Peptide mimotopes of phomopsins: Identification, characterization and application in an immunoassay

Peptide mimotopes of plant-associated toxins offer the potential for improving analytical and diagnostic methodologies as well as providing candidates for potential protective vaccines against plant poisoning diseases. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) C₃C₁₁, which recognizes the antimicrotubule phomopsin mycotoxins, was used to isolate peptide mimics of phomopsin A from a random 15-mer phage display peptide library. A total of 46 clones were isolated that showed specific reactivity with the mAb. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed four different types of mimotope sequences, all of which contained a common motif V-A-L/V-C. Of the 46 clones isolated, 44 contained the motif V-A-L-C while 2 contained the V-A-V-C motif. All four types of phage clones inhibited the reactivity of the mAb with phomopsin A in a competition ELISA. The clone with the mimotope sequence CT VALCNMYFGAKLD demonstrated the strongest binding. It was further shown that synthetic peptides containing these mimotope amino acid sequences were able to inhibit the mAb-phomopsin A interaction, indicating that the peptide mimotopes were responsible for the specific binding, independent of the phage framework. The results also suggest that the mimotope peptides bind to mAb C₃C₁₁ at the same site as phomopsin A. The application of recombinant phage particles carrying phomopsin mimotopes in immunoassay was evaluated and the results demonstrated approximately 100-fold increase in sensitivity in comparison with a conventional immunoassay using a chemically linked phomopsin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate.     

On multi-nucleon stimulated decay of heavy hyperfragments

Proceedings - Mathematical Sciences - A computer program which simulates in a Monte Carlo fashion the single nucleon stimulated decay of heavy hypernuclei has been designed. Results on the two fast...     

Acetylation of a heterocyclic enaminonitrile: Unambiguous structural assignment using NMR methods

Using a combination of nmr techniques, the structure of the acetylation product of methyl 3-[2-amino-3-cyano-9-methoxy-4H-5,6-dihydronaphtho[1,2-b]pyran-4-yl] benzoate 2b has been shown to be the N-acetyl derivative 5a , rather than the rearranged 2-acetoxydihydropyridine 6a.     

The synthesis and reactions of 4-(2- and 3-thienyl)-tetrahydroisoquinolines

Tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives substituted in the 4-position by either a 2- or 3-substituted thiophene ring have been synthesised. Simple electrophilic substitution reactions of these systems take place as expected in the α-position of the thiophene ring. Metalation reactions are more complex and take place at the benzylic 4-position of the tetrahydroisoquinoline nucleus in the case of the 2-substituted thiophene derivatives or at either the thiophene α-positions or the benzylic 4-position depending on the nature of the attacking electrophile in the case of the 3-substituted thiophene system.     

Relationship between electronic and crystal structure in Cu–Ni–Co–Mn–O spinels: Part B: Binding energy anomaly in Cu photoemission spectrum

In very rare circumstances, X-ray photoemission spectra of copper in spinel oxides exhibit a “negative binding energy shift”. The origin of such an anomalous XPS chemical shift was investigated. A metastable Ni_0.48Co_0.24Cu_0.6+xMn_1.68−xO₄ (0 < x < 0.6) spinel was fabricated at 600 °C using a low-temperature solution technique. The binding energy of the 2p_3/2 level of copper (930.8 eV) is found 1.9 eV lower than that of Cu⁰ (932.7 eV). XPS and EXAFS studies revealed that the post-thermal annealing between 600 and 800 °C undergoes an irreversible cubic-to-tetragonal phase transformation through oxidation–reduction reaction Cu¹⁺ + Mn⁴⁺  Cu²⁺ + Mn³⁺, and only tetrahedral Cu¹⁺ species in the cubic spinel shows this anomalous chemical shift. The negative shift of the core levels was correlated to an equal shift of the Cu 3d valence band levels. XPS valence bands from the samples annealed at different temperatures were compared to DOS calculations. The DOS computations were performed with FEFF-8.1 code using experimental crystal parameters established by the EXAFS analysis. It was found that the tetrahedral Cu¹⁺ in the 600 °C annealed sample exhibits localization of the 3d orbitals showing behavior characteristic to zinc. The completely filled and isolated 3d electron shell appears as a false valence band edge in the XPS spectrum. The position of the Cu 3d, and other core levels, is established by oxygen pinning the Cu valence band levels and by the fixed value of the p–d gap characteristic to the tetrahedral copper environment in this spinel.     

Ultra-high-frequency breakdown in irradiated parallel plate gaps

Summary U.h.f. breakdown stresses were measured in air, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen at frequencies 0.85 MHz to 11.5 MHz. Mid-gap irradiation by a distant (15 cm) auxiliary spark in the same gas was used. The breakdown stresses were independent of gap length. When the irradiating spark was to close to the test gap, the breakdown stress fell slightly. A qualitative explanation is offered.The authors wish to thank the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for a maintenance grant (P. E. Lane) and the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association for generous financial help.     

Choosability of Powers of Circuits

 It is proved that ch(G)=χ(G) if G=C _n ^p , the pth power of the circuit graph C _n , or if G is a uniform inflation of such a graph. The proof uses the method of Alon and Tarsi. As a corollary, the (a : b)-choosability conjectures hold for all such graphs. Received: October 10, 2000 Final version received: November 8, 2001     

2H stable isotope analysis of human tooth enamel: a new tool for forensic human provenancing?

Stable isotope analysis of biogenic tissues such as tooth enamel and bone mineral has become a well-recognised and increasingly important method for determining the provenance of human remains, and it has been used successfully in bio-archaeological studies as well as forensic investigations. In particular, (18)O and (2)H stable isotope signatures of bone and hair, respectively, are well-established proxies of climate (temperature) and source water and are therefore considered as indicators of geographic life trajectories of animals and humans. While the methodology for (2)H analysis of human hair, fingernails, and bone collagen is currently used to determine human provenance, i.e. geographic origin and identify possible migration patterns, studies involving the analysis of (2)H in tooth enamel appear to be nonexistent in the scientific literature. Ground tooth enamel was analysed by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) coupled on-line to a high-temperature conversion elemental analyser (TC/EA). An array of tooth enamel samples from archaeological and modern teeth has been analysed under different experimental conditions, and the results of this proof-of-concept study are presented. While no significant differences in (2)H abundance were noted as a result of H exchange studies or different sample preparation protocols, no significant differences or trends in measured δ(2)H-values were observed either with regard to known differences in geographical provenance. We concluded that the δ(2)H-values obtained from tooth enamel could not be used as proxy for a person's geographical origin during adolescence.