Photon-gated foldaxane assembly/disassembly.

Integrating multiple anthracene motifs into aromatic oligoamide sequences gives rise to photoactive foldamers that can sequester a molecular thread forming helix-on-axle assemblies. Photoirradiation is shown to distort the helical host and drive dissociation of the supramolecular assembly and thread liberation as signalled by a photonic output, while thermal reversion regenerates the assembly.

NMR resonance assignment of the cell death execution domain BELL2 from multicellular bacterial signalosomes.

Signalosomes are high-order protein machineries involved in complex mechanisms controlling regulated immune defense and cell death execution. The immune response is initiated by the recognition of exogeneous or endogenous signals, triggering the signalosome assembly process. The final step of signalosome fate often involves membrane-targeting and activation of pore-forming execution domains, leading to membrane disruption and ultimately cell death. Such cell death-inducing domains have been thoroughly characterized in plants, mammals and fungi, notably for the fungal cell death execution protein domain HeLo. However, little is known on the mechanisms of signalosome-based immune response in bacteria, and the conformation of cell death executors in bacterial signalosomes is still poorly characterized. We recently uncovered the existence of NLR signalosomes in various multicellular bacteria and used genome mining approaches to identify putative cell death executors in Streptomyces olivochromogenes. These proteins contain a C-terminal amyloid domain involved in signal transmission and a N-terminal domain, termed BELL for Bacteria analogous to fungal HeLL (HeLo-like), presumably responsible for membrane-targeting, pore-forming and cell death execution. In the present study, we report the high yield expression of S. olivochromogenes BELL2 and its characterization by solution NMR spectroscopy. BELL is folded in solution and we report backbone and sidechain assignments. We identified five α-helical secondary structure elements and a folded core much smaller than its fungal homolog HeLo. This study constitutes the first step toward the NMR investigation of the full-length protein assembly and its membrane targeting.

Redox-Regulated and Guest-Driven Transformations of Aromatic Oligoamide Foldamers in Advanced Structures.

In this study, we demonstrate that an aromatic oligoamide sequence assembles into a trimeric helix-turn-helix architecture with a disulfide linkage, and upon cleavage of this linkage, it reconstructs into an antiparallel double helix. The antiparallel double helix is accessible to encapsulate a diacid guest within its cavity, forming a 2:1 host-guest complex. In contrast, hydrogen-bonding interactions between the trimeric-assembled structure and guests induce a conformational shift in the trimeric helix, resulting in a cross-shaped double-helix complex at a 2:2 host-guest ratio. Interconversions between the trimeric helix and the antiparallel double helix, along with their respective host-guest complexes, can be initiated through thiol/disulfide redox-mediated regulation.

Does Acinetobacter calcoaceticus glucose dehydrogenase produce self-damaging H2O2?

The soluble glucose dehydrogenase (sGDH) from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus has been widely studied and is used, in biosensors, to detect the presence of glucose, taking advantage of its high turnover and insensitivity to molecular oxygen. This approach, however, presents two drawbacks: the enzyme has broad substrate specificity (leading to imprecise blood glucose measurements) and shows instability over time (inferior to other oxidizing glucose enzymes). We report the characterization of two sGDH mutants: the single mutant Y343F and the double mutant D143E/Y343F. The mutants present enzyme selectivity and specificity of 1.2 (Y343F) and 5.7 (D143E/Y343F) times higher for glucose compared with that of the wild-type. Crystallographic experiments, designed to characterize these mutants, surprisingly revealed that the prosthetic group PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), essential for the enzymatic activity, is in a cleaved form for both wild-type and mutant structures. We provide evidence suggesting that the sGDH produces H2O2, the level of production depending on the mutation. In addition, spectroscopic experiments allowed us to follow the self-degradation of the prosthetic group and the disappearance of sGDH's glucose oxidation activity. These studies suggest that the enzyme is sensitive to its self-production of H2O2. We show that the premature aging of sGDH can be slowed down by adding catalase to consume the H2O2 produced, allowing the design of a more stable biosensor over time. Our research opens questions about the mechanism of H2O2 production and the physiological role of this activity by sGDH.

A Chiral [2+3] Covalent Organic Cage Based on 1,1'-Bi-2-naphthol (BINOL) Units.

A [2+3] chiral covalent organic cage is produced through a dynamic covalent chemistry approach by mixing two readily available building units, viz. an enantiopure 3,3'-diformyl 2,2'-BINOL compound (A) with a triamino spacer (B). The two enantiomeric (R,R,R) and (S,S,S) forms of the cage C are formed nearly quantitatively thanks to the reversibility of the imine linkage. The X-ray diffraction analysis of cage (S,S,S)-C highlights that the six OH functions of the BINOL fragments are positioned inside the cage cavity. Upon reduction of the imine bonds of cage C, the amine cage D is obtained. The ability of the cage D to host the 1-phenylethylammonium cation (EH+) as a guest is evaluated through UV, CD and DOSY NMR studies. A higher binding constant for (R)-EH+ cation (Ka=1.7 106±10 % M-1) related to (S)-EH+ (Ka=0.9 106±10 % M-1) is determined in the presence of the (R,R,R)-D cage. This enantiopreference is in close agreement with molecular dynamics simulation.

Palmitic acid at high concentration modifies the nanoscale structure of anhydrous milk fat.

We performed a nanoscale study based on X-ray scattering to understand the impact of a promotor of crystallization, palmitic acid (PA), at high concentration, on the networks of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in anhydrous milk fat (AMF). Melted blends containing 10 wt% PA were quenched at 25 °C. X-ray scattering data were compared with those obtained for pure AMF, pure PA, and AMF containing 1 wt% PA. While PA at low concentration did not modify the nanostructure of TAG crystals (direct crystallization in the ß'-2L form), a high concentration of this promotor favored the formation of polymorphic forms suggesting that PA first crystallizes and then directs crystallization of AMF TAGs towards α and ß forms.

Hfq C-terminal region forms a ß-rich amyloid-like motif without perturbing the N-terminal Sm-like structure.

Hfq is a pleitropic actor that serves as stress response and virulence factor in the bacterial cell. To execute its multiple functions, Hfq assembles into symmetric torus-shaped hexamers. Extending outward from the hexameric core, Hfq presents a C-terminal region, described as intrinsically disordered in solution. Many aspects of the role and the structure of this region remain unclear. For instance, in its truncated form it can promote amyloid-like filament assembly. Here, we show that a minimal 11-residue motif at the C-terminal end of Hfq assembles into filaments with amyloid characteristics. Our data suggest that the full-length Hfq in its filamentous state contains a similar molecular fingerprint than that of the short ß-strand peptide, and that the Sm-core structure is not affected by filament formation. Hfq proteins might thus co-exist in two forms in vivo, either as isolated, soluble hexamers or as self-assembled hexamers through amyloid-reminiscent interactions, modulating Hfq cellular functions.

Synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Helical Hairpin Oligourea Foldamers.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Gilles Guichard at the University of Bordeaux. The image depicts sketches and technical drawing tools to illustrate the creation and precise characterization of foldamer tertiary structures. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202300087.

Membrane plasticity induced by myo-inositol derived archaeal lipids: chemical synthesis and biophysical characterization.

Archaeal membrane lipids have specific structures that allow Archaea to withstand extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In order to understand the molecular parameters that govern such resistance, the synthesis of 1,2-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoinositol (DoPhPI), an archaeal lipid derived from myo-inositol, is reported. Benzyl protected myo-inositol was first prepared and then transformed to phosphodiester derivatives using a phosphoramidite based-coupling reaction with archaeol. Aqueous dispersions of DoPhPI alone or mixed with DoPhPC can be extruded and form small unilamellar vesicles, as detected by DLS. Neutron, SAXS, and solid-state NMR demonstrated that the water dispersions could form a lamellar phase at room temperature that then evolves into cubic and hexagonal phases with increasing temperature. Phytanyl chains were also found to impart remarkable and nearly constant dynamics to the bilayer over wide temperature ranges. All these new properties of archaeal lipids are proposed as providers of plasticity and thus means for the archaeal membrane to resist extreme conditions.

High-affinity single and double helical pseudofoldaxanes with cationic guests.

Two aromatic oligoamides, the 8-residue H8 and 16-residue H16, that adopt stable, cavity-containing helical conformations were examined for their complexation of a rodlike dicationic guest, octyl viologen (OV2+) and para-bis(trimethylammonium)benzene (TB2+). Studies based on 1D and 2D 1H NMR, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and X-ray crystallography demonstrated that H8 and H16 wraps around two OV2+ ions as a double helix and a single helix, respectively, resulting in 2 : 2 and 1 : 2 complexes. Compared to H8, the longer H16 binds the OV2+ ions with much higher binding affinity and with extraordinary negative cooperativity. In contrast to its 1 : 2 binding with OV2+, the binding of helix H16 with the bulkier guest TB2+ shows a 1 : 1 ratio. Host H16 also selectively binds OV2+ in the presence of TB2+. This novel host-guest system features pairwise placement of the otherwise strongly repulsive OV2+ ions in the same cavity, strong negative cooperativity, and mutual adaptability of hosts and guests. The resultant complexes are highly stable [2]-, [3]-, and [4]pseudo-foldaxanes with few known precedents.

Structural polymorphism of the low-complexity C-terminal domain of TDP-43 amyloid aggregates revealed by solid-state NMR.

Aberrant aggregation of the transactive response DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) is associated with several lethal neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions of TDP-43 are enriched in various fragments of the low-complexity C-terminal domain and are associated with different neurotoxicity. Here we dissect the structural basis of TDP-43 polymorphism using magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy in combination with electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. We demonstrate that various low-complexity C-terminal fragments, namely TDP-13 (TDP-43300-414), TDP-11 (TDP-43300-399), and TDP-10 (TDP-43314-414), adopt distinct polymorphic structures in their amyloid fibrillar state. Our work demonstrates that the removal of less than 10% of the low-complexity sequence at N- and C-termini generates amyloid fibrils with comparable macroscopic features but different local structural arrangement. It highlights that the assembly mechanism of TDP-43, in addition to the aggregation of the hydrophobic region, is also driven by complex interactions involving low-complexity aggregation-prone segments that are a potential source of structural polymorphism.

A pH- and Metal-Actuated Molecular Shuttle in Water.

The structure of the Viologen-Phenylene-Imidazole (VPI) guest, previously shown to be bound by cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) with binding modes depending on pH and silver ions, has been extended by adding hydrophobic groups on the two extremities of VPI before investigations of CB[7] binding by NMR, ITC, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. With an imidazole station extended by a naphthalene group (VPI-N), binding modes of CB[7] are similar to those previously observed. However, with the viologen extended by a tolyl group (T-VPI), CB[7] preferentially sits on station T, shuttling between the T and P stations at acid pH or after Ag+ addition. The CB[7] ⋅ T-VPI complex thus behaves as a metal-actuated thermodynamic stop-and-go molecular shuttle featured by fast and autonomous ring translocation between two stations and a continuum for fractional station occupancy solely and easily controlled by Ag+ concentration.

Synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Helical Hairpin Oligourea Foldamers.

Oligomers designed to form a helix-turn-helix super-secondary structure have been prepared by covalently bridging aliphatic oligourea foldamer helices with either rigid aromatic or more flexible aliphatic spacers. The relative helix orientation in these dimers was investigated at high resolution using X-ray diffraction analysis. In several cases, racemic crystallography was used to facilitate crystallization and structure determination. All structures were solved by direct methods. Well-defined parallel helical hairpin motifs were observed in all cases when 4,4'-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate was employed as a dimerizing agent, irrespective of primary sequence and chain length.

The Pga59 cell wall protein is an amyloid forming protein involved in adhesion and biofilm establishment in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans.

The human commensal fungus Candida albicans can attach to epithelia or indwelling medical devices and form biofilms, that are highly tolerant to antifungal drugs and can evade the immune response. The cell surface protein Pga59 has been shown to influence adhesion and biofilm formation. Here, we present evidence that Pga59 displays amyloid properties. Using electron microscopy, staining with an amyloid fibre-specific dye and X-ray diffraction experiments, we showed that the predicted amyloid-forming region of Pga59 is sufficient to build up an amyloid fibre in vitro and that recombinant Pga59 can also adopt a cross-ß amyloid fibre architecture. Further, mutations impairing Pga59 amyloid assembly led to diminished adhesion to substrates and reduced biofilm production. Immunogold labelling on amyloid structures extracted from C. albicans revealed that Pga59 is used by the fungal cell to assemble amyloids within the cell wall in response to adhesion. Altogether, our results suggest that Pga59 amyloid properties are used by the fungal cell to mediate cell-substrate interactions and biofilm formation.

Molecular torsion springs: alteration of helix curvature in frustrated tertiary folds.

The first abiotic foldamer tertiary structures have been recently reported in the form of aromatic helix-turn-helix motifs based on oligo-quinolinecarboxamides held together by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Tertiary folds were predicted by computational modelling of the hydrogen-bonding interfaces between helices and later verified by X-ray crystallography. However, the prognosis of how the conformational preference inherent to each helix influences the tertiary structure warranted further investigation. Several new helix-turn-helix sequences were synthesised in which some hydrogen bonds have been removed. Contrary to expectations, this change did not strongly destabilise the tertiary folds. On closer inspection, a new crystal structure revealed that helices adopt their natural curvature when some hydrogen bonds are missing and undergo some spring torsion upon forming the said hydrogen bonds, thus potentially giving rise to a conformational frustration. This phenomenon sheds light on the aggregation behaviour of the helices when they are not linked by a turn unit.

Hexafluoroisobutylation of enolates through a tandem elimination/allylic shift/hydrofluorination reaction.

The isobutyl side chain is a highly prevalent hydrophobic group in drugs, and it notably constitutes the side chain of leucine. Its replacement by a hexafluorinated version containing two CF3 groups may endow the target compound with new and advantageous properties, yet this modification remains overlooked due to the absence of a general and practical synthetic methodology. Herein, we report the first general method to introduce the hexafluoroisobutyl group into ketoesters, malonates, 1,3-diketones, Schiff base esters and malononitrile. We demonstrated that the reaction occurs through an elimination/allylic shift/hydrofluorination cascade process which efficiently overcomes the usual fluoride ß-elimination observed with α-CF3-vinyl groups. We showed that with alkali metal bases, a pentafluorinated alkene is obtained predominantly, whereas the use of tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) allows hydrofluorination to occur. This tandem process represents a conceptually new pathway to synthesize bis-trifluoromethylated compounds. This methodology was applied to the multigram-scale synthesis of enantiopure (S)-5,5,5,5',5',5'-hexafluoroleucine.

Synthesis and Characterization of Vanillin-Based π-Conjugated Polyazomethines and Their Oligomer Model Compounds.

The synthesis of π-conjugated polymers via an environmentally friendly procedure is generally challenging. Herein, we describe the synthesis of divanillin-based polyazomethines, which are derived from a potentially bio-based monomer. The polymerization is performed in 5 min under microwave irradiation without any metallic catalyst, with water as the only by-product. The vanillin-based polyazomethines were characterized by SEC, TGA, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Model compounds were designed and characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The structure/properties study of vanillin-based azomethines used as models allowed us to unequivocally confirm the E configuration and to highlight the cross-conjugated nature of divanillin-based polymers.

[3]Foldarotaxane-mediated synthesis of an improbable [2]rotaxane.

The wrapping of an aromatic oligoamide helix around an active ester-containing [2]rotaxane enforced the sliding and the sequestration of the surrounding macrocycle around a part of the axle for which it has no formal affinity. The foldamer-mediated compartmentalization of the [2]rotaxane shuttle was subsequently used to prepare an improbable rotaxane.

Racemic crystal structures of A-DNA duplexes.

The ease with which racemic mixtures crystallize compared with the equivalent chiral systems is routinely taken advantage of to produce crystals of small molecules. However, biological macromolecules such as DNA and proteins are naturally chiral, and thus the limited range of chiral space groups available hampers the crystallization of such molecules. Inspiring work over the past 15 years has shown that racemic mixtures of proteins, which were made possible by impressive advances in protein chemical synthesis, can indeed improve the success rate of protein crystallization experiments. More recently, the racemic crystallization approach was extended to include nucleic acids as a possible aid in the determination of enantiopure DNA crystal structures. Here, findings are reported that suggest that the benefits may extend beyond this. Two racemic crystal structures of the DNA sequence d(CCCGGG) are described which were found to fold into A-form DNA. This form differs from the Z-form DNA conformation adopted by the chiral equivalent in the solid state, suggesting that the use of racemates may also favour the emergence of new conformations. Importantly, the racemic mixture forms interactions in the solid state that differ from the chiral equivalent (including the formation of racemic pseudo-helices), suggesting that the use of racemic DNA mixtures could provide new possibilities for the design of precise self-assembled nanomaterials and nanostructures.

Self-assembling figure-of-eight and pseudoplectoneme aromatic oligoamide ribbons.

Two oligoamide macrocycles composed of eight and twelve 7-amino-8-fluoro-2-quinolinecarboxylic acid monomers were synthesised despite the propensity of their acyclic precursors to fold and self-assemble into double helices. Macrocyclisations were made possible through the transient use of helicity disruptors. The resulting macrocyclic ribbons were found to adopt figure-of-eight and pseudoplectoneme shapes that maintain an ability to self-assemble.