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Selected AbstractsRuthenium-to-Platinum Interactions in ,6,,1 NCN-Pincer Arene Heterobimetallic Complexes: An Experimental and Theoretical StudyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 29 2010Sylvestre Bonnet Abstract A series of ,6,,1 -heterobimetallic complexes have been prepared in which a [Ru(,6 -arene)(C5R5)]+ fragment (R = H or Me) and an ,1 -NCN-pincer platinum fragment are combined within the same molecule. In complexes [2]+ and [3]+, the ruthenium and platinum centers are ,6 and ,1 coordinated, respectively, to the same arene ring, whereas in [4A]+ and [5A]+ they are coordinated to two different arene rings that are linked with a covalent bond ([4A]+) or an ethyl bridge ([5A]+). Upon changing the organic manifold between both metal centers, very strong ([2]+) to very weak ([5A]+) ruthenium-to-platinum interactions are obtained. Experimentally, X-ray crystal structures show an increaing steric hindrance when the Ru,Pt distance diminishes, and electrochemical and 195Pt NMR spectroscopic studies show a decreasing electron density on platinum from [5A]+ to [2]+. Theoretical DFT calculations were undertaken, which show an increasing charge on platinum from [5A]+ to [2]+. Our theoretical analysis shows that the particularly strong ruthenium-to-platinum electronic interactions in [2]+ and [3]+ do not come from binding of ruthenium to platinum, but from the pincer Cipso sharing its electron density between both metal centers, which decreases the , donation to platinum, and from increased backdonation of the platinum d electrons into the , system of the arene ring. [source] Sulfatide with short fatty acid dominates in astrocytes and neuronsFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 8 2006Giorgis Isaac Glycosphingolipids are located in cell membranes and the brain is especially enriched. We speculated that the subcellular location of glycosphingolipids depends on their fatty acid chain length because their sugar residues are constant, whereas fatty acid chain length can vary within the same molecule. To test this hypothesis we analysed the glycosphingolipid sulfatide, which is highly abundant in myelin and has mostly long fatty acids. We used a negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry precursor ion scan to analyse the molecular species of sulfatide in cultured astrocytes and a mouse model of the human disease metachromatic leukodystrophy. In these arylsulfatase A (ASA)-deficient mice sulfatide accumulates intracellularly in neurons and astrocytes. Immunocytochemistry was also performed on cultured astrocytes and analysed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Analyses of the molecular species showed that cultured astrocytes contained sulfatide with a predominance of stearic acid (C18), which was located in large intracellular vesicles throughout the cell body and along the processes. The same was seen in ASA-deficient mice, which accumulated a higher proportion (15 mol% compared with 8 mol% in control mice) of sulfatide with stearic acid. We conclude that the major fatty acid composition of sulfatide differs between white and grey matter, with neurons and astrocytes containing mostly short-chain fatty acids with an emphasis on stearic acid. Based on our results, we speculate that the fatty acid chain length of sulfatide might determine its intracellular (short chain) or extracellular (long chain) location and thereby its functions. [source] High-Strain Shape-Memory PolymersADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 1 2010Walter Voit Abstract Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are self-adjusting, smart materials in which shape changes can be accurately controlled at specific, tailored temperatures. In this study, the glass transition temperature (Tg) is adjusted between 28 and 55,°C through synthesis of copolymers of methyl acrylate (MA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and isobornyl acrylate (IBoA). Acrylate compositions with both crosslinker densities and photoinitiator concentrations optimized at fractions of a mole percent demonstrate fully recoverable strains at 807% for a Tg of 28,°C, at 663% for a Tg of 37,°C, and at 553% for a Tg of 55,°C. A new compound, 4,4,-di(acryloyloxy)benzil (referred to hereafter as Xini) in which both polymerizable and initiating functionalities are incorporated in the same molecule, was synthesized and polymerized into acrylate shape-memory polymers, which were thermomechanically characterized yielding fully recoverable strains above 500%. The materials synthesized in this work were compared to an industry standard thermoplastic SMP, Mitsubishi's MM5510, which showed failure strains of similar magnitude, but without full shape recovery: residual strain after a single shape-memory cycle caused large-scale disfiguration. The materials in this study are intended to enable future applications where both recoverable high-strain capacity and the ability to accurately and independently position Tg are required. [source] A theoretical study of the rotational structure of the ,(0,0) band of NOINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2010A. M. Velasco Abstract This study has been focused on the ,(0,0) band of the nitric oxide molecule, associated with the absorption electronic transition D2,+,X 2,, in the energetic vacuum ultraviolet region. A temperature of 295 K has been considered. The Molecular Quantum Defect Orbital (MQDO) methodology, with which reliable spectroscopic data have been reached in the ,(0,0), ,(0,0), and ,(1,0) bands of the same molecule, has also been used for these calculations. We hope that the present results might be of straightforward use in atmospheric and interstellar chemistry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010 [source] Cooperativity and allostery in haemoglobin functionIUBMB LIFE, Issue 2 2008Chiara Ciaccio Abstract Tetrameric haemoglobins display a cooperative ligand binding behaviour, which has been attributed to the functional interrelationship between multiple ligand binding sites. The quantitative description of this feature was initially carried out with a phenomenological approach, which was limited to the functional effect of the occupancy by a ligand molecule of a binding site on further binding steps. However, subsequent development of structural,functional models for the description of the cooperativity in haemoglobin brought about a much deeper information on the interrelationships between ligand binding at the heme and structural variations occurring in the surrounding free subunits. This approach opened the way to the evolution of the concept of allostery, which is intended as the structural,functional effect exerted by the presence of a ligand in a binding site on other binding sites present in the same molecule. This concept can be applied to either sites for the same ligand (homotropic allostery) and for sites of different ligands (heterotropic allostery). Several models trying to take into account the continuous building up of structural and functional information on the physicochemical properties of haemoglobin have been developed along this line. © 2008 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 60(2): 112,123, 2008 [source] A simple approach for improving the hybrid MMVB force field: Application to the photoisomerization of s - cis butadieneJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2003Marco Garavelli Abstract MMVB is a QM/MM hybrid method, consisting of a molecular mechanics force field coupled to a valence bond Heisenberg Hamiltonian parametrized from ab initio CASSCF calculations on several prototype molecules. The Heisenberg Hamiltonian matrix elements Qij and Kij, whose expressions are partitioned here into a primary contribution and second-order correction terms, are calculated analytically in MMVB. When the original MMVB force field fails to produce potential energy surfaces accurate enough for dynamics calculations, we show that significant improvements can be made by refitting the second-order correction terms for the particular molecule(s) being studied. This "local" reparametrization is based on values of Kij extracted (using effective Hamiltonian techniques) from CASSCF calculations on the same molecule(s). The method is demonstrated for the photoisomerization of s - cis butadiene, and we explain how the correction terms that enabled a successful MMVB dynamics study [Garavelli, M.; Bernardi, F.; Olivucci, M.; Bearpark, M. J.; Klein, S.; Robb, M. A. J Phys Chem A 2001, 105, 11496] were refitted. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 1357,1363, 2003 [source] Structure,Activity Relationships Among N -Arachidonylethanolamine (Anandamide) Head Group Analogues for the Anandamide TransporterJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2000Abbas Jarrahian Abstract: Two putative endocannabinoids, N -arachidonylethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol, are inactivated by removal from the extracellular environment by a process that has the features of protein-mediated facilitated diffusion. We have synthesized and studied 22 N-linked analogues of arachidonylamide for the purpose of increasing our understanding of the structural requirements for the binding of ligands to the AEA transporter. We have also determined the affinities of these analogues for both the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). We have identified several structural features that enhance binding to the AEA transporter in cerebellar granule cells. We have confirmed the findings of others that replacing the ethanolamine head group with 4-hydroxybenzyl results in a high-affinity ligand for the transporter. However, we find that the same molecule is also a competitive inhibitor of FAAH. Similarly, replacement of the ethanolamine of AEA with 3-pyridinyl also results in a high-affinity inhibitor of both the transporter and FAAH. We conclude that the structural requirements for ligand binding to the CB1 receptor and binding to the transporter are very different; however, the transporter and FAAH share most, but not all, structural requirements. [source] Hyperbranched polyethers by ring-opening polymerization: Contribution of activated monomer mechanismJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 4 2003Przemys, aw Kubisa Abstract Propagation in the cationic ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ethers involves nucleophilic attack of oxygen atoms from the monomer molecules on the cationic growing species (oxonium ions). Such a mechanism is known as the active chain-end mechanism. If hydroxyl groups containing compounds are present in the system, oxygen atoms of HO groups may compete with cyclic ether oxygen atoms of monomer molecules in reaction with oxonium ions. At the proper conditions, this reaction may dominate, and propagation may proceed by the activated monomer mechanism, that is, by subsequent addition of protonated monomer molecules to HO terminated macromolecules. Both mechanisms may contribute to the propagation in the cationic polymerization of monomers containing both functions (i.e., cyclic ether group and hydroxyl groups) within the same molecule. In this article, the mechanism of polymerization of three- and four-membered cyclic ethers containing hydroxymethyl substituents is discussed in terms of competition between two possible mechanisms of propagation that governs the structure of the products,branched polyethers containing multiple terminal hydroxymethyl groups. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 457,468, 2003 [source] A chimeric activator of transcription that uses two DNA-binding domains to make simultaneous contact with pairs of recognition sitesMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Robert C. Langdon Many well-known transcriptional regulatory proteins are composed of at least two independently folding domains and, typically, only one of these is a DNA-binding domain. However, some transcriptional regulators have been described that have more than one DNA-binding domain. Regulators with a single DNA-binding domain often bind co-operatively to the DNA in homotypic or heterotypic combinations, and two or more DNA-binding domains of a single regulatory protein can also bind co-operatively to suitably positioned recognition sequences. Here, we examine the behaviour of a chimeric activator of transcription with two different DNA-binding domains, that of the bacteriophage , cI protein and that of the Escherichia coli cyclic AMP receptor protein. We show that these two DNA-binding moieties, when present in the same molecule, can bind co-operatively to a pair of cognate recognition sites located upstream of a test promoter, thereby permitting the chimera to function as a particularly strong activator of transcription from this promoter. Our results show how such a bivalent DNA-binding protein can be used to regulate transcription differentially from promoters that bear either one or both recognition sites. [source] CVD growth of carbon nanotubes using molecular nanoclusters as catalystPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11-12 2009K. Goss Abstract The growth of isolated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using chemical vapour deposition process catalysed by the molecular nanocluster {Mo72Fe30} of the Keplerate structure type in different oxidation states is studied on different substrates. The molecule in its oxidized state (MoVI/FeIII) agglomerates in solution. Thus, nucleation from large catalyst particles cannot provide a narrow CNT diameter distribution. However, a partially reduced and charged form of the same molecule (MoV/MoVI) enables growth from small nucleation sites as evidenced by atomic force microscope imaging, albeit the yield in this case is dramatically reduced. [source] Surface-graft hyperbranched polymer via self-condensing atom transfer radical polymerization from zinc oxide nanoparticlesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 9 2007Peng Liu We present the synthesis of hyperbranched polymer grafted zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid nanoparticles by self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerizations (SI-ATRP) from ZnO surfaces. ATRP initiators were covalently linked to the surfaces of ZnO particles, followed by SCVP of an initiator-monomer ("inimer") which has both a polymerizable group and an initiating group in the same molecule. Well-defined polymer chains were grown from the surfaces to yield hybrid nanoparticles comprised of ZnO cores and hyperbranched polymer shells having multifunctional chlorobenzyl functional end groups. The percentage of grafting (PG%) achieved 429% in 6 h, calculated from the elemental analysis results. The hybrid nanoparticles were also characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV,vis absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1296,1301, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Thermally induced intramolecular oxygen migration of N -oxides in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometryRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 19 2010Xin Wang N -Oxides are known to undergo three main thermal degradation reactions, namely deoxygenation, Cope elimination (for N -oxides containing a ,-hydrogen) and Meisenheimer rearrangement, in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS). The ions corresponding to these thermal degradants observed in the ensuing APCI mass spectra have been used to identify N -oxides as well as to determine the N -oxidation site when the analyte contains multiple tertiary amine groups. In this paper, we report a thermally induced oxygen migration from one N -oxide amine to another tert -amine group present in the same molecule through a six-membered ring transition state during APCI-MS analysis. The observed intramolecular oxygen migration resulted in the formation of a new isomeric N -oxide, rendering the results of the APCI-MS analysis more difficult to interpret and potentially misleading. In addition, we observed novel degradation behavior that happened after the Meisenheimer rearrangement of the newly formed N -oxide: a homolytic cleavage of the NO bond instead of elimination of an aldehyde or a ketone that usually follows the rearrangement. Understanding of these unusual degradation pathways, which have not been reported previously, should facilitate structural elucidation of N -oxides using APCI-MS analysis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Probing the shapes of chiral bis-(o -naphthalimidobenzoyl) systems using X-ray and circular dichroism methodsACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, Issue 1 2009Urszula Rychlewska CD (circular dichroism) and X-ray investigations have been carried out in order to identify the prevalent conformations and define the forces that determine the molecular and supramolecular organization of the alkyl-bridged bichromophoric [NAB, ortho -(1,8-naphthalimido)benzoyl] units, each consisting of the benzoyl substituted in the ortho position with the 1,8-naphthalimide group. The results reveal that NAB bichromophores incorporated into the same molecule exist in a variety of conformation/helicity combinations. The molecular structures are largely stabilized by local 1,3-CH/CO dipole,dipole interactions, while the crystal packing besides dispersive H...H interactions is mostly governed by multiple C,H...O(=C) and C,H..., interactions. The relatively small contribution of ,..., interactions comes from a pairwise off-face stacking between naphthalimide rings or from pairwise carbonyl..., interactions. All these types of intermolecular interactions have been summarized quantitatively by means of a Hirshfeld surface analysis. [source] Concanavalin A in a dimeric crystal form: revisiting structural accuracy and molecular flexibilityACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 5 2002Katherine A. Kantardjieff A structure of native concanavalin A (ConA), a hardy perennial of structural biology, has been determined in a dimeric crystal form at a resolution of 1.56,Å (space group C2221; unit-cell parameters a = 118.70, b = 101.38, c = 111.97,Å; two molecules in the asymmetric unit). The structure has been refined to an Rfree of 0.206 (R = 0.178) after iterative model building and phase-bias removal using Shake&wARP. Correspondence between calculated water,tyrosine interactions and experimentally observed structures near the saccharide-binding site suggests that the observed interactions between Tyr12 and water in various crystal forms are to be expected and are not unique to the presence of an active site. The present structure differs from previously reported atomic resolution structures of ConA in several regions and extends insight into the conformational flexibility of this molecule. Furthermore, this third, low-temperature, structure of ConA in a different crystal form, independently refined using powerful model-bias removal techniques, affords the opportunity to revisit assessment of accuracy and precision in high- or atomic resolution protein structures. It is illustrated that several precise structures of the same molecule can differ substantially in local detail and users of crystallographic models are reminded to consider the potential impact when interpreting structures. Suggestions on how to effectively represent ensembles of crystallographic models of a given molecule are provided. [source] Probing bacterial nucleoid structure with optical tweezersBIOESSAYS, Issue 3 2007Charles J. Dorman The H-NS protein is a major component of the nucleoid in Gram-negative bacterial cells. It is a global regulator of transcription that affects the expression of many genes, including virulence genes in pathogenic species. At a local level, it facilitates the formation of nucleoprotein structures that repress transcriptional promoter function. H-NS can form bridges between different DNA molecules or between different sections of the same molecule, allowing it to compact and impose structure on the nucleoid. A recent paper by Dame et al.1 reports new insights into H-NS-mediated DNA bridging that were obtained using an optical tweezers device. BioEssays 29: 212,216, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Human Tissue Distribution of TA02, Which is Homologous with a New Type of Aspartic Proteinase, Napsin ACANCER SCIENCE, Issue 10 2000Takashi Hirano The N-terminal amino acid sequence of TA02 (molecular weight 35.0 kDa, isoelectric point 5.29), which is associated with primary lung adenocarcinoma, was determined and a fragment peptide was used to generate mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against TA02. The amino acid sequence suggested that TA02 might be homologous with napsin A, a new type of aspartic proteinase. In this context, we confirmed the expression of napsin A in primary lung adenocarcinoma using reversetranscription polymerare chain reaction (RT-PCR) and showed that the TA02 mAbs reacted with glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-napsin A fusion protein. We concluded that TA02 is the same molecule as napsin A, and showed immunohistochemically that it is distributed mainly in type II pneumocytes, alveolar macrophages, renal tubules and exocrine glands and ducts in the pancreas. In particular, type II pneumocytes and alveolar macrophages showed high expression of TA02 among human normal tissues. In primary lung adenocarcinoma, 47 out of 58 (81.0%) primary lesions were positive. All well-differentiated adenocarcinomas except those of goblet cell type showed high expression of TA02. In addition, two out of seven (28.6%) large cell carcinomas showed low expression of TA02. The other histopathological types of primary lung cancer did not express TA02 at all. A few cases of renal cell cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, colon cancer and ovarian cancer showed low expression, but the staining patterns were completely different from that of primary lung adenocarcinoma, which showed a granular staining pattern. Our novel mAbs should be valuable for immunochemical detection of TA02/napsin A. [source] Oligothiophenes Nano-organized on a Cyclotetrasiloxane Scaffold as a Model of a Silica-Bound Monolayer: Evidence for Intramolecular Excimer FormationCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 46 2009Wojciech Mróz Abstract Excimer formation in a new class of terthiophene-based fluorophores covalently bonded to a cyclotetrasiloxane scaffold has been demonstrated and the photophysical process ruling it has been investigated in detail and modeled theoretically. In contrast to the conventional systems in which long-living fluorophores such as pyrene are linked in the same molecule, an excimer is formed only when two terthiophene-based branches nano-organized on the same cyclotetrasiloxane scaffold are close enough together when excitation takes place. In such a case, excimer formation is extremely efficient, and the new bound excited states are quite stable. [source] Zwitterionic States in Gas-Phase Polypeptide Ions Revealed by 157-nm Ultra-Violet PhotodissociationCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 30 2006Frank Kjeldsen Dr. Abstract A new method of detecting the presence of deprotonation and determining its position in gas-phase polypeptide cations is described. The method involves 157-nm ultra-violet photodissociation (UVPD) and is based on monitoring the losses of CO2 (44 Da) from electronically excited deprotonated carboxylic groups relative to competing COOH losses (45 Da) from neutral carboxylic groups. Loss of CO2 is a strong indication of the presence of a zwitterionic [(+),,,(,),,,(+)] salt bridge in the gas-phase polypeptide cation. This method provides a tool for studying, for example, the nature of binding within polypeptide clusters. Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of decarboxylated cations localizes the position of deprotonation. Fragment abundances can be used for the semiquantitative assessment of the branching ratio of deprotonation among different acidic sites, however, the mechanism of the fragment formation should be taken into account. Cations of Trp-cage proteins exist preferentially as zwitterions, with the deprotonation position divided between the Asp9 residue and the C terminus in the ratio 3:2. The majority of dications of the same molecule are not zwitterions. Furthermore, 157-nm UVPD produces abundant radical cations M.+ from protonated molecules through the loss of a hydrogen atom. This method of producing M.+ ions is general and can be applied to any gas-phase peptide cation. The abundance of the molecular radical cations M.+ produced is sufficient for further tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which, in the cases studied, yielded side-chain loss of a basic amino acid as the most abundant fragmentation channel together with some backbone cleavages. [source] In Situ Spectroelectrochemical Studies on Ladder-Type Oligomers in Solution and the Solid StateCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 11 2006Peter Rapta Dr. Abstract A series of thermally stable fluoranthenopyracylene oligomers with extended , conjugation were studied by in situ ESR-UV/Vis/NIR spectroelectrochemistry with respect to their application in devices such as organic light-emitting diodes and field-effect transistors. The oligomers are both soluble in o -dichlorobenzene and form thin films by evaporation in the temperature range of 300,500,°C in vacuum. Their electrochemical behavior was studied in reduction (n doping) and oxidation (p doping) under standard voltammetric and thin-layer conditions. The HOMO and LUMO energies and the band gaps of all compounds under study were estimated from both electrochemical and UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopic data. The fluorene-type oligomers A2,A6 and B2 bearing flexible alkyl chains exhibit both reversible multistep reductions and oxidations. The spectroelectrochemistry indicates substantial differences in delocalization of the positive and negative charges in these ladder-type oligomers. The formation of doubly charged , dimers was observed for the first time for both the radical anion and radical cation of the same molecule (B1). The redox behavior of the oligomers was studied in the solid state and in solution. [source] Reversible Collapse of Brushlike Macromolecules in Ethanol and Water Vapours as Revealed by Real-Time Scanning Force MicroscopyCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 18 2004Marat O. Gallyamov Dr. Abstract Environment-controlled scanning force microscopy allowed us to study adsorption and desorption of single poly(methacrylate)- graft -poly(n -butyl acrylate) brush molecules on mica in real time. The molecules transform reversibly from a two-dimensional, extended wormlike state to a compact globular state. The dynamics of the conformational transition was sufficiently slow in order to allow its observation by scanning force microscope in real time. The reversible transformation is effected by coadsorption of water or ethanol, the latter introduces the collapse. Adsorbing ethanol and water from the vapour atmosphere results in a change of the surface properties of mica, either favouring adsorption or desorption of the graft polymer. When the extended, tightly adsorbed poly(n -butyl acrylate) brush molecules are exposed to ethanol vapour, the macromolecules swell and contract to form compact globules. Exchanging the ethanol vapour to a humid atmosphere caused the molecules to extend again to a wormlike two-dimensional conformation. Coexistence of collapsed and extended strands within the same molecule indicates a single-molecule first-order transition in agreement with observations on Langmuir films previously reported. [source] Die chemische Bindung , Lernhindernisse und mögliche LernhilfenCHEMKON - CHEMIE KONKRET, FORUM FUER UNTERRICHT UND DIDAKTIK, Issue 1 2003Christiane S. Reiners Prof. Dr. Abstract THE CHEMICAL BOND There is an often-quoted parable about a group of blind men who are taken to examine an elephant. Each comes in contact with a different part of the elephant and, therefore, draws a different conclusion about its nature: the man examining the trunk thinks, it is some kind of snake, the one touching its leg thinks it is a tree, and so on. The lesson of this story is, of course, that we can have many different views of the same reality, depending on where we are standing and what data we use for our conclusions. The chemical bond is the chemist's "elephant". Unable to see this construct that they use to explain the aggregation of atoms into molecules, the chemists interpret its existence in terms of their own views of chemistry, To each of these chemists the chemical bond has different descriptors, although they may all be investigating the same molecule. Thus, the chemist concerned with quantum mechanics regards the chemical bond as an interaction of wave functions, the more classical physical chemist sees a balancing of energies and charges among the component atoms, and the organic or inorganic chemist interested in the three-dimensional structure of the molecule interprets the bonds in terms of the geometry of the overlapping orbitals. [1, S. 190] [source] Reaction of para -Hydroxy-Substituted Diphenylmethanes with tert -Butoxy RadicalCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 8 2004Catarina F. Correia What is the outcome of this reaction? In acetonitrile solution, the methylenic CH bond is approximately 25 kJ,mol,1 weaker than the OH bond in the same molecule (see picture), as demonstrated by time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry and quantum chemical methods. However, as shown by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, the tert -butoxy radical selectively abstracts the hydrogen atom from the OH group. [source] Sulfonated molecules that bind a partially structured species of ,2 -microglobulin also influence refolding and fibrillogenesisELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 7 2008Chiara Carazzone Abstract Human ,2 -microglobulin (,2 -m) is a small amyloidogenic protein responsible for dialysis-related amyloidosis, which represents a severe complication of long-term hemodialysis. A therapeutic approach for this amyloidosis could be based on the stabilization of ,2 -m through the binding to a small molecule, to possibly inhibit protein misfolding and amyloid fibril formation. The search of a strong ligand of this protein is extremely challenging: by using CE in affinity and refolding experiments we study the effect that previously selected sulfonated molecules have on the equilibrium between the native form and an ensemble of conformers populating the slow phase of ,2 -m folding. These data are correlated with the effect that the same molecules exert on in vitro fibrillogenesis experiments. [source] Nitric oxide in plants: the history is just beginningPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2001M. V. Beligni ABSTRACT Nitric oxide (NO) is a bioactive molecule that exerts a number of diverse activities in phylogenetically distant species, as well as opposing effects in related biological systems. It was firstly described in mammals as a major messenger in the cardiovascular, immune and nervous system, in which it plays regulatory, signalling, cytoprotective and cytotoxic effects (Ignarro, Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology 30, 535,560, 1990; Anbar, Experientia 51, 545,550, 1995). This versatility is mainly achieved through interactions with targets via either a redox or an additive chemistry (Stamler, Cell 78, 931,936, 1994). For this reason, metal- and thiol-containing proteins serve as major target sites for NO: these include signalling proteins, receptors, enzymes, transcription factors and DNA, among others. Furthermore, NO is a small, highly diffusible molecule. It rapidly crosses biological membranes and triggers various different processes in a short period of time. In this context, NO can co-ordinate and regulate cellular functions of microsomes and organelles such as mitochondria. The ubiquity of NO reactions, as well as the finding that the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying many physiological processes are well conserved between diverse species, have opened the exploration of NO chemistry in different organisms. Among these, plants were not the exception. The research in plants has been focused on three main fields: (i) the search for NO or any source of NO generation; (ii) the examination of the effects of NO upon exogenous treatments; and (iii) the search for the same molecules involved in NO-sensitive transduction pathways as in animals (e.g. cGMP, Ca2+, calmodulin). As it is evident from this review, recent progress on NO functionality in plants has been impressive. With the use of biochemistry, molecular genetics and structural biology, together with classical physiological approaches, an explosion of new discoveries will surely begin. It is certainly a good time for plant biologists. [source] Osmotic regulation of root system architectureTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Karen I. Deak Summary Although root system architecture is known to be highly plastic and strongly affected by environmental conditions, we have little understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling root system development. Here we demonstrate that the formation of a lateral root from a lateral root primordium is repressed as water availability is reduced. This osmotic-responsive regulatory mechanism requires abscisic acid (ABA) and a newly identified gene, LRD2. Mutant analysis also revealed interactions of ABA and LRD2 with auxin signaling. Surprisingly, further examination revealed that both ABA and LRD2 control root system architecture even in the absence of osmotic stress. This suggests that the same molecules that mediate responses to environmental cues can also be regulators of intrinsic developmental programs in the root system. [source] Modulation of the angiogenic phenotype of normal and systemic sclerosis endothelial cells by gain,loss of function of pentraxin 3 and matrix metalloproteinase 12ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2010Francesca Margheri Objective Studies have shown that in systemic sclerosis (SSc) endothelial cells, overproduction of matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is associated with defective angiogenesis. This study was undertaken to examine whether overexpression of the relevant molecules could inhibit angiogenesis of normal microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs), and whether silencing of these molecules in SSc MVECs could restore the lost angiogenic properties of the cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods Transient transfection of MVECs with human MMP12 and PTX3 was performed by electroporation. Silencing of MMP12 and PTX3 was obtained by treatment with small interfering RNA, and treatment effects were validated by Western blotting with specific antibodies and a fluorimetric assay. In vitro cell migration and capillary morphogenesis were studied on Matrigel substrates. In vivo angiogenesis was studied using a Matrigel sponge assay in mice. Results Transfection of MMP12 and PTX3 in normal MVECs resulted in loss of proliferation, invasion, and capillary morphogenesis in vitro, attributed to truncation of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor by MMP12 and to the anti,fibroblast growth factor 2/anti,vascular endothelial growth factor activity of PTX3. These effects were particularly evident in mixed populations of transfected normal MVECs (50% transfected with MMP12 and 50% with PTX3). Silencing of the same molecules in SSc MVECs increased their invasion in Matrigel. Single-gene silencing did not increase the capillary morphogenesis of SSc MVECs, whereas double-gene,silenced cells showed a burst of capillary tube formation. Culture medium of silenced SSc MVECs stimulated angiogenesis in assays of Matrigel sponge invasion in mice. Conclusion Overexpression of either MMP12 or PTX3 in normal MVECs blunts their angiogenic properties. Loss of function of MMP12 and PTX3 in SSc MVECs restores the ability of the cells to produce capillaries in vitro and induces vascularization in vivo on a Matrigel sponge. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||