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An efficient and unprecedented green protocol has been developed for the synthesis of N,S-heterocycles from styrenes and alkyl dithiocarbamates with high to excellent yields. The reaction of primary or secondary amines, CS2, and styrenes was carried out in water in the presence of a catalytic amount of an inorganic base. All products were made by using an N-bromosuccinimide–H2O combination as a green and inexpensive reagent.

A radical-mediated monofluoroalkylative alkynylation of alkenes is disclosed for the first time. The reaction demonstrates a remarkably broad substrate scope in which both activated and unactivated alkenes are suitable starting materials. The concurrent addition of an alkynyl and a monofluoroalkyl group onto an alkene proceeds through a docking-migration sequence, affording a vast array of valuable fluoroalkyl-substituted alkynes. Many complex natural products and drug derivatives are readily functionalized, demonstrating that this method can be used for late-stage alkynylation.

The reaction of bromosuccinimide with esters of 3-substituted 2,2'-bithiophene-5-carboxylic acids was used to obtain their 5'-bromo derivatives, which were further converted to esters of 3,3'''-disubstituted 2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophene-5,5'''-dicarboxylic acids by heating in DMF with catalytic amounts of Pd(PPh3)4. Ester of 3-decyl-2,2'-bithiophene-5-carboxylic acid was acylated at the С-5' position with lauroyl chloride in the presence of SnCl4, producing the respective ketone that was used in Vilsmeier–Haack reaction (DMF, POCl3). The 3-chloroacrylaldehyde derivative that was thus obtained was further used in reaction with ethyl thioglycolate in the presence of sodium ethoxide, giving ester of 3,3''-decyl-2,2':5',2''-terthiophene-5,5''-dicarboxylic acid. Alkaline hydrolysis of the obtained esters led to the corresponding 2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophene-5,5'''- and 2,2':5',2''-terthiophene-5,5''-dicarboxylic acids.

Regioselective monobromination of various aromatics was achieved at room temperature using N -bromosuccinimide and 5 mol% of thioamides in acetonitrile. With thiourea as catalyst, activated aromatics, such as anisole, acetanilide, benzamide and phenol analogues containing electron donating or withdrawing groups, were brominated with high regioselectivity. Room temperature brominations of weakly activated aromatics and deactivated 9-fluorenone were accomplished by 5 mol% thioacetamide, higher substrates concentrations and longer reaction times. A backbonding of the bromine lone pairs with the π*of C S group and a halogen bond between the halogen bond donor bromine and the halogen bond acceptor sulfur of the thioamide are thought to be the principal interactions and cause of N -bromosuccinimide activation.

A simple, efficient protocol for one pot synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes from primary alcohols is investigated with N-bromosuccinimde as a catalyst under ultrasound irradiation. Alcohols can be converted into carbonyl compounds by removal of hydrogen in presence of N-bromosuccinimde as an oxidant and can react in situ with indole to give desired bis(indolyl)methanes. In the reported one pot multicomponent condensation reaction N-bromosuccinimde promotes the oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde, facilitating the subsequent condensation with indole to afford bis(indolyl) methanes in good to excellent yields. The inexpensiveness and easy handling are some of important feature of N-bromosuccinimde. The by-product N-succinimide can be easily recovered and recycled to N-bromosuccinimide.

Cross-linked poly(N-bromoacrylamide) (PNBA) and poly(N- bromosuccinimide) as the mild and efficient heterogeneous polymeric catalysts were applied for selective deprotection of 1,3-dithianes and 1,3-dithiolanes to their corresponding carbonyl compounds. They were also effective as a reagent in aqueous media. These methods are very simple and the polymer catalysts could be recycled several times. Deprotection of thioacetal and thioketal without enolizable hydrogens proceeded very well to give only the corresponding aldehyde and ketone in high to excellent yield. Nevertheless, in the case of thioketals carrying enolizable hydrogens, deprotection accompanied with the formation of a minor ring-expanded product is observed. However, using the PNBA/H2O system, ring expansion of these thiolketals with enolizable hydrogen was not detected. These methods provide advantages, such as chemoselectivity, easy preparation, simple work up, excellent yields, and the ability to recycle the catalyst, which makes thi...

Synthetic protocols for the preparation of 1-oxo-, 3-oxo-, and 1,3-dioxopyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridines which contain sulfonamide groups linked to the pyrrole nitrogen atom of the pyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridine cycle by a flexible (CH2)6 aliphatic linker were developed. 1,3-Dioxopyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridines were obtained from 3,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid by condensation of intermediate methyl 3-(chlorocarbonyl)isonicotinate with amines. 3-Oxopyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridines were prepared by regioselective reduction of 1,3-dioxopyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridines with a tin dust followed by treatment with triethylsilane. 1-Oxopyrrolo[3,4- c ]pyridines were prepared by a synthetic sequence consisting of the treatment of methyl isonicotinate with N -bromosuccinimide and the following condensation of the obtained ethyl 3-bromomethylisonicotinate with primary amines. How to Cite Ikaunieks, M.; Bjorkling, F.; Loza, E. Chem. Heterocycl. Compd. 201 5 , 51 , 658. [ Khim. Geterotsikl. Soedin. 2015 , 51 , 658.] For this article in the English edition see DOI 10.1007/s10593-015-1753-y

N-Bromosuccinimide-mediated 4,6-O-benzylidene ring opening in 8-azido-3,6-dioxaoctyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-2-trichloroacetamido-β-D-glucopyranoside afforded the corresponding 4-O-benzoyl-6-bromo-6-deoxy analogue, which was coupled with 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-O-benzyl-α-D-galactopyranosyl chloride to give the 1,2-cis α-linked disaccharide as the major product. Conventional hydroxyl group manipulation in the latter and products of further conversions gave the desired, functionalized disaccharide α-D-GalpA-(1→3)-β-D-QuipNAc. The rare, foregoing sequence forms the downstream end in the O-specific polysaccharide of both Vibrio cholerae O22 and O139. Halide-assisted glycosylation at 4(I)-OH in 8-azido-3,6-dioxaoctyl 6-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-galactopyranosyl)-2-trichloroacetamido-β-D-glucopyranoside, obtained by regioselective reductive opening of the acetal ring in the parent 4(I),6(I)-O-benzylidene derivative, with 2,4-di-O-benzyl-α-colitosyl bromide, gave exclusively the α-linked trisaccharide. The latter was sequentially deacetylated and selectively benzylated to give 8-azido-3,6-dioxaoctyl 2,4-di-O-benzyl-3,6-dideoxy-α-L-xylo-hexopyranosyl-(1→4)-[3-O-benzyl-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→3)]-6-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-trichloroacetamido-β-D-glucopyranoside. Subsequent selective phosphorylation of the triol, thus obtained, with 2,2,2-trichloroethyl phosphorodichloridate afforded isomeric (R,S)-(P)-4(II),6(II)-cyclic phosphates, which were both obtained in crystalline form and fully characterized. Each of the latter was globally deprotected by catalytic (Pd/C) hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis to give the desired, amino-functionalized, spacer-equipped, phosphorylated upstream trisaccharide fragment of the O-PS of V. cholerae O139.

A facile regio- and diastereoselective four-component protocol has been developed involving an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound, a cyclic ether, a sulfonic acid and a halogen reagent to access highly anti-α-bromo-β-sulfoalkoxyl carbonyl derivatives. Some of these products have high toxicity against human chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

International audience; Substituted heterocycles, such as pyrrole and thiophene, are commonly found in the field of pharmaceutical and material sciences. Here we studied the reactivity of 4,5-unsubstituted alkyl 3-hydroxypyrrol-2-yl-carboxylates and 4,5-unsubstituted alkyl 3-hydroxythiophen-2-yl-carboxylates in different halogenation conditions, due to their interest as building blocks in the synthesis of bioactive compounds and materials. We describe herein the regioselective monohalogenation of 3-hydroxypyrroles and 3-hydroxythiophenes in mild conditions with common halogenation agents. The selectivity of the halogenation was studied. Optimized one-step reaction conditions were found for monobromination and monochlorination. Finally, we observed that bromination with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) took place at the C4 position of the heterocycle, while chlorination with SO2Cl2 led to C5-halogenated derivatives.

A silver triflate-catalyzed electrophilic cyclization reaction of acyclic triynols with NXS (X=I, Br) under mild conditions is reported. Three reactive functional groups, such as a carbonyl group, an alkyne group, and a halogen, could be selectively installed at the C1, C2, and C3 positions to obtain the naphthalene and quinoline products, respectively. The obtained densely trisubstituted products could be further transformed into more complex aromatic products by manipulating the alkynyl moiety and the other two functional groups as synthons.

Reaction of glycal derivatives with alcohols or glycosyl acceptors in the presence of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and diphenyldiselenide resulted in the formation of alkyl 2-deoxy-2-phenylselenyl glycosides or disaccharide derivatives in excellent yield. The reactions are reasonably fast and considerable stereo-selectivity was observed in the preparation of disaccharide derivatives.

Two thermally stable chitosanase isoforms were purified from the sheaths of chitosan-treated bamboo shoots. Isoforms A and B had molecular masses of 24.5 and 16.4 kDa and isoelectric points of 4.30 and 9.22, respectively. Using chitosan as the substrate, both isoforms functioned optimally between pH 3 and 4, and the optimum temperatures for the activities of isoforms A and B were 70 and 60 °C, respectively. The kinetic parameters K(m) and V(max) for isoform A were 0.539 mg/mL and 0.262 μmol/min/mg, respectively, and for isoform B were 0.183 mg/mL and 0.092 μmol/min/mg, respectively. Chitosans were susceptible to degradation by both enzymes and could be converted to low molecular weight chitosans between 28.2 and 11.7 kDa. Furthermore, the most susceptible chitosan substrates were 50-70 and 40-80% deacetylated for isoforms A and B, respectively. Both enzymes could also degrade chitin substrates with lower efficacy. N-Bromosuccinimide and Woodward's reagent K strongly inhibited both enzymes.

Kinetics of Ru (III) catalyzed oxidation of aliphatic ketones such as acetone, ethyl methyl ketone, diethyl ketone, iso-butylmethyl ketone by N-bromosuccinimide in the presence of Hg(II) acetate have been studied in aqueous acid medium. The order of [N-bromosuccinimide] was found to be zero both in catalyzed as well as uncatalyzed reactions. However, the order of [ketone] changed from unity to a fractional one in the presence of Ru (III). On the basis of kinetic features, the probable mechanisms are discussed and individual rate parameters evaluated.

Trametes cervina lignin peroxidase (LiP) lacks a catalytic tryptophan strictly conserved in other LiP and versatile peroxidases. It contains tyrosine(181) at the potential catalytic site. This protein and the well-characterized Phanerochaete chrysosporium LiP with the catalytic tryptophan(171) have been chemically modified: the tryptophan-specific modification with N-bromosuccinimide sufficiently disrupted oxidation of veratryl alcohol by P. chrysosporium LiP, whereas the activity of T. cervina LiP was not affected, suggesting no catalytic tryptophan in T. cervina LiP. On the other hand, the tyrosine-specific modification with tetranitromethane did not affect the activities of P. chrysosporium LiP lacking tyrosine but inactivated T. cervina LiP due to the nitration of tyrosine(181). These results strongly suggest that tyrosine(181) is at the catalytic site in T. cervina LiP.

N-halosuccinimides (NXSs) are well-known to be convenient, easily manipulable and low-priced halogenation reagents in organic synthesis. In the present work, N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) has been promoted as the most efficient and selective catalyst among the NXSs in the reaction of direct esterification of aryl and alkyl carboxylic acids. Comprehensive esterification of substituted benzoic acids, mono-, di- and tri-carboxy alkyl derivatives has been performed under neat reaction conditions. The method is metal-free, air- and moisture-tolerant, allowing for a simple synthetic and isolation procedure as well as the large-scale synthesis of aromatic and alkyl esters with yields up to 100%. Protocol for the recycling of the catalyst has been proposed.

The structural characterization of branched rhamnogalacturonans (RGs) requires the availability of methods that selectively cleave the Rhap-(1-->4)-alpha-GalAp linkage and thereby generate oligosaccharide fragments that are suitable for mass spectrometric and NMR spectroscopic analyses. Enzymic cleavage of this linkage is often ineffective, especially in highly branched RGs. Therefore, we have developed an improved chemical fragmentation method based on beta-elimination of esterified 4-linked GalpA residues. At least 85% of the carboxyl groups of the GalA residues in Arabidopsis thaliana seed mucilage RG is esterified using methyl iodide or 3-iodopropanol in Me(2)SO containing 8% water and 1% tetrabutylammonium fluoride. However, beta-elimination fragmentation at pH 7.3 and 120 degrees C is far more extensive with hydroxypropyl-esterified RG than with methyl-esterified RG. The non-reducing 4-deoxy-beta-l-threo-hex-4-enepyranosyluronic acid residue formed by the beta-elimination reaction is completely removed by treatment with aqueous N-bromosuccinimide, thereby simplifying the structural characterization of the chemically generated oligoglycosyl fragments. This newly developed procedure was used to selectively fragment the branched RG from peppergrass seed mucilage. The products were characterized using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, glycosyl residue composition analysis, and 1 and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Our data show that the most abundant low-molecular weight fragments contained a backbone rhamnose residue substituted at O-4 with a single sidechain, and suggest that peppergrass seed mucilage RG is composed mainly of the repeating unit 4-O-methyl-alpha-d-GlcpA-(1-->4)-beta-d-Galp-(1-->4)-[-->4)-alpha-d-GalpA-(1-->2)-]-alpha-l-Rhap-(1-->.

A procedure for the preparative, oxidative conversion of protected peptide hydrazides into the corresponding acids by N-bromosuccinimide is described. Purification was achieved by high performance liquid chromatography on silica gel in chloroform-alcohol-acetic acid systems. Average recovery of purified protected peptide acids was over 90%.

Methods for preparing protected peptide thiol acids by solution and solid-phase procedures have been developed. The coupling of boc-Gly-Ala-SH to polymer-bound Leu was effected with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (FDNB), N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), and heat. In each case, the resulting H-Gly-Ala-leu-OH was analyzed for the content of H-Gly-D-Ala-Leu-OH (Izumiya test). The sensitivity of the test (0.1% epimer) was increased to 0.003% by developing a double chromatographic procedure involving partition chromatography prior to ion-exchange chromatography. The amounts of DL epimer found in the H-Gly-Ala-Leu-OH for the various tests were (solvent and temperature in parentheses): DCC (CH2Cl2, 0 degrees), 0.012%; DCC (DMF, 24 degrees),0.04%; FDNB (DMF, 24 degrees), 0.53%; NBS (DMF, 24 degrees), 0.46%, heat (DMF, 60 degrees), 0.86%. Under the same conditions conventional couplings of Boc-Gly-Ala-OH gave: DCC (DMF, 24 degrees), 16.5%; DCC/1-hydroxybenzotriazole (DMF, 24 degrees), 0.13%. In a competitive coupling of equimolar amounts of Boc-Gly-Ala-SH and Boc-Gly-Ala-OH with DCC in DMF the level of DL epimer was 0.21%, indicating that the thiol acid can be selectively coupled in the presence of carboxyl groups. In a variation of the test Boc-Gly-Leu-SH coupled with DCC (CH2Cl2, 0 degrees) to resin bound Ala with an epimer level of 0.05%.

Facile α-bromination of cyclic enones and linear enals involving N -bromosuccinimide and 1–2 equiv of pyridine- N -oxide is reported herein. α-Bromination of linear enals was found to proceed with double bond geometry retention.

A metal-free one-pot strategy has been developed for the first time to synthesize pharmaceutically important ?-amino ketones from readily available benzylic secondary alcohols and amines using N-bromosuccinimide. This new reaction proceeds via three consecutive steps involving oxidation of alcohols, ?-bromination of ketones, and nucleophilic substitution of ?-bromo ketones to give ?-amino ketones. Importantly, this novel one-pot greener reaction avoids direct usage of toxic and corrosive bromine. This methodology has been employed efficiently to synthesize pharmaceutically important amfepramone and pyrovalerone in a single step. � 2015 American Chemical Society.

A combination of mandelic acid and N-bromosuccinimide efficiently converts prochiral alkenes into a readily separable 1:1 mixture of the bromomandelates. The diastereomerically pure bromomandelates are then converted into a variety of enantiomerically pure products. Terminal alkenes are converted into enantiomerically pure epoxides. Cyclohexene is converted into enantiomerically pure cis-2-azidocyclohexanol and cis-2-phenylthiocyclohexanol.

We have studied the solvent dependent radical bromination of toluene sulfonyl chlorides. The use ofacetonitrile allows to avoid chlorinated solvents and to improve the yield and the reproducibility of theprocess. Keywords : Radical bromination, N -bromosuccinimide, benzyl bromide, aromatic sulfonyl chloride.Recently, we developed a series of bradykinin B2receptor antagonists potentially useful for airwaysinflammatory pathologies.[1,2] The central part of thestructure of compounds belonging to this series ischaracterized by the building block 2,4-dichloro-3-methylbenzenesulfonyl, as shown for compound MEN16132 (Scheme 1 ). In the course of our research project, weneeded to assess the synthesis of the said building block andof few analogues differently substituted in the aromatic ring.Therefore we studied a method of radical bromination of 2,4-dichloro-3-methylbenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 1 ) [3] to yield 3-The accepted mechanism is a free-radical process, where N -bromosuccinimide (NBS) is used as a source of low-concentration bromine [5], which produces bromine radicals,initiates the reaction, and consumes the liberated HBr by aionic process. [6] A lot of variants to such process have alsobeen reported, i. e. the use of 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpro-pionitrile) (AIBN) or benzoyl peroxide (Bz

Two endoglucanases, EG-III (49.7 kD) and EG-IV (47.5 kD), from a mutant strain Trichoderma sp. M7 were modified with several specific reagents. Water-soluble carbodiimide completely inactivated only one of the purified endoglucanases and kinetic analysis indicated that at least two molecules of carbodiimide bind to EG-IV for inactivation. The reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with a second-order rate constant of 3.57 x 10(-5) mM(-1) x in(-1). Both endoglucanases were inhibited by iodoacetamide, but the absence of substrate protection excluded direct involvement of cysteine residues in the catalysis. N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) showed a strong inhibitory effect on both endoglucanases, suggesting that tryptophan residues are essential for the activity and binding to the substrate, since the presence of substrates or analogs prior to NBS modification protected the enzymes against inactivation.

A chitosanolytic enzyme was purified from a commercial ficin preparation by affinity chromatographic removal of cysteine protease on pHMB-Sepharose 4B and cystatin-Sepharose 4B and gel filtration on Superdex 75 HR. The purified enzyme exhibited both chitinase and chitosanase activities, as determined by SDS-PAGE and gel activity staining. The optimal pH for chitosan hydrolysis was 4.5, whereas the optimal temperature was 65 degrees C. The enzyme was thermostable, as it retained almost all of its activity after incubation at 70 degrees C for 30 min. A protein oxidizing agent, N-bromosuccinimide (0.25 mM), significantly inhibited the enzyme's activity. The molecular mass of the enzyme was 16.6 kDa, as estimated by gel filtration. The enzyme showed activity toward chitosan polymers exhibiting various degrees of deacetylation (22-94%), most effectively hydrolyzing chitosan polymers that were 52-70% deacetylated. The end products of the hydrolysis catalyzed by this enzyme were low molecular weight chitosan polymers and oligomers (11.2-0.7 kDa).

Alpha-glucosidase I initiates the trimming of newly assembled N-linked glycoproteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Site-specific chemical modification of the soluble alpha-glucosidase I from yeast using diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) and tetranitromethane (TNM) revealed that histidine and tyrosine are involved in the catalytic activity of the enzyme, as these residues could be protected from modification using the inhibitor deoxynojirimycin. Deoxynojirimycin could not prevent inactivation of enzyme treated with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) used to modify tryptophan residues. Therefore, the binding mechanism of yeast enzyme contains different amino acid residues compared to its mammalian counterpart. Catalytically active polypeptides were isolated from endogenous proteolysis and controlled trypsin hydrolysis of the enzyme. A 37-kDa nonglycosylated polypeptide was isolated as the smallest active fragment from both digests, using affinity chromatography with inhibitor-based resins (N-methyl-N-59-carboxypentyl- and N-59-carboxypentyl-deoxynojirimycin). N-terminal sequencing confirmed that the catalytic domain of the enzyme is located at the C-terminus. The hydrolysis sites were between Arg(521) and Thr(522) for endogenous proteolysis and residues Lys(524) and Phe(525) for the trypsin-generated peptide. This 37-kDa polypeptide is 1.9 times more active than the 98-kDa protein when assayed with the synthetic trisaccharide, alpha-D-Glc1,2alpha-D-Glc1,3alpha-D-Glc-O(CH2)(8)COOCH(3), and is not glycosylated. Identification of this relatively small fragment with catalytic activity will allow mechanistic studies to focus on this critical region and raises interesting questions about the relationship between the catalytic region and the remaining polypeptide.

Using purified N-terminal NBD (NBD-512) domain of Cdr1p, a major multidrug extrusion pump of human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans, we show the relevance of the unique positioning of an atypical Trp326 residue. Similar to Cys193 in Walker A, Trp326 in the Walker B motif of Cdr1p is also a conserved feature of other fungal ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters. By employing fluorescence spectroscopy, chemical modification, and site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that of the five Trp residues in the NBD-512 domain, Trp326 alone is important for nucleotide binding and subsequent conformational changes within the domain. Furthermore, mutation of Trp326 to Ala results in an increased K(M) without appreciably affecting V(max) of ATPase activity. Thus, Trp326 in NBD-512 appears to be important for nucleotide binding and not for its hydrolysis. Additionally, the role of Trp326 in ATP binding is independent of the presence of the adjacent well-conserved Asp327 residue which, like Cys193, has a catalytic role in ATP hydrolysis. Considering that Trp326 of Cdr1p is a typical feature of fungal transporters alone, our study suggests that these ABC transporters may reflect mechanistic differences with regard to nucleotide binding and hydrolysis as compared to their counterparts of non-fungal origin.

The catalytic dehydrocyclization of dimethyl(5-methyl-2-thienyl)(2,4-dimethylphenyl)silane accompanied by a skeletal rearrangement gives 2,4,4,7-tetramethyl-4,9-dihydro-4-silanaphtho[3,2-b]thiophene, which was oxidized to 2,4,4,7-tetramethyl-4-silanaphtho[3,2-b]thiophen-9-one, whose structure was solved by X-ray diffraction structural analysis. Various chemical transformations of the ketone synthesized were performed including radical bromination by bromosuccinimide, condensation with furfural in the presence of KOH, reduction by LiAlH4, and nitration by acetyl nitrate.

Glucose oxidase (GOD) from Aspergillus niger is a dimeric enzyme having high localization of negative charges on the enzyme surface and at the dimer interface. The monovalent cations induce compaction of the native conformation of GOD and enhance stability against thermal and urea denaturation [Ahmad et al. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 1947-1955]. In this paper we report the effect of the divalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the structural and stability properties of GOD. A divalent cation concentration dependent change in native conformation and subunit assembly of GOD was observed. Low concentration (up to 1 M) of CaCl2 or MgCl2 induced compaction of the native conformation of GOD, and the enzyme showed higher stability as compared to the native enzyme against urea denaturation. However, higher concentration (or =2.0 M) of CaCl2 or MgCl2 induced dissociation of the native dimeric enzyme, resulting in stabilization of the enzyme monomer. An interesting observation was that the 3 M CaCl2-stabilized monomer of GOD retained about 70% secondary structure present in the native GOD dimer; however, there was a complete loss of cooperative interactions between these secondary structural elements present in the enzyme. Regarding the mechanism of divalent cation induced structural changes in GOD, the studies suggest that organization of water molecules by divalent cation results in stabilization of enzyme at low divalent cation concentration, whereas direct binding of these cations to the enzyme, at higher divalent cation concentration, results in dissociation and partial unfolding of the dimeric enzyme molecule.

N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) is a known protein reagent able to modify amino acids and proteins, resulting in oxidation of tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine residues, as well as sulfhydryl, alcohol and phenol groups. These properties make NBS a suitable reagent to selectively block certain amino acid residues in biochemistry, and also permit the histochemical detection of proteins by oxidative deamination followed by the Schiff reaction. In this paper we show that, under ultraviolet excitation, NBS selectively reveals the cytoplasmic granules of mammalian eosinophils and chicken heterophils, rendering considerable white–blue fluorescence, in a remarkable fluorogenic reaction which rapidly increases at the beginning of the observation. This emission slightly decays afterwards and then remains almost stable still yielding a high level of emission after 10 min of continuous excitation. Possible mechanisms underlying these results are discussed and we propose NBS as a very suitable fluorogenic reagent for the microscopical detection and analysis of proteins.

We have shown that, in transannular cyclization of 3,7-bismethylenebicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives with methyl or phenyl substituents in one of the exocyclic methylene groups, when N-bromosuccinimide is used the bromine atom is added to the unsubstituted double bond; and when the electrophilic fluorinating reagent F-TEDA-BF4 is used, the bromine atom is added to the substituted double bond. We have used the PM3 semiempirical method to study the mechanism of these reactions.

N -Bromosuccinimide (NBS) together with a catalytic amount of Me 3 SiOTf was found to be effective for the activation of thioglycosides. Concurrently with formation of the glycosidic bond, bromination took place on the activated aromatic ring of a 4-methoxyphenyl aglycon.

The plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase from Kluyveromyces lactis contains 14 tryptophan residues. Binding a nucleotide or unfolding with Gnd-HCl quenched intrinsic fluorescence by ≈60% suggesting that in the H(+)-ATPase-Nucleotide complex there is solvent-mediated collisional quenching of W505 fluorescence. N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) treatment of H(+)-ATPase modified a single W residue in both native and Gnd-HCl-unfolded H(+)-ATPase. Denaturing the H(+)-ATPase with 1% SDS led to expose six tryptophan residues while requiring 17 NBS/H(+)-ATPase. The remaining eight tryptophan residues kept buried indicating a highly stable TM domain. Acrylamide generated static quenching of fluorescence; partial in the native enzyme (V = 0.43 M(-1)) and complete in the Gnd-HCl-unfolded H(+)-ATPase (V = 0.81 M(-1)). Collisional quenching (K sv) increased from 3.12 to 7.45 M(-1) upon H(+)-ATPase unfolding. W505 fluorescence titration with NBS yielded a molar ratio of 6 NBS/H(+)-ATPase and quenched ≈ 60% fluorescence. In the recombinant N-domain, the distance between W505 and MantATP was estimated to be 21 Å by FRET. The amino acid residues involved in nucleotide binding were identified by N-domain molecular modelling and docking with ATP. In the N-domain/ATP complex model, the distance between W505 and ATP was 20.5 Å. ATP binding leads to a conformational change in the N-domain of H(+)-ATPase that exposes W505 to the environment.

An NBS mediated nitriles synthesis through C=C double bond cleavage has been developed. TMSN3 was employed as the nitrogen source for this Cu(OAc)2 promoted nitrogenation reaction. This transformation has a relatively high regio-selectivity to form aromatic nitriles.

L-Asparaginase (ASNase), an antileukemia enzyme, is facing problems with antigenicity in the blood. Modification of L-asparaginase from Cladosporium sp. was tried to obtain improved stability and improved functionality. In our experiment, modification of the enzyme was tried with bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin by crosslinking using glutaraldehyde, N-bromosuccinimide, and mono-methoxy polyethylene glycol. Modified enzymes were studied for activity, temperature stability, rate constants (kd), and protection to proteolytic digestion. Modification with ovalbumin resulted in improved enzyme activity that was 10-fold higher compared to native enzyme, while modification with bovine serum albumin through glutaraldehyde cross-linking resulted in high stability of L-asparaginase that was 8.5- and 7.62-fold more compared to native enzyme at 28°C and 37°C by the end of 24 hr. These effects were dependent on the quantity of conjugate formed. Modification also markedly prolonged L-asparaginase half-life and serum stability. N-Bromosuccinimide-modified ASNase presented greater stability with prolonged in vitro half-life of 144 hr to proteolytic digestion relative to unmodified enzyme (93 h). The present work could be seen as producing a modified L-asparaginase with improved activity and stability and can be a potential source for developing therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.

Aldose reductase (AR) is an NADPH-dependent enzyme implicated in diabetic complications. AS-3201 [(R)-(-)-2-(4-bromo-2-fluorobenzyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-4-spiro-3'-pyrrolidine-1,2',3,5'-tetrone] is a structurally novel and potent ARI with an inhibitor constant (K(i) = 10(-)(10) M) 2000-fold lower than that of its optical antipode (S-isomer). To elucidate the inhibition modes and the stereochemical differences in their inhibitory potencies, we examined the interaction of these R- and S-isomers with AR under physiological conditions. Enzyme kinetic analysis, which was performed by using physiological substrates at 37 degrees C, showed that both isomers selectively act on the E-NADP(+) complex in both the forward and reverse reactions of AR. However, fluorometric titration analysis demonstrated that the affinities of the isomers for the E-NADP(+) complex are about the same as those for the E-NADPH complex and the apoenzyme. These results suggested that the selective binding to the E-NADP(+) complex arises from the predominance of this enzyme form during steady-state turnover rather than from binding specificity. Both the competition with a known active site-directed ARI and the protective effect on AR inactivation by N-bromosuccinimide showed that the isomers bind to the active site of the enzyme, but the thermodynamic parameters for the binding to AR indicated that additional hydrogen bonds and/or van der Waals interactions contribute to the energetic stabilization in the E-R-isomer complex. Molecular modeling, together with the deductions from spectroscopic studies, suggested that the succinimide ring and the 4-bromo-2-fluorobenzyl group of the R-isomer are optimally located for formation of a hydrogen-bonding network with AR, and that the latter benzyl group is also effective for the differentiation between AR and aldehyde reductase (a closely related enzyme).

The glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase from Pseudomonas sp. strain GK16 is an (alphabeta)2 heterotetramer of two non-identical subunits that are cleaved autoproteolytically from an enzymatically inactive precursor polypeptide. The newly formed N-terminal serine of the beta subunit plays an essential role as a nucleophile in enzyme activity. Chemical modification studies on the recombinant enzyme purified from Escherichia coli revealed the involvement of a single arginine and tryptophan residue, per alphabeta heterodimer of the enzyme, in the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Glutaric acid, 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) (competitive inhibitors) and GL-7-ACA (substrate) could not protect the enzyme against phenylglyoxal-mediated inactivation, whereas except for glutaric acid protection was observed in case of N-bromosuccinimide-mediated inactivation of the enzyme. Kinetic parameters of partially inactivated enzyme samples suggested that while arginine is involved in catalysis, tryptophan is involved in substrate binding.

The oxidative method for the hydrolysis of 1,3-dithianes was applied to 2-silyl-1,3-dithianes using N -bromosuccinimide providing acylsilanes with good yields under a short reaction period. The oxidation of aroylsilanes to carboxylic acid was prevented by the addition of bases and the lowering of the reaction temperature.

The regiochemistry of bromofluorinations of 1-alkenes with the combination of N -bromosuccinimide and amine/HF reagents mainly depends on the character of functional groups in the neighborhood of the double bond and only weakly from the fluorinating agent. While mono-substituted terminal alkenes mainly yield Markovnikov-oriented products, electron withdrawing groups in allylic or homoallylic position to the double bond destabilize carbenium centers in 2-position. Consequently, the part of anti-Markovnikov-oriented bromofluorides increases. Besides, with dropping reactivity of alkenes, the formation of dibromides becomes a competitive side reaction of bromofluorination. The extent of this process depends on the nature of the amine/HF reagent. This reaction is most important in case of the more nucleophilic trimethylamine bishydrofluoride, while this process is neglectible with pyridinium poly(hydrogen fluoride) (Olah’s reagent).

The effect of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) on the activity of Escherichia coli arginyl-tRNA synthetase (ArgRS) was studied. The results showed that only one tryptophan residue was easy of access to the reagent and was closely related to enzyme activity. When all the five tryptophan residues in ArgRS were changed via site-directed mutagenesis singly into Ala, the aminoacylation activity of the Trp162 mutated enzyme decreased seriously, while the other four mutant enzymes retained almost the same activity as the native one. The oxidation of the five mutant enzymes with NBS demonstrated that only the mutation of Trp162 resulted in the loss of sensitivity to the reagent. These results strongly suggest that Trp162 is more accessible to NBS and is related to enzyme activity. Furthermore, the far-UV CD spectroscopy of the mutant enzyme ArgRS162WA showed little change in its secondary structure. Finally, studies on the kinetics of the mutant enzyme ArgRS162WA in aminoacylation reaction showed that the reduction in activity could be attributed to the decrease in the values of kcat and kcat/Km for arginine. The thermodynamic calculation indicates that this mutation causes a decrease of the binding energy by 2.7 kJ/mol. Our data suggest that Trp162 is involved in the binding of arginine and in the transition state stabilization.

Solution conformation of polygalacturonase from Aspergillus carbonarius was determined by spectroscopy. UV absorption, second derivative, near-UV CD, fluorescence emission spectra and fluorescence quenching measurements suggest that the tryptophan fluorophores are in a hydrophobic environment. Of the nine tryptophan residues, only one is exposed to the solvent. In the near UV region the enzyme exhibits very weak CD bands, the far UV CD spectrum has a minimum at 218 nm; the enzyme is rich in parallel beta structure. Modification of solvent exposed tryptophan by N-bromosuccinimide resulted in the complete loss of enzyme activity. The enzyme is very sensitive towards urea induced unfolding, with complete loss of activity at 3 M urea concentration.

The tryptophan residues in pig kidney aminoacylase (N-acylamino acid amido hydrolase, EC 3.5.1.14) have been modified by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) at low pH. The modification of eight tryptophan residues as measured by spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods leads to complete loss of enzymatic activity. The decreases in absorption at 280 nm and fluorescence emission at 337 nm indicate the modification of tryptophan residues. Both the inactivation and tryptophan residual modification are monophasic, first-order reactions. Quantitative treatment of the data (Tsou, C. L., Sci. Sin., 1962, 11, 1535-1558) shows that among the tryptophan residues modified, two are essential for aminoacylase catalytic activity. Kördel and Schneider (Hoppe-Seyler's Physiol. Chem. 1976, 357, 1109-1115) reported that the modification of tryptophan residues led to inactivation of aminoacylase, and suggested that tryptophan residues are essential for enzymatic activity. We have now shown that eight tryptophan residues can be modified by N-bromosuccinimide and that two of them are essential for the catalytic activity of this enzyme.

The amino acid and carbohydrate analysis of scyllin, a low molecular weight lectin purified from Scylla serrata (edible crab) haemolymph reveal that scyllin is rich in acidic and neutral amino acids and contains high amount of mannose. UV absorption of scyllin is perturbed by DMSO at 272 nm showing the presence of tryptophan molecule in scyllin exposed and accessible to the solvent. The oxidation of tryptophan molecule by N-bromosuccinimide results in loss of haemagglutinating activity of lectin. The study of thermodynamic parameters of scyllin-glycoproteins interaction suggests that ceruloplasmin is the most potent inhibitors of scyllin of all the glycoproteins studied.

The tryptophan residues in green crab (scylla serrata) alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) have been modified by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). The modification of five tryptophan residues leads to complete loss of enzymatic activity. With the increase of NBS concentration, both the absorption at 278 nm and the fluorescence emission intensity at 335 nm of the modified enzyme decreased markedly indicating the modification of tryptophan residues. Quantitative treatment of the data (Tsou, Sci. Sinica 1962, 11, 1535-1558) shows that among the tryptophan residues modified, one is essential for its catalytic activity. The presence of the substrate markedly protects the modification of tryptophan residues as well as the inactivation, suggesting that the essential tryptophan residue is situated at the active site of this enzyme.

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the assay of eight drugs containing quaternary ammonium or tertiary amine moieties is described. The method is based on the interaction of these drugs with quercetin after its oxidation with N -bromosuccinimide (as counter ion) to give highly colored ion-pairing complexes extractable with organic solvents. The absorbances of the colored complexes are measured in the range of 528–560 nm. Beer's law is obeyed for the studied drugs in the range 5–30 μ g ml −1 . The method is successfully applied to the analysis of the studied drugs in commercial dosage forms.

The inactivation of alkaline phosphatase from green crab (Scylla serrata) by N-bromosuccinimide has been studied using the kinetic method of the substrate reaction during modification of enzyme activity previously described by Tsou [(1988), Adv. Enzymol. Related Areas Mol. Biol. 61, 381-436]. The results show that inactivation of the enzyme is a slow, reversible reaction. The microscopic rate constants for the reaction of the inactivator with free enzyme and the enzyme-substrate complex were determined. Comparison of these rate constants indicates that the presence of substrate offers marked protection of this enzyme against inactivation by N-bromosuccinimide. The above results suggest that the tryptophan residue is essential for activity and is situated at the active site of the enzyme.

Xylose reductase (XR) from Neurospora crassa was purified to homogeneity and was found to be specific to NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). The purified enzyme showed M r of 60 and 29 kDa by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicating the presence of two subunits. The kinetics mechanism of xylose reductase is ‘iso-ordered bi bi’. Inactivation of XR by N -bromosuccinimide (NBS) was found to be biphasic with second-order rate constants of 2.5·10 2 and 80 M −1 s −1 for the fast ( k f ) and slow phase ( k s ), respectively. NADPH protected 90% of XR activity against inhibition by NBS. The fluoresence and circular dichroism (CD) studies revealed that inactivation was not due to gross conformational changes in the enzyme. Analysis of the modified Stern-Volmer plot indicated that 49% of the tryptophanyl fluorescence was available for quenching which was completely abolished in the presence of NADPH confirming the involvement of tryptophan at the coenzyme binding site. Experimental evidence presented here serves to implicate the involvement of a tryptophan residue at the low-affinity NADPH binding site and the nature of this site has been assessed by using the hydrophobic probe ANS.

Treatment of rat liver arginase with N -bromosuccinimide results in modification of six tryptophan residues per enzyme molecule and is accompanied by loss of catalytic activity (E. Ber and G. Muzynska (1979) Acta Biochim. Pol. 26, 103–114). In order to probe the chemistry of N -bromosuccinimide inactivation and the role of tryptophan residues in catalysis, the two tryptophan residues of rat liver arginase, Trp122 and Trp164, have been separately mutated to phenylalanine using site-directed mutagenesis of the protein expressed in Escherichia coli. Both single Trp→Phe mutant enzymes have kinetic parameters nearly identical to those for the wild-type enzyme. Treatment of native, wild-type, and each of the Trp→Phe mutant enzymes with N -bromosuccinimide results in loss of absorbance at 280 nm and is accompanied by a loss of catalytic activity. However, treatment of the wild-type enzyme with N -bromosuccinimide in the presence of the arginase inhibitors N G -hydroxy- L -arginine or the combination of L -ornithine and borate protects against inactivation, even though tryptophan residues are modified. Treatment of the H101N and H126N mutant arginases with N -bromosuccinimide also results in loss of catalytic activity and modification of tryptophan residues. In contrast, the H141N mutant arginase is not inactivated by N -bromosuccinimide, indicating that His141 is the critical target for the N -bromosuccinimide inactivation of the enzyme.

Treatment of spinach leaf ferredoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductase (FNR) with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), under conditions where approximately one tryptophan residue per enzyme was modified, resulted in a loss of between 80 and 85% of the activity of the enzyme when electron transfer from NADPH to either ferredoxin or 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol was measured. Amino acid analysis revealed no detectable modification by NBS of any FNR amino acids other than tryptophan. Complex formation with ferredoxin, but not with NADP+, prevented both the inhibition of activity and the modification of tryptophan caused by the treatment with NBS. Modification of one FNR tryptophan residue had no significant effect on the Km values of the enzyme for either ferredoxin or NADPH or on the binding constants for the FNR complexes with either ferredoxin or NADP+. NBS treatment had only very small effects on the absorbance and circular dichroism spectra of FNR and did not significantly affect either the oxidation-reduction midpoint potential of the FAD prosthetic group of the enzyme or inhibit the reduction of the FAD group by NADPH. These results raise the possibility that a tryptophan residue may play a role in the electron transfer between the FAD of FNR and the enzyme substrate, ferredoxin.

Efficient fluorescence energy transfer from aromatic residues to the pyridine moiety of the bound coenzyme (NAD) of UDP-glucose 4-epimerase from Kluyveromyces fragilis had been reported earlier (Mukherji, S., and Bhaduri, A. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 11709-11713). We have employed N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) to identify tryptophan as the exclusive aromatic donor in the energy transfer. The characteristic UV absorption spectrum associated with Trp oxidation is observed during NBS modification of two of the four Trp residues of native epimerase along with concomitant inactivation of the enzyme. Excellent correlation between the observed inactivation and abolition of fluorescence energy transfer to coenzyme from Trp in epimerase upon treatment with NBS implicates the involvement of the same two tryptophans in both catalytic activity and fluorescence energy transfer. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorescence data preclude gross structural/conformational changes in epimerase due to NBS oxidation. The susceptible tryptophans do not reside at the substrate binding site as substrates and UMP fail to protect against NBS modification. However, failure of sodium borohydride to reduce the bound NAD in the NBS-inactivated epimerase suggests that the reactive tryptophans are close to the coenzyme. Tryptophan fluorescence lifetime values of 1.9 and 3.9 ns for the native and 3.5 ns for the NBS-modified epimerase, complemented by a linear Stern-Volmer plot (effective Stern- Volmer constant = 2.85 M-1) of acrylamide quenching, suggest that the two key tryptophans are buried close to an intrinsic quencher, presumably NAD.