The first steroidogenic enzyme, cytochrome P450-side-chain-cleavage (SCC), requires electron transport chain (ETC) complexes III and IV to initiate steroid metabolic processes for mammalian survival. ETC complex II, containing succinate dehydrogenase (quinone), acts with the TCA cycle and has no proton pumping capacity. We show that complex II is required for SCC activation through the proton pump, generating an intermediate state for addition of phosphate by succinate. Phosphate anions in the presence of succinate form a stable mitochondrial complex with higher enthalpy (-ΔH) and enhanced activity. Inhibition of succinate action prevents SCC processing at the intermediate state and ablates activity and mitochondrial protein network. This is the first report directly showing that a protein intermediate state is activated by succinate, facilitating the ETC complex II to interact with complexes III and IV for continued mitochondrial metabolic process, suggesting complex II is essential for steroid metabolism regulation.
Hydroalkylation of terminal alkynes is a powerful approach to the synthesis of disubstituted alkenes. However, its application is largely unexplored in the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated carbonyls, which are common among synthetic intermediates and biologically active molecules. The thermodynamically less stable -isomers of activated alkenes have been particularly challenging to access because of their propensity for isomerization and the paucity of reliable -selective hydroalkylation methods.
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that [Co(HO)] reacts with two HO molecules to form [(HO)Co(OOH)(HO)] reactant complexes, which decompose through three distinct pathways depending on the relative orientation between the coordinated OOH and HO ligands. The reactive intermediates produced via these activation pathways include hydroperoxyl (OOH)/superoxide (O) radicals, singlet oxygen (O), and Co(III) species [(HO)Co(O)], [(HO)Co(OH)], and [(HO)Co(OH)]. The Co(III) species display from moderate to strong oxidizing abilities that have long been overlooked.
Dexter energy transfer (DET) of triplet electronic states is used to direct energy in photovoltaics, quench reactive singlet oxygen species in biological systems, and generate them in photodynamic therapy. However, the extent to which repeated DET between aromatic residues can lead to triplet energy migration in proteins has not been investigated. Here, we computationally describe DET rates in microtubules, actin filaments and the intermediate filament, vimentin.
College of Materials, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, College of Energy, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Nickel-iron-based catalysts are recognized for their high efficiency in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under alkaline conditions, yet the underlying mechanisms that drive their superior performance remain unclear. Herein, we revealed the molecular OER mechanism and the structure-intermediate-performance relationship of OER on a phosphorus-doped nickel-iron nanocatalyst (NiFeP). NiFeP exhibited exceptional activity and stability with an overpotential of only 210 mV at 10 mA cm in 1 M KOH and a cell voltage of 1.
Type-I photosensitizers (PSs) are among the most potential candidates for photodynamic therapy (PDT), as their low dependence on oxygen endow them with many advantages for treating hypoxic tumor. However, most of the reported type-I PSs have a contingency of molecular design, because electron transfer (ET) reaction is more difficult to achieve than energy transfer (EET) process. Therefore, it is urgent to understand molecular design mechanisms for type-I PSs.
