A comparative study of complex formation in the reactions of gold(III) with Gly-Gly, Gly-l-Ala and Gly-l-His dipeptides

Proton NMR spectroscopy was applied to study the reactions of the dipeptides glycyl-glycine (Gly-Gly) and glycyl-l-alanine (Gly-l-Ala) with hydrogen tetrachloridoaurate(III) (H[AuCl₄]). All reactions were performed at pH 2.0 and 3.0 and at 40 °C. The final products in these reactions were [Au(Gly-Gly-κ³N_G1,N_G2,O_G2)Cl] and [Au(Gly-l-Ala-κ³N_G,N_A,O_A)Cl] complexes. Tridentate coordination of the corresponding dipeptides and square-planar geometry of these Au(III) complexes was confirmed by NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectroscopy. This study showed that at pH < 3.0 the Au(III) ion was able to deprotonate the amide nitrogen atom. However this displacement reaction was very slow and the total concentration of the corresponding Au(III)-peptide complex formed after 5 days was less than 60% for the Gly-l-Ala or 70% for the Gly-Gly dipeptide. The kinetic data of the reactions between the Gly-Gly and Gly-l-Ala dipeptides and [AuCl₄]⁻ were compared with those for the histidine-containing Gly-l-His dipeptide. The differences in the reactivity of these three dipeptides with the Au(III) ion are discussed.     

l-Lactate generates hydrogen peroxide in purified rat liver mitochondria due to the putative l-lactate oxidase localized in the intermembrane space

In order to ascertain whether and how mitochondria can produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as a result of l-lactate addition, we monitored H₂O₂ generation in rat liver mitochondria and in submitochondrial fractions free of peroxisomal and cytosolic contamination. We found that H₂O₂ is produced independently on the respiratory chain with 1:1 stoichiometry with pyruvate, due to a putative flavine-dependent l-lactate oxidase restricted to the intermembrane space. The l-lactate oxidase reaction shows a hyperbolic dependence on l-lactate concentration and is inhibited by NAD⁺ in a competitive manner, being the enzyme different from the l-lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes as shown by their pH profiles.     

Production of L-xylose from L-xylulose using Escherichia coli L-fucose isomerase

l-Xylulose was used as a raw material for the production of l-xylose with a recombinantly produced Escherichia colil-fucose isomerase as the catalyst. The enzyme had a very alkaline pH optimum (over 10.5) and displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for l-xylulose with a K_m of 41 mM and a V_max of 0.23 μmol/(mg min). The half-lives determined for the enzyme at 35 °C and at 45 °C were 6 h 50 min and 1 h 31 min, respectively. The reaction equilibrium between l-xylulose and l-xylose was 15:85 at 35 °C and thus favored the formation of l-xylose. Contrary to the l-rhamnose isomerase catalyzed reaction described previously [14]l-lyxose was not detected in the reaction mixture with l-fucose isomerase. Although xylitol acted as an inhibitor of the reaction, even at a high ratio of xylitol to l-xylulose the inhibition did not reach 50%.     

Bioconversion of ginsenosides Rb(1), Rb(2), Rc and Rd by novel β-glucosidase hydrolyzing outer 3-O glycoside from Sphingomonas sp. 2F2: cloning, expression, and enzyme characterization

A new β-glucosidase gene (bglSp) was cloned from the ginsenoside converting Sphingomonas sp. strain 2F2 isolated from the ginseng cultivating filed. The bglSp consisted of 1344 bp (447 amino acid residues) with a predicted molecular mass of 49,399 Da. A BLAST search using the bglSp sequence revealed significant homology to that of glycoside hydrolase superfamily 1. This enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) using a pET21-MBP (TEV) vector system. Overexpressed recombinant enzymes which could convert the ginsenosides Rb₁, Rb₂, Rc and Rd to the more pharmacological active rare ginsenosides gypenoside XVII, ginsenoside C-O, ginsenoside C-Mc₁ and ginsenoside F₂, respectively, were purified by two steps with Amylose-affinity and DEAE-Cellulose chromatography and characterized. The kinetic parameters for β-glucosidase showed the apparent K_m and V_max values of 2.9 ± 0.3 mM and 515.4 ± 38.3 μmol min⁻¹ mg of protein⁻¹ against p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside. The enzyme could hydrolyze the outer C3 glucose moieties of ginsenosides Rb₁, Rb₂, Rc and Rd into the rare ginsenosides Gyp XVII, C-O, C-Mc₁ and F₂ quickly at optimal conditions of pH 5.0 and 37 °C. A little ginsenoside F₂ production from ginsenosides Gyp XVII, C-O, and C-Mc₁ was observed for the lengthy enzyme reaction caused by the side ability of the enzyme.     

Synergistic production of L-arabinose from arabinan by the combined use of thermostable endo- and exo-arabinanases from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus

The optimum conditions for the production of l-arabinose from debranched arabinan were determined to be pH 6.5, 75 °C, 20 g l⁻¹ debranched arabinan, 42 U ml⁻¹ endo-1,5-α-l-arabinanase, and 14 U ml⁻¹ α-l-arabinofuranosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus and the conditions for sugar beet arabinan were pH 6.0, 75 °C, 20 g l⁻¹ sugar beet arabinan, 3 U ml⁻¹ endo-1,5-α-l-arabinanase, and 24 U ml⁻¹ α-l-arabinofuranosidase. Under the optimum conditions, 16 g l⁻¹l-arabinose was obtained from 20 g l⁻¹ debranched arabinan or sugar beet arabinan after 120 min, with a hydrolysis yield of 80% and a productivity of 8 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹. This is the first reported trial for the production of l-arabinose from the hemicellulose arabinan by the combined use of endo- and exo-arabinanases.     

Mechanism of the inhibitory effect of zwitterionic drugs (levofloxacin and grepafloxacin) on carnitine transporter (OCTN2) in Caco-2 cells

l-Carnitine plays an important role in lipid metabolism by facilitating the transport of long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial inner membrane followed by fatty acid beta-oxidation. It is known that l-carnitine exists as a zwitterion and that member of the OCTN family play an important role in its transport. The aims of this study were to characterize l-carnitine transport in the intestine by using Caco-2 cells and to elucidate the effects of levofloxacin (LVFX) and grepafloxacin (GPFX), which are zwitterionic drugs, on l-carnitine uptake. Kinetic analysis showed that the half-saturation Na⁺ concentration, Hill coefficient and K_m value of l-carnitine uptake in Caco-2 cells were 10.3 ± 4.5 mM, 1.09 and 8.0 ± 1.0 μM, respectively, suggesting that OCTN2 mainly transports l-carnitine. LVFX and GPFX have two pK_a values and the existence ratio of their zwitterionic forms is higher under a neutral condition than under an acidic condition. Experiments on the inhibitory effect of LVFX and GPFX on l-carnitine uptake showed that LVFX and GPFX inhibited l-carnitine uptake more strongly at pH 7.4 than at pH 5.5. It was concluded that the zwitterionic form of drugs plays an important role in inhibition of OCTN2 function.     

Gadolinium(III) and europium(III) l-glutamates: Synthesis and characterization

Two lanthanide(III) complexes with l-glutamate ligands [{Ln₂(l-Glu)₂(H₂O)₈} · 4(ClO₄) · 2.5H₂O]_n (Ln = Gd (1), Eu (2)) have been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds are isomorphous with infinite cationic 2D layers stacked together by secondary bonds. The building blocks are slightly different non-centrosymmetric dinuclear units placed in alternating layers, the resulting structures thus containing four non-equivalent Ln metal sites. The dinuclear units contain a fourfold bridge, two in the η¹:η¹:μ₂ and two in the η²:η¹:μ₂ modes, from two α- and two γ-carboxylates of four different l-Glu residues, respectively.     

Two 3D noninterpenetrated chiral coordination polymers with uniform (10)-srs and (4.6.8)-sra nets

Two new noninterpenetrated three-dimensional chiral coordination polymers [Cu(l-cys)(H₂O)]_n (1) and [Cd(l-cys)(H₂O)]_n (2) (where H₂cys = cysteic acid) have been synthesized and characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. In the two complexes, l-cys acts as a μ₃-bridge for 1 and a μ₄-bridge for 2, respectively, to link metal centers in different modes, forming two different three-dimensional networks. The topological analysis of them shows that 1 can be simplified to a three-connected topology with the short symbol of 10³ and the full vertex symbol of 10₅.10₅.10₅ while 2 a four-connected topology with the short symbol of 4².6³.8 and the full vertex symbol of 4.6.4.6.6.8₂, respectively.     

Single-step bioconversion for the preparation of l-gulose and l-galactose

Both carbohydrate monomers l-gulose and l-galactose are rarely found in nature, but are of great importance in pharmacy R&D and manufacturing. A method for the production of l-gulose and l-galactose is described that utilizes recombinant Escherichia coli harboring a unique mannitol dehydrogenase. The recombinant E. coli system was optimized by genetic manipulation and directed evolution of the recombinant protein to improve conversion. The resulting production process requires a single step, represents the first readily scalable system for the production of these sugars, is environmentally friendly, and utilizes inexpensive reagents, while producing l-galactose at 4.6 g L⁻¹ d⁻¹ and l-gulose at 0.90 g L⁻¹ d⁻¹.     

Dielectric properties of two diastereoisomers of the arabinose and their equimolar mixture

Dielectric relaxation measurements were performed on two enantiomers, d- and l-arabinose and their equimolar mixture, and compared to dielectric data obtained for d-ribose. d-Arabinose differs from d-ribose by having the opposite configuration at C2. This study reveals that both d- and l- of arabinose exhibit α-relaxation peaks with the same shape for the same α-relaxation time τ_α, and the same steepness index for the T_g-scale T-dependence of τ_α. However, the two isomers have slightly different glass transition temperatures T_g’s, and their secondary γ-relaxation times also differ slightly from the previously observed γ-relaxation in d-ribose at the same temperature. However, when samples of both investigated monosaccharides are annealed at higher temperatures, their glass transition temperatures become nearly identical. This is an effect of the mutarotation process, which leads to the formation of pairs of the enantiomers and accordingly they should have the same physical properties. The width of the α-relaxation of d- and l-arabinose is broader than that of d-ribose, as reflected by the smaller stretch exponent in the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts function used to fit the data of the former (β_KWW = 0.46 ± 0.01) than the latter (β_KWW = 0.55 ± 0.01). The width of the α-relaxation of racemic mixture of the d- and l-arabinose is slightly broader than that of the pure isomers. While the dielectric loss data of d-ribose in the glassy state at ambient and elevated pressures show an inflexion indicating the presence of the JG β-relaxation, the data of d- and l-arabinose show no such feature for identification of the supposedly universal JG β-relaxation. Nevertheless, on comparing the loss spectra of d-arabinose with that of d-ribose, the presence of the JG β-relaxation in d-arabinose has been rationalized.     

Effect of metal coordination and intra-molecular H-bond on the acidity of phenolic proton in a set of structurally characterized octahedral Ni(II) complexes of l-histidine derivative

Four different mononuclear octahedral Ni(II) complexes with protonated and deprotonated form of the same ligand have been synthesized by controlling reaction conditions and structurally characterized. The complexes are [Ni(HL^l-his)(benzoate)(MeOH)] (1), [Ni(HL^l-his)(SCN)(MeOH)] (2), [Ni(HL^l-his)₂] (3) and [Ni(L^l-his)(imidazole)₂] (4) where H₂L^l-his is (S)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylamino)-3-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-propionic acid. The ligand behaves as a monobasic tetradentate ligand in 1 and 2, monobasic tridentate ligand in 3 and dibasic tetradentate ligand in 4. Ni(II) coordinated phenolic proton of the ligand in the complexes 1-2 shows strong intra-molecular H-bonding with benzoate in 1 and lattice water in 2, whereas 3 shows intermolecular H-bonding between uncoordinated phenols with neighbouring carboxylate. The pH titration of the complexes revealed that metal coordination and H-bond in complexes 1 and 2 considerably lowers the acidity of ligand phenol (pK_a 6.8 and 7.0 respectively) compared to phenol (pK_a 10). The complex 4 does not show any proton loss due to the absence of phenolic proton. All the complexes show extensive H-bonded network in the crystals including narrow (7.8 × 5.2 Å) water filled one dimensional channel in 2.     

Biochemical characterization of a 27 kDa 1,3-β-d-glucanase from Trichoderma asperellum induced by cell wall of Rhizoctonia solani

Trichoderma asperellum produces two extracellular 1,3-β-d-glucanase upon induction with cell walls from Rhizoctonia solani. A minor 1,3-β-d-glucanase was purified to homogeneity by ion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100. A typical procedure provided 13.8-fold purification with 70% yield. SDS-PAGE of the purified enzyme showed a single protein band of molecular weight 27 kDa. The enzyme exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 3.6 and 45 °C. It was thermostable at 40 °C, and retained 75% activity after 60 min at 45 °C. The K_m and V_max values for 1,3-β-d-glucanase, using laminarin as substrate, were 0.323 mg ml⁻¹ and 0.315 U min⁻¹, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by Hg²⁺ and SDS. The enzyme was only active toward glucans containing β-1,3-linkages. Peptide sequences showed similarity with two endo-1,3(4)-β-d-glucanases from Aspergillus fumigatus Af293when compared against GenBank non-redundant database.     

l-Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate reductase from Escherichia coli is a heme binding protein

Recently, we reported that YghZ from Escherichia coli functions as an efficient l-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate reductase (Gpr). Here we show that Gpr co-purifies with a b-type heme cofactor. Gpr associates with heme in a 1:1 stoichiometry to form a complex that is characterized by a K_d value of 5.8 ± 0.2 μM in the absence of NADPH and a K_d value of 11 ± 1.3 μM in the presence of saturating NADPH. The absorbance spectrum of reconstituted Gpr indicates that heme is bound in a hexacoordinate low-spin state under both oxidizing and reducing conditions. The physiological function of heme association with Gpr is unclear, as the l-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate reductase activity of Gpr does not require the presence of the cofactor. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that Gpr clusters with a family of putative monooxygenases in several organisms, suggesting that Gpr may act as a heme-dependent monooxygenase. The discovery that Gpr associates with heme is interesting because Gpr shares 35% amino acid identity with the mammalian voltage-gated K⁺ channel β-subunit, an NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase that endows certain voltage-gated K⁺ channels with hemoprotein-like, O₂-sensing properties. To date the molecular origin of O₂ sensing by voltage-gated K⁺ channels is unknown and the results presented herein suggest a role for heme in this process.     

Biochemical characterization of L-DOPA 2,3-dioxygenase, a single-domain type I extradiol dioxygenase from lincomycin biosynthesis

l-DOPA-2,3-dioxygenase from Streptomyces lincolnensis is a single-domain type I extradiol dioxygenase of the vicinal oxygen chelate superfamily and catalyzes the second step in the metabolism of tyrosine to the propylhygric acid moiety of the antibiotic, lincomycin. S. lincolnensisl-DOPA-2,3-dioxygenase was overexpressed, purified and reconstituted with Fe(II). The activity of l-DOPA-2,3-dioxygenase was kinetically characterized with l-DOPA (K_M = 38 μM, k_cat = 4.2 min⁻¹) and additional catecholic substrates including dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid, catechol and d-DOPA. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was characterized as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme (K_i = 2.2 mM). Site-directed mutagenesis and its effects on enzymatic activity were used to identify His14 and His70 as iron ligands.     

H, C NMR and UV spectroscopy studies of gold(III)-tetracyanide complex with l-cysteine, glutathione, captopril, l-methionine and dl-seleno-methionine in aqueous solution

Auricyanide [Au(CN)₄]⁻ interaction with biologically important thiols, thioether and selenoether were carried out and monitored using ¹H, ¹³C NMR and UV spectroscopy. These ligands include l-cysteine, glutathione, captopril, l-methionine and dl-seleno-methionine. Thiols show very strong affinity to be oxidized into the disulfide by auricyanide, which gets reduced to aurocyanide [Au(CN)₂]⁻. l-cysteine reaction mechanism with [Au(CN)₄]⁻ was found to be dependent on reactants mole ratio. While l-methionine was completely inert toward auricyanide, dl-Se-methionine showed some reactivity with [Au(CN)₄]⁻ after raising solution pH to 12 that facilitated cyanide exchange.     

Synthesis, crystal structure and properties of the novel chiral 3D coordination polymer with S-carboxymethyl-l-cysteine

Reaction of fresh Mn(OH)₂ precipitate and S-carboxymethyl-l-cysteine (H₂SCMC) in aqueous solution afforded a novel chiral 3D coordination polymer Mn(H₂O)(SCMC) 1, which crystallizes in the acentric polar space group P2₁ with cell constants a = 5.079(1) Å, b = 9.617(2) Å, c = 8.649(2) Å, β = 94.40(3)°, V = 421.2(1) Å³, Z = 2, and exhibit a SHG effect and ferroelectricity (a remnant polarization P_r = 0.0159 uC cm⁻², coercive field E_c = 0.83 kV cm⁻², saturation of the spontaneous polarization P_s = 0.234 uC cm⁻²). To the best of our knowledge, the present compound represents the first example of S-carboxymethyl-l-cysteine coordination polymers that exhibit possible ferroelectric behavior. The structural analysis revealed that the Mn²⁺ ions in 1 are each coordinated by one N atom and five O atoms of four S-carboxymethyl-l-cysteine ligand bridges four symmetry-related Mn²⁺ ions to form 3D MOF of 6⁶ topology type with irregular chiral channels extending along [1 0 0]. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities shows that 1 obeys Curie-Weiss law χ_m = C/(T − Θ) with C = 4.23 cm³ mol⁻¹ K and Θ = −5.86 K and the best fit gave a weak antiferromagnetic coupling (J = −0.282(5) cm⁻¹) among Mn ions.     

Synthesis, characterization and l-lactide polymerization behavior of bis(amidinate) rare earth metal amide complexes

A family of neutral and solvent-free bis(amidinate) rare earth metal amide complexes with a general formula [RC(N-2,6-Me₂C₆H₃)₂]₂LnN(SiMe₃)₂ (R = phenyl (Ph), Ln = Y (1), Nd (2); R = cyclohexyl (Cy), Ln = Y (3), Nd (4)) were synthesized in high yields by one-pot salt metathesis reaction of anhydrous LnCl₃, amidinate lithium salt [RC(N-2,6-Me₂C₆H₃)₂]Li, and NaN(SiMe₃)₂ in THF at room temperature. Single crystal structural determination of complexes 1, 2 and 4 revealed that the central metal adopts distorted pyramidal geometry. In the presence of 1 equivalent of ⁱPr-OH, all these complexes were active for l-lactide polymerization in toluene at 70 °C to give high molecular weight (M_n > 10⁴) polymers.     

X-ray structure of 1,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-β-d-erythro-pentopyranose

Peracetylated 2-deoxy-d-erythro-pentose (2-deoxy-d-ribose) was synthesized through the acetylation of 2-deoxy-d-ribose with acetic anhydride in pyridine, and the products (including all four ring forms) exist in form of either a white solid or a syrup. A single crystal of 1,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-β-d-erythro-pentopyranose was obtained from the syrup and its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. The crystal adopts the ¹C₄ conformation, presenting an orthorhombic system, space group P2₁2₁2₁ with Z = 4, unit cell dimensions a = 7.2274 (3) Å, b = 8.0938 (5) Å, and c = 22.0517 (11) Å.     

The ‘true’ l-xylulose reductase of filamentous fungi identified in Aspergillus niger

l-Xylulose reductase is part of the eukaryotic pathway for l-arabinose catabolism. A previously identified l-xylulose reductase in Hypocrea jecorina turned out to be not the ‘true’ one since it was not upregulated during growth on l-arabinose and the deletion strain showed no reduced l-xylulose reductase activity but instead lost the d-mannitol dehydrogenase activity [17]. In this communication we identified the ‘true’ l-xylulose reductase in Aspergillus niger. The gene, lxrA (JGI177736), is upregulated on l-arabinose and the deletion results in a strain lacking the NADPH-specific l-xylulose reductase activity and having reduced growth on l-arabinose. The purified enzyme had a K_m for l-xylulose of 25 mM and a ν_max of 650 U/mg.     

Assembly of coordination networks: Role of the different M(II)-cysteate chain in structural diversification

In this paper, we have presented the synthesis and crystal structures of five coordination polymers, namely, {[Ni₂(cysteate)₂(bpy)₂(H₂O)₂]·3H₂O}_n (1), {[Cu₂(cysteate)₂(bpy)₂(H₂O)₂]·4H₂O}_n (2), {[Mn₂(cysteate)₂(bpy)(H₂O)₄](bpy)·H₂O}_n (3), {[Zn₂(cysteate)₂(bpy)(H₂O)₄](bpy)·H₂O}_n (4), {[Cd(cysteate)(bpy)(H₂O)]·4H₂O}_n (5), using homochiral l-cysteate and 4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) as mixed ligands, reacted with Ni(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively. When different metal centers being used, l-cysteate gave rise to three different architectures based on coordination polymeric chains: (1) a helical chain, which is further connected by bpy pillars to generate a racemic twofold 3D (4².8⁴)-lvt net in 1 and 2; (2) a zigzag chain, which is further linked by bpy pillars into a homochiral 2D brick-wall structure in 3 and 4; (3) a zigzag chain, which is further linked by bpy pillars into a homochiral 2D 4⁴ grid network in 5. These results indicate that the metal-directed M(II)-cysteate chain has an important effect on the structural diversification of such complexes.