Preparation, structures and properties of oxalate-bridged binuclear iron(III) complex: [(acac)2Fe(μ-ox)Fe(acac)2] and [(acac)2Fe(μ-ox)Fe(acac)2]·CH2ClCH2Cl

An oxalate-bridged binuclear iron(III) complex, [(acac)₂Fe(μ-ox)Fe(acac)₂], (acac⁻=acetylacetonate anion and ox²⁻=oxalate anion) was prepared. The complex crystallized as two types of crystals under different conditions: one had 1,2-dichloroethane as a solvent molecule of crystallization 2, the other did not 1. Both compounds have been characterized by X-ray crystallography, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Compound 1 has also been characterized by UV-Vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry, and electrochemistry. In both crystals, each iron(III) is coordinated in an octahedral arrangement by the oxygen atoms of an oxalate-bridging ligand and four oxygen atoms belonging to peripheral acac ligands in an octahedral arrangement. The intermetallic distance of Fe?Fe is 5.4368(9) Å in 1 and 5.438(2) Å in 2. Two iron(III) ions in each crystal are bridged by the oxalate and both lie in the oxalate-plane. The results of thermal analyses imply that the thermal stability of 2 is lower than that of 1. Cyclic voltammograms of 1 in acetonitrile and dichloromethane at low temperature showed two consecutive, quasi-Nernstian, one-electron reduction steps corresponding to the reduction of Fe^III-Fe^III to Fe^III-Fe^II followed by the reduction of Fe^III-Fe^II to Fe^II-Fe^II. The electrochemical comproportionation constants (K_c) of the equilibrium (Fe^III-Fe^III) + (Fe^II-Fe^II) ? 2(Fe^III-Fe^II) are 10^8.9 in acetonitrile medium and 10^8.5 in dichloromethane, respectively. The considerably large K_c values indicate that the main factor contributing to the stabilization of the Fe^III-Fe^II mixed-valence state is electronic delocalization through the oxalate-bridge.     

Iron release from transferrin induced by mixed ligand complexes of copper(II)

Summary Copper(II) complexes CuL₁L₂ with the ligand pairs 3-phosphoglycerate (PG)/ethylenediamine (en), phosphoserine (PS)/ethylenediamine, phosphoserine/malonate (mal) are shown to be effective in inducing the release of both iron atoms from di-ferric transferrin (Fe2Tf; human serum transferrin) at pH 7.3 in 1 M NaCl at 25°C. Half-times of the reaction with Cu(PG)(en)^– were less than 1 min at 0.02 M concentration. The iron(III) products are polynuclear hydroxo complexes. There is weaker interaction with Cu(PS) ₂ ^4– and virtually none with Cu(serine)(en) nor Cu(PS)(2,2-bipyridyl)^–, revealing crucial effects of the combined ligand sphere including the phosphomonoester group. The results suggest that the release of iron from Fe2Tf, or from either monoferric transferrins, occurred due to the breakdown of the stability of iron binding in conjunction with the expulsion of the synergistic anion carbonate (or oxalate). The active copper(II) complexes are postulated to be models of membrane components that could liberate iron from transferrin succeeding its uptake at the receptor sites of cells.Abbreviations PG phosphoglycerate - PS phosphoserine - en ethylenediamine - Fe2Tf diferric transferrin - Fe_cTf and Fe_NTf transferrin with iron bound to the lobe containing the C- or N-terminus, respectively - apoTf apotransferrin - K-3 all-cis-1,3,5-tris(trimethylammonio)-2,4,6-cyclo-hexanetriol - NTA nitrilotriacetic acid; bipy, 2,2-bipyridine; mal, malonate     

Tyrosinase: polybrene noncovalent complexes in water-ethanol mixtures

Formation of noncovalent complexes between tyrosinase from mushrooms and a cationic polyelectrolyte, polybrene (PB, poly (1,5-dimethyl-1,5-diazaundecamethyelene) bromide), was shown to activate and stabilize tyrosinase in water-ethanol mixtures. In the reaction of catechol oxidation in aqueous solutions, catalytic activity (k(cat)) of tyrosinase-PB complex ([PB]/[tyrosinase] molar ratio 100:1, per mole of polymer) in a wide range of pH was higher than that of free tyrosinase. In aqueous solutions and in water-ethanol mixtures at moderate concentrations of ethanol (10-40% v/v), the value of k(cat) of tyrosinase-PB complex exceeded the activity of free enzyme, from 1.2-2-fold, accompanied by the essential (up to 10-fold) increase in the value of the specificity constant (k(cat)/K(m)). The results are of practical importance for the construction of biocatalysts working successfully in polar organic media.     

The beginning of a beautiful friendship: cross-linking/mass spectrometry and modelling of proteins and multi-protein complexes

After more than a decade of method development, cross-linking in combination with mass spectrometry and bioinformatics is finally coming of age. This technology now provides improved opportunities for modelling by mapping structural details of functional complexes in solution. The structure of proteins or protein complexes is ascertained by identifying amino acid pairs that are positioned in close proximity to each other. The validity of this technique has recently been benchmarked for large multi-protein complexes, by comparing cross-link data with that from a crystal structure of RNA polymerase II. Here, the specific nature of this cross-linking data will be discussed to assess the technical challenges and opportunities for model building. We believe that once remaining technological challenges of cross-linking/mass spectrometry have been addressed and cross-linking/mass spectrometry data has been incorporated into modelling algorithms it will quickly become an indispensable companion of protein and protein complex modelling and a corner-stone of integrated structural biology.     

一个适用于分离光系统Ⅱ的凝胶电泳系统

用一高分辨率的凝胶电泳系统从延长破碎时间的蓝藻类囊体膜增溶物中分离出１４条绿色的带。按照电泳迁移率的增加顺序,自上而下分别是ＣＰＩａ,ＣＰＩｂ,ＣＰＩｃ,ＣＰＩｄ,ＣＰＩｅ,ＣＰＩｆ,ＣＰＩｇ,ＣＰＩｈ,ＣＰａ１,ＣＰａ２,ＣＰａ３,ＣＰａ４,ＣＰａ５和ＦＣ。ＣＰａ１,ＣＰａ２,ＣＰａ３,ＣＰａ４和ＣＰａ５５种叶绿素蛋白复合体的吸收光谱相似,它们在蓝区的吸收峰位子４３６ｎｍ,而红区的吸收峰则位于６７０—６７３ｎｍ附近。它们的低温荧光发射光谱亦很相似,其荧光发射峰都位于６８５ｎｍ处。因此它们都属于光系统Ⅱ叶绿素ａ蛋白复合体．跟传统电泳相比,该系统对光系统Ⅱ的分离能力提高了１．５倍。     

不同低氧训练模式对大鼠力竭运动后骨骼肌线粒体抗氧化能力及呼吸链酶复合体活性的影响

本研究旨在观察4种低氧训练模式对大鼠骨骼肌线粒体抗氧化能力及呼吸链酶复合体活性的影响。将雄性Wistar大鼠40只随机均分为5组(n=8):常氧训练组(LoLo)、高住高练组(HiHi)、高住低训组(HiLo)、低住高练组(LoHi)和高住高练低训组(HiHiLo)。各组大鼠分别在常氧(海拔1500m,大气压632mmHg)或/和低氧(模拟海拔3500m,大气压493mmHg)环境中居住及递增负荷训练5周,每周训练6天。各组大鼠在最后一次训练后,在常氧环境恢复3天,然后进行力竭运动,之后即刻取骨骼肌样本,用差速离心法提取骨骼肌线粒体,分光光度法测定丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)含量及超氧化物歧化酶(su-peroxide dismutase,SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(glutathione peroxidase,GSH-Px)和过氧化氢酶(catalase,CAT)活性及呼吸链酶复合体Ⅰ～Ⅲ(CⅠ～Ⅲ)活性。结果显示,与LoLo组相比,HiHi和HiHiLo组骨骼肌组织MDA含量均显著升高(P<0.01),SOD、GSH-Px和CAT活性均显著升高(P<0.05或P<0.01)。与LoL...     

Synthesis and biological characterisation of novel dithiocarbamate containing 5-nitroimidazole Tc-complexes as potential agents for targeting hypoxia

With the aim to develop new potential ^99mTc-radiopharmaceuticals for imaging hypoxia based on the formation of Tc-nitrido complexes, two novel dithiocarbamate containing metronidazole derivatives (L1 and L2) have been prepared and characterised. The synthesis of L1 and L2 was achieved in excellent yield and high purity. Labelling with ^99mTc was successfully performed using a low ligand concentration (approximately 2-3 mg) and the desired products were obtained with high radiochemical purity (>90%). Lipophilicity, plasma protein binding, and biodistribution in normal- and tumour-bearing-CD1 mice studies were performed to asses the potentiality for nuclear medicine oncology. According to the physicochemical and biological behaviour both in healthy animals and in animals bearing solid tumours complex dtcTc1 could be considered as a starting point for the development of new radiopharmaceuticals for imaging hypoxia.     

从超声波破碎的蓝藻类囊体膜中分离的叶绿素蛋白复合物

当蓝藻的类囊体膜用超声波进行破碎,并在4℃下用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳进行分离,有6条叶绿素带被分离出来,它们分别是 CPIa,CPIb,CP1,CPa1 CPa2,FC。CP1 在红区和蓝区的吸收峰分别位于674和435 nm 处。在液氮甲该组分在725和680 nm 处有两个荧光发射带。CPa1和 CPa2的吸收光谱相似,其红峰和蓝峰的位置分别位于667和431.5nm 处。它们在77 K 的荧光发射峰都位于684 nm 处。用超声破碎法分离的叶绿素蛋白复合物的光谱特性,除 CPa1和 CPa2在红峰和蓝峰的吸收位置蓝移了3—5 nm 之外,其余与用 SDS 增溶法分离的相应复合物相似。属于光系统Ⅰ的 CPIa-CPI 的叶绿素含量占总叶绿素的40.93%,而属于光系统Ⅱ的 CPa1和 CPa2的叶绿素则占总叶绿素的38.78%,二者之差仅有2.15%。     

A ferrocene-perfluoroarene molecular complex

Perfluorophenanthrene and decamethylferrocene cocrystallize as a molecular adduct in monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a = 8.842(2), b = 11.262(1), c = 30.695(8) Å, β = 95.89(2)°, V = 3040.3(8) ų, Z = 4. The structure was refined to R = 0.0537 for 1567 observed reflections. The perfluoroarene is twisted and chiral; the crystal is a racemate, however.     

Enzymes of Direct,Excision, and Mismatch DNA Repair in Pro- and Eukaryotes and Their Biological Role

DNA repair is of paramount importance to protect the integrity of the cell genome. Over the last decade, DNA repair enzymes have been intensely studied owing to their role in mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and aging. This led to discoveries of novel enzymes, protein factors as well as their intermolecular complexes involved in the repair process. Alternative pathways of cell response to the same type of damage were identified. Data on the tertiary structure of a number of enzymes and mechanisms of their molecular interaction were obtained. This paper is an overview of latest advances in the research of cell response to DNA damage via direct, base and nucleotide excision, and mismatch DNA repair.