Accurate Receptor-Ligand Binding Free Energies from Fast QM Conformational Chemical Space Sampling

Small molecule receptor-binding is dominated by weak, non-covalent interactions such as van-der-Waals hydrogen bonding or electrostatics. Calculating these non-covalent ligand-receptor interactions is a challenge to computational means in terms of accuracy and efficacy since the ligand may bind in a number of thermally accessible conformations. The conformational rotamer ensemble sampling tool (CREST) uses an iterative scheme to efficiently sample the conformational space and calculates energies using the semi-empirical ‘Geometry, Frequency, Noncovalent, eXtended Tight Binding’ (GFN2-xTB) method. This combined approach is applied to blind predictions of the modes and free energies of binding for a set of 10 drug molecule ligands to the cucurbit[n]urils CB[8] receptor from the recent ‘Statistical Assessment of the Modeling of Proteins and Ligands’ (SAMPL) challenge including morphine, hydromorphine, cocaine, fentanyl, and ketamine. For each system, the conformational space was sufficiently sampled for the free ligand and the ligand-receptor complexes using the quantum chemical Hamiltonian. A multitude of structures makes up the final conformer-rotamer ensemble, for which then free energies of binding are calculated. For those large and complex molecules, the results are in good agreement with experimental values with a mean error of 3 kcal/mol. The GFN2-xTB energies of binding are validated by advanced density functional theory calculations and found to be in good agreement. The efficacy of the automated QM sampling workflow allows the extension towards other complex molecular interaction scenarios.     

煤矸石制备聚合氯化铝铁钙与应用试验研究

以煤矸石为原料,经过高温焙烧、酸浸、聚合、熟化等过程制备了高效无机高分子絮凝剂聚合氯化铝铁钙（PAFCC）,通过单因素试验研究了PAFCC制备条件对浊度、COD和UV₂₅₄去除率的影响。试验结果表明,PAFCC最佳聚合条件为pH值2、聚合温度60℃、聚合时间5 h、在40℃下熟化28 h。混凝结果表明：制备的PAFCC对浊度有极好的去除效果,达95.70%,同时,对COD、UV₂₅₄也有一定的去除效果,去除率分别达到47.51%、45.98%。炼化废水混凝结果表明：PAFCC对浊度和总磷有较好的去除效果,同时,对COD及氨氮也有一定的去除效果,效果明显优于传统PAC。     

MS Binding Assays for Glycine Transporter 2 (GlyT2) Employing Org25543 as Reporter Ligand

This study describes the first binding assay for glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) following the concept of MS Binding Assays. The selective GlyT2 inhibitor Org25543 was employed as a reporter ligand and it was quantified with a highly sensitive and rapid LC-ESI-MS/MS method. Binding of Org25543 at GlyT2 was characterized in kinetic and saturation experiments with an off-rate of 7.07×10⁻³ s⁻¹, an on-rate of 1.01×10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, and an equilibrium dissociation constant of 7.45 nM. Furthermore, the inhibitory constants of 19 GlyT ligands were determined in competition experiments. The validity of the GlyT2 affinities determined with the binding assay was examined by a comparison with published inhibitory potencies from various functional assays. With the capability for affinity determination towards GlyT2 the developed MS Binding Assays provide the first tool for affinity profiling of potential ligands and it represents a valuable new alternative to functional assays addressing GlyT2.     

HEDP镀铜废水的组合处理方法

提出了一种HEDP镀铜废水的组合处理方法:用石灰乳液调节废水的pH至10~12后,加入氯化钙沉淀HEDP和酒石酸钾钠配位剂,从配合物中释放出的铜离子生成氢氧化铜沉淀;然后加入二甲基二硫代氨基甲酸钠沉淀残留的配合物中的铜离子,所释放出的HEDP及酒石酸根进一步与钙离子生成沉淀物。该方法简单、成本低,出水能满足排放要求。     

Plasma Metabolomics Analysis of Polyvinyl Chloride Workers Identifies Altered Processes and Candidate Biomarkers for Hepatic Hemangiosarcoma and Its Development

Background: High-level occupational vinyl chloride (VC) exposures have been associated with hepatic hemangiosarcoma, which typically develops following a long latency period. Although VC is genotoxic, a more comprehensive mode of action has not been determined and diagnostic biomarkers have not been established. The purpose of this study is to address these knowledge gaps through plasma metabolomics. Methods: Plasma samples from polyvinyl chloride polymerization workers who developed hemangiosarcoma (cases, n = 15) and VC exposure-matched controls (n = 17) underwent metabolomic analysis. Random forest and bioinformatic analyses were performed. Results: Cases and controls had similar demographics and routine liver biochemistries. Mass spectroscopy identified 606 known metabolites. Random forest analysis had an 82% predictive accuracy for group classification. 60 metabolites were significantly increased and 44 were decreased vs. controls. Taurocholate, bradykinin and fibrin degradation product 2 were up-regulated by greater than 80-fold. The naturally occurring anti-angiogenic phenol, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, was down-regulated 5-fold. Top affected ontologies involved: (i) metabolism of bile acids, taurine, cholesterol, fatty acids and amino acids; (ii) inflammation and oxidative stress; and (iii) nicotinic cholinergic signaling. Conclusions: The plasma metabolome was differentially regulated in polyvinyl chloride workers who developed hepatic hemangiosarcoma. Ontologies potentially involved in hemangiosarcoma pathogenesis and candidate biomarkers were identified.     

Supramolecular Nanofibers from Collagen-Mimetic Peptides Bearing Various Aromatic Groups at N-Termini via Hierarchical Self-Assembly

Self-assembly of artificial peptides has been widely studied for constructing nanostructured materials, with numerous potential applications in the nanobiotechnology field. Herein, we report the synthesis and hierarchical self-assembly of collagen-mimetic peptides (CMPs) bearing various aromatic groups at the N-termini, including 2-naphthyl, 1-naphtyl, anthracenyl, and pyrenyl groups, into nanofibers. The CMPs (R-(GPO)_n: n > 4) formed a triple helix structure in water at 4 °C, as confirmed via CD analyses, and their conformations were more stable with increasing hydrophobicity of the terminal aromatic group and peptide chain length. The resulting pre-organized triple helical CMPs showed diverse self-assembly into highly ordered nanofibers, reflecting their slight differences in hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance and configuration of aromatic templates. TEM analysis demonstrated that 2Np-CMP_n (n = 6 and 7) and Py-CMP₆ provided well-developed natural collagen-like nanofibers and An-CMP_n (n = 5–7) self-assembled into rod-like micelle fibers. On the other hand, 2Np-CMP₅ and 1Np-CMP₆ were unable to form nanofibers under the same conditions. Furthermore, the Py-CMP₆ nanofiber was found to encapsulate a guest hydrophobic molecule, Nile red, and exhibited unique emission behavior based on the specific nanostructure. In addition to the ability of CMPs to bind small molecules, their controlled self-assembly enables their versatile utilization in drug delivery and wavelength-conversion nanomaterials.     

Quest for the Crypto-phosphoproteome

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most studied post-translational modifications (PTMs). Despite the remarkable advances in phosphoproteomics, a chemically less-stable subset of the phosphosites, which we call the crypto-phosphoproteome, has remained underexplored due to technological challenges. In this Viewpoint, we briefly summarize the current understanding of these elusive protein phosphorylations and identify the missing pieces for future studies.     

六水氯化镁在六种多元醇中溶解度的测定和关联

六水氯化镁的溶解度是镁盐综合利用的重要基础数据。采用静态平衡法测定了六水氯化镁在1,2-丙二醇、1,3-丙二醇、1,3-丁二醇、一缩二乙二醇、二缩三乙二醇、一缩二丙二醇6种多元醇中的溶解度（278.15~328.15 K）。实验结果表明,六水氯化镁在6种多元醇中的溶解度均随着温度的升高而增大,其中在一缩二乙二醇中的溶解度最大,在二缩三乙二醇中的溶解度随着温度的变化较其他多元醇变化更为明显。使用Apelblat方程、λh方程、Van′t Hoff方程和多项式方程对溶解度数据进行了关联,结果良好,其中Apelblat方程和多项式方程拟合结果优于其他方程。利用Van′t Hoff方程计算了6种体系的溶解焓、溶解熵和吉布斯自由能。这些结果对镁盐的分离提取及镁基功能材料的制备具有重要的参考价值。     

AlCl3-BMIC离子液体的电导率

研究AlCl3-BMIC(氯化-1-甲基-3-丁基咪唑)离子液体电导率与温度、组分之间的关系。结果表明:当离子液体中AlCl3的摩尔分数x(AlCl3)<0.667时,离子液体的电导率随着x(AlCl3)的增加而增大;但在0.6670.5的路易斯酸性区域,x(AlCl3)对温度系数α、β的影响均不明显。     

划痕法测Ni—P合金镀层结合力的研究

本文用划痕法测定了Ni-P合金镀层的结合力;观察了划痕侧面镀层的失效形式;分析了三种评定结合力的参数。结果指出,临界载荷L_C、平均应力σ_A用于评定Ni-P镀层的结合力是有条件的,而B-W公式存在的问题更多。