Search results for "MOLECULAR RECOGNITION"
showing 10 items of 112 documents
Ion-Pairing Effects in the Self-Assembly of a Fluorescent Pseudorotaxane
2006
Herein we report on the self-assembly, in a low polarity solvent, of a pseudorotaxane species comprising binaphthyl-26-crown-8 (BN26C8) as the macrocyclic host and anthracenyl-benzylammonium as the threadlike positively charged guest (ABH+). Absorption and luminescence data reveal a very efficient energy transfer process occurring from the binaphthyl to the anthracene singlet excited states. The self-assembly is highly dependent on the nature of the counteranion confirming the crucial role played by it in the competition between the self-assembly process and the formation of ion pairs (ABH+X-). This behavior can be readily evidenced in dilute solutions from the analysis of the luminescence …
Selective and Efficient Removal of Mercury from Aqueous Media with the Highly Flexible Arms of a BioMOF
2016
A robust and water-stable metal-organic framework (MOF), featuring hexagonal channels decorated with methionine residues (1), selectively captures toxic species such as CH3 Hg(+) and Hg(2+) from water. 1 exhibits the largest Hg(2+) uptake capacity ever reported for a MOF, decreasing the [Hg(2+) ] and [CH3 Hg(+) ] concentrations in potable water from highly hazardous 10 ppm to the much safer values of 6 and 27 ppb, respectively. Just like with biological systems, the high-performance metal capture also involves a molecular recognition process. Both CH3 Hg(+) and Hg(2+) are efficiently immobilized by specific conformations adopted by the flexible thioether "claws" decorating the pores of 1. T…
Induced-Fit Molecular Recognition with Water-Soluble Cavitands
2000
Synthesis of novel water-soluble cavitands 1 and 2 and their complexes—the caviplexes—is described. The solubility in water derives from four primary ammonium groups on the lower rim and eight secondary amide groups on the upper rim. Cavitands 1 and 2 exist as D2d velcraplex dimers in aqueous solution but the addition of lipophilic guests 15–24 induces conformational changes to the vase-like structures. The internal cavity dimensions are 8×10 A, and the exchange rates of guests in the caviplexes are slow on the NMR timescale (room temperature and 600 MHz). The direct observation of bound species and the stoichiometry of the complexes is reported. The association constants (Ka) between 0.4×1…
A Colorimetric Probe for the Selective Detection of Norepinephrine Based on a Double Molecular Recognition with Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles
2019
[EN] A simple colorimetric probe for the selective and sensitive detection of neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE), an important biomarker in the detection of tumors such as pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, is described. The sensing strategy is based on the use of spherical gold nanoparticles functionalized with benzaldehyde and boronic acid-terminated moieties. A double molecular recognition involving on one hand the aromatic aldehyde and the aminoalcohol group of NE, and on the other hand the boronic acid and the catechol moiety of the neurotransmitter, results in analyte triggered aggregation of the gold nanoparticles, leading to a bathochromic shift of the SPR band in the UV-vis spec…
Energy landscapes of ligand-receptor couples probed by dynamic force spectroscopy.
2013
Playing a dominant role in many biochemical processes are the dynamic properties of molecular linkages; examples include cell adhesion, enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and molecular recognition by antibodies. Dynamic force spectroscopy, namely separating molecular bonds under external force ramps has rapidly become a powerful tool to study the rugged energy landscape of noncovalent ligand-receptor bonds. The picture shows a surface and tip-bound pair being pulled apart and the derived potential energy diagram.
3,3′-Disubstitued 2,2′-Bipyridines as Carboxylate Receptors: Conformational Regulation of the Bipyridine Moiety
2008
Two bipyridine derivatives were synthesized and characterized, and their ability to act as sensors for carboxylates was evaluated by UV/Vis and fluorescence studies. The influence of the substituents of the thiourea groups on the stoichiometry of the resulting dicarboxylate complexes was established. Conformational changes in the bipyridine moiety under different conditions were evaluated.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
An Extraction-Based Assay for Neutral Anionophores: The Measurement of High Binding Constants to Steroidal Receptors in a Nonpolar Solvent
2002
The extraction-based proto- col for measuring binding constants, developed by Cram and co-workers, has been extended for use with anionic substrates. The method is especially useful for high-affinity receptors, allow- ing very high binding constants to be measured in nonpolar solvents. Distri- bution constants Kd between chloroform and water have been obtained for tet- raethylammonium chloride and bro- mide, thus calibrating the method for these two substrates. Application to steroidal podands 5 ± 9 has confirmed the ability of electron-withdrawing groups to enhance hydrogen-bond do- nor capabilities. Binding constants of 3 10 71 have been measured for the most powerful receptor 7. An X-ray…
Influence of template basicity and hydrophobicity on the molecular recognition properties of molecularly imprinted polymers
1996
Abstract Triazine herbicides were used as model templates for a basic study of the molecular recognition process in imprinted polymers. Five structurally related triazine herbicides (atrazine, ametryn, cyanazine, prometryn and terbutylazine) that differ in basicity and hydrophobicity were imprinted. Chromatographic evaluation of the resulting materials in an aqueous-poor mobile phase showed that the selectivity for the template increased with its Bronsted basicity whereas it did not correlate with template hydrophobicity. Thus, the highest and lowest affinity and selectivity for the template was observed using the ametryn-imprinted (p K a =4.1) and the cyanazine-imprinted polymers (p K a =1…
Overview of the Evolution of Silica-Based Chromo-Fluorogenic Nanosensors
2019
[EN] This review includes examples of silica-based, chromo-fluorogenic nanosensors with the aim of illustrating the evolution of the discipline in recent decades through relevant research developed in our group. Examples have been grouped according to the sensing strategies. A clear evolution from simply functionalized materials to new protocols involving molecular gates and the use of highly selective biomolecules such as antibodies and oligonucleotides is reported. Some final examples related to the evolution of chromogenic arrays and the possible use of nanoparticles to communicate with other nanoparticles or cells are also included. A total of 64 articles have been summarized, highlight…
The structural plasticity of the C terminus of p21Cip1 is a determinant for target protein recognition.
2003
The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory protein p21(Cip1) might play multiple roles in cell-cycle regulation through interaction of its C-terminal domain with a defined set of cellular proteins such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), calmodulin (CaM), and the oncoprotein SET. p21(Cip1) could be described as an intrinsically unstructured protein in solution although the C-terminal domain adopts a well-defined extended conformation when bound to PCNA. However, the molecular mechanism of the interaction with CaM and the oncoprotein SET is not well understood, partly because of the lack of structural information. In this work, a peptide derived from the C-terminal domain of p21(Cip1) …