Preparation of Tyr-C-peptide from genetically altered human insulin precursor

C-peptide radioimmunoassay (C-peptide RIA) is widely used in determination of pancreatic B-cell secretion activity.¹²⁵I labeled TyrC-peptide is indispensable in C-peptide RIA kit. Herein we discuss a way of obtaining recombinant Tyr-C-peptide. Arg32Tyr human proinsulin mutant (R32Y-proinsulin) gene was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis and overexpressed inEscherichia coli. Purified R32Y-proinsulin was converted to insulin and Tyr-C-peptide by trypsin and carboxypeptidase B codigestion. Tyr-C-peptide was isolated through reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) and identified by C-peptide RIA and amino acid analysis.     

Study of metal-loaded activated charcoals for the separation and determination of selenium species by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis

Conversion of adsorption properties of activated charcoal (C^∗) by metal modification towards selenite, selenate and seleno-dl-methionine (Se-Met) was studied. Several metals were included in modification studies and also a procedure was developed for the separation and independent determination of microgram quantities of these selenium species in aqueous solution. Selenium species were collected one by one from the same sample solution onto collector material by adsorbing them directly or after complex formation onto different metal-loaded activated charcoals (MgC^∗ and FeC^∗). The mass of selenium in these collectors was measured directly by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF). Detection limits for all three selenium species were better than 6 μg corresponding to concentration of 60 μg/l with 0.100 l of initial sample volume.     

Synthesis of homochiral 2-C-perfluoroalkyl substituted d- and l-riboses

Homochiral 2-C-perfluoroalkyl substituted d- and l-riboses were synthesized via Barbier, Grignard and Ruppert type reactions. The influence of the size of the perfluoroalkyl groups, attached to C-2, on the furanose/pyranose as well as on the α-furanose/β-furanose and α-pyranose/β-pyranose ratio in solution was studied.     

Tetraarylester der μ-Imidodiphosphorsäure und ihre Thioderivate — Strukturuntersuchungen

Tetraarylesters of μ-Imido-Diphosphoric Acid and its Thio Derivatives — Structure Investigations New O,O′,O″,O?-tetratolyl- and ditolyl-diphenylesters of the μ-imido-diphosphoric acid and its mono and dithio derivatives were synthesized, compared with the corresponding tetraphenylesters and investigated by ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystal structure analysis. Structures of the O,O′,O″,O?-tetrakis-(2-methyl-phenyl)-μ-imidodiphosphate, 1b , as well as of the corresponding ortho-, meta- and para-tolylesters of the μ-imido-monothiodiphosphoric acid ( 2a , 2b , 2c ) were determined. All the compounds form dimers via N? H…?O hydrogen bonds in the crystal as well as in nonpolar solvents. The distances around the phosphorus atoms rise with decreasing electronegativity of the phosphorus substituents. Signs of the ²J_{P? N? P} coupling constants were determined by ¹³C{¹H, ³¹P} triple resonance experiments for some compounds. These constants become more negative owing to substitution of a phosphoryl by a thiophosphoryl group.     

The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated woody crops to ethanol

Four promising woody crops (Populusmaximowiczii x nigra (NE388), P.trichocarpa x deltoides (Nll), P.tremuloides, and SweetgumLiquidambar styraciflua) were pretreated by dilute sulfuric acid and evaluated in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process for ethanol production. The yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae was used in the fermentations alone, and in mixed cultures with β -glucosidase producingBrettanomyces dausenii. Commercial Genencor 150L cellulase enyme was either employed alone or supplemented with β- glucosidase. All SSFs were run at 37 …C for 8 d and compared to saccharifications at 45…C under the same enzyme loadings.S. cerevisiae alone achieved the highest ethanol yields and rates of hydrolysis at the higher enzyme loadings, whereas the mixed culture performed better at the lower enzyme loadings without β -glucosidase supplementation. The best overall rates of fermentation (3 d) and final theoretical ethanol yields (86–90%) were achieved with P.maximowiczii x nigra (NE388) and SweetgumLiquidambar styraciflua, followed by P.tremuloides and P.trichocarpa xdeltoides (N1l) with slightly slower rates and lower yields. Although there were some differences in SSF performance, all these pretreated woody crops show promise as substrates for ethanol production.     

Fouling and protein adsorption effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of membrane surfaces

Adsorption of proteins and the effect of the chemical nature of membrane surfaces on protein adsorption were investigated using¹⁴C-tagged albumin and several microporous membranes (polyvinilydene fluoride, PVDF; nylon; polypropylene, PP; and polycarbonate, PC). The membrane surfaces were modified by exposing them to low-temperature plasma of several different monomers (n-butane, oxygen, nitrogen alone or as mixtures) in a radiofrequency plasma reactor. Transients in the permeability of albumin solutions through the membranes and changes in flux of distilled water through the membranes before and after adsorption of albumin were used to investigate the role of protein adsorption on membrane fouling. The results show that the extent of adsorption of albumin on hydrophobic membranes was considerably more than that on hydrophilic membranes. The hydrophilic membranes were susceptible to electrostatic interactions and less prone to fouling. A pore-blocking model was successfully used to correlate the loss of water flux through pores of defined geometry     

Theoretical studies on the metathesis processes, (Tp(PH3)MR(eta 2-H[bond]CH3)]-->[Tp(PH3)M(CH3)(eta 2-H[bond]R)] (M=Fe,Ru, and Os; R=H and CH3)

Theoretical calculations on the metathesis process, [Tp(PH3)MR(eta 2-H[bond]CH3)] --> [Tp(PH3)M(CH3)(eta 2-H[bond]R)] (M=Fe, Ru, and Os; R=H and CH3), have been systematically carried out to study their detailed reaction mechanisms. Other than the one-step mechanism via a four-center transition state and the two-step mechanism through an oxidative addition/reductive elimination pathway, a new one-step mechanism, with a transition state formed under oxidative addition, has been found. Based on the intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations, we found that the trajectories of the transferring hydrogen atom in the metathesis processes studied are similar to each other regardless of the nature of reaction mechanisms.     

Isotope shift measurements in titanium I

The use of an effusive beam of titanium atoms crossed with a CW single-mode tunable dye laser has allowed the high-resolution, Doppler-free study of the isotope shifts between⁵⁰Ti,⁴⁸Ti and⁴⁶Ti, for seven 3d ² 4s ² a³ F _J 3d ² 4s 4p z ⁵ D _J , visible transitions of Ti I. The measurements show without ambiguity the existence of a non-negligible field shift. Using the values of the nuclear radii of titanium (coming from muonic X-ray measurements), it is possible to determine the respective values of the field and mass shifts.     

Optimal Kinoshita wave functions for heliumlike atoms

An extensive optimization has been performed for the composition ofN terms, as well as the exponent and the mixing coefficients, of Kinoshita wave functions for heliumlike atoms with atomic numberZ. The optimalN-term Kinoshita functions have been constructed forN=1–10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 andZ=1(H^–)–10(Ne⁸⁺). The present results demonstrate that the optimal term selection dramatically improves the accuracy of the Kinoshita function: In the case of He, for example, the optimal 100-term Kinoshita function gives – 2.903 724 376 95 hartrees, which is only 8×10^–11 hartrees higher than the most accurate literature value.