The reaction between some dyes and synthetic hydroxyapatite I. The uptake of dyes in relation to their structures

Synopsis The uptake of dyes from dilute solutions by synthetic hydroxyapatite and other sparingly soluble calcium compounds has been determined. About 30 dyes, mostly azo-, dis-azo and anthraquinonoid types were used in 95% ethanol or 0.1 M tris buffer. Many had closely related configurations. Chemical groupings possibly responsible for the adsorption of particular dyes by hydroxyapatite have been deduced from an analysis of the results. The uptake of most dyes from alcoholic solutions was, linearly related to the surface area of hydroxyapatite. Calcium carbonate and secondary calcium phosphate took up less stain than hydroxyapatite of similar surface area. With the simpler anthraquinonoid dyes, the uptake was higher from aqueous than alcoholic solutions, but specificity for hydroxyapatite was much less. The increased uptake of dye by powdered bone or dentine when rendered anorganic was proportional to the increased surface area. It was found that several dyes in common use as stains for bone and calcified tissue were only poorly adsorbed by synthetic hydroxyapatite under the particular conditions of these experiments.The experimental data presented could be used as a basis for the development of histochemical reactions for calcified tissue or inclusions. By suitable choice of dyes, solvent and rinsing solution it ought to be possible to differentiate various forms of calcified material.     

ESR investigation of the binding of some neutral polyamino acids to synthetic apatite.

Interaction between synthetic crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate and neutral polypeptides [poly(DL -alanine), poly(L -proline), poly(L -hydroxyproline)] was investigated by elecron-spin-resonance spectroscopy of mineral-macromolecule complexes doped with vanadyl ion (VO⁺⁺) as a paramagnetic probe. Changes in magnetic parameters were interpreted in terms of polypeptide-induced axial interactions with VO⁺⁺ ions that have mineral surface phosphate oxygens as their primary ligands. This implies very close proximity between mineral surface and macromolecular peptide bond dipolar substituents.     

The reaction between N-ethylmaleimide and ribosomes. A re-examination of some common assumptions.

The rates of the reaction between N-ethylmaleimide and protein sulfhydryl groups vary considerably from protein to protein, and are slower than the model reaction with cysteine. Thus, the assumption that N-ethylmaleimide alkylates ribosomal protein sulfhydryl groups very rapidly, an assumption which has been made in certain discussions of ribosomal protein structure, is a doubtful one.     

Protein . nucleic-acid reaction kinetics. Theoretical analysis of the binding reaction between DNA and RNA polymerase.

This paper presents methods developed in order to analyze experimental results concerning the binding of Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase to DNA at high and at low DNA concentrations, using the filter retention assay. The basis hypotheses, under which the mathematical expressions for describing the kinetics of binding are derived, are as follows. (a) At low DNA concentration: equivalence and independence of the specific binding sites; first-order dependence of the binding reaction on both DNA and protein concentration. (b) At high DNA concentration: equivalence and independence of the non-specific binding sites; no direct transfer or one-dimensional sliding of the protein along the DNA. Comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental results at high DNA concentration will allow one to determine the relative value of the rates of binding of RNA polymerase to different promoters (between 1 and 2 in T5 DNA). Binding experiments performed at low DNA concentration are reported in this paper: these results and the analysis which is reported allow one to determine the value of the rate constant of formation of non-filterable complexes for the system fd DNA (replicative form) . RNA-polymerase (kappa a = 3.3 X 10(8) M-1 s-1 in 0.1 M NaCl, 0.01 M MgCl2).     

The effect of Pb2+ on the structure and hydroxyapatite binding properties of osteocalcin

Lead toxicity is a major environmental health problem in the United States. Bone is the major reservoir for body lead. Although lead has been shown to impair bone metabolism in animals and at the cellular level, the effect of Pb²⁺ at the molecular level is largely unknown. We have used circular dichroism (CD), and a hydroxyapatite binding assay to investigate the effect of Pb²⁺ on the structure and mineral binding properties of osteocalcin, a noncollagenous bone protein. The CD data indicate Pb²⁺ induces a similar structure in osteocalcin as Ca²⁺ but at 2 orders of magnitude lower concentration. These results were explained by the more than 4 orders of magnitude tighter binding of Pb²⁺ to osteocalcin (K_d=0.085 μM) than Ca²⁺ (K_d=1.25 mM). The hydroxyapatite binding assays show that Pb²⁺ causes an increased adsorption to hydroxyapatite, similar to Ca²⁺, but at 2–3 orders of magnitude lower concentration. Low Pb²⁺ levels (1 μM) in addition to physiological Ca²⁺ levels (1 mM) caused a significant (40%) increase in the amount of mineral bound osteocalcin as compared to 1 mM Ca²⁺ alone. These results suggest a molecular mechanism of Pb²⁺ toxicity where low Pb²⁺ levels can inappropriately perturb Ca²⁺ regulated processes. In-vivo, the increased mineral bound osteocalcin could play a role in the observed low bone formation rates and decreased bone density observed in Pb²⁺-intoxicated animals.     

Hydrophobic interaction between tryptophan and some synthetic nucleosides

The interaction of 29 synthetic nucleosides with tryptophan was studied by charge-transfer reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography and the relative strength of interaction was calculated. In the majority of cases Trp significantly decreased the lipophilicity of the nucleosides. This effect may be due to the interaction between the more hydrophilic Trp and the more lipophilic nucleosides, resulting in charge-transfer complexes of moderate lipophilicity. Stepwise regression analysis proved that the length of the alkyl substituent of nucleosides significantly influences the strength of interaction. Our findings supports the hypothesis that the nucleosides turn toward Trp with their alkyl substituent and the binding is of hydrophobic character.     

The binding of dyes of fibrinogen]

Examinations performed by means of the agargel-electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, discelectrophoresis, and chromatography on gel in human plasma and preparations of fibrinogen revealed that fibrinogen will form complexes with 18 examined dyes of different chemical structure, from a total amounting to 46. The findings indicate a marked affinity of fibrinogen towards small molecules in general. In nearly all complex forming colour materials, fibrinogen could be identified by immunodiffusion in the colour-blood supernatant liquid. The physiological significance of the binding capacity of fibrinogen is discussed.     

The specificity of the synthetic reaction of two yeast alpha-glucosidases.

The specificity of the hydrolytic reaction has been compared to that of the synthetic reaction for maltase and isomaltase (alpha-methyl-D-glucosidase) from Saccharomyces oviformis. Maltase which hydrolyzes the alpha-1,4-disaccharide, maltose, and the alpha-1,6-disaccharide, isomaltose, catalyzes the formation of both maltose and isomaltose from free glucose. Isomaltase, which hydrolyzes isomaltose but not maltose, catalyzes the formation only of isomaltose from glucose. Both enzymes hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucoside releasing the alpha-anomer of glucose. The enzymes utilize the alpha-anomer but not the beta-anomer for the synthesis of the disaccharides. These results are consistent with the double displacement mechanism for glycosidases and with the proposal that the glucosyl-enzyme complex is an intermediate in the reaction. The competitive inhibition by D-glucose is independent of its anomeric form for both enzymes.     

Ca2+ binding environments on natural and synthetic polymeric DNA's.

Here are reported 43Ca nmr chemical shift and line width measurements obtained during 43CaClO4 titrations of two natural and two synthetic polymeric DNA's. Titrations of the natural DNA's demonstrate the existence of at least two classes of bound 43Ca2+. The 43Ca2+ nmr relaxation and chemical shift behavior observed during titration of C. perfringens DNA (31%GC) is dominated by a delocalized, non-specific interaction. In contrast, titration of M. lysodeikticus DNA (72% GC) indicates that a small fraction of the 43Ca2+ experiences significant motional retardation and/or an increase in the electric field gradient when associated to the DNA, and thus appears to be locally bound to discrete sites on the DNA. These results, and previous results for calf thymus DNA (39% GC) demonstrate that higher GC content correlates with an increase in favorable Ca2+ binding environments. Titrations of synthetic DNA demonstrate that Ca2+ binding is remarkably sensitive to local DNA structure.     

Mutagenicity testing of some commonly used dyes.

Seventeen commonly used dyes and 16 of their metabolites or derivatives were tested in the Salmonella-mammalian microsome mutagenicity test. Mutagens active with and without added Aroclor-induced rat liver microsome preparations (S9) were 3-aminopyrene, lithol red, methylene blue (USP), methyl yellow, neutral red, and phenol red. Those mutagenic only with S9 activation were 4-aminopyrazolone, 2,4-dimethylaniline, N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine, methyl red, and 4-phenyl-azo-1-naphthylamine. Orange II was mutagenic only without added S9. Nonmutagenic azo dyes were allura red, amaranth, ponceau R, ponceau SX, sunset yellow, and tartrazine. Miscellaneous dyes not mutagenic were methyl green, methyl violet 2B, and nigrosin. Metabolites of the azo dyes that were not mutagenic were 1-amino-2-naphthol hydrochloride, aniline, anthranilic acid, cresidine salt, pyrazolone T,R-amino salt (1-amino-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic disodium salt), R-salt, Schaeffer's salt (2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid, sodium salt), sodium naphthionate, sulfanilamide, and sulfanilic acid. 4-Amino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid sodium salt was also not mutagenic. Fusobacterium sp. 2 could reductively cleave methyl yellow to N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine which was then activated to a mutagen.