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An efficient total chemical synthesis of site-specifically sumoylated histone H4 revealed its negative biochemical crosstalk with histone H2B ubiquitylation in vitro and in human cells.

The combinatorial phosphorylation of myo-inositol results in the generation of different inositol phosphates (InsPs), of which phytic acid (InsP6) is the most abundant species in eukaryotes. InsP6 is also an important precursor of the higher phosphorylated inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs), such as InsP7 and InsP8, which are characterized by a diphosphate moiety and are also ubiquitously found in eukaryotic cells. While PP-InsPs regulate various cellular processes in animals and yeast, their biosynthesis and functions in plants has remained largely elusive because plant genomes do not encode canonical InsP6 kinases. Recent work has shown that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) INOSITOL (1,3,4) TRIPHOSPHATE 5/6 KINASE1 (ITPK1) and ITPK2 display in vitro InsP6 kinase activity and that, in planta, ITPK1 stimulates 5-InsP7 and InsP8 synthesis and regulates phosphate starvation responses. Here we report a critical role of ITPK1 in auxin-related processes that is independent of the ITPK1-controlled regulation of phosphate starvation responses. Those processes include primary root elongation, root hair development, leaf venation, thermomorphogenic and gravitropic responses, and sensitivity to exogenously applied auxin. We found that the recombinant auxin receptor complex, consisting of the F-Box protein TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1 (TIR1), ARABIDOPSIS SKP1 HOMOLOG 1 (ASK1), and the transcriptional repressor INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID INDUCIBLE 7 (IAA7), binds to anionic inositol polyphosphates with high affinity. We further identified a physical interaction between ITPK1 and TIR1, suggesting a localized production of 5-InsP7, or another ITPK1-dependent InsP/PP-InsP isomer, to activate the auxin receptor complex. Finally, we demonstrate that ITPK1 and ITPK2 function redundantly to control auxin responses, as deduced from the auxin-insensitive phenotypes of itpk1 itpk2 double mutant plants. Our findings expand the mechanistic understanding of auxin perception and suggest that distinct inositol polyphosphates generated near auxin receptors help to fine-tune auxin sensitivity in plants.

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) plays a crucial role in the Toll-like receptor/IL-1R signal pathway, which mediates the downstream signal transduction involved in innate and adaptive immunity. In the present study, an IRAK4 homologue (named as MaIRAK4) from blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) was cloned and characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of MaIRAK4 contains 1422 nucleotides, encoding a putative protein of 473 amino acids. Protein structural analysis revealed that MaIRAK4 has an N-terminal death domain (DD) and a central kinase domain (S_TKc), similar to those of mammals and other fishes. Multiple sequence alignment demonstrated that MaIRAK4 is highly homologous with that of grass carp (97.67%). The qRT-PCR analysis showed that MaIRAK4 expressed widely in all examined tissues, including heart, liver, spleen, kidney, head-kidney, gill, intestine and muscle, with the highest expression in the liver and spleen. After stimulation with LPS, MaIRAK4 expression upregulated significantly and reached a peak at 6 h and 12 h post LPS stimulation in the spleen and head-kidney, respectively. After challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila, MaIRAK4 expression peaked at 48 h and 72 h in spleen/head-kidney and liver, respectively. These results implied that MaIRAK4 is involved in the host defense against bacterial infection. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that MaIRAK4 distributed in the cytoplasm. Co-immunoprecipitation and subcellular co-localization assay revealed that MaIRAK4 can combine with MaMyD88 through DD domain. MaIRAK4 overexpression can induce slightly the NF-κB promoter activity in HEK 293 cells. However, the activity of NF-κB promoter was dramatically enhanced after co-transfection with MaIRAK4 and MaMyD88 plasmids. The results showed that MaIRAK4 was involved in NF-κB signal pathway mediated by maMyD88. The expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) decreased significantly after the siRNA-mediated knockdown of MaIRAK4. Together, these results suggest that MaIRAK4 plays an important function in the innate immunity of M. amblycephala by inducing cytokines expression.

The combinatorial phosphorylation ofmyo-inositolresults in the generation of different inositol phosphates (InsP), of which phytic acid (InsP6) is the most abundant species in eukaryotes. InsP6is also the precursor of higher phosphorylated forms called inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs), such as InsP7and InsP8, which are characterized by a diphosphate moiety and are also ubiquitously found in eukaryotic cells. While PP-InsPs regulate various cellular processes in animals and yeast, their biosynthesis and functions in plants has remained largely elusive because plant genomes do not encode canonical InsP6kinases. Recently, it was shown that Arabidopsis ITPK1 catalyzes the phosphorylation of InsP6to the natural 5-InsP7isomerin vitro. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis ITPK1 contributes to the synthesis of InsP7in planta. We further find a critical role of ITPK1 in auxin-related processes including primary root elongation, leaf venation, thermomorphogenic and gravitropic responses, and sensitivity towards exogenously applied auxin. Notably, 5-InsP7binds to recombinant auxin receptor complex, consisting of the F-Box protein TIR1, ASK1 and the transcriptional repressor IAA7, with high affinity. Furthermore, a specific increase in 5-InsP7in a heterologous yeast expression system results in elevated interaction of the TIR1 homologs AFB1 and AFB2 with various AUX/IAA-type transcriptional repressors. We also identified a physical interaction between ITPK1 and TIR1, suggesting a dedicated channeling of an activating factor, such as 5-InsP7, to the auxin receptor complex. Our findings expand the mechanistic understanding of auxin perception and lay the biochemical and genetic basis to uncover physiological processes regulated by 5-InsP7.

The Cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) are the largest family of ubiquitin E3s activated by neddylation and regulated by the deneddylase COP9 signalosome (CSN). The inositol polyphosphate metabolites promote the formation of CRL–CSN complexes, but with unclear mechanism of action. Here, we provide structural and genetic evidence supporting inositol hexakisphosphate (IP 6 ) as a general CSN cofactor recruiting CRLs. We determined the crystal structure of IP 6 in complex with CSN subunit 2 (CSN2), based on which we identified the IP 6 -corresponding electron density in the cryoelectron microscopy map of a CRL4A–CSN complex. IP 6 binds to a cognate pocket formed by conserved lysine residues from CSN2 and Rbx1/Roc1, thereby strengthening CRL–CSN interactions to dislodge the E2 CDC34/UBE2R from CRL and to promote CRL deneddylation. IP 6 binding-deficient Csn2 K70E/K70E knockin mice are embryonic lethal. The same mutation disabled Schizosaccharomyces pombe Csn2 from rescuing UV-hypersensitivity of csn2 -null yeast. These data suggest that CRL transition from the E2-bound active state to the CSN-bound sequestered state is critically assisted by an interfacial IP 6 small molecule, whose metabolism may be coupled to CRL–CSN complex dynamics.

The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is an evolutionarily conserved eight-subunit (CSN1–8) protein complex that controls protein ubiquitination by deneddylating Cullin-RING E3 ligases (CRLs). The activation and function of CSN hinges on its structural dynamics, which has been challenging to decipher by conventional tools. Here, we have developed a multichemistry cross-linking mass spectrometry approach enabled by three mass spectometry-cleavable cross-linkers to generate highly reliable cross-link data. We applied this approach with integrative structure modeling to determine the interaction and structural dynamics of CSN with the recently discovered ninth subunit, CSN9, in solution. Our results determined the localization of CSN9 binding sites and revealed CSN9-dependent structural changes of CSN. Together with biochemical analysis, we propose a structural model in which CSN9 binding triggers CSN to adopt a configuration that facilitates CSN–CRL interactions, thereby augmenting CSN deneddylase activity. Our integrative structure analysis workflow can be generalized to define in-solution architectures of dynamic protein complexes that remain inaccessible to other approaches.

The strigolactones, a class of plant hormones, regulate many aspects of plant physiology. In the inhibition of shoot branching, the α/β hydrolase D14-which metabolizes strigolactone-interacts with the F-box protein D3 to ubiquitinate and degrade the transcription repressor D53. Despite the fact that multiple modes of interaction between D14 and strigolactone have recently been determined, how the hydrolase functions with D3 to mediate hormone-dependent D53 ubiquitination remains unknown. Here we show that D3 has a C-terminal α-helix that can switch between two conformational states. The engaged form of this α-helix facilitates the binding of D3 and D14 with a hydrolysed strigolactone intermediate, whereas the dislodged form can recognize unmodified D14 in an open conformation and inhibits its enzymatic activity. The D3 C-terminal α-helix enables D14 to recruit D53 in a strigolactone-dependent manner, which in turn activates the hydrolase. By revealing the structural plasticity of the SCFD3-D14 ubiquitin ligase, our results suggest a mechanism by which the E3 coordinates strigolactone signalling and metabolism.

This repository contains the modeling files and the analysis related to the article "Structural dynamics of the human COP9 signalosome revealed by cross-linking mass spectrometry and integrative modeling"C.Gutierrez*,I.E.Chemmama*,et al.Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesFeb 2020,117(8)4088-4098;DOI:10.1073/pnas.1915542117. For more informationon how to reproduce this modeling, see the Sali lab page for the CSN modeling.All of the relevant scripts, data, and results are available at GitHub,https://salilab.org/CSN2019. The integrative structures of CSN and CSNn are deposited at PDB-Dev (https://pdb-dev.wwpdb.org/), with ID codes PDBDEV_00000037 and PDBDEV_00000038, respectively.

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) constitute the largest family of deubiquitinating enzymes, whose catalytic competency is often modulated by their binding partners through unknown mechanisms. Here we report a series of crystallographic and biochemical analyses of an evolutionarily conserved deubiquitinase, USP12, which is activated by two β-propeller proteins, UAF1 and WDR20. Our structures reveal that UAF1 and WDR20 interact with USP12 at two distinct sites far away from its catalytic center. Without increasing substrate affinity of USP12, the two β-propeller proteins potentiate the enzyme through different allosteric mechanisms. UAF1 docks at the distal end of the USP12 Fingers domain and induces a cascade of structural changes that reach to a critical ubiquitin-contacting loop adjacent to the catalytic cleft. By contrast, WDR20 anchors at the base of this loop and remotely modulates the catalytic center of the enzyme. Our results provide a mechanistic example for allosteric activation of USPs by their regulatory partners.

Inositol polyphosphate binding specificity of the jasmonate receptor is largely determined by the F-box protein COI1.

A biologically inspired organocatalytic one-pot synthesis of highly functionalized pyridazines, which are ubiquitous structural units in a number of biologically active compounds, has been developed by starting from readily available diazo compounds and Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates. Under mild reaction conditions, this synthetic route tolerated significant substrate variation to deliver a broad range of substituted products, including CF3 -substituted pyridazines derivatives. Moreover, the introduction of trifluoromethyl groups into the ring of pyridazine could be completed conveniently from 2,2,2-trifluorodiazoethane.

A straightforward and efficient protocol for the construction of structurally and biologically interesting chiral flavanoids incorporating three privileged structures, i.e., chromanone, dihydropyran, and indole, has been developed on the basis of chiral bifunctional tertiary amine thiourea-catalyzed asymmetric inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction of chromone heterodienes and 3-vinylindoles, which were used as dienophiles.

A highly efficient asymmetric allylic substitution of Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) carbonates with phosphorus ylides under the catalysis of modified cinchona alkaloids was developed. The reaction delivered products in moderate to good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee) for a wide range of MBH carbonates. The scope of the reaction was demonstrated by the synthesis of chiral 3-substituted 2,4-functionalized 1,4-pentadienes.

A new useful and effective chiral amine-catalyzed oxa- and aza-Michael–Michael cascade methodology for the construction of enantiomerically enriched indolinones spiro-fused with chromans or tetrahydroquinolines is reported. By employing suitable organocatalysts depending on the different Michael donors (Ar-OH/Ar-NHR), the processes offered excellent stereocontrol (dr >20:1, >99% ee) under mild conditions.

Copper is key: A concise route to isoquinolin-1(2H)-ones from simple and readily available starting materials is provided by an efficient copper-catalyzed annulation of ketones with 2-halobenzamides. The method is applicable to a wide range of ketones containing different functional groups furnishing the products in moderate to excellent yields.

An in situ formation method to obtain chiral bifunctional primary amine-imine catalysts from the C2-symmetric chiral diimines has been developed. The efficiency of this method in the construction of chiral tertiary alcohols which are valuable pharmaceutical intermediates is proved by its application to the asymmetric aldol-type reaction of cyclic ketones with other activated ketone compounds as the enamine acceptors, i.e., β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters and isatins. In general, good to excellent diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities (up to 96/4 dr, 96% ee for β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters and up to 91/9 dr, 94% ee for isatins) were obtained. The active primary amine-imine catalylst and enamine intermediate in the reaction process could be demonstrated by ESI-MS analysis.

Carbon-carbon bond formation: A highly efficient method for the oxo-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of 2-oxoindolin-3-ylidenes based on chiral calcium phosphate is described. In general, adducts were obtained with high yields and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 96 % yield, >99:1 endo/exo, >99 % ee; see scheme, Boc = tert-butoxycarbonyl).

Synthetic application of this method is demonstrated by several subsequent transformations, i.e.

The family of cullin-RING E3 Ligases (CRLs) and the constitutive photomorphogenesis 9 (COP9) signalosome (CSN) form dynamic complexes that mediate ubiquitylation of 20% of the proteome, yet regulation of their assembly/disassembly remains poorly understood. Inositol polyphosphates are highly conserved signaling molecules implicated in diverse cellular processes. We now report that inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) is a major physiologic determinant of the CRL–CSN interface, which includes a hitherto unidentified electrostatic interaction between the N-terminal acidic tail of CSN subunit 2 (CSN2) and a conserved basic canyon on cullins. IP6, with an EC50 of 20 nM, acts as an intermolecular “glue,” increasing cullin–CSN2 binding affinity by 30-fold, thereby promoting assembly of the inactive CRL–CSN complexes. The IP6 synthase, Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 2-kinase (IPPK/IP5K) binds to cullins. Depleting IP5K increases the percentage of neddylated, active Cul1 and Cul4A, and decreases levels of the Cul1/4A substrates p27 and p21. Besides dysregulating CRL-mediated cell proliferation and UV-induced apoptosis, IP5K depletion potentiates by 28-fold the cytotoxic effect of the neddylation inhibitor MLN4924. Thus, IP5K and IP6 are evolutionarily conserved components of the CRL–CSN system and are potential targets for cancer therapy in conjunction with MLN4924.

Anything between ureas? Spiro[isoxazolidine-3,3'-oxindole]s have been constructed by employing methyleneindolinones and nitrones as the starting materials through [3+2] annulation catalyzed by a bisthiourea. Products with three contiguous stereocenters, including one spiroquaternary stereocenter, are obtained in good yields with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivity. The bisthiourea catalyst acts as a multiple-hydrogen-bond donor to simultaneously activate both substrates.

We have developed a highly selective one-pot method for the synthesis of (E)-vinyl sulfones and sulfoxides from thiols with terminal alkynes. The sulfones and sulfoxides could be obtained with excellent selectivity in good isolated yields. It is simple, efficient and environmentally benign, and metal-free. The mechanism for the formation of the (E)-vinyl sulfones was also proposed.

The plant hormone auxin regulates virtually every aspect of plant growth and development. Auxin acts by binding the F-box protein transport inhibitor response 1 (TIR1) and promotes the degradation of the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) transcriptional repressors. Here we show that efficient auxin binding requires assembly of an auxin co-receptor complex consisting of TIR1 and an Aux/IAA protein. Heterologous experiments in yeast and quantitative IAA binding assays using purified proteins showed that different combinations of TIR1 and Aux/IAA proteins form co-receptor complexes with a wide range of auxin-binding affinities. Auxin affinity seems to be largely determined by the Aux/IAA. As there are 6 TIR1/AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX proteins (AFBs) and 29 Aux/IAA proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, combinatorial interactions may result in many co-receptors with distinct auxin-sensing properties. We also demonstrate that the AFB5-Aux/IAA co-receptor selectively binds the auxinic herbicide picloram. This co-receptor system broadens the effective concentration range of the hormone and may contribute to the complexity of auxin response.

A highly efficient organocatalytic enantioselective CS bond formation reaction between simple alkyl thiols and Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) carbonates is described. The optically active α-methylene β-mercapto esters could be obtained under mild reaction conditions with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). The broad scope and simple operation make this methodology very practical.

An asymmetric Michael-type reaction of phosphorus ylides and α,β-unsaturated ketones under the catalysis of a chiral ion pair catalyst has been described. The ion pair catalyst containing a chiral counteranion was prepared by simply mixing 9-amino-(9-deoxy)-epi-quinine with l-N-Boc-proline. The optically active α-methylene-δ-ketoesters could be obtained with good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) under mild reaction conditions.

Jasmonates are a family of plant hormones that regulate plant growth, development and responses to stress. The F-box protein CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1) mediates jasmonate signalling by promoting hormone-dependent ubiquitylation and degradation of transcriptional repressor JAZ proteins. Despite its importance, the mechanism of jasmonate perception remains unclear. Here we present structural and pharmacological data to show that the true Arabidopsis jasmonate receptor is a complex of both COI1 and JAZ. COI1 contains an open pocket that recognizes the bioactive hormone (3R,7S)-jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) with high specificity. High-affinity hormone binding requires a bipartite JAZ degron sequence consisting of a conserved α-helix for COI1 docking and a loop region to trap the hormone in its binding pocket. In addition, we identify a third critical component of the jasmonate co-receptor complex, inositol pentakisphosphate, which interacts with both COI1 and JAZ adjacent to the ligand. Our results unravel the mechanism of jasmonate perception and highlight the ability of F-box proteins to evolve as multi-component signalling hubs.

Summary The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is an eight-subunit protein complex that is found in all eukaryotes. Accumulating evidence indicates its diverse biological functions that are often linked to ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Here we applied an emerging mass spectrometry approach to gain insight into the structure of the CSN complex. Our results indicate that the catalytically active human complex, reconstituted in vitro, is composed of a single copy of each of the eight subunits. By forming a total of 35 subcomplexes, we are able to build a comprehensive interaction map that shows two symmetrical modules, Csn1/2/3/8 and Csn4/5/6/7, connected by interactions between Csn1-Csn6. Overall the stable modules and multiple subcomplexes observed here are in agreement with the "mini-CSN" complexes reported previously. This suggests that the propensity of the CSN complex to change and adapt its subunit composition might underlie its ability to perform multiple functions in vivo.

The effects of glycerol and high temperatures on structure and function of phycobilisomes (PBSs) in vivo were investigated in a chlL deletion mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. When the mutant was grown under light-activated heterotrophic growth conditions, it contained intact and functional PBSs, but essentially no chlorophyll and photosystems. So the structural and functional changes of the mutant PBSs in vivo can be handily detected by measurement of low temperature (77 K) fluorescence emission spectra. High concentration glycerol induced an obvious disassembly of PBSs and the dissociation of phycocyanins in the rod substructures into their oligomers and monomers. PBSs also disassembled at high temperatures and allophycocyanins were more sensitive to heat stress than phycocyanins. Our results demonstrate that the chlL− mutant strain is an advantageous model for studying the mechanisms of assembly and disassembly of protein complexes in vivo.

The determination of the CO2/O2 specificity factor (Ω) is very important to investigate the Rubisco carbon assimilation efficiency. In this paper, it is proved that previous formulae can introduce notable errors into calculating the CO2/O2 specificity factor (Ω) because CO2 and O2 are both the substrates and the mutually competitive inhibitors for Rubisco. A simple integrated equation is proposed to calculate the CO2/O2 specificity factor (Ω). On the other hand, previous multi-step procedures, including the manipulation of radioisotope (14C and/or 3H) and the chromatographic separation of the products, are inconvenient and may cause much random error. An improved assay procedure is presented therefore, which includes the spectrophotometric measurement of 3-phosphoglycerate-dependent NADH oxidation with a coupled enzyme system.

Ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is a common feature in diverse plant cell signaling pathways; however, the factors that control the dynamics of regulated protein turnover are largely unknown. One of the best-characterized families of E3 ubiquitin ligases facilitates ubiquitination of auxin (aux)/indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) repressor proteins in the presence of auxin. Rates of auxin-induced degradation vary widely within the Aux/IAA family, and sequences outside of the characterized degron (the minimum region required for auxin-induced degradation) can accelerate or decelerate degradation. We have used synthetic auxin degradation assays in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and in plants to characterize motifs flanking the degron that contribute to tuning the dynamics of Aux/IAA degradation. The presence of these rate motifs is conserved in phylogenetically distant members of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Aux/IAA family, as well as in their putative Brassica rapa orthologs. We found that rate motifs can act by enhancing interaction between repressors and the E3, but that this is not the only mechanism of action. Phenotypes of transgenic plants expressing a deletion in a rate motif in IAA28 resembled plants expressing degron mutations, underscoring the functional relevance of Aux/IAA degradation dynamics in regulating auxin responses.

The title reaction provides new access to α-halo-quaternary ketones via the carbon-chain extension or ring expansion of ketones.

A diastereoselective and enantioselective addition of 3-substituted-2-oxindoles to N-Boc ketimines catalyzed by a chiral Lewis base catalyst is reported.

A new and efficient protocol to introduce difluoromethylene into nitrogen containing compounds is developed.

The title reaction proceeds via allylic alkylation and intramolecular diaza-Wittig processes.

A novel halogenation/semipinacol rearrangement of α-diazo alcohol catalyzed by Lewis base has been developed through a carbene-free mechanism. This semipinacol transposition, initiated by an electrophilic halogenation (X = Cl(+), Br(+), and I(+)) of diazo carbon event, furnished a convenient synthetic route for the efficient synthesis of α-halo-quaternary ketones under mild conditions.

A highly efficient asymmetric organocatalytic addition of 3-substituted oxindole to isatin-derived ketimine is reported with excellent stereocontrol (>99 : 1 dr, >99% ee) under mild conditions. This method provides access to the bisoxindole structure moiety with two vicinal quaternary stereogenic centers.

An effective approach to C1-difluoromethylated tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives has been developed through C–H functionalization of tertiary amines by visible-light photoredox catalysis. This method uses stable, easily obtained α,α-difluorinated gem-diol as the CF2 source. The corresponding products were obtained in moderate to high yields at ambient temperature.

The title reaction allows a new and efficient access to chiral flavanoids and related compounds which are biologically interesting molecules.

In the presence of a cinchona alkaloid derived tertiary amine catalyst phosphorous ylides (I) undergo efficient asymmetric allylic substitution of O-Boc protected Morita—Baylis—Hillman products (II) to yield the chiral pentadiene (IV) after reaction of the allylic adducts with formaldehyde.

Changes in the protein secondary structure and electron transport activity of the Triton X-100-treated photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) complexes after strong illumination treatment were studied using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and an oxygen electrode. Short periods of photoinhibitory treatment led to obvious decreases in the rates of PSI-mediated electron transport activity and PSII-mediated oxygen evolution in the native or Triton-treated PSI and PSII complexes. In the native PSI and PSII complexes, the protein secondary structures had little changes after the photoinhibitory treatment. However, in both Triton-treated PSI and PSII complexes, short photoinhibition times caused significant loss of alpha-helical content and increase of beta-sheet structure, similar to the conformational changes in samples of Triton-treated PSI and PSII complexes after long periods of dark incubation. Our results demonstrate that strong-light treatment to the Triton-treated PSI and PSII complexes accelerates destruction of the transmembrane structure of proteins in the two photosynthetic membranes.

Inactivation of the chlL gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 resulted in negligible chlorophyll content when the mutant was grown in darkness. Upon phycocyanin excitation at 580 nm, the 77K fluorescence spectrum of dark-grown cells showed three peaks at 648 nm, 665 nm, and 685 nm, this last being the largest. This reflects the functional presence of major components of phycobilisomes, including phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and the terminal emitter, and efficient energy transfer between these components. As expected, no fluorescence emission peaks corresponding to chlorophyll in the photosystems were observed. Intact phycobilisomes could be isolated from the dark-grown chlL-deletion mutant. However, the phycobilisomes had a lower efficiency of energy transfer than did those isolated from the light-grown mutant, probably because of a decreased phycobilisome stability in the absence of chlorophyll. Exposing the dark-grown chlL-deletion mutant to light triggered the biosynthesis of chlorophyll. For the first 6 h in the light, upon phycocyanin excitation at 580 nm, the 77K fluorescence emission spectrum of greening cells was identical to that of dark-grown cells that lacked significant amounts of chlorophyll. With increased chlorophyll synthesis, gradual energy transfer from phycobilisomes to the two photosystems can be demonstrated.

The thermal denaturation of bovine fibrinogen has been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements were carried out while changing the scan-rate. The transition at 57 degrees C was found to be irreversible and highly scan-rate dependent, suggesting that the denaturation is, at least in part, under kinetic control. The secondary structural changes at various temperatures were monitored by far-ultraviolet CD spectroscopy. These results show that the DSC transition for the thermal denaturation of bovine fibrinogen can be interpreted in terms of a kinetic process, N --> F, where k is a first-order kinetic constant that changes with temperature according to the Arrhenius equation. An important transition peak was observed at 78.8 degrees C which is attributed to the C-terminal parts of the Aalpha chains of fibrinogen.

A novel and efficient method for the synthesis of the title compounds through sequential α-arylation and dehydrative cyclization processes is developed tolerating broad range of substituents.

Under mild conditions, the newly developed procedure gives optically active products with excellent diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.