A new strategy for synthesis of branched cyclic peptide by Asn side-chain hydrazide ligation

Here, we report a new strategy for rapid synthesis of branched peptide by side-chain hydrazide ligation at Asn. The hydrazide was converted to thioester at Asn side chain by NaNO₂ and thiol reagent, and sequential ligation with an N-terminus Cys-peptide efficiently afforded the branched peptide. A branched cyclic peptide was successfully synthesized by side-chain ligation with a two-Cys-peptide and formation of a disulfide bond. This approach provides a new way for expeditious synthesis of branched peptides and facilitates the design of neopeptides as functional bio-mimics.     

Thermal Analysis of the Conformational Disorder in SCLC Polymers with Rigid Backbone Glass transition studies

Bis [(ω-(4′-cyanobiphenyl)-4-yl)oxy-n-alkyl]norborn-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylate was polymerised via ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP). Two disubstituted polynorbornene derivatives both of cis configuration with different length of the side-chain were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the effect of thermal history on the assignment of the glass transition event associated with the biaxial orientation of a smectic phase. Glass transition temperatures, the change of isobaric specific heats at T_g and the enthalpies of isotropisation were calculated. The DSC traces only show the classic step-wise change in T_g in some cases, giving the evidence that the amorphous domains are constrained and highly restricted in movement due to the morphology developed as a result of the biaxial stretching. Based on the literature data of mono- and disubstituted polynorbornene derivatives and our calorimetric experiments, the shape of T_g dependence on number of (CH₂) units is interpreted. The origin of this shape is discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

甲苯甲醇侧链烷基化反应中沸石催化剂酸碱中心的作用Ⅱ．改性的X型和双组分改性的X／ZSM－5双沸石催化剂

制备了改性的ｘ型和ｘ／ＺＳＭ－５型沸石催化剂，并对其进行了评价和ＴＰＤ、ＥＳＣＡ表征，将实验结果进行了关联。结果表明，采用ＫＯＨ，Ｈ＿３ＢＯ＿３和碱土金属化合物等作为改性剂，可以调变沸石催化剂的酸碱中心，其中碱酸密度比为０．５３９的ＫＸ（Ｂ＿３）·ＫＺＳＭ－５（Ｃａ）催化剂，能显著提高甲苯、甲醇侧链烷基化制取苯乙烯反应的选择性和收率。井根据对实验结果的分析，初步探讨了甲苯、甲醇侧链烷基化反应的机理。     

Second-order nonlinear optical properties of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers studied by second harmonic generation from thin films

The two independent elements of the second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility tensor of a range of contact poled, donor–acceptor substitued side-chain polymers are reported. The susceptibilities were measured by second harmonic generation from thin films, typically less than 0.5 μm thick, at a fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. The largest value was χ = 2.64 pm/V which is three times greater than the χ value of KDP and was measured in a nitrobenzylidene side chain, polyhydroxystyrene polymer with an eleven unit alkyl chain spacer attaching the side group to the backbone. Typical susceptibility values obtained were χ～0.3 pm/V and X⁽²⁾₃₃～1 pm/V. The coherence lengths of the materials, which lay in the range 4–12 μm, were measured at 1064 nm by the maker fringe technique using thick, wedge-shaped samples.     

Preprocessing of rotamers for protein design calculations

We have developed a process that significantly reduces the number of rotamers in computational protein design calculations. This process, which we call Vegas, results in dramatic computational performance increases when used with algorithms based on the dead-end elimination (DEE) theorem. Vegas estimates the energy of each rotamer at each position by fixing each rotamer in turn and utilizing various search algorithms to optimize the remaining positions. Algorithms used for this context specific optimization can include Monte Carlo, self-consistent mean field, and the evaluation of an expression that generates a lower bound energy for the fixed rotamer. Rotamers with energies above a user-defined cutoff value are eliminated. We found that using Vegas to preprocess rotamers significantly reduced the calculation time of subsequent DEE-based algorithms while retaining the global minimum energy conformation. For a full boundary design of a 51 amino acid fragment of engrailed homeodomain, the total calculation time was reduced by 12-fold.     

甲苯甲醇侧链烷基化反应中沸石催化剂酸碱中心的作用Ⅰ．改性的X型、X／ZSM－5型和KX型沸石催化剂

甲苯甲醇侧链烷基化反应中沸石催化剂酸碱中心的作用Ⅰ．改性的Ｘ型、Ｘ／ＺＳＭ－５型和ＫＸ型沸石催化剂李永光，畅晋英，王建平（太原工业大学化工系，太原０３００２４）关链词沸石，侧链烷基化，甲苯，甲醇甲苯甲醇烷基化反应有两种方式：在苯环上烷基化生成二甲苯；...     

Dielectric behaviour of a side-chain-bearing liquid-crystalline polysiloxane

The relaxation of electric field-induced polar orientation in a side-chain-bearing liquid-crystalline polysiloxane was measured by means of thermally stimulated depolarization currents. Different relaxation mechanisms were identified and characterized: the glass transition cooperative relaxation exhibits compensation behaviour. On the other hand, lowerT _g and upperT _g discharges were observed and their molecular nature is discussed.     

A DSC-Study of Donor/Acceptor Side-Chain Polymers with Flourinated Taper-Shaped Tails

It is shown that insertion in methacrylic polymers of bulky electron donor/acceptor side-groups with taper-shaped flourinated tails promotes a self-organization of the respective side-chain polymers due to the space demands of the bulky D/A side-groups, leading to a columnar hexagonal mesophase. The presence of an Lc-phase is evidenced by DSC and identified by X-ray analysis. The orientation in the respective copolymers and polymer blends is additionally improved by the CT-interaction between the D/A side-groups. An increased packing effect due to this CT-orientation effect is evidenced in DSC by an increase of the respective transition temperatures. CT-interaction is responsible as well for a preferential polymerization of monomeric D/A-complexes leading to copolymers of alternating structures and for a zip-like arrangement along the main chain of the A/D-complexes between the interacting side-groups in polymer blends. Formation of mesophases is even observed in CT-interacting blends between the Lc-D/A side-chain polymethacrylates and the respective amorphous D/A side-chain polysiloxanes.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and properties of reactive liquid crystal monomers and side-chain liquid crystalline polymers

Two nematic liquid crystal (LC) monomers containing double bonds in the side chain were designed and synthesised. Length of the side groups varied from 1 to 2 methylene units. The side-chain polymers were synthesised by hydrosilylation reaction. The molecular structures of the intermediates and the LC monomers were characterised by Fourier transform infrared, elemental analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The thermal phase behaviour of the monomers and polymers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polar optical microscopy coupled with hot stage. The LC monomers showed only one nematic mesophase in the cooling process. And, the two polymers exhibit an enantiotroppic nematic mesophase either in the heating or in the cooling process.     

Membrane Proteins Have Distinct Fast Internal Motion and Residual Conformational Entropy

The internal motions of integral membrane proteins have largely eluded comprehensive experimental characterization. Here the fast side‐chain dynamics of the α‐helical sensory rhodopsin II and the β‐barrel outer membrane protein W have been investigated in lipid bilayers and detergent micelles by solution NMR relaxation techniques. Despite their differing topologies, both proteins have a similar distribution of methyl‐bearing side‐chain motion that is largely independent of membrane mimetic. The methyl‐bearing side chains of both proteins are, on average, more dynamic in the ps–ns timescale than any soluble protein characterized to date. Accordingly, both proteins retain an extraordinary residual conformational entropy in the folded state, which provides a counterbalance to the absence of the hydrophobic effect. Furthermore, the high conformational entropy could greatly influence the thermodynamics underlying membrane‐protein functions, including ligand binding, allostery, and signaling.