Helix termination and chain reversal: Crystal and molecular structure of the alpha,beta-dehydrooctapeptide Boc-Val Delta Phe-Phe-Ala-Leu-Ala-Delta Phe-Leu-OH

The crystal structure of the dehydro octapeptide Boc-Val-Delta Phe-Phe-Ala-Leu-Ala-Delta Phe-Leu-OH has been determined to atomic resolution by X-ray crystallographic methods. The crystals grown by slow evaporation of peptide solution in methanol/water are orthorhombic, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1). The unit cell parameters are a = 8.404(3), b = 25.598(2) and c = 27.946(3) Angstrom, Z = 4. The agreement factor is R = 7.58% for 3636 reflections having (\F-o\) greater than or equal to 3 sigma (\F-o\). The peptide molecule is characterised by a 3(10)-helix at the N-terminus and a pi-turn at the C-terminus. This conformation is exactly similar to the helix termination features observed in proteins. The pi-turn conformation observed in the octapeptide is in good agreement with the conformational features of pi-turns seen in some proteins. The alpha(L)-position in the pi-turn of the octapeptide is occupied by Delta Phe(7), which shows that even bulky residues can be accommodated in this position of the pi-turns. In proteins, it is generally seen that alpha(L)-position is occupied by glycine residue. No intermolecular head-to-tail hydrogen bonds are observed in solid state structure of the octapeptide. A water molecule located in the unit cell of the peptide molecule is mainly used to hold the peptide molecule together in the crystal. The conformation observed for the octapeptide might be useful to understand the helix termination and chain reversal in proteins and to construct helix terminators for denovo protein design.

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of GaN grown on beta-Si3N4/Si (111) by plasma-assisted MBE

Photoluminescence (PL) of high quality GaN epitaxial layer grown on beta-Si3N4/Si (1 1 1) substrate using nitridation-annealing-nitridation method by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) was investigated in the range of 5-300 K. Crystallinity of GaN epilayers was evaluated by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and surface morphology by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). The temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra showed an anomalous behaviour with an `S-like' shape of free exciton (FX) emission peaks. Distant shallow donor-acceptor pair (DAP) line peak at approximately 3.285 eV was also observed at 5 K, followed by LO replica sidebands separated by 91 meV. The activation energy of the free exciton for GaN epilayers was also evaluated to be similar to 27.8 +/- 0.7 meV from the temperature-dependent PL studies. Low carrier concentrations were observed similar to 4.5 +/- 2 x 10(17) Cm-3 by measurements and it indicates the silicon nitride layer, which not only acts as a growth buffer layer, but also effectively prevents Si diffusion from the substrate to GaN epilayers. The absence of yellow band emission at around 2.2 eV signifies the high quality of film. The tensile stress in GaN film calculated by the thermal stress model agrees very well with that derived from Raman spectroscopy. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of glycosidic linkage on the nature of carbohydrate binding in beta-prism I fold lectins: An X-ray and molecular dynamics investigation on banana lectin-carbohydrate complexes

The three crystal structures reported here provide details of the interactions of mannose and the mannosyl-alpha-1,3-mannose component of a pentamannose with banana lectin and evidence for the binding of glucosyl-alpha-1,2-glucose to the lectin. The known structures involving the lectin include a complex with glucosyl-beta-1,3-glucose. Modeling studies on the three disaccharide complexes with the reducing end and the nonreducing end at the primary binding site are also provided here. The results of the Xray and modeling studies show that the disaccharides with an alpha-1,3 linkage prefer to have the nonreducing end at the primary binding site, whereas the reducing end is preferred at the site when the linkage is beta-1,3 in mannose/glucose-specific beta-prism I fold lectins. In the corresponding galactose-specific lectins, however, alpha-1,3-linked disaccharides cannot bind the lectin with the nonreducing end at the primary binding site on account of steric clashes with an aromatic residue that occurs only when the lectin is galactose-specific. Molecular dynamics simulations based on the known structures involving banana lectin enrich the information on lectin-carbohydrate interactions obtained from crystal structures. They demonstrate that conformational selection as well as induced fit operate when carbohydrates bind to banana lectin.

Oxygenation of alkenes with t-BuOOH catalysed by beta-cyclodextrin borate

beta-Cyclodextrin borate catalyses oxygenation of aryl substituted alkenes in the presence of t-BuOOH to afford beta-dioxy alcohols in good yields (63-86%). Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Sintering of beta titanium: Role of dislocation pipe diffusion

Sintering of titanium in its high temperature beta phase was studied by isothermal dilatometry. The sintering shrinkage y did not follow the normal time exponent type of behaviour, instead being described by the equation y = Kt(m)/[1-(A+Bt)(2)], where m = 1.93 +/- 0.07, with an activation energy of 62-90 kJ mol(-1). A detailed analysis of these results, based on the 'anomalous' diffusion behaviour reported for beta titanium, is carried out. It is shown that the generation of a high density of dislocations during the alpha --> beta phase transformation, coupled with sluggish recovery at the sintering necks, enables sintering mass transport by pipe diffusion through dislocation cores from sources of matter within the particles to become dominant.

Effect of beta-lactamase-catalyzed hydrolysis of cephalosporins on peroxynitrite-mediated nitration of serum albumin and cytochrome c

The hydrolysis of beta-lactam antibiotics by beta-lactamases is one of the major bacterial defense systems. These enzymes generally hydrolyze a variety of antibiotics including the latest generation of cephalosporins, cephamycins and imipenem. In this paper, the effect of cephalosporins-based antibiotics on the peroxynitrite-mediated nitration of protein tyrosine is described. Although some of the antibiotics have weak inhibitory effect on the nitration reactions in the absence of beta-lactamase, they exhibit very strong inhibition in the presence of beta-lactamase. This is due to the elimination of heterocyclic thiol/thione moieties from cephalosporins by beta-lactamase-mediated hydrolysis. After the elimination, the thiols/thiones effectively scavenge peroxynitrite, leading to the inhibition of the nitration reactions.

The effect of malathion, an organophosphate, on the plasma FSH, 17 beta-estradiol and progesterone concentrations and acetylcholinesterase activity and conception in dairy cattle

The effect of malathion on jugular plasma concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) on conception in dairy cattle during a cloprostenol (prostaglandin F2-alpha analogue, PG)-induced estrus was studied. Malathion (1 mg/kg, intraruminally) given at the onset of estrus (48 h after PG) did not alter the plasma FSH or E2 concentrations but significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited plasma P4 concentration. The mean P4 concentration in the malathion-treated group on days 8 and 12 were 0.8 +/- 0.4 and 1.0 +/- 0.5 ng/ml, as compared to 2.6 +/- 0.0 and 2.4 +/- 0.3 ng/ml in the control group. There was a nonsignificant (P > 0.05) inhibition of plasma AchE activity in malathion-treated cattle. Conception was 16.6% in malathion-treated cows and 50% in controls. Inhibition of progesterone secretion and poor conception occurred after the single intraruminal dose of malathion at the onset of estrus.

Preparation and Characterization of Single-Phase Beta-Sialon

A simple method for the preparation of monophasic beta-SiAlON using nitridation of Si and AIN with an oxygen partial pressure of 10(-4) atm is described. The effect of the AlN/Si ratio in the initial mixture on the formation of beta-SiAlON is discussed. The likely mechanism of the formation of beta-SiAlON is outlined.

Molecular organization of the gene encoding Xenopus laevis transforming growth factor-beta 5

Transforming growth factor-beta s (TGF-beta 5) are multifunctional polypeptides, known to influence proliferation and differentiation of many cell types. TGF-beta 5 cDNA was cloned from Xenopus laevis and this isoform is unique to the amphibians. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of the TGF-beta 5 genomic clones to determine the structure of TGF-beta 5 gene. The gene consists of seven exons and all intron-exon boundaries follow the GT-AG consensus. The organization of TGF-beta 5 gene was identical to that of the mammalian TGF-beta isoforms, with the exception of position of the first splice junction. We determined the size of TGF-beta 5 gene to be approximately 20 kb.

Mutations in beta ` subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase perturb the activator polymerase functional interaction required for promoter clearance

P>Transcription activator C employs a unique mechanism to activate mom gene of bacteriophage Mu. The activation process involves, facilitating the recruitment of RNA polymerase (RNAP) by altering the topology of the promoter and enhancing the promoter clearance by reducing the abortive transcription. To understand the basis of this multi-step activation mechanism, we investigated the nature of the physical interaction between C and RNAP during the process. A variety of assays revealed that only DNA-bound C contacts the beta' subunit of RNAP. Consistent to these results, we have also isolated RNAP mutants having mutations in the beta' subunit which were compromised in C-mediated activation. Mutant RNAPs show reduced productive transcription and increased abortive initiation specifically at the C-dependent mom promoter. Positive control (pc) mutants of C, defective in interaction with RNAP, retained the property of recruiting RNAP to the promoter but were unable to enhance promoter clearance. These results strongly suggest that the recruitment of RNAP to the mom promoter does not require physical interaction with C, whereas a contact between the beta' subunit and the activator, and the subsequent allosteric changes in the active site of the enzyme are essential for the enhancement of promoter clearance.

Metallo-beta-lactamase and phosphotriesterase activities of some zinc(II) complexes

Metallo-beta-lactamases (m beta l) and phosphotriesterase (PTE) are zinc(II) enzymes, which hydrolyze the beta-lactam antibiotics and toxic organophosphotriesters, respectively. In the present work, we have synthesized a few asymmetric phenolate-based ligands by sequential Mannich reaction and their corresponding zinc(II) complexes. These zinc(II) complexes were studied for their m beta l and PTE activities. It is shown that the zinc(II) complexes can hydrolyze oxacillin, the beta-lactam antibiotic, at much higher rates as compared to the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl diphenylphosphate (PNPDPP), the phosphotriester. Among the complexes studied, the binuclear asymmetric complex 1 having a water molecule coordinated to one of the zinc(II) ions exhibits much better mbl activity than the mononuclear complexes. However, the mononuclear zinc(II) complexes having labile chloride ions exhibit significant PTE activity, which can be ascribed to the replacement of chloride ions by hydroxide ions during hydrolysis reactions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isolation of transforming growth factor-beta 2 cDNA from a fish, Cyprinus carpio by RT-PCR

Transforming Growth Factors-beta (TGF-beta s) have been described in many vertebrate species of amphibians, aves and mammals. In this report we demonstrate the presence of TGF-beta 2 in pisces. TGF-beta 2 has been cloned from a fish, Cyrinus carpio, by RT-PCR using degenerate oligonucleotide primers. Sequence analysis of the amplified product and alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence with the human TGF-beta 2 amino acid sequence revealed 81% and 93% identity in the precursor and the mature regions, respectively. The northern blot analysis of fish heart RNA shows a major messenger RNA species of about 8.0 kb and two messages of very low abundance of about 5.0 kb and 4.0 kb. The identification of TGF-beta 2 isoform in Pisces and it's high degree of homology with the mammalian isoform suggests that among all TGF-beta isoforms, TGF-beta 2 is the most conserved during evolution. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.