MiIP: The Monomer Identification and Isolation Program

Repetitive elements within genomic DNA are both functionally and evolutionarily informative. Discovering these sequences ab initio is computationally challenging, compounded by the fact that selection on these repeats is often relaxed; thus sequence identity between repetitive elements can vary significantly. Here we present a new application, the Monomer Identification and Isolation Program (MiIP), which provides functionality to both search for a particular repeat as well as discover repetitive elements within a larger genomic sequence. To compare MiIP’s performance with other repeat detection tools, analysis was conducted for synthetic sequences as well as several α21-II clones and HC21 BAC sequences. The primary benefit of MiIP is the fact that it is a single tool capable of searching for both known monomeric sequences as well as discovering the occurrence of repeats ab initio, per the user’s required sensitivity of the search. Furthermore, the report functionality helps easily facilitate subsequent phylogenetic analysis

Hydrogen Abstraction by Chlorine Atom from Amino Acids: Remarkable Influence of Polar Effects on Regioselectivity

Quantum chemistry computations have been used to investigate hydrogen-atom abstraction by chlorine atom from protonated and N-acetylated amino acids. The results are consistent with the decreased reactivity at the backbone α-carbon and adjacent side-cha

Preparation of an ion with the highest calculated proton affinity: ortho-diethynylbenzene dianion

Owing to the increased proton affinity that results from additional negative charges, multiply-charged anions have been proposed as one route to prepare and access a range of new and powerful superbases . Paradoxically, while the additional electrons in polyanions increase basicity they serve to diminish the electron binding energy and thus, it had been thought, hinder experimental synthesis. We report the synthesis and isolation of the ortho-diethynylbenzene dianion (ortho-DEB2−) and present observations of this novel species undergoing gas-phase proton-abstraction reactions. Using a theoretical model based on Marcus-Hush theory, we attribute the stability of ortho-DEB2− to the presence of a barrier that prevents spontaneous electron detachment. The proton affinity of 1843 kJ mol−1 calculated for this dianion superbase using high-level quantum chemistry calculations significantly exceeds that of the lithium monoxide anion, the most basic system previously prepared. The ortho-diethynylbenzene dianion is therefore the strongest base that has been experimentally observed to date

Effect of Hydrogen Bonding and Partial Deprotonation on the Oxidation of Peptides

In a recent computational study, we found that hydrogen bonding/partial deprotonation facilitates subsequent electron transfer from amides to HO•. We have now analyzed these and related reactions with a glycine derivative as a model peptide, investigating not only reaction energies but also barriers for the individual steps. We find that partial deprotonation not only assists subsequent electron transfer (a sequential proton-loss electron-transfer (SPLET)-type reaction pathway) but also promotes sequential hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT, in a sequential proton-loss hydrogen-atom-transfer (SPLHAT)-type process), both being potential alternatives to direct HAT as routes for peptide oxidation. Each of these alternative pathways is calculated to have energy requirements that make them accessible and competitive. These oxidative processes may produce α-carbon-centered peptide radicals that, through deprotonation, are readily oxidized to the corresponding imines. We have also examined the possibility of competing reactions of amino acid side chains by comparing reactions of the glycine model with those of an analogous valine derivative. We find that, while the side chains of amino acids are more reactive toward direct HAT, a preceding partial deprotonation instead continues to favor the SPLET- and SPLHAT-type reactions, leading to the production of α-carbon-centered peptide radicals. Taken together, these processes have broad implications that impact many aspects of the science and utility of peptides.We gratefully acknowledge research funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (Grant Number 16H07074001) and the Australian Research Council (Discovery Grant DP150101425) and generous grants of computer time from the RIKEN Advanced Center for Computing and Communication (ACCC), Japan, the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), Japan, and the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) National Facility, Australia

Outcome-changing effect of polarity reversal in hydrogen-atom-abstraction reactions

We have examined hydrogen-atom-abstraction reactions for combinations of electrophilic/nucleophilic radicals with electrophilic/nucleophilic substrates. We find that reaction between an electrophilic radical and a nucleophilic substrate is relatively favorable, and vice versa, but the reactions between a radical and a substrate that are both electrophilic or both nucleophilic are relatively unfavorable, consistent with the literature reports of Roberts. As a result, the regioselectivity for the abstraction from a polar substrate can be reversed by reversing the polarity of the attacking radical. Our calculations support Roberts' polarity-reversal-catalysis concept and suggest that addition of a catalyst of appropriate electrophilicity/nucleophilicity can lead to an enhancement of the reaction rate of approximately 5 orders of magnitude. By exploiting the control over regioselectivity associated with the polar nature of the radical and the substrate, we demonstrate the possibility of directing the regioselectivity of hydrogen abstraction from amino acid derivatives and simultaneously providing a significant rate acceleration

Hydrogen-atom abstraction from a model amino acid: dependence on the attacking radical

We have used computational chemistry to examine the reactivity of a model amino acid toward hydrogen abstraction by HO•, HOO•, and Br•. The trends in the calculated condensed-phase (acetic acid) free energy barriers are in accord with experimental relative reactivities. Our calculations suggest that HO• is likely to be the abstracting species for reactions with hydrogen peroxide. For HO• abstractions, the barriers decrease as the site of reaction becomes more remote from the electron-withdrawing α-substituents, in accord with a diminishing polar deactivating effect. We find that the transition structures for α- and β-abstractions have additional hydrogen-bonding interactions, which lead to lower gas-phase vibrationless electronic barriers at these positions. Such favorable interactions become less important in a polar solvent such as acetic acid, and this leads to larger calculated barriers when the effect of solvation is taken into account. For Br• abstractions, the α-barrier is the smallest while the β-barrier is the largest, with the barrier gradually becoming smaller further along the side chain. We attribute the low barrier for the α-abstraction in this case to the partial reflection of the thermodynamic effect of the captodatively stabilized α-radical product in the more product-like transition structure, while the trend of decreasing barriers in the order β > γ > δ ∼ ε is explained by the diminishing polar deactivating effect. More generally, the favorable influence of thermodynamic effects on the α-abstraction barrier is found to be smaller when the transition structure for hydrogen abstraction is earlier.We gratefully acknowledge funding (to L.R. and C.J.E.) from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and generous grants of computer time from the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) National Facility and Intersect Australia Ltd

Reactivities of amino acid derivatives toward hydrogen abstraction by Cl• and OH•

In recent computational studies of hydrogen-atom abstraction from amino acid derivatives, two distinct rationalizations have been put forward for the relative inertness of the α-C-H. Of these, the proposal that the inertness is due to a "kinetic trap" a