Evidence obtained by 13C NMR spectroscopy indicates that tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) serves as a carbon carrier for C1 units at the methine, methylene, and methyl levels of oxidation. All three derivatives of H4MPT served as substrates for methanogenesis by cell extracts under a hydrogen atmosphere; in each instance, methane evolved at a rate comparable to that obtained when 2-(methylthio)e...

Natural Products, Saponins, Molecular W eight Determ ination, Sugar Sequence, Purity Control The application of field desorption and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry for molecular weight determination and structural elucidation o f spirostanol and furostanol saponins isolated from Paris Polyphylla Sm. (Liliaceae) is reported. The capacity and limitations o f these methods for sugar seque...

15-Desmethyl FK-506 and 15,31-desmethyl FK-506 metabolites extracted from incubated human liver microsomes were separated by normal and reversed-phase HPLC. The metabolites were identified by fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The in vitro 50% inhibitory concentration, tested against bidirectional mixed lymphocyte reactions, was 325 mg/L for 15,...

We describe an analytical protocol for characterizing the molecular structure of hemoglobin (Hb) Lepore variants by using two different mass-spectrometric approaches. The first method consists of direct examination of the chromatographically separated hybrid globins by electro-spray mass spectrometry; the variant Lepore globin is identified through the accurate determination of its molecular ma...

We describe a mass-spectrometric method based on the fast atom bombardment ionization technique in the negative-ion mode for measuring pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide in diluted urine from women. The procedure requires addition of testosterone-17 beta-D-glucuronide (2.5 micrograms/25 microL) to the urine sample as internal standard, and the sample is added directly to the fast atom bombardment...