No abstract

High resolution synchrotron X-ray fiber diffraction data recorded from crab tendon chitin have been used to describe the crystal structure of alpha-chitin. Crystal structures at 100 and 300 K have been solved using restrained crystallographic refinement against diffraction intensities measured from the fiber diffraction patterns. The unit cell contains two polymer chains in a 2(1) helix conformation and in the antiparallel orientation. The best agreement between predicated and observed X-ray diffraction intensities is obtained for a model that includes two distinctive conformations of C6-O6 hydroxymethl group. Those conformations are different from what is proposed in the generally accepted alpha-chitin crystal structure (J. Mol. Biol. 1978, 120, 167-181). Based on refined positions of the O6 atoms, a network of hydrogen bonds involving O6 is proposed. This network of hydrogen bonds can explain the main features of the polarized FTIR spectra of alpha-chitin and sheds some light on the origin of splitting of the amide I band observed on alpha-chitin IR spectra.

These results demonstrate the rapid induction of ventricular BNP gene expression in rats with AMI compared with ANP and suggest that BNP gene expression in the ventricle is regulated distinctively from ANP gene expression against acute ventricular overload. They also suggest that the BNP gene can be one of the acutely responsive cardiac genes for the ventricular overload and suggest a possible pathophysiological role of BNP distinct from ANP in AMI.