CD Band Research Articles

Dimolybdenum Tetraacetate as an Auxiliary Chromophore in Absolute Configuration Determination of Amino Acids from their Circular Dichroism Spectra - Foundations and Developments

A straightforward and versatile method for the determination of the absolute configuration of amino acids is presented. The proposed method involves the in situ formation of chiral complexes of optically active amino acids with the achiral dimolybdenum tetraacetate (Mo2(OAc)4) acting as an auxiliary chromophore. Optically active amino acids in reaction with (Mo2(OAc)4) in DMSO exchange in situ its acetate ligand to form chiral Mo-complexes. These complexes display several CD bands in the spectral range from 600 to 250 nm. The resulting CD spectra are suitable for the assignment of absolute configuration, since the observed sign of Cotton effects arising within the d−d absorption bands of the metal core depends solely upon the chirality of the amino acid ligands. It is shown that two Cotton effects at around 300 nm and 400 nm are especially useful for the correlation between their sign and the stereostructure of amino acids by means of the hexadecant rule. The present study demonstrates that the hexadecant rule can be extended to differently N-protected amino acids. The dimolybdenum method can also be applied for determination of the absolute configuration of cyclic β-amino acids representing precursors of peptidomimetics.

Induced Chirality of the Light-Harvesting Carotenoid Salinixanthin and Its Interaction with the Retinal of Xanthorhodopsin

In xanthorhodopsin, a retinal protein-carotenoid complex of Salinibacter ruber, the carotenoid salinixanthin functions as a light-harvesting antenna in supplying additional excitation energy for retinal isomerization and proton transport. Another retinal protein, archaerhodopsin, has been shown to contain a carotenoid, bacterioruberin, but without an antenna function. We report here that the binding site confers a chiral geometry on salinixanthin in xanthorhodopsin and confirm that the same is true for bacterioruberin in archaerhodopsin. Cell membranes containing these rhodopsins exhibit CD spectra with sharp positive bands in the visible region where the carotenoids absorb, and in the case of xanthorhodopsin a negative band at 536 nm, as well as bands in the UV region. The carotenoid in ethanol has very weak optical activity in the visible region of the spectrum. Denaturation of the opsin upon deprotonation of the Schiff base at pH 12.5 eliminates the induced CD bands in both proteins. In one of these proteins, but not in the other, the carotenoid binding site depends entirely on the retinal. Hydrolysis of the retinal Schiff base of xanthorhodopsin with hydroxylamine eliminates the induced CD bands of salinixanthin. In contrast, hydrolysis of the Schiff base in archaerhodopsin does not abolish the CD bands of bacterioruberin. Thus, consistent with its antenna function, the carotenoid binding site interacts closely with the retinal only in xanthorhodopsin, and this interaction is the major source of the CD bands. In this protein, protonation of the counterion with a decrease in pH from 8 to 5 causes significant changes in the CD spectrum. The observed spectral features suggest that binding of salinixanthin in xanthorhodopsin involves the cyclohexenone ring of the carotenoid and its conformational heterogeneity is restricted.

Hybrid peptide hairpins containing alpha- and omega-amino acids: conformational analysis of decapeptides with unsubstituted beta-, gamma-, and delta-residues at positions 3 and 8.

The effects of inserting unsubstituted omega-amino acids into the strand segments of model beta-hairpin peptides was investigated by using four synthetic decapeptides, Boc-Leu-Val-Xxx-Val-D-Pro-Gly-Leu-Xxx-Val-Val-OMe: peptide 1 (Xxx=Gly), peptide 2 (Xxx=betaGly=betahGly=homoglycine, beta-glycine), peptide 3 (Xxx=gammaAbu=gamma-aminobutyric acid), peptide 4 (Xxx=deltaAva=delta-aminovaleric acid). 1H NMR studies (500 MHz, methanol) reveal several critical cross-strand NOEs, providing evidence for beta-hairpin conformations in peptides 2-4. In peptide 3, the NMR results support the formation of the nucleating turn, however, evidence for cross-strand registry is not detected. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of peptide 3 reveal a beta-hairpin conformation for both molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, stabilized by four cross-strand hydrogen bonds, with the gammaAbu residues accommodated within the strands. The D-Pro-Gly segment in both molecules (A,B) adopts a type II' beta-turn conformation. The circular dichroism spectrum for peptide 3 is characterized by a negative CD band at 229 nm, whereas for peptides 2 and 4, the negative band is centered at 225 nm, suggesting a correlation between the orientation of the amide units in the strand segments and the observed CD pattern.

A time resolved study of the mitigation of graphite chemical erosion in deuterium plasmas containing beryllium

The interaction of the graphite strike plate material in ITER, with a divertor plasma containing beryllium, is simulated experimentally in PISCES-B. Graphite targets are exposed at 600 K to deuterium plasmas with fixed beryllium fractions () in the range 0.0003 ⩽ fBe ⩽ 0.011. From the onset of beryllium injection, the intensity of plasma CD band optical emission caused by target chemical erosion, diminishes exponentially at a rate found to depend on fBe. The rate of chemical erosion decay, , is found to increase with fBe over the range of beryllium fractions explored and can be described by a simple power law expression, , where α = 785 ± 161 s−1 and β = 2.07 ± 0.10. Evidence of chemical binding between the surface carbon and beryllium is found in XPS analysis of targets following exposure. A reduction in available surface carbon bonds, due to the presence of beryllium, is believed to be responsible for the observed mitigation of chemical erosion.

Circular dichroic properties of the tyrosine residues in tetrazole analogues of opioid peptides

CD studies on tetrazole analogues of opioid peptides show that peptides sharing the same N-terminal sequence, H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-, give very large Cotton effects of the Tyr side chain in the near-UV region. CD spectra of five such peptides: H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-OH (I), H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile-NH(2) (II), H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Phe-Pro-NH(2) (III), H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH(2) (IV), and H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly-NH(2) (V), and two others for comparison: H-Tyr-GlyPsi[CN(4)]Gly-Phe-Leu-OH (VI) and H-TyrPsi[CN(4)]Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH(2) (VII), were measured in methanol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, and water at different pH values. The spectra show that the conformations of the Tyr(1) residue in peptides I-V are very similar in all solvents used but differ distinctly from those observed for VI and VII. Strong Tyr bands in the aromatic region result probably from the rigid structure of the common N-terminal part of peptides I-V. These bands are weaker for IV, which maybe due to the presence of a second Tyr residue in that peptide, giving an opposite contribution to the CD spectrum as that arising from Tyr1. It seems that the rigid structure of the N-terminal part of I-V results from the interaction of the Tyr(1) side chain and the tetrazole ring. The CD bands of the Tyr residues of VI and VII are much smaller than those of I-V in all solvents, except VII in trifluoroethanol (TFE) where Tyr bands comparable in intensity to those of I-V are observed. This spectral property may derive from the same sign contribution of both Tyr residues of VII to the CD spectrum.

Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy of Ribose and Deoxyribose Sugars, Adenosine, AMP and dAMP Nucleotides

Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectra of ribose and deoxyribose sugars, adenosine, AMP and dAMP nucleotides and cyclic derivatives were measured in the vacuum ultraviolet region (down to 168 nm for sugars and 175 nm for adenine derivatives) and at different pH values (3, 6-7, 9-10) and temperatures (between 5 and 45 degrees C). The information content in the VUV region is important since the CD bands strongly depend on the chemical structure of the sugar, the presence and orientation of a phosphate group and the protonation state of adenine. On the other hand, single or double deprotonation of the phosphoric acid group has no influence on the spectra. We assign the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) CD bands of the nucleoside and nucleotides to be due mainly to n-->pi* transitions in the adenine nucleobase based on a comparison with the absorption spectra. The CD bands of the sugars are due to n(O -->sigma*) transitions and are much smaller than the CD signal from the nucleotides in the VUV region. Bands are assigned to both pyranose and open-chain forms.

Interaction of Cu(II)-meso-tetrakis(n-N-methylpyridiniumyl)porphyrin (n = 2,3,4) with Native and Synthetic Polynucleotides Probed by Polarized Spectroscopy

The interactions of Cu(II)-meso-Tetrakis(n-N-methylpyridiniumyl)porphyrin (n = 2,3,4), respectively referred to as o-, m- and p-CuTMPyP, and DNA, poly<TEX>$[d(A-T)_2]$</TEX> and poly<TEX>$[d(G-C)_2]$</TEX> were investigated by circular and linear dichroism (CD and LD). In the o-CuTMPyP case, in which the rotation of the pyridinium ring is prevented, the shape of the CD spectrum when associated to DNA and poly<TEX>$[d(A-T)_2]$</TEX> resembles and is characterized by a positive band at a low drug to DNA concentration ratio (R ratio) and is bisignate at a high R ratio. The former CD spectrum shape has been attributed to porphyrin that is bound monomerically outside of DNA while the latter can be attributed to those that are stacked. When o-CuTMPyP is bound to poly<TEX>$[d(G-C)_2]$</TEX>, the excitonic CD appeared at a relatively high R ratio. In contrast, a characteristic negative CD band in the Soret region was apparent for both m- and p-CuTMPyP when bound to DNA and poly<TEX>$[d(G-C)_2]$</TEX> at the low R ratios, indicating that the porphyrin molecule intercalates. However, the DNA is bent near the intercalation site and the plane of the porphyrin molecule tilts relative to the DNA helix axis, as judged by the magnitude of the reduced LD. Various stacking patterns were identified by the shape of the CD spectrum for m- and p-CuTMPyP when bound to poly<TEX>$[d(A-T)_2]$</TEX>. Three species for the former complex and two for the latter complex were found which may reflect the extent of the stacking.

“Natively Unfolded” VPg Is Essential for Sesbania Mosaic Virus Serine Protease Activity

Polyprotein processing is a major strategy used by many plant and animal viruses to maximize the number of protein products obtainable from a single open reading frame. In Sesbania mosaic virus, open reading frame-2 codes for a polyprotein that is cleaved into different functional proteins in cis by the N-terminal serine protease domain. The soluble protease domain lacking 70-amino-acid residues from the N terminus (deltaN70Pro, where Pro is protease) was not active in trans. Interestingly, the protease domain exhibited trans-catalytic activity when VPg (viral protein genome-linked) was present at the C terminus. Bioinformatic analysis of VPg primary structure suggested that it could be a disordered protein. Biophysical studies validated this observation, and VPg resembled "natively unfolded" proteins. CD spectral analysis showed that the deltaN70Pro-VPg fusion protein had a characteristic secondary structure with a 230 nm positive CD peak. Mutation of Trp-43 in the VPg domain to phenylalanine abrogated the positive peak with concomitant loss in cis- and trans-proteolytic activity of the deltaN70Pro domain. Further, deletion of VPg domain from the polyprotein completely abolished proteolytic processing. The results suggested a novel mechanism of activation of the protease, wherein the interaction between the natively unfolded VPg and the protease domains via aromatic amino acid residues alters the conformation of the individual domains and the active site of the protease. Thus, VPg is an activator of protease in Sesbania mosaic virus, and probably by this mechanism, the polyprotein processing could be regulated in planta.

Density Functional Calculation of the Electronic Circular Dichroism Spectra of the Transition Metal Complexes [M(phen)3]2+(M = Fe, Ru, Os)

The circular dichroism spectra of the tris-bidentate metal complexes Lambda-[M(phen)3]2+, with M = Fe, Ru, Os and phen = 1,10-tris-phenanthroline, are investigated computationally, employing time-dependent density functional theory. Good agreement with experimental spectra is obtained for Ru and Os. The Lambda-[Os(phen)3]2+ spectrum is analyzed in detail. It is shown how relativistic effects red shift CD bands where the Os 5d-orbital participates to a large extent in the excitations. Further, the participation of the metal in the ligand pi --> pi exciton CD is determined to be of the order of 10%. Though solvent effects can have a noticeable effect on individual transitions and rotatory strengths, they are demonstrated to have only a very small overall effect on the resulting simulated CD spectra. For Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+, the results are shown to be rather sensitive to the choice of the applied hybrid and nonhybrid density functionals, and the optimized geometries based thereupon. In particular, the sign pattern of the lower-energy part (up to 33 x 10(3) cm(-1)) of the Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+ CD spectrum is difficult to reproduce. Some combinations of functionals and geometries yield good agreement with experiment, but no "best" approach can be devised based on the available results. Possible sources of errors in the spectrum of Lambda-[Fe(phen)3]2+ due to deficiencies in the functionals and the exchange-correlation kernels are investigated.

Mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes of dipicolylamine and 1,10-phenanthrolines: The role of diimines in the interaction of the complexes with DNA

Mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes of the type [Cu(dipica)(diimine)](ClO4)2, where dipica is di(2-picolyl)amine and diimine is 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (5,6-dmp), 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (2,9-dmp) or dipyridoquinoxaline (dpq), have been isolated and characterized by analytical and spectral methods. The copper(II) complexes exhibit a broad band in the visible region around 675 nm and axial EPR spectra in acetonitrile glass (77 K) with g∥ and A∥ values of ∼2·22 and 185 × 10−4 cm−1 respectively, suggesting the presence of a square-based coordination geometry for the CuN5 chromophore involving strong axial interaction. The interaction of the complexes with CT DNA has been studied using absorption, emission and circular dichroic spectral methods and viscosity measurements. Absorption spectral titrations reveal that the intrinsic DNA binding affinities are dependent upon the nature of the diimine ligand: dpq > 5,6-dmp > phen > 2,9-dmp. This suggests the involvement of the diimine rather than the dipica ‘face’ of the complexes in DNA binding. An intercalative mode of DNA interaction, which involves the insertion of dpq and to a lesser extent the phen ring of the complexes in between the DNA base pairs, is proposed. However, interestingly, the 5,6-dmp complex is involved in hydrophobic interaction of the 5,6-dmp ring in the grooves of DNA. The large enhancement in the relative viscosity of DNA on binding to the dpq and 5,6-dmp complexes supports the proposed DNA binding modes. Further, remarkably, the 5,6-dmp complex is selective in exhibiting a positive-induced CD band on binding to DNA suggesting the transition of the B form of CT DNA to A-like conformation. The variation in relative emission intensities of DNA-bound ethidium bromide observed upon treatment with the complexes parallels the trend in DNA binding affinities.

The Exciton Model and the Circular Dichroism of Polypeptides

Exciton coupling of the 190 nm ππ* transition is an important factor in the CD spectrum of peptides and proteins. The CD spectrum of the α-helix is dominated by the exciton effect. The spectrum is sensitive to the direction of the ππ* transition dipole moment, especially for short helices. Exciton theory is much less successful in accounting for the CD spectrum of the poly(proline)II (PPII) conformation, an important conformer in collagen and in unordered peptides. Mixing of the ππ* transition with high-energy transitions in the peptide backbone and in side chains must be considered to explain the strong negative CD band near 200 nm of PPII.

Effects of Pulsed Electric Fields and Heat Treatment on Stability and Secondary Structure of Bovine Immunoglobulin G

Bovine immunoglobulin G (IgG) solutions were subjected to pulsed electric fields (PEF) or heat treatment to investigate the effect of processing on secondary structure monitored using circular dichroism spectrometry. Under heat treatment, the critical temperature for bovine IgG to change secondary structure at neutral pH in borate buffer is 72 degrees C. A conversion of the secondary structure from beta-sheets into random coils along with the loss of immunoactivity of bovine IgG was observed when heated at 82 degrees C for 120 s. In contrast, PEF treatment at 41.1 kV/cm for 54 mus with bipolar pulses (outlet at 43.8 degrees C) caused no detectable changes in the secondary structure or the thermal stability of secondary structure. A shape factor, S (200nm) over (217nm), ratio of magnitude of the positive CD band at 200 nm to that of the negative CD band at 217 nm, was closely correlated to the immunoactivity of bovine IgG (r(2) = 0.99) and quantifies changes of secondary structure.

Chiroptical properties of cation complexes of chiral phenazino‐18‐crown‐6 ether‐type hosts

Herein we report CD spectroscopic studies on complexes of (R,R)-dimethyl-, (R,R)-diisobutyl-, and (S,S)-di-sec-butyl-phenazino-18-crown-6 ligands (Scheme 1) with selected alkali (Na+, K+), alkaline earth (Mg2+, Ca2+), and transition-metal (Ag+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Pb2+) cations. The complexation was monitored in the 300- to 240-nm region of the CD spectra comprising mainly the 1Bb band of the heteroaromatic subunit. The CD spectra of the complexes showed an unexpected diversity. In the most characteristic 1Bb spectral region, the number, position, and intensity of band(s) depend not only on the heteroaromatic subunit and the size of the substituents but also on the diameter, ion strength, and coordination geometry of the cation. The appearance of two weak 1Bb CD bands (type-I spectra) with the sign pattern of the host is an indication of two complexes of comparable stability. The "type-II" spectra differ from that of the host in the number, sign pattern, and intensity of the bands. Complexes of transition-metal cations generally show CD spectra with more intense bands. The CD spectra of complexes of (S,S)-di-sec-butyl-phenazino-18-crown-6 ligand with Na+, K+, and Pb2+ (type III) strongly suggest exciton coupling caused by the closeness of the heteroaromatic rings of two 1:1 complex molecules.

Study of plasma wall interactions in the long-pulse NB-heated discharges of JT-60U towards steady-state operation

Long time scale variation of plasma-wall interactions and its impact on particle balance, main plasma performance and particle behavior have been investigated in ELMy H-mode plasmas by extending the discharge pulse and the neutral beam heating pulse to 65s and 30s, respectively. The wall pumping rate starts to decrease in the latter phase by repeating the long-pulse discharges with 60% of Greenwald density sustained by gas-puffing. After several discharges, the wall inventory is saturated in the latter phase and, consequently, the density increases with neutral beam fuelling only. The edge pressure in the main plasma is reduced and ELMs are close to the type III regime under conditions of wall saturation. The intensities of C II emission near the X-point and CD band emission in the inner divertor start to increase before the wall saturates and continue to increase after the wall is saturated.

Sensitive Circular Dichroism Marker for the Chromophore Environment of Photoactive Yellow Protein: Assignment of the 307 and 318 nm Bands to then→ π* Transition of the Carbonyl

The absorption and CD spectra of wild-type PYP, apo-PYP, and the mutants, E46Q and M100A, were measured between 250 and 550 nm. At neutral pH, the two very weak absorption bands of wild-type PYP at 307 and 318 nm (epsilon(max) = 600 +/- 100 M(-1) cm(-1) at 318 nm) are associated with quite strong positive CD bands (Deltaepsilon(max) approximately 6.8 M(-1) cm(-1)). Both sets of bands are absent in the apoprotein. On the basis of this evidence, we assign these optical signals to the n --> pi* transition of the oxygen of the carbonyl group of the 4-hydroxycinnamic acid chromophore, which is expected to be electric dipole forbidden but magnetic dipole allowed. The progression of narrow bands at 307 and 318 nm with a shoulder in the CD around 329 nm is due to vibrational fine structure with a frequency of about 1050 +/- 50 cm(-1). This is the carbonyl stretch frequency in the electronically excited state and is well-known from the vibrational structure in the CD spectra of carbonyl compounds. The positive sign of the CD in the near UV is in accordance with the octant rule and the high-resolution X-ray structure, if we assume that the NH group of cysteine 69 to which the carbonyl is hydrogen bonded is the principle perturbant. Similar absorption and CD spectra were observed in the range of 300-340 nm for the mutants E46Q and M100A at neutral pH. Protonation of the trans chromophore by lowering the pH in the dark (without photoisomerization) broadens the 307 and 318 nm CD bands in the mutant E46Q but does not significantly affect their positions or alter their sign. For the long-lived I(2) photointermediate of the mutant M100A with protonated cis chromophore, we observed that the sign of the rotational strength in the 310-320 nm range is negative (i.e., opposite to that in the dark state with trans chromophore). This suggests that the light-induced isomerization of the chromophore, which leads to breaking of the hydrogen bond with the backbone amide of C69, brings the carbonyl into a new protein environment with different asymmetry than in the unbleached protein. The observed change in sign is mainly due to this effect, but a change in chromophore twist may also contribute. Thus, the 318 nm CD signal is a sensitive marker for the environment of the chromophore carbonyl, which samples various environments and configurations during the photocycle.

Synthesis and determination of the absolute configuration of fugomycin and desoxyfugomycin: CD spectroscopy and fungicidal activity of butenolides.

The dibromoalkenes (S)-3 and (R)- and (S)-4 are intermediates in the syntheses of the naturally occurring fungicidal butenolides fugomycin (1) and desoxyfugomycin (2), respectively. The stereoselective bromine-lithium exchange that leads to the carbenoid 12 and the vinyllithium reagent 17 a on the one hand, and palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of the dibromoalkene 3 and the bromolactone 22 on the other are key steps en route to the butenolides 1 and 2. The chiral building blocks (S)-3, (R)-4, and (S)-4 are readily available from (R)-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde 5, isobutyl (R)-lactate 6 a, and ethyl (S)-lactate 6 b, respectively. The synthetic procedure adopted here permits the absolute configuration of the natural products fugomycin (1) and desoxyfugomycin (2) to be assigned by comparison of their chiroptical properties with those of the synthetic products. The CD spectra of the bromolactone 22, calculated by two different density functional methods (TDDFT, DFT/MRCI), are found to be in good agreement with the measured spectra. On the basis of these calculations, the two CD bands observed could be assigned to n-pi* and pi-pi* transitions, respectively. Fugomycin (1) and the synthetic butenolide 20 displayed high fungicidal activity against botrytis in greenhouse experiments, whereas the saturated lactone 21 was practically inactive.

Effect of molecular weights of polyethyleneimine on the polyplex formation with calf thymus DNA

In this study we investigated the spectral properties, including electric absorption, circular and linear dichroism (CD and LD), and fluorescence emission, of DNA in a DNA-branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) polyplex at various polymer molecular weights (Mw) and BPEI-amine-to-DNA-phosphate ratios (N/P ratios). All BPEIs exhibited a common N/P dependence in their absorption and CD spectra. At N/P ratios < 1.0, we observed some hyperchromism in the absorption spectrum, red-shifts in CD bands, and decreases in LD intensity and fluorescence intensity of intercalated ethidium. At intermediate N/P ratios, complete collapse of all spectra occurred. As the N/P ratio increased further, the polyplex dissolved in water. From its characteristic CD spectrum obtained under these conditions, we conclude that the DNA exists in a B-like form. The fluorescence and LD intensities never recovered-even at high N/P ratios- which indicates that the dissolved polyplex possesses positive charges and the DNA in the polyplex is condensed despite its B-form CD spectrum. The N/P range in which the absorption and CD signals collapsed was wider when the BPEIs Mw decreased. In the case where the BPEIsMw was 0.8 k, recovery of the absorption and CD spectral properties at a high N/P ratio was never achieved, which suggests that the molecular weight of the polymer plays an important role in its dissolution at a high N/P ratio.

Predetermined Helical Chirality in Octahedral Complexes with a Novel Pentadentate C2‐Symmetrical Chiral Bis(oxazoline) Ligand

AbstractThe first example of the pentadentate bis(oxazolines) has been synthesized using a modular approach that readily provides access to this ligand class. This ligand allows the controlled transfer of carbon‐centered to octahedral, metal‐centered chirality, as demonstrated both in the solid state as well as in solution. The characteristic CD band has been identified for dicationic, octahedral transition metal complexes with the Δ2‐configuration.

A New Simple Procedure for Discriminating between Deracemization and an Induced CD Effect in Chiral Recognition Experiments on Atropoisomers

A CD band in chiral recognition experiments on racemic stereolabile compounds can be ascribed either to deracemization or to a solely induced CD effect. A procedure is presented that allows one to discriminate positively between the two phenomena. The procedure, based on CD spectroscopy, was used in experiments on racemic biphenylic derivatives in aggregates formed by enantiopure surfactants. In addition to demonstrating a deracemization event, the procedure allowed us to measure the enantiomeric excess.

Changes of near-UV CD spectrum of human hemoglobin upon oxygen binding: a study of mutants at alpha 42, alpha 140, beta 145 tyrosine or beta 37 tryptophan.

The deoxy-form of human adult hemoglobin (Hb A) exhibits a distinct negative CD band at 287 nm that disappears in the oxy-form. It has been suggested that the negative CD band is due to the environmental alteration of Tyr-alpha 42 or Trp-beta 37 at the alpha(1)beta(2) contact upon deoxygenation. To evaluate the contributions of the aromatic residues at the alpha(1)beta(2) contact and the penultimate tyrosine residues of the alpha and beta subunits (alpha 140 and beta 145) to the negative CD band, three recombinant (r) Hbs (rHb Ser-alpha 42, rHb His-beta 37, and rHb Thr-beta 145) were produced in Escherichia coli, and we compared the near-uv CD spectra of these three rHbs and Hb Rouen (Tyr-alpha 140-->His) with the spectra of Hb A under the condition in which all mutant Hbs were able to undergo the T-->R transition (Hill's n > 2.0). The contributions of Tyr-alpha 42, Trp-beta 37, Tyr-alpha 140, and Tyr-beta 145 to the negative CD band were estimated from changes in the ellipticity of the negative CD band at 287 nm to be 4, 18, 32, and 27%, respectively. These results indicate that environmental alteration of the penultimate tyrosine residues caused by the formation of salt bridges upon the R-->T transition is primarily responsible for the negative CD band.