Synthesis of 3-(3-pyridyl)- and 3-(3-benzo[b]thienyl)-D-alanine

The DL-arylamino acid ethyl ester derivatives of beta-(3-pyridyl)-DL-alanine, and beta-(3-benzo[b]thienyl)-DL-alanine were synthesized by diethyl acetamidomalonate condensation with the respective arylmethyl halides followed by partial hydrolysis to the monoethyl ester and decarboxylation. Each derivative was enzymatically resolved to a separable mixture of the corresponding N-acetyl-L-amino acid and the unchanged D amino acid derivative. Acidic hydrolysis of the latter gave the corresponding D-amino acid, the optical purity of which was established by HPLC analysis of the 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate (GITC) derivative. The free D amino acids were converted to D-BOC derivatives by reaction with di-tert-butyldicarbonate in tert-butyl alcohol, water and sodium hydroxide.     

Determination of D-amino acids labeled with fluorescent chiral reagents, R(-)- and S(+)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoles, in biological and food samples by liquid chromatography

D-Amino acids in food and biological samples labeled with R(-)- and S(+)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoles (DBD-PyNCS) were separated by reversed-phase chromatography and detected fluorometrically at 550 nm (excitation at 460 nm). DL-Amino acids were efficiently labeled at 55 degrees C for 20 min in basic medium. The resulting thiocarbamoyl-amino acids were resolved by an isocratic elution using water:30% methanol in acetonitrile (72:28) containing 0.1% trifluoracetic acid as mobile phase for hydrophilic amino acids and gradient elutions using sodium acetate buffer (pH 5. 2)/acetonitrile as gradient solvent mixture for hydrophobic amino acids, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of DL-amino acids tested were in the range of 0.16-0.75 pmol. The proposed method was applied to determine the D-amino acid(s) in milk, cream, fermented dairy products (yogurt and yakult), tomato products (juice, puree, and catchup), fermented beverages (beer and red wine), and human urine. The existence of D-amino acid(s) was demonstrated in all the samples tested. Furthermore, the identification of the D-amino acid(s) was performed using both isomers of DBD-PyNCS and by on-line HPLC-electrospray ionization-MS.     

Adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate sulfotransferase and adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase are identical enzymes

Adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS) sulfotransferase and APS reductase have been described as key enzymes of assimilatory sulfate reduction of plants catalyzing the reduction of APS to bound and free sulfite, respectively. APS sulfotransferase was purified to homogeneity from Lemna minor and compared with APS reductase previously obtained by functional complementation of a mutant strain of Escherichia coli with an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA library. APS sulfotransferase was a homodimer with a monomer M(r) of 43,000. Its amino acid sequence was 73% identical with APS reductase. APS sulfotransferase purified from Lemna as well as the recombinant enzyme were yellow proteins, indicating the presence of a cofactor. Like recombinant APS reductase, recombinant APS sulfotransferase used APS (K(m) = 6.5 microM) and not adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate as sulfonyl donor. The V(max) of recombinant Lemna APS sulfotransferase (40 micromol min(-1) mg protein(-1)) was about 10 times higher than the previously published V(max) of APS reductase. The product of APS sulfotransferase from APS and GSH was almost exclusively SO(3)(2-). Bound sulfite in the form of S-sulfoglutathione was only appreciably formed when oxidized glutathione was added to the incubation mixture. Because SO(3)(2-) was the first reaction product of APS sulfotransferase, this enzyme should be renamed APS reductase.     

Simplified procedure for the analysis of 3- and 4-hydroxyproline

A column chromatographic analysis of 3-hydroxyproline (3-Hyp), 4-hydroxyproline (4-Hyp), and γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) is described. The analyses of urine and plasma were performed with a JLC-6AH amino acid analyzer. A 0.15 M sodium citrate buffer, pH 2.1, was used for elution. Urinary Gla, 3-Hyp, and 4-Hyp were among the seventeen peaks eluted before asparti acid. Hyp, Gla, glutamine, and asparagine in plasma were separated by elution with 0.2 M sodium citrate buffer, pH 3.25, containing 10% methanol. This single-column procedure achieves the sequential separation and quantitation of Gla, 3-Hyp, and 4-Hyp in urine as well as plasma, and is applicable to the diagnosis of collager, metabolism disorders.     

Reactions of proteins with ethyl vinyl sulfone.

Ethly vinyl sulfone (EVS) alkylates xi-amino groups of lysine side chains and imidazole groups of histidine residues in proteins. Amino acid analysis of hydrolyzates of EVS-treated polylysine shows that lysine forms two derivatives, presumably xi-N-(ethylsulfonylethyl)lysine and xi, xi, N,N-bis(ethylsulfonylethyl)lysine that are eluted as well-resolved peaks on the (long basic) physiological column of our amino acid analyzer at about 118 and 60 min, respectively. Peaks with identical elution times were also observed after EVS-treatment of BSA and wool. The postulated histidine derivative, presumably N3-im-(ethylsulfonylethyl)histidine is also eluted as a well-resolved peak on the same column at about 90 min. A peak with an identical elution time was observed in a hydrolyzate of EVS-treated polyhistidine. The described alkylation has potential utility for modifying proteins.     

Biochemical characterization of the bovine genetic K-casein C and E variants

Analysis of elution profiles of enzymatic and CNBr digests of K-caseins C and E, and sequencing of most relevant peptides allowed the chemical characterization of both genetic variants. They differ from their B and A allelic counterparts by a single substitution, His97/Arg and Gly155/Ser, respectively. Electrophoretic behaviour of the investigated C and E variants was in good agreement with the observed amino acid replacements.     

Amino acid analysis of collagen hydrolysates by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate derivatives

A recently described procedure for amino acid analyses has been modified and adapted for use in quantitating the unique mixture of products commonly found in hydrolysates of the collagens. The method involves precolumn derivatization of hydrolysates with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-CL), chromatographic separation of the derivatives and excess reagent on a reverse-phase column, and quantitation based on the fluorescent properties of the derivatives. The method takes advantage of the ease with which stable derivatives are formed with the FMOC reagent. Using a ternary gradient system, a complete amino acid analysis with good resolution of all components can be performed within 35 min. The sensitivity of the method is comparable to levels attained by other derivatives and the fluorescence response of each derivative is linear over the total range of 1-800 pmol. Given these parameters, the method allows complete amino acid analyses to be performed on 100 ng of collagen corresponding to a single picomole of a collagen chain (Mr 100,000).     

Separation of tocopherol and tocotrienol isomers using normal- and reverse-phase liquid chromatography

This optimization study for tocopherols and tocotrienols involved both normal- and reverse-phase liquid chromatography using various columns and mobile phases. Normal-phase systems showed elution of the homologs in order of increasing polarity with separation based on methyl substituents on the chromanol moiety. Reverse-phase systems showed class separation based on the saturation of the phytyl side chain; the more saturated tocopherols were retained on the column longer. When the Zorbax ODS was used with an isocratic ternary acetonitrile:methanol:methylene chloride (60:35:5) mixture, the optimized resolution was greater than 2.0 and separation was achieved in less than 13 min, but there was no separation of beta- and gamma-tocopherols. The normal-phase silica and amino columns provided separation of all available isomers with resolution greater than 1.1 and separation times of less than 5.5 and less than 10 min, respectively. Optimized isocratic binary solvent mixtures of hexane:2-propanol were used for silica (99:1) and amino (98:2) columns. Derivative spectra showed differences depending on substituents in the chromanol moiety but not the phytyl side chain. Second- and fourth-derivative spectra gave the best differentiation of the vitamin E isomers.     

1992—1994年HIV—1国际流行株和云南株膜蛋白V3区氨基酸共有序列比较

对１９９２～１９９４年间１６个云南ＨＩＶ１株膜蛋白基因Ｖ３区进行了ＤＮＡ序列测定,经计算机ＤＮＡＳＩＳ及ＰＲＯＳＩＳ软件进行同源性分析,得出其相应的氨基酸共有序列ＹＮＶ３和两组共有序列ＹＮＶ３Ａ和ＹＮＶ３Ｂ,计算了ＹＮＶ３中每个氨基酸的保守性。分别将ＹＮＶ３Ａ和ＹＮＶ３Ｂ与世界各地的ＨＩＶ１代表株的相应序列进行了同源性比较。结果表明,ＨＩＶ１云南株膜蛋白Ｖ３区氨基酸共有序列ＹＮＶ３中每个氨基酸的平均变异度为７．６６％。两组共有序列ＹＮＶ３Ａ和ＹＮＶ３Ｂ,分别与ＨＩＶ１美欧株及泰国流行株Ｂ亚群相应序列有较高同源性。这一结果提示,在进化上云南瑞丽ＨＩＶ１流行毒株间有非常密切的关系,在这一时期该地区的流行毒株以ＨＩＶ１美欧株、泰国株Ｂ亚群及其衍生株为主。     

Measurement of picomoles of phosphoamino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A reverse-phase, high-performance liquid chromatographic system (HPLC) is described that makes possible optimal resolution and quantitation of picomole levels of phosphoamino acids, both with or without the presence of a large excess of nonphosphorylated amino acids. The assay involves precolumn derivatization of an amino acid mixture with phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) at room temperature, followed by separation of phosphoamino acids from other amino acids by HPLC. The liquid chromatography was carried out on a C18 reverse-phase column at pH 7.4 and 30 degrees C using gradient elution with eluent A as 157 mM sodium acetate containing 2% acetonitrile and eluent B as 60% acetonitrile in water. A uv absorption at 254 nm is employed for detection of the PITC-derivatized amino acids eluting from the column. Amino acids are eluted with baseline resolution in the following order: phosphoserine, phosphothreonine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and phosphotyrosine followed by other amino acids. The sensitivity is in the picomole range, and the separation time, injection to injection, is 36 min. Phosphoserine, phosphothreonine, and phosphotyrosine are resolved within the first 8 min. This procedure enables determination of as low as 5 pmol of nonradioactive phosphoamino acids in a 100-fold excess of amino acids, as is usually present in most phosphoproteins in the natural state. Phosphoamino acids in polypeptides separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane, or protein samples directly blotted on the membrane, can also be analyzed by this procedure after acid hydrolysis of the proteins bound to the PVDF membrane.     

Transformation of Phospholipids by Cabbage Phospholipase D in Mixed Micelles Containing 3-[(3-Cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate

We compared the activities of cabbage phospholipase D during hydrolysis and transesterification of phosphatidylcholine in mixed micelles of surface-active compounds with various physicochemical properties. Mixed micelles of phospholipids and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (ratio, 1 : 2) were among the best substrates. Hydrolysis and transphosphatidylation were studied in micelles containing 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. Mixed micelles of phosphatidylcholine and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate may serve as a new substrate for the measurement of phospholipase D activity and preparation of phospholipids using this enzyme.     

Steric analysis of 3-, ω4-, ω3- and ω2-hydroxy acids and various alkanols by gas-liquid chromatography

D-Phenylpropionate (PP) derivatives of racemic hydroxy acid methyl esters and alkanols were prepared and the gas-liquid chromatographic separation of diastereoisomers was investigated using QF-1 as stationary phase. Good separations were obtained for the diasteroisomeric PP-derivatives of methyl 3-, 15-, 16-, and 17-hydroxyoctadecanoates. Less separation was observed for methyl 2- and 14-hydroxyoctadecanoates as PP-derivatives and there was no visible separation for PP-derivatives of 4-, 7-, or 13-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid methyl esters. The use of optically active 15-, 16- and 17-hydroxyoctadecanoic acids showed, that in these cases, the diastereoisomers containing L-hydroxy acids had shorter retention times than the ones containing D-hydroxy acids. On the other hand, the D-phenylpropionate derivative of methyl 3D-hydroxydecanoate had shorter retention time than the derivative of its L-enantiomer. PP-derivatives of 3-hexanol, 3-heptanol, 3-octanol, 2-octanol and 2-eicosanol could be resolved by gas-liquid chromatography.     

Ion-exchange chromatography of sulfur amino acids on a single-column amino acid analyzer.

Examination of the extent of production of the ninhydrin-colored derivative, Ruhemann's purple, under automated conditions of a single-column amino acid analyzer by several classes of sulfur-containing amino acids revealed a wide variation in the color factors relative to leucine. These ranged from 0.02 for the methyl ester of cysteine to 2.19 for D-homocystine. Color yields obtained by the manual ninhydrin reaction are generally lower than the corresponding values obtained on the amino acid analyzer. The elution positions ranged from 5.12 min for cysteic acid to 84.9 min for l-cystine dimethyl ester. The observed behavior of these compounds in the ninhydrin reaction is rationalized in terms of structural and electronic factors which they exhibit in reacting with ninhydrin to form the visible dye. Such an analysis should make it possible to predict ninhydrin color factors, and possibly also elution times, of structurally related compounds.     

Silicic acid HPLC of cardiolipin, mono- and dilysocardiolipin, and several of their chemical derivatives

A silicic acid HPLC system in hexane-2-propanol-1 mM H3PO4 50:50:3.5 (v/v/v) is described for the analysis and/or purification of cardiolipin (CL), monolysocardiolipin (MLCL), dilysocardiolipin (DLCL), and several of their chemical derivatives. Derivatives that have been successfully analyzed include CL that is acetylated, succinylated, or tetrahydropyranylated at the 2-hydroxyl; MLCL acetylated at the 2 and 2'-hydroxyls; DLCL acetylated at the 2-hydroxyl and both 2'-hydroxyls; and MLCL tetrahydropyranylated at only the 2-hydroxyl. Water can replace 1 mM H3PO4 in the eluting solvent, but prior conditioning of the silicic acid column with the phosphoric acid solvent is necessary for acceptable chromatography. The most significant factor affecting the elution times of these compounds is the percentage of aqueous component, i.e., water or 1 mM H3PO4.     

Simple,rapid, and highly efficient separation of amino acid phenylthiohydantoins by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and efficient separation of amino acid phenylthiohydantoins by high-performance liquid chromatography has been accomplished by step-gradient elution with use of a mobile phase of acetate-buffered aqueous acetonitrile and an octadecylsilyl stationary phase. Typical analyses are completed in less than 12 min. Peak elution positions in this procedure are highly reproducible (with about 0.2% variance) and allow unambiguous identification of all residues. A procedure for the optimal positioning phenylthiohydantoin-Arg and -His is given. Molar extinction coefficients at 254 nm, which are particularly useful with common fixed wavelength detectors, are given for 25 amino acid phenylthiohydantoins.     

Immobilized 4-aminophenyl 1-thio-β- -galactofuranoside as a matrix for affinity purification of an exo-β- -galactofuranosidase

An alternative and fast method for the purification of an exo-β- -galactofuranosidase has been developed using a 4-aminophenyl 1-thio-β- -galactofuranoside affinity chromatography system and specific elution with 10 mM -galactono-1,4-lactone in a salt gradient. A concentrated culture medium from Penicillium fellutanum was chromatographed on DEAE–Sepharose CL 6B followed by chromatography on the affinity column, yielding two separate peaks of enzyme activity when elution was performed with 10 mM -galactono-1,4-lactone in a 100–500 mM NaCl salt gradient. Both peaks behaved as a single 70 kDa protein, as detected by SDS-PAGE. Antibodies elicited against a mixture of the single bands excised from the gel were capable of immunoprecipitating 0.2 units out of 0.26 total units of the enzyme from a crude extract. The glycoprotein nature of the exo-β- -galactofuranosidase was ascertained through binding to Concanavalin A–Sepharose as well as by specific reaction with Schiff reagent in Western blots. The purified enzyme has an optimum acidic pH (between 3 and 6), and K_m and V_max values of 0.311 mM and 17 μmol h⁻¹ μg⁻¹ respectively, when 4-nitrophenyl β- -galactofuranoside was employed as the substrate.     

Purification and structure of exendin-3, a new pancreatic secretagogue isolated from Heloderma horridum venom.

An amino-terminal histidyl structure (His1) is characteristic of most peptides in the glucagon superfamily. An assay for His1 peptides performed by amino-terminal amino acid sequencing was used to screen venom from the Gila monster lizard, Heloderma horridum. Two His1 peptides were identified: helospectin and a new His1 peptide that has been named exendin-3 to indicate that it is the third peptide to be found in an exocrine secretion of Heloderma lizards which has endocrine activity, the first two being helospectin (exendin-1) and helodermin (exendin-2). In the lot of H. horridum venom tested, exendin-3 was 5-10-fold more abundant in molar concentration than helospectin. The structure of exendin-3 was analyzed by amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry. Exendin-3 is a 39-amino acid peptide with a mass of 4200. It contains a carboxyl-terminal amide and has a strong homology with secretin at its amino-terminal 12 amino acids. The complete structure of exendin-3 is His-Ser-Asp-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Leu-Ser-Lys-Gln-Met-Glu-Glu-Glu-Ala- Val-Arg - Leu-Phe-Ile-Glu-Trp-Leu-Lys-Asn-Gly-Gly-Pro-Ser-Ser-Gly-Ala-Pro-Pro-Pro- Ser- amide. It is 32 and 26% homologous with helospectin and helodermin, respectively. It has greatest homology with glucagon (48%) and human glucagon-like peptide-1 (50%). Exendin-3 (3 microM) stimulated increases in cellular cAMP and amylase release from dispersed guinea pig pancreatic acini.     

Transformation of phospholipids by cabbage phospholipase D in mixed micelles containing 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]propanesulfonate

We compared the activities of cabbage phospholipase D during hydrolysis and transesterification of phosphatidylcholine in mixed micelles of surface-active compounds with various physicochemical properties. Mixed micelles of phospholipids and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (ratio, 1:2) were among the best substrates. Hydrolysis and transphosphatidylation were studied in micelles containing 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. Mixed micelles of phosphatidylcholine and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate may serve as a new substrate for measurements of phospholipase D activity and preparative isolation of phospholipids using this enzyme.     

Preparation of 3-Methyl-3-(substituted phenyl)-pyruvic Acid

The relationships between dietary levels of the essential amino acids and hepatic polysome profiles of rats were investigated with special attention to the amino acid requirement pattern for the maximum rat growth as determined by other investigators. The basal diet contained a 7% essential amino acid mixture and a 3% non-essential amino acid mixture, with appropriate amounts of other nutrients. Rats were fed test diet for 5 hours and then the polysome profile was determined. The amounts of essential amino acids needed for maximum aggregation of polysome were low for methionine-cystine, leucine and tryptophan as compared with requirements for maximum growth. But in other essential amino acids, the amounts were in almost the same range as those reported for maximum growth by others. The differences between the amino acid requirement patterns for maximum aggregation of hepatic ribosomes and for maximum growth of rats might be due to a difference in amino acid requirements of the liver and whole body. Therefore, the hepatic polysome profile might be used to measure the effect of amino acid supplementation on dietary proteins. The requirement pattern of essential amino acids in other organs may be studied by polysome profile determination.     

Synthesis,characterization, and reactions of 2′-, 3′-, and 5′-(2-bromoethyl)-AMP: Potential affinity labels for nucleotide binding sites in enzymes

Two new adenosine analogs, 2′-(2-bromoethyl) adenosine monophosphate and 3′-(2-bromoethyl) adenosine monophosphate, were synthesized, purified by semipreparative high-pressure liquid chromatography, and completely characterized. A new synthesis of 5′-(2-bromoethyl) adenosine monophosphate is presented which facilitates the preparation of radioactive reagent with label either in the ethyl group or the purine ring of the nucleotide derivative. The reactive moiety of these derivatives, a bromoalkyl group, has the ability to react with the nucleophilic side chains of several amino acids. The second-order, pH-independent rate constants for reaction with the side chains of the amino acids cysteine, lysine, histidine, and tyrosine were determined as 3×10^?4, 6×10^?6, 3×10^?7, and <1×10^?7 M^?1 sec^?1, respectively. These data could be use in estimating the rate enhancement observed in modification of a protein by these affinity-labeling reagents. 5′-(S-(2-hydroxyethyl)cysteine) adenosine monophosphate, the derivative expected from exhaustive digestion of protein in which a cysteinyl residue is modified by 5′-(2-bromoethyl) adenosine monophosphate, and S-2-hydroxyethyl)cysteine, the derivative anticipated upon acid hydrolysis of such a modified protein, were synthesized, characterized, and their elution positions from an amino acid analyzer determined. These bromoethyl AMP derivatives are potential affinity labels for enzymes that bind 2′-, 3′-, or 5′-nucleotides such as TPN, coenzyme A, or ADP, respectively.