In the last decade thiotaurine, 2-aminoethane thiosulfonate, has been investigated as an inflammatory modulating agent as a result of its ability to release hydrogen sulfide (H2S) known to play regulatory roles in inflammation. Thiotaurine can be included in the “taurine family” due to structural similarity to taurine and hypotaurine, and is characterized by the presence of a sulfane sulfur moiety. Thiotaurine can be produced by different pathways, such as the spontaneous transsulfuration between thiocysteine – a persulfide analogue of cysteine – and hypotaurine as well as in vivo from cystine. Moreover, the enzymatic oxidation of cysteamine to hypotaurine and thiotaurine in the presence of inorganic sulfur can occur in animal tissues and last but not least thiotaurine can be generated by the transfer of sulfur from mercaptopyruvate to hypotaurine catalyzed by a sulfurtransferase. Thiotaurine is an effective antioxidant agent as demonstrated by its ability to counteract the damage caused by pro-oxidants in the rat. Recently, we observed the influence of thiotaurine on human neutrophils functional responses. In particular, thiotaurine has been found to prevent human neutrophil spontaneous apoptosis suggesting an alternative or additional role to its antioxidant activity. It is likely that the sulfane sulfur of thiotaurine may modulate neutrophil activation via persulfidation of target proteins. In conclusion, thiotaurine can represent a biologically relevant sulfur donor acting as a biological intermediate in the transport, storage and release of sulfide.

Three new glucosylceramides (GluCers) named malusides I–III (1–3) were isolated from apple (cultivars of Malus domestica) pomace (fruit material remaining after juice extraction). An unusual oxo/hydroxy group pattern within the sphingadienine (d18:2) type sphingoid base was observed. All compounds contained the same α-hydroxylated fatty acid (h16:0) and a β-D-glucose moiety. Their structures were assigned on the basis of one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyses and mass spectrometry (MS) measurements.

Multi-component reactions of building blocks with more than one MCR-reactive group will give rise to oligomeric MCR products. The proper choice of at least two bifunctional building blocks will give either a polymeric or a cyclic product. Apart from polymerization, repetitive or consecutive Ugi reactions have been used to produce linear MCR-heterooligomers with such building blocks.

Three new pyridine alkaloids were detected in the pygidial glands of some Stenus species. The chemotaxonomic significance of the occurrence of these alkaloids and stenusine in different Stenus species is discussed. The antimicrobial properties of (Z)- and (E)-3-(2- methyl-1-butenyl)-pyridine and the deterrent activities of stenusine and norstenusine were investigated.

0

The complex pigment pattern of fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) cap skins has been studied by LC-DAD and mass spectrometry. Among the betaxanthins the corresponding derivatives of serine, threonine, ethanolamine, alanine, Dopa, phenylalanine and tryptophan are reported for the first time to contribute to the pigment pattern of fly agarics. Betalamic acid, the chromophoric precursor of betaxanthins and betacyanins, muscaflavin and seco-dopas were also detected. Furthermore, the red-purple muscapurpurin and the red muscarubrin were tentatively assigned while further six betacyanin-like components could not be structurally allocated. Stability studies indicated a high susceptibility of pigment extracts to degradation which led to rapid colour loss thus rendering a complete characterization of betacyaninlike compounds impossible at present. Taking into account these difficulties the presented results may be a starting point for a comprehensive characterization of the pigment composition of fly agarics.

Conformational analysis by NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling revealed a left-handed PPII helix-like structure for Trp2-Tat(1–9) (cis and trans) and an even more flexible structure for TXA2-R(1–9).PPII helices form a well-defined structural class comparable with the other structures defined in proteins and are characterized by exposed, mobile structures with 4–8 residues, mostly found on the protein surface. Polyproline II helices are mainly identified by their torsion angles of φ∼−75° and Ψ∼145−. They do not form regular interchain hydrogen bonds, but are hydrogen bonded with water molecules. PPII helices have a strong preference for the amino acid proline, although it is not necessarily present. These features were also reported for the parent peptide Tat(1–9)4 as well as for the well known DP IV substrates neuropeptide Y and pancreatic polypeptide5 suggesting that PPII-like helical structures represent a favored structural class for the interaction with DP IV.Thus, the considerable enhancement of the inhibition capacity of both Trp2-Tat(1–9) and TXA2-R(1–9) compared to the moderate inhibitor Tat(1–9)2, Ki=2.68±0.01 10−4 M, can only be due to tryptophan in the second position suggesting that its side chain is favored to exhibit attractive hydrophobic interactions with DP IV compared with aspartic acid.On the other hand, we could show recently that Tat(1–9) and its analogues as well as TXA2-R(1–9) inhibit DP IV according to different inhibition mechanisms (Lorey et al., manuscript submitted). One possible explanation for these findings might be enzyme-ligand interactions relying on multiple weak binding sites as described for PPII helices5 rather than specific lock and key binding. Certainly, only an X-ray structure of DP IV would help to understand the interaction of DP IV with inhibitors.

Our results indicate that the substrate properties of peptides are encoded by their own structure. That means, that substrate characteristics depend not only on the primary structure around the catalytic site rather C-terminal located secondary interactions strongly influence the binding and catalysis of the substrates. Such interaction sites seem to force the ligand in a proper orientation to the active site of DP IV. As result of these relations the hydrolysis of peptides with non-proline and non-alanine residues in P1-position (Ser, Val, Gly) becomes possible in longer peptides.Such specific secondary interactions opens the opportunity for development of new inhibitors.

0

Based on the recently published structure of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) a model of the C-terminal part of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) which contains the active site has been developed. The structure of the model of DPP IV shows considerable similarity to the structure of POP particularly in the active site. A hydrophobic pocket (Tyr666, Tyr670, Tyr 631, Val556) forms the S1-binding site for recognition of proline. Tyr547 may stabilise the oxyanion formed in the tetrahedral intermediates by a strong hydrogen bond. The positively charged N-terminus of ligands of DPP IV is recognised by forming a salt bridge with the acidic side chain Glu668. A second hydrophobic pocket (S2′ to S5′) may represent an important binding site for HIV-1 Tat-protein derivatives, chemokines and others.