Stereoselective incorporation of isoleucine into Cypridina luciferin in Cypridina hilgendorfii (Vargula hilgendorfii)

The emission of light in the marine ostracod Cypridina hilgendorfii (presently Vargula hilgendorfii) is produced by the Cypridina luciferin-luciferase reaction in the presence of molecular oxygen. Cypridina luciferin has an asymmetric carbon derived from isoleucine, and the absolute configuration is identical to the C-3 position in L-isoleucine or D-alloisoleucine. To determine the stereoselective incorporation of the isoleucine isomers (L-isoleucine, D-isoleucine, L-alloisoleucine, and D-alloisoleucine), we synthesized four (2)H-labeled isoleucine isomers and examined their incorporation into Cypridina luciferin by feeding experiments. Judging by these results, L-isoleucine is predominantly incorporated into Cypridina luciferin. This suggests that the isoleucine unit of Cypridina luciferin is derived from L-isoleucine, but not from D-alloisoleucine.     

Kinetic studies on the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction: determination of the cyclization rate constant

Although more currently utilized as analytical tool because of its high sensitivity and good reproducibility, the mechanism of the peroxyoxalate system, a chemiluminescence reaction with quantum yields only comparable to bioluminescence systems, has been extensively studied. The light emission mechanism can be divided in the pathway before chemiexcitation, which contains the rate‐limiting steps, and the fast and kinetically non‐observable chemiexcitation step. In this work, we obtain information on the mechanism of the slow pathways, attribute values to several rate constants prior to chemiexcitation and suggest a mechanistic scheme that could help optimization of conditions when the peroxyoxalate reaction is used as analytical tool. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemiluminescence of the peroxomonosulphate-cobalt(II)-aliphatic monocarboxylic acids system.

A weak chemiluminescence (CL) emission was observed due to the production of singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) during the decomposition of peroxomonosulphate (HSO(5)(-)) catalysed by cobalt(II). Low molecular mass aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, such as formic, acetic, propionic, butyric and valeric acids, influenced the CL emission, and the reaction of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids with HSO(5)(-)/Co(2+) solution was further investigated using a flow injection analysis (FIA) CL method. The results indicated that the CL intensities of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids were improved with increase in the carbon chain length in the potassium peroxomonosulphate-cobalt(II) sulphate system. Generation of singlet oxygen was confirmed by the fact that the CL emission of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids with the HSO(5)(-)/Co(2+) solution was quenched by NaN(3), and from the CL spectrum of the reaction system. Additionally, a possible mechanism of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids CL emission enhancement was proposed.     

Stereoselective Incorporation of Isoleucine into Cypridina Luciferin in Cypridina hilgendorfii (Vargula hilgendorfii)

The emission of light in the marine ostracod Cypridina hilgendorfii (presently Vargula hilgendorfii) is produced by the Cypridina luciferin-luciferase reaction in the presence of molecular oxygen. Cypridina luciferin has an asymmetric carbon derived from isoleucine, and the absolute configuration is identical to the C-3 position in L-isoleucine or D-alloisoleucine. To determine the stereoselective incorporation of the isoleucine isomers (L-isoleucine, D-isoleucine, L-alloisoleucine, and D-alloisoleucine), we synthesized four ²H-labeled isoleucine isomers and examined their incorporation into Cypridina luciferin by feeding experiments. Judging by these results, L-isoleucine is predominantly incorporated into Cypridina luciferin. This suggests that the isoleucine unit of Cypridina luciferin is derived from L-isoleucine, but not from D-alloisoleucine.     

Luminescence of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one compounds

In this review I will discuss chemical principles of the luminescence of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one compounds described to date. The review is composed of two main parts, the first dealing with the bioluminescence of coelenterate luciferin “coelenterazine” and Cypridina luciferin in marine organisms and the second with the chemiluminescence of these luciferins and their analogues. In the second section, possible applications of chemiluminescence and enhanced chemiluminescence in the area of bioassay are also discussed.     

Chemiluminescence evaluation of oxidative damage to biomolecules induced by singlet oxygen and the protective effects of antioxidants

A chemiluminescence (CL) method was developed for the evaluation of oxidative damage to biomolecules induced by singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) and for the evaluation of the protective effects of antioxidants. The (1)O(2) was generated from the reaction of H(2)O(2)+OCl(-). Results showed that the CL signal from the reaction of H(2)O(2)+OCl(-) was weak, however, it was enhanced dose-dependently with the addition of DNA and unsaturated fatty acid, respectively. Spectra analysis indicated that the enhanced CL could be ascribed to the decay of triplet-excited carbonyl compounds, which were generated from the reaction of (1)O(2) plus the biomolecules. On the other hand, the enhanced CL produced in the above systems could be effectively inhibited by lycopene, beta-carotene, VC, and VE, but could not be inhibited by mannitol, SOD, and NaN(3). The mechanism therein was discussed.     

Comparison of the effects of superoxide dismutase and cytochrome c on luminol chemiluminescence produced by xanthine oxidase-catalyzed reactions

Superoxide dismutase (superoxide: superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) (SOD) and ferricytochrome c are used to check the effects on luminol chemiluminescence induced by a xanthine or hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase/oxygen system. Luminol chemiluminescence has been attributed to superoxide anion radical (O2.-) in this system. From kinetic studies on the light intensity vs. time curves it is demonstrated that addition of SOD into the system does not affect the mechanism of O2.- generation, whilst ferricytochrome c dramatically alters the time-course of the reaction. This is interpreted as the effect of cytochrome c redox cycling by reaction with H2O2, modifying oxy-radical generation in the reaction medium. Also, an alternative mechanism for luminol chemiexcitation is proposed under certain experimental conditions.     

Experimental study on photodynamic diagnosis of cancer mediated by chemiluminescence probe

A novel method of photodynamic diagnosis of cancer mediated by chemiluminescence probe is presented. The mechanism for photodynamic therapy involves singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) generated by energy transfer from photosensitizers. (1)O(2) can react with 3,7-dihydro-6-[4-[2-(N'-(5-fluoresceinyl)thioureido)ethoxy]phenyl]-2-methylimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one sodium salt (FCLA), which is a Cypridina luciferin analog and a specific chemiluminescence probe for detecting (1)O(2) and superoxide (O(2)(-)). The reaction of FCLA and (1)O(2) can give emission with peak wavelength at about 532 nm. In the present study, FCLA was chosen as an optical reporter of (1)O(2) produced from the photosensitization reaction of hematoporphyrin derivative in model solution and in nude mice with transplanted mammary cancer. Photosensitized chemiluminescence from the reaction of FCLA with (1)O(2) was detected by a highly sensitive Intensified Charge-Coupled Device detector. The chemiluminescence was markedly inhibited by the addition of 10 mmol/l sodium azide (NaN(3)) to the model solution and minor effects were observed at the addition of 10 micromol/l superoxide dismutase, 20 mmol/l mannitol and 100 microg/ml catalase, respectively, thus indicating that (1)O(2) generation from photosensitization reaction mainly results in light emission. Experiments in vivo with tumor-bearing mice showed a clear chemiluminescence image of tumor. The study suggests that this novel method may be applicable to the diagnosis of superficial tumors.     

The folding mechanism of a beta-sheet: the WW domain

The folding thermodynamics and kinetics of the Pin WW domain, a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, have been characterized extensively. Folding and activation free energies were determined as a function of temperature for 16 mutants, which sample all strands and turns of the molecule. The mutational phi value (Phi(m)) diagram is a smooth function of sequence, indicating a prevalence of local interactions in the transition state (TS). At 37 degrees C, the diagram has a single pronounced maximum at turn 1: the rate-limiting step during folding is the formation of loop 1. In contrast, key residues for thermodynamic stability are located in the strand hydrophobic clusters, indicating that factors contributing to protein stability and folding kinetics are not correlated. The location of the TS along the entropic reaction coordinate Phi(T), obtained by temperature-tuning the kinetics, reveals that sufficiently destabilizing mutants in loop 2 or in the Leu7-Trp11-Tyr24-Pro37 hydrophobic cluster can cause a switch to a late TS. Phi(m) analysis is usually applied "perturbatively" (methyl truncation), but with Phi(T) to quantitatively assess TS shifts along a reaction coordinate, more severe mutations can be used to probe regions of the free energy surface beyond the TS.     

A facile turn-on chemiluminescence probe for sensitive imaging on aminopeptidase N activity

Aminopeptidase N, as a target for drug discovery, shows marked relationships with many diseases, especially liver injury and cancer. Here, we explored a chemiluminescence (CL) probe for sensing APN by tethering the APN-specific substrate group to the ortho-acrylated phenoxy-dioxetane scaffold. In this way, two CL probes ( APN-CL and BAPN-CL ) were designed with noncapped leucine and butoxy-carbonyl capped leucine as the protecting group to preserve the chemiexcitation energy. The uncovered leucine was demonstrated to be essential for detection of APN activity by comparing the CL intensity of two CL probes. Probe APN - CL was turned on upon APN cleavage, resulting in a high chemiluminescent emission, whereas the chemiexcitation energy of probe BAPN-CL was still restrained even with the high-level APN. The result was further elucidated by molecular docking simulations. Probe APN - CL exhibited a fast response and high sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.068 U/L, and an excellent specificity for the discrimination of APN from biological ions, small molecules, and other proteases commonly found in living system. By virtue of good stability and cell viability, probe APN - CL imaged abnormal levels of APN in tumour cells and tumour-bearing mice. Moreover, this probe APN-CL could be easily used to evaluate APN inhibitors and APN levels in plasma samples from 20 patients. Overall, as a facile and cost-effective probe, APN - CL will be a promising alternative in the early diagnosis of pathologies and for cost-effective screening of inhibitors.     

Chemiluminescence accompanied by the reaction of acridinium ester and manganese (II)

An acridinium ester (AE) alkaline solution can react with Mn(II) to generate a strong chemiluminescence (CL) centered at 435 nm. The effects of reaction conditions such as pH and Mn(II) concentration on CL intensity were examined. In order to explore the CL mechanism, the effect of oxygen on the CL reaction was examined and an X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the reaction precipitate was carried out. The results indicated that oxygen participated in the CL reaction and Mn(IV) was the primary product in the system. A possible mechanism was proposed that involved two pathways: (1) dissolved oxygen was reduced to reactive oxygen radicals by Mn(II), these reactive intermediates then reacted with AE to produce excited state acridone; (2) Mn(II) could reduce AE to partly reduced AE, which then reacted with oxygen to form excited state acridone. The reactions of other metal ions with AE were also tested, and only Mn(II) was shown to trigger strong CL emission of AE, which indicated that the system had good selectivity for Mn(II). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Singlet oxygen generation from lophine hydroperoxides.

Singlet oxygen was detected from the reaction of lophine hydroperoxides 2 in the presence of 1,3-diphenyl-isobenzofuran as a singlet oxygen detector. In order to examine the substituent effect on the formation of (1)O(2), 2-(p-substituted phenyl) lophine peroxides 2a-c were tested. It was found that an electron-attracting group contributed to the efficient formation of (1)O(2) (80% for a NO(2) group), while an electron-donating group enhanced the efficiency of chemiluminescence.     

Comparative study of antioxidants as quenchers or scavengers of reactive oxygen species based on quenching of MCLA-dependent chemiluminescence.

The quenching or scavenging effect of non-enzymatic antioxidants against reactive oxygen species (ROS) was studied by comparing the degree of suppression of chemiluminescence (CL) caused by the oxidation of MCLA (methoxylated Cypridina luciferin analogue) by ROS. MCLA-dependent CL caused by O2- was effectively quenched by ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, lycopene and astaxanthin, while it was enhanced by alpha-tocopherol. The CL by 1O2 was quenched effectively by beta-carotene, lycopene and astaxanthin, moderately by ascorbic acid, and slightly by alpha-tocopherol. beta-Carotene and alpha-tocopherol remarkably suppressed the CL when ROS was HO*. The present study revealed that MCLA-dependent CL assay provides a simple and rapid method for the evaluation of antioxidants as a quencher or scavenger against any kind of ROS.     

Bovine serum albumin displays luciferase-like activity in presence of luciferyl adenylate: insights on the origin of protoluciferase activity and bioluminescence colours.

Luciferyl adenylate, the key intermediate in beetle bioluminescence, is produced through adenylation of d-luciferin by beetle luciferases and also by mealworm luciferase-like enzymes which produce a weak red chemiluminescence. However, luciferyl adenylate is only weakly chemiluminescent in water at physiological pH and it is unclear how efficient bioluminescence evolved from its weak chemiluminescent properties. We found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) and neutral detergents enhance luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence by three orders of magnitude, simulating the mealworm luciferase-like enzyme chemiluminescence properties. These results suggest that the beetle protoluciferase activity arose as an enhanced luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence in the protein environment of the ancestral AMP-ligase. The predominance of luciferyl adenylate chemiluminescence in the red region under most conditions suggests that red luminescence is a more primitive condition that characterized the original stages of protobioluminescence, whereas yellow-green bioluminescence may have evolved later through the development of a more structured and hydrophobic active site.     

Chemiluminescence probe with Cypridina luciferin analog, 2-methyl-6-phenyl-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one, for estimating the ability of human granulocytes to generate O2-

The Cypridina luciferin analog, 2-methyl-6-phenyl-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one (CLA), in Hanks' balanced salt solution, emitted a weak luminescence which was not affected by superoxide dismutase or catalase and was not augmented by resting human granulocytes. In contrast, activated granulocytes caused a dramatic increase in the luminescence of CLA. The light emission by CLA in the presence of activated granulocytes was inhibited by superoxide dismutase, but not by catalase or benzoate. Azide at 0.5 mM did not inhibit light emission significantly. These results indicate that O2-, rather than H2O2, HO., singlet oxygen, or HOCl, was the agent responsible for eliciting the chemiluminescence of CLA. Moreover, the intensity of light emission by CLA correlated with the rate of production of O2- either by activated neutrophils or by the xanthine oxidase reaction.     

A study on the micelle-sensitized Ce(IV)-Na2S2O3-norfloxacin chemiluminescence system and its applications.

A new chemiluminescence (CL) flow-injection method was developed for the determination of norfloxacin. The method is based on the CL reaction of norfloxacin with sodium thiosulphate and Ce(IV) in sulphuric acid medium sensitized by sodium dodecylsulphate. Under optimum conditions, the CL intensity is proportional to the concentration of the norfloxacin in the range 3.89 x 10(-8)-7.18 x 10(-6) g/mL. The detection limit (3 s/k) was 2.21 x 10(-9) g/mL for norfloxacin. The method has been applied successfully to the determination of norfloxacin in pharmaceutical formulations and human urine. The mechanism for this chemiluminescence system is discussed.     

Investigation on the interaction between dihydroxybenzene and Fe3+- H2O2-Rh6G system based on enhancing chemiluminescence.

A highly sensitive flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method has been developed for the determination of dihydroxybenzene, based on the hydroxyl radical reaction. Hydroxyl radical (.OH) produced by the reaction of Fe(3+) and H(2)O(2) oxidize rhodamine 6G to produce weak CL. It was observed that catechol and hydroquinone greatly enhanced the weak CL reaction. However, the proposed CL system is not suitable for determination of resorcinol because the enhancement reaction is very slow. The proposed procedure has a linear range of 0.01-2 mg/L for catechol, with a detection limit of 0.006 mg/L, and 0.008-1 mg/L for hydroquinone, with a detection limit of 0.004 mg/L. The possible mechanism of the CL system is discussed.     

Simple chemiluminescence determination of ketotifen using tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II)‐ Ce(IV) system

A new method using chemiluminescence (CL) detection has been developed for the simple determination of ketotifen fumarate (KF). The method is based on the catalytic effect of KF in the CL reaction of tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II), Ru(phen)₃²⁺, with Ce(IV) in sulfuric acid medium. The CL response was detected using a lab‐made chemiluminometer. Effects of chemical variables were investigated and under optimum conditions, the CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of the drug over the range 0.34‐34.00 µg mL^?1 KF. The limit of detection (S/N=3) was 0.09 µg mL^?1. Effects of common ingredients were investigated and the method was applied successfully for determining KF in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. The percent of relative standard deviation (n=11) at level of 3.4 µg mL^?1 of KF was 4.6% and the minimum sampling rate was 70 samples per hour. The possible CL mechanism is proposed based on the kinetic characteristic of the CL reaction, CL spectrum, UV‐Vis and phosphorescence spectra. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ODN probes conjugating the Cu(II) complex enhance the luminol chemiluminescence by assembling on the DNA template

Potent peroxidase-like activity of the β-ketoenamine (1)-dicopper (II) complex (2) for the chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol either in the presence or absence of H(2)O(2) has been previously demonstrated by our group. In this study, the β-ketoenamine (1) as the ligand unit for copper(II) was incorporated into the oligonucleotide (ODN) probes. It has been shown that the catalytic activity of the ODN probes conjugating the ligand-Cu(II) complex is activated by hybridization with the target DNA with the complementary sequence. Thus, this study has successfully demonstrated the basic concept for the sensitive detection of nucleic acids by CL based on the template-inductive activation of the catalytic unit for CL.     

MCLA为化学发光探针测定氧化低密度脂蛋白中维生素C诱导的单线态氧产生

以一种海萤荧光素类似物MCLA〔2 methyl 6 (p methoxyphenyl) 3,7 dihydroimidazo [1,2 a]pyrazin 3 one〕作为高灵敏且有选择性的化学发光探针 ,用化学发光的方法直接观测到了少量Cu2 氧化的低密度脂蛋白 (Ox LDL)中维生素C诱导的单线态氧 (1O2 )的产生。实验中通过叠氮化钠 (NaN3 )对MCLA介导的化学发光的猝灭作用进一步证实了上述体系中1O2的形成。根据实验观察的结果 ,分析了这一体系中1O2 形成的可能途径 ,认为首先是维生素C将Cu2 转变为还原态 ,而自身失去一个电子转变为维生素C自由基 ,从而刺激了过氧自由基和烷氧自由基的形成 ,过氧自由基的双分子反应很可能就是体系内1O2 产生的反应机制