The redox-regulated chaperone Hsp33 is specifically activated upon exposure of cells to peroxide stress at elevated temperatures. Here we show that Hsp33 harbors two interdependent stress-sensing regions located in the C-terminal redox-switch domain of Hsp33: a zinc center sensing peroxide stress conditions and an adjacent linker region responding to unfolding conditions. Neither of these sensors works sufficiently in the absence of the other, making the simultaneous presence of both stress conditions a necessary requirement for Hsp33's full activation. Upon activation, Hsp33's redox-switch domain adopts a natively unfolded conformation, thereby exposing hydrophobic surfaces in its N-terminal substrate-binding domain. The specific activation of Hsp33 by the oxidative unfolding of its redox-switch domain makes this chaperone optimally suited to quickly respond to oxidative stress conditions that lead to protein unfolding.Reactive oxygen species develop as unavoidable consequences of aerobic life. Their oxidizing effects on most cellular macromolecules can be deleterious to cells and organisms 1 . Cells have developed effective antioxidant systems to counteract this hazard (for review, see ref. 2 ). Disruption of the fine balance between oxidants and antioxidants, however, leads to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and to a condition termed oxidative stress 3 . Oxidative stress conditions have been shown to develop in, and may even cause, numerous physiological and pathological conditions, such as aging, heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases 4 .

The combination of aromatic and aliphatic substituents at the imidazolium ring leads to a new generation of imidazolium‐based ionic liquids (TAAILs: tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids; see charge distribution of the methoxyphenyl methyl derivative). Electronic interaction between the aromatic substituent and the imidazolium core allows the properties of these species to be tuned more precisely than is possible for currently available ionic liquids.

A series of bisNHC chelate ligands with alkyl bridges of different chain lengths and their palladium complexes have been prepared. The influence of the different bridges on the solid-state structure and reactivity of the complexes has been studied. The catalytic activity of the palladium complexes was successfully tested in the Mizoroki−Heck reaction and the catalytic CH activation of methane. The ethylene-bridged palladium complex showed the highest catalytic activity in the CH activation of methane and the Mizoroki−Heck coupling of bromoarenes, while for unreactive chloroarenes bisNHC complexes with longer bridges give better results.

A series of novel pyrimidine functionalized palladium(II)(NHC) complexes with aryl and alkyl substituents [1-(2-Pyrimidyl)-3-(aryl or alkyl)imidazoline-2-ylidene palladium(II) chlorides] was synthesized by transmetalation via the corresponding silver complexes. All compounds have been fully characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and in two cases by X-ray single crystal structures. Different solid state structures were observed for aryl and alkyl substituted ligands: for the sterically less demanding methyl substituent, a complex is formed, where two ligands are coordinated to one metal center [Pd(L)2Cl]+, while in the mesityl case a [Pd(L)Cl2] structure was observed. They show good catalytic activity in the CH activation of methane as well as in the Mizoroki-Heck reaction, where especially the methyl substituted complex shows a remarkably high activity combined with a very high selectivity.

Summary Plasma membrane targeting is essential for the proper function of many bacterial toxins. A conserved four helical bundle membrane localization domain (4HBM) was recently identified within three diverse families of toxins; clostridial glucosylating toxins, MARTX toxins, and Pasteurella multocida-like toxins. When expressed in tissue culture cells or in yeast, GFP-fusions to at least one 4HBM from each toxin family show significant peripheral membrane localization but with differing profiles. Both in vivo expression and in vitro binding studies reveal that the ability of these domains to localize to the plasma membrane and bind negatively charged phospholipids requires a basic-hydrophobic motif formed by the L1 and L3 loops. The different binding capacity of each 4HBM is defined by the hydrophobicity of an exposed residue within the motif. This study establishes that bacterial effectors utilize a normal host cell mechanism to locate the plasma membrane where they can then access their intracellular targets.

Photoluminescence measurements show that platinum(II) tetracarbene complexes, which could be obtained via different synthetic routes, are interesting lead structures for the development of blue emitters for PhOLEDs with good quantum yields and high photostability.

ExoU is a potent effector protein that causes rapid host cell death upon injection by the type III secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The N-terminal half of ExoU contains a patatin-like phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) domain that requires the host cell cofactor superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) for activation, while the C-terminal 137 amino acids constitute a membrane localization domain (MLD). Previous studies had utilized insertion and deletion mutations to show that portions of the MLD are required for membrane localization and catalytic activity. Here we further characterize this domain by identifying six residues that are essential for ExoU activity. Substitutions at each of these positions resulted in abrogation of membrane targeting, decreased ExoU-mediated cytotoxicity, and reductions in PLA 2 activity. Likewise, each of the six MLD residues was necessary for full virulence in cell culture and murine models of acute pneumonia. Purified recombinant ExoU proteins with substitutions at five of the six residues were not activated by SOD1, suggesting that these five residues are critical for activation by this cofactor. Interestingly, these same five ExoU proteins were partially activated by HeLa cell extracts, suggesting that a host cell cofactor other than SOD1 is capable of modulating the activity of ExoU. These findings add to our understanding of the role of the MLD in ExoU-mediated virulence.

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