We present a fully reversible and highly efficient on-off photoswitching of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast with green (500 nm) and violet-blue (435 nm) light. The contrast change is based ...on intramolecular light-driven coordination-induced spin state switch (LD-CISSS), performed with azopyridine-substituted Ni-porphyrins. The relaxation time of the solvent protons in 3 mM solutions of the azoporphyrins in DMSO was switched between 3.5 and 1.7 s. The relaxivity of the contrast agent changes by a factor of 6.7. No fatigue or side reaction was observed, even after >100,000 switching cycles in air at room temperature. Electron-donating substituents at the pyridine improve the LD-CISSS in two ways: better photostationary states are achieved, and intramolecular binding is enhanced.
Nowadays, not only biologists, but also researchers from other disciplines such as chemistry, pharmacy, material sciences, or physics are working with antimicrobial peptides. This review is written ...for researchers and students working in or interested in the field of antimicrobial peptides - and especially those who do not have a profound biological background. To lay the ground for a thorough discussion on how AMPs act on cells, the architectures of mammalian and bacterial cell envelopes are described in detail because they are important targets of AMPs and provide the basis for their selectivity. The modes of action of α-helical AMPs (αAMPs) are not limited to different models of membrane permeabilization, but also include the disruption of intracellular processes, as well as the formation of fibrillary structures and their potential implications for antimicrobial activity. As biofilm-related infections are very difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics, they pose a major problem in the clinic. Therefore, this review also discusses the biological background of biofilm infections and the mode of actions of αAMPs against biofilms. The last chapter focusses on the design of αAMPs by providing an overview of historic milestones in αAMP design. It describes how modern αAMP design is aiming to produce peptides suitable to be applied in the clinic. Hence, the article concludes with a section on translational research discussing the prospects of αAMPs and remaining challenges on their way into the clinic.
Glucose degradation pathways are central for energy and carbon metabolism throughout all domains of life. They provide ATP, NAD(P)H, and biosynthetic precursors for amino acids, nucleotides, and ...fatty acids. It is general knowledge that cyanobacteria and plants oxidize carbohydrates via glycolysis the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas (EMP) pathway and the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway. However, we found that both possess a third, previously overlooked pathway of glucose breakdown: the Entner–Doudoroff (ED) pathway. Its key enzyme, 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate-6-phosphate (KDPG) aldolase, is widespread in cyanobacteria, moss, fern, algae, and plants and is even more common among cyanobacteria than phosphofructokinase (PFK), the key enzyme of the EMP pathway. Active KDPG aldolases from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis and the plant barley (Hordeum vulgare) were biochemically characterized in vitro. KDPG, a metabolite unique to the ED pathway, was detected in both in vivo, indicating an active ED pathway. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that photosynthetic eukaryotes acquired KDPG aldolase from the cyanobacterial ancestors of plastids via endosymbiotic gene transfer. Several Synechocystis mutants in which key enzymes of all three glucose degradation pathways were knocked out indicate that the ED pathway is physiologically significant, especially under mixotrophic conditions (light and glucose) and under autotrophic conditions in a day/night cycle, which is probably the most common condition encountered in nature. The ED pathway has lower protein costs and ATP yields than the EMP pathway, in line with the observation that oxygenic photosynthesizers are nutrient-limited, rather than ATP-limited. Furthermore, the ED pathway does not generate futile cycles in organisms that fix CO₂ via the Calvin–Benson cycle.
Zirconacyclopentadienes are versatile precursors for a large number of heteroles, which are accessible by Zr‐element exchange reactions. The vast majority of reports describe their preparation by the ...use of Negishi′s reagent, which is a species that is formed in situ. The zirconacyclopentadiene is then formed by the addition of one equivalent of a diyne or two equivalents of a monoyne moiety to this Negishi species. Another route involves Rosenthal′s reagent (Cp2Zr(py)Me3SiC≡CSiMe3), which then reacts with a diyne or monoyne moiety. In this work, the efficiency of both routes was compared in terms of reaction time, stability of the product in the reaction mixture, and yield. The synthetic implications of using both routes are evaluated. Novel zirconacyclopentadienes were synthesized, characterized directly from the reaction mixture, and crystal structures could be obtained in most cases.
Negishi vs. Rosenthal: Two “Cp2Zr” sources, the Negishi and the Rosenthal reagents, were compared with respect to yield, reaction, time, and product stability. In total, twelve compounds with different substituents were used for the reductive coupling by these zirconium sources.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows the analysis of biochemical processes non-invasively and in vivo. Still, its application in clinical diagnostics is rare. Routine MRS is limited to ...spatial, chemical and temporal resolutions of cubic centimetres, mM and minutes. In fact, the signal of many metabolites is strong enough for detection, but the resonances significantly overlap, exacerbating identification and quantification. Besides, the signals of water and lipids are much stronger and dominate the entire spectrum. To suppress the background and isolate selected signals, usually, relaxation times, J-coupling and chemical shifts are used. Here, we propose methods to isolate the signals of selected molecular groups within endogenous metabolites by using long-lived spin states (LLS). We exemplify the method by preparing the LLSs of coupled protons in the endogenous molecules N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid (NAA). First, we store polarization in long-lived, double spin states, followed by saturation pulses before the spin order is converted back to observable magnetization or double quantum filters to suppress background signals. We show that LLS and zero-quantum coherences can be used to selectively prepare and measure the signals of chosen metabolites or drugs in the presence of water, inhomogeneous field and highly concentrated fatty solutions. The strong suppression of unwanted signals achieved allowed us to measure pH as a function of chemical shift difference.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) represent a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases that are associated with conformational conversion of the normally monomeric and α-helical prion ...protein, PrPC, to the β-sheet-rich PrPSc. This latter conformer is believed to constitute the main component of the infectious TSE agent. In contrast to high-resolution data for the PrPC monomer, structures of the pathogenic PrPSc or synthetic PrPSc-like aggregates remain elusive. Here we have used site-directed spin labeling and EPR spectroscopy to probe the molecular architecture of the recombinant PrP amyloid, a misfolded form recently reported to induce transmissible disease in mice overexpressing an N-terminally truncated form of PrPC. Our data show that, in contrast to earlier, largely theoretical models, the con formational conversion of PrPC involves major refolding of the C-terminal α-helical region. The core of the amyloid maps to C-terminal residues from almost equal to160-220, and these residues form single-molecule layers that stack on top of one another with parallel, in-register alignment of β-strands. This structural insight has important implications for understanding the molecular basis of prion propagation, as well as hereditary prion diseases, most of which are associated with point mutations in the region found to undergo a refolding to β-structure.
Controlled switching of the spin state of transition metal ions, particularly of Fe
and Fe
, is a prerequisite to achieve selectivity, efficiency, and catalysis in a number of metalloenzymes. Here we ...report on an iron(III) porphyrin with a photochromic axial ligand which, upon irradiation with two different wavelengths reversibly switches its spin state between low-spin (S =
/
) and high-spin (S =
/
) in solution (DMSO-acetone, 2:598). The switching efficiency is 76% at room temperature. The system is neither oxygen nor water sensitive, and no fatigue was observed after more than 1000 switching cycles. Concomitant with the spin-flip is a change in redox potential by ~60 mV. Besides serving as a simple model for the first step of the cytochrome P450 catalytic cycle, the spin switch can be used to switch the spin-lattice relaxation time T
of the water protons by a factor of 15.
ADAM17, a prominent member of the 'Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase' (ADAM) family, controls vital cellular functions through cleavage of transmembrane substrates. Here we present evidence that ...surface exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) is pivotal for ADAM17 to exert sheddase activity. PS exposure is tightly coupled to substrate shedding provoked by diverse ADAM17 activators. PS dependency is demonstrated in the following: (a) in Raji cells undergoing apoptosis; (b) in mutant PSA-3 cells with manipulatable PS content; and (c) in Scott syndrome lymphocytes genetically defunct in their capacity to externalize PS in response to intracellular Ca(2+) elevation. Soluble phosphorylserine but not phosphorylcholine inhibits substrate cleavage. The isolated membrane proximal domain (MPD) of ADAM17 binds to PS but not to phosphatidylcholine liposomes. A cationic PS-binding motif is identified in this domain, replacement of which abrogates liposome-binding and renders the protease incapable of cleaving its substrates in cells. We speculate that surface-exposed PS directs the protease to its targets where it then executes its shedding function.
Temperature can be used as clinical marker for tissue metabolism and the detection of inflammations or tumors. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for monitoring physiological parameters like ...the temperature noninvasively is steadily increasing. In this study, we present a proof‐of‐principle study of MRI contrast agents (CA) for absolute and concentration independent temperature imaging. These CAs are based on azoimidazole substituted NiII porphyrins, which can undergo Light‐Driven Coordination‐Induced Spin State Switching (LD‐CISSS) in solution. Monitoring the fast first order kinetic of back isomerisation (cis to trans) with standard clinical MR imaging sequences allows the determination of half‐lives, that can be directly translated into absolute temperatures. Different temperature responsive CAs were successfully tested as prototypes in methanol‐based gels and created temperature maps of gradient phantoms with high spatial resolution (0.13×0.13×1.1 mm) and low temperature errors (<0.22 °C). The method is sufficiently fast to record the temperature flow from a heat source as a film.
Temperature is a clinical marker for tissue metabolism and can be used for the detection of diseases. Besides intrinsic magnetic resonance (MR) methods for relative temperature changes, there are only limited methods for absolute temperature imaging. In this study we present an in vitro method with a photoswitchable contrast agent for absolute and concentration independent 3D temperature imaging.
Metabolic changes often occur long before pathologies manifest and treatment becomes challenging. As key elements of energy metabolism, α-ketocarboxylic acids (α-KCA) are particularly interesting, ...e.g., as the upregulation of pyruvate to lactate conversion is a hallmark of cancer (Warburg effect). Magnetic resonance imaging with hyperpolarized metabolites has enabled imaging of this effect non-invasively and in vivo, allowing the early detection of cancerous tissue and its treatment. Hyperpolarization by means of dynamic nuclear polarization, however, is complex, slow, and expensive, while available precursors often limit parahydrogen-based alternatives. Here, we report the synthesis for novel
C, deuterated ketocarboxylic acids, and a much-improved synthesis of 1-
C-vinyl pruvate-d6, arguably the most promising tracer for hyperpolarizing pyruvate using parahydrogen-induced hyperpolarization by side arm hydrogenation. The new synthesis is scalable and provides a high yield of 52%. We elucidated the mechanism of our Pd-catalyzed trans-vinylation reaction. Hydrogenation with parahydrogen allowed us to monitor the addition, which was found to depend on the electron demand of the vinyl ester. Electron-poor α-keto vinyl esters react slower than "normal" alkyl vinyl esters. This synthesis of
C, deuterated α-ketocarboxylic acids opens up an entirely new class of biomolecules for fast and cost-efficient hyperpolarization with parahydrogen and their use for metabolic imaging.
PDF
