Temporal characterization of individual harmonics of an attosecond pulse train by THz streaking

We report on the global temporal pulse characteristics of individual harmonics in an attosecond pulse train by means of photo-electron streaking in a strong low-frequency transient. The scheme allows direct retrieval of pulse durations and first order chirp of individual harmonics without the need of temporal scanning. The measurements were performed using an intense THz field generated by tilted phase front technique in LiNbO_3 . Pulse properties for harmonics of order 23, 25 and 27 show that the individual pulse durations and linear chirp are decreasing by the harmonic order

Peptide Bond Distortions from Planarity: New Insights from Quantum Mechanical Calculations and Peptide/Protein Crystal Structures

By combining quantum-mechanical analysis and statistical survey of peptide/protein structure databases we here report a thorough investigation of the conformational dependence of the geometry of peptide bond, the basic element of protein structures. Different peptide model systems have been studied by an integrated quantum mechanical approach, employing DFT, MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations, both in aqueous solution and in the gas phase. Also in absence of inter-residue interactions, small distortions from the planarity are more a rule than an exception, and they are mainly determined by the backbone ψ dihedral angle. These indications are fully corroborated by a statistical survey of accurate protein/peptide structures. Orbital analysis shows that orbital interactions between the σ system of Cα substituents and the π system of the amide bond are crucial for the modulation of peptide bond distortions. Our study thus indicates that, although long-range inter-molecular interactions can obviously affect the peptide planarity, their influence is statistically averaged. Therefore, the variability of peptide bond geometry in proteins is remarkably reproduced by extremely simplified systems since local factors are the main driving force of these observed trends. The implications of the present findings for protein structure determination, validation and prediction are also discussed

A compact and cost-effective hard X-ray free-electron laser driven by a high-brightness and low-energy electron beam

We present the first lasing results of SwissFEL, a hard X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) that recently came into operation at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. SwissFEL is a very stable, compact and cost-effective X-ray FEL facility driven by a low-energy and ultra-low-emittance electron beam travelling through short-period undulators. It delivers stable hard X-ray FEL radiation at 1-Å wavelength with pulse energies of more than 500 μJ, pulse durations of ~30 fs (root mean square) and spectral bandwidth below the per-mil level. Using special configurations, we have produced pulses shorter than 1 fs and, in a different set-up, broadband radiation with an unprecedented bandwidth of ~2%. The extremely small emittance demonstrated at SwissFEL paves the way for even more compact and affordable hard X-ray FELs, potentially boosting the number of facilities worldwide and thereby expanding the population of the scientific community that has access to X-ray FEL radiation

The Mouse Cytomegalovirus Gene m42 Targets Surface Expression of the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase CD45 in Infected Macrophages

The receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45 is expressed on the surface of cells of hematopoietic origin and has a pivotal role for the function of these cells in the immune response. Here we report that following infection of macrophages with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) the cell surface expression of CD45 is drastically diminished. Screening of a set of MCMV deletion mutants allowed us to identify the viral gene m42 of being responsible for CD45 down-modulation. Moreover, expression of m42 independent of viral infection upon retroviral transduction of the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line led to comparable regulation of CD45 expression. In immunocompetent mice infected with an m42 deletion mutant lower viral titers were observed in all tissues examined when compared to wildtype MCMV, indicating an important role of m42 for viral replication in vivo. The m42 gene product was identified as an 18 kDa protein expressed with early kinetics and is predicted to be a tailanchored membrane protein. Tracking of surface-resident CD45 molecules revealed that m42 induces internalization and degradation of CD45. The observation that the amounts of the E3 ubiquitin ligases Itch and Nedd4 were diminished in cells expressing m42 and that disruption of a PY motif in the N-terminal part of m42 resulted in loss of function, suggest that m42 acts as an activator or adaptor for these Nedd4-like ubiquitin ligases, which mark CD45 for lysosomal degradation. In conclusion, the down-modulation of CD45 expression in MCMV-infected myeloid cells represents a novel pathway of virus-host interaction

J. Chem. Soc.-Perkin Trans. 2

Dilute mixtures of n-heptanal in synthetic air (up to 100 ppm) were photolyzed with fluorescent UV lamps (275-380 nm) at 298 K. The main photooxidation products, identified and quantitatively analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, were pent-1-ene, CO, vinyl alcohol and ethanal. The photolysis rates and the absolute quantum yields Phi were found to be slightly dependent on the total pressure. At 100 Torr, Phi(100) = 0.36+/-0.03, whereas at 700 Torr the total quantum yield was Phi(700) = 0.31+/-0.01. The results may be explained by the collisional deactivation of photoexcited molecules. Two decomposition channels were identified: the radical channel C6H13CHO-->C6H13 + HCO, and the molecular channel C6H13CHO-->C5H10 + CH2=CHOH, having the absolute quantum yields of 0.031 and 0.118 at 700 Torr. The product CH2=CHOH tautomerizes to ethanal

Substitued (E)-b-(benzoyl)acrylic acids suppressed survival of neoplastic human HeLa cells

The bacteriostatic activity of some of alkyl substituted (E)-b-(benzoyl)acrylic acids was shown earlier. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiproliferative action of 19 alkyl-, or halogeno-, or methoxy-, or acetamido- substituted (E)-b-(benzoyl)acrylic acids, against human cervix carcinoma, HeLa, cells. Target HeLa cells were continuously treated with increasing concentrations of substituted (E)-b-(benzoyl)acrylic acids during two days. The MTT test was used for assessment of the antiproliferative action of this group of compounds. Treatment of HeLa cells with 4-methyl-, 4-fluoro-, 4-chloro-, 4-bromo- and 4-methoxy- derivatives of (E)-b-(benzoyl) acrylic acid leads to the expression of cytostatic activity against HeLa cells (IC50 were in the range from 31-40 µM). Their antiproliferative action was less than that of the basic compound (E)-b-(benzoyl)acrylic acid whose IC50 was 28.5 µM. The 3,4-dimethyl-, 2,4-dimethyl- and 2,5-dimethyl- derivatives as well as the 4-ethyl- and 3,4-dichloro- and 2,4-dichloro-derivatives, have stronger cytostatic activity than the correspoding monosubstituted and parent compound. Their IC50 were 18.5 µM; 17.5 µM; 17.0 mM; 17.5 µM; 22.0 µM and 18 µM, respectively. The 4-iso-propyl- and 4-n-butyl-derivatives exerted higher cytostatic activity than the compounds with a lower number of methylene -CH2- groups in the substitutent. Their IC50 were 14.5 µM and 6.5 µM respectively. The 2,5-di-iso-propyl- and 4-tert-butyl-derivatives expressed the most strong antiproliferative action against the investigated HeLa cells, IC50 being 4.5 µM and 5.5 µM, respectively. The investigated compounds affected the survival of HeLa cells, expressing a strong structure-activity relationship of the Hansch type

Protolytic constants of nizatidine, ranitidine and N,N-dimethyl-2-nitro-1,1-ethenediamine; spectrophotometric and theoretical investigation

The prototropic exchange equilibria of two drugs, nizatidine (I) and ranitidine (II); and also of structurally related the N,N-dimethyl-2-nitro-1,1-ethenediamine molecule (III) were investigated. From the changes in electronic spectra in media of various acidity several protonation constants were determined. For nizatidine pK values were -0.82, 1.95, and 6.67; for ranitidine pK values were 1.95 and 8.13; and for III was 2.60. The hydroxylation equilibrium constant in strongly alkaline media was determined too. Corresponding pK(a) values were 13.23 for I, 13.26 for II and 13.76 for III. Molecular orbital calculations of electronic spectra confirmed that pK 1.95 for I and II, and pK 2.60 for III, are associated with C-protonation of nitroethenediamine fragment, while all pK(a) values correspond to the addition of HO- anion at the same double bond. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V

Determination and structural correlation of the pKa values of p-substituted trans-2,3-epoxy-4-oxo-4-phenylbutanoic acids

The pKa values for a series of eight p-substituted trans-2,3-epoxy-4-phenyl butanoic acids (p-substituted trans-b-aroylepoxyacrylic acids) have been determined potentiometrically in aqueous media at 25°C at an ionic strength of 0.1 mol/dm3 (NaCl). The transmission of polar effects from the substituents on the phenyl nucleus to the carboxylic group through the side chain involving a carbonyl group and an epoxide ring was investigated. The pKa values were correlated with structure using the Hammett, Taft and Yukawa-Tsuno approaches. The Hammett r constant (0.34) was compared with analogue values for structurally similar acids