Cleavage kinetics and anchor linked intermediates in solid phase peptide amide synthesis

Kinetics and cleavage conditions of peptide amide synthesis were studied using the anchor molecules 5-(4'-aminomethyl-3',5'-dimethoxyphenoxy)valeric acid (4-ADPV-OH) and 5-(2'-aminomethyl-3'-5'-dimethoxyphenoxy) valeric acid (2-ADPV-OH). Unexpectedly the anchor amide alanyl-4-ADPV-NH2 was isolated and characterized as an intermediate during the cleavage with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) of alanyl-4-ADPV-alanyl-aminomethyl-polystyrene to yield the alanine amide. As a matter of fact the NH--CH alpha bond of the alanyl spacer has to be cleaved to form this intermediate. Using TFA-dichloromethane (1:9) alanyl-4-ADPV-NH2 was obtained as a cleavage product in 50% yield within 60 min, whereas the isomeric alanyl-2-ADPV-NH2 was formed more slowly under these mild conditions. At high TFA concentration no difference between the 2- and 4-ADPV anchor was observed in the rate of formation of the free alanine amide. The presence of tryptophan amide in the cleavage mixture resulted in an anchor alkylated tryptophan amide, which remains stable in acidic solution but disappears rapidly in the presence of the resin. A low TFA/high TFA cleavage procedure is recommended for peptide amid synthesis applying the ADPV anchor.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of D-amino acid oxidase activity

A new procedure for the assay of D-amino acid oxidase activity has been developed. alpha-Ketoisovaleric acid, derived from D-valine, was estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography after reaction with o-phenylenediamine to give the corresponding quinoxalinol derivative. alpha-Ketovaleric acid was used as an internal standard to ensure the reproducibility of the method. As an example of application, kidney cortex homogenates were analyzed for their D-amino acid oxidase activity. The advantages of the presented procedure for the determination of the enzymatic activity in biological samples compared with previously reported procedures are discussed.

Viscoelastic relaxations and thermal properties of bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)

3-Hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate (3HB-3HV) as well as 3-hydroxybutyrate-4-hydroxybutyrate (3HB-4HB) copolyesters have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy, over a wide range of compositions (0-95 mol% 3HV; 0-82 mol% 4HB). Both series of isolated copolyesters are partially crystalline at all compositions. Quenched samples show a glass transition that decreases linearly with increasing co-monomer molar fraction, more markedly when the co-monomer is 4HB. Above Tg, all copolyesters, rich in 3HB units, show a cold crystallization phenomenon followed by melting, while at the other end crystallization on heating is observed only in 3HB-3HV copolymers. The viscoelastic spectrum, strongly affected by thermal history, shows two relaxation regions: the glass transition, whose location depends on copolymer type and composition, and a secondary dispersion region at low temperatures (-130/-80 degrees C). The latter results from a water-related relaxation analogous to that of P(3HB) and, in 3HB-4HB copolymers, from another overlapping absorption peak centered at -130 degrees C, attributed to local motion of the methylene groups in the linear 4HB units.