Circular Dichroism Pattern Research Articles

Amino‐Acid Side‐Chain Nanoarchitectonics for Tuning the Chiroptical Properties and Supramolecular Structure of Pentameric Oligothiophenes

AbstractOligothiophenes with specific photophysical properties and molecular organization are of great interest, since this class of materials are used in organic electronics and bioelectronics, as well as biosensing. Herein, 8 different pentameric oligothiophenes, denoted proteophenes, with different amino acid substitution patterns at distinct positions along the thiophene backbone were investigated. Spectroscopic and microscopic studies of the ligands revealed the formation of optically active self‐assembled materials under acidic or basic conditions. The distinct photophysical characteristics, including induced circular dichroism, as well as the supramolecular structures of the assemblies deduced from light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, were highly influenced by the positioning of distinct amino acid moieties along the thiophene backbone. Proteophenes functionalized with only glutamate residues or these functionalities in combination with hydrophobic valine moieties formed fibrillar structures with excellent chiroptical properties under acidic conditions. In addition, the amino acid functionality at the β‐position of distinct thiophene moieties influenced the induced circular dichroism pattern observed from the proteophenes. Overall, the obtained results demonstrate how changes in the position of various amino acid functionalities, as well as the chemical nature of the amino acid side chain functionality greatly affect the optical properties as well as the architecture of the self‐assembled materials.

Staining Properties of Selected Commercial Fluorescent Dyes Toward B- and Z-DNA.

The properties of six commonly used, commercially available, fluorescent dyes were compared in staining right-handed B-DNA and left-handed Z-DNA. All showed different degree of fluorescence turn-on in the presence of B-DNA, but very little in the presence of Z-DNA. The optimal range of dye-DNA ratios of DNA was determined. While these dyes do not provide a turn-on type probe for Z-DNA, staining between B- and Z-DNA using dyes such as SYBR Green I was shown to be useful in tracking the kinetics of conformational changes between these two forms of DNA. Finally, SYBR Green I showed unique circular dichroism patterns in 4 M NaCl that change in the presence of double stranded DNA, both in the visible and UV range.

Theory of circular dichroism in angle-resolved resonant photoemission from magnetic surfaces

A theoretical method is presented for angle-resolved photoemission at the transition metal $L$-edge resonance. It combines atomic multiplet calculations for the second-order resonant photoemission amplitude on the core-level site and a single scattering calculation of the photoelectron final state. The theory is applied to a magnetized Ni(111) surface excited with circularly polarized x rays at the Ni ${L}_{2,3}$-edge resonance with a focus on the circular dichroism (CD) signal. Good agreement with available experimental data is achieved. It is shown that the CD pattern is composed of a slowly varying magnetic signal induced by the atomic resonant process and a signal of fast angular modulations that are due to the interference of primary and scattered waves, known as the Daimon effect. The two types of CD signals are found to be nearly additive. At the Ni ${L}_{2}$-edge resonance, the angular dependence of the magnetic CD is well described by a simple expression known from x-ray magnetic CD. At the ${L}_{3}$ edge, however, the angular dependence is more complex and shows a pronounced final state multiplet dependence. With the present theory, it becomes possible to extract element- and site-selective magnetic information of surfaces from the CD in angle-resolved resonant photoemission data.

Human Plasma and Recombinant Hemopexins: Heme Binding Revisited.

Plasma hemopexin (HPX) is the key antioxidant protein of the endogenous clearance pathway that limits the deleterious effects of heme released from hemoglobin and myoglobin (the term “heme” is used in this article to denote both the ferrous and ferric forms). During intra-vascular hemolysis, heme partitioning to protein and lipid increases as the plasma concentration of HPX declines. Therefore, the development of HPX as a replacement therapy during high heme stress could be a relevant intervention for hemolytic disorders. A logical approach to enhance HPX yield involves recombinant production strategies from human cell lines. The present study focuses on a biophysical assessment of heme binding to recombinant human HPX (rhHPX) produced in the Expi293FTM (HEK293) cell system. In this report, we examine rhHPX in comparison with plasma HPX using a systematic analysis of protein structural and functional characteristics related to heme binding. Analysis of rhHPX by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-HPLC, and catalase-like activity demonstrated a similarity to HPX fractionated from plasma. In particular, the titration of HPX apo-protein(s) with heme was performed for the first time using a wide range of heme concentrations to model HPX–heme interactions to approximate physiological conditions (from extremely low to more than two-fold heme molar excess over the protein). The CD titration data showed an induced bisignate CD Soret band pattern typical for plasma and rhHPX versions at low heme-to-protein molar ratios and demonstrated that further titration is dependent on the amount of protein-bound heme to the extent that the arising opposite CD couplet results in a complete inversion of the observed CD pattern. The data generated in this study suggest more than one binding site in both plasma and rhHPX. Furthermore, our study provides a useful analytical platform for the detailed characterization of HPX–heme interactions and potentially novel HPX fusion constructs.

Supramolecular chirality transformation driven by monodentate ligand binding to a coordinatively unsaturated self-assembly based on C 3-symmetric ligands.

Monodentate ligand binding is facilitated by supramolecular chirality transformations from propeller-shaped chirality into single-twist chirality by altering the self-assembly of C 3-symmetric chiral ligands. The C 3-symmetric chiral ligands (Im R 3Bz and Im S 3Bz) contain three chiral imidazole side arms (Im R and Im S ) at the 1,3,5-positions of a central benzene ring. Upon coordination to zinc ions (Zn2+), which have a tetrahedral coordination preference, the C 3-symmetric chiral ligands assemble, in a stepwise manner, into a propeller-shaped assembly with a general formula (Im( R or S ) 3Bz)4(Zn2+)3. In this structure each Zn2+ ion coordinates to the three individual imidazole side arms. The resulting assembly is formally coordinatively unsaturated (coordination number, n = 3) and capable of accepting monodentate co-ligands (imidazole: ImH2) to afford a coordinatively saturated assembly [(ImH2)3(Im R 3Bz)4(Zn2+)3]. The preformed propeller-shaped chirality is preserved during this transformation. However, an excess of the monodentate co-ligand (ImH2/Zn2+ molar ratio of ∼1.7) alters the propeller-shaped assembly into a stacked dimer assembly [(ImH2) m (Im R 3Bz)2(Zn2+)3] (m = 4-6) with single-twist chirality. This switch alters the degree of enhancement and the circular dichroism (CD) pattern, suggesting a structural transition into a chiral object with a different shape. This architectural chirality transformation presents a new approach to forming dynamic coordination-assemblies, which have transformable geometric chiral structures.

Efficient preparative separation of β-cypermethrin stereoisomers by supercritical fluid chromatography with a two-step combined strategy.

An efficient two-step method has been developed for the separation of β-cypermethrin stereoisomers by supercritical fluid chromatography with polysaccharide chiral stationary phases. With respect to retention, selectivity, and resolution of β-cypermethrin, the effects of chiral stationary phases, cosolvents, mobile phases, and column temperature have been studied in detail. Through a two-step separation, β-cypermethrin was firstly separated by using a cellulose-derived chiral stationary phase to obtain two stereoisomeric pairs, and further resolved on an amylose-based chiral stationary phase to produce four enantiopure stereoisomers. The electronic circular dichroism patterns of the first- and the third-eluted isomers in methanol solution showed the mirror image of each other in the wavelength range 200∼300nm, indicating that they were a pair of enantiomers. Moreover, the second- and the fourth-eluted isomers were also enantiomers. This proposed two-step strategy showed low solvent consumption, fast separation speed, and high-purity, which may provide an effective approach for preparative separation of compounds with multiple chiral centers and difficult-to-separate multicomponent samples.

Visualizing the evolution of surface localization in the topological state of Bi2Se3 by circular dichroism in laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a circularly polarized 7-eV laser, and find that the angle-resolved pattern of circular dichroism (CD) for the topological surface state of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ is dramatically changed with surface aging. Shortly after sample cleaving, the CD pattern exhibits a $\mathrm{sin}(\ensuremath{\phi}$)-like modulation ($\ensuremath{\phi}$ is the Fermi surface angle) reminiscent of the helical spin texture. Intriguingly, this pattern gradually changes with time, and eventually turns into a $\mathrm{sin}(2\ensuremath{\phi})$-like modulation on the aged surface. These two patterns are also revealed in quantum well states with different quantum numbers, indicating that the CD pattern is a valid measure to identify the surface confinement of electrons. Our experiments thus demonstrate the time evolution of electron localization in the topological surface state.

Thiol-Mediated Controlled Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cysteine-Derived β-Thiolactone and Unique Features of Product Polythioester.

The controlled ring-opening polymerization of the β-thiolactone derived from N-Boc cysteine was achieved using N-Boc-L-cysteine methyl ester as the initiator in NMP at room temperature. The propagating end is the thiol group, which attacks the carbonyl to open the monomer ring by the C(═O)-S bond scission. A thiol-ene click reaction demonstrated the utility of the thiol group at the propagating terminal. The block copolymer was efficiently produced by the terminal coupling of the polythioester with the norbornene terminated PEG. As another interesting reaction, the polythioester underwent the main chain transformation to polycysteine through the intramolecular S-to-N acyl migration, triggered by the deprotection of the pendant Boc groups. The polythioester from L-cysteine showed Cotton effects between 200 and 300 nm in the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum. Although the CD pattern resembled that produced by the α-helix of polypeptide, it was ascribable not to the second structure but to the relative orientation of the thioester and carbamate carbonyls in the repeating unit.

Observation of Fermi Arcs in Non-Centrosymmetric Weyl Semi-Metal Candidate NbP**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11174124, 11274068, 11374137, 11421404 and 13ZR1451700, and the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) under Grant No 2012CB921402.

We report the surface electronic structure of niobium phosphide NbP single crystal on (001) surface by vacuum ultraviolet angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Combining with our first principle calculations, we identify the existence of the Fermi arcs originated from topological surface states. Furthermore, the surface states exhibit circular dichroism pattern, which may correlate with its non-trivial spin texture. Our results provide critical evidence for the existence of the Weyl Fermions in NbP, which lays the foundation for further research.

Circular Dichroism of Amino Acids: Following the Structural Formation of Phenylalanine.

Circular dichroism (CD) is frequently used to assess the secondary structure of peptides and proteins, whereas less attention has been given to their building blocks, that is, single amino acids, as they do not possess a secondary structure. Here, we follow the CD signal of amino acids and reveal that several acids exhibit a unique CD pattern as a function of their concentration. Accordingly, we propose an eight-level classification of the CD signal of the various amino acids. Special focus is given to the CD pattern of phenylalanine (Phe), for which we observe the formation of an ultra-narrow CD peak (full width at high maximum of only 5 nm). This CD peak can be attributed to the formation of Phe-based chiral structural features. Further support for the formation of an ordered structure is given by using NMR, and the additional self-assembly process of Phe to tubular structures.

Glycosaminoglycan and DNA Binding Induced Intra- and Intermolecular Exciton Coupling of the bis-4-Aminoquinoline Surfen.

Despite the diverse biological activities of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) antagonist surfen, the molecular details of its interaction with biomacromolecules remain poorly understood. Therefore, heparin and DNA binding properties of surfen were studied by circular dichroism (CD) and UV absorption spectroscopy methods. High-affinity (Ka ~ 10(7) M(-1)) association of surfen to the chiral heparin chain gives rise to a characteristic biphasic CD pattern due to the conformational twist of the aminoquinoline moieties around the central urea bridge. At higher drug loading, intermolecular stacking of surfen molecules alters the induced CD profile and also provokes strong UV hypochromism. In contrast to the right-handed heparin template, binding of surfen to the left-helicity chondroitin sulfate chains produces inverted CD pattern. Large UV hypochromism as well as polyphasic induced ellipticity bands indicate that surfen intercalates between the base pairs of calf-thymus DNA. Extensive CD spectroscopic changes observed at higher drug binding ratios refer to cooperative binding interactions between the intercalated drug molecules. The inherent conformational flexibility of surfen demonstrated here for the first time is important in its binding to distinct macromolecular targets and should be considered for rational drug design of novel GAG antagonists.

Chiral Crystal Structure of aP212121Kryptoracemate Iron(II) Complex with an Unsymmetric Azine Ligand and the Observation of Chiral Single Crystal Circular Dichroism

A chiral complex, [Fe(HL)2](PF6)2 (1), where HL denotes 2-pyridylmethylidenehydrazono-4-(2-methylimidazolyl)methane, was prepared. X-ray structure analysis revealed that it crystallizes as a kryptoracemate of sesquihydrate chiral crystals in the orthorhombic noncentrosymmetric space group P212121 (Z = 8, Z′ = 2). Two diastereomeric cationic complexes with opposite configuration reside within the asymmetric unit. KBr pellets prepared using selected single crystals showed enantiomorphous circular dichroism patterns.

Chirality Induction by Formation of Assembled Structures Based on Anion‐Responsive π‐Conjugated Molecules

Anion-responsive π-conjugated compounds having chiral alkyl chains were synthesized. Circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) were observed in the solution-state assemblies of the chiral anion receptors and those of their anion complexes as salts of a planar triazatriangulenium cation. The CD and CPL spectral patterns of the ion-pair-based assemblies were completely opposite to those of the anion-free assemblies, and this suggests that anion binding and subsequent ion pairing change the chirality of the assembly modes.

A novel correlation of vibrational circular dichroism spectra with the electronic ground state for Δ-SAPR-8-cesium-tetrakis((+)-heptafluorobutyryl-camphorato)lanthanide(iii) complexes

For Δ-SAPR-8-Cs[Ln((+)-hfbc)4]((+)-hfbc = (+)-heptafluoro-butyrylcamphorate; Cs-Ln), the vibrational circular dichroism pattern and intensity of Cs-La, Cs-Nd, Cs-Gd, Cs-Ho, Cs-Er, Cs-Lu and Cs-Sm, Cs-Eu, Cs-Tb, Cs-Dy, Cs-Tm, Cs-Yb, respectively, are correlated with the even and the odd parity of total orbital angular momentum in the ground state terms.

Common Origin of the Circular-Dichroism Pattern in Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy ofSrTiO3andCuxBi2Se3

Circular dichroism in the angular distribution of photoelectrons from SrTiO(3):Nb and Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3) is investigated by 7-eV laser angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In addition to the well-known node that occurs in the circular dichroism pattern when the incidence plane matches the mirror plane of the crystal, we show that another type of node occurs when the mirror plane of the crystal is vertical to the incidence plane and the electronic state is two-dimensional. The flower-shaped circular dichroism patterns in the angular distribution occurring around the Fermi level of SrTiO(3):Nb and around the Dirac point of Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3) are explained on equal footings. We point out that the penetration depth of the topological states of Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3) depends on momentum.

Formation and Stability of Nanofibers from a Milk-Derived Peptide

The objective of the present work was to investigate the physicochemical conditions that trigger the self-assembly of peptide β-lg f1-8 and therefore lead to nanofibers and hydrogel formation. Nanostructures formed by self-assembly of peptide β-lg f1-8 in the pH range of 2.0-11.0 were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hydrogel formation was studied as a function of pH and resulted in evidence of a link between hydrogel formation and the charge distribution carried by the peptide structure. Finally, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was used to characterize the effects of peptide concentration (0.4-2.0 mg/mL), ionic strength (0-1 M NaCl), and temperature (20-80 °C) on the secondary structure of peptide β-lg f1-8. Hydrogels were obtained at peptide concentrations above 2.5 mg/mL. Peptide concentration and pH adjustment were shown to trigger self-assembly of β-lg f1-8, but increasing ionic strength had no effect. Heating to 80 °C induced a stronger CD signal intensity due to an increase in solubility of the peptide, whereas only slight changes in CD pattern were found upon cooling to 20 °C. Overall, results emphasize the role of particular molecular interactions in β-sheet self-assembly of peptide β-lg f1-8 and pH-dependent electrostatic interactions occurring between β-lg f1-8 units, which can explain its propensity to self-assembly.

Rotational strength sign and normal modes description: A theoretical and experimental comparative study in bicyclic terpenes

A comparative study of the Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) patterns in three bicyclic terpenes with related molecular structures, (+)-(R)-α-pinene, (-)-(S)-β-pinene, and (-)-(S)-verbenone, is carried out. The study is done in the light of normal mode descriptions from a previous vibrational analysis. Although normal modes corresponding to identical molecular moieties shown the same description, rotational strength does not follow the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog descriptor-related sign in some cases, i.e., they do not present opposite signs depending on stereochemical description of the molecule.

Preparation, circular dichroism induced helical conformation and optical property of chitosan acid salt complexes for biomedical applications

The efficient procedure for preparation of chitosan acid complexes containing aspartic acid, benzilic acid and terephthalic acid moieties in isopropyl alcohol under mild condition has been demonstrated. The ionic complexation between chitosan and the acid is confirmed by FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of chitosan/aspartic acid complex showed negative (at λ = 312) band, chitosan/benzilic acid and chitosan/terephthalic complexes showed positive (at λ = 286 and 315 nm) band in DMSO, indicating that the polymers adopted helical (left-handed and last two right-handed) secondary structure. The inversion of the CD pattern in chitosan acid salt complexes suggests that there is a change in the chiral structure of the polymer system. Some physical properties and surface morphology were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical properties of chitosan derivatives are evaluated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy which showed red shift . The introduction of acid moieties into chitosan increases the solubility in most of the organic solvents, which opens new perspectives for the employment of chitosan-based biohybrid in biomedical applications.

Investigation of spectral conversion of d(TTAGGG)4 and d(TTAGGG)13 upon potassium titration by a G-quadruplex recognizer BMVC molecule.

We have introduced a G-quadruplex-binding ligand, 3,6-bis(1-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium)carbazole diiodide (BMVC), to verify the major structure of d(T2AG3)4 (H24) in potassium solution and examine the structural conversion of H24 in sodium solution upon potassium titration. The studies of circular dichroism, induced circular dichroism, spectral titration and gel competition have allowed us to determine the binding mode and binding ratio of BMVC to the H24 in solution and eliminate the parallel form as the major G-quadruplex structure. Although the mixed-type form could not be eliminated as a main component, the basket and chair forms are more likely the main components of H24 in potassium solution. In addition, the circular dichroism spectra and the job plots reveal that a longer telomeric sequence d(T2AG3)13 (H78) could form two units of G4 structure both in sodium or potassium solutions. Of particular interest is that no appreciable change on the induced circular dichroism spectra of BMVC is found during the change of the circular dichroism patterns of H24 upon potassium titration. Considering similar spectral conversion detected for H24 and a long sequence H78 together with the G4 structure stabilized by BMVC, it is therefore unlikely that the rapid spectral conversion of H24 and H78 is due to structural change between different types of the G4 structures. With reference to the circular dichroism spectra of d(GAA)7 and d(GAAA)5, we suggest that the spectral conversion of H24 upon potassium titration is attributed to fast ion exchange resulting in different loop base interaction and various hydrogen bonding effects.

Distinctive Influence of Two Hexafluoro Solvents on the Structural Stabilization ofBombyxmoriSilk Fibroin Protein and Its Derived Peptides: 13C NMR and CD Studies

Employing high-resolution (13)C solution NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques, the distinctive influence of two intimately related hexafluoro solvents, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and hexafluoroacetone trihydrate (HFA), on the structural characteristics of Bombyx mori (B. mori) silk fibroin, the chymotrypsin precipitate (C(p)) fraction, and two synthetic peptides, (AGSGAG)(5) and (AG)(15), is described. The observed (13)C solution NMR and CD spectra of these polypeptides in HFIP and HFA revealed a distinctive influence on their conformational characteristics. The (13)C NMR spectra, as analyzed from the unique chemical shifts of C(alpha) and C(beta) resonances of constituent residues revealed that fibroin largely assumes helical conformation(s) in both solvents. However, the peak shifts were greater for the samples in HFIP, indicating that the types of helical structure(s) may be different from the one populated in HFA. Similar structural tendencies of these polypeptides were reflected in CD spectra. The observed CD patterns, i.e., a strong positive band at approximately 190 nm and negative bands at approximately 206 and 222 nm, have been attributed to the preponderance of helical structures. Of the two prevalent helical structures, alpha-helix and 3(10)-helix, the evidence emerged for the fibroin protein in favor of 3(10)-helical structure stabilization in HFIP and its significant disruption in HFA, as deduced from the characteristic R1 (=[theta](190)/[theta](202)) and R2 (=[theta](222)/[theta](206)) ratios, determined from the CD data. Conversely, the native polypeptides and synthetic peptide fragments derived from highly crystalline regions of the silk fibroin protein sustained predominantly an unordered structure in HFA solvent.