Weak ferromagnetic ordering of the Li(+)[TCNE](•-) (TCNE = tetracyanoethylene) organic magnet with an interpenetrating diamondoid structure.

Li[TCNE] (TCNE = tetracyanoethylene) magnetically orders as a weak ferromagnet (canted antiferromagnet) below 21.0 ± 0.1 K, as observed from the bifurcation of the field-cooled and zero-field-cooled magnetizations, as well as remnant magnetization. The structure, determined ab initio from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, consists of a planar µ4-[TCNE](•-) bound to four tetrahedral Li(+) ions. The structure consists of two interpenetrating diamondoid sublattices, with closest interlattice distances of 3.43 and 3.48 Å. At 5 K this magnetic state is characterized by a coercivity of ~30 Oe, a remnant magnetization of 10 emu·Oe/mol, and a canting angle of 0.5°.

Rapid genetic analysis of x-linked chronic granulomatous disease by high-resolution melting.

High-resolution melting analysis was applied to X-linked chronic granulomatous disease, a rare disorder resulting from mutations in CYBB. Melting curves of the 13 PCR products bracketing CYBB exons were predicted by Poland's algorithm and compared with observed curves from 96 normal individuals. Primer plates were prepared robotically in batches and dried, greatly simplifying the 3- to 6-hour workflow that included DNA isolation, PCR, melting, and cycle sequencing of any positive products. Small point mutations or insertions/deletions were detected by mixing the hemizygous male DNA with normal male DNA to produce artificial heterozygotes, whereas detection of gross deletions was performed on unmixed samples. Eighteen validation samples and 22 clinical kindreds were analyzed for CYBB mutations. All blinded validation samples were correctly identified. The clinical probands were identified after screening for neutrophil oxidase activity. Nineteen different mutations were found, including seven near intron-exon boundaries predicting splicing defects, five substitutions within exons, three small deletions predicting premature termination, and four gross deletions of multiple exons. Ten novel mutations were found, including (c.) two missense (730T>A, 134T>G), one nonsense (90C>A), four splice site defects (45 + 1G>T, 674 + 4A>G, 1461 + 2delT, and 1462-2A>C), two small deletions (636delT, 1661_1662delCT), and one gross deletion of exons 6 to 8. High-resolution melting can provide timely diagnosis at low cost for effective clinical management of rare, genetic primary immunodeficiency disorders.

Structure and magnetic properties of (meso-tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III) bis(dithiolato)nickelates.

The crystal structures of [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2} [MnTPP = (meso-tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III)] and [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} have been determined. These salts possess trans-mu-coordination of S = 1/2 {Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2}*- and {Ni[S(2)C(2)(CN)(2)](2)}*- to Mn(III) and form parallel 1-D coordination polymer chains exhibiting nu(CN) at 2210 and 2200 and 2220 and 2212 cm(-1), respectively. The bis(dithiolato) monoanions are planar and bridge two cations with MnN distances of 2.339(16), and 2.394(3) A, respectively, which are comparable to related MnN distances observed for [MnTPP][TCNE].x(solvates). In addition, [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} {H2TP'P = meso-tetrakis[3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin] and [MnTP'P(OH2)]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} were prepared. The latter forms isolated paramagnetic ions. The room-temperature values of chiT for 1-D [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2}, [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}, and [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} are 2.55, 3.28, and 2.86 emu K/mol, respectively. Susceptibility (chi) measurements between 2 and 300 K reveal weak antiferromagnetic interactions with theta= -5.9 and -0.2 K for [MnTPP]{Ni[S(2)C(2)H(CN)](2)} and [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}, respectively, and stronger antiferromagnetic coupling of -50 K for [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} from fits of chi(T) to the Curie-Weiss law. The 1-D intrachain coupling, J(intra), of [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2} and [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} was determined from modeling chiT(T) by the Seiden expression (H = -2JSi.Sj) with J/kB = -8.00 K (-5.55 cm(-1); -0.65 meV) for [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2}, J/kB = -3.00 K (-2.08 cm(-1); -0.25 meV) for [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}, and J/kB = -122 K (-85 cm(-1)) for [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}. These observed negative J(intra)/kB values are indicative of antiferromagnetic coupling. These materials order as ferrimagnets at 5.5, 2.3, and 8.0 K, for [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2H(CN)]2}, [MnTPP]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}, and [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2}, respectively, based upon the temperature at which maximum in the 10 Hz chi'(T) data occurs. [MnTP'P]{Ni[S2C2(CN)2]2} has a coercivity of 17,700 Oe and remanent magnetizations of 7250 emu Oe/mol at 2 K and 17 Oe and 850 emu Oe/mol at 5 K; hence, upon cooling it goes from being a soft magnet to being a very hard magnet.

Synthesis and characterization of a cobalamin-colchicine conjugate as a novel tumor-targeted cytotoxin.

Colchicine was derivatized at C7 with p-alkoxyacetophenone and conjugated to cobalamin (vitamin B(12)) through an acid-labile hydrazone linker. The cobalamin moiety leads to preferential uptake of the cobalamin-colchicine prodrug by cancer cells, whereupon the hydrazone linker undergoes hydrolysis in the lysosome to unmask colchicine, which acts as a potent cytotoxin by stabilizing microtubules and causing cell death. The bioconjugate is stable in cell culture media and at neutral pH but undergoes hydrolysis with a half-life of 138 min at pH 4.5. The colchicine-cobalamin bioconjugate exhibits nanomolar LC(50) values against breast, brain, and melanoma cancer cell lines in culture. Attachment of colchicine to cobalamin is expected to increase the therapeutic index of the drug by limiting the side effects caused by the current nonselective administration of tubulin-targeted chemotherapeutic drugs.

Structural determination of 5'-OH alpha-ribofuranoside modified cobalamins via 13C and DEPT NMR.

A protocol for the rapid NMR characterization of cobalamin (vitamin B(12)) analogues with 5'-hydroxy-alpha-ribofuranoside modification is reported. The structure of cyanocobalamin in DMSO-d(6) has been assigned using COSY, NOESY, HSQC, and HMBC NMR methods. The robust precision of (13)C NMR assignments in DMSO-d(6) allows for the rapid structural determination of 5'-hydroxy-alpha-ribofuranosyl cyanocobalamin derivatives with solely 1-D (13)C and DEPT NMR spectra and only 10 mg of derivatized cobalamin. Using this method, the (13)C NMR resonances of four cobalamin analogues were determined with the most significant variance of (13)C chemical shifts occurring in the alpha-ribofuranoside ring. In DMSO-d(6), cobalamin concentrations greater than 30 mM can be achieved for an improved signal-to-noise ratio.

Equilibrium and kinetic analyses of the interactions between vitamin B(12) binding proteins and cobalamins by surface plasmon resonance.

Surface plasmon resonance biosensor analysis was used to evaluate the thermodynamics and binding kinetics of naturally occurring and synthetic cobalamins interacting with vitamin B(12) binding proteins. Cyanocobalamin-b-(5-aminopentylamide) was immobilized on a biosensor chip surface to determine the affinity of different cobalamins for transcobalamin, intrinsic factor, and nonintrinsic factor. A solution competition binding assay, in which a surface immobilized cobalamin analog competes with analyte cobalamin for B(12) protein binding, shows that only recombinant human transcobalamin is sensitive to modification of the corrin ring b-propionamide of cyanocobalamin. A direct binding assay, where recombinant human transcobalamin is conjugated to a biosensor chip, allows kinetic analysis of cobalamin binding. Response data for cyanocobalamin binding to the transcobalamin protein surface were globally fitted to a bimolecular interaction model that includes a term for mass transport. This model yields association and dissociation rate constants of k(a) = 3 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) and k(d) = 6 x 10(-4) s(-1), respectively, with an overall dissociation constant of K(D) = 20 pM at 30 degrees C. Transcobalamin binds cyanocobalamin-b-(5-aminopentylamide) with association and dissociation rates that are twofold slower and threefold faster, respectively, than transcobalamin binding to cyanocobalamin. The affinities determined for protein-ligand interaction, using the solution competition and direct binding assays, are comparable, demonstrating that surface plasmon resonance provides a versatile way to study the molecular recognition properties of vitamin B(12) binding proteins.