Interactions of REF1 and SRPP1 rubber particle proteins from Hevea brasiliensis with synthetic phospholipids: Effect of charge and size of lipid headgroup.

According to the fatty acid and headgroup compositions of the phospholipids (PL) from Hevea brasiliensis latex, three synthetic PL were selected (i.e. POPA: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate POPC: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and POPG: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol) to investigate the effect of PL headgroup on the interactions with two major proteins of Hevea latex, i.e. Rubber Elongation Factor (REF1) and Small Rubber Particle Protein (SRPP1). Protein/lipid interactions were screened using two models (lipid vesicles in solution or lipid monolayers at air/liquid interface). Calcein leakage, surface pressure, ellipsometry, microscopy and spectroscopy revealed that both REF1 and SRPP1 displayed stronger interactions with anionic POPA and POPG, as compared to zwitterionic POPC. A particular behavior of REF1 was observed when interacting with POPA monolayers (i.e. aggregation + modification of secondary structure from α-helices to ß-sheets, characteristic of its amyloid aggregated form), which might be involved in the irreversible coagulation mechanism of Hevea rubber particles.

Janus Effect of Lewis Acid Enables One-Step Block Copolymerization of Ethylene Oxide and N-Sulfonyl Aziridine.

One-step sequence-selective block copolymerization requires stringent catalytic control of monomers relative activity and enchainment order. It has been especially rare for An Bm -type block copolymers from simple binary monomer mixtures. Here, ethylene oxide (EO) and N-sulfonyl aziridine (Az) compose a valid pair provided with a bicomponent metal-free catalyst. Optimal Lewis acid/base ratio allows the two monomers to strictly block-copolymerize in a reverse order (EO-first) as compared with the conventional anionic route (Az-first). Livingness of the copolymerization facilitates one-pot synthesis of multiblock copolymers by addition of mixed monomers in batches. Calculation results reveal that a Janus effect of Lewis acid on the two monomers is key to enlarge the activity difference and reverse the enchainment order.

Solution behavior and encapsulation properties of fatty acid-elastin-like polypeptide conjugates.

Developing new biomaterials is an active research area owing to their applications in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are good candidates for these applications because they are biosourced, biocompatible and biodegradable. With the aim of developing ELP-based micelles for drug delivery applications we have synthesized 15 acyl-ELP compounds by conjugating myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic or linoleic acid to the N-terminus of three ELPs differing in molar mass. The ELP-fatty acid conjugates have interesting solution behavior. They form micelles at low temperatures and aggregate above the cloud point temperature (Tcp). The critical micelle concentration depends on the fatty acid nature while the micelle size is mainly determined by the ELP block length. We were able to show that ELPs were better hydrated in the micelles than in their individual state in solution. The micelles are stable in phosphate-buffered saline at temperatures below the Tcp, which can vary between 20 °C and 38 °C depending on the length or hydrophilicity of the ELP. Acyl-ELP micelles were loaded with the small hydrophobic molecule Nile red. The encapsulation efficiency and release kinetics showed that the best loading conditions were achieved with the largest ELP conjugated to stearic acid.

Exploring natural biodiversity to expand access to microbial terpene synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Terpenes are industrially relevant natural compounds the biosynthesis of which relies on two well-established-mevalonic acid (MVA) and methyl erythritol phosphate (MEP)-pathways. Both pathways are widely distributed in all domains of life, the former is predominantly found in eukaryotes and archaea and the latter in eubacteria and chloroplasts. These two pathways supply isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the universal building blocks of terpenes. RESULTS: The potential to establish a semisynthetic third pathway to access these precursors has been investigated in the present work. We have tested the ability of a collection of 93 isopentenyl phosphate kinases (IPK) from the biodiversity to catalyse the double phosphorylation of isopentenol and dimethylallyl alcohol to give, respectively IPP and DMAPP. Five IPKs selected from a preliminary in vitro screening were evaluated in vivo in an engineered chassis E. coli strain producing carotenoids. The recombinant pathway leading to the synthesis of neurosporene and lycopene, allows a simple colorimetric assay to test the potential of IPKs for the synthesis of IPP and DMAPP starting from the corresponding alcohols. The best candidate identified was the IPK from Methanococcoides burtonii (UniProt ID: Q12TH9) which improved carotenoid and neurosporene yields ~ 18-fold and > 45-fold, respectively. In our lab scale conditions, titres of neurosporene reached up to 702.1 ± 44.7 µg/g DCW and 966.2 ± 61.6 µg/L. A scale up to 4 L in-batch cultures reached to 604.8 ± 68.3 µg/g DCW and 430.5 ± 48.6 µg/L without any optimisation shown its potential for future applications. Neurosporene was almost the only carotenoid produced under these conditions, reaching ~ 90% of total carotenoids both at lab and batch scales thus offering an easy access to this sophisticated molecule. CONCLUSION: IPK biodiversity was screened in order to identify IPKs that optimize the final carotenoid content of engineered E. coli cells expressing the lycopene biosynthesis pathway. By simply changing the IPK and without any other metabolic engineering we improved the neurosporene content by more than 45 fold offering a new biosynthetic access to this molecule of upmost importance.

Telechelic Polybutadienes or Polyisoprenes Precursors for Recyclable Elastomeric Networks.

(Bis)furan-telechelic, low-molar-mass polybutadienes and polyisoprenes are synthesized by controlled degradation of high molar mass polymers and chain-end modifications yielding difunctional, trifunctional, or tetrafunctional polymers. Addition of a bismaleimide to the liquid-modified polymer leads to the formation of a thermoreversible elastomeric network based on the Diels-Alder chemistry for the trifunctional or tetrafunctional polymers, whereas only chain extension occurs for the bifunctional one. Dynamic mechanical analyses or tensile tests are performed on the networks and reveal a similar behavior for polyisoprene and polybutadiene with nevertheless quite different Young modulus or strain at break. The retro Diels-Alder reaction occurs upon heating, allowing the remolding of the used elastomer. The remolded network exhibits the same mechanical properties as the initial network, showing an efficient material recyclability.

Rubber particle proteins REF1 and SRPP1 interact differently with native lipids extracted from Hevea brasiliensis latex.

Rubber particle membranes from the Hevea latex contain predominantly two proteins, REF1 and SRPP1 involved in poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) synthesis or rubber quality. The repartition of both proteins on the small or large rubber particles seems to differ, but their role in the irreversible coagulation of the rubber particle is still unknown. In this study we highlighted the different modes of interactions of both recombinant proteins with different classes of lipids extracted from Hevea brasiliensis latex, and defined as phospholipids (PL), glycolipids (GL) and neutral lipids (NL). We combined two biophysical methods, polarization modulated-infrared reflection adsorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and ellipsometry to elucidate their interactions with monolayers of each class of lipids. REF1 and SRPP1 interactions with native lipids are clearly different; SRPP1 interacts mostly in surface with PL, GL or NL, without modification of its structure. In contrast REF1 inserts deeply in the lipid monolayers with all lipid classes. With NL, REF1 is even able to switch from α-helice conformation to ß-sheet structure, as in its aggregated form (amyloid form). Interaction between REF1 and NL may therefore have a specific role in the irreversible coagulation of rubber particles.

Cellulose oligomers production and separation for the synthesis of new fully bio-based amphiphilic compounds.

Cellulose oligomers are water-soluble, on the contrary to cellulose, which greatly increase their application range. In this study, cellulose oligomers were obtained from the acidic hydrolysis of cellulose with phosphoric acid. The global yield in water-soluble oligomers was around 23% with polymerization degree (DP) ranging from 1 to 12. The cellulose oligomers DP distribution was successfully reduced by differential solubilisation in methanol as one of the goals of this work was to avoid the use of a time-consuming full chromatographic separation. The methanol-soluble oligomers were mainly low DP (≤3). The oligomers of higher molar mass, composed of 42% of cellotetraose and 36% of cellopentaose, were then functionalized and coupled with stearic acid through azide-alkyne click chemistry to obtain amphiphilic compounds. The self-assembly of these new bio-based compounds was finally investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their critical micellar concentration (CMC) was found to be in the same range as alkylmaltosides and alkylglucosides.

Highlights on Hevea brasiliensis (pro)hevein proteins.

Hevein, from Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree), was identified in 1960. It is the most abundant soluble protein (22%) found in latex. Hevein is formed from a larger protein called prohevein. The 187 amino-acid prohevein is cleaved into two fragments: the N-terminal 43 amino-acid hevein, a lectin bearing a chitin-binding motif with antifungal properties, and a C-terminal domain (C-ter), which possesses amyloid properties. Hevein-like proteins are also widely represented in the plant kingdom and belong to a larger family related to stress and pathogenic responses. During the last 55 years, these proteins have attracted the interest of numerous specialists from the fields of plant physiology, genetics, molecular and structural biology, and physico-chemistry to allergology. This review highlights various aspects of hevein, prohevein, and C-ter from the point of view of these various fields, and examines their potential roles in latex as well as their beneficial and negative biological effects (e.g. wound sealing and resistance to pathogens which is mediated by agglutination, antimicrobial activity, and/or allergenicity). It covers results and observations from 1960 up to the most recent research.

HbIDI, SlIDI and EcIDI: A comparative study of isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase activity and structure.

In this study, we cloned, expressed and purified the isopentenyl diphosphate isomerases (IDIs) from two plants, Hevea brasiliensis and Solanum lycopersicum, and compared them to the already well characterized Escherichia coli IDI. Phylogenetic analysis showed high homology between the three enzymes. Their catalytic activity was investigated in vitro with recombinant purified enzymes and in vivo by complementation colorimetric tests. The three enzymes displayed consistent activities both in vitro and in vivo. In term of structure, studied by ATR-FTIR and molecular modeling, it is clear that both plant enzymes are more related to their human homologue than to E. coli IDI. But it is assumed that EcIDI represent the minimalistic part of the catalytic core, as both plant enzymes present a supplementary sequence forming an extra α-helice surrounding the catalytic site that could facilitate the biocatalysis. New potential biotechnological applications may be envisaged.

Hevea brasiliensis prohevein possesses a conserved C-terminal domain with amyloid-like properties in vitro.

Prohevein is a wound-induced protein and a main allergen from latex of Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree). This 187 amino-acid protein is cleaved in two fragments: a N-terminal 43 amino-acids called hevein, a lectin bearing a chitin-binding motif with antifungal properties and a C-terminal domain (C-ter) far less characterized. We provide here new insights on the characteristics of prohevein, hevein and C-terminal domain. Using complementary biochemical (ThT/CR/chitin binding, agglutination) and structural (modeling, ATR-FTIR, TEM, WAXS) approaches, we show that this domain clearly displays all the characteristics of an amyloid-like proteins in vitro, that could confer agglutination activity in synergy with its chitin-binding activity. Additionally, this C-ter domain is highly conserved and present in numerous plant prohevein-like proteins or pathogenesis-related (PR and WIN) proteins. This could be the hallmark of the eventual presence of proteins with amyloid properties in plants, that could potentially play a role in defense through aggregation properties.

A Catalyst Platform for Unique Cationic (Co)Polymerization in Aqueous Emulsion.

Sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DBSNa) surfactants, with a polydisperse and hyperbranched structure, combined with different rare earth metal salts generate highly water-dispersible Lewis acid surfactant combined catalysts (LASCs). This platform of new complexes promotes fast, efficient cationic polymerization of industrially relevant monomers in direct emulsion at moderate temperature. The process described here does not require high shearing, long polymerization time, or large catalyst content. It allows the reproducible generation of high-molar-mass homopolymers of pMOS, styrene, and isoprene, as well as random or multiblock copolymers of the latter two, in a simple and straightforward one-pot reaction.

Hevea brasiliensis REF (Hev b 1) and SRPP (Hev b 3): An overview on rubber particle proteins.

This review article aims to gather all the knowledge on two important proteins associated with Hevea brasiliensis rubber particles: namely the rubber elongation factor (REF) and the small rubber particle protein (SRPP). It covers more then three decades of research on these two proteins and their homologues in plants, and particularly emphasizes on the different possible properties or functions of these various proteins found in plants.

α-Halogenoacetanilides as hydrogen-bonding organocatalysts that activate carbonyl bonds: fluorine versus chlorine and bromine.

α-Halogenoacetanilides (X=F, Cl, Br) were examined as H-bonding organocatalysts designed for the double activation of CO bonds through NH and CH donor groups. Depending on the halide substituents, the double H-bond involved a nonconventional CH⋅⋅⋅O interaction with either a HCXn (n=1-2, X=Cl, Br) or a HCAr bond (X=F), as shown in the solid-state crystal structures and by molecular modeling. In addition, the catalytic properties of α-halogenoacetanilides were evaluated in the ring-opening polymerization of lactide, in the presence of a tertiary amine as cocatalyst. The α-dichloro- and α-dibromoacetanilides containing electron-deficient aromatic groups afforded the most attractive double H-bonding properties towards CO bonds, with a NH⋅⋅⋅O⋅⋅⋅HCX2 interaction.

Unexpected dimerization of isoprene in a gas chromatography inlet. A study by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry coupling.

During analysis of pure isoprene by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using a programmed temperature vaporization (PTV) inlet, the presence of several isoprene dimers was detected in the total ion chromatograms (TICs). This study intends to determine the part of the instrument where dimerization occurs and the relative importance of the dimer amounts under different experimental conditions. The reference thermal dimerization of isoprene gives four six-membered cyclic dimers and two eight-membered ones. In all samples containing different amounts of freshly distilled isoprene, only peaks corresponding to the former appeared in TICs. For the same temperature, their amounts increase as the concentration of injected isoprene increases. The main products are diprene (from 80 to 100%) of the total dimers and dipentene (from 1 to 14%). The sum of the two other dimers is never higher than 6%. In conclusion, isomeric dimers are produced through a dimerization in the inlet. No dimerization of isoprene occurs in the mass spectrometer source. Then care is needed when analyzing terpenic compounds in the presence of isoprene by GC-MS because structures, retention times and mass spectra of diprene and dipentene are close.

Rubber particle proteins, HbREF and HbSRPP, show different interactions with model membranes.

The biomembrane surrounding rubber particles from the hevea latex is well known for its content of numerous allergen proteins. HbREF (Hevb1) and HbSRPP (Hevb3) are major components, linked on rubber particles, and they have been shown to be involved in rubber synthesis or quality (mass regulation), but their exact function is still to be determined. In this study we highlighted the different modes of interactions of both recombinant proteins with various membrane models (lipid monolayers, liposomes or supported bilayers, and multilamellar vesicles) to mimic the latex particle membrane. We combined various biophysical methods (polarization-modulation-infrared reflection-adsorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)/ellipsometry, attenuated-total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), plasmon waveguide resonance (PWR), fluorescence spectroscopy) to elucidate their interactions. Small rubber particle protein (SRPP) shows less affinity than rubber elongation factor (REF) for the membranes but displays a kind of "covering" effect on the lipid headgroups without disturbing the membrane integrity. Its structure is conserved in the presence of lipids. Contrarily, REF demonstrates higher membrane affinity with changes in its aggregation properties, the amyloid nature of REF, which we previously reported, is not favored in the presence of lipids. REF binds and inserts into membranes. The membrane integrity is highly perturbed, and we suspect that REF is even able to remove lipids from the membrane leading to the formation of mixed micelles. These two homologous proteins show affinity to all membrane models tested but neatly differ in their interacting features. This could imply differential roles on the surface of rubber particles.

Homologous Hevea brasiliensis REF (Hevb1) and SRPP (Hevb3) present different auto-assembling.

HbREF and HbSRPP are two Hevea brasiliensis proteins present on rubber particles, and probably involved in the coagulation of latex. Their function is unclear, but we previously discovered that REF had amyloid properties, which could be of particular interest during the coagulation process. First, we confirmed that REF and SRPP, homologous and principal proteins in hevea latex, are not glycoproteins. In this work, we investigated various aspects of protein interactions: aggregation, auto-assembling, yeast and erythrocyte agglutination, co-interactions by various biochemical (PAGE, spectroscopy, microscopy), biophysical (DLS, ellipsometry) and structural (TEM, ATR-FTIR, PM-IRRAS) approaches. We demonstrated that both proteins are auto-assembling into different aggregative states: REF polymerizes as an amyloid rich in ß-sheets and forms quickly large aggregates (>µm), whereas SRPP auto-assembles in solution into stable nanomultimers of a more globular nature. Both proteins are however able to interact together, and SRPP may inhibit the amyloidogenesis of REF. REF is also able to interact with the membranes of yeasts and erythrocytes, leading to their agglutination. In addition, we also showed that both REF and SRPP did not have antimicrobial activity, whereas their activity on membranes has been clearly evidenced. We may suspect that these aggregative properties, even though they are clearly different, may occur during coagulation, when the membrane is destabilized. The interaction of proteins with membranes could help in the colloidal stability of latex, whereas the protein-protein interactions would contribute to the coagulation process, by bringing rubber particles together or eventually disrupting the particle monomembranes.

Rubber elongation factor (REF), a major allergen component in Hevea brasiliensis latex has amyloid properties.

REF (Hevb1) and SRPP (Hevb3) are two major components of Hevea brasiliensis latex, well known for their allergenic properties. They are obviously taking part in the biosynthesis of natural rubber, but their exact function is still unclear. They could be involved in defense/stress mechanisms after tapping or directly acting on the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway. The structure of these two proteins is still not described. In this work, it was discovered that REF has amyloid properties, contrary to SRPP. We investigated their structure by CD, TEM, ATR-FTIR and WAXS and neatly showed the presence of ß-sheet organized aggregates for REF, whereas SRPP mainly fold as a helical protein. Both proteins are highly hydrophobic but differ in their interaction with lipid monolayers used to mimic the monomembrane surrounding the rubber particles. Ellipsometry experiments showed that REF seems to penetrate deeply into the monolayer and SRPP only binds to the lipid surface. These results could therefore clarify the role of these two paralogous proteins in latex production, either in the coagulation of natural rubber or in stress-related responses. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an amyloid formed from a plant protein. This suggests also the presence of functional amyloid in the plant kingdom.

Isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase: A checkpoint to isoprenoid biosynthesis.

Even if the isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) isomerases have been discovered in the 50s, it is only in the last decade that the genetical, enzymatical, structural richness and cellular importance of this large family of crucial enzymes has been uncovered. Present in all living kingdoms, they can be classified in two subfamilies: type 1 and type 2 IPP isomerases, which show clearly distinct characteristics. They all perform the regulatory isomerization of isopentenyl diphosphate into dimethylallyl diphosphate, a key rate-limiting step of the terpenoid biosynthesis, via a protonation/deprotonation mechanism. Due to their importance in the isoprenoid metabolism and the increasing interest of industry devoted to terpenoid production, it is foreseen that the biotechnological development of such enzymes should be under intense scrutiny in the near future.

(Thio)Amidoindoles and (thio)amidobenzimidazoles: an investigation of their hydrogen-bonding and organocatalytic properties in the ring-opening polymerization of lactide.

The mechanism of the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide catalyzed by two partner hydrogen-bonding organocatalysts was explored. New amidoindoles 4 a,c, thioamidoindoles 4 b,d, amidobenzimidazoles 5 a,c, and thioamidobenzimidazoles 5 b,c were synthesized and used as activators of the monomer. In the solid state and in solution, compounds 4 and 5 showed a propensity for self-association, which was evaluated. (Thio)Amides 4 and 5 do catalyze the ROP of lactide in the presence of a cocatalyst, tertiary amine 3 a or 3 b, which activates the growing polymer chain through hydrogen-bonding. Reactions were conducted in 2-24 h at 20 degrees C; conversion yields ranged between 22 and 100 %. A detailed study of the intermolecular interactions undertaken between the participating species showed that, as expected, simultaneous weak hydrogen bonds do exist to activate the reagents. Moreover, interactions have been revealed between the partner catalysts 4/5+3. ROP catalyzed by these partner activators is thus governed by multiple dynamic equilibria. The latter should be judiciously adjusted to fine-tune the catalytic properties of (thio)amides and organocatalysts, more generally.

Ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide efficiently triggered by an amido-indole. X-ray structure of a complex between L-lactide and the hydrogen-bonding organocatalyst.

N-(3,5-Bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxamide 1e is an efficient hydrogen-bonding organocatalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide. This new catalytic species does control the dispersity (1.08) and molecular weight (3460 g/mol vs 3064 in theory) of the poly(l-lactides) prepared in 2 h. (1)H NMR analysis showed that compound 1e complexes l-lactide in CDCl(3) through the two available NH groups (amide and indole). In particular, the catalytic species appeared to be mainly the H-bonding donor amide (1e in extended conformation, alone or dimer (1e)(2)) and, to a lesser extend, the dual H-bonding amido-indole (1e in its the pinched conformation). The first X-ray structure of the complex between a H-bonding organocatalyst and l-lactide also revealed a tight H-bonded network between the dimer (1e)(2) and l-lactide.