我国云南食用牛肝菌的DNA条形码研究

iFlora是结合传统分类学与DNA测序和信息技术,通过系列关键技术进行集成,构建便捷、准确识别物种和掌握相关数字化信息的新一代智能植物志。iFlora研发中首要和迫切的任务之一就是寻找适合于大多数植物和经济蘑菇的标准DNA条形码序列。为筛选适合大型经济蘑菇的DNA条形码,本研究以云南食用牛肝菌为例,选取野生食用菌市场上常见的、被当地人认为的4“种”牛肝菌为研究对象,利用核糖体大亚基（nrLSU）、翻译延长因子1-α（tefl-α）、RNA聚合酶II大亚基（rpbl）和RNA聚合酶II的第二个大亚基（rpb2）四个DNA序列,使用真核生物通用引物进行扩增、测序和测试。研究发现这4“种”样品实际上代表了12个独立的物种,进一步研究表明4个候选片段的扩增和测序成功率均为100％,且不存在种问和种内变异的重叠。4个片段的物种分辨率均较高,但与nrLSU相比,rpbl、tefl-α和rpb2具有更为明显的条形码间隔。鉴于rpbl比tefl-α和rpb2具有更高的种间变异和较低的种内变异,建议将rpbl作为牛肝菌属的核心条形码,tefl-α和rpb2可作为该属的辅助条形码。     

Simulations of biomolecule unbinding from protein using DL_POLY

This paper briefly reviews the ideas leading to ligand–receptor interaction being a central topic of research in the biological sciences, especially in pharmacology. The simulation methods for studying ligand–receptor interaction dynamically through ligand unbinding are reviewed, together with the analysis methods devised to examine the unbinding trajectory. Examples of applying DL_POLY in these simulations are given; they include retinol unbinding from the retinol-binding protein, and of serotonin and granisetron unbinding from the 5-HT₃ receptor.     

Quantum mechanical study of the inclusion process of adamantanol isomers by l-tryptophan-modified-β-cyclodextrin

The complexation processes of 1 and 2-adamantanol with l-tryptophan-β-cyclodextrin have been studied using ab initio Hartree–Fock and density functional theory levels. For the host: guest inclusion processes, the up mode with the OH group of the alcohol oriented towards the secondary rim, is found to be in qualitative agreement with the experimental finding. A molecular recognition mechanism is proposed based on the host: guest relative dipole orientation. For the complex with the 2-Ada isomer the host and guest the dipoles are parallels favoring the interaction energy and. This mechanism can explain the small energy difference for the processes involving the adamantanol isomers and modified cyclodextrins.     

(+)-9-Benzyloxy-α-Dihydrotetrabenazine as an Important Intermediate for the VMAT2 Imaging Agents: Absolute Configuration and Chiral Recognition

This article reports, for the first time, on the absolute configuration of (+)-9-benzyloxy-α-dihydrotetrabenazine ( 8 ), as determined from the perspective of X-ray crystallography. Compound 8 was prepared by a six-step reaction using 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde ( 1 ) as a starting material. The X-ray crystal diffraction structure of two compounds, racemic 9-benzyloxy-tetrabenazine ( 5 ) and the diastereomeric salt of compound 8 , is also described for the first time in this article. The X-ray results and the chiral HPLC helped elucidate that compound 8 has an absolute configuration as 2R,3R,11bR. The crystal structure of racemic compound 5 contains two symmetry- independent molecules in the unit cell. Interestingly, while they are structural isomers, they are enantiomers, too, i.e., in solution, because they are not mirror images of each other in the crystal lattice. In order to elucidate the intermolecular interaction mechanism of the diastereomeric salt of compound 8 , its crystal packing was investigated with regard to the weak interactions, such as salt bridge, OH…O and CH…O hydrogen bonds, and intermolecular CH…π interaction. The results showed that the carbonyl-assisted salt bridges and the OH…O hydrogen bonds formed polar columns in the crystal structure of the diastereomeric salt of compound 8 , resembling butterflies with open wings as viewed along the c-axis. These polar columns were extended to three-dimensional network by intermolecular CH…O hydrogen bonds and intermolecular CH…π interactions. Chirality, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Absolute Configuration and Predominant Conformations of a Chiral Crown Ether‐Based Colorimetric Sensor: A Vibrational Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy and DFT Study of Chiral Recognition

In the present work, we report a comprehensive vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopic study of a chiral crown ether which features an axial chiral 3.3'‐diphenyl‐1,1'‐binaphthyl group as chiral moiety. By comparing the experimental and calculated VCD spectra, we show that the presumably very flexible crown ether preferably adopts only one ring conformation. Conformational flexibility is observed in the 2,4‐dinitrophenyl‐diazophenol group, which was previously introduced for colorimetric detection of primary amines and amino alcohols (Cho et al., Chirality 2011;23:349–353). The VCD spectra of the host–guest complexes with phenyl glycinol (PG) and phenyl alaninol have been studied as well. Based on the spectra calculated, it is shown that the diastereomeric complexes in general can be differentiated using VCD spectroscopy. Furthermore, the experimental VCD spectra of the complexes of the host molecule with PG support the above finding. Chirality 25:294–300, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Shape-based virtual screening,docking, and molecular dynamics simulations to identify Mtb-ASADH inhibitors

Aspartate β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) is a key enzyme for the biosynthesis of essential amino acids and several important metabolites in microbes. Inhibition of ASADH enzyme is a promising drug target strategy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In this work, in silico approach was used to identify potent inhibitors of Mtb-ASADH. Aspartyl β-difluorophosphonate (β-AFP), a known lead compound, was used to understand the molecular recognition interactions (using molecular docking and molecular dynamics analysis). This analysis helped in validating the computational protocol and established the participation of Arg99, Glu224, Cys130, Arg249, and His256 amino acids as the key amino acids in stabilizing ligand–enzyme interactions for effective binding, an essential feature is H-bonding interactions with the two arginyl residues at the two ends of the ligand. Best binding conformation of β-AFP was selected as a template for shape-based virtual screening (ZINC and NCI databases) to identify compounds that competitively inhibit the Mtb-ASADH. The top rank hits were further subjected to ADME and toxicity filters. Final filter was based on molecular docking analysis. Each screened molecule carries the characteristics of the highly electronegative groups on both sides separated by an average distance of 6?Å. Finally, the best predicted 20 compounds exhibited minimum three H-bonding interactions with Arg99 and Arg249. These identified hits can be further used for designing the more potent inhibitors against ASADH family. MD simulations were also performed on two selected compounds (NSC4862 and ZINC02534243) for further validation. During the MD simulations, both compounds showed same H-bonding interactions and remained bound to key active residues of Mtb-ASADH.     

Synthesis and Structural Studies of a Pentapeptide Sequence of Elastin. Poly (Val-Gly-Gly-Leu-Gly)

Abstract

Poly (Val-Gly-Gly-Leu-Gly), a polypeptide mimicking the physico-chemical properties of the glycine-rich regions of elastin, has been synthesized and studied both in solution and in the aggregated state. By comparison, also the conformation of different “monomeric” units has been investigated. The polymer showed increased disorder with respect to the “monomers”, the molecular conformation being accounted for by a more or less random collection of isolated β-turns. Nevertheless, in the solid state the polymer is able to adopt supramolecular structures reminiscent of those found for elastin.     

Recent progresses in gene delivery-based bone tissue engineering

Gene therapy has converged with bone engineering over the past decade, by which a variety of therapeutic genes have been delivered to stimulate bone repair. These genes can be administered via in vivo or ex vivo approach using either viral or nonviral vectors. This article reviews the fundamental aspects and recent progresses in the gene therapy-based bone engineering, with emphasis on the new genes, viral vectors and gene delivery approaches.