Abiological catalysis by myoglobin mutant with a genetically incorporated unnatural amino acid.

To inculcate biocatalytic activity in the oxygen-storage protein myoglobin (Mb), a genetically engineered myoglobin mutant H64DOPA (DOPA = L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) has been created. Incorporation of unnatural amino acids has already demonstrated their ability to accomplish many non-natural functions in proteins efficiently. Herein, the presence of redox-active DOPA residue in the active site of mutant Mb presumably stabilizes the compound I in the catalytic oxidation process by participating in an additional hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) as compared to the WT Mb. Specifically, a general acid-base catalytic pathway was achieved due to the availability of the hydroxyl moieties of DOPA. The reduction potential values of WT (E° = -260 mV) and mutant Mb (E° = -300 mV), w.r.t. Ag/AgCl reference electrode, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, indicated an additional H-bonding in the mutant protein, which is responsible for the peroxidase activity of the mutant Mb. We observed that in the presence of 5 mM H2O2, H64DOPA Mb oxidizes thioanisole and benzaldehyde with a 10 and 54 folds higher rate, respectively, as opposed to WT Mb. Based on spectroscopic, kinetic, and electrochemical studies, we deduce that DOPA residue, when present within the distal pocket of mutant Mb, alone serves the role of His/Arg-pair of peroxidases.

High and ultra low concentrations of Mercuric chloride initiate their specific action on binding sites of invertase and modify its interaction with sucrose

Background: Mercuric chloride is known to inhibit the activity of enzymes. It is used in homeopathy at ultra low concentration (ULC) and is known as Mercurius corrosivus (Merc cor). ULCs of Merc cor are reported to promote enzyme activity. Objective: To see whether the mother tincture (θ) of Merc cor and its ULCs interact with an enzyme invertase at its binding sites and influence enzyme's action on its substrate sucrose. Methods: Merc cor θ (0.15 M HgCl2) was diluted with deionized and distilled (DD) water 1:100 and succussed 10 times to prepare Merc cor 1 cH or 1st potency. This potency was further diluted and succussed in 200 and 1000 steps to prepare 200cH and 1000cH potencies, respectively. Merc cor 200 cH and 1000cH were prepared in 90% ethanol. The two potencies and blank 90% EtOH were diluted with DD water 1:1000 to minimize ethanol content to a negligible amount 0.09%. The control was DD water (0.99g/M). The drugs, EtOH and water control were mixed separately with 0.037 mM invertase in DD water. Using an isothermal calorimetry (ITC) instrument the substrate sucrose (65mM) was injected at 2 µl every 2 min into 300 µl invertase solution 20 times at 25 0C. Molecular modeling study was done to predict possible binding sites and nature of binding between the enzyme and HgCl2, and between the enzyme and water. Potencies after dilution are virtually water. Fluorescence spectra of invertase (4µM) mixed with drug/control solutions were also obtained to see the effect of drugs on protein folding. Results: Thermodynamic parameters like binding constant (K), change in enthalpy(ΔH), entropy(ΔS) and Gibbs free energy(ΔG) showed marked variation in treatment effects on the enzyme. Molecular modeling study also shows variation in binding between invertase and HgCl2, and between invertase and water. Fluorescence spectra show variation in quenching related to different treatments. Conclusion: Merc cor mother tincture and its potencies interact at different binding sites of invertase and modify the enzyme's action on sucrose. So, potencies act as modulators of ligand, sucrose. Drug solutions induce conformational changes in the enzyme. (au)

Improved rate of substrate oxidation catalyzed by genetically-engineered myoglobin.

This study showcases the potential of unnatural amino acids to enable non-natural functions when incorporated in the protein scaffold of heme metalloproteins. For this purpose, a genetically-engineered myoglobin (Mb) mutant was created by incorporating redox-active 3-amino-l-tyrosine (NH2Tyr) into its active site, replacing the distal histidine (H64) with NH2Tyr. In peroxide-shunt assays, this variant exhibits an increased rate of turnover for thioanisole and benzaldehyde oxidation as compared to the wild-type (WT) Mb. Indeed, in the presence of excess hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a 9-fold and 81-fold increase in activity was observed over multiple turnovers for thioanisole sulfoxidation and benzoic acid formation, respectively. The increased oxidation activity in the H64NH2Tyr Mb mutant underlined the role of NH2Tyr in the distal active-site scaffold in peroxide activation. Kinetic, electrochemical, and EPR spectroscopic experiments were performed. On the basis of these studies, it is argued that the single NH2Tyr residue within the Mb variant simultaneously serves the role of the conserved His/Arg-pair within the distal pocket of horseradish peroxidase.

Silver(I) complexes of tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligands bearing six trifluoromethyl and three additional electron-withdrawing substituents.

Sodium salts of two new tris(pyrazolyl)borates [HB(4-Cl-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3](-) and [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3](-), which are not only highly fluorinated, but also loaded with additional electron-withdrawing substituents, have been synthesized by reacting 4-Cl-3,5-(CF3)2PzH or 4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2PzH with NaBH4 under nitrogen in a solventless process, and isolated after a work up in tetrahydrofuran (THF) or diethyl ether (Et2O), as their THF or Et2O adducts. Metathesis of these sodium salts with AgOTf in THF leads to [HB(4-Cl-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(THF) and [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(THF). The corresponding cis-cyclooctene (c-COE) complexes [HB(4-Cl-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) and [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) were obtained by displacing THF with cis-cyclooctene. The related [HB(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) can also be obtained via a similar process. X-ray crystal structures show that [HB(4-(R)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) (R = H, Cl, NO2) feature pseudo-tetrahedral silver sites supported by κ(3)-bound tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligands. [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) displays the smallest upfield shift of the alkene carbon peak (versus free alkene) followed by [HB(4-Cl-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) and [HB(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE). Experimental and computational data indicate very electron poor silver(I) sites in all three [HB(4-(R)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) adducts with minimal Ag → (cis-cyclooctene) backbonding. Although the impact of R (H, Cl, NO2) on the alkene carbon chemical shift of these adducts and the olefin π/π* populations is small, the (13)C NMR chemical shifts and NBO analysis suggest that [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) possesses the most electrophilic metal site, which correlates with the pKa values of the free pyrazoles. [HB(4-(R)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) adducts effectively catalyze the insertion of the carbene moiety of ethyl diazoacetate into C-H bonds of 2,3-dimethylbutane. The [HB(4-(NO2)-3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE) catalyst shows a higher selectivity for primary C-H bonds compared to the reactions catalyzed by [HB(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)3]Ag(c-COE).

Anticancer and antimicrobial metallopharmaceutical agents based on palladium, gold, and silver N-heterocyclic carbene complexes.

Complete synthetic, structural, and biomedical studies of two Pd complexes as well as Au and Ag complexes of 1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene are reported. Specifically, trans-[1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene]Pd(pyridine)Cl2 (1a) was synthesized from the reaction of 1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazolium chloride (1) with PdCl2 in the presence of K2CO3 as a base. The other palladium complex, [1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene]2PdCl2 (1b), and a gold complex, [1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene]AuCl (1c), were synthesized by following a transmetallation route from the silver complex, [1-benzyl-3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene]AgCl (1d), by treatment with (COD)PdCl2 and (SMe2)AuCl, respectively. The silver complex 1d in turn was synthesized by the reaction of 1 with Ag2O. The molecular structures of 1a-d have been determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Biomedical studies revealed that, while the palladium complexes 1a and 1b displayed potent anticancer activity, the gold (1c) and silver (1d) complexes exhibited significant antimicrobial properties. Specifically, 1b showed strong antiproliferative activity against three types of human tumor cells, namely, cervical cancer (HeLa), breast cancer (MCF-7), and colon adenocarcinoma (HCT 116), in culture. The antiproliferative activity of 1b was found to be considerably stronger than that of cisplatin. The 1b complex inhibited tumor cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle progression at the G2 phase, preventing the mitotic entry of the cell. We present evidence suggesting that the treated cells underwent programmed cell death through a p53-dependent pathway. Though both the gold (1c) and silver (1d) complexes showed antimicrobial activity toward Bacillus subtilis, 1c was found to be ca. 2 times more potent than 1d.