Frozen Microemulsions for MAPLE Immobilization of Lipase.

Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was deposited by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) in order to immobilize the enzyme with a preserved native conformation, which ensures its catalytic functionality. For this purpose, the composition of the MAPLE target was optimized by adding the oil phase pentane to a water solution of the amino acid 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methyl-l-alanine (m-DOPA), giving a target formed by a frozen water-lipase-pentane microemulsion. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the structure of MAPLE deposited lipase films. FTIR deconvolution of amide I band indicated a reduction of unfolding and aggregation, i.e., a better preserved lipase secondary structure in the sample deposited from the frozen microemulsion target. AFM images highlighted the absence of big aggregates on the surface of the sample. The functionality of the immobilized enzyme to promote transesterification was determined by thin layer chromatography, resulting in a modified specificity.

Inception of Acetic Acid/Water Cluster Growth in Molecular Beams.

The influence of carboxylic acids on water nucleation in the gas phase has been explored in the supersonic expansion of water vapour mixed with acetic acid (AcA) at various concentrations. The sodium-doping method has been used to detect clusters produced in supersonic expansions by using UV photoionisation. The mass spectra obtained at lower acid concentrations show well-detected Na(+) -AcA(H2O)n and Na(+)-AcA2 (H2O)n clusters up to 200 Da and, in the best cooling expansions, emerging Na(+)-AcAm (H2O)n signals at higher masses and unresolved signals that extend beyond m/e values >1000 Da. These signals, which increase with increasing acid content in water vapour, are an indication that the cluster growth taking place arises from mixed water-acid clusters. Theoretical calculations show that small acid-water clusters are stable and their formation is even thermodynamically favoured with respect to pure water clusters, especially at lower temperatures. These findings suggest that acetic acid may play a significant role as a pre-nucleation embryo in the formation of aerosols in wet environments.

New mimetic peptides of the kinase-inhibitory region (KIR) of SOCS1 through focused peptide libraries.

SOCS (suppressor of cytokine signalling) proteins are negative-feedback regulators of the JAK (Janus kinase)/STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) pathway. Their expression levels are low under physiological conditions, but they are up-regulated in response to cytokine stimulation in many immune and inflammatory processes. Overexpression of SOCS1 in keratinocyte clones abrogates the IFNγ (interferon γ)-induced expression of many pro-inflammatory genes and the release of related chemokines by blocking the JAK/STAT pathway. SOCS1 inhibits JAK2 kinase activity by binding the catalytic site of JAK2, with its KIR (kinase-inhibitory region) acting as a pseudo-substrate of the enzyme. In the present study, we screened a focused combinatorial peptide library of KIR to identify new peptides able to mimic its function with an improved affinity towards the JAK2 catalytic site. Using an alanine-scanning method, KIR residues that are crucial for the interaction with JAK2 were unveiled. In this way, the KIR sequence was restricted to a shorter segment and 'non-essential' residues were replaced by different amino acids following a simplified combinatorial approach. We selected a new unnatural sequence able to bind to JAK2 with Kd values in the nanomolar range. This peptide was tested in human keratinocyte cultures and reduced the phosphorylation of STAT1 and the expression levels of IRF-1 (interferon regulatory factor-1).

Post combustion CO2 capture with calcium and lithium hydroxide.

A small-scale plant was built for measuring the ability of solid sorbents towards the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) in exhaust flue gas from an internal combustion engine. The investigated sorbents were calcium and lithium hydroxides. Both sorbents are low cost and used in the breathing gas purification systems. The carbonation capacity of each sorbent was measured for different sorbent granulometry (pellets and powder), different temperature (from ambient up to 300 °C), gas space velocity, moisture content and chemical composition of the gaseous stream. The aim was, in fact, to expose the sorbents to a gas stream with chemical and physical parameters close to those at the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. Carbonation capacity was measured with a double technique: on-line by continuously CO2 measurement with a non-dispersive infrared analyzer and off-line by using scanning electron microscopy on carbonated sorbents. Experimental results showed good CO2 uptake capacity of calcium hydroxide at low temperature (between 20 and 150 °C). Performance improvements came from the fine granulometry due to the increased exposed surface area; moreover, the presence of the moisture in gas stream also enhanced CO2 capture. The presence of sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide, instead, greatly decreased the carbonation capacity of sorbents.

Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation of ß-glucosidase from a dopa/quinone target.

ß-glucosidase (BG) plays a key role in determining the efficiency of the enzymatic complex cellulase for the degradation of cellulose into sugars. It hydrolyses the cellobiose, an inhibitor of the enzymatic complex. Therefore, the immobilization of BG is a great challenge for the industrial application of cellulases. Cellulases usually contains a BG amount insufficient to avoid inhibition by cellobiose. Here the BG was immobilized by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The frozen matrix was composed of water, water/m-DOPA and water/m-DOPA/quinone. The effect of the excipients on the final conformation of the enzyme after the MAPLE processing was determined. The enzyme secondary structure was studied by FTIR analysis. The catalytic performances of the deposited films were tested in the cellobiose hydrolysis reaction. The results demonstrate that the presence of the oxidized form of m-DOPA, the O-quinone form, can protect the protein native structure, with the laser inducing little or no damage. In fact, only the samples deposited from this target preserved the secondary structure of the polypeptide chain and allowed a complete hydrolysis of cellobiose for four consecutive runs, showing a high operational stability of the biocatalyst.

Past and future perspectives of synthetic peptide libraries.

Combinatorial preparation and HTS of arrays of compounds have increased the speed of drug discovery. A strong impulse in this field has come by the introduction of the solid phase synthesis method that, through automation and miniaturization, has paved the way to the preparation of large collections of compounds in compact and trackable formats. Due to the well established synthetic procedures, peptides have been largely used to develop the basic concepts of combinatorial chemistry and peptide libraries are still successfully employed in screening programs. However, peptides generally do not fulfil the requirements of low conformational flexibility, stability and bioavailability needed for good drug candidates and peptide leads with high potency and selectivity are often made "druggable" by conversion to more stable structures with improved pharmacological profiles. Such an approach makes the screening of peptide libraries still a valuable tool for drug discovery. We propose here a panoramic review of the most common methods for the preparation and screening of peptide libraries and the most interesting findings of the last decade. We also report on a new approach we follow in our laboratory that is based on the use of "simplified" libraries composed by a minimum number of non-redundant amino acids for the assembly of short peptides. The choice of amino acids is dictated by diversity in lipophilicity, MW, charge and polarity. Newly identified active sequences are then modified by preparing new variants containing analogous amino acids, so that the chemical space occupied by the excluded residues can be explored. This approach offers the advantage of simplifying the synthesis and deconvolution of libraries and provides new active compounds with a molecular size similar to that of small molecules, to which they can be easily converted.

dabPNA: design, synthesis, and DNA binding studies.

In continuing our research efforts for developing new oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)-like drugs and diagnostics, we designed diaminobutyric peptide nucleic acids (dabPNAs), nucleopeptides characterized by a diaminobutyric-based building block that is an isomer of the aminoethylglycyl PNA (aegPNA) unit and the acyclic modification of the aminoprolyl PNA (ampPNA) monomer. In this work we present the solid phase synthesis of a dabPNA oligomer and of two aegPNAs containing a single dabPNA unit. A study relative to their binding ability towards DNA is also reported even in comparison with the well known aegPNAs.

Confirmatory analysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in bovine milk by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

HPLC with fluorescence detection is considered for confirmatory analysis of group B veterinary drugs by the European Union legislation. A procedure for confirming the presence of anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drug (NSAID) residues in bovine milk by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection is herein described. The native fluorescence of nine drugs belonging to different NSAID sub-classes, namely flurbiprofen, carprofen, naproxen, vedaprofen, 5-hydroxy-flunixin, niflumic acid, mefenamic acid, meclofenamic acid and tolfenamic acid, allowed for detection in bovine milk down to 0.25-20.0 microg/kg. Confirmation of the nine NSAIDs is attained by fluorescence detection at characteristic excitation and emission wavelengths. The procedure described is simple and selective. Limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging between 0.25 and 20 microg/kg were measured; satisfactory trueness and within-laboratory reproducibility data were calculated at LOQ spiking levels, apart from 5-hydroxy-flunixin. The procedure developed is used in our laboratory for confirmation of each one of the above mentioned NSAIDs in bovine milk, to support results after HPLC quantitative analysis with UV-vis detection.

Synthetic peptides mimicking the interleukin-6/gp130 interaction: a two-helix bundle system. Design and conformational studies.

The objective of our study was to mimic in a typical reductionist approach the molecular interactions observed at the interface between the gp130 receptor and interleukin-6 during formation of their complex. A peptide system obtained by reproducing some of the interleukin-6/gp130 molecular interactions into a two-helix bundle structure was investigated. The solution conformational features of this system were determined by CD and NMR techniques. The CD titration experiments demonstrated that the interaction between the designed peptides is specific and based on a well-defined stoichiometry. The NMR data confirmed some of the structural features of the binding mechanism as predicted by the rational design and indicated that under our conditions the recognition specificity and affinity can be explained by the formation of a two-helix bundle. Thus, the data reported herein represent a promising indication on how to develop new peptides able to interfere with formation of the interleukin-6/gp130 complex.