Liquid chromatographic determination of D- and L-amino acids by derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde and N-isobutyryl-L-cysteine. Applications with reference to the analysis of peptidic antibiotics, toxins, drugs and pharmaceutically used amino acids

Kinetic analysis of D-Alanine upon oral intake in humans

D-Alanine, a rare enantiomer of alanine, can potentially alleviate the worsening of viral infections and maintain circadian rhythm. This study aimed to analyze the kinetics of D-Alanine upon oral intake. Five healthy volunteers were administered D-Alanine as a single oral dose at 11,236 or 33,708 µmoL (1-3 g). Upon intake of the lower dose, the plasma level of D-Alanine reached its peak concentration of 588.4 ± 40.9 µM with a peak time of 0.60 ± 0.06 h. The compartment model estimated the clearance of D-Alanine at 12.5 ± 0.3 L/h, or 208 ± 5 mL/min, distribution volume of 8.3 ± 0.7 L and half-life of 0.46 ± 0.04 h, suggesting a rapid clearance of D-Alanine. The peak concentration and area under the curve increased proportionally upon intake of the higher dose, while the clearance, distribution volume and half-life did not. The urinary ratio of D-Alanine per sum of D- and L-Alanine reached its peak of nearly 100%, followed by a slow decline. The peak time of the urinary ratio was 1.15 ± 0.15 h, showing a time lag of blood to urine excretion. Fractional excretion, a ratio of the clearance of a substance per a standard molecule in kidney, of D-Alanine increased from 14.0 ± 5.8% to 64.5 ± 10.3%; the latter corresponded to the urinary clearance of D-Alanine as about 77 mL/min for an adult, with a peak time of 1.90 ± 0.56 h. D-Alanine was quickly absorbed and appeared in blood, followed by urinary excretion. This kinetic analysis increases our fundamental knowledge of the oral intake of D-Alanine for the chronic dosing. Trial number: #UMIN000050865. Date of registration: 2023/6/30.

Efficient one step extraction process of Gramicidin S from Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus biomass

Currently, Gramicidin S (GR-S) is produced enzymatically with the drawback of the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or produced by fermentation involving several separation and purification steps. Therefore, this study is focused on the use of green solvents as unique extraction step to produce Gramicidin S from microbial biomass of Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus. Among the tested solvents, such as ethanol, acidic ethanol or buffer phosphate, the most favorable was acidic ethanol, extracting 96% of Gramicidin S from cells with a purity of 90%. Using acidic ethanol, extraction time within the range of 30-120 min exhibited minimal impact on Gramicidin S yield, whereas the biomass-to-extractant ratio emerged as a critical parameter. Gramicidin S extracts were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) coupled with Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and compared with commercial Gramicidin S.

A sensitive and economical method for simultaneous determination of D/L- amino acids profile in foods by HPLC-UV: Application in fermented and unfermented foods discrimination

This work described a sensitive and economical HPLC-UV method with FDAA derivatization to simultaneously detect 36 D/l-amino acids, which provides higher sensitivity and lower cost than other HPLC-based methods. It was validated for linearity range (8-1000 µmol/L), limits of detection (2.68-62.44 pmol/L), limits of quantification (2.93 to 208.13 pmol/L), intraday precision (0.30 % - 5.31 %), interday precision (1.96 % - 8.04 %) and accuracy (86.53 % - 121.46 %). This method was then applied in the determination of D/L- amino acids abundance in fermented and unfermented food materials and showed the characteristics of each type of foods. The method also demonstrated good performance in another application case for the discrimination of different types of food materials based on D/L- amino acids profile. It emphasizes the ability of the method to study the characteristics, distribution and abundance of d-amino acids in foods and their potential application in food quality control.

Enantioselective metabolomics by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Metabolomics strives to capture the entirety of the metabolites in a biological system by comprehensive analysis, often by liquid chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry. A particular challenge thereby is the differentiation of structural isomers. Common achiral targeted and untargeted assays do not distinguish between enantiomers. This may lead to information loss. An increasing number of publications demonstrate that the enantiomeric ratio of certain metabolites can be meaningful biomarkers of certain diseases emphasizing the importance of introducing enantioselective analytical procedures in metabolomics. In this work, the state-of-the-art in the field of LC-MS based metabolomics is summarized with focus on developments in the recent decade. Methodologies, tagging strategies, workflows and general concepts are outlined. Selected biological applications in which enantioselective metabolomics has documented its usefulness are briefly discussed. In general, targeted enantioselective metabolomics assays are often based on a direct approach using chiral stationary phases (CSP) with polysaccharide derivatives, macrocyclic antibiotics, chiral crown ethers, chiral ion exchangers, donor-acceptor phases as chiral selectors. Rarely, these targeted assays focus on more than 20 analytes and usually are restricted to a certain metabolite class. In a variety of cases, pre-column derivatization of metabolites has been performed, especially for amino acids, to improve separation and detection sensitivity. Triple quadrupole instruments are the detection methods of first choice in targeted assays. Here, issues like matrix effect, absence of blank matrix impair accuracy of results. In selected applications, multiple heart cutting 2D-LC (RP followed by chiral separation) has been pursued to overcome this problem and alleviate bias due to interferences. Non-targeted assays, on the other hand, are based on indirect approach involving tagging with a chiral derivatizing agent (CDA). Besides classical CDAs numerous innovative reagents and workflows have been proposed and are discussed. Thereby, a critical issue for the accuracy is often neglected, viz. the validation of the enantiomeric impurity in the CDA. The majority of applications focus on amino acids, hydroxy acids, oxidized fatty acids and oxylipins. Some potential clinical applications are highlighted.

Simultaneous Measurement of Amino Acid Enantiomers in Aged Mouse Brain Samples by LC/MS/MS Combined with Derivatization Using N α-(5-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-l-leucinamide (l-FDLA)

d-amino acids have distinct roles from their l-enantiomer. In particular, some d-amino acids function as agonists or antagonists of neuronal receptors and are involved in higher brain functions. Thus, it is important to precisely measure the levels of these amino acid enantiomers in cells and tissues. Various quantification methods have been developed for measurements of chiral amino acids. However, each method has advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, measuring the amino acid enantiomers in crude biological samples requires a higher selectivity. In this study, we developed a quantification method for amino acid enantiomers using derivatization with N^α-(5-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl)-l-leucinamide (l-FDLA) followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with a conventional reversed-phase column. We simultaneously identified 10 chiral amino acids. Furthermore, we applied this method to investigate murine tissue samples and examined the effect of aging on the amino acid levels in aged brain regions. We found that aging decreased the levels of both d-serine and d-aspartate in the hippocampus. In addition, d-Phenylalanine in the thalamus significantly increased with age. In conclusion, our method is suitable for the quantification of the d-amino acids in crude biological samples and may contribute to elucidating the biological roles of chiral amino acids.

Microalgae from Biorefinery as Potential Protein Source for Siberian Sturgeon (A. baerii) Aquafeed

The demand for aquafeed is expected to increase in the coming years and new ingredients will be needed to compensate for the low fish meal and oil availability. Microalgae represent a promising matrix for the future aquafeed formulation, however, the high production cost hinders its application. The use of microalgae from biorefinery would reduce the disposal costs for microalgae production. The present study aimed to (i) verify the growth of microalgae on digestate coming from pig farming and (ii) evaluate their potential valorization as dietary ingredient in aquafeed according to a Circular Bioeconomy approach. For these purposes, a microalgae biomass was produced on an outdoor raceway reactor supplied with digestate and used for partial replacement (10% of the diet) in aquafeed for Siberian sturgeon fingerlings (Acipenser baerii). The results obtained confirm the feasibility for growing microalgae on digestate with satisfactory productivity (6.2 gDM m−2 d−1), nutrient removal efficiency and Chemical Oxygen Demand reduction; moreover, the feeding trial carried out showed similar results between experimental and control groups (p > 0.05), in term of growth performance, somatic indices, fillet nutritional composition and intestinal functionality, to indicate that microalgae from biorefinery could be used as protein source in Siberian sturgeon aquafeed.

D-amino acids in foods

With the only exception of glycine, all amino acids exist in two specular structures which are mirror images of each other, called D-(dextro) and L-(levo) enantiomers. During evolution, L-amino acids were preferred for protein synthesis and main metabolism; however, the D-amino acids (D-AAs) acquired different and specific functions in different organisms (from playing a structural role in the peptidoglycan of the bacterial cell wall to modulating neurotransmission in mammalian brain). With the advent of sophisticated and sensitive analytical techniques, it was established during the past few decades that many foods contain considerable amounts of D-AAs: we consume more than 100 mg of D-AAs every day. D-AAs are present in a variety of foodstuffs, where they fulfill a relevant role in producing differences in taste and flavor and in their antimicrobial and antiaging properties from the corresponding L-enantiomers. In this review, we report on the derivation of D-AAs in foods, mainly originating from the starting materials, fermentation processes, racemization during food processing, or contamination. We then focus on leading-edge methods to identify and quantify D-AAs in foods. Finally, current knowledge concerning the effect of D-AAs on the nutritional state and human health is summarized, highlighting some positive and negative effects. Notwithstanding recent progress in D-AA research, the relationships between presence and nutritional value of D-AAs in foods represent a main scientific issue with interesting economic impact in the near future.

Acute Aerobic Exercise Leads to Increased Plasma Levels of R- and S-β-Aminoisobutyric Acid in Humans

Recently, it was suggested that β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) is a myokine involved in browning of fat. However, there is no evidence for an acute effect of exercise supporting this statement and the metabolic distinct enantiomers of BAIBA were not taken into account. Concerning these enantiomers, there is at this point no consensus about resting concentrations of plasma R- and S-BAIBA. Additionally, a polymorphism of the alanine - glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) gene (rs37369) is known to have a high impact on baseline levels of total BAIBA, but the effect on the enantiomers is unknown. Fifteen healthy recreationally active subjects, with different genotypes of rs37369, participated in a randomized crossover trial where they exercised for 1 h at 40% of P_peak or remained at rest. Plasma samples were analyzed for R- and S-BAIBA using dual column HPLC-fluorescence. The plasma concentration of baseline R-BAIBA was 67 times higher compared to S-BAIBA (1734 ± 821 vs. 29.3 ± 7.8 nM). Exercise induced a 13 and 20% increase in R-BAIBA and S-BAIBA, respectively. The AGXT2 rs37369 genotype strongly affected baseline levels of R-BAIBA, but did not have an impact on baseline S-BAIBA. We demonstrate that BAIBA should not be treated as one molecule, given (1) the markedly uneven distribution of its enantiomers in human plasma favoring R-BAIBA, and (2) their different metabolic source, as evidenced by the AGXT2 polymorphism only affecting R-BAIBA. The proposed function in organ cross talk is supported by the current data and may apply to both enantiomers, but the tissue of origin remains unclear.

(+) or (-)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate as chiral derivatizing agent: A review

Over the last 30years, (±)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate ((±)-FLEC) was used as a chiral derivatizing agent in various analytical applications involving a wide range of endogenous, pharmaceutical and environmentally relevant molecules. This comprehensive review aims to present all the significant aspects related to the state of the art in FLEC labeling and subsequent chiral separation of the resulting diastereomers using LC, SFC and CE techniques.

Sequences of metanicins, 20-residue peptaibols from the ascomycetous fungus CBS 597.80

Four linear 20-residue peptaibols, named metanicins (MTCs) A-D, were isolated from submerged cultures of the ascomycetous fungus CBS 597.80. Structure elucidation was performed by a combination of fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), electrospray ionization MS, Edman degradation of isolated fragments, and amino acid analysis by ion-exchange and gas chromatography, and enantioselective HPLC. The sequences of MTC A(B) are (amino acid exchange in B and C in parentheses): Ac-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Gln-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-Leu-Aib-Pro-Val-Aib-Aib(D-Iva)-Gln-Gln-Pheol and of MTC C(D) Ac-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Gln-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-Leu-Aib-Pro-Val-Aib-Aib(D-Iva)-Gln-Gln-Pheol (Ac, acetyl; Aib, α-aminoisobutyric acid; Iva, isovaline; Pheol, L-phenylalaninol). The peptides are related, and some of the sequences are identical, to other 20-residue peptaibols isolated from Trichoderma species. MTCs show moderate activities against Micrococcus luteus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus, and very low activities against Bacillus subtilis. The producer has originally been identified and deposited as Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae CBS 597.80. Although this identification has been withdrawn by Centralbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS) in the meantime, the accession number will be retained - independently from any taxonomic revisions.

Enantioseparation and selective detection of D-amino acids by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in analysis of complex biological samples

The growing scientific attention in the biological function of D-amino acids leads to an increasing analytical interest for enantiomeric amino acid separation, which is still very challenging due to the lack of sufficiently sensitive, high-throughput analytical methods that can cope with often occurring matrix interferences and very low D-amino acid concentrations. Here, enantioseparation can benefit from improved resolution and chromatographic speed offered by modern UHPLC techniques and the precision of MS detection. We developed a RP-UHPLC-QqToF-MS method using pre-column OPA/IBLC derivatization for very precise discrimination of amino acids enantiomers. The method shows a superb sensitivity with limits of detection in the range of several pmol/l. It has neither shown matrix inferences in the tested very complex biological matrices (serum, plasma, urine and gut) nor stability or racemization problems.

Chiral derivatizations applied for the separation of unusual amino acid enantiomers by liquid chromatography and related techniques

Amino acids are essential for life, and have many functions in metabolism. One particularly important function is to serve as the building blocks of peptides and proteins, giving rise complex three dimensional structures through disulfide bonds or crosslinked amino acids. Peptides are frequently cyclic and contain proteinogenic as well as nonproteinogenic amino acids in many instances. Since most of the proteinogenic α-amino acids contain at least one stereogenic center (with the exception of glycine), the stereoisomers of all these amino acids and the peptides in which they are to be found may possess differences in biological activity in living systems. The impetus for advances in chiral separation has been highest in the past 25 years and this still continues to be an area of high focus. The important analytical task of the separation of isomers is achieved mainly by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. This paper reviews indirect separation approaches, i.e. derivatization reactions aimed at creating the basis for the chromatographic resolution of biologically and pharmaceutically important enantiomers of unusual amino acids and related compounds, with emphasis on the literature published from 1980s. The main aspects of the chiral derivatization of amino acids are discussed, i.e. derivatization on the amino group, transforming the molecules into covalently bonded diastereomeric derivatives through the use of homochiral derivatizing agents. The diastereomers formed (amides, urethanes, urea and thiourea derivatives, etc.) can be separated on achiral stationary phases. The applications are considered, and in some cases different derivatizing agents for the resolution of complex mixtures of proteinogenic d,l-amino acids, non-proteinogenic amino acids and peptides/amino acids from peptide syntheses or microorganisms are compared.

Discovery of amide (peptide) bond synthetic activity in Acyl-CoA synthetase

Acyl-CoA synthetase, which is one of the acid-thiol ligases (EC 6.2.1), plays key roles in metabolic and regulatory processes. This enzyme forms a carbon-sulfur bond in the presence of ATP and Mg(2+), yielding acyl-CoA thioesters from the corresponding free acids and CoA. This enzyme belongs to the superfamily of adenylate-forming enzymes, whose three-dimensional structures are analogous to one another. We here discovered a new reaction while studying the short-chain acyl-CoA synthetase that we recently reported (Hashimoto, Y., Hosaka, H., Oinuma, K., Goda, M., Higashibata, H., and Kobayashi, M. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 8660-8667). When l-cysteine was used as a substrate instead of CoA, N-acyl-l-cysteine was surprisingly detected as a reaction product. This finding demonstrated that the enzyme formed a carbon-nitrogen bond (EC 6.3.1 acid-ammonia (or amide) ligase (amide synthase); EC 6.3.2 acid-amino acid ligase (peptide synthase)) comprising the amino group of the cysteine and the carboxyl group of the acid. N-Acyl-d-cysteine, N-acyl-dl-homocysteine, and N-acyl-l-cysteine methyl ester were also synthesized from the corresponding cysteine analog substrates by the enzyme. Furthermore, this unexpected enzyme activity was also observed for acetyl-CoA synthetase and firefly luciferase, indicating the generality of the new reaction in the superfamily of adenylate-forming enzymes.

Gas chromatographic analysis of amino acid enantiomers in Carbetocin peptide hydrolysates after fast derivatization with pentafluoropropyl chloroformate

A novel sample preparation protocol for gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of amino acid enantiomers in peptides was developed. It comprises traditional acid hydrolysis, a novel treatment of the analytes with a fluoroalkyl chloroformate and GC/FID separation of enantiomers on a chiral capillary column. The major improvements consist in that the derivatization step proceeds in organic-aqueous media within seconds and the amino acid derivatives are volatile enough to suit the temperature range of the chiral Chirasil-Val capillary column. The approach was found beneficial for chiral analysis of pharmaceutically important Carbetocin peptide.

Enhanced sensitivity for the determination of ambiphilic polyaromatic amines by LC–MS/MS after acetylation

A new method for the analysis of aminonitropyrenes and diaminopyrenes was developed for urine and hemoglobin samples using LC-MS/MS. A good separation by LC was only achieved after derivatization of the amino group, which also increased sensitivity to a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 pg (on column) for diaminopyrene and 5 pg for aminonitropyrene using electrospray ionization (ESI). Compared to a derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride yielding only one sensitive MS/MS transition, acetylation offers the advantages of a higher selectivity with two sensitive MS/MS transitions and the possibility of a direct detection of acetylated aminonitropyrenes and diaminopyrenes formed metabolically in vivo. Acetylated diaminopyrene was detected in urine and after hydrolysis of the corresponding hemoglobin adducts followed by acetylation in blood samples of rats after administration of dinitropyrene but not in controls. A method based on GC-MS with negative chemical ionization of the electrophore labelled metabolites was non-selective since only one major ion [M - HF]- was formed and some isobaric peaks were observed preventing unequivocal analyte identification at concentrations close to the LOD.

Isolation and characterization of a D-cysteine desulfhydrase protein from Arabidopsis thaliana

In several organisms D-cysteine desulfhydrase (D-CDes) activity (EC 4.1.99.4) was measured; this enzyme decomposes D-cysteine into pyruvate, H2S, and NH3. A gene encoding a putative D-CDes protein was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana (L) Heynh. based on high homology to an Escherichia coli protein called YedO that has D-CDes activity. The deduced Arabidopsis protein consists of 401 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 43.9 kDa. It contains a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate binding site. The purified recombinant mature protein had a Km for D-cysteine of 0.25 mm. Only D-cysteine but not L-cysteine was converted by D-CDes to pyruvate, H2S, and NH3. The activity was inhibited by aminooxy acetic acid and hydroxylamine, inhibitors specific for pyridoxal-5'-phosphate dependent proteins, at low micromolar concentrations. The protein did not exhibit 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity (EC 3.5.99.7) as homologous bacterial proteins. Western blot analysis of isolated organelles and localization studies using fusion constructs with the green fluorescent protein indicated an intracellular localization of the nuclear encoded D-CDes protein in the mitochondria. D-CDes RNA levels increased with proceeding development of Arabidopsis but decreased in senescent plants; D-CDes protein levels remained almost unchanged in the same plants whereas specific D-CDes activity was highest in senescent plants. In plants grown in a 12-h light/12-h dark rhythm D-CDes RNA levels were highest in the dark, whereas protein levels and enzyme activity were lower in the dark period than in the light indicating post-translational regulation. Plants grown under low sulfate concentration showed an accumulation of D-CDes RNA and increased protein levels, the D-CDes activity was almost unchanged. Putative in vivo functions of the Arabidopsisd-CDes protein are discussed.

2,6-Diketopiperazines from amino acids, from solution-phase to solid-phase organic synthesis

A method to prepare 1,3-disubstituted 2,6-diketopiperazines (2,6-DKP) as useful heterocyclic library scaffolds in the search of new leads for drug discovery is described. The method can be used in solution-phase and solid-phase conditions. In the key step of the synthesis, the imido portion of the new molecule is formed in solution through intramolecular cyclization, under basic conditions, of a secondary amide nitrogen on a benzyl ester. A Wang resin carboxylic ester is used as the acylating agent under solid-phase conditions, allowing the cyclization to take place with simultaneous cleavage of the product from the resin ("cyclocleavage"). The synthetic method worked well with several couples of amino acids, independently from their configuration, and was used for the parallel synthesis of a series of fully characterized compounds. The use of iterative conditions in the solid phase (repeated addition of fresh solvent and potassium carbonate to the resin after filtering out the product-containing solution) allowed us to keep diastereoisomer content below the detection limit by HPLC and (1)H NMR (200 MHz).

Solid-phase synthesis of MEN 11270, a new cyclic peptide kinin B2 receptor antagonist

An efficient synthesis of the cyclic decapeptide MEN 11270 [H-DArg1-Arg2 Pro3-Hyp4-Gly5-Thi6-Dab7-DTic8-Oic9-Arg10 c(7gamma - 10alpha)] was developed. Two three-dimensional orthogonal strategies were applied and compared: Fmoc/Tos/Boc (procedure A) and Fmoc/Pmc/Dde (procedure B). Both resulted in a 23-step strategy comprising the stepwise solid-phase chain assembly of the linear protected peptide, partial deprotection, solution-phase cyclization and final full deprotection. The stepwise assembly of the linear peptide was optimized by double coupling and acylation time prolongation for critical residues (Tic, Dab, Thi, Pro). O-(7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N' tetramethyluronium (HATU) was preferred as coupling reagent for Dab. In the cyclization step, the partial racemization of Arg10 (31% using 1-ethyl-3-(3'-dimethyl-aminopropyl) carbodiimide/1-hydroxybenzotriazole (EDC/HOBt) as activation system) was reduced to 3% with HATU. The final deprotection was performed in the presence of dimethylsulfide (procedure A) and thiocresol (procedure B) as scavengers, to avoid the sulfation of Hyp side chain. The final compound and the main by-products were characterized by mass spectroscopy (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and racemization test. Procedure B produced operationally simpler and more efficient results than A (28% overall yield versus 4%).

Gas chromatographic quantification of amino acid enantiomers in food matrices by their N(O,S)-ethoxycarbonyl heptafluorobutyl ester derivatives

Several amino acid enantiomer derivatives were prepared with different chloroformates and analysed by gas chromatography (GC) on a Chirasil-L-Val GC column, at a temperature below 200 degrees C. Among them the N(O,S)-ethoxycarbonyl heptafluorobutyl esters presented the best compromise between short retention times, high yield responses and good resolution for almost all the tested amino acids. These derivatives proved to be suited for quantification of amino acids in aqueous media, with L-p-chlorophenylalanine as internal standard. The developed procedure was applied to several food samples for determination of their free amino acid profiles.

Spontaneous deamidation and isomerization of Asn108 in prion peptide 106-126 and in full-length prion protein

In prion-related encephalopathies, the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) undergoes a change in conformation to become the scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)) which forms infectious deposits in the brain. Conceivably, the conformational transition of PrP(C) to PrP(Sc) might be linked with posttranslational alterations in the covalent structure of a fraction of the PrP molecules. We tested a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 106-126 of human PrP for the occurrence of spontaneous chemical modifications. The only asparagine residue, Asn108, was deamidated to aspartic acid and isoaspartic acid with a half-life of about 12 days. The same posttranslational modifications were found in recombinant murine full-length protein. On aging, 0.8 mol of isoaspartyl residue per mole of protein was detected by the protein-l-isoaspartyl methyltransferase assay (t(1/2) approximately 30 days). Mass spectrometry and Edman degradation of Lys-C fragments identified Asn108 in the amino-terminal flexible part of the protein to be partially converted to aspartic acid and isoaspartic acid. A second modification was the partial isomerization of Asp226' which is only present in rodents.

The crystal state conformation of Aib-rich segments of peptaibol antibiotics

Ac-(Aib-Ala)3-OH (a protected segment of the peptaibols gliodeliquescin and paracelsin), Z-Leu-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-OtBu (a segment of [Leu]7-gliodeliquescin), Z-Val-Aib-Aib-Gln-OtBu (a common segment of alamethicin, paracelsin, and hypelcin), and Ac-Aib-Pro-(Aib-Ala)2-OMe and Z-Aib-Pro-(Aib-Ala)2-OMe, which represent differently N(alpha)-protected 1-6 segments of alamethicin and hypelcin, have been synthesized by solution methods. The crystal-state conformations of these five Aib-containing peptides have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. We have confirmed that the 3(10)-helical structure is preferentially adopted by Aib-rich short peptides. An experimentally unambiguous proof for the 3(10)-->alpha-helix conversion has been provided by the two differently N-blocked -Aib-Pro-(Aib-Ala)2-OMe hexapeptides. The beta-bend ribbon conformation, commonly observed in the (Aib-Pro)n sequential oligopeptides, is not found in the -Aib-Pro-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-sequence. As expected on the basis of the L-configuration of the C(alpha)-monoalkylated residues, a right-handed helix screw sense was found in all peptides investigated.

Hydrolysis and amino acid composition of proteins

Amino acid composition analysis is a classical protein analysis method, which finds a wide application in medical and food science research and is indispensable for protein quantification. It is a complex technique, comprising two steps, hydrolysis of the substrate and chromatographic separation and detection of the residues. A properly performed hydrolysis is a prerequisite of a successful analysis. The most significant developments of the technology in the last decade consist in the (i) reduction of the hydrolysis time by the use of microwave radiation energy; (ii) improvement in the sensitivity of the residue detection, the quantification of the sensitive residues and separation of the enantiomeric forms of the amino acids; (iii) application of amino acid analysis in the large-scale protein identification by database search; and (iv) gradual replacement of the original ion exchange residue separation by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis is currently facing an enormous competition in the determination of the identity of proteins and amino acid homologs by the essentially faster mass spectrometry techniques. The amino acid analysis technology needs further simplification and automation of the hydrolysis, chromatography and detection steps to withstand the pressure exerted by the other technologies.

Effect of the hydrolysis method on the determination of the amino acid composition of proteins

Fast and reproducible separation and determination of amino acids serves the economical and reliable characterization and quantification of peptides and proteins as well as the identification of proteins by amino acid composition analysis on a large-scale. A prerequisite of a successful compositional analysis is a complete hydrolysis of the peptides and proteins and a quantitative recovery of the residues in the hydrolyzate. We investigated the effect of different acid-hydrolysis methods on the compositional analysis of known proteins in solution and after blotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and worked out the conditions for the processing of large numbers of samples. The reliability of each method was studied by introducing the analysis data into the AACompIdent software and deducing the protein identification scores. All acid-hydrolysis methods delivered reliable analysis data. The most accurate data were provided by conventional, thermal hydrolysis of proteins in solution in the presence of methanesulfonic acid, closely followed by hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid and microwave radiation-dependent hydrolysis with hydrochloric or methanesulfonic acid, respectively. For blotted proteins, conventional hydrolysis delivered more accurate analysis data in comparison with the microwave radiation-induced hydrolysis. The extraction of the residues from the membrane hydrolyzate was a critical step for unambiguous protein identification. Microwave radiation-induced hydrolysis was responsible for a higher degree of racemization of the residues.

Recent applications of chromatographic resolution of enantiomers in pharmaceutical analysis

The principles and applications of chromatographic separation of enantiomers in pharmaceutical analysis have been reviewed. Several of recently reported enantioselective analysis of various racemic drugs using both the 'indirect' and 'direct' methods have been presented.