Article
Chemistry, Organic
Dellamol Sebastian, Sakilam Satishkumar, Padmanava Pradhan, Lijia Yang, Mahesh K. Lakshman
Summary: This study demonstrates efficient reactions of aryl amines with 6-chloropurine riboside under specific conditions, leading to C6-position modification and cleavage of the 5'-silyl group. Acetic acid was found to play a crucial role in promoting these processes.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sruthi Puthan Veettil, Arun Gopinath, Balaraman Madhan, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: In this study, I3-cyclodextrin sulfate (I3-CDS) was explored as a therapeutic molecule for fibrotic diseases and found to limit collagen fibril formation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Asuma Janeena, Narayanan Jayaraman, Ganesh Shanmugam, Shanmugam Easwaramoorthi, Niraikulam Ayyadurai
Summary: In this study, a redox amino acid encoded fluorescent protein-based electrochemical biosensor has been developed for sensitive and selective detection of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The biosensor generates a remarkable electrochemical response on the glassy carbon electrode through the two-electron transfer process between the redox amino acid encoded bio-redox protein and HCQ. The developed biosensor shows specificity, selectivity, reproducibility, and sensitivity in detecting HCQ, making it potentially attractive for clinical research.
APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anagha C. C. Unnikrishnan, Abinaya Sushana Thennarasu, Puchalapalli Saveri, Suryalakshmi Pandurangan, Abhijit P. P. Deshpande, Niraikulam Ayyadurai, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: By functionalizing a pi-system (Fluorenyl, Fm) at the N-terminus of the well-known amyloidogenic ultra-short peptide fragment NFGAIL (IAPf) of human Islet amyloid polypeptide, we obtained a highly thermostable hydrogel at physiological pH with a super gelator nature (MGC 0.08 wt%). Various experimental results confirmed that the self-assembly/fibril formation is driven by aromatic pi-pi interactions from fluorenyl moieties and hydrogen bonding interactions between the IAPf. Fm-IAPf is the first super hydrogelator derived from amyloid-based ultra-short peptides, to the best of our knowledge, and we believe this report provides a lead for developing super hydrogelators from other amyloid-forming peptide fragments.
CHEMISTRY-AN ASIAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Asuma Janeena, Velmurugan Nagabalaji, Prem Suresh, Kamini Numbi Ramudu, Shanmugam Venkatachalam Srinivasan, Ganesh Shanmugam, Niraikulam Ayyadurai
Summary: In this study, cells expressing unnatural amino acid encoded proteins were prepared to effectively remove toxic synthetic industrial pollutant lead (Pb2+). The proteins showed high binding efficiency with Pb2+ ions, possibly due to an increased number of functional groups on the protein surface. The bioreactor filled with immobilized protein-containing granules demonstrated over 90% lead removal in contaminated water samples. The proteins could be recycled and about 70% of them showed fluorescence efficiency recovery of over 75%.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Venkatesan Vignesh, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: In this study, natural amino acids were used to efficiently remove and recover toxic Congo red dye from aqueous environments. Specific amino acids, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, were found to effectively remove 95-97% of the dye. The removal process was simple and did not require any equipment or hazardous chemicals.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Smriti Mukherjee, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: In this study, a novel reverse surfactant, Fm-GPO, with a short hydrophobic head group and a long hydrophilic tail, was designed and demonstrated for the first time at physiological pH. Self-assembly of Fm-GPO into spherical vesicles with a large hydrophilic area was promoted by pi-pi stacking of the fluorenyl moieties and intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the peptide chains. This Fm-GPO system provides a new class of surfactants with unique features that can be used for the design of drug-loaded vehicles, which can be target-specific by manipulating the peptide chain with different functional ultra-short peptide sequences.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mahesh K. Lakshman, Dellamol Sebastian, Padmanava Pradhan, Michelle C. Neary, Alexis M. Piette, Samuel P. Trzebiatowski, Alexander E. K. Henriques, Patrick H. Willoughby
Summary: A modular platform for facile access to H4-carbazolones and H2-indolones is described. The synthesis of the required compounds and their further transformation are achieved through different reaction steps.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Virology
George Augustine, Valappil Sisila, Mohan Indhu, Divya Gupta, Dixit Tandel, Krishnan Harinivas Harshan, Ganesh Shanmugam, Padmanabhan Padmapriya, Srinivasan Sivasubramanian, Krishnaswamy Kaveri, Kamini Numbi Ramudu, Niraikulam Ayyadurai
Summary: Genetically encoded IFN-beta-A may stabilize the protein-receptor complex and activate JAK-STAT cell signaling, which shows potential for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Anagha C. Unnikrishnan, Kanagasabai Balamurugan, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: This study investigated the structural polymorphism of amyloid fibrils formed by a peptide fragment using isotope-edited vibrational circular dichroism. The results showed differences in diameter, length, and β-sheet structure between two different fibril morphologies. The findings provide insights into the structural aspects of fibril polymorphism and may aid in therapeutic drug design for amyloid diseases.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maryam Mansoori Kermani, Hanwei Li, Alistar Ottochian, Orlando Crescenzi, Benjamin G. Janesko, Giovanni Scalmani, Michael J. Frisch, Ilaria Ciofini, Carlo Adamo, Donald G. Truhlar
Summary: Theoretical characterization of reactions of complex molecules requires accurate determination of the relative energies of intermediates and transition states. In this study, the DLPNO-CCSD(T) method was employed to provide benchmark values for Diels-Alder transition states leading to strained pentacyclic adducts. Various wave function and density functional methods were compared for their prediction of absolute and relative barrier heights. The results show that only a few density functionals can satisfactorily predict absolute barrier heights, while relative barrier heights are more accurate. The findings of this study can guide the selection of density functionals for future studies on crowded, strained transition states of large molecules.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dinesh Kumar Duraisamy, Panchal Dhruvisha Sureshbhai, Puchalapalli Saveri, Abhijit. P. P. Deshpande, Ganesh Shanmugam
Summary: A supramolecular hydrogel with 3D self-shrinking and shape memory performance at room temperature, derived from an unnatural amino acid, has been discovered. The self-shrinking properties of this hydrogel could have potential applications.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ilamaran Meganathan, Mohandass Pachaiyappan, Mayilvahanan Aarthy, Janani Radhakrishnan, Smriti Mukherjee, Ganesh Shanmugam, Jingjing You, Niraikulam Ayyadurai
Summary: Collagen, with its stable triple helix structure, is the most preferred biomaterial in commercialized medical products. However, concerns on the purity, disease transmission, and reproducibility of animal derived collagen restrict its applications, demanding alternate recombinant sources. Advancements in synthetic biology and recombinant technology are being explored for improving the yield and biomimicry of recombinant collagen, offering a reliable and customizable source.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Ilamaran Meganathan, Ashokraj Sundarapandian, Ganesh Shanmugam, Niraikulam Ayyadurai
Summary: Through genetic engineering, the researchers successfully developed tunable three-dimensional biocompatible hydrogel materials by modifying the sequence of collagen-like proteins (CLP) and incorporating non-natural amino acids. These hydrogels maintained the native triple-helical structure and viscoelastic properties, promoting cell interactions and pore formation. The hydrogels showed increased stability and biocompatibility compared to the original CLP. This study presents a new approach for designing synthetic protein-based biomaterials for tissue engineering applications.
BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Dellamol Sebastian, Patrick H. Willoughby, Mahesh K. Lakshman
Summary: Cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions were used to alkylate 4(3H)-quinazolinones with ethers and amides, with catalytic n-Bu4NI and t-BuOOH as oxidants. The reactions with amides were the first examples under these conditions. Mechanistic insights were obtained through inter- and intramolecular competitive experiments with protio and deuterio reactants, as well as radical inhibition experiments. Understanding of the relative reactivities of ethers was also achieved through pairwise competitions with 4(3H)-quinazolinone.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
