Cell surface labeling of Escherichia coli via copper(I)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition

Labeling of the cell surface of Escherichia coli was accomplished by expression of a recombinant outer membrane protein, OmpC, in the presence of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine, which acts as a methionine surrogate. The surface-exposed azide moieties of whole cells were biotinylated via Cu(1)-catalyzed [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The specificity of labeling of both wild-type OmpC and a mutant containing additional methionine sites for azidohomoalanine incorporation was confirmed by Western blotting. Flow cytometry was performed to examine the specificity of the labeling. Cells that express the mutant form of OmpC in the presence of azidohomoalanine, which were biotinylated and stained with fluorescent avidin, exhibit a mean fluorescence 10-fold higher than the background. Incorporation of an unnatural amino acid can thus be determined on a single-cell basis.     

Coligand role in the NHC nickel catalyzed C–F bond activation: investigations on the insertion of bis(NHC) nickel into the C–F bond of hexafluorobenzene

The reaction of [Ni(Mes₂Im)₂] (1) (Mes₂Im = 1,3-dimesityl-imidazolin-2-ylidene) with polyfluorinated arenes as well as mechanistic investigations concerning the insertion of 1 and [Ni(ⁱPr₂Im)₂] (1ipr) (ⁱPr₂Im = 1,3-diisopropyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene) into the C–F bond of C₆F₆ is reported. The reaction of 1 with different fluoroaromatics leads to formation of the nickel fluoroaryl fluoride complexes trans-[Ni(Mes₂Im)₂(F)(Ar^F)] (Ar^F = 4-CF₃-C₆F₄2, C₆F₅3, 2,3,5,6-C₆F₄N 4, 2,3,5,6-C₆F₄H 5, 2,3,5-C₆F₃H₂6, 3,5-C₆F₂H₃7) in fair to good yields with the exception of the formation of the pentafluorophenyl complex 3 (less than 20%). Radical species and other diamagnetic side products were detected for the reaction of 1 with C₆F₆, in line with a radical pathway for the C–F bond activation step using 1. The difluoride complex trans-[Ni(Mes₂Im)₂(F)₂] (9), the bis(aryl) complex trans-[Ni(Mes₂Im)₂(C₆F₅)₂] (15), the structurally characterized nickel(i) complex trans-[Ni^I(Mes₂Im)₂(C₆F₅)] (11) and the metal radical trans-[Ni^I(Mes₂Im)₂(F)] (12) were identified. Complex 11, and related [Ni^I(Mes₂Im)₂(2,3,5,6-C₆F₄H)] (13) and [Ni^I(Mes₂Im)₂(2,3,5-C₆F₃H₂)] (14), were synthesized independently by reaction of trans-[Ni(Mes₂Im)₂(F)(Ar^F)] with PhSiH₃. Simple electron transfer from 1 to C₆F₆ was excluded, as the redox potentials of the reaction partners do not match and [Ni(Mes₂Im)₂]⁺, which was prepared independently, was not detected. DFT calculations were performed on the insertion of [Ni(ⁱPr₂Im)₂] (1ipr) and [Ni(Mes₂Im)₂] (1) into the C–F bond of C₆F₆. For 1ipr, concerted and NHC-assisted pathways were identified as having the lowest kinetic barriers, whereas for 1, a radical mechanism with fluoride abstraction and an NHC-assisted pathway are both associated with almost the same kinetic barrier.

A combined experimental and theoretical study on the mechanism of the C–F bond activation of C₆F₆ with [Ni(NHC)₂] is provided.     

Conformational analysis of self-organized monolayers with scanning tunneling microscopy at near-atomic resolution

We describe the synthesis and a novel approach to the conformational analysis of 2,2'-bipyridines (bpy) bearing aromatic rich Frechet-type dendritic wedges of the first and second generation as substituents. The evaporation of solutions of these new ligands on graphite surfaces under ambient conditions results in the formation of self-organized monolayers. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) investigations of the monolayers under ambient conditions (air, 298 K) gave images at submolecular and near-atomic resolution. The analysis of the STM images includes the following processes: (i) identification and reproduction of potential homoconformational domains, (ii) exclusion of improper data using quality criteria for drift and feedback artifacts, (iii) compilation of running averages and checking for averaging artifacts, (iv) analysis of three-dimensional and contour plots, (v) calculation of the HOMO properties of the free molecules, and (vi) final conformational assignment based on all accessible information. Following this procedure, two different conformations could be assigned to domains observed in the monolayers of the first-generation (G1) and second-generation (G2) dendritic compounds. Homoconformational domains are observed side-by-side. The different conformations arise from syn or anti arrangements at the ether substituents. An additional conformational effect is found upon treating the G1 domains with HCl gas, when a partial rearrangement of the bpy from trans to cis occurs, concomitant with protonation.     

Antimalarial activity of n(6)-substituted adenosine derivatives (part 2)

We have investigated the in vitro antimalarial activity of a new series of adenosine derivatives. The results show that N(6)-(1-naphthylmethyl)-5'-deoxy-5'-(amido)adenosines as well as N(6)-(4-phenylbenzyl)-5'-deoxy-5'-(amido)adenosines display significant activity against the malaria-causing parasites, with the sterically demanding bisubstituted species reported being active in most cases in the low-micromolar range. The novel compounds with unusual substitution pattern were obtained applying an efficient convergent polymer-assisted solution-phase (cPASP) synthesis protocol. Thus, we were able to prepare a series of substituted derivatives in parallel that would have been difficult to synthesize by standard techniques. The scope and limitations of the synthetic methodology are discussed.     

Efficient synthesis of [3H]-sanglifehrin A via selective oxidation/reduction of alcohols at C31 and C35

[Reaction: see text]. Sanglifehrin A is a novel complex natural product showing strong immunosuppressive activity and remarkably high affinity for cyclophilin A. To assess its pharmacokinetic properties in vivo, an efficient synthetic route was developed to introduce a tritium label in position C35 of sangliferin A via an oxidation/reduction strategy. The synthetic approach is particularly attractive, because the C35-oxo intermediate 7 is available in good yield on large scale and the reducing agent, lithium tri-sec-butylborotritide, is readily available. An attempt to apply a similar strategy to the alcohol in position C31 led primarily to C31-epi-hydroxy sanglifehrin A under a variety of conditions.     

Measurement of γp→K + Λ and γp→K + Σ 0 at photon energies up to 1.47 GeV

The reactions pK ⁺ and pK ^{+ 0} have been measured with the multiparticle detector system SAPHIR at ELSA in Bonn. Besides the differential cross sections the polarization and, for the first time, the ⁰ polarization have been determined in a photon induced reaction. All data are presented as functions of the photon energy (from threshold up to 1.47 GeV) and of the kaon production angle (0°–180°). The polarization of both and ⁰ is substantial at all energies and varies strongly with the production angle.This work is supported by the Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie (BMFT), FK 06 BN 621 I