Treatment of [Fe2(mu-pdt)(CO)6] [pdt=S(CH2)3S] with dppe (Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2) in refluxing toluene affords the asymmetric complex [Fe2(mu-pdt)(CO)4(dppe)] (1). Protonation of 1 with HBF4-Et2O in CH2Cl2 gives at room temperature the mu-hydrido derivative [Fe2(mu-pdt)(CO)4(dppe)(mu-H)](BF4) (2). Monitoring the reaction by 1H, 31P, and 13C NMR at low temperature reveals unambiguously that the process of the protonation of 1 implies terminal hydride intermediates.

The data provide a global snapshot of the cell wall architecture in brown algae, and contribute to the understanding of the structure-function relationships of the main cell wall components. Enzymatic cross-linking of alginates by phenols may regulate the strengthening of the wall, and sulfated polysaccharides may play a key role in the adaptation to osmotic stress. The emergence and evolution of ECM components is further discussed in relation to the evolution of multicellularity in brown algae.

No abstract

Sulfated fucans are matrix polysaccharides from marine brown algae, consisting of an alpha-L-fucose backbone substituted by sulfate-ester groups, masked with ramifications, and containing other monosaccharide residues. We here report on the characterization of a novel glycoside hydrolase (FcnA) specific for the degradation of sulfated fucans. This glycoside hydrolase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from a Flavobacteriaceae referred to as SW5. The gene fcnA was cloned and sequenced (3021 nucleotides), and the protein (1007 amino acids) was produced in Escherichia coli. FcnA exhibited a modular architecture consisting of a 400-residue-long N-terminal domain followed by three repeated domains predicted to adopt an immunoglobulin fold and by an 80-amino acid-long C-terminal domain. A truncated recombinant protein encompassing the N-terminal domain and the immunoglobulin-like repeats was shown to retain the enzyme activity. The N-terminal catalytic domain shared approximately 25% of sequence identity with two patented fucanase genes, and these three fucanases delineate a new family of glycoside hydrolases. As shown by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 1H-NMR analyses, the fucanase FcnA proceeds according to an endolytic mode of action and cleaves the alpha-(1-->4) glycosidic linkages within the blocks of repeating motifs [-->4)-alpha-L-fucopyranosyl-2,3-disulfate-(1-->3)-alpha-L-fucopyranosyl-2-sulfate-(1-->]n.

International audienceReaction of [Fe2{μ-S(CH2)3S}(CO)6] (1) at room temperature with the N-heterocyclic carbenes IMe-(CH2)2-L (IMe = 1-methylimidazol-2-ylidene, L = NMe2, SMe) afforded the pentacarbonyl carbene derivatives [Fe2{μ-S(CH2)3S}(CO)5{IMe-(CH2)2-NMe2}] (2a) and [Fe2{μ-S(CH2)3S}(CO)5{IMe-(CH2)2-SMe}] (2b). Reaction of 1 with IMe-CH2-IMe at room temperature provided the dimer [{Fe2(μ-S(CH2)3S)(CO)5}2{μ-(IMe-CH2-IMe)}] (3) together with the chelated bis-NHC complex [Fe2{μ-S(CH2)3S}(CO)4{IMe-CH2-IMe}] (4a) as the major product. The analogous reaction of 1 with IMe-(CH2)2-IMe yielded the chelated bis-NHC complex [Fe2(μ-S(CH2)3S)(CO)4{IMe-(CH2)2-IMe}] (4b). Addition of HBF4 to compound 4a afforded the stable bridging hydride complexes [Fe2(μ-H){μ-S(CH2)3S}(CO)4{IMe-CH2-IMe}](BF4) (5a,b) with NHC ligands in a basal/basal and basal/apical mode of coordination in 5a,b, respectively. The molecular structures of 2a, 3, 4a,b, and 5a were confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. Low-temperature NMR studies on the protonation of 4a showed spectroscopic evidence for the formation of a very unstable terminal hydride and a bridging hydride species with a NHC ligand having a non classical mode of coordination via a C-4(5) bond. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that 4a is a catalyst for proton reduction