Babak Borhan

On the Bioactive Conformation of the Rhodopsin Chromophore: Absolute Sense of Twist around the 6-s-cis Bond

Incubation of opsin with synthetic 6-s-locked retinoids 2a and 2b only led to pigment formation from the alpha-locked 2a, the CD spectrum of which was similar to that of native rhodopsin (Rh). This establishes that the 6-s-bond of the chromophore in rhodopsin is cis, and that its helicity is negative. Earlier cross-linking studies showed that the 11-cis to all-trans photoisomerization occurring in the batho-Rh to lumi-Rh conversion induces a flip over of the side carrying the ring moiety. The GTP-binding assay of pigment Rh-(2a), incorporating retinal analogue 2a, has shown that its activity is 80% that of the native pigment. That is, the overall conformation around the 6-s bond is retained in the steps leading to G-protein activation.

Efficient Synthesis of 11-cis-Retinoids

The light sensitivity and unstable nature of 11-cis-retinoids makes them ideal visual chromophores in nature. The synthesis of 11-cis-retinal analogues is of paramount importance in bioorganic studies of rhodopsin, the photoreceptor of the visual transduction pathway, but the instability of 11-cis-retinoids complicates their synthesis and there is no general synthetic route. Common strategies to the cis geometry have failed in the case of 11-cis-retinoids, and most often low yields and complex isomeric mixtures are obtained. Herein we report an efficient, general, and mild preparation of 11-cis-retinoids by semi-hydrogenation of 11-yne-retinoid precursors with Cu/Ag-activated zinc dust.

Spectroscopic studies of PhTX facilitated cation movement across membranes

Philanthotoxins, noncompetitive inhibitors of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and various glutamate receptors, were found to be capable of mediating cation transport across lipid bilayers. With respect to the relatively weak binding constants of these amphiphilic polyamines to neuronal receptor proteins, this finding implies that their interaction with cell membranes might have to be considered in addition to that with protein receptors to fully understand the molecular mechanism of these neurotoxins.

Absolute configurational assignment of 3-hydroxycarotenoids

Attempts were made to develop an exciton chirality method applicable to the unique cases represented by 3-hydroxycarotenoids. However, this approach has so far not been successful. The 3-hydroxy configurations were therefore determined by the extended Mosher 1H-NMR method. Nine carotenoids with seven different end groups and of known 3-hydroxy configurations were derivatized with (R)- and (S)-methoxyphenylacetic acid (MPA); they all gave the expected shift differences. Three other auxiliary reagents with naphthalene and anthracene nuclei gave larger and consistent NMR shift differences, but they are not yet commercially available.