Crystallization of Arthrobacter sp. strain 1C N-(1-D-carboxyethyl)-L-norvaline dehydrogenase and its complex with NAD+

The novel NAD+-linked opine dehydrogenase from a soil isolate Arthrobacter sp. strain 1C belongs to an enzyme superfamily whose members exhibit quite diverse substrate specificites. Crystals of this opine dehydrogenase, obtained in the presence or absence of co-factor and substrates, have been shown to diffract to beyond 1.8 ? resolution. X-ray precession photographs have established that the crystals belong to space group P21212, with cell parameters a = 104.9, b = 80.0, c = 45.5 ? and a single subunit in the asymmetric unit. The elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of this enzyme will provide a structural framework for this novel class of dehydrogenases to enable a comparison to be made with other enzyme families and also as the basis for mutagenesis experiments directed towards the production of natural and synthetic opine-type compounds containing two chiral centres.     

Chemical constituents of Taraxacum formosanum

Three new compounds, taraxacine-A (1), taraxacine-B (2) and taraxafolin (3) together with twenty-five known compounds, which include two beta-carboline alkaloids, two indole alkaloids, two chlorophylls, two flavonoids, one coumarin, two triterpenoids, one monoterpenoid, one ionone, four steroids and eight benzenoids, were isolated and characterized from the fresh aerial parts of Taraxacum formosanum. Structures of new compounds were determined by spectral analysis.     

The constituents of the root and stem of Aristolochia heterophylla Hemsl

Seven new compounds, sodium aristolochate-VII (1), aristolactam-CIV (2), madolin-I (3), -J (4), -K (5), -L (6) and -M (7) together with 71 known compounds were isolated and characterized from the fresh root and stem of Aristolochia heterophylla Hemsl. Their structures were determined by spectral methods. Compound 8 was revised as aromadendrane-4beta, 10beta-diol by spectral data and single-crystal X-ray analysis.     

Polarized Raman Spectra VII Correlations and Assignments of Raman Lines in p-Polyphenyls

The Raman spectra of powdered biphenyl, p-terphenyl, and p-quaterphenyl are compared with each other and also with the Raman spectrum of benzene. Most Raman lines in polyphenyls can be considered as derived from normal vibrations in benzene. The intense lines are thus assigned and the correlations between them are established.     

Effect of seed layer on the growth and the consequent gas sensing characteristics of ZnO nanorod arrays using aqueous chemical growth

The ZnO nanorod arrays are grown on the sol–gel-derived seed layer through aqueous chemical growth, and then assembled as gas sensors for detecting carbon monoxide (CO). It is found that the structural and photoluminescent properties of the ZnO nanorod arrays are different as they are grown on seed layers annealed at different temperature (300–700 °C), which is ascribed to distinct growth kinetics of nanorods on the annealed seed layer. Moreover, the correlation between the exposed surface area and the defect density of those ZnO nanorod arrays points out the intrinsic (interior) defects can dominate the green emission instead of surface defects in the present study. Furthermore, the quantities of chemisorbed oxygen on ZnO nanorod arrays can be estimated through XPS analysis. Consequently, the influence of intrinsic defects and chemisorbed oxygen on the electrical properties and gas sensitivities of ZnO nanorod arrays has been clearly elucidated. It is demonstrated that the more adsorbed oxygen and an appropriate amount of intrinsic defects is advantageous to obtain superior CO gas sensitivity for ZnO nanorod arrays.     

Facile syntheses of 7,9-dimethoxypyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-6-ones

The activated dimethoxypyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-6-one ring system was synthesized via two approaches, starting from an indole and quinolin-4-one, respectively. Subsequent demethylation led to both monohydroxy- and dihydroxypyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinolin-6-ones.     

Cloning, expression, and characterization of thermostable region of amylopullulanase gene from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E

The bifunctional activities of α-amylase and pullulanase are found in the cloned recombinant amylopullulanase. It was encoded in a 2.9-kb DNA fragment that was amplified using polymerase chain reaction from the chromosomal DNA of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E. An estimated 109-kDa recombinant protein was obtained from the cloned gene under the prokaryotic expression system. The optimum pH of the recombinant amylopullulanase was 6.0. The most stable pH for the α-amylase and pullulanase activity was 5.5 and 5.0, respectively. The optimum temperature for the α-amylase activity was 90°C, while its most stable temperature was 80°C. Regarding pullulanase activity, the optimum temperature and its most stable temperature were found to be 80 and 75°C, respectively. Pullulan was found to be the best substrate for the enzyme. The enzyme was activated and stabilized by the presence of Ca²⁺, whereas EDTA, N-bromosuccinimide, and α-cyclodextrin inhibited its bifunctional activities. A malto-2–4-oligosac-charide was the major product obtained from the enzymatic reaction on soluble starch, amylose, amylopectin, and glycogen. A single maltotriose product was found in the pullulan hydrolysis reaction using this recombinant amylopullulanase. Kinetic analysis of the enzyme indicated that the K _m values of α-amylase and pullulanase were 1.38 and 3.79 mg/mL, respectively, while the V _max values were 39 and 98 μmol/(min · mg of protein), respectively.     

The constituents of the root and stem of Aristolochia cucurbitifolia Hayata and their biological activity

Four new compounds, three phenanthrene derivatives, aristolochic acid-III methyl ester (1), cepharanone C (2), and sodium 7-hydroxyl-8-methoxyaristolate (3), and the benzoate derivative, sodium 3,4-dimethoxybenzoate (4), together with 53 known compounds were isolated and characterized from the fresh root and stem of Aristolochia cucurbitifolia. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analyses and chemical transformations. The cytotoxicity and antiplatelet activity of the isolated compounds are also discussed.     

Effective metastability of Halpern iterates in CAT(0) spaces

This paper provides an effective uniform rate of metastability (in the sense of Tao) on the strong convergence of Halpern iterations of nonexpansive mappings in CAT(0) spaces. The extraction of this rate from an ineffective proof due to Saejung is an instance of the general proof mining program which uses tools from mathematical logic to uncover hidden computational content from proofs. This methodology is applied here for the first time to a proof that uses Banach limits and hence makes a substantial reference to the axiom of choice.