Intramolecular electron transfer in nitrite reductases.

The copper- and heme-containing nitrite reductases (NiRs) are key enzymes in denitrification. Their subunits contain two distinct redox-active metal centers, an electron-accepting site and a nitrite-reducing site, to carry out the single-electron reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide. Catalytic cycles of both enzyme families employ intramolecular electron transfer that can be rate-determining for their activity. Herein, we report results comparing these two enzyme families in order to resolve the different mechanisms controlling intramolecular electron transfer in these proteins.     

Tagless extraction-retentate chromatography: a new global protein digestion strategy for monitoring differential protein expression

A new global protein digestion and selective peptide extraction strategy for the purpose of monitoring differential protein expression, coined as tagless extraction-retentate chromatography, is introduced. Target protein populations are firstly digested under reduced and alkylated conditions, and resultant peptides selectively extracted via covalent attachment to methionine residues by bromoacetyl reactive groups tethered to the surface of glass beads packed in small reaction vessels. After conjugation, reactive beads are stringently washed to remove nonspecifically bound peptides and then later treated with beta-mercaptoethanol to release captured methionine peptides in their nascent state, without complicating affinity tags. Recovered methionine containing peptides are profiled using the surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) retentate chromatography mass spectrometry (RCMS) method. Selected peptides are further studied employing ProteinChip tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis to identify their parent proteins. This approach has been applied to an Escherichia coli lysate model system and has demonstrated facility in reducing global digest complexity, sensitivity to low protein expression levels, and significant quantitative capability. It is envisioned that tagless extraction-RCMS will evolve to be a valuable approach for both basic research and clinical proteomics endeavors.     

Trends in metal-biradical exchange interaction for first-row M(II)(nitronyl nitroxide-semiquinone) complexes

We report molecular structures and temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility data for several new metal complexes of heterospin triplet ground-state biradical ligands. The ligands are comprised of both nitronyl-nitroxide (NN) and semiquinone (SQ) spin carriers. Five compounds are five-coordinate M(II) complexes (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn), and one is a six-coordinate Ni(II) complex. Five compounds were structurally characterized. During copper complex formation a reaction with methanol occurs to form a unique methoxy-substituted SQ ring. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies are consistent with strong intraligand (NN-SQ and NN-PhSQ) ferromagnetic exchange coupling. For the five-coordinate Mn, Co, and Ni complexes, the S = 1 ligand is antiferromagnetically coupled to the metal. For both the five-coordinate Cu complex and the six-coordinate Ni complex, the ligand is ferromagnetically coupled to the metal spins in accordance with orbital symmetry arguments. Despite the low molecular symmetries, the predicted trend in metal-ligand exchange interactions is supported by spin dimer analysis based on extended Hückel calculations. For (NN-SQ)NiTp(Cum,Me)() (Tp(Cum,Me)() = hydro-tris(3-cumenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)borate), an antisymmetric exchange term was required for the best fit of the magnetic susceptibility data. Antisymmetric exchange was less important for the other complexes due to inherently smaller Deltag. Finally, it is shown that intraligand exchange coupling is of paramount importance in stabilizing high-spin states of mixed metal-biradical complexes.     

Outer-Sphere Electron Transfer in Methylene Chloride: Concentration, Salt, and Temperature Dependences of the Oxidation of beta-Re(2)X(4)(cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene)(2) (X = Cl, Br) by [Co(dimethylglyoximate)(3)(BF)(2)]BF(4) and the Oxidation of Re(2)Br(4)(PMe(2)Ph)(4) by [Co(1,2-cyclohexanedione dioximate)(3)(BBu)(2)]BF(4)

The kinetics of the oxidation of beta-Re(2)X(4)(cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene)(2) (X = Cl, Br) by the cobalt clathrochelate [Co(dimethylglyoximate)(3)(BF)(2)]BF(4) and the oxidation of Re(2)Br(4)(PMe(2)Ph)(4) by the cobalt clathrochelate [Co(1,2-cyclohexanedione dioximate)(3)(BBu)(2)]BF(4) have been studied by the stopped-flow method as a function of temperature (-85 to -19 degrees C), added Bu(4)NBF(4) (0-0.100 M), and reactant concentration in the low dielectric solvent methylene chloride. For each reaction, approximately 100 different conditions were studied. The observed rate constants were well fit by a mechanism involving separate paths for free ion and the ion-paired Co(III) oxidant. The analysis yielded values for DeltaH() and DeltaS() for each path of each reaction and consistent DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees values for the ion-pairing of the cationic reactant and the electrolyte. In addition, temperature-dependent electrochemical measurements in 0.10 M Bu(4)NBF(4) yielded DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees for the electron transfer process. This is the first measurement of the homogeneous electron transfer reactivity of the dirhenium complexes, and they showed the expected high reactivity. The most notable result is a very high inhibition (ca. 700-fold) by added salt of only the [Co(dmg)(3)(BF)(2)]BF(4) reactions. We attribute this to a change of rate-controlling step, for the ion-paired path, to one involving anion migration. This appears only to occur when the magnitude of ion-pairing free energy is significantly greater than the magnitude of the free energy change for the electron transfer process.     

Electronic control of chiral quaternary center creation in the intramolecular asymmetric heck reaction

The Boehringer-Ingelheim phosphinoimidazoline (BIPI) ligands were applied to the formation of chiral quaternary centers in the asymmetric Heck reaction. Several different substrates were examined in detail, using more than 70 members of this new ligand class. Hammett relationships were determined through systematic variation of the ligand electronics. All substrates showed essentially the same Hammett behavior, where enantioselectivity increased as the ligands were made more electron-deficient. Ligand optimization has led to catalysts which give the highest enantioselectivities reported to date for these difficult systems.     

Mapping key elements of a protein motif

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Weiss and colleagues use phage display to map residues in the engrailed homeodomain that influence DNA recognition. Their shotgun scanning data provides surprising new insights into the importance of regions outside the recognition helix and N-terminal arm for DNA binding.     

Trends in exchange coupling for trimethylenemethane-type Bis(semiquinone) biradicals and correlation of magnetic exchange with mixed valency for cross-conjugated systems

A magnetostructural correlation (conformational electron spin exchange modulation) within an isostructural series of biradical complexes is presented. X-ray crystal structures, variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, zero-field splitting parameters, and variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements were used to evaluate molecular conformation and electron spin exchange coupling in this series of molecules. Our combined results indicate that the ferromagnetic portion of the exchange couplings occurs via the cross-conjugated pi-systems, while the antiferromagnetic portion occurs through space and is equivalent to incipient bond formation. Thus, molecular conformation controls the relative amounts of ferro- and antiferromagnetic contributions to exchange coupling. In fact, the exchange parameter correlates with average semiquinone ring torsion angles via a Karplus-Conroy-type relation. Because of the natural connection between electron spin exchange coupling and electronic coupling related to electron transfer, we also correlate the exchange parameters in the biradical complexes to mixed valency in the corresponding quinone-semiquinone radical anions. Our results suggest that delocalization in the cross-conjugated, mixed-valent radical anions is proportional to the ferromagnetic contribution to the exchange coupling in the biradical oxidation states.     

Linear algebraic groups and countable Borel equivalence relations

If is an equivalence relation on a standard Borel space , then we say that is Borel reducible to if there is a Borel function such that . An equivalence relation on a standard Borel space is Borel if its graph is a Borel subset of . It is countable if each of its equivalence classes is countable. We investigate the complexity of Borel reducibility of countable Borel equivalence relations on standard Borel spaces. We show that it is at least as complex as the relation of inclusion on the collection of Borel subsets of the real line. We also show that Borel reducibility is -complete. The proofs make use of the ergodic theory of linear algebraic groups, and more particularly the superrigidity theory of R. Zimmer.