No description available.

No description available.

Attempts were made to synthesise a conformationally restricted analogue of kainic acid wherein the double bond was confined in a ring-system. The stratagem involved an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction but could not be tested as the precursors to the cycloaddition reaction could not be prepared. Attempts were made to develop a general route to kainic acid and analogues by employing a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between aziridines and olefins. Triazolines were used as a precursor to aziridines because of the ease of formation from alkyl azides and olefins. The required dipolar cycloaddition was found to occur but produced various side-products from the triazoline thermolysis. The subsequent Grignard reaction on the cycloaddition product gave problems as the compound epimerised under basic conditions and did not undergo reaction with methyl Grignard or methyl lithium. An attempt to prepare kainic acid and analogues by an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition or a 1,3-sigmatropic shift reaction failed when the basic precursors for the reaction could not be prepared.

Erratum pasted facing title page. / Bibliography: leaves 177-188. / iv, 188, [32] leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 1997

Bibliography: leaves 163-172. / vi, 172 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Organic Chemistry, 1993

Bibliography : leaves 198-204. / vi, 204 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Organic Chemistry, 1992

The benefits of fortification of poor quality food proteins such as wheat gluten with limiting amino acids depend on the biological availability of the added amino acids and their stability with respect to processing and storage. Although simple addition of amino acids in free form is convenient, the potential improvement in nutritional quality by this method of fortification may not materialize due to possible losses during processing steps such as washing, susceptibility to degradative reactions, and different rates of absorption and utilization compared to protein-bound amino acids. In this study, covalent attachment of lysine and threonine to wheat gluten was investigated using the chemical carbodiimide reaction and the enzymatic plastein reaction. The nutritional quality of enriched products was evaluated by in vitro and microbiological tests, and susceptibility to destruction by heating in the presence of a reducing sugar was investigated. Covalent attachment of lysine ethyl ester or threonine to gluten by the plastein reaction utilizing the enzyme papain was not successful. Although lysine and threonine contents in the products were increased, these results were attributed to selective enzymatic release of other amino acids. The amino acid compositions of undialyzable "plastein" products were markedly different from the original gluten substrate, and product yields were low. The results suggest the formation of many dialyzable peptides and free amino acids, and inability for protein re-synthesis from these low molecular weight compounds. Covalent lysine and threonine contents were increased using the carbodiimide reaction. In general, the reaction was most influenced by pH, reactant concentration and type of reactant. Products enriched via primarily peptide bonds as well as products enriched via peptide and isopeptide bonds could be prepared using various starting materials. Lysine, N -acetyl lysine, N -benzylidene lysine and threonine were coupled through amide bond formation to gluten, sodium stearate-solubilized gluten, acid-solubilized gluten or pepsin-solubilized gluten. Sodium stearate solubilization did not improve extent of amino acid incorporation. Pepsin hydrolysis of gluten enhanced amino acid attachment but decreased product yields. 4.0-fold and 6.5-fold increases in lysine content resulted by reaction of pepsin-solubilized gluten with N e-benzylidene lysine and N-acetyl lysine, respectively. However, yields of these products were low (47% and 58%). 1.6-fold, 2.0-fold and 2.5-fold increases were obtained by reaction of gluten with Ne-benzylidene lysine, lysine and N£-acetyl lysine, respectively, with product yields of 90 to 95%. At least 20-fold and 5-fold increases could be achieved by reaction of 0.5N HCI and 0.05N HCI solubilized glutens respectively with lysine, with product yields of 80 to 90%. 4-fold and 2-fold increases in threonine content resulted from reaction of threonine with pepsin-solubilized gluten and gluten, respectively. Simultaneous attachment of lysine or lysine derivative and threonine was not effective. In vitro evaluation of availability and digestibility of covalently enriched products was carried out by the DNBS reaction and pepsin pancreatin digestion tests. The results indicate the formation of isopeptide bonds involving the £-amino group of lysine unless N -substituents of lysine were used. Isopeptide bonds involving the Y_carboxyl groups were indicated when gluten had been solubilized by acid treatment. Peptide bond formation predominated when N -benzylidene or N -acetyl lysine was attached to pepsin-solubilized gluten or gluten. The high hi vitro availability and digestibility values for N £-benzylidene lysine enriched products suggest lability of the Schiff's base linkage of this N £-substituent, in contrast to the stability of the amide linkage in Ne -acetyl lysine. Microbiological evaluation by a Tetrahymena bioassay confirmed the nutritional improvement of gluten by covalent attachment of lysine, Ne-acetyl lysine or Ne-benzylidene lysine. Relative nutritive value of gluten was 54, whereas covalently and freely enriched glutens had relative nutritive values similar to that of the reference casein, assigned a value of 100. Covalently and freely lysine enriched glutens were compared for color and extent of lysine destruction after baking. In general, covalently enriched products had lighter color and higher percentages of total, DNBS-available and pepsin-pancreatin-digestible lysine contents than freely enriched products. N e-Benzylidene lysine enriched gluten was particularly stable, with relative nutritive value of 88 compared to 44 for baked gluten. It is concluded that covalently attached lysine is more stable than free lysine for enrichment of food proteins susceptible to Maillard reaction. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Plant cells resistant to specific amino acid analogs have been reported to accumulate the corresponding free amino acids. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of fifteen free amino acids: alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamate, proline, arginine, aspartate, threonine, methionine, lysine, serine, glycine, tryptophan and phenylalanine in Daucus carota cell lines, resistant either to the proline analog azetidine-2 carboxylic acid (A2C), or to the tryptophan analog 5-methyltryptophan (5-MT), or to both the analogs combined. This study also intended to determine if these analogs influence the biosynthesis of the above-mentioned fifteen amino acids in the cell line resistant to A2C and 5-MT. Carrot cell lines resistant to 5-MT, to A2C, or to both the analogs were selected by incubating carrot cells in liquid growth media containing either 0.3 mM 5-MT, or 0.5 mM A2C for 6 to 16 weeks. Free amino acid concentrations were then determined in the extracts of the cells. Resistance to 5-MT resulted in significant increases in the intracellular concentrations of tryptophan, phenylalanine, leucine, valine, isoleucine, and proline. Resistance to A2C resulted in significant increase in proline only. Resistance to both the analogs caused increases in proline, lysine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan concentrations. In the cell line resistant to both the analogs, the treatment with 5-MT caused increases in leucine, proline, aspartate, threonine, lysine, and tryptophan. The treatment with A2C caused increases in isoleucine, arginine, threonine, methionine, lysine, and glycine, whereas treatment with both the analogs caused increases in threonine, lysine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. These results indicate the possibility of a common biosynthetic control of a number of amino acids in carrot cells, resembling that found in microorganisms. It is also evident from the results that the analogs play an active role in the biosynthesis of amino acids in the resistant cell lines.

Eight cyclic analogues of Substance P were made in order to investigate the conformation of the C-terminal end of the peptide. These analogues were designed to test three literature models describing the active conformation of substance P. Although the potencies of the analogues were low (in the micromolar range), our results support Cotrait's and Hospital's model (1986). Several substance P antagonists were synthesized. These compounds did not demonstrate agonistic activity nor anatagonistic activity. The tryptophan side chain is contributing to the antagonistic activity of these analogues, and not just the chirality of the α-carbon. Highly potent and selective photoaffinity ligands of H-Tyr-D-Pen-Gly-Phe-D-Pen-OH (DPDPE) and D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH₂ (CTP) were synthesized. These compounds will be useful in the isolation of δ and μ opioid receptors. Several new amino acids designed and synthesized to contain both the natural amino acid side chain and a thiol group which can be used to make disulfide constraints. The racemic amino acids made were as follows: (1) 2-amino-4-methyl-2- [(p-methylbenzyl)thiomethyl] pentanoic acid; (2) 2-amino-2- [(p-methylbenzyl)thiomethyl] -3-phenylpropanoic acid; (3) 2-amino-e- [(p-methylbenzyl)thio] pentanoic acid; and (4) 2-amino-3- [(p-methylbenzyl)-thio] -3-phenyl-pentanoic acid. These amino acids will be useful in the conformational restriction of peptides. To investigate the δ-opioid receptor conformation proposed for DPDPE by Hruby et al. (1988) and the μ-opioid receptor conformation proposed for Tyr-c [Abu₂,Gly,Phe,Leu] by Mierke et al. (1988), constrained phenylalanine amino acids were incorporated into H-Try-D-Pen-Gly-Phe-D-Pen-OH (DPDPE) in the four position. Our results indicate that these models are correct. And in an investigation into the physical-chemical properties of the delta opioid receptor, our results suggest that the δ receptor topochemical site for the Phe⁴ residue contains a partial positive charge on its surface and has specific steric requirements.

by Chen Li. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-152). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.