Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive loss of neurons accompanied by the formation of intraneural neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid plaques. Human neuronal growth inhibitory factor, classified as metallothionein-3 (MT-3), was found to be related to the neurotrophic activity promoting cortical neuron survival and dendrite outgrowth in the cell culture studies. We have determined the solution structure of the a-domain of human MT-3 (residues 32-68) by multinuclear and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy in combination with the molecular dynamic simulated annealing approach. The human MT-3 shows two metal-thiolate clusters, one in the Nterminus (b-domain) and one in the C-terminus (a-domain). The overall fold of the a-domain is similar to that of mouse MT-3. However, human MT-3 has a longer loop in the acidic hexapeptide insertion than that of mouse MT-3. Surprisingly, the backbone dynamics of the protein revealed that the b-domain exhibits similar internal motion to the a-domain, although the N-terminal residues are more flexible. Our results may provide useful information for understanding the structure-function relationship of human MT-3.
(13)C NMR spectroscopic integration employing short relaxation delays and a 30° pulse width was evaluated as a quantitative tool for analyzing the components of polysorbate 80. (13)C NMR analysis revealed that commercial polysorbate 80 formulations are a complex oligomeric mixture of sorbitan polyethoxylate esters and other intermediates, such as isosorbide polyethoxylate esters and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) esters. This novel approach facilitates the quantification of the component ratios. In this study, the ratios of the three major oligomers in polysorbate 80 were measured and the PEG series was found to be the major component of commercial polysorbate 80. The degree of polymerization of -CH2CH2O- groups and the ratio of free to bonded -CH2CH2O- end groups, which correlate with the hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of the polymer, were analyzed, and were suggested to be key factors for assessing the likelihood of adverse biological reactions to polysorbate 80. The (13)C NMR data suggest that the feed ratio of raw materials and reaction conditions in the production of polysorbate 80 are not well controlled. Our results demonstrate that (13)C NMR is a universal, powerful tool for polysorbate analysis. Such analysis is crucial for the synthesis of a high-quality product, and is difficult to obtain by other methods.
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