Sandwich structure of a ruthenium porphyrin and an amino acid hydrazide for probing molecular chirality by circular dichroism

Owing to the strong Lewis acidity of ruthenium porphyrins, a commercial carbonyl ruthenium porphyrin and an amino acid hydrazide can assemble into a sandwich structure. The nature of such a structure is diagnostic of the absolute configuration of the amino acid by circular dichroism.     

Helical secondary structures and supramolecular tilted chirality in N-terminal aryl amino acids with diversified optical activities

Helix structures at atomic/molecular level have not been found in self-assembled peptide seque nce with less than three residues.As β-sheet supramolecular secondary structures have been discovered in solidstate amino acids,we here report the conjugation of simple N-terminal aryl protecting group could give rise to helical supramolecular secondary structures in solid-state,which determines the optical activities of the adjacent aryl groups.The carboxylic acid-involved asymmetric H-bonds in N-te rminal aryl amino acids induce the emergence of super-helical structures of amino acid residues and aryl groups.In most cases,supramolecular tilted chirality of aryl groups is opposite to that of amino acid sequences,of which handedness and helical pitch are determined by the H-bond modalities.Determining correlation between supramolecular tilted chirality of aryl segments and their chiroptical activities is firstly unveiled,which was verified by the computational results based on density functional theory.Most aryl amino acids self-assembled by nanoprecipitation method via crystallization induced self-assembly into rigid one-dimensional microstructures with ultra-high Young's modulus.This study reveals the generic existence of chiral supramolecular structure s in aggregated amino acid derivatives and gives an in-depth investigation into the structural-property relationships,which could guide the rational design and screening of chiroptical supramolecular materials.     

Evidence for a post-translational modification, aspartyl aldehyde, in a photosynthetic membrane protein

In oxygenic photosynthesis, photosystem II (PSII) carries out the oxidation of water and reduction of plastoquinone. Three PSII subunits contain reactive groups that covalently bind amines and phenylhydrazine. It has been proposed that these reactive groups are carbonyl-containing, co- or post-translationally modified amino acids. To identify modified amino acid residues in one of the PSII subunits (CP47), tandem mass spectrometry was performed. Modified residues were affinity-tagged with either biotin-LC-hydrazide or biocytin hydrazide, which are known to label carbonyl groups. The affinity-tagged subunit was isolated by denaturing gel electrophoresis, and tryptic peptides were then subjected to affinity purification and tandem mass spectrometry. This procedure identified a hydrazide-labeled peptide, which has the sequence XKEGR. This result is supported by quantitative results acquired from peptide mapping and methylamine labeling. The gene sequence and these tandem data predict that the first amino acid, X, which is labeled with the hydrazide reagent, is a modified form of aspartic acid. On the basis of these data, we propose that D348 of the CP47 subunit is post- or co-translationally modified to give a novel amino acid side chain, aspartyl aldehyde.     

Rapid cyclopeptide analysis by microwave enhanced Akabori reaction

The application of microwave assisted modification of the Akabori hydrazinolysis reaction has been found to cleave cyclic oligopeptides in a selective fashion to produce mainly the hydrazide of a specific linear peptide. This ring cleavage requires a few minutes of reaction in a domestic microwave oven. The linear peptide hydrazide can be analyzed by ESI-MS/MS, FAB-MS, and FAB-MS/MS methods for the determination of the amino acid sequence.     

Supramolecular hydrogels based on short peptides linked with conformational switch

Short peptides appropriately linked with an azobenzene conformational switch were found to be motif and pH dependant supramolecular hydrogelators. The hydrogelation properties of the short peptides linked with the conformational switch were studied in detail with respect to dependence on amino acid residue, pH and salt effect. The presence of amino acids with aromatic side chains such as Phe and Tyr was found to be favorable for the short peptides to gel water at an appropriate pH range. Cationic amino acid residues such as Arg and Lys in the short peptides were found to be unfavorable for hydrogelation. pH and salt effect were also found to be important factors for the hydrogelation properties of the short peptides. A series of short peptides with bioactive sequences were linked with the conformational switch and their hydrogelation properties were investigated. Photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogels were realized based on the E-/Z- transition of the conformational switch upon light irradiation. Proper combination of amino acid residues in the short peptides resulted in smart supramolecular hydrogels with responses to multiple stimuli.     

A mild and efficient synthesis of a chiral pyridazinone derivative

We found a mild and efficient reaction condition for construction of a chiral 5-methyl-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one from a chiral β-methyl γ-ketocarboxylic acid via the corresponding acid hydrazide without racemization. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this two-step reaction can be attained by one-pot reaction. This method could be applied to various kinds of substrates because of the mild reaction conditions.     

Acylation of hydrazides with acetic acid and formic acid

In peptide synthesis, hydrazides are important intermediates for the azide coupling method. A hydrazide is converted to the corresponding azide in the presence of an acid and a nitrite. When acetic acid (or formic acid) is used as the acid, partial acetylation (or formylation) of the hydrazide occurs as a side reaction. Formylation of the hydrazide is much faster than acetylation. Removal of the formyl group on the hydrazide with hydrazine and hydroxylamine was studied. The rate of deformylation with hydrazine treatment is faster than that with hydroxylamine treatment.     

胆酸盐参与的自组装及微纳米材料制备

胆酸盐类物质可看作是一类阴离子型甾族生物表面活性剂,鉴于其特殊的两亲性骨架结构、独特的物理化学性质及其良好的生物相容性和环境友好性,其在溶液中能够参与超分子自组装形成有序聚集结构,且可以作为模板在微纳材料制备领域有着重要应用。本文结合我们课题组的研究工作,综述了近期国内外相关研究,详细介绍了生物小分子氨基酸对胆酸盐聚集行为的影响、胆酸盐参与形成的超分子凝胶及胆酸盐参与构筑的微纳米材料制备等方面的研究进展,以期对胆酸盐参与的自组装及微纳米材料制备领域的研究有更全面更深入的了解,为后续的应用研究提供坚实的基础。     

Multifunctional, biocompatible supramolecular hydrogelators consist only of nucleobase, amino acid, and glycoside

The integration of nucleobase, amino acid, and glycoside into a single molecule results in a novel class of supramolecular hydrogelators, which not only exhibit biocompatibility and biostability but also facilitate the entry of nucleic acids into cytosol and nuclei of cells. This work illustrates a simple way to generate an unprecedented molecular architecture from the basic biological building blocks for the development of sophisticated soft nanomaterials, including supramolecular hydrogels.     

Self‐Assembly of Chiral Propeller‐like Supermolecules with Unusual “Sergeants‐and‐Soldiers” and “Majority‐Rules” Effects

Chiral amplification is an interesting phenomenon in supramolecular chemistry mainly observed in complicated systems in which cooperative effect dominate. Herein, chiral, supramolecular, propeller‐like architectures have been constructed through coassembly of an achiral disk‐shaped molecule and chiral amino acid derivatives driven by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Both the “sergeants‐and‐soldiers” principle and “majority‐rules” effect are applicable in these discrete four‐component supermolecules, which are the simplest supramolecular system ever reported that exhibit chiral amplification.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Some Heterocyclic Compounds from Salicylic Acid Hydrazide

Different heterocyclic compounds were prepared starting from 2‐hydroxy benzohydrazide; for example, cyclization of hydrazide hydrazone 3 derived from 2‐hydroxybenzohydrazide 2 with acetic anhydride or concentrated sulfuric acid gave 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives 4 – 5 . On the other hand, direct cyclization of 2‐hydroxy benzohydrazide 2 with one carbon cyclizing agent gave a new derivative of 1,3,4‐oxadiazole 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . Heating of hydrazide hydrazone 3 with thioglycolic acid in pyridine gave thiazolidinone 12 . When 2‐hydroxy benzohydrazide 2 reacted with aliphatic carboxylic acids such as formic acid or acetic acid, it gave the corresponding N‐formyl or N‐acetyl derivatives 6 . Subsequent cyclization of 6 using phosphorous pentasulphide in pyridine gave 1,3,4‐thiadiazoles 13 . Cyclization of 2‐hydroxy benzohydrazide with ethyl acetoacetate gives pyrazolone derivative 14 . Finally, when an ethanolic solution of acid hydrazide 2 was treated with ammonium thiocyanate in 35% HCl, it gave the thiosemicarbazide 15 . Subsequent treatment of 15 with concentrated sulfuric acid or 10% sodium hydroxide gave 5‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole 16 and 1,2,4‐triazole 17 , respectively. The structures of all newly isolated compounds were confirmed using ¹H NMR, IR spectra, and elemental analyses. The antimicrobial activities for all isolated compounds were examined against different microorganisms.     

Seeded Polymerization through the Interplay of Folding and Aggregation of an Amino‐Acid‐based Diamide

Amino acid based diamides are widely used as a substructure in supramolecular polymers and are also key components of polypeptides that help to understand protein folding. The interplay of folding and aggregation of a diamide was used to achieve seed‐initiated supramolecular polymerization. For that purpose, a pyrene‐substituted diamide was synthesized in which pyrene is used as a tracer to monitor the supramolecular polymerization. Thermodynamics and time‐dependent studies revealed that the folding of the diamide moiety, via the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, effectively prevents a spontaneous nucleation that leads to supramolecular polymerization. Under such out‐of‐equilibrium conditions, the addition of seeds successfully initiates the supramolecular polymerization. These results demonstrate the utility of such amino acid based diamides in programmable supramolecular polymerizations.     

Synthesis and biological activity of novel amino acid-(N'-benzoyl) hydrazide and amino acid-(N'-nicotinoyl) hydrazide derivatives

The coupling reaction of benzoic acid and nicotinic acid hydrazides with N- protected L-amino acids including valine, leucine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid and tyrosine is reported. The target compounds, N-Boc-amino acid-(N;-benzoyl)- and N- Boc-amino acid-(N;-nicotinoyl) hydrazides 5a-5e and 6a-6e were prepared in very high yields and purity using N-[(dimethylamino)-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-1-yl- methylene]-N-methyl-methanaminium hexafluorophosphate N-oxide (HATU) as coupling reagent. The antimicrobial activity of the Cu and Cd complexes of the designed compounds was tested. The products were deprotected affording the corresponding amino acid-(N;-benzoyl) hydrazide hydrochloride salts (7a-7e) and amino acid-(N;- nicotinoyl) hydrazide hydrochloride salts (8a-8e). These compounds and their Cu and Cd complexes were also tested for their antimicrobial activity. Several compounds showed comparable activity to that of ampicillin against S. aureus and E. coli.     

Understanding self-assembled amphiphilic peptide supramolecular structures from primary structure helix propensity

Small amphiphilic peptides are attractive building blocks to design biocompatible supramolecular structures via self-assembly, with applications in, for example, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and nanotemplating. We address the influence of systematical changes in the amino acid sequence of such peptides on the self-assembled macromolecular structures. For cationic-head surfactant-like eight-residue peptides, the apolar tail amino acids were chosen to systematically vary the propensity to form an alpha-helical secondary structure while conserving the overall hydrophobicity of the sequence. Characterization of the supramolecular structures indicates that for short peptides a beta-sheet secondary structure correlates with ribbonlike assemblies while random-coil and alpha-helical secondary structures correlate with assembly of rods.     

Metal array fabrication through self-assembly of Pt-complex-bound amino acids

A new type of Pt-complex-bound amino acid was synthesized by condensation of a cyclometalated Pt complex with the side-chain residue of N- and C-alkylated glutamic acid. Self-assembly of the Pt-bound lipophilic amino acid afforded a supramolecular gel in organic solvents, which comprised fibrous lamellar aggregates that supported a highly oriented Pt array.     

Azides of N-substituted aziridine-2-carboxylic acids. Reaction with methyl esters of amino acids

The corresponding azide was obtained by nitrosation of 1-benzylaziridine-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide. Reaction of the azide with methyl esters of amino acids gave N-(1-benzyl-2-aziridinylcarbonyl)-substituted methyl esters of amino acids.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1350–1352, October, 1980.     

Stiff,Multistimuli‐Responsive Supramolecular Hydrogels as Unique Molds for 2D/3D Microarchitectures of Live Cells

Supramolecular hydrogels constructed through molecular self‐assembly of small molecules have unique stimuli‐responsive properties; however, they are mechanically weak in general, relative to conventional polymer gels. Very recently, we developed a zwitterionic amino acid tethered amphiphilic molecule 1 , which gave rise to a remarkably stiff hydrogel comparable with polymer‐based agarose gel, retaining reversible thermal‐responsive properties. In this study, we describe that rational accumulation of multiple and orthogonal noncovalent interactions in the supramolecular nanofibers of 1 played crucial roles not only in the mechanical reinforcement but also in the multistimuli responsiveness. That is, the zwitterionic amino acid moiety and the C C double bond unit of the hydrogelator 1 can function as a pH‐responsive unit and a light‐responsive unit, respectively. We also demonstrated that this stiff and multistimuli‐responsive supramolecular hydrogel 1 is applied as a unique mold for 2D and 3D‐patterning of various substances. More significantly, we succeeded in the fabrication of a collagen gel for spatial patterning, culturing, and differentiation of live cells by using hydrogel 1 molds equipped with 2D/3D microspace channels (100–200 μm in diameter).     

First thermally responsive supramolecular polymer based on glycosylated amino acid

In materials science, a dynamic property sensitive to an environmental change (heat, light, electric current, pH, and other chemical or physical changes) is indispensable for intelligent materials. Such organic materials, however, are very limited even in conventional polymers. This paper clearly demonstrates that, regardless of the low molecular weight, a glycosylated amino acid derivative newly screened by a combinatorial method forms a macroscopic supramolecular hydrogel that reversibly swells or shrinks in response to the external temperature. Using the unique thermal response of the present hydrogel, we carried out the controlled release of DNA and the perfect removal of bisphenol A from the polluted water. Recently, advanced supramolecular polymers, in which monomers are noncovalently connected, are expected to be highly advantageous over traditional polymers because of their tunable and recyclable characteristics. The present result newly confers a dynamic feature on the supramolecular polymers, which is desirable for the sophisticated application in many fields.     

超分子体系中的分子识别研究 5: 单-[6-(1-吡啶)-6-脱氧]-α-和γ-环糊精对氨基酸分子识别的热力学性质

本文用分光光度滴定法测定了单-[6-(1-吡啶)-6-脱氧]-α-和γ-环糊精(1)和(3)与一系列氨基酸在磷酸缓冲溶液中(pH=7.20), 25.0~40.0℃时形成超分子体系的稳定常数, 进而计算了配位焓和配位熵, 并与单-[6-(1-吡啶)-6-脱氧]-β-环糊精(2)的实验结果作了比较。化学计量法表明,所有的氨基酸均与环糊精衍生物形成了1:1的超分子体系。从热力学的观点,讨论了化学修饰环糊精和客体氨基酸的尺寸或形状适合、疏水效应、范德华力和氢键等几种弱相互作用对形成超分子体系的贡献。研究结果发现, 具有正电荷环糊精衍生物的吡啶基, 作为一种分子探针不仅可以识别氨基酸生物分子的尺寸或形状之间的差异, 而且还可以识别L/D-型手性对映体之间的差异, 进一步表明了主-客体间的诱导楔合、几何互补在分子受体选择性键合底物形成超分子体系中的重要作用。