Computational Design of Novel Allosteric Inhibitors for Plasmodium falciparum DegP

The serine protease, DegP exhibits proteolytic and chaperone activities, essential for cellular protein quality control and normal cell development in eukaryotes. The P. falciparum DegP is essential for the parasite survival and required to combat the oscillating thermal stress conditions during the infection, protein quality checks and protein homeostasis in the extra-cytoplasmic compartments, thereby establishing it as a potential target for drug development against malaria. Previous studies have shown that diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) and the peptide SPMFKGV inhibit E. coli DegP protease activity. To identify novel potential inhibitors specific to PfDegP allosteric and the catalytic binding sites, we performed a high throughput in silico screening using Malaria Box, Pathogen Box, Maybridge library, ChEMBL library and the library of FDA approved compounds. The screening helped identify five best binders that showed high affinity to PfDegP allosteric (T0873, T2823, T2801, {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"RJC02337","term_id":"1480409465","term_text":"RJC02337"}}RJC02337, CD00811) and the catalytic binding site (T0078L, T1524, T2328, BTB11534 and 552691). Further, molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"RJC02337","term_id":"1480409465","term_text":"RJC02337"}}RJC02337, BTB11534 as the best hits forming a stable complex. WaterMap and electrostatic complementarity were used to evaluate the novel bio-isosteric chemotypes of {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"RJC02337","term_id":"1480409465","term_text":"RJC02337"}}RJC02337, that led to the identification of 231 chemotypes that exhibited better binding affinity. Further analysis of the top 5 chemotypes, based on better binding affinity, revealed that the addition of electron donors like nitrogen and sulphur to the side chains of butanoate group are more favoured than the backbone of butanoate group. In a nutshell, the present study helps identify novel, potent and Plasmodium specific inhibitors, using high throughput in silico screening and bio-isosteric replacement, which may be experimentally validated.     

Barium(II)–2,4‐dinitrophenolate–18‐crown‐6 at 183 K

The title compound, bis(2,4‐dinitrophenolato‐κ²O,O′)(1,4,7,10,13,16‐hexaoxadecane‐κ⁶O)barium(II), [Ba(C₆H₃N₂O₅)₂(C₁₂H₂₄O₆)], is a 1:1 complex of barium(II)–2,4‐di­nitro­phenolate and 1,4,7,10,13,16‐hexaoxa­cyclo­octa­decane (18‐crown‐6). Its structure is located on a crystallographic inversion centre. The temperature dependence of the crystal structure has been studied. The monoclinic β angle of the P2₁/­n space group increases with increasing temperature. The packing structure of the complex is stabilized by intermolecular C—H?O interactions.     

1‐Acetyl‐3′‐(4‐bromophenyl)‐3′‐chlorospiro[3H‐indole‐3,2′‐oxetan]‐2(1H)‐one

In the title compound, C₁₈H₁₃BrClNO₃, the heterocyclic ring of the indole is distorted from planarity towards an envelope conformation. The orientations of the indole, oxetane, chloro and bromo­phenyl substituents are conditioned by the sp³ states of the spiro‐junction and the Cl‐attached C atoms.     

Effect of some organic solvents and acids on the laser-induced atomic fluorescence of tin in air-hydrogen flames

The effects of some organic solvents and acids on the atomic fluorescence of tin in air-hydrogen flames have been examined. Ketones and alcohols greatly reduced the florescence sensitivity in fuel rich air-hydrogen flame whereas organic acids generally enhanced the fluorescence signal. The depressive effect of organic solvents was found to be highly dependent on the fuel to oxidant ratio in the flame. An attempt has been made to explain these effects, on the basis of possible reactions occurring in the flame.On leave from Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, PakistanOn leave from Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain     

Di‐2‐pyridyl ketone N4,N4‐(butane‐1,4‐diyl)thiosemicarbazone

The title compound, C₁₆H₁₇N₅S, is in the thione form and crystallizes with two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. In both mol­ecules, the penta­methyl­ene­imine five‐membered ring adopts an envelope conformation, and in one of the molecules this ring shows positional disorder. The thione S and hydrazine N atoms are in the Z configuration with respect to the C—N bond.     

Bis[1,1′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenium] hexadecachlorotetraantimony(III) ethanol solvate

In the title compound, [Fe(C₁₇H₁₄P)₂]₂[Sb₄Cl₁₆]·C₂H₆O, the Fe atoms lie on inversion centres and the pairs of cyclopentadienyl rings are consequently in a fully staggered conformation. The centrosymmetric anionic clusters formed by [Sb₄Cl₁₆]^4? are surrounded by the cations and are held together by weak C—H?Cl interactions. These formations stack along the a axis to form columns, and the columns are interconnected by another weak C—H?Cl interaction along the b axis.     

不同温度下氨基酸在α-咖啡碱水溶液中的体积、粘度及折光率特性

Measurements of density(ρ), viscosity(η), and refractive index(n), were carried out on α-amino acids, DL-solution at 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, and 313.15 K. These measurements have been carried out to evaluate some important parameters, viz., apparent molar volume (φv), partial molar volume (φv0), transfer volume (φ0v (tr)), viscosity A and B coefficients of Jones-Dole equation, free energies of activation per mole of solvent (△μ0#1) and solute (△μ0#2),enthalpies (△H*) and entropies (△S*) of activation of viscous flow, variation of B with temperature ((a)B/(a)T)P, and molar refractive index (RD). These parameters have been interpreted in terms of solute-solute and solute-solvent interactions and structure making/breaking ability of solutes in the given solution.     

One-pot synthesis of ortho-hydroxycinnamate esters

Phenols are converted to salicylaldehydes with paraformaldehyde, MgCl₂-Et₃N in THF, and subsequent treatment with methyl (triphenylphosphoranylidene)acetate gave the corresponding methyl ortho-hydroxycinnamate derivatives. The sequence is conveniently carried out as a one-pot procedure.     

Numerical Study of Pore Sizes Distribution in Gels

We introduce a new numerical technique for the calculation of the pore size distribution in two-dimensional disordered systems. Our method is based on a triangulation technique which allows a closer measurement of pores surface without any morphological hypothesis.In this work, we focus our calculations in simulated gels. Such materials are modeled in two different conditions: by means of the Diffusion-Limited and Reaction-Limited Cluster-cluster Aggregation algorithms, DLCA and RLCA, respectively. In both situations, when the particles concentration decreases, the average pores size increases. The more compact cluster in RLCA, compared with DLCA, is consistent with the pore size distribution we have calculated. The simulated mean pore size is quantitatively in agreement with experimental data from literature.     

2‐Hydro­xy‐3‐(4,5,6,7‐tetra­hydro‐1H‐imidazo­[4,5‐c]­pyridin‐5‐ium‐4‐yl)­benzoate monohydrate

The title mol­ecule, C₁₃H₁₃N₃O₃·H₂O, is in the form of a mono­hydrated zwitterion. The tetra­hydro­pyridinium ring adopts an envelope conformation and is nearly coplanar with the plane of the imidazoline ring. The water solvate mol­ecule plays an important role as a bridge between zwitterions, forming molecular chains running along the c direction, which are interconnected by N—H?O hydrogen bonds into molecular ribbons. The crystal packing is further stabilized by another N—H?O and one O—H?N hydrogen bond, which interconnect the molecular ribbons.