Parent Precursor Research Articles

Facile synthesis of mono-dispersive hierarchical nickel-based microspheres as potential catalysts

Abstract Mono-dispersive hierarchical NiO and Ni/C microspheres were synthesized through a precursor method. The uniform coordination precursor microspheres were easily obtained by treating nickel acetate in methanol under solvothermal conditions. After the precursor was calcined in the air or nitrogen, two kinds of Ni-based nanostructures, NiO and Ni/C can be obtained, respectively. Both the Ni-based nanostructures are uniform mono-dispersive microspheres as the parent precursor and have hierarchical structures assembled by NiO and Ni nanoparticles. The hierarchical NiO and Ni/C microspheres were verified to have good catalytic activities for the propellant combustion of ammonium perchlorate.

Equol, via Dietary Sources or Intestinal Production, May Ameliorate Estrogen Deficiency-Induced Bone Loss1–3

Equol, a product of intestinal metabolism of daidzein, is chemically similar to estrogen (without the lipophilic moiety) and has higher estrogen receptor-β binding affinity than its parent precursor. In 2004, a long-term, randomized controlled trial that characterized postmenopausal women by their equol-producing status showed stronger advantages to lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) in equol- compared with nonequol-producers. Subsequent studies have related equol status of participants to change in bone turnover markers or BMD in response to soy isoflavone interventions. To our knowledge, we are the first to prescreen women for equol-producing status prior to initiating an intervention. In menopausal Western women, equol status did not affect the modest, but significant, reduction in bone resorption achieved with a soy isoflavone intervention. J. Nutr. 140: 1377S–1379S, 2010.

Colors with Functions: Elucidating the Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Carotenoid Metabolism

Carotenoids affect a rich variety of physiological functions in nature and are beneficial for human health, serving as antioxidants in lipophilic environments and blue light filters in the macula of human retina. These dietary compounds also serve as precursors of a unique set of apo-carotenoid cleavage products, including retinoids. Although knowledge about retinoid biology has tremendously increased, the metabolism of retinoids' parent precursors remains poorly understood. Recently, molecular players in carotenoid metabolism have been identified and biochemically characterized. Moreover, mutations in their corresponding genes impair carotenoid metabolism and induce various pathologies in animal models. Polymorphisms in these genes alter carotenoid and retinoid homeostasis in humans as well. This review summarizes our current knowledge about the molecular/biochemical basis of carotenoid metabolism and particularly the physiological role of carotenoids in retinoid-dependent physiological processes.

Naturally occurring variations in sequence length creates microRNA isoforms that differ in argonaute effector complex specificity

BackgroundMicro(mi)RNAs are short RNA sequences, ranging from 16 to 35 nucleotides (miRBase; http://www.mirbase.org). The majority of the identified sequences are 21 or 22 nucleotides in length. Despite the range of sequence lengths for different miRNAs, individual miRNAs were thought to have a specific sequence of a particular length. A recent report describing a longer variant of a previously identified miRNA in Arabidopsis thaliana prompted this investigation for variations in the length of other miRNAs.ResultsIn this paper, we demonstrate that a fifth of annotated A. thaliana miRNAs recorded in miRBase V.14 have stable miRNA isoforms that are one or two nucleotides longer than their respective recorded miRNA. Further, we demonstrate that miRNA isoforms are co-expressed and often show differential argonaute complex association. We postulate that these extensions are caused by differential cleavage of the parent precursor miRNA.ConclusionsOur systematic analysis of A. thaliana miRNAs reveals that miRNA length isoforms are relatively common. This finding not only has implications for miRBase and miRNA annotation, but also extends to miRNA validation experiments and miRNA localization studies. Further, we predict that miRNA isoforms are present in other plant species also.

Modern organic and broiler chickens sold for human consumption provide more energy from fat than protein

In 1976, the Royal College of Physicians and the British Cardiac Society recommended eating less fatty red meat and more poultry instead because it was lean. However, the situation has changed since that time, with a striking increase in fat content of the standard broiler chicken. The aim of the present study was to report a snapshot of data on fat in chickens now sold to the public. Samples were obtained randomly between 2004 and 2008 from UK supermarkets, farm shops and a football club. The amount of chicken fat was estimated by emulsification and chloroform/methanol extraction. Food sold in supermarkets and farms in England. Chicken samples. The fat energy exceeded that of protein. There has been a loss of n-3 fatty acids. The n-6:n-3 ratio was found to be as high as 9:1, as opposed to the recommendation of about 2:1. Moreover, the TAG level in the meat and whole bird mostly exceeded the proportion of phospholipids, which should be the higher for muscle function. The n-3 fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22 : 5n-3) was in excess of DHA (22 : 6n-3). Previous analyses had, as usual for birds, more DHA than DPA. Traditional poultry and eggs were one of the few land-based sources of long-chain n-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, which is synthesized from its parent precursor in the green food chain. In view of the obesity epidemic, chickens that provide several times the fat energy compared with protein seem illogical. This type of chicken husbandry needs to be reviewed with regard to its implications for animal welfare and human nutrition.

Photochemical Synthesis of Water-Soluble Gold Nanorods: The Role of Silver in Assisting Anisotropic Growth

The role of Ag+ ions in the ultraviolet-driven photochemical synthesis of Au nanorods (NRs) in aqueous surfactant mixtures has been investigated in order to elucidate the mechanism that drives anisotropic nanoparticle growth. The samples, grown in the presence of varying amounts of Ag+ ions for scheduled irradiation times, have been characterized by ultraviolet−visible−near infrared (UV−vis−NIR) absorption spectroscopy, analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements. Moreover, the time evolution of size and shape distribution has been investigated by statistical analysis of the relevant TEM data. EXAFS measurements at the Ag K-edge have unambiguously disclosed the presence of Ag species in the final product, identifying their chemical state as well as the most probable lattice environment around them with a reasonably high level of confidence. The extensive sample knowledge gained by the combination of spectroscopic, structural, and morphological measurements has provided reliable information regarding the most relevant processes underlying the Ag+-assisted formation of Au NRs by the photochemical route. An induction period prior to occurrence of fast nanoparticle nucleation has been identified, which has been correlated to the slow accumulation of a critical concentration of Au(I)−surfactant species from reduction of their Au(III) parent precursors. The role played by Ag in directing Au growth toward the formation of NRs has been clarified through demonstration of preferential adsorption of zerovalent Ag species on {110} facets of the growing Au nanoparticles, which can be therefore responsible for restricting crystal development along the relevant crystallographic directions.

An experimental study on the preparation of tochilinite-originated intercalation compounds comprised of Fe 1−xS host layers and various kinds of guest layers

Tochilinite represents a mineral group of ordered mixed-layer structures containing alternating Fe 1− x S layers with mackinawite-like structure and metal hydroxide layers with Mg(OH) 2-like structure. In this article, we report the preparation of a series of tochilinite-originated (or Fe 1− x S-based) intercalation compounds (ICs). According to their preparation procedures, these ICs can be divided into four kinds. The first kind of IC was sodium tochilinite (Na-tochilinite), which was prepared by the hydrothermal reaction of metallic Fe particles with concentrated Na 2S·9H 2O aqueous solutions. The hydroxide layer of the Na-tochilinite was a mixed hydroxide of Na + ions along with a certain amount of Fe 2+ ions. When the hydroxide layer of the Na-tochilinite completely dissolved in aqueous solutions, a Fe-deficient mackinawite-like phase Fe 1− x S was obtained, which was probably an electron-deficient p-type conductor. The second kind of ICs was prepared by ‘low-temperature direct intercalation in aqueous solutions, using Na-tochilinite as a parental precursor. When the Na-tochilinite was ultrasonicated in aqueous solutions containing Lewis basic complexing agents (like NH 3, N 2H 4, 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)), the Na + ions of the Na-tochilinite were removed and the Lewis basic complexing agents entered the hydroxide layer of the Na-tochilinite and became coordinated with the Fe 2+ ions, and the second kind of ICs was thus produced. The second kind of ICs includes NH 3 IC, N 2H 4 IC, N 2H 4-NH 3 IC, [Fe(bipy) 3] 2+-containing IC and [Fe(phen) 3] 2+-containing IC. The third kind of ICs, which includes NH 3 IC, N 2H 4–NH 3 IC and N 2H 4-LiOH (NaOH) IC, was prepared by the hydrothermal reaction of metallic Fe particles with (NH 4) 2S aqueous solution, S (elemental) + N 2H 4·H 2O aqueous solution, and S + N 2H 4·H 2O + LiOH (NaOH) aqueous solution, respectively. The third kind of ICs has a close relationship with the second kind of ICs both in composition and structure. The fourth kind of ICs was prepared by the oxidation and reduction of some of the N 2H 4-containing ICs mentioned above, which include N 2H 2 (diazene or diimide) IC, N 2 (dinitrogen) IC and NH 3 IC. The N 2H 2 IC was prepared by mild air oxidation of the N 2H 4-LiOH IC. The N 2 IC was prepared by strong air oxidation of the N 2H 4-LiOH IC, however, we have not been able to separate the pure phase N 2 IC. Hydrothermal reduction of the N 2H 4 IC made by the direct intercalation method in strong reducing environment by H 2S + Fe (metal) led to the production of the NH 3 IC of the fourth kind of ICs. The NH 3 ICs prepared by the three methods had similar compositions and structures. As almost all the ICs reported in this paper were extremely sensitive both to air and to the electron beam, they were mainly characterized by XRD. The properties and interrelationships (or mutual transformations) of the Fe 1− x S-based ICs revealed novel chemistry occurring in the sub-nanoscopic space between the micrometer- to nanometer-sized electron-deficient Fe 1− x S layers. An important finding of this novel chemistry was that the Fe 1− x S-based ICs tended to oxidize or reduce the intercalated species when the redox state of their environments varied. The results of our experiments potentially have many cosmochemical implications. The most important implication is that our experimental results, along with previous studies, strongly suggested that some of the ammonium salts, ammonia and carbonates existing in the matrix of the CM carbonaceous chondrites may have been formed by abiotic reactions employing molecular nitrogen as the nitrogen source and carbon monoxide as the carbon source and iron sulfide and/or iron hydroxide as catalysts.

Studies on the feasibility of using crystalline silicotitanates for the separation of cesium-137 from fast reactor high-level liquid waste

The commercially available crystalline silicotitanate inorganic ion exchanger, IONSIV IE-911, and its parent precursor, TAM-5, have been evaluated for the removal of 137Cs from nitric acid medium and simulated high-level liquid waste. The distribution coefficient (K d ) of cesium decreased with increasing nitric acid concentration and at 3.0 M nitric acid, a distribution coefficient of 1150 mL/g and 2600 mL/g were obtained for IONSIV IE-911 and TAM-5, respectively. Rapid uptake of cesium followed by the establishment of equilibrium occurring within three hours. Loading of cesium in ion exchangers increased with the increase in the concentration of cesium in aqueous phase and from Langmuir adsorption model the apparent capacity of cesium was 69 mg/g and 82 mg/g for IONSIV IE-911 and TAM-5, respectively. The performance of the sorbent under dynamic conditions was assessed by following a breakthrough (BT) curve up to C/C o = 1, where C and C o are the concentrations of cesium in the effluent and feed, respectively.

The detection, correlation, and comparison of peptide precursor and product ions from data independent LC‐MS with data dependant LC‐MS/MS

The detection, correlation, and comparison of peptide and product ions from a data independent LC-MS acquisition strategy with data dependent LC-MS/MS is described. The data independent mode of acquisition differs from an LC-MS/MS data acquisition since no ion transmission window is applied with the first mass analyzer prior to collision induced disassociation. Alternating the energy applied to the collision cell, between low and elevated energy, on a scan-to-scan basis, provides accurate mass precursor and associated product ion spectra from every ion above the LOD of the mass spectrometer. The method therefore provides a near 100% duty cycle, with an inherent increase in signal intensity due to the fact that both precursor and product ion data are collected on all isotopes of every charge-state across the entire chromatographic peak width. The correlation of product to precursor ions, after deconvolution, is achieved by using reconstructed retention time apices and chromatographic peak shapes. Presented are the results from the comparison of a simple four protein mixture, in the presence and absence of an enzymatically digested protein extract from Escherichia coli. The samples were run in triplicate by both data dependant analysis (DDA) LC-MS/MS and data-independent, alternate scanning LC-MS. The detection and identification of precursor and product ions from the combined DDA search results of the four protein mixture were used for comparison to all other data. Each individual set of data-independent LC-MS data provides a more comprehensive set of detected ions than the combined peptide identifications from the DDA LC-MS/MS experiments. In the presence of the complex E. coli background, over 90% of the monoisotopic masses from the combined LC-MS/MS identifications were detected at the appropriate retention time. Moreover, the fragmentation pattern and number of associated elevated energy product ions in each replicate experiment was found to be very similar to the DDA identifications. In the case of the corresponding individual DDA LC-MS/MS experiment, 43% of the possible detectable peptides of interest were identified. The presented data illustrates that the time-aligned data from data-independent alternate scanning LC-MS experiments is highly comparable to the data obtained via DDA. The obtained information can therefore be effectively and correctly deconvolved to correlate product ions with parent precursor ions. The ability to generate precursor-product ion tables from this information and subsequently identify the correct parent precursor peptide will be illustrated in a companion manuscript.

Platinum complexes having redox-active PPh2CCFc and/or CCFc as terminal or bridging ligands

A series of heteronuclear-Pt(ii) complexes containing ferrocenylethynyl units linked directly (Pt-C[triple bond]CFc) or through a phosphorous atom (Pt-PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc) to the platinum center is reported. The reaction of derivative [cis-Pt(R(F))(2)(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc)(2)] (R(F) = C(6)F(5)) with the solvate complex [cis-Pt(R(F))(2)(thf)(2)] leads to the formation of an asymmetrical heteronuclear diplatinum complex [{Pt(R(F))(2)(mu-1kappaP:2eta(2)-PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc)(2)}Pt(R(F))(2)] having the "cis-Pt(R(F))(2)" fragment coordinated to the triple bonds of both ferrocenylethynylphosphine units, while treatment of [cis-Pt(C[triple bond]CFc)(2)(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CR)(2)] (R = Fc , Ph , tBu ) with the same solvate [cis-Pt(R(F))(2)(thf)(2)], affords double ferrocenylacetylide-bridged diplatinum systems [{Pt(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CR)(2)(mu-eta(1):eta(2)-C[triple bond]CFc)(2)}Pt(R(F))(2)] . The solid-state structures of [cis/trans-Pt(R(F))(2)(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc)(2)] /, [cis-Pt(R(F))(2)(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc)(tht)] (tht = tetrahydrothiophene), [{Pt(R(F))(2)(mu-1kappaP:2eta(2)-PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc)(2)}Pt(R(F))(2)] and [{Pt(PPh(2)C[triple bond]CtBu)(2)(mu-eta(1):eta(2)-C[triple bond]CFc)(2)}Pt(R(F))(2)] have been determined by X-ray diffraction methods. The electronic spectra and the electrochemical behaviour of all monoplatinum derivatives are discussed, showing a different extent of interaction between the remote ferrocenyl groups when they belong to PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc or C[triple bond]CFc ligands. For the diplatinum systems and , containing bridging (kappaP:eta(2)-PPh(2)C[triple bond]CFc ) or (eta(1):eta(2)-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CFc ) ligands, their electrochemical properties were also compared with the parent precursors.

Time-scales for magmatic differentiation at the Snaefellsjökull central volcano, western Iceland: Constraints from U–Th–Pa–Ra disequilibria in post-glacial lavas

We present major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb and U–Th–Pa–Ra isotope data for a small sample suite of primarily post-glacial, mildly alkalic volcanic rocks from the Snaefellsjökull central volcano situated off the main rift systems in western Iceland. The volcanic rocks are crystal-poor and range from olivine alkali basalt to trachyte and show tight correlations of major and trace elements that are explained by fractional crystallization involving removal of olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, Fe–Ti oxide and apatite. Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes are practically invariant, consistent with derivation from the same source region. During fractionation from primitive basalt to evolved trachyte, ( 230Th/ 232Th), ( 230Th/ 238U) and ( 231Pa/ 235U) decrease progressively at broadly constant ( 238U/ 232Th). A continuous closed-system fractionation model that assumes constant initial ( 230Th/ 232Th) in the basaltic precursor melt indicates that hawaiite was derived from olivine basalt by ∼50% fractional crystallization within 12.1 - 5.2 + 5.1 kyr and trachyte by ∼80% fractionation within 53.9 - 6.7 + 7.0 kyr . An overrepresentation of evolved basalts and hawaiites with young inferred magma ages in the dataset is consistent with the parental precursor to these magmas intruded into the sub-volcanic magma plumbing system as a consequence of lithospheric rebound caused by deglaciation. Lavas affected by apatite removal have higher ( 231Pa/ 235U) than predicted for simple radioactive decay, suggesting apatite significantly fractionates U from Pa. The proposed fractionation model consistently explains our U-series data assuming D Pa apa ⩽ 0.5 and D U apa ∼ 3.2 and D Th apa ∼ 3.0 . If applicable, these D values would indicate that the effect of apatite fractionation must be adequately considered when assessing differentiation time scales using ( 231Pa/ 235U) disequilibria data.

Expression and processing of small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoproteins in mouse odontoblastic cells

Objective Small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoproteins (SIBLINGs) are expressed in dentin and believed to control dentinogenesis. Five members of SIBLING family include bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteopontin (OPN), matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP). These genes are clustered on chromosome 4q in humans and share similar biological features. DSPP and DMP1 are processed into given structural/functional fragments in rat and porcine. It still remains unclear whether these evidences occur in mouse and other SIBLING members are also processed into given fragments from their parent precursors. The aim of this study was to identify expression and processing of the five proteins in two mouse odontoblastic cell lines. Design Two mouse odontoblastic cells were used to study expression and processing of the five SIBLING proteins by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. Results Immunohistochemistry study showed that all of the five SIBLING members were expressed within the cytoplasm and cellular processes in the mouse odontoblastic cell lines. Expression levels of DMP1 and DSPP were higher in differentiated mouse odontoblasts than undifferentiated mouse odontoblasts. Immunolabelling signal of DSP and MEPE was also detected within the nucleus in the two cell lines. Western blot assay indicated that all five members were processed into at least two fragments in these cells. Conclusions These results suggest that different processed products and expression levels of the SIBLING proteins may play distinct biological functions in tooth development and mineralisation.

Synthesis, characterization, electronic structure and catalytic performance of bimetallic and trimetallic nanoparticles containing tin

When anchored on a high-area, siliceous supports, nanoparticle catalysts, consisting of two or three different metals, but totaling no more than twenty atoms in all, exhibit exceptional activities and selectivities in solvent-free, one-step hydrogenation reactions at low temperatures (< 420 K) and much lower pressures (e.g. 30 bar) than those required in current industrial manufacture. The two selective hydrogenations illustrated here are the conversion of (a) cyclododecatriene (CDT) to cyclododecene (CD) and (b) dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) to cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM); each of these products is extensively used in the polymer industry. All our mixed-metal nanoparticles are derived from an appropriately chosen parent (precursor) mixed-metal carbonyl having phenyl-containing tin ligands, e.g. Ru4(mu4-SnPh)2(CO)12. Various techniques are used to characterize the denuded, anchored cluster catalysts; and it is expected that aberration-corrected high-resolution electron microscopy (and other techniques, which are outlined) will be invaluable in such characterization. Density functional theory has provided important insights into the structures and electronic properties of our catalysts and their precursors.

MicroRNAs Act as Decoy Molecules To Restore Granulocytic Maturation of Differentiation-Arrested BCR/ABL+ Myeloid Precursors.

Altered microRNA (miR) expression contributes to aberrant post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in different type of cancers; however, their role in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) from chronic phase (CML-CP) to blast crisis (CML-BC) is still largely unknown. Microarray analysis of miR expression reveals that a discrete number of miRs are significantly upregulated (∼ 6.7% of the total 505 miRs present on the chip; 34 miRs) or downregulated (∼2.8% of the miRs present on the chip; 14 miRs) in an imatinib-sensitive manner in CML-BCCD34+ compared to CML-CPCD34+ progenitors and in BCR/ABL-expressing hematopoietic cell lines compared to untransformed parental cells. Among them, we focused our attention on miR-223, miR-15a/16-1 and miR-328, a microRNA with no currently known function, because of their importance in myelopoiesis, potential role as tumor suppressors and sequence homology with the 5'UTR of CEBPA mRNA, respectively. In 32D-BCR/ABL and K562 cells, Northern blot and TaqMan RT-PCR analyses revealed that expression of miR-223, miR-328, miR-15a and miR-16-1 was markedly suppressed (50–75% inhibition) by p210-BCR/ABL kinase activity and that imatinib treatment (1mM; 24h) restored the expression of these miRs to levels similar to those detected in non-transformed 32Dcl3 cells. Interestingly, sequence analysis of both miR-223 and miR-328 revealed homology with the hnRNP E2-binding site contained in the CEBPA uORF/spacer mRNA, a known target of the negative regulator of myeloid differentiation hnRNP E2. Accordingly, REMSA and UV-crosslinking experiments showed that synthetic miR-223 and to a greater extent miR-328 bind efficiently to recombinant hnRNP E2 protein and compete for its binding to an oligoribonucleotide containing the CEBPA uORF/spacer region, which is required for hnRNP E2-mediated translational inhibition of CEBPA in CML-BCCD34+ progenitors. Furthermore, both miR-223 and miR-328 bind endogenous hnRNP E2 from lysates of BCR/ABL-expressing but not parental cells, and from lysates of parental 32Dcl3 myeloid precursors ectopically expressing a Flag-tagged hnRNP E2 protein, suggesting that miR-223 and miR-328 may act as decoy molecules that interfere with the translation-inhibitory activity of hnRNP E2. Indeed, ectopic expression of miR-223 restored G-CSF-driven granulocytic maturation of differentiation-arrested 32D-BCR/ABL cells and restored C/EBPα expression, whereas it did not have any effect on cytokine-independent growth and clonogenic potential. Consistent with its ability to bind hnRNP E2, miR-328 also rescued C/EBPα expression and differentiation of cytokine-independent BCR/ABL-expressing myeloid precursor 32Dcl3 cells. By contrast, BCR/ABL-dependent colony formation was markedly reduced by overexpression of miR-15a and miR-16-1 (65–75% inhibition, P<0.001) and slightly decreased (40–50% inhibition, P<0.01) by ectopic miR-328 expression. Altogether, these data not only reinforce the importance of BCR/ABL-dependent post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression during CML disease progression but also suggest a new function for microRNAs as functional regulators of RNA binding proteins involved in the control of malignant cell growth, survival and differentiation.

Synthesis of Cd/(Al+Fe) layered double hydroxides and characterization of the calcination products

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) containing Cd(II), Al(III), and Fe(III) in the brucite-like layers with different starting Fe/Al atomic ratios and with nitrate as counteranion have been prepared following the coprecipitation method at a constant pH value of 8. An additional Cd(II),Al(III)-LDH sample interlayered with hexacyanoferrate(III) ions has been prepared by ionic exchange at pH 9. The samples have been characterized by elemental chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and FT-IR spectroscopy. Their thermal stability has been assessed by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TG-DTA) and mass spectrometric analysis of the evolved gases. The PXRD patterns of the solids calcined at 800 °C show diffraction lines corresponding to Cd(Al)O and spinel-type materials, which precise nature (CdAl 2O 4, Cd 1− x Fe 2+ x O 4, or Cd x Fe 2.66O 4) depends on location and concentration of iron in the parent material or precursor.

Development of Reagents for Differential Protein Quantitation by Subtractive Parent (Precursor) Ion Scanning

We present a generic approach for quantitative differential proteomics that reduces data complexity in proteome analysis by automated selection of peptides for MS/MS analysis according to their isotope-labeling ratio. Isotopic reagents were developed that give products which fragment easily to generate a unique pair of signature ions. Using the ion-pair ratio, we show that it is possible to select only BSA peptides (with a 3:1 light heavy isotope ratio) for MS/MS when spiked in a whole yeast extract using Parent (precursor) Ion Quantitation Scanning (PIQS) for MS/MS.

The Thylakoid Proton Gradient Promotes an Advanced Stage of Signal Peptide Binding Deep within the Tat Pathway Receptor Complex

Tat (twin arginine translocation) systems transport folded proteins across the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts and the plasma membrane of most bacteria. Tat precursors are targeted by hydrophobic cleavable signal peptides with twin arginine (RR) motifs. Bacterial precursors possess an extended consensus, (S/T)RRXFLK, of which the two arginines and the phenylalanine are essential for efficient transport. Thylakoid Tat precursors possess twin arginines but lack the consensus phenylalanine. Here, we have characterized two stages of precursor binding to the thylakoid Tat signal peptide receptor, the 700-kDa cpTatC-Hcf106 complex. The OE17 precursor tOE17 binds to the receptor by RR-dependant electrostatic interactions and partially dissociates during blue native gel electrophoresis. In addition, the signal peptide of thylakoid-bound tOE17 is highly exposed to the membrane surface, as judged by accessibility to factor Xa of cleavage sites engineered into signal peptide flanking regions. By contrast, tOE17 containing a consensus phenylalanine in place of Val(-20) (V - 20F) binds the receptor more strongly and is completely stable during blue native gel electrophoresis. Thylakoid bound V - 20F is also completely protected from factor Xa at the identical sites. This suggests that the signal peptide is buried deeply in the cpTatC-Hcf106 binding site. We further provide evidence that the proton gradient, which is required for translocation, induces a tighter interaction between tOE17 and the cpTat machinery, similar to that exhibited by V - 20F. This implies that translocation involves a very intimate association of the signal peptide with the receptor complex binding site.

Fabrication of Nano-Sized Titanate Powders by an Ethylene Glycol Solution Route

Several titanate powders (Al2TiO5, SrTiO3, etc.) were synthesized by an ethylene glycol solution route. Titanium isopropoxide and nitrate salts were dissolved in stoichiometric proportions in liquid-type ethylene glycol without any precipitation. The parent precursor sols were dried to porous gels, and then the gels were calcined and crystallized. All synthesized titanate powders had stable crystallization behavior at low temperature and high specific surface area after a simple ball-milling process. A three-component PZT (Pb(Zr0.52·Ti0.48)O3) powder was also synthesized successfully by the ethylene glycol method. In this study, the characteristics of the multi-component titanate powders by the ethylene glycol method are examined.

Synthesis and structural characterization of copper incorporated manganese oxide OMS-2 materials synthesized via potassium birnessite

Metal ion incorporated tunnel structured manganese oxide OMS-2 has been recently exploited as potential materials in the field of heterogeneous catalysis Cryptomelane type copper incorporated manganese oxide OMS-2 type tunnel structured material has been synthesized by hydrothermal method using birnessite-containing potassium as a parent precursor instead of using birnessite containing sodium. Crystal structure and thermal stability of as synthesized materials are characterized by using XRD and TGA. Surface area and morphology of newly synthesized copper incorporated OMS-2 type materials have been studied by BET and SEM analyses.

Chemical derivatization of phosphoserine and phosphothreonine containing peptides to increase sensitivity for MALDI-based analysis and for selectivity of MS/MS analysis

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important and common ways of regulating protein function in cells. However, phosphopeptides are difficult to analyse, ionising poorly under standard MALDI conditions. Several methods have been developed to deal with the low sensitivity and specificity of phosphopeptide analysis. Here, we show an approach using a simple one-step beta-elimination/Michael addition reaction for the derivatization of phosphoserine and phosphothreonine. The substitution of the negatively charged phosphate group by a positively charged S-ethylpyridyl group greatly improves the ionisation of the modified peptides, especially in MALDI MS, increasing the sensitivity of the analysis. The modification allows the formation of a unique fragment ion at m/z 106 under mild collisional activation conditions, which can be used for parent (precursor) ion scanning in order to improve both the sensitivity and the selectivity of the analysis. The optimisation of the approach is described for a standard model peptide and protein and then applied to phosphorylation analysis in two biologically derived proteins purified from different experimental systems.