Chemometric analysis of the multidrug resistance in strains of Penicillium digitatum.

Multidrug resistance activities pECr50 of diverse strains of pathogenic fungus Penicillium digitatum against seven toxicants were studied by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Fungal growth data (radii, circumferences, surface areas of fungal colonies, radius differences and ratios) in absence and presence of toxicants were used to derive eight new descriptors for 35 fungal strains. This data set was studied by PCA and HCA, and was correlated with the genome descriptor PCR for expression of gene CYP51 by Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. Both analyses of pECr50 data and of fungal growth data have identified baseline resistance character, origin and target fruits of the fungal strains. In addition, the analysis of fungal growth data shows that fungal growth morphology is multivariate by nature, meaning that experimental data can be explored more intensely than in usual practice. Fungal growth is directly related to the production of enzyme P45014DM as the main resistance mechanism of P. digitatum against demethylation inhibitors. This is visible from a parsimonious PLS model (two principal components, Q2 = 0.985, R2 = 0.991, SEV = 0.028), validated with eight strains in the external validation set (Q2ev = 0.982, R2ev = 0.990, SECev = 0.025). Chemometric methods in exploring bioassay data are promising approaches to obtain useful information on fungal resistance and to apply these findings in practice.

On heteroaromaticity of nucleobases. Bond lengths as multidimensional phenomena.

Three hundred and nine carbon-carbon, carbon-nitrogen, and carbon-oxygen pi-bond lengths in high precision crystal structures of 31 purine and pyrimidine nucleobases were related to the Pauling pi-bond order, its analogues corrected to crystal packing effects, the numbers of non-hydrogen atoms around the bond, and the sum of atomic numbers of the bond atoms. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) demonstrated that the bond lengths in the nucleobases are three-dimensional phenomenon, characterized by nine distinct classes of bonds. Bond lengths predicted by Linear Regression models, Pauling Harmonic Potential Curves, Multiple Linear Regression, Principal Component, and Partial Least Squares Regression were compared to those calculated by molecular mechanics, semiempirical, and ab initio methods using PCA-HCA procedure on the calculated bond lengths, statistical parameters, and structural aromaticity indices. Incorporation of crystal packing effects into bond orders makes multivariate models to be competitive to semiempirical results, while further improvement of quantum chemical calculations can be achieved by geometry optimization of molecular clusters.

Predicting bond lengths in planar benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a chemometric approach.

Two hundred and twenty-three aromatic carbon-carbon bond lengths in high precision crystal structures containing 22 planar condensed benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PB-PAHs) were related to the Pauling pi-bond order, its analogue corrected to crystal packing effects, the number of hexagonal rings around the bond, and the numbers of carbons atoms around the bond at topological distance one and two. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the bond lengths in PB-PAHs are at least two-dimensional phenomenon, with well pronounced classification into 12 types of bonds, as confirmed with Hierachical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Consequently, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) models were superior to univariate models, reducing the degeneration of the data set and improving the estimation of Julg's structural aromaticity index. The approximate regression models based on topological descriptors only were built for fast and easy prediction of bond lengths and bond orders in PB-PAHs.

Correlation of structural and physico-chemical parameters with the bioactivity of alkylated derivatives of indole-3-acetic acid, a phytohormone (auxin).

As part of molecular recognition studies on the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) a series of alkylated IAAs has been examined. Phenyl-ring substitution (alkyl = methyl and ethyl) at positions 4-, 6- or 7- as well as pyrrole substitution at the 2-site resulted in the six compounds which are analyzed: 2-Me-IAA, 4-Me-IAA, 6-Me-IAA, 7-Me-IAA, 4-Et-IAA and 6-Et-IAA. The structure-activity relationships investigated include those between the geometrical parameters of the molecular structures determined by X-ray analysis, the growth-promoting activities in the Avena coleoptile straight-growth bioassay and relative lipophilicities calculated from retention times on a reversed-phase HPLC column and from R(F) values in reversed-phase TLC. Lipophilicities are correlated with the moments of inertia, average polarizability, molecular mass, and the van der Waals radii of the ring substituents. The influence of substitution on the electronic properties of the indole ring and its geometry is discussed on the basis of the UV and 1H NMR spectra.

Crystal and molecular structures of diazapyrenes and a study of pi\cdotspi interactions.

Two diazapyrenes, 5,10-dimethyl-4,9-diazapyrene (1) and novel 2,7-dimethyl-4,9-diazapyrene (2) have been synthesized. Their crystal structures are reported here and are the first representatives of diazapyrenes. Crystal data: (1) monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 4.0246 (5), b = 15.5147 (5), c = 9.1453 (9) Å, beta = 101.23 (1) degrees, V = 560.1 (1) Å(3), Z = 2, R = 0.043; (2) monoclinic, C2/m, a = 12.4968 (3), b = 11.4751 (4), c = 3.9615 (5) Å, beta = 96.80 (1) degrees, V = 564.09 (5) Å(3), Z = 2, R = 0.0405. The experimental bond lengths are compared with those calculated by molecular mechanics (MM3), semi-empirical methods (MOPAC6.0-PM3, AM1, MNDO) and values predicted by valence-bond and variable-electronegativity self-consistent field (VESCF) methods. pi.pi interactions in (1), (2) and seventeen other pyrene and pyrene-like molecules selected from the Cambridge Structural Database [Allen & Kennard (1993). Chem. Des. Autom. News, 8, 131-137] have been studied. The following quantitative parameters of pi.pi interactions have been calculated: the shortest crystallographic axis, the offset parameter, the interplanar angle, the interactive volume and the overlapping surfaces. They are used for the classification of crystal-packing motifs; a high predominance of beta and a few cases of gamma and sandwich-herringbone types are observed. In addition, electronegativity, the sum of partial atomic charges of the ring non-H atoms and the number of aromatic skeleton electrons are used as parameters for classification. MOPAC-PM3 was used to calculate the partial atomic charges in (1), (2) and pyrene analogues. Correlations between geometrical and electronic structure parameters reveal an analogy between the beta-type structures and the crystal structure of graphite.