What to Learn from a Comparative Genomic Sequence Analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-Carnitine Dehydrogenase

Summary. In contrast to eukaryotic cells certain eubacterial strains have acquired the ability to utilize L-carnitine (R-(–)-3-hydroxy-4-(trimethylamino)butyrate) as sole source of energy, carbon and nitrogen. The first step of the L-carnitine degradation to glycine betaine is catalysed by L-carnitine dehydrogenase (L-CDH, EC 1.1.1.108) and results in the formation of the dehydrocarnitine. During the oxidation of L-carnitine a simultaneous conversion of the cofactor NAD⁺ to NADH takes place. This catabolic reaction has always been of keen interest, because it can be exploited for spectroscopic L-carnitine determination in biological fluids – a quantification method, which is developed in our lab – as well as L-carnitine production.Based on a cloned L-CDH sequence an expedition through the currently available prokaryotic genomic sequence space began to mine relevant information about bacterial L-carnitine metabolism hidden in the enormous amount of data stored in public sequence databases. Thus by means of homology-based and context-based protein function prediction is revealed that L-CDH exists in certain eubacterial genomes either as a protein of approximately 35 kDa or as a homologous fusion protein of approximately 54 kDa with an additional putative domain, which is predicted to possess a thioesterase activity. These two variants of the enzyme are found on one hand in the genome sequence of bacterial species, which were previously reported to decompose L-carnitine, and on the other hand in gram-positive bacteria, which were not known to express L-CDH. Furthermore we could not only discover that L-CDH is located in a conserved genetic entity, which genes are very likely involved in this L-carnitine catabolic pathway, but also pinpoint the exact genomic sequence position of several other enzymes, which play an essential role in the bacterial metabolism of L-carnitine precursors.     

Semi-preparative liquid-chromatographic separation of all four stereoisomers of α-bisabolol on tribenzoylcellulose

Summary A semi-preparative low-pressure liquid-chromatographic procedure using tribenzoylcellulose has been developed for the separation and isolation of the four -bisabolol stereoisomers. Stereochemical assignments were made by HPLC-polarimeter coupling and by using the authentical isomers. This method can be applied to the quality control of chamomile preparations, as it allows the detection of adulterations resulting from admixtures of synthetic -bisabolol. In addition, the isolation of all four -bisabolol stereoisomers from commercially available synthetic -bisabolol has been made possible.     

Synthese und Konfigurationszuordnung von potentiell antimikrobiellen 5,6-Dihydroxyisobenzofuranonen

Summary Oxidation of isobenzofuranone1 yielded in a diastereoselective reaction epoxide2. Acidolysis of2 resulted in a mixture oftrans-glycols6 a (88%) and7 a (4%), which were separated by crystallization. The relative configuration of6 a and7 a at the chiral centers 3 a, 5, 6, and 7 a was determined by¹H-NMR-spectroscopy and X-ray analysis of O-acetylated and 7 a-methylated derivatives.

     

Theoretical analysis of the porphyrin-porphyrin exciton interaction in circular dichroism spectra of dimeric tetraarylporphyrins

Chiral bis-porphyrins are currently the subject of intense interest as chiral receptors and as probes in the determination of structure and stereochemistry. To provide an improved framework for interpreting the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of bis-porphyrins, we have calculated the CD spectra of chiral bis-porphyrins from three classes: I, where porphyrins can adopt a relatively wide range of orientations relative to each other; II, porphyrins have a fixed relative orientation; III, porphyrins undergo pi-stacking. The calculations primarily utilized the classical polarizability theory of DeVoe, but were supplemented by the quantum mechanical matrix method. Class I was represented by three isomers of the diester of 5alpha-cholestane-3,17-diol with 5-(4'-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphin (2-alphabeta, 2-betaalpha, 2-betabeta). Careful analysis of the torsional degrees of freedom led to two to four minimum-energy conformers for each isomer, in each of which the phenyl-porphyrin bonds had torsional angles near 90 degrees. Libration about these bonds is relatively unrestricted over a range of +/-45 degrees. CD spectra in the Soret region were calculated as Boltzmann-weighted averages over the low-energy conformers for each isomer. Three models were used: the effective transition moment model, in which only one of the degenerate Soret components is considered, along the 5-15 direction; the circular oscillator model, in which both Soret components are given equal weight; and the hybrid model, in which the 10-20 oscillator is given half the weight of the 5-15 oscillator, to mimic the effect of extensive librational averaging about the 5-15 direction. All three models predict Soret exciton couplets with signs in agreement with experiment. Quantitatively, the best results are given by the hybrid and circular oscillator models. These results validate the widely used effective transition moment model for qualitative assignments of bis-porphyrin chirality and thus permit application of the exciton chirality model. However, for quantitative studies, the circular oscillator or hybrid models should be used. The simplified effective transition moment and hybrid models are justified by the librational averaging in the class I bis-porphyrins and should only be used with such systems. Two class II bis-porphyrins were also studied by DeVoe method calculations in the circular oscillator model, which yielded good agreement with experiment. Class III bis-porphyrins were represented by 2-alphaalpha, for which the calculations gave qualitative agreement. However, limitations in the conformational analysis with the close contacts and dynamic effects in these pi-stacked systems preclude quantitative results.     

Methodische Ans?tze zur Cr(III)/Cr(VI)-Speciesanalyse mit Hilfe der elektrothermalen Atomabsorptionsspektrometrie

Zusammenfassung Die Übertragung von chemischen Reaktionen im makroskopischen Maßstab auf die in der elektrothermalen AAS notwendigen geringen Substanzmengen im Sinne einer Graphitrohrofenchemie (GOC) bildet die Grundlage für Ansätze zu einer Metallspeciesanalyse. Beschrieben werden die Differenzierung von Cr(III)- und Cr(VI)-Species nach Umsetzung mit Trifluoracetylaceton in der Atomisierungseinheit, sowie die dabei auftretenden Probleme und Fehler. Eine Langzeitkonstanz für Cr-AAS-Signale wird durch Standardisierung der inneren Graphitrohroberfläche erhalten. Das Verfahren eignet sich zum screening bei human- oder ökotoxikologischen Fragestellungen.

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Methodical developments for the speciation of Cr(III)/Cr(VI) by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary Graphite furnace chemistry (GFC) is the basis for metal speciation by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The differentiation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) becomes possible after reacting the Cr(III) with trifluoracetylacetone inside the graphite furnace. Problems and errors of the procedure are described as well as its optimization. A long-term stability of the AAS-signals of chromium can be obtained by a chemical standardization of the inner surface of the tubes. The procedure can be used as a screening test in human- or ecotoxicology.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. H. Monien zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet     

Non-Abelian gauge potentials for ultracold atoms with degenerate dark states

We show that the adiabatic motion of ultracold, multilevel atoms in spatially varying laser fields can give rise to effective non-Abelian gauge fields if degenerate adiabatic eigenstates of the atom-laser interaction exist. A pair of such degenerate dark states emerges, e.g., if laser fields couple three internal states of an atom to a fourth common one under pairwise two-photon-resonance conditions. For this so-called tripod scheme we derive general conditions for truly non-Abelian gauge potentials and discuss special examples. In particular we show that using orthogonal laser beams with orbital angular momentum an effective magnetic field can be generated that has a monopole component.