In view of the importance of a prebiotic source of high energy phosphates, we have investigated a number of potentially prebiotic processes to produce condensed phosphates from orthophosphate and cyclic trimetaphosphate from tripolyphosphate. The reagents investigated include polymerizing nitriles, acid anhydrides, lactones, hexamethylene tetramine and carbon suboxide. A number of these processes give substantial yields of pyrophosphate from orthophosphate and trimetaphosphate from tripolyphosphate. Although these reactions may have been applicable in local areas, they are not sufficiently robust to have been of importance in the prebiotic open ocean.
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Biochem Biophys Res Commun
December 2024
Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, I-20133, Milano, Italy; Department of Bioscience, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, I-20133, Milano, Italy. Electronic address:
Aldolases are crucial enzymes that catalyze the formation of carbon-carbon bonds in the context of the anabolic and catabolic pathways of various metabolites. The bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens N3 can use naphthalene as its sole carbon and energy source by using, among other enzymes, the trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate (tHBP) hydratase-aldolase (HA), encoded by the nahE gene. In this study, we present the crystallographic structures of tHBP-HA in three different functional states: the apo enzyme with a phosphate ion in the active site, and the Schiff base adduct bound either to pyruvate or to the substitute with '(R)-4-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxobutanoate'(intermediate state).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNature
January 2025
School of Environment and Energy, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) are promising for high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. However, Li dendrites formed by the reaction between highly active Li and non-aqueous electrolytes lead to safety concerns and rapid capacity decay. Developing a reliable solid-electrolyte interphase is critical for realizing high-rate and long-life LMBs, but remains technically challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, 29 Bahman Blvd., Tabriz, Iran.
Hydroxyapatite (HA) is an engineered biomaterial that closely resembles the hard tissue composition of humans. Biological HA is commonly non-stoichiometric and features lower crystallinity and higher solubility than stoichiometric HA. The chemical compositions of these biomaterials include calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and trace amounts of various ions such as magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and strontium (Sr).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein Sci
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Antimicrobial resistance is a significant cause of mortality globally due to infections, a trend that is expected to continue to rise. As existing treatments fail and new drug discovery slows, the urgency to develop novel antimicrobial therapeutics grows stronger. One promising strategy involves targeting bacterial systems exclusive to pathogens, such as the transcription regulator protein GabR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrg Biomol Chem
December 2024
Institute of Organic Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
We introduce two water-soluble excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) based fluorescent turn-on probes responding to inorganic polyphosphates. These ESIPT probes enable specific detection of short-chain inorganic polyphosphates over a range of different condensed phosphates. The probes are weakly emissive in their off-state due to the blocking of ESIPT by Cu coordination.
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