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Feng RR, Wang M, Zhang W, Gai F. Unnatural Amino Acids for Biological Spectroscopy and Microscopy. Chem Rev 2024; 124:6501-6542. [PMID: 38722769 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Due to advances in methods for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins, a large number of UAAs with tailored chemical and/or physical properties have been developed and used in a wide array of biological applications. In particular, UAAs with specific spectroscopic characteristics can be used as external reporters to produce additional signals, hence increasing the information content obtainable in protein spectroscopic and/or imaging measurements. In this Review, we summarize the progress in the past two decades in the development of such UAAs and their applications in biological spectroscopy and microscopy, with a focus on UAAs that can be used as site-specific vibrational, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probes. Wherever applicable, we also discuss future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran-Ran Feng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Manxi Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenkai Zhang
- Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Feng Gai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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2
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Webb KR, Hess KA, Shmidt A, Segner KD, Buchanan LE. Probing local changes to α-helical structures with 2D IR spectroscopy and isotope labeling. Biophys J 2023; 122:1491-1502. [PMID: 36906800 PMCID: PMC10147839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
α-Helical secondary structures impart specific mechanical and physiochemical properties to peptides and proteins, enabling them to perform a vast array of molecular tasks ranging from membrane insertion to molecular allostery. Loss of α-helical content in specific regions can inhibit native protein function or induce new, potentially toxic, biological activities. Thus, identifying specific residues that exhibit loss or gain of helicity is critical for understanding the molecular basis of function. Two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy coupled with isotope labeling is capable of capturing detailed structural changes in polypeptides. Yet, questions remain regarding the inherent sensitivity of isotope-labeled modes to local changes in α-helicity, such as terminal fraying; the origin of spectral shifts (hydrogen-bonding versus vibrational coupling); and the ability to definitively detect coupled isotopic signals in the presence of overlapping side chains. Here, we address each of these points individually by characterizing a short, model α-helix (DPAEAAKAAAGR-NH2) with 2D IR and isotope labeling. These results demonstrate that pairs of 13C18O probes placed three residues apart can detect subtle structural changes and variations along the length of the model peptide as the α-helicity is systematically tuned. Comparison of singly and doubly labeled peptides affirm that frequency shifts arise primarily from hydrogen-bonding, while vibrational coupling between paired isotopes leads to increased peak areas that can be clearly differentiated from underlying side-chain modes or uncoupled isotope labels not participating in helical structures. These results demonstrate that 2D IR in tandem with i,i+3 isotope-labeling schemes can capture residue-specific molecular interactions within a single turn of an α-helix.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kayla Anne Hess
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Alisa Shmidt
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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3
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Mukherjee D, Ahmed IA, Gai F. Site-Specific Interrogation of Protein Structure and Stability. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2376:65-87. [PMID: 34845603 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1716-8_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To execute their function or activity, proteins need to possess variability in local electrostatic environment, solvent accessibility, structure, and stability. However, assessing any protein property in a site-specific manner is not easy since native spectroscopic signals often lack the needed specificity. One strategy that overcomes this limitation is to use unnatural amino acids that exhibit distinct spectroscopic features. In this chapter, we describe several such unnatural amino acids (UAAs) and their respective applications in site-specific interrogation of protein structure and stability using standard biophysical methods, including circular dichroism (CD), infrared (IR), and fluorescence spectroscopies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ismail A Ahmed
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Feng Gai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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4
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Drexler CI, Cracchiolo OM, Myers RL, Okur HI, Serrano AL, Corcelli SA, Cremer PS. Local Electric Fields in Aqueous Electrolytes. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:8484-8493. [PMID: 34313130 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Vibrational Stark shifts were explored in aqueous solutions of organic molecules with carbonyl- and nitrile-containing constituents. In many cases, the vibrational resonances from these moieties shifted toward lower frequency as salt was introduced into solution. This is in contrast to the blue-shift that would be expected based upon Onsager's reaction field theory. Salts containing well-hydrated cations like Mg2+ or Li+ led to the most pronounced Stark shift for the carbonyl group, while poorly hydrated cations like Cs+ had the greatest impact on nitriles. Moreover, salts containing I- gave rise to larger Stark shifts than those containing Cl-. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that cations and anions both accumulate around the probe in an ion- and probe-dependent manner. An electric field was generated by the ion pair, which pointed from the cation to the anion through the vibrational chromophore. This resulted from solvent-shared binding of the ions to the probes, consistent with their positions in the Hofmeister series. The "anti-Onsager" Stark shifts occur in both vibrational spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olivia M Cracchiolo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | | | - Halil I Okur
- Department of Chemistry and National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM), Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arnaldo L Serrano
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Steven A Corcelli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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Tumbic GW, Hossan MY, Thielges MC. Protein Dynamics by Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2021; 14:299-321. [PMID: 34314221 PMCID: PMC8713465 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-091520-091009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Proteins function as ensembles of interconverting structures. The motions span from picosecond bond rotations to millisecond and longer subunit displacements. Characterization of functional dynamics on all spatial and temporal scales remains challenging experimentally. Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D IR) is maturing as a powerful approach for investigating proteins and their dynamics. We outline the advantages of IR spectroscopy, describe 2D IR and the information it provides, and introduce vibrational groups for protein analysis. We highlight example studies that illustrate the power and versatility of 2D IR for characterizing protein dynamics and conclude with a brief discussion of the outlook for biomolecular 2D IR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goran W Tumbic
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA;
| | - Md Yeathad Hossan
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA;
| | - Megan C Thielges
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA;
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6
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Zhao J, Wang J. Specific and non-specific interactions between metal cations and zwitterionic alanine tripeptide in saline solutions reported by the symmetric carboxylate stretching and amide-II vibrations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:25042-25053. [PMID: 33112337 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04247a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The "specific" interaction between metal cations (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Zn2+) and the charged COO- group, and the "non-specific" interaction between these cations and the peptide backbone of a zwitterionic trialanine (Ala3) in aqueous solutions were examined in detail, using linear infrared (IR) absorptions of the COO- symmetric stretching and the amide-II (mainly the C-N stretching) modes as IR probes. Different IR spectral changes in peak positions and intensities of the two IR probes clearly demonstrate their sensitivities to nearby cation distributions in distance and population. Quantum chemistry calculations and molecular dynamics simulations were used to describe the cation-peptide interaction picture. These combined results suggest that Na+ and Ca2+ tend to bind to the COO- group in the bidentate form, while Mg2+ and Zn2+ tend to bind to the COO- group in the pseudo-bridging form. The results also show that while all three divalent cations indirectly interact with the peptide backbone with large population, Ca2+ and Mg2+ can be sometimes distributed very close to the backbone. Such a non-specific cation interaction can be moderately sensed by the C-N stretching of the amide-II mode when cations approach the polar amide C[double bond, length as m-dash]O group, and is also influenced by the NH3+ charge group located at the N-terminus. The results suggest that the experimentally observed complication of the Hofmeister cation series shall be understood as a combined specific and non-specific cation-peptide interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhao
- Molecular Reaction Dynamics Laboratory, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
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7
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Vieira Pinto SM, Tasinato N, Barone V, Amadei A, Zanetti-Polzi L, Daidone I. Modeling amino-acid side chain infrared spectra: the case of carboxylic residues. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:3008-3016. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04774c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is commonly utilized for the investigation of protein structures and protein-mediated processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Mónica Vieira Pinto
- Scuola Normale Superiore
- I-56126 Pisa
- Italy
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences
- University of L'Aquila
| | | | | | - Andrea Amadei
- Department of Chemical and Technological Sciences
- University of Rome “Tor Vergata
- I-00185 Rome
- Italy
| | - Laura Zanetti-Polzi
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences
- University of L'Aquila
- I-67010 L'Aquila
- Italy
- CNR Institute of Nanoscience
| | - Isabella Daidone
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences
- University of L'Aquila
- I-67010 L'Aquila
- Italy
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8
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Edington SC, Halling DB, Bennett SM, Middendorf TR, Aldrich RW, Baiz CR. Non-Additive Effects of Binding Site Mutations in Calmodulin. Biochemistry 2019; 58:2730-2739. [PMID: 31124357 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite decades of research on ion-sensing proteins, gaps persist in the understanding of ion binding affinity and selectivity even in well-studied proteins such as calmodulin. Site-directed mutagenesis is a powerful and popular tool for addressing outstanding questions about biological ion binding and is employed to selectively deactivate binding sites and insert chromophores at advantageous positions within ion binding structures. However, even apparently nonperturbative mutations can distort the binding dynamics they are employed to measure. We use Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy of the carboxylate asymmetric stretching mode in calmodulin as a mutation- and label-independent probe of the conformational perturbations induced in calmodulin's binding sites by two classes of mutation, tryptophan insertion and carboxylate side-chain deletion, commonly used to study ion binding in proteins. Our results show that these mutations not only affect ion binding but also induce changes in calmodulin's conformational landscape along coordinates not probed by vibrational spectroscopy, remaining invisible without additional perturbation of binding site structure. Comparison of FTIR line shapes with 2D IR diagonal slices provides a clear example of how nonlinear spectroscopy produces well-resolved line shapes, refining otherwise featureless spectral envelopes into more informative vibrational spectra of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Edington
- Department of Chemistry , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
| | - D Brent Halling
- Department of Neuroscience , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
| | - Suzanna M Bennett
- Department of Neuroscience , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
| | - Thomas R Middendorf
- Department of Neuroscience , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
| | - Richard W Aldrich
- Department of Neuroscience , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
| | - Carlos R Baiz
- Department of Chemistry , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , Texas 78712 , United States
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Wu H, Saltzberg DJ, Kratochvil HT, Jo H, Sali A, DeGrado WF. Glutamine Side Chain 13C═ 18O as a Nonperturbative IR Probe of Amyloid Fibril Hydration and Assembly. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:7320-7326. [PMID: 30998340 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b00577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Infrared (IR) spectroscopy has provided considerable insight into the structures, dynamics, and formation mechanisms of amyloid fibrils. IR probes, such as main chain 13C═18O, have been widely employed to obtain site-specific structural information, yet only secondary structures and strand-to-strand arrangements can be probed. Very few nonperturbative IR probes are available to report on the side-chain conformation and environments, which are critical to determining sheet-to-sheet arrangements in steric zippers within amyloids. Polar residues, such as glutamine, contribute significantly to the stability of amyloids and thus are frequently found in core regions of amyloid peptides/proteins. Furthermore, polyglutamine (polyQ) repeats form toxic aggregates in several neurodegenerative diseases. Here we report the synthesis and application of a new nonperturbative IR probe-glutamine side chain 13C═18O. We use side chain 13C═18O labeling and isotope dilution to detect the presence of intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded arrays of glutamine side chains (Gln ladders) in amyloid-forming peptides. Moreover, the line width of the 13C═18O peak is highly sensitive to its local hydration environment. The IR data from side chain labeling allows us to unambiguously determine the sheet-to-sheet arrangement in a short amyloid-forming peptide, GNNQQNY, providing insight that was otherwise inaccessible through main chain labeling. With several different fibril samples, we also show the versatility of this IR probe in studying the structures and aggregation kinetics of amyloids. Finally, we demonstrate the capability of modeling amyloid structures with IR data using the integrative modeling platform (IMP) and the potential of integrating IR with other biophysical methods for more accurate structural modeling. Together, we believe that side chain 13C═18O will complement main chain isotope labeling in future IR studies of amyloids and integrative modeling using IR data will significantly expand the power of IR spectroscopy to elucidate amyloid assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C. Edington
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Carlos R. Baiz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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11
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Coordination to lanthanide ions distorts binding site conformation in calmodulin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E3126-E3134. [PMID: 29545272 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1722042115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ca2+-sensing protein calmodulin (CaM) is a popular model of biological ion binding since it is both experimentally tractable and essential to survival in all eukaryotic cells. CaM modulates hundreds of target proteins and is sensitive to complex patterns of Ca2+ exposure, indicating that it functions as a sophisticated dynamic transducer rather than a simple on/off switch. Many details of this transduction function are not well understood. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultrafast 2D infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy, and electronic structure calculations were used to probe interactions between bound metal ions (Ca2+ and several trivalent lanthanide ions) and the carboxylate groups in CaM's EF-hand ion-coordinating sites. Since Tb3+ is commonly used as a luminescent Ca2+ analog in studies of protein-ion binding, it is important to characterize distinctions between the coordination of Ca2+ and the lanthanides in CaM. Although functional assays indicate that Tb3+ fully activates many Ca2+-dependent proteins, our FTIR spectra indicate that Tb3+, La3+, and Lu3+ disrupt the bidentate coordination geometry characteristic of the CaM binding sites' strongly conserved position 12 glutamate residue. The 2D IR spectra indicate that, relative to the Ca2+-bound form, lanthanide-bound CaM exhibits greater conformational flexibility and larger structural fluctuations within its binding sites. Time-dependent 2D IR lineshapes indicate that binding sites in Ca2+-CaM occupy well-defined configurations, whereas binding sites in lanthanide-bound-CaM are more disordered. Overall, the results show that binding to lanthanide ions significantly alters the conformation and dynamics of CaM's binding sites.
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12
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Yu P, Song L, Qin J, Wang J. Capturing the photo-signaling state of a photoreceptor in a steady-state fashion by binding a transition metal complex. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2249-2256. [PMID: 28856755 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Binding a small molecule to proteins causes conformational changes, but often to a limited extent. Here, we demonstrate that the interaction of a CO-releasing molecule (CORM3) with a photoreceptor photoactive yellow protein (PYP) drives large structural changes in the latter. The interaction of CORM3 and a mutant of PYP, Met100Ala, not only trigger the isomerization of its chromophore, p-coumaric acid, from its anionic trans configuration to a protonated cis configuration, but also increases the content of β-sheet at the cost of α-helix and random coil in the secondary structure of the protein. The CORM3 derived Met100Ala is found to highly resemble the signaling state, which is one of the key photo-intermediates of this photoactive protein, in both protein local conformation and chromophore configuration. The organometallic reagents hold promise as protein engineering tools. This work highlights a novel approach to structurally accessing short lived intermediates of proteins in a steady-state fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyun Yu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; Molecular Reaction Dynamics Laboratory; CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine; National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine; National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianping Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; Molecular Reaction Dynamics Laboratory; CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
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