l-Serine in aqueous solutions at different pH: Conformational preferences and vibrational spectra of cationic, anionic and zwitterionic species

L-serine combined with carboxymethyl chitosan guides amorphous calcium phosphate to remineralize enamel

The aim of this study is to investigate a robust and stable calcium-phosphorus system to remineralize human early enamel caries lesions with nanocomplexes of carboxymethyl chitosan/L-serine/amorphous calcium phosphate (CMC-Ser-ACP) to develop an effective method for mimicking the amelogenin (AMEL) mineralization pattern through ACP assembly. A CMC-Ser-ACP nanocomplex solution was first synthesized by a chemical precipitation method, and then 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) was added to induce ACP phase formation. The morphologies of the nanocomplexes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed to detect surface charge and functional group changes. The subtle changes of the demineralized enamel models induced by the remineralization effect were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The CMC-Ser-ACP nanocomplex solution could be preserved without any precipitation for 45 days. After the application of NaClO and through the guidance of Ser, ACP nanoparticles transformed into relatively orderly arranged hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals, generating an aprismatic enamel-like layer closely integrated with the demineralized enamel, which resulted in enhanced mechanical properties for the treatment of early enamel caries lesions. The CMC-Ser-ACP nanocomplex solution is a remineralization system with great solution stability, and when NaClO is added, it can rapidly regenerate an aprismatic enamel-like layer in situ on the demineralized enamel surface. This novel remineralization system has stable chemical properties and can greatly increase the therapeutic effects against early enamel caries.

Adsorption of serine at the anatase TiO2/water interface: A combined ATR-FTIR and DFT study

Knowledge of the adsorption reactions between serine and minerals is critical to understanding the geochemical processes of amino acids (i.e., mobility, bioavailability, and degradation) in the environment. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) flow-cell measurements were used to distinguish the inner- and outer-sphere complexation and reveal the dynamic adsorption and desorption processes of each surface complex at the molecular level. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied to determine the structures of the surface complexes and to justify the peak assignments of the serine dissolved in solution and adsorbed on TiO₂. The structures of interfacial serine were governed by pH conditions but were not affected by the changes in adsorption time and serine concentration. The ATR-FTIR spectra and the results of DFT calculations resolved two different bidentate inner-sphere coordination, involving the COO^- group of the serine zwitterion at pH 4-8 and the serine anion at pH 10. The dynamic adsorption processes of these two surface complexes conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The stable inner-sphere complexation could not be entirely removed from the TiO₂ surface upon serine desorption. In addition to reducing the migration rate in the environment, the bidentate inner-sphere coordination contributes to the potential degradation of the serine NH₃⁺ and NH₂ groups. Our research provides new insights into serine adsorption and desorption, facilitating further understanding of the fate and transport of amino acids in the environment.

Protonation of Serine in Gas and Condensed and Microsolvated States in Aqueous Solution

Identification of molecules and elucidation of their chemical structure are ubiquitous problems in chemistry. Mass spectrometry (MS) can be used due to its sensitivity and versatility. For detection to occur, analytes must be ionized and transferred to the gas phase. Soft ionization processes such as electrospray ionization are popular; however, resulting microsolvated phases can alter the chemistry of analytes and therefore detection and identification. To understand these processes, we use computational methods to probe the ionization propensity of serine in the gas phase, aqueous microsolvated clusters, and aqueous solution. We show that the tautomeric form of serine is altered by the presence of water, as five water molecules can stabilize the zwitterionic tautomer. Inclusion of cosolutes such as ions can stabilize the zwitterion with as few as one or two water molecules present. We demonstrate that ionization propensity, as measured by gas phase bacisity, can increase by over 100 kJ/mol when placed in a small water-serine cluster, showing the sensitivity of the chemistry of microsolvated analytes. Finally, detailed analysis reveals that small droplets (less than seven water molecules) are extremely sensitive to addition of further water molecules. Beyond this limit, structural and electronic properties change little with droplet size.

Nitrogen Isotopic Reduced Partition Function Ratios of Glycine and Serine in Water

The nitrogen isotopic reduced partition function ratio (RPFR) of glycine (Gly) and serine (Ser) in water has been evaluated by a couple of methods. The experimental fact that those amino acids are present in the zwitterionic form in water has been best reproduced when trihydrated Gly and Ser molecules were treated by the discrete microsolvation method coupled with the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) approach. The RPFR values of Gly and Ser in water at 25 °C are evaluated as 1.11152 and 1.11070, respectively, and the equilibrium constant of the nitrogen isotope exchange reaction between the two amino acids is calculated as 1.0007 ± 0.0008 at 25 °C. Equivalent results may be obtained by the SCRF method for non- and monohydrated molecules in the zwitterionic form.

Competition between salt bridge and non-zwitterionic structures in deprotonated amino acid dimers

The effect of side chain functional groups on salt bridge structures in deprotonated amino acid homodimers is investigated using both infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy between 650 and 1850 cm⁻¹ and theory.

Origin and structure of polar domains in doped molecular crystals

Doping is a primary tool for the modification of the properties of materials. Occlusion of guest molecules in crystals generally reduces their symmetry by the creation of polar domains, which engender polarization and pyroelectricity in the doped crystals. Here we describe a molecular-level determination of the structure of such polar domains, as created by low dopant concentrations (<0.5%). The approach comprises crystal engineering and pyroelectric measurements, together with dispersion-corrected density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics calculations of the doped crystals, using neutron diffraction data of the host at different temperatures. This approach is illustrated using centrosymmetric α-glycine crystals doped with minute amounts of different L-amino acids. The experimentally determined pyroelectric coefficients are explained by the structure and polarization calculations, thus providing strong support for the local and global understanding of how different dopants influence the properties of molecular crystals.

Serine O-sulfation probed by IRMPD spectroscopy

The sulfation of amino acids is a frequent post-translational modification. It is highly labile, though, and characterizing it by mass spectrometry, an otherwise powerful and widely exploited tool in analytical proteomics, is a challenge. The presently reported study is aimed at revealing the O-sulfation of l-serine and elucidating the effects of protonation and deprotonation on the structure and stability of the ensuing ionic species, [sSer + H](+) and [sSer - H](-). These ions are obtained as gaseous, isolated species by electrospray ionization, trapped in a Paul ion-trap, and sampled by IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in either the 750-1900 cm(-1) fingerprint range, or the 2900 and 3700 cm(-1) range encompassing the N-H and O-H stretching modes. The recorded IRMPD spectra present diagnostic signatures of the sulfate modification which are missing in the spectra of the native serine ions, [Ser + H](+) and [Ser - H](-). The experimental IRMPD features have been interpreted by comparison with the linear IR spectra of the lowest energy structures that are likely candidates for the sampled ions, calculated at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Evidence is gathered that the most stable conformations of [sSer + H](+) are stabilized by hydrogen bonding interactions between the protonated amino group and both the carbonyl and sulfate oxygens. [sSer - H](-) ions possess a negatively charged sulfate group involved in either a S=O···HN or a S=O···HO hydrogen bond. The experimental IRMPD spectra are consistent with the presence of multiple low-lying structures in a thermally equilibrated population of several species particularly in the case of [sSer - H](-) ions, where the high structural flexibility combined with the presence of a negative charge favors the co-existence of several different H-bonding motifs.

Theoretical insight into the binding affinity enhancement of serine with the uranyl ion through phosphorylation

Various type complexes of uranyl ion with serine and phosphoserine were investigated which showed phosphorylation induced binding affinity enhancement of serine with the uranyl ion.

Electrochemical Imprinted Polycrystalline Nickel-Nickel Oxide Half-Nanotube-Modified Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode for the Detection of L-Serine

This paper presents a novel and versatile method for the fabrication of half nanotubes (HNTs) using a flexible template-based nanofabrication method denoted as electrochemical imprinting. With use of this method, polycrystalline nickel and nickel(II) oxide (Ni-NiO) HNTs were synthesized using pulsed electrodeposition to transfer Ni, deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on a porous polytetrafluoroethylene template, onto a boron-doped diamond (BDD) film. The Ni-NiO HNTs exhibited semicircular profiles along their entire lengths, with outer diameters of 50-120 nm and inner diameters of 20-50 nm. The HNT walls were formed of Ni and NiO nanoparticles. A biosensor for the detection of L-serine was fabricated using a BDD electrode modified with Ni-NiO HNTs, and the device demonstrated satisfactory analytical performance with high sensitivity (0.33 μA μM(-1)) and a low limit of detection (0.1 μM). The biosensor also exhibited very good reproducibility and stability, as well as a high anti-interference ability against amino acids such as L-leucine, L-tryptophan, L-cysteine, L-phenylalanine, L-arginine, and L-lysine.

Deducing the molecular properties of zwitterionic, protonated, deprotonated, and double-deprotonated forms of L-cysteine from vibrational spectroscopy (IR, Raman, VCD) and quantum chemical calculations

The behavior of L-cysteine (C3H7NO2S, (2R)-2-amino-3-sulfanylpropanoic acid) in water at different pH values was analyzed both experimentally and theoretically. The behavior was studied at pH values of 5.21 (at this pH, L-cysteine is a zwitterionic species), 1.00 (protonated species), 8.84 (monodeprotonated species), and 13.00 (dideprotonated species). We carried out a vibrational study using nonchiroptical (IR-Raman) and chiroptical (VCD) techniques complemented by quantum chemical calculations. We adopted a dual strategy, as follows. (i) The hybrid density functionals B3LYP and M062X and the ab initio MP2 method were employed, with the same 6-311++G (d,p) basis set, in order to characterize the relative energies and structures of an extensive set of conformers of L-cysteine. The presence of water was included by utilizing the IEF-PCM implicit solvation model. (ii) The vibrational analysis was made using a chirality-sensitive using a chirality-sensitive technique (VCD) and chirality-insensitive techniques (IR, including MIR and FIR, and Raman), especially in aqueous solution. The results obtained theoretically and experimentally were compared in order to deduce the most stable structures at each pH. Moreover, for the first time, the monodeprotonated anion of L-cysteine was detected in aqueous solution by means of IR, Raman and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD). Finally, analysis of the low-frequency region using the IR and Raman techniques was shown to be a very important way to understanding the conformational preference of the zwitterionic species.