Search results for " molecule"
showing 10 items of 1523 documents
Fluorescent Small Molecule Probe to Modulate and Explore α2β1 Integrin Function
2011
Collagen binding integrins are an important family of cell surface receptors that mediate bidirectionally signals between the interior of the cell and the extracellular matrix. The protein-protein interactions between cells and collagen are necessary for many physiological functions, but also promote diseases. For example, the interaction of α2β1 integrin and collagen has been shown to have an important role in thrombus formation and cancer spread. The fact that the discovery of small molecules that can block such protein-protein interactions is highly challenging has significantly hindered the discovery of pharmaceutical agents to treat these diseases. Here, we present a rationally designe…
Antibiotic as Ligand. Coordinating Behavior of the Cephalexin Towards Zn(II) and Cd(II) Ions
1987
The complex formation equilibria of Zn(II) and Cd(II) with cephalexin have been studied through potentiometric titrations. Experimental data were analyzed using the least squares computer program SUPERQUAD. The stability constants were 1g beta ZnCEX+ = 2.40, 1g beta Zn(CEX)(OH) = -4.54, 1g beta CdCEX+ = 2.18, and 1g beta Cd(CEX)(OH) = -5.18 (I = 0.1 M NaNO3), CEX complexes of formulae Zn(CEX)2(3)H2O and Cd(CEX)(OH)H2O have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, conductivity measurements, and electronic and NMR spectra. The thermal behavior of the synthesized compounds were studied by TGA and DTA. We conclude that the metal ion interacts with the amido group of…
Triggering dissymmetry in achiral dye molecules by chiral solvents: Circular dichroism experiments and DFT calculations
2011
The electronic circular dichroism spectra of achiral product “Lumogen F Red” (ROT-300) in four different chiral solvents are recorded at different temperatures. DFT calculations allow to identify two enantiomeric conformers for ROT-300. In vacuo they are equally populated; in chiral solvents one enantiomer prevails. Thermodynamic quantities involved in the chiral preference are derived. Chirality, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Stereoelectronic Requirements for Optimal Hydrogen-Bond-Catalyzed Enolization
2011
Protein crystallographic analysis of the active sites of enolizing enzymes and structural analysis of hydrogen-bonded carbonyl compounds in small molecule crystal structures, complemented by quantum chemical calculations on related model enolization reactions, suggest a new stereoelectronic model that accounts for the observed out-of-plane orientation of hydrogen-bond donors (HBDs) in the oxyanion holes of enolizing enzymes. The computational results reveal that the lone-pair directionality of HBDs characteristic for hydrogen-bonded carbonyls is reduced upon enolization, and the enolate displays almost no directional preference for hydrogen bonding. Positioning the HBDs perpendicular to the…
Finely Tuned Temperature-Controlled Cargo Release Using Paraffin-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
2011
[EN] Trapped: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles were loaded with a fluorescent guest and functionalized with octadecyltrimethoxysilane. The alkyl chains interact with paraffins, which build a hydrophobic layer around the particle (see picture). Upon melting of the paraffin, the guest molecule is released, as demonstrated in cells for the guest doxorubicin. The release temperature can be tuned by choosing an appropriate paraffin. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Variations of acidic functions at position 2 and substituents at positions 4, 5 and 6 of the indole moiety and their effect on NMDA-glycine site affi…
2003
The synthetic procedures to obtain indole derivatives with different acidic functions at position 2 of the indole are reported. The synthesised and tested derivatives comprise 5-tetrazolyl, 1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl-2-one, and indole-2-carboxylic acid amides with 5-aminotetrazole, methanesulphonamide and trifluoromethanesulphonamide moieties. The binding affinity was evaluated using [3H]MDL 105,519 and pig cortical brain membranes. In general, compounds with acidic functions different from a carboxylic acid moiety are less potent than indole-2-carboxylic acid derivatives. Also, the 4,6-dichloro substitution pattern was compared to 5-tert-butyl derivatives and compounds not substituted in the ben…
Structural basis of the migfilin-filamin interaction and competition with integrin beta tails.
2008
A link between sites of cell adhesion and the cytoskeleton is essential for regulation of cell shape, motility, and signaling. Migfilin is a recently identified adaptor protein that localizes at cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion sites, where it is thought to provide a link to the cytoskeleton by interacting with the actin cross-linking protein filamin. Here we have used x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and protein-protein interaction studies to investigate the molecular basis of migfilin binding to filamin. We report that the N-terminal portion of migfilin can bind all three human filamins (FLNa, -b, or -c) and that there are multiple migfilin-binding sites in FLNa. H…
"RKKH" peptides from the snake venom metalloproteinase of Bothrops jararaca bind near the metal ion-dependent adhesion site of the human integrin alp…
1999
Integrin alpha(1)beta(1) and alpha(2)beta(1) are the major cellular receptors for collagen, and collagens bind to these integrins at the inserted I-domain in their alpha subunit. We have previously shown that a cyclic peptide derived from the metalloproteinase domain of the snake venom protein jararhagin blocks the collagen-binding function of the alpha(2) I-domain. Here, we have optimized the structure of the peptide and identified the site where the peptide binds to the alpha(2) I-domain. The peptide sequence Arg-Lys-Lys-His is critical for recognition by the I-domain, and five negatively charged residues surrounding the "metal ion-dependent adhesion site" (MIDAS) of the I-domain, when mu…
Backbone dynamics of rusticyanin: the high hydrophobicity and rigidity of this blue copper protein is responsible for its thermodynamic properties.
2003
Local dynamics and solute-solvent exchange properties of rusticyanin (Rc) from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans have been studied by applying heteronuclear ((1)H, (15)N) NMR spectroscopy. (15)N relaxation parameters have been determined for the reduced protein, and a model-free analysis has been applied. The high average value of the generalized order parameter, S(2) (0.93), indicates that Rc is very rigid. The analysis of cross correlation rates recorded in both the reduced and the oxidized forms conclusively proves that Rc possesses the same dynamic features in both oxidation states. The accessibility of backbone amide protons to the solvent at different time scales has also been studied by appl…
On novel magnetic probe for fullerene characterization: Theoretical studies on NMR parameters of free and confined in fullerenes HD and H2 molecules
2015
Chemical characterization and separation of individual fullerenes from a raw reaction mixture need new and efficient tools, including rapid spectroscopic techniques. Recent "molecular surgery" synthesis of endohedral complexes of fullerenes with selected atoms and small molecules has opened a new path for experimental and theoretical studies on structural and spectroscopic properties of these molecular systems. Among them are fullerenes with molecular hydrogen confined within a nanoscale cavity. In this work we report on quantum-chemical prediction of nuclear magnetic shielding (and chemical shift) and indirect spin-spin coupling constant in free HD and H2 molecules, as well as models of co…