Stationary and time-resolved experiments show that 2′-methoxyacetophenone (2-M) is an interesting compound for the investigation of triplet states in thymine samples. Time-resolved emission experiments show that the fluorescence lifetime of 2-M is 660 ps. A similar time constant of 680 ps is found in transient IR experiments. The ... READ MORE

Natural products comprise a rich source for bioactive molecules with medicinal relevance. Many of these contain electrophilic scaffolds that bind conserved enzyme active sites covalently. Prominent examples include beta-lactams and beta-lactones, which specifically acylate serine residues in diverse peptidases. Although these scaffolds ... READ MORE

UV-induced Dewar lesion formation is investigated in single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides with ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy. The quantum yield for the conversion of the (6–4) lesion to the Dewar isomer in DNA strands is reduced by a factor of 4 in comparison to model dinucleotides. Time resolved spectroscopy reveals a fast process in the excited ... READ MORE

Background: Special diphenyl-pyrazole compounds and in particular anle138bwere found to reduce the progression of prion and Parkinson's disease in animal models. The therapeutic impact of these compounds was attributed to the modulation of α-synuclein and prion-protein aggregation related to these diseases.
Methods: Photophysical and photochemical ... READ MORE

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a leading external hazard to the integrity of DNA. Exposure to UV radiation triggers a cascade of chemical reactions, and many molecular products (photolesions) have been isolated that are potentially dangerous for the cellular system. The early steps that take place after UV absorption by DNA have been studied by ultrafast ... READ MORE

Listeria monocytogenes is a devastating bacterial pathogen. Its virulence and intracellular stress tolerance are supported by caseinolytic protease P (ClpP), an enzyme that is conserved among bacteria. L. monocytogenes expresses two ClpP isoforms that are only distantly related by sequence and differ in catalysis, ... READ MORE

Natural products represent a rich source of bioactive compounds that constitute a large fraction of approved drugs. Among those are molecules with electrophilic scaffolds, such as Michael acceptors, β-lactams, and epoxides that irreversibly inhibit essential enzymes based on their catalytic mechanism. In the search for novel bioactive ... READ MORE

The synthesis of novel, chignolin-derived peptides comprising the azobenzene photoswitch [3-(3-aminomethyl)phenylazo]phenylacetic acid (AMPP) is reported. Reversible photoswitching behavior led to folding into β-hairpin-like structures, as unequivocally demonstrated by CD, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy.