Novel C-N bond cleavage and formation in the polyoxometalates-catalyzed oxidation of nitroaromatics with 30% aqueous H2O2: An unprecedented disproportionation of nitroaromatics affording dinitroaromatics

In the presence of catalytic amount of K₇NiV₁₃O₃₈ · 16H₂O and 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide, the disproportionation of nitroaromatic compounds occurs to give dinitro-substituted aromatic compounds. This novel disproportionation has disclosed an unprecedented process in which the carbon-nitrogen bond is catalytically cleaved and formed.     

Anaerobic/Aerobic Composting of Soil Contaminated with 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene

A loam soil from Pennsylvania without a history of exposure to explosives was incubated with 5 g kg^-1 of ¹⁵N-labeled 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 200 μCi kg^-1 of ¹⁴C-TNT for 3 days and then amended with compost at a 1:2 soil to compost ratio. The compost was prepared by mixing 40% alfalfa hay, 40% grass hay, 10% spent mushroom compost, and 10% municipal biosolids. The mixture of soil and compost was inoculated with methanogens from cattle manure, amended with glucose and starch, and incubated for 37 days under anaerobic conditions. The anaerobic incubation was followed by 26 days of forced aerobic incubation. At the end of the aerobic phase, most of the radioactivity was associated with organic matter; only 8.7% could be extracted with water and methanol, but no TNT was present in the extracts as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The unextractable radioactivity was associated with humic acid (40.0±1.0%), fulvic acid (14.3±1.4%), and humin (28.2±0.5%). Radioactive materials associated with humic acid and humin were analyzed by solid-state ¹⁵N-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. The NMR spectra indicated that nitro groups of TNT had been reduced to amino groups thatwere subsequently involved in the formation of covalent bonds with soil organic matter.     

Distribution and Metabolic Diversity of Microorganisms in Deep Igneous Rock Aquifers of Finland

Groundwater samples from 200- to 950-m depths in four igneous rock sites in Finland were investigated for different metabolic groups of microorganisms, and the data were compared with the available geochemical record. Samples were collected with a pressurized groundwater sampling system developed for gas and microbiological sampling. Two of the sites had groundwater that was fresh, with < 0.2 g/l dissolved solids, whereas that at the two other sites was much more saline, reaching a maximum of 24 g/l dissolved solids. The groundwater contained gases, 33 to 340 ml/l, with nitrogen or methane dominating. Total cell numbers were 10 5 to 10 6 cells/ml, which is typical for deep igneous rock aquifers. Growth media were designed to mimic the actual groundwater chemistry at each sampling point and used for most probable number enumeration of methanogens, acetogens, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and iron-reducing bacteria (IRB). SRB predominated in sites where iron sulfide fracture-filling minerals are common. IRB were the main population in one site where iron sulfide fracture minerals are not present, but iron hydroxide fracture minerals predominate. Fracture-filling minerals were a better indicator of microbial populations than was groundwater chemistry. Low numbers of autotrophic methanogens were cultured. One of several possible interpretations of stable isotope data suggested that most of the detected methane is thermogenic, which would correlate with few active methanogens. However, we concluded other interpretations were also possible.     

高效菌株S对TNT的降解条件和机理初探

确立了筛选菌株S对TNT的降解条件并初步探讨了TNT的降解机理.研究表明,葡萄糖的加入显著促进了TNT的生物降解,培养16h后100mg/L的TNT去除率达100%;但不加入葡萄糖时TNT仍有12%的去除,S菌也有微量生长.硝酸钾的加入同样促进了TNT的完全降解,而不加入硝酸钾时TNT有80%的去除.TNT浓度的增加并没有影响其去除效果,高达200 mg/L的TNT仍可完全降解.TNT的降解过程包括TNT生物转化为缩合产物A和A物质的开环分解.生物催化体系中硝基还原酶、甲苯双加氧酶和邻苯二酚双加氧酶的检出为这一降解途径的存在提供了有力的酶学支持.     

Mechanistic studies on oxidation of hydrogen peroxide and hydrazine by a metal-bound superoxide

In aqueous acetate buffer, hydrogen peroxide and hydrazine reduce the bridging superoxide in [(en)(dien)Co^III(O₂)Co^III(en)(dien)](ClO₄)₅ (1) to the corresponding hydroperoxo complex [(en)(dien)Co^III(μ-O₂H)Co^III(en)(dien)]⁵⁺ (2). In the presence of excess [H₂O₂] and [N₂H₅⁺] over [1], both the reactions obeyed first-order kinetics and exhibited inverse proton dependence. Protonation of 1 at equilibrium generates [(en)(dien)Co^III(μ-O₂H)Co^III(en)(dien)]⁶⁺ (1H), the conjugate acid from 1, which appears to be a kinetic dead-end and that accounts for the observed inverse proton dependence on rate. Reaction rates significantly decrease with increasing proportion of D₂O replacing H₂O in the solvent and an H-atom transfer (HAT) from the reducing species to the bridging superoxide in 1 seems reasonable at the rate step.     

Principles and engineering of antibody folding and assembly

Antibodies are uniquely suited to serve essential roles in the human immune defense as they combine several specific functions in one hetero-oligomeric protein. Their constant regions activate effector functions and their variable domains provide a stable framework that allows incorporation of highly diverse loop sequences. The combination of non-germline DNA recombination and mutation together with heavy and light chain assembly allows developing variable regions that specifically recognize essentially any antigen they may encounter. However, this diversity also requires tailor-made mechanisms to guarantee that folding and association of antibodies is carefully this diversity also requires tailor-made mechanisms to guarantee that folding and association of antibodies is carefully controlled before the protein is secreted from a plasma cell. Accordingly, the generic immunoglobulin fold β-barrel structure of antibody domains has been fine-tuned during evolution to fit the different requirements. Work over the past decades has identified important aspects of the folding and assembly of antibody domains and chains revealing domain specific variations of a general scheme. The most striking is the folding of an intrinsically disordered antibody domain in the context of its partner domain as the basis for antibody assembly and its control on the molecular level in the cell. These insights have not only allowed a better understanding of the antibody folding process but also provide a wealth of opportunities for rational optimization of antibody molecules.     

Purification and identification of a Bacillus nitroreductase: Potential use in 3,5-DNBTF biosensoring system

We have investigated a specific enzymatic biosensor for detecting target pollutant 3,5-dinitro-trifluoromethylbenzene (3,5-DNBTF). The predicted enzyme is a nitroreductase that catalyzes the total nitroreduction of 3,5-DNBTF to its corresponding diamine. The photo-activation of this diamine offers a large panel of detection tools. After broad screening of microorganisms, only the strains belonging to the genus Bacillus were able to reduce the two nitro groups of 3,5-DNBTF. Among them, Bacillus LMA, isolated from explosives-polluted effluents, was the most efficient in reducing this compound. The involved nitroreductase was identified by 2D gel electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry, as the Bacillus subtilis oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase NfrA. The enzyme was purified by mono-P chromatofocusing.     

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel nitroaromatic compounds as potent glutathione reductase inhibitors

Discovery of GR inhibitors has become very popular recently due to antimalarial and anticancer activities. In this study, the synthesis and GR inhibitory capacities of novel nitroaromatic compounds (NCs) (1-3) were reported. Some commercially available molecules were also tested for comparison reasons. The novel NCs were obtained in high yields using simple chemical procedures and exhibited much potent inhibitory activities against GR at low micromolar concentrations with K(i) values ranging from 0.211 to 4.57 μM as compared with well-known agents. Inhibition mechanism was assessed as being due to occlusion of the active site entrance by means of the NCs. Molecular docking results have shown that docking poses of ligands are able to construct binding interactions with the essential amino acids.     

Binding parameters of antibodies: pseudo-affinity and other misconceptions

In order to evaluate and compare monoclonal antibodies (Abs), functional affinities are generally determined. While the equations that define affinity relate to monovalent interactions, it has been considered that the binding of Abs to multivalent antigens such as the cell surface could be described by an apparent, or functional affinity. We demonstrate here that this concept is incorrect, since the binding interactions that occur cannot be described in terms of a functional affinity, and the values that are obtained serve only to obscure the true interactions. Bivalent Ab binding must be considered to be an irreversible reaction, in most cases. A correct understanding of Ab binding will be useful in the further development of Abs for therapeutic purposes.     

The fate of antibodies and their radiolabels bound to tumor cells in vitro: The effect of cross-linking at the cell surface and of anti-idiotype antibodies

Summary In order to obtain rapid blood clearance of circulating antibodies (Ab) at a desired time, cross-linking reagents such as second Ab are often employed. Such reagents will generally bind to Ab located at the tumor site as well as free Ab, and we therefore investigated whether the cross-linking of Ab bound to the surface of tumor cells affects the processing of those Ab. Cross-linking was induced in various ways: a polyclonal second Ab [rabbit anti-(mouse IgG)], a monoclonal rat anti-(mouse IgG constant region) Ab, and streptavidin used in conjunction with a biotinylated first Ab. Processing was followed for 3 days, to allow nearly all of the bound Ab to reach its ultimate fate. Results depended strongly on the particular first Ab used. Two basic effects were observed. First, the second Ab efficiently prevented the early dissociation of intact Ab from the cell; once the second Ab bound, there was virtually no dissociation of the primary Ab bound to the cells. For most Ab, where only a small proportion of bound Ab dissociated intact, this effect was relatively small. However, for an unusual Ab, where the majority dissociated intact (L6) the effect of a second Ab in prolonging Ab retention by the cell was dramatic. Second, cross-linking sometimes resulted in markedly accelerated internalization and degradation of the bound Ab, coupled with the release of degradation products into the medium. This process resulted in much shorter retention of the radioisotope by the cell. If a residualizing radiolabel was used,¹²⁵I-dilactitoltyramine, which is probably trapped within lysosomes after Ab catabolism, the effect of the second Ab in accelerating loss from the cell was largely prevented. We also tested anti-idiotype Ab as cross-linking reagents. In addition to testing anti-idiotype Ab known to react with the cell-bound primary Ab, we also tested antiidiotype Ab not expected to bind to cell-bound Ab, initially as a negative control. Unexpectedly, all anti-indiotype Ab tested induced rapid release of the primary Ab from the cell. This effect was similar to the effect of a large excess of unlabeled Ab, and we attribute it to the blocking of the free binding site of a wobbling Ab, which prevents its rebinding to a second antigen molecule. We conclude that the use of selected anti-idiotype Ab to clear circulating Ab, while not reacting with cell-bound Ab, must be done cautiously. These effects must be taken into consideration in developing procedures that utilize second Ab or other crosslinking agents.     

Determination of laccase gene expression during degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and its catabolic intermediates in Trametes versicolor

We have cloned a laccase gene fragment isolated from a Trametes versicolor strain in Korea. It showed high similarity in nucleotide sequences when compared with other fungal laccases. TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), a widely used explosive, was transformed rapidly by T. versicolor. When TNT and its catabolic intermediates were added to the fungal culture, they were transformed during the first few hours and the expression level of the laccase gene was increased during the early stage of cultivation.     

Transformation of nitroaromatic compounds by a methanogenic bacterium,Methanococcus sp. (strain B)

The transformation of several nitroaromatic compounds by a newly isolated methanogenic bacterium, Methanococcus sp. (strain B) was studied. The presence of nitroaromatic compounds (0.5 mM) viz., nitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrobenzene, 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrobenzene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene in the culture medium did not inhibit growth of the isolate. The bacteria grew rapidly and reached stationary phase within seven days of incubation. All the nitroaromatic compounds tested were 80 to 100% transformed by the bacterium to amino compounds by a reduction process. The isolate did not use the nitroaromatic compounds as the sole source of carbon or nitrogen. The transformation of nitroaromatic compounds by this isolate was compared to that of other methanogenic bacteria. Out of five methanogens studied, only Methanococcus deltae and Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus could transform the nitroaromatic compounds; however, the transformation rates were significantly less than that of the new isolate Methanococcus sp. (strain B). The nitroaromatic compounds were not transformed by Methanosarcina barkeri, Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, and Methanobrevibacter ruminantium.Abbreviations NB Nitrobenzene - DNB 2,4-Dinitrobenzene - TNB 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene - DNP 2,4-Dinitrophenol - 2,4-DNT 2,4-Dinitrotoluene - 2,6-DNT 2,6-Dinitrotoluene     

三硝基甲苯中毒性白内障动物模型的建立及其发病机理的初步研究

反复多次给大鼠皮下注射20％三硝基甲苯(TNT)甘油:水混悬液,染毒15个月后21％动物发生白内障,其裂隙灯检查结果与人TNT性白内障基本相似,同时注射甘油:水溶剂的对照组大鼠无一例发生白内障。染毒10个月的大鼠,其晶状体LPO增高,GSH-P_X及GST活性降低,GR活性无变化,而GSH含量明显增加;注射TNT后肝脏LPO值、GSH含量、GSH-P_X、GR及GST活性均明显增高。本文结果提示,TNT中毒性白内障的形成可能系TNT及其代谢产物直接作用于晶状体,造成昌状体氧化损伤所致。TNT白内障大鼠模型的建立亦为深入探讨其发病机理及防治奠定了基础。     

治疗性单抗与抗体产业关键技术

抗体技术历经动物血清多克隆抗体、杂交瘤单克隆抗体,以及重组基因工程抗体等不同发展时期,尤其是后者使得治疗性抗体的生产进入产业化阶段.在已上市的抗体药物中,人源化抗体、全人源抗体由于免疫原性小,临床药效好,目前已经成为抗体药物的主流.随着抗体药物在癌症、免疫调节等治疗领域的广泛应用.抗体产业已经成为国际制药行业的主要组成部分.我国的抗体产业由于品种不足、技术落后,尚处于起步阶段,其行业发展受限于诸多技术瓶颈,如:工程细胞系构建与筛选、大规模培养工艺开发,单抗的纯化与质控等,上述产业化关键技术的突破可加快我国抗体产业的发展进程.     

Some properties of a new virus of Pieris rapae

A new insect virus of Pieris rapae was purified using a chloroform-butanol treatment followed by two differential and sucrose gradient centrifugations. The sedimentation coefficient of the purified virion was approximately 132 S, and it banded at a density of 1.39 g/cm³ in cesium chloride. The virion has a nonenveloped capsid with icosahedral symmetry. Several virions were shown to have a regular hexagonal contour about 25 nm in diameter and to be composed of many capsomeres. Full and empty viral particles, with 12 capsomeres around the periphery of the capsid, were noted. In some particles a small core has been observed which is spherical, about 15 nm in diameter. Both purified virus and partially purified virus preparations from dead, infected larvae gave only one precipitin band with a reaction of identity when tested against the antiserum to partially purified virus. When crude extracts of uninfected larvae and purified virus were tested against antiserum to partially purified virus, the pure virus produced a precipitin band. The band was formed independently and did not join to the band of the uninfected insect producing a typical reaction of nonidentity.