General acid/base catalysis of sugar anomerization.

Based on theoretical and mechanistical considerations, an equation is presented that describes the observed rate of a pH sensitive reaction. In contrast to the commonly used catalytic catenary, the new approach enables the calculation of non-biased thermodynamic activation parameters. Applying this model, the general acid/base catalysis of the ring opening of ß-d-fructopyranose was analyzed polarimetrically. Thereby, it could be shown that acids (bases) catalyze the ring opening of anionic (cationic) sugar species. Since anomerization rate constants correlate with the rate of sugar degradation, catalysts of anomerization will increase the sugar's reactivity as well. The most effective catalysts of the ring opening of ß-d-fructopyranose in the food relevant pH milieu are weak acids and their conjugated bases. Consequently, the enhanced reactivity of reducing sugars in the presence of amino acids is not solely due to classical Maillard reaction but primarily due to carboxylic acid catalysis of degradation reactions.

NMR analyses of complex d-glucose anomerization.

Analyzing the 1H NMR spectrum of d-glucose, the resonance frequencies of the anomeric protons of five d-glucose anomers could be determined in dependence on temperature. Besides, the relative concentrations of all cyclic d-glucose anomers could be quantified. Based on that, thermodynamic parameters were calculated. In addition, ring opening rate constants of all cyclic d-glucose anomers were measured for the first time using 1H selective blind saturation transfer NMR spectroscopy. The results presented here give rise to the assumption that furanoid anomers highly influence the reactivity of total d-glucose. Finally, the complex anomeric equilibration curves for a freshly prepared solution of crystalline α-d-glucopyranose are presented. Based on that, it is hypothesized that the reactivity of a solution of a reducing sugar in general and d-glucose in particular depends on time until the thermodynamic equilibrium state is reached.

Simultaneous formation of 3-deoxy-d-threo-hexo-2-ulose and 3-deoxy-d-erythro-hexo-2-ulose during the degradation of d-glucose derived Amadori rearrangement products: Mechanistic considerations.

Analyzing classical model reaction systems of Amadori rearrangement products (ARP) it became apparent that the formation of 3-deoxy-d-threo-hexo-2-ulose (3-deoxygalactosone, 3-DGal) during the degradation of ARPs is highly dependent on pH and the amino acid residue of the respective ARP. Based on a detailed analysis of the NMR chemical shifts of the sugar moieties of different ARPs, it could be derived that the formation of 3-DGal is sensitive to the stability of a co-operative hydrogen bond network which involves HO-C3, the deprotonated carboxyl functionality and the protonated amino nitrogen of the amino acid substituent. Participating in this bond network, HO-C3 is partially protonated which facilitates the elimination of water at C3. Based on that, a new mechanism of 3-deoxyglycosone formation is proposed.

Structure-reactivity relationship of Amadori rearrangement products compared to related ketoses.

Structure-reactivity relationships of Amadori rearrangement products compared to their related ketoses were derived from multiple NMR spectroscopic techniques. Besides structure elucidation of six Amadori rearrangement products derived from d-glucose and d-galactose with l-alanine, l-phenylalanine and l-proline, especially quantitative (13)C selective saturation transfer NMR spectroscopy was applied to deduce information on isomeric systems. It could be shown exemplarily that the Amadori compound N-(1-deoxy-d-fructos-1-yl)-l-proline exhibits much higher isomerisation rates than d-fructose, which can be explained by C-1 substituent mediated intramolecular catalysis. In combination with a reduced carbonyl activity of Amadori compounds compared to their related ketoses which results in an increased acyclic keto isomer concentration, the results on isomerisation dynamics lead to a highly significant increased reactivity of Amadori compounds. This can be clearly seen, comparing approximated carbohydrate milieu stability time constants (ACuSTiC) which is 1 s for N-(1-deoxy-d-fructos-1-yl)-l-proline and 10 s for d-fructose at pD 4.20 ± 0.05 at 350 K. In addition, first NMR spectroscopic data are provided, which prove that α-pyranose of (amino acid substituted) d-fructose adopts both, (2)C5 and (5)C2 conformation.

Theory of the milieu dependent isomerisation dynamics of reducing sugars applied to d-erythrose.

Quantitative (1)H selective saturation transfer NMR spectroscopy ((1)H SST qNMR) was used to fully describe the milieu dependent dynamics of the isomeric system of d-erythrose. Thermodynamic activation parameters are calculated for acidic as well as for basic catalysis combining McConnell's modified Bloch equations for the chemical exchange solved for the constraint of saturating the non-hydrated acyclic isomer, the Eyring equation and Hudson's equation for pH dependent catalysis. A detailed mathematical examination describing the milieu dependent dynamics of sugar isomerisation is provided. Thermodynamic data show evidence that photo-catalysed sugar isomerisation as well as degradation has to be considered. Approximations describing the pH and temperature dependence of thermodynamic activation parameters are derived that indicate the possibility of photo-affecting equilibrium constants. Moreover, the results show that isomerisation dynamics are closely related to degradation kinetics and that sugars' reactivities are altered by the concentration of acyclic carbonyl isomer and the sum of its ring closing rate constants. Additionally, it is concluded that sugar solutions show a limited self-stabilising behaviour.

Milieu dependence of isomeric composition of D-arabino-hexo-2-ulose in aqueous solution determined by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

In this study, high-resolution (1)H NMR spectroscopy (600.03 MHz) and (13)C NMR spectroscopy (150.89 MHz) were used to elucidate the structures of equilibrating d-arabino-hexo-2-ulose (GLUC) (1) isomers in aqueous solution. Four isomers were formed from the investigated ketohexose, and their equilibrium is dependent on the pH value and temperature. Only hydrated GLUC (1) isomers were identified. The (2)C5-ß-2,6-pyranoid and the ß-2,5-furanoid GLUC (1) isomer were exclusively formed in aqueous solution. Thus, (4)C1-1,5-pyranoid isomers are predominating in the crystalline state. An increase in solution pH or temperature led to a pairwise conversion of configurative information. Thus, changing the measurement conditions permits control over the equilibrium's characteristic. Furthermore, all GLUC (1) isomers showed comparable reaction behavior regarding pH- and temperature-dependent degradation reactions.

Milieu dependence of isomeric composition of 1-deoxy-D-erythro-hexo-2,3-diulose in aqueous solution determined by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

In this study, high-resolution (1)H (600.03 MHz) and (13)C NMR spectroscopy (150.89 MHz) were used to elucidate the structures of the identifiable isomers of a complex mixture of equilibrating 1-deoxy-D-erythro-hexo-2,3-diulose (1-DG) (1) isomers in aqueous solution. Approximately 15 isomers were formed from the investigated deoxy-ketohexose, and the equilibrium of the isomers is dependent on the pH values and temperature. In contrast to non-hydrated isomers, hydrated 1-DG (1) isomers were exclusively formed in aqueous solution. Their relative concentration increased when the pH was increased to more basic conditions. An increase in solution temperature led to the elimination of water and an increase in the relative concentration of the non-hydrated 1-DG (1) isomers. The observed influence of different conditions on the isomeric composition was explained for all isomers. Also, these observations provided information for structure elucidation. Furthermore, the reaction behaviour of 1-DG (1) under basic conditions at high temperatures (up to 347.5K) was interpreted and described.

On the use of N-dicyclopropylmethyl aspartyl-glycine synthone for backbone amide protection.

To prevent aspartimide formation and related side products in Asp-Xaa, particularly Asp-Gly-containing peptides, usually the 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl (Hmb) backbone amide protection is applied for peptide synthesis according to the Fmoc-protocols. In the present study, the usefulness of the recently proposed acid-labile dicyclopropylmethyl (Dcpm) protectant was analyzed. Despite the significant steric hindrance of this bulky group, N-terminal H-(Dcpm)Gly-peptides are quantitatively acylated by potent acylating agents, and alternatively the dipeptide Fmoc-Asp(OtBu)-(Dcpm)Gly-OH derivative can be used as a building block. In contrast to the Hmb group, Dcpm is inert toward acylations, but is readily removed in the acid deprotection and resin-cleavage step.

Local THz time domain spectroscopy of duplex DNA via fluorescence of an embedded probe.

We demonstrate that THz vibrational activity of a biopolymer can be measured locally, on the effective length scale for polar solvation, with an embedded molecular probe. For this purpose, the polarity probe 2-hydroxy-7-nitrofluorene was linked into a 13mer DNA duplex opposite an abasic site. The NMR solution structure shows that the fluorene moiety occupies a well-defined position in place of a base pair but can flip around the long axis on a millisecond time scale. Femtosecond optical pump-probe experiments are used to measure the time-resolved Stokes shift of emission from the probe. The dynamic shifts for solution in H(2)O and D(2)O are quantified. Their difference is much larger than that expected for free water, implying that only bound water is observed. A weak 26 cm(-1) spectral oscillation of the emission band is observed, which is not present when the probe is free in solution and is therefore caused by the supramolecular structure (DNA and hydration water).

Functional characterization of the recombinant N-methyltransferase domain from the multienzyme enniatin synthetase.

A 51 kDa fusion protein incorporating the N-methyltransferase domain of the multienzyme enniatin synthetase from Fusarium scirpi was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protein was purified and found to bind S-adenosyl methionine (AdoMet) as demonstrated by cross-linking experiments with (14)C-methyl-AdoMet under UV irradiation. Cofactor binding at equilibrium conditions was followed by saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy, and the native conformation of the methyltransferase was assigned. STD NMR spectroscopy yielded significant signals for H(2) and H(8) of the adenine moiety, H(1') of D-ribose, and S-CH(3) group of AdoMet. Methyl group transfer catalyzed by the enzyme was demonstrated by using aminoacyl-N-acetylcysteamine thioesters (aminoacyl-SNACs) of L-Val, L-Ile, and L-Leu, which mimic the natural substrate amino acids of enniatin synthetase presented by the enzyme bound 4'-phosphopantetheine arm. In these experiments the enzyme was incubated in the presence of the corresponding aminoacyl-SNAC and (14)C-methyl-AdoMet for various lengths of time, for up to 30 min. N-[(14)C-Methyl]-aminoacyl-SNAC products were extracted with EtOAc and separated by TLC. Acid hydrolysis of the isolated labeled compounds yielded the corresponding N-[(14)C-methyl] amino acids. Further proof for the formation of N-(14)C-methyl-aminoacyl-SNACs came from MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry which yielded 23 212 Da for N-methyl-valyl-SNAC, accompanied by the expected postsource decay (PSD) pattern. Interestingly, L-Phe, which is not a substrate amino acid of enniatin synthetase, also proved to be a methyl group acceptor. D-Val was not accepted as a substrate; this indicates selectivity for the L isomer.

The N-terminal flanking region of the TRP2360-368 melanoma antigen determines proteasome activator PA28 requirement for epitope liberation.

Proteasomes are known to produce major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I ligands from endogenous antigens. The interferon-gamma-inducible proteasome activator PA28 plays an important role in the generation of MHC ligands by proteasomes. Generation of the HLA-A(*)0201 restricted melanoma antigen TRP2(360-368) by the proteasome has been shown to be dependent on the function of PA28 in vitro and in vivo (Sun, Y., Sijts, A. J., Song, M., Janek, K., Nussbaum, A. K., Kral, S., Schirle, M., Stevanovic, S., Paschen, A., Schild, H., Kloetzel, P. M., and Schadendorf, D. (2002) Cancer Res. 62, 2875-2882). Here we analyzed the role of the epitope sequence environment in determining this PA28 dependence. Experiments using the melanoma TRP2(288-296) epitope and the murine cytomegalovirus-derived pp89 epitope precursor peptide for epitope replacement revealed that the TRP2(360-368) flanking sequences can transfer PA28 dependence onto otherwise PA28 independent epitopes. Moreover, the N-terminal flanking sequence is sufficient to establish PA28 dependence of an epitope by allowing PA28-induced coordinated dual cleavages. These results show that N-terminal flanking sequences strongly influence epitope generation efficiency and that PA28 function is particularly relevant for the generation of normally poorly excised peptide products.

Antioxidant oligomeric proanthocyanidins from sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Pomace.

After flavonol glycosides, monomeric flavan-3-ols, and dimeric and trimeric proanthocyanidins were fractionated from an extract of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) pomace by Sephadex LH-20 gel chromatography, oligomeric proanthocyanidins were eluted. The oligomeric fraction accounted for 84% of the total proanthocyanidins and 75% of the total antioxidant activity of the sea buckthorn pomace extract. To elucidate the structure of the oligomeric fraction, it was depolymerized by acid catalysis in the presence of phloroglucinol. The structure of the resulting flavan-3-ol monomers and flavan-3-ol-phloroglucinol adducts was determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography investigations demonstrated (+)-gallocatechin as the predominating subunit in the oligomeric fraction. This observation was confirmed by ESI-MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that the majority of the flavan-3-ol subunits possessed a 2,3-trans configuration. The oligomers consisted mainly of prodelphinidin subunits whereas procyanidins were present in smaller amounts, indicating a very uncommon composition of the sea buckthorn proanthocyanidins. The mean degree of polymerization of the oligomeric proanthocyanidins was between 6 and 9.

Structural investigations of flavonol glycosides from sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) pomace by NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-ESI-MS(n).

Four flavonol glycosides were isolated from an extract of sea buckthorn pomace (Hippophaë rhamnoides) by Sephadex LH-20 gel chromatography and semipreparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by hydrolysis studies, ESI-MS(n), UV, and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The occurrence of the major flavonol glycoside kaempferol 3-O-beta-sophoroside-7-O-alpha-rhamnoside in sea buckthorn is described here for the first time. A further 21 flavonol glycosides of Sephadex LH-20 fractions of sea buckthorn pomace were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. The characteristic MS-MS and MS(3) fragmentation pattern of flavonol glycosides previously identified in sea buckthorn juice and of flavonol glycosides identified by NMR spectroscopy gave valuable indications for their identification. The results demonstrate that loss of the sugar moiety from C-7 of the aglycon is more favored than fission of the glycosidic linkage at the C-3 position. Thus, most of the compounds identified were 7-rhamnosides of isorhamnetin, kaempferol, and quercetin, which exhibit different substitution patterns at the C-3 position, mainly glucosides, rutinosides, and sophorosides. In addition, numerous flavonol glycosides were detected lacking a sugar moiety at C-7. Finally, eight flavonol derivatives were identified that are acylated by hydroxybenzoic or hydoxycinnamic acids.

Solution- and bound-state conformational study of N,N',N"-triacetyl chitotriose and other analogous potential inhibitors of hevamine: application of trNOESY and STD NMR spectroscopy.

The solution-state conformations of N,N',N"-triacetyl chitotriose (1) and other potential chitinase inhibitors 2-4 were studied using a combination of NMR spectroscopy (NOESY) and molecular mechanics calculations. Determination solely of the global energy minimum conformation was found to be insufficient for an agreement with the NMR results. An appropriate consistency between the NMR experimental data and theoretical calculations was only reached by assessing the structures as population-weighted average conformers based on Boltzmann distributions derived from the calculated relative energies. Analogies, but also particular differences, between the synthetic compounds 2-4 and the naturally-occurring N,N',N"-triacetyl chitotriose were found. Furthermore, the conformation of compounds 1 and 2 when bound to hevamine was also studied using transferred NOESY experiments and the binding process was found to impart a level of conformational restriction on the ligands. The preferred conformation as determined for 1 in the bound state to hevamine belonged to one of the conformational families found for the compound when free in solution, although full characterisation of the bound-state conformations was impeded due to severe signal overlap. Saturation transfer difference NMR experiments were also employed to analyse the binding epitopes of the bound compounds. We thus determined that it is mainly the acetyl amido groups of the trisaccharide and the heterocyclic moiety which are in close contact with hevamine.

Prognostic implications of elevated whole blood choline levels in acute coronary syndromes.

Troponins I and T represent the current biomarker standard for diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Even small increases of cardiac troponins have prognostic implications, but not all patients at risk are correctly classified, particularly at admission. We identified elevated whole-blood choline as a promising marker and performed a prospective study of 327 patients with a suspected acute coronary syndrome that focused on the analysis of troponin-negative patients. Diagnostic classification of patients and the definition of troponin cutoffs were performed according to the new European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology criteria. Blood was sampled serially and choline was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry in whole blood. Patients were followed for 30 days. In patients with negative troponin I test results at admission (n = 250), choline was a predictor of cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest (hazard ratio 6.0, p = 0.003), life-threatening arrhythmias (hazard ratio 3.75, p = 0.004), heart failure (hazard ratio 2.87, p = 0.002), and coronary angioplasty (hazard ratio 2.57, p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis of troponin-negative patients, choline was the strongest predictor of cardiac death or arrest (odds ratio 6.05, p = 0.01). Choline was not a marker for myocardial necrosis but indicated high-risk unstable angina in patients without acute myocardial infarction (sensitivity 86.4%, specificity 86.2%). Thus, an increased concentration of choline at hospital admission is a predictor of adverse cardiac events in patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes. Whole blood choline may be useful for early risk stratification of these patients, particularly if troponin results are negative on admission.

Development of an HPLC-NMR method for the determination of PAHs in soil samples - a comparison with conventional methods.

A hyphenated HPLC-(1)H NMR method for the identification and quantification of PAHs in soil samples has been developed and applied to a PAH reference sample provided by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM, Berlin, Germany). The results were compared with those obtained by HPLC-DAD, HPLC-F, and GC-MS analyses of the same sample.