Electrochemical synthesis of new one-dimensional metals: radical salts of perylene

The electrochemical synthesis of four highly conducting peryleniumyl salts is reported. The temperature dependence of the conductivity has been measured and exhibits a metallic regime between 200-300 K. The crystal structures of two of the compounds have been solved

The mechanisms of humic substances self-assembly with biological molecules: The case study of the prion protein

Humic substances (HS) are the largest constituent of soil organic matter and are considered as a key component of the terrestrial ecosystem. HS may facilitate the transport of organic and inorganic molecules, as well as the sorption interactions with environmentally relevant proteins such as prions. Prions enter the environment through shedding from live hosts, facilitating a sustained incidence of animal prion diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease and scrapie in cervid and ovine populations, respectively. Changes in prion structure upon environmental exposure may be significant as they can affect prion infectivity and disease pathology. Despite its relevance, the mechanisms of prion interaction with HS are still not completely understood. The goal of this work is to advance a structural-level picture of the encapsulation of recombinant, non-infectious, prion protein (PrP) into different natural HS. We observed that PrP precipitation upon addition of HS is mainly driven by a mechanism of “salting-out” whereby PrP molecules are rapidly removed from the solution and aggregate in insoluble adducts with humic molecules. Importantly, this process does not alter the protein folding since insoluble PrP retains its α-helical content when in complex with HS. The observed ability of HS to promote PrP insolubilization without altering its secondary structure may have potential relevance in the context of “prion ecology”. These results suggest that soil organic matter interacts with prions possibly without altering the protein structures. This may facilitate prions preservation from biotic and abiotic degradation leading to their accumulation in the environment

Use of different RT-QuIC substrates for detecting CWD prions in the brain of Norwegian cervids

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervid populations. CWD has been detected in United States, Canada, South Korea and, most recently, in Europe (Norway, Finland and Sweden). Animals with CWD release infectious prions in the environment through saliva, urine and feces sustaining disease spreading between cervids but also potentially to other non-cervids ruminants (e.g. sheep, goats and cattle). In the light of these considerations and due to CWD unknown zoonotic potential, it is of utmost importance to follow specific surveillance programs useful to minimize disease spreading and transmission. The European community has already in place specific surveillance measures, but the traditional diagnostic tests performed on nervous or lymphoid tissues lack sensitivity. We have optimized a Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay for detecting CWD prions with high sensitivity and specificity to try to overcome this problem. In this work, we show that bank vole prion protein (PrP) is an excellent substrate for RT-QuIC reactions, enabling the detection of trace-amounts of CWD prions, regardless of prion strain and cervid species. Beside supporting the traditional diagnostic tests, this technology could be exploited for detecting prions in peripheral tissues from live animals, possibly even at preclinical stages of the disease

Electrochemically generated peryleniumyl-hexafluorophosphate and hexafluoroarsenate: new one-dimensional metals

Compounds of stoichiometry (pe)2(PF6)1.1 × 0.8CH2Cl2(1) (pe = perylene), (pe)2(AsF6)1.1 × 0.7 CH2Cl2 (2), (pe)2(PF6)1.4 × 0.6 THF (3), (pe)2(AsF6)1.5 × 0.5 THF (4) and (pe)3(SbF6)2 × 0.75 CH2Cl2 (5) have been obtained as crystalline samples by electrochemical deposition from CH2Cl2 [(1), (2) and (5)] or from THF [(3) and (4)] solutions of perylene, containing the appropriate counterion. The three compounds (1)-(3) crystallize in isomorphous orthorhombic lattices. (1) forms black needles: space group Pnmn with a = 4.285 Å, b = 12.915 Å and c = 14.033 Å, z = 1. (2) gives black needles, orthorhombic space group Pnmn with a = 4.294 Å, b = 13.077 Å, and c = 14.132 Å, z = 1. The structures of (1) and (2) were solved by direct methods and refined by least squares to final R = 0.148 and R = 0.088 based on 476 and 322 observed reflections. The perylene forms segregated stacks in direction of the a-axis with interplanar distances of 3.40 Å and an angle of 37.7° between the bc-plane and the perylene. The channels between the segregated stacks are filled by anions and solvent molecules. The d.c. conductivities (four probe measurements) of (1)-(4) fall in the range of 70–1200Ω−1. cm−1 at room temperature. The conductivities show a metallic regime down to about 200°K and drop off below that temperature