Total (Czechia)

Disuccinimidyl dibutyric urea (DSBU) is a mass spectrometry (MS)-cleavable cross-linker that has multiple applications in structural biology, ranging from isolated protein complexes to comprehensive system-wide interactomics. DSBU facilitates a rapid and reliable identification of cross-links through the dissociation of its urea group in the gas phase. In this study, we further advance the structural capabilities of DSBU by remodeling the urea group into an imide, thus introducing a novel class of cross-linkers. This modification preserves the MS cleavability of the amide bond, granted by the two acyl groups of the imide function. The central nitrogen atom enables the introduction of affinity purification tags. Here, we introduce disuccinimidyl disuccinic imide (DSSI) as a prototype of this class of cross-linkers. It features a phosphonate handle for immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography enrichment. We detail DSSI synthesis and describe its behavior in solution and in the gas phase while cross-linking isolated proteins and human cell lysates. DSSI and DSBU cross-links are compared at the same enrichment depth to bridge these two cross-linker classes. We validate DSSI cross-links by mapping them in high-resolution structures of large protein assemblies. The cross-links observed yield insights into the morphology of intrinsically disordered proteins and their complexes. The DSSI linker might spearhead a novel class of MS-cleavable and enrichable cross-linkers.

Selective and irreversible labeling of a cysteine present in artificial retro-aldolase is achieved by employing modular tetrafluoroalkylation reagents based on hypervalent iodine. Unlike commonly used maleimide or iodoacetamide reagents, the fluoroalkyl-transfer λ3-iodanes leave the enzyme's active center, a nucleophilic lysine, intact. Many different functional moieties or dyes can be fused to the reagents in one step, making the method an attractive and robust approach for the derivatization of biomolecules. More information can be found in the Communication by P. Beier, D. Hilvert, A. Togni, et al. on page 6490 ff.

We report an efficient and scalable synthesis of azidotrifluoromethane (CF3 N3 ) and longer perfluorocarbon-chain analogues (RF N3 ; RF =C2 F5 , n C3 F7 , n C8 F17 ), which enables the direct insertion of CF3 and perfluoroalkyl groups into triazole ring systems. The azidoperfluoroalkanes show good reactivity with terminal alkynes in copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), giving access to rare and stable N-perfluoroalkyl triazoles. Azidoperfluoroalkanes are thermally stable and the efficiency of their preparation should be attractive for discovery programs.