using a nonyl phenol poly(ehylene glycol) condensate as the surfactant, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol methacrylate) as the comonomer/stabilizer, and ascorbic acid/hydrogen peroxide as the initiator system. As a control synthesis for comparison with the above latex, a charge stabilized polystyrene latex was prepared, using an anionic surfactant and potassium persulphate as the initiator. Latices employing a combination of charge plus steric stabilization mechanisms were also prepared, in order to investigate the effect of the non-ionic surfactant and the comonomer/stabilizer. The particle size of the latices was measured by transmission electron microscopy, the surface charge density by conductimetric titration and the glass transition temperature of the polymer by differential scanning calorimetry. The latex prepared using non-ionic ingredients, showed no titratable charge and exhibited a profound lowering of the glass transition temperature, with respect to the charge stabilized latex. On the basis of these results, schematic models for the polymerization mechanism and the morphology of the latex particles are proposed.     

Lewis acid stabilized group 13–15 element analogs of ethylene

Stabilization of hydrogen-substituted group 13–15 compounds H₂EE′H₂ (E = B, Al, Ga; E′ = P, As, Sb) by Lewis acids is considered at B3LYP/def2-TZVP, B3LYP-D3/def2-TZVP and M06-2X/def2-TZVP levels of theory. It is shown, that for many Lewis acids additional reactivity beyond the DA complex formation with H₂EE′H₂ monomer is expected. In case of complexation with E(C₆F₅)₃, F/H exchange reactions with group 13 bound hydrides are predicted to be exothermic and accompanied by the activation energies which are smaller than dissociation of the complex into components. In case of complex formation with transition metal (TM) carbonyls, additional O → Al, TM–C → Al interactions are observed, which in several cases lead to cyclic structures. The most promising candidates for the experimental studies have been identified. Synthetic approaches to the most promising LA-only stabilized compounds are recommended.     

Fibrillar structure development of polyacrylonitrile fibers treated by ultrasonic etching in oxidative stabilization

Polyacrylonitrile fibers were oxidatively stabilized through 10 gradient‐elevated temperature zones in sequence. The ultrasonic etching method was used for fibril separation of fibers heated at different temperatures, and the fibrillar structure development was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The voids among fibrils are the weak combination points. Under ultrasonic etching, the voids are enlarged. Subsequently, the solvent enters and spreads among fibrils, which results in the separation of fibrils. Separated fibrils with diameters of 100–400 nm appear in fibers heated at less than 235°C. Fibrils in fibers heated from 195°C to 235°C tend to adhere to each other, and the observed macrofibrils are composed of several to dozens of fibrils. For fibers heated from 195°C to 245°C, only a few fibril bundles emerge on the skin near the fiber end, and the fibrils manifest themselves as numerous protuberances on the cross section. In the ranges of 255–275°C, fibrils compactly combine with each other, which suggests insolubility and infusibility, and no separated fibrils appear. The fibrils arrange in a systematic way along the fiber axis and grooves parallel to the fiber axis on the fibers' surface. These grooves are the macro behavior of fibrils arranging on the fiber surface. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Degradation and stabilization of polycyanoacrylates

Polycyanoacrylates were found to be inherently unstable. Even in the absence of a deliberately added strong base, their molecular weights decreased drastically on standing in solution in accord with observations by Ryan and McCann (Makromol Chem Rapid Commun 1996, 17, 217). The initial high molecular weight polymer disappeared over the course of a few hours in solution and was replaced by a much lower molecular weight material. For polymers made by anionic polymerization, the entire sample degraded, but for polymers made by free-radical polymerization, only a portion of the sample was affected. This behavior was consistent with the mechanism proposed by Ryan and McCann, in which the polymer chains are in dynamic equilibrium with their monomers and the polymer degrades from its chain terminus. Surprisingly, the degradation in molecular weight even occurred slowly in the solid state. The degradation was inhibited by acids and could be prevented by free-radical copolymerization with small amounts of more stable monomers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4570–4581, 1999     

Glycosyl‐Substituted Dicarboxylates as Detergents for the Extraction,Overstabilization, and Crystallization of Membrane Proteins

To tackle the problems associated with membrane protein (MP) instability in detergent solutions, we designed a series of glycosyl‐substituted dicarboxylate detergents (DCODs) in which we optimized the polar head to clamp the membrane domain by including, on one side, two carboxyl groups that form salt bridges with basic residues abundant at the membrane–cytoplasm interface of MPs and, on the other side, a sugar to form hydrogen bonds. Upon extraction, the DCODs 8 b , 8 c , and 9 b preserved the ATPase function of BmrA, an ATP‐binding cassette pump, much more efficiently than reference or recently designed detergents. The DCODs 8 a , 8 b , 8 f , 9 a , and 9 b induced thermal shifts of 20 to 29 °C for BmrA and of 13 to 21 °C for the native version of the G‐protein‐coupled adenosine receptor A_2AR. Compounds 8 f and 8 g improved the diffraction resolution of BmrA crystals from 6 to 4 Å. DCODs are therefore considered to be promising and powerful tools for the structural biology of MPs.     

Shape and core‐excited resonances of thionucleobases

Thionucleobases can be used in chemoradiation therapy of cancer. Shape resonances (SRs) and core‐excited resonances (CERs) can lead to fragmentation and eventually result in strand breaks of DNA. In particular, the more energetic CERs are believed to cause double‐strand breaks that can hardly be repaired. In this work, both the SRs and CERs of exemplary 2‐thiouracil, 4‐thiouracil, 2‐thiothymine, 4‐thiothymine, and 6‐aza‐2‐thiothymine are investigated using stabilization method in conjunction with long range corrected time‐dependent density functional theory. Results indicate that the energies of (1) π*₁ and π*₂ SRs, (2) n‐π* CERs, and (3) mixed resonances of π‐π* CERs with π* SRs can be significantly stabilized due to thionation of uracil or thymine. It is noteworthy that the resonant cases of (2) and (3) can be accessed by electrons even at energies below 4 eV. Consequently, the increased decay of temporary anions can enhance strand breaks of DNA.