Cyclopropanation of the unsaturated fatty acid moieties of membrane phospholipids is a commonly observed phenomenon in a number of bacterial systems. The cyclopropane fatty acids are usually synthesized during and after the transition from exponential growth to stationary phase, or under such environmental conditions as acidic culture pH, low oxygen tension or high salt concentrations. S-Adenosylmethionine, the ubiquitous methyl group donor, provides the methylene bridge carbon in the reaction catalyzed by cyclopropane fatty acid synthase. Also formed in the reaction is S-adenosylhomocysteine, a potent inhibitor of cyclopropane fatty acid synthase, which is degraded by S-adenosylhomocysteine nucleosidase. This work provides evidence for at least two modes of regulation of lactobacillic acid synthesis, the cyclopropane fatty acid formed from cis-vaccenic acid (cis-11,12-octadecenoic acid), in Lactobacillus piantarum.

This work presents the development of a new highly sensitive and selective chemical assay for poly(ADP-ribose) which is routinely useful for the determination of polymer levels in vivo. This method was used to carefully measure poly(ADP-ribose) levels in normal and in DNA-damaged cells. The results of these studies strongly suggest that synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) is involved in some aspect of DNA repair. A review of the literature is presented in the introduction of this work. Poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis has been implicated in aspects of transcription, in DNA syn thesis, and in DNA repair largely based on evidence from in vitro studies. It is apparent that current methodology has not allowed the routine quantification of poly(ADP-ribose) in vivo, hence the lack of i^n vivo data concerning the function(s) of the polymer. The body of this work presents the development of two chemical methods for the quantification of poly(ADP-ribose) and the application of one of these methods to the measurement of polymer levels in normal and DNA-damaged cells. Preliminary studies are presented on the utilization of combined gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy for the selective quantification of nucleoside derivatives. A second method makes use of the unique chemistry of the polymer for quantification. The polymer …

Article commenting on the prediction of gas chromatographic retention behavior with mixed liquid phases.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the chemistry of the new and novel (trimethylsilyl)ketene. This ketene was synthesized by pyrolysis of (trimethylsilyl)ethoxyacetylene which was prepared from ethoxyacetylene and methyllithium. (Trimethylsilyl)ketene is a very stable and isolable ketene which does not dimerize and, therefore, provides an opportunity for some unique studies that have not been possible with other monosubstituted ketene.