Enhancement of L-selectin, but not P-selectin, bond formation frequency by convective flow

L-selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling has been proposed to require a high rate of bond formation compared to that of P-selectin to compensate for its much higher off-rate. To test this hypothesis, a microbead system was utilized to measure relative L-selectin and P-selectin bond formation rates on their common ligand P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) under shear flow. Using video microscopy, we tracked selectin-coated microbeads to detect the formation frequency of adhesive tether bonds. From velocity distributions of noninteracting and interacting microbeads, we observed that tether bond formation rates for P-selectin on PSGL-1 decreased with increasing wall shear stress, from 0.14 ± 0.04 bonds/μm at 0.2 dyn/cm² to 0.014 ± 0.003 bonds/μm at 1.0 dyn/cm². In contrast, L-selectin tether bond formation increased from 0.017 ± 0.005 bonds/μm at 0.2 dyn/cm² to 0.031 ± 0.005 bonds/μm at 1.0 dyn/cm². L-selectin tether bond formation rates appeared to be enhanced by convective transport, whereas P-selectin rates were inhibited. The transition force for the L-selectin catch-slip transition of 44 pN/bond agreed well with theoretical models (Pereverzev et al. 2005. Biophys. J. 89:1446-1454). Despite catch bond behavior, hydrodymanic shear thresholding was not detected with L-selectin beads rolling on PSGL-1. We speculate that shear flow generated compressive forces may enhance L-selectin bond formation relative to that of P-selectin and that L-selectin bonds with PSGL-1 may be tuned for the compressive forces characteristic of leukocyte-leukocyte collisions during secondary capture on the blood vessel wall. This is the first report, to our knowledge, comparing L-selectin and P-selectin bond formation frequencies in shear flow.     

A novel fibronectin type III module binding motif identified on C-terminus of Leptospira immunoglobulin-like protein, LigB

Infection by pathogenic strains of Leptospira hinges on the pathogen’s ability to adhere to host cells via extracellular matrix such as fibronectin (Fn). Previously, the immunoglobulin-like domains of Leptospira Lig proteins were recognized as adhesins binding to N-terminal domain (NTD) and gelatin binding domain (GBD) of Fn. In this study, we identified another Fn-binding motif on the C-terminus of the Leptospira adhesin LigB (LigBCtv), residues 1708-1712 containing sequence LIPAD with a β-strand and nascent helical structure. This motif binds to 15th type III modules (15F₃) (K_D = 10.70 μM), and association (k_on = 600 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) and dissociation (k_off = 0.0129 s⁻¹) rate constants represents a slow binding kinetics in this interaction. Moreover, pretreatment of MDCK cells with LigB_1706-1716 blocked the binding of Leptospira by 39%, demonstrating a significant role of LigB_1706-1716 in cellular adhesion. These data indicate that the LIPAD residues (LigB_1708-1712) of the Leptospira interrogans LigB protein bind 15F₃ of Fn at a novel binding site, and this interaction contributes to adhesion to host cells.     

Measurement of two-dimensional binding constants between cell-bound major histocompatibility complex and immobilized antibodies with an acoustic biosensor

Gaining insights into the dynamic processes of molecular interactions that mediate cell-substrate and cell-cell adhesion is of great significance in the understanding of numerous physiological processes driven by intercellular communication. Here, an acoustic-wave biosensor is used to study and characterize specific interactions between cell-bound membrane proteins and surface-immobilized ligands, using as a model system the binding of major histocompatibility complex class I HLA-A2 proteins to anti-HLA-A2 monoclonal antibodies. The energy of the acoustic signal, measured as amplitude change, was found to depend directly on the number of HLA-A2/antibody complexes formed on the device surface. Real-time acoustic data were used to monitor the surface binding of cell suspensions at a range of 6.0 × 10⁴ to 6.0 × 10⁵ cells mL⁻¹. Membrane interactions are governed by two-dimensional chemistry because of the molecules’ confinement to the lipid bilayer. The two-dimensional kinetics and affinity constant of the HLA-A2/antibody interaction were calculated (k_a = 1.15 × 10^−5 μm² s⁻¹ per molecule, k_d = 2.07 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹, and K_A = 0.556 μm² per molecule, at 25°C), based on a detailed acoustic data analysis. Results indicate that acoustic biosensors can emerge as a significant tool for probing and characterizing cell-membrane interactions in the immune system, and for fast and label-free screening of membrane molecules using whole cells.     

Visco-elastic membrane tethers extracted from Escherichia coli by optical tweezers

Tethers were created between a living Escherichia coli bacterium and a bead by unspecifically attaching the bead to the outer membrane and pulling it away using optical tweezers. Upon release, the bead returned to the bacterium, thus showing the existence of an elastic tether between the bead and the bacterium. These tethers can be tens of microns long, several times the bacterial length. Using mutants expressing different parts of the outer membrane structure, we have shown that an intact core lipopolysaccharide is a necessary condition for tether formation, regardless of whether the beads were uncoated polystyrene or beads coated with lectin. A physical characterization of the tethers has been performed yielding visco-elastic tether force-extension relationships: for first pull tethers, a spring constant of 10-12 pN/μm describes the tether visco-elasticity, for subsequent pulls the spring constant decreases to 6-7 pN/μm, and typical relaxation timescales of hundreds of seconds are observed. Studies of tether stability in the presence of proteases, lipases, and amylases lead us to propose that the extracted tether is primarily composed of the asymmetric lipopolysaccharide containing bilayer of the outer membrane. This unspecific tethered attachment mechanism could be important in the initiation of bacterial adhesion.     

A continuous assay for α-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase using circular dichroism

α-Methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase (AMACR) catalyzes the epimerization of (2R)- and (2S)-methyl branched fatty acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) thioesters. AMACR is a biomarker for prostate cancer and a putative target for the development of therapeutic agents directed against the disease. To facilitate development of AMACR inhibitors, a continuous circular dichroism (CD)-based assay has been developed. The open reading frame encoding AMACR from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MCR) was subcloned into a pET15b vector, and the enzyme was overexpressed and purified using metal ion affinity chromatography. The rates of MCR-catalyzed epimerization of either (2R)- or (2S)-ibuprofenoyl-CoA were determined by following the change in ellipticity at 279 nm in the presence of octyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (0.2%). MCR exhibited slightly higher affinity for (2R)-ibuprofenoyl-CoA (K_m = 48 ± 5 μM, k_cat = 291 ± 30 s⁻¹), but turned over (2S)-ibuprofenoyl-CoA (K_m = 86 ± 6 μM, k_cat = 450 ± 14 s⁻¹) slightly faster. MCR expressed as a fusion protein bearing an N-terminal His₆-tag had a catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) that was reduced 22% and 47% in the 2S → 2R and 2R → 2S directions, respectively, relative to untagged enzyme. The continuous CD-based assay offers an economical and efficient alternative method to the labor-intensive, fixed-time assays currently used to measure AMACR activity.     

A biotin-hydrogel-coated quartz crystal microbalance biosensor and applications in immunoassay and peptide-displaying cell detection

A biotin-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) chip was prepared by dip-coating a long-chain alkanethiol-modified crystal with precoupled dextran-biotin hydrogels. The resulting biotin chip was used to affinity-immobilize streptavidin (SAv) and was then further employed for various biosensor assays. First, the SAv chip allowed efficient on-line binding of biotinylated bovine serum albumin (bBSA), followed by a sensitive and specific response toward anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA) antibodies. Three consecutive immunoassays were reproducibly demonstrated with a single chip. The apparent binding kinetics with k_on = 5.9 μM⁻¹ h⁻¹, k_off = 10.1 h⁻¹, and K_D = 1.71 μM was readily resolved by fitting the real-time sensorgrams. Second, the capability of the SAv chip to selectively recognize recombinant Escherichia coli with flagella displaying an artificial SAv binding peptide, Strep-tag II, was demonstrated by QCM analysis and verified by scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) image analysis with biotin-coated gold nanoparticles as the label. Finally, the affinity of the cell-displayed Strep-tag II peptide to surface-coated SAv, K_D = 6.8 × 10⁸ CFU/ml, was resolved on-line using equilibrium binding kinetics by QCM. This study presents an easy, economical, and reliable method of preparing high-performance SAv-coated biotin chips with potential for application in real-time repetitive immunoassays, on-line binding kinetics studies, and high-affinity peptide screening.     

The human xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is irreversibly inhibited by inorganic (Hg) and organic mercury (CH3Hg): Mechanism and kinetics

Human arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is a xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme that biotransforms aromatic amine chemicals. We show here that biologically-relevant concentrations of inorganic (Hg²⁺) and organic (CH₃Hg⁺) mercury inhibit the biotransformation functions of NAT1. Both compounds react irreversibly with the active-site cysteine of NAT1 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) = 250 nM and k_inact = 1.4 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for Hg²⁺ and IC₅₀ = 1.4 μM and k_inact = 2 × 10² M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for CH₃Hg⁺). Exposure of lung epithelial cells led to the inhibition of cellular NAT1 (IC₅₀ = 3 and 20 μM for Hg²⁺ and CH₃Hg⁺, respectively). Our data suggest that exposure to mercury may affect the biotransformation of aromatic amines by NAT1.     

Substrate water exchange in photosystem II core complexes of the extremophilic red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae

The binding affinity of the two substrate–water molecules to the water-oxidizing Mn₄CaO₅ catalyst in photosystem II core complexes of the extremophilic red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae was studied in the S₂ and S₃ states by the exchange of bound ¹⁶O-substrate against ¹⁸O-labeled water. The rate of this exchange was detected via the membrane-inlet mass spectrometric analysis of flash-induced oxygen evolution. For both redox states a fast and slow phase of water-exchange was resolved at the mixed labeled m/z 34 mass peak: k_f = 52 ± 8 s^− 1 and k_s = 1.9 ± 0.3 s^− 1 in the S₂ state, and k_f = 42 ± 2 s^− 1 and k_slow = 1.2 ± 0.3 s^− 1 in S₃, respectively. Overall these exchange rates are similar to those observed previously with preparations of other organisms. The most remarkable finding is a significantly slower exchange at the fast substrate–water site in the S₂ state, which confirms beyond doubt that both substrate–water molecules are already bound in the S₂ state. This leads to a very small change of the affinity for both the fast and the slowly exchanging substrates during the S₂ → S₃ transition. Implications for recent models for water-oxidation are briefly discussed.     

Recombinant glucose oxidase from Penicillium amagasakiense for efficient bioelectrochemical applications in physiological conditions

GOX is the most widely used enzyme for the development of electrochemical glucose biosensors and biofuel cell in physiological conditions. The present work describes the production of a recombinant glucose oxidase from Penicillium amagasakiense (yGOXpenag) displaying a more efficient glucose catalysis (k_cat/K_M(glucose) = 93 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹) than the native GOX from Aspergillus niger (nGOXaspng), which is the most industrially used (k_cat/K_M(glucose) = 27 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹). Expression in Pichia pastoris allowed easy production and purification of the recombinant active enzyme, without overglycosylation. Its biotechnological interest was further evaluated by measuring kinetics of ferrocinium-methanol (FM_ox) reduction, which is commonly used for electron transfer to the electrode surface. Despite their homologies in sequence and structure, pH-dependant FM_ox reduction was different between the two enzymes. At physiological pH and temperature, we observed that electron transfer to the redox mediator is also more efficient for yGOXpenag than for nGOXaspng(k_cat/K_M(FM_ox) = 27 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 17 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹ respectively). In our model system, the catalytic current observed in the presence of blood glucose concentration (5 mM) was two times higher with yGOXpenag than with nGOXaspng. All our results indicated that yGOXpenag is a better candidate for industrial development of efficient bioelectrochemical devices used in physiological conditions.     

Phosphoserine aminoacylation of tRNA bearing an unnatural base anticodon

An unnatural base pair between 7-(2-thienyl)-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Ds) and pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (Pa) could expand the genetic alphabet and allow the incorporation of non-standard amino acids into proteins at defined positions. For this purpose, we synthesized tRNAs bearing Pa at the anticodon and tested non-standard amino acid phosphoserine aminoacylation by the wild-type and various engineered phosphoseryl-tRNA synthetases (SepRSs). The D418N D420N T423V triple mutant of SepRS efficiently charged phosphoserine to tRNA containing the PaUA anticodon with a K_m = 47.1 μM and a k_cat = 0.151 s⁻¹, which are comparable to the values of the wild-type SepRS for its cognate substrate, tRNA^Cys with the GCA anticodon (26.9 μM and 0.111 s⁻¹). The triple mutant SepRS and the tRNA with the PaUA anticodon represent a specific pair for the site-specific incorporation of phosphoserine into proteins in response to the UADs codon within mRNA.     

Ammonium uptake kinetics in root and leaf cells of Zostera marina L.

Ammonium uptake rates and the mechanism for ammonium transport into the cells have been analysed in Zostera marina L. In the cells of this species, a proton pump is present in the plasmalemma, which maintains the membrane potential. However, this seagrass shows a high-affinity transport mechanism both for nitrate and phosphate which is dependent on sodium and is unique among angiosperms. We have then analysed if the transport of another N form, ammonium, is also dependent of sodium. First, we have studied ammonium transport at the cellular level by measurements of membrane potentials, both in epidermal root cells and mesophyll cells. And second, we have monitored uptake rates in whole leaves and roots by depletion experiments. The results showed that ammonium is taken up by a high-affinity transport system both in root and leaf cells, although two different of kinetics could be discerned in mesophyll cells (with affinity constants of 2.2 ± 1.1 μM NH₄⁺, in the range 0.01-10 μM NH₄⁺, and 23.2 ± 7.1 μM NH₄⁺, at concentrations between 10 and 500 μM NH₄⁺). However, only one kinetic could be observed in epidermal root cells, which showed a K_m = 11.2 ± 1.0 μM NH₄⁺, considering the whole ammonium concentration range assayed (0.01-500 μM NH₄⁺). The higher affinity of leaf cells for ammonium was consistent with the higher uptake rates observed in leaves, with respect to roots, in depletion experiments at 10 μM NH₄⁺ initial concentration. However, when an initial concentration of 100 μM was assayed, the difference between uptake rates was reduced, but still being higher in leaves. Variations in proton or sodium-electrochemical gradient did not affect ammonium uptake, suggesting that the transport of this nutrient is not driven by these ions and that the ammonium transport mechanism could be different to the transport of nitrate and phosphate in this species.     

A kinetic investigation of the oxidative addition reactions of the dimeric Bu4N[Ir2(μ-Dcbp)(cod)2] complex with iodomethane

The kinetic results of the oxidative addition of iodomethane to Bu₄N[Ir₂(μ-Dcbp)(cod)₂] (Dcbp = 3,5-dicarboxylatepyrazolate anion) show that oxidative addition can occur via a direct equilibrium pathway (K₁ = 88(22) acetone, 51(3) 1,2-dichloroethane, 55(4) dichloromethane, 52(12) acetonitrile and 43(5) M⁻¹ chloroform) or a solvent-assisted pathway (k₂, k₃). Oxidative addition occurs mainly along the direct pathway, which is a factor 10-40 faster than the solvent-assisted pathway. The observed solvent effect cannot be attributed to the donosity or polarity of the solvents. The fairly negative ΔS^≠ value (−110(7) J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹) and the positive ΔH^≠ value (+47(2) kJ mol⁻¹) for the oxidative addition step are indicative of an associative process.     

Ubiquitin is a novel substrate for human insulin-degrading enzyme

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) can degrade insulin and amyloid-β, peptides involved in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, respectively. IDE selects its substrates based on size, charge, and flexibility. From these criteria, we predict that IDE can cleave and inactivate ubiquitin (Ub). Here, we show that IDE cleaves Ub in a biphasic manner, first, by rapidly removing the two C-terminal glycines (k_cat = 2 s^− 1) followed by a slow cleavage between residues 72 and 73 (k_cat = 0.07 s^−  1), thereby producing the inactive 1-74 fragment of Ub (Ub1-74) and 1-72 fragment of Ub (Ub1-72). IDE is a ubiquitously expressed cytosolic protein, where monomeric Ub is also present. Thus, Ub degradation by IDE should be regulated. IDE is known to bind the cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein nestin with high affinity. We found that nestin potently inhibits the cleavage of Ub by IDE. In addition, Ub1-72 has a markedly increased affinity for IDE (∼ 90-fold). Thus, the association of IDE with cellular regulators and product inhibition by Ub1-72 can prevent inadvertent proteolysis of cellular Ub by IDE. Ub is a highly stable protein. However, IDE instead prefers to degrade peptides with high intrinsic flexibility. Indeed, we demonstrate that IDE is exquisitely sensitive to Ub stability. Mutations that only mildly destabilize Ub (ΔΔG <  0.6 kcal/mol) render IDE hypersensitive to Ub with rate enhancements greater than 12-fold. The Ub-bound IDE structure and IDE mutants reveal that the interaction of the exosite with the N-terminus of Ub guides the unfolding of Ub, allowing its sequential cleavages. Together, our studies link the control of Ub clearance with IDE.     

NMR for direct determination of Km and Vmax of enzyme reactions based on the Lambert W function-analysis of progress curves

¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to follow the cleavage of sucrose by invertase. The parameters of the enzyme's kinetics, K_m and V_max, were directly determined from progress curves at only one concentration of the substrate. For comparison with the classical Michaelis-Menten analysis, the reaction progress was also monitored at various initial concentrations of 3.5 to 41.8 mM. Using the Lambert W function the parameters K_m and V_max were fitted to obtain the experimental progress curve and resulted in K_m = 28 mM and V_max = 13 μM/s. The result is almost identical to an initial rate analysis that, however, costs much more time and experimental effort. The effect of product inhibition was also investigated. Furthermore, we analyzed a much more complex reaction, the conversion of farnesyl diphosphate into (+)-germacrene D by the enzyme germacrene D synthase, yielding K_m = 379 μM and k_cat = 0.04 s^− 1. The reaction involves an amphiphilic substrate forming micelles and a water insoluble product; using proper controls, the conversion can well be analyzed by the progress curve approach using the Lambert W function.     

Distinct interactions between actin and essential myosin light chain isoforms

Binding of the utmost N-terminus of essential myosin light chains (ELC) to actin slows down myosin motor function. In this study, we investigated the binding constants of two different human cardiac ELC isoforms with actin. We employed circular dichroism (CD) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy to determine structural properties and protein–protein interaction of recombinant human atrial and ventricular ELC (hALC-1 and hVLC-1, respectively) with α-actin as well as α-actin with alanin-mutated ELC binding site (α-actin^ala3) as control. CD spectroscopy showed similar secondary structure of both hALC-1 and hVLC-1 with high degree of α-helicity. SPR spectroscopy revealed that the affinity of hALC-1 to α-actin (K_D = 575 nM) was significantly (p < 0.01) lower compared with the affinity of hVLC-1 to α-actin (K_D = 186 nM). The reduced affinity of hALC-1 to α-actin was mainly due to a significantly (p < 0.01) lower association rate (k_on: 1018 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) compared with k_on of the hVLC-1/α-actin complex interaction (2908 M⁻¹ s⁻¹). Hence, differential expression of ELC isoforms could modulate muscle contractile activity via distinct α-actin interactions.     

The base exchange reaction of NAD+ glycohydrolase: identification of novel heterocyclic alternative substrates

ADP-ribosyl cyclase and NAD⁺ glycohydrolase (CD38, E.C.3.2.2.5) efficiently catalyze the exchange of the nicotinamidyl moiety of NAD⁺, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN⁺) with an alternative base. 4′-Pyridinyl drugs (amrinone, milrinone, dismerinone and pinacidil) were efficient alternative substrates (k_cat/K_M = 0.9-10 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹) in the exchange reaction with ADP-ribosyl cyclase. When CD38 was used as a catalyst the k_cat/K_M values for the exchange reaction were reduced two or more orders of magnitude (0.015-0.15 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹). The products of this reaction were novel dinucleotides. The values of the equilibrium constants for dinucleotide formation were determined for several drugs. These enzymes also efficiently catalyze the formation of novel mononucleotides in an exchange reaction with NMN⁺, k_cat/K_M = 0.05-0.4 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹. The k_cat/K_M values for the exchange reaction with NMN⁺ were generally similar (0.04-0.12 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹) with CD38 and ADP-ribosyl cyclase as catalysts. Several novel heterocyclic alternative substrates were identified as 2-isoquinolines, 1,6-naphthyridines and tricyclic bases. The k_cat/K_M values for the exchange reaction with these substrates varied over five orders of magnitude and approached the limit of diffusion with 1,6-naphthyridines. The exchange reaction could be used to synthesize novel mononucleotides or to identify novel reversible inhibitors of CD38.     

Deposition and characterization of ZnO thin films from a novel hexanuclear zinc precursor

The high nuclearity zinc complex, Zn₆(OAc)₈(μ-OH)₂(dmae)₂(dmaeH)₂ (1) (OAc = acetate and dmaeH = N,N′-dimethylaminoethanol), having a low decomposition temperature and sufficiently high solubility in non-polar solvents, was synthesized by a simple chemical technique in high yield and analyzed by melting point, elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR, single crystal X-ray crystallography and thermal analysis. Aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique was used to deposit a high-quality thin film with good adhesion to the glass substrate at relatively low temperature (320 °C). Scanning electron microscopy of the film shows clearly distinct crystallites of uniform shape with 2.4-2.9 μm size. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements have indicated the deposition of a crystalline phase of hexagonal ZnO with space group P63mc.     

Microsomal glutathione transferase 1 exhibits one-third-of-the-sites-reactivity towards glutathione

The trimeric membrane protein microsomal glutathione transferase 1 (MGST1) possesses glutathione transferase and peroxidase activity. Previous data indicated one active site/trimer whereas structural data suggests three GSH-binding sites. Here we have determined ligand interactions of MGST1 by several techniques. Nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry of native MGST1 revealed binding of three GSH molecules/trimer and equilibrium dialysis showed three product molecules/trimer (K_d = 320 ± 50 μM). All three product molecules could be competed out with GSH. Reinvestigation of GSH-binding showed one high affinity site per trimer, consistent with earlier data. Using single turnover stopped flow kinetic measurements, K_d could be determined for a low affinity GSH-binding site (2.5 ± 0.5 mM). Thus we can reconcile previous observations and show here that MGST1 contains three active sites with different affinities for GSH and that only the high affinity site is catalytically competent.     

Diiron and diruthenium aminocarbyne complexes containing pseudohalides: stereochemistry and reactivity

Acetonitrile is easily displaced from [Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(MeCN)(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (R = 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃ (Xyl) (1a); Me (1b)) upon stirring in THF at room temperature in the presence of [NBu₄][SCN]. The resulting complexes trans-[Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(NCS)(Cp)₂] (R = Xyl (trans-2a); Me (trans-2b)) are completely isomerised to cis-[Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(NCS)(Cp)₂] (R = Xyl (cis-2a); Me (cis-2b)) when heated at reflux temperature. Similarly, the complexes cis-[M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(NCO)(Cp)₂] (M = Fe, R = Me (4a); M = Ru, R = Xyl (4b); M = Ru, R = Me (4c)) and cis-[M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(N₃)(Cp)₂] (M = Fe, R = Xyl (5a); M = Fe, R = Me (5b); M = Ru, R = Xyl (5c)) can be obtained by heating at reflux temperature a THF solution of [M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO)(MeCN)(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (M = Fe, R = Xyl (1a); M = Fe, Me (1b); M = Ru, R = Xyl (1c); M = Ru, R = Me (1d)) in the presence of NaNCO and NaN₃, respectively. The reactions of 5 with MeO₂CCCCO₂Me, HCCCO₂Me and (NC)(H)CC(H)(CN) afford the triazolato complexes [M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO){N₃C₂(CO₂Me)₂}(Cp)₂] (M = Fe, R = Xyl (6a); M = Fe, R = Me (6b); M = Ru, R = Xyl (6c)), [M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ- CO)(CO){N₃C₂(H)(CO₂Me)}(Cp)₂] (M = Fe, R = Me (7a); M = Ru, R = Xyl (7b)) and [Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(Xyl)}(μ-CO)(CO){N₃C₂(H)(CN)}(Cp)₂] (8), respectively. The asymmetrically substituted triazolato complexes 7-8 are obtained as mixtures of N(1) and N(2) bonded isomers, whereas 6 exists only in the N(2) form. Methylation of 6-8 results in the formation of the triazole complexes [Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(Xyl)}(μ-CO)(CO){N₃(Me)C₂(CO₂Me)₂}(Cp)₂][CF₃SO₃] (9), [M₂{μ-CN(Me)(R)}(μ-CO)(CO){N₃(Me)C₂(H)(CO₂Me)}(Cp)₂][CF₃SO₃] (M = Fe, R = Me (10a); M = Ru, R = Xyl (10b)) and [Fe₂{μ-CN(Me)(Xyl)}(μ-CO)(CO){N₃(Me)C₂(H)(CN)}(Cp)₂][CF₃SO₃], 11. The crystal structures of trans-2b, 4b · CH₂Cl₂, 5a, 6b · 0.5CH₂Cl₂ and 8 · CH₂Cl₂ have been determined.     

Introducing transglycosylation activity in Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase by replacement of His235 with Glu

To understand the role of His and Glu in the catalytic activity of Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase (BLA), His235 was replaced with Glu. The mutant enzyme, H235E, was characterized in terms of its mode of action using labeled and unlabeled maltooctaose (Glc8). H235E predominantly produced maltotridecaose (Glc13) from Glc8, exhibiting high substrate transglycosylation activity, with K_m = 0.38 mM and k_cat/K_m = 20.58 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ for hydrolysis, and K_m2 = 18.38 mM and k_cat2/K_m2 = 2.57 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ for transglycosylation, while the wild-type BLA exhibited high hydrolysis activity exclusively. Glu235—located on a wide open groove near subsite +1—is likely involved in transglycosylation via formation of an α-1,4-glycosidic linkage and may recognize and stabilize the non-reducing end glucose of the acceptor molecule.