A serine-substituted P450 catalyzes highly efficient carbene transfer to olefins in vivo

Whole-cell catalysts for non-natural chemical reactions will open new routes to sustainable production of chemicals. We designed a cytochrome 'P411' with unique serine-heme ligation that catalyzes efficient and selective olefin cyclopropanation in intact Escherichia coli cells. The mutation C400S in cytochrome P450_(BM3) gives a signature ferrous CO Soret peak at 411 nm, abolishes monooxygenation activity, raises the resting-state FeIII-to-FeII reduction potential and substantially improves NAD(P)H-driven activity

Chemistry Central Journal Poster presentation A detailed aanalysis of diphosphate binding sites in proteins

© 2009 Schulze et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Isoprenoids form a very large and diverse group of natural products and are especially widespread in plants. The diversity of the enzymes responsible for isoprenoid biosynthesis is based on structural as well as functional variety. Up to now the evolutionary origin of prenyl converting enzymes is not well studied although almost all of them use substrates with a common activating group: diphosphate (pyrophosphate). As a starting point of a more detailed analysis of the evolution of prenyl converting enzymes, diphosphate binding sites are analysed. Fundamental research regarding the related phosphate binding modes has already been done by Hirsch et al. [1] in 2007, where proteins were initially grouped concerning their function and subsequently statisticall

Isolation and anticancer, anthelminthic, and antiviral (HIV) activity of acylphloroglucinols, and regioselective synthesis of empetrifranzinans from Hypericum roeperianum

From the ethno-medicinally used leaves of Hypericum roeperianum we isolated a new tricyclic acylphloroglucinol (1), a new tetracyclic acylphloroglucinol (2), and a new prenylated bicyclic acylphloroglucinol (3) together with four known prenylated (4-7) and three known tetracyclic acylphloroglucinol derivatives (8-10). Structure elucidation was based on UV, IR, [α]D(25), 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments. Furthermore, empetrifranzinans A (8) and C (9) were synthesized regioselectively in only two steps. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against PC-3 and HT-29 cancer cell lines as well as antibacterial and anthelmintic activities. They were also tested in cell-based assays for cytotoxicity against MT-4 cells and for anti-HIV activity in infected MT-4 cells. Significant anthelmintic activity against Caenorhabditis elegans was exhibited by compound 7 (3-geranyl-1-(2'-methylbutanoyl)-phloroglucinol), which might provide a new lead

Draft Genome Sequence of Turicella otitidis ATCC 51513, Isolated from Middle Ear Fluid from a Child with Otitis Media

Brinkrolf K, Schneider J, Knecht M, Rückert C, Tauch A. Draft Genome Sequence of Turicella otitidis ATCC 51513, Isolated from Middle Ear Fluid from a Child with Otitis Media. Journal of Bacteriology. 2012;194(21):5968-5969.Turicella otitidis is an unusual corynebacterium with a controversial role in otitis media in children. Metabolic capabilities deduced from the draft genome indicate its adaptation to habitats on the human skin and in the intestine. The lack of candidate virulence factors implies that T. otitidis has a low pathogenic potential

Multicomponent Syntheses of Macrocycles

How to access efficiently the macrocyclic structure remained to be a challenging synthetic topic. Although many elegant approaches/reactions have been developed, construction of diverse collection of macrocycles is still elusive. This chapter summarized the recently emerged research area dealing with multicomponent synthesis of macrocycles, with particular emphasis on the approach named “multiple multicomponent reaction using two bifunctional building blocks”