Antiproliferative factor (APF) binds specifically to sites within the cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) extracellular domain

Background

Antiproliferative factor (APF) is a sialoglycopeptide elevated in the urine of patients with interstitial cystitis—a chronic, painful bladder disease. APF inhibits the proliferation of normal bladder epithelial cells and cancer cells in vitro, presumably by binding to its cellular receptor, cytoskeleton associated-protein 4 (CKAP4); however, the biophysical interaction of APF with CKAP4 has not been characterized previously. In this study, we used surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to explore the binding kinetics of the interaction of APF and as-APF (a desialylated APF analogue with full activity) to CKAP4.

Results

We immobilized non-glycosylated APF (TVPAAVVVA) to the Fc1 channel as the control and as-APF to Fc2 channel as the ligand in order to measure the binding of CKAP4 recombinant proteins encompassing only the extracellular domain (Aa 127–602) or the extracellular domain plus the transmembrane domain (Aa 106–602). Positive binding was detected to both CKAP4_126–602 and CKAP4_106–602, suggesting that as-APF can bind specifically to CKAP4 and that the potential binding site(s) are located within the extracellular domain. To identify the primary APF binding site(s) within the CKAP4 extracellular domain, deletion mutants were designed according to structural predictions, and the purified recombinant proteins were immobilized on a CM5 chip through amine-coupling to measure as-APF binding activity. Importantly, both CKAP4_127–360 and CKAP4_361–524 exhibited a fast association rate (k _on ) and a slow dissociation rate (k _off ), thus generating high binding affinity and suggesting that both regions contribute relatively equally to overall as-APF binding. Therefore, two or more as-APF binding sites may exist within the Aa 127–524 region of the CKAP4 extracellular domain.

Conclusions

We determined that the CKAP4_127–360 and CKAP4_361–524 mutants exhibit improved binding activity to as-APF as compared to the full-length extracellular domain, making it possible to detect low concentrations of as-APF in urine, thereby establishing a foundation for a non-invasive diagnostic assay for IC. Further, these data have revealed novel APF binding site(s) suggesting that targeting this region of CKAP4 to inhibit APF binding may be a useful strategy for treating IC-related bladder pathology.

     

New method for sintering silica frits for capillary microcolumns

One of the main steps in the manufacture of robust and efficient packed capillary microcolumns for electro- and capillary chromatography is the generation of porous devices to retain the packed beds. Frits based on sintered silica particles have been found to give the best results in terms of mechanical resistance and efficiency. The conventional procedure to produce these kinds of frits consists in a radial heating of the packed material with either a flame or an electrical resistance, but the frits thus obtained have many drawbacks as a result of the procedure rather than the silica per se as the base material. In the present work we investigated a new approach to produce silica-based retaining devices involving the frontal exposure of a short silica-particle bed packed at the end of a capillary tube. The capillary is radially insulated and frontally exposed to the heat of a muffle oven, generating a transfer of heat that is not radial but rather throughout the capillary axis. This procedure resulted in substantial advantages: an improved radial homogeneity, a protection of the external polyimide, and a generation of extremely short (400–600 μm) frits that were highly permeable and avoided bubble formation.     

Efficient Synthesis of Substituted Indene Derivatives

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of new functionalized indenes 3 was successfully realized. Thus the coupling reaction of allyl acetate 2 with Grignard reagents in the presence of a catalytic amount of LiCuBr₂ at low temperature afforded pure ethyl 1-alkyl-1H-indenes-2-carboxylate 3 in good yields.     

Investigation on novel thermoplastic poly(urethane-thiourea-imide)s with enhanced chemical and heat resistance

A new generation of segmented thermoplastic poly(urethane-thiourea-imide)s (PUTIs) was synthesized via reaction of polyethylene glycol and thiourea-based prepolymer with dianhydride as chain extenders. NCO-terminated prepolymer was synthesized from a new diisocyanate, 3-(3-((4-isocyanatophenyl)carbamoyl)thioureido)phenyl-4-isocyanatophenylcarbamate (IPCT), as a hard segment and PEG forming soft segment. The starting materials and polymers were characterized by conventional methods and physical properties such as solubility, solution viscosity, molecular weight, thermal stability and thermal behavior were studied. PUTIs showed partially crystalline structures. Weight average molecular weights of PUTIs (GPC measurements) were in the range of 1,68,694-1,97,035. Moreover, thermogravimetric analysis indicated that poly(urethane-thiourea-imide)s were fairly stable above 500 °C having T₁₀ of 521-543 °C. Investigation of the results authenticated the approach of introducing thiourea (using IPCT) and imide structure in polyurethanes for the improvement of thermal stability. In comparison to typical polyurethanes, these polymers exhibited better heat resistance, chemical resistance as well as processability.     

Bi-functionalization of silica spheres with sulfonic and carboxylic groups via a co-condensation route

Silica spheres with uniform size of 230–250 nm were functionalized with sulfonic groups and bi-functionalized with carboxylic and sulfonic groups via a co-condensation route, by adding the organosilanes (3-(triethoxysilyl)mercaptopropyl and 4-(triethoxysilyl)butyronitrile) to a pre-hydrolized TEOS solution. The conversion of mercapto and cyano groups to, respectively, sulfonic and carboxylic groups was carried out by treating both the samples with nitric acid solution. The presence of alkyl-SO₃H and alkyl-COOH species at the silica surface in an approximate molar ratio of 1:1 was assessed by TG and NMR. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that both Brønsted acidic groups are accessible and give proton-transfer reaction to ammonia with the formation of ammonium ion. Sulfonic groups react irreversibly with ammonia at room temperature at variance with carboxylic groups which give a reversible proton-transfer, in agreement with the stronger Brønsted acidity of the former.     

Discovering the chemical reactivity of the molecular oxonitride [{Ti(η-C5Me5)(μ-O)}3(μ3-N)]

The ability of the oxonitride [{Ti(η⁵-C₅Me₅)(μ-O)}₃(μ₃-N)] (1) to act as an organometallic ligand has been studied from both theoretical and experimental points of view. DFT calculations have allowed understanding the electronic structure of 1, and rationalizing its chemical behavior by comparison with the electronic structures of isoelectronic species [{Ti(η⁵-C₅Me₅)(μ-O)}₃(μ₃-CH)] and [{Ti(η⁵-C₅Me₅)(μ-NH)}₃(μ₃-N)]. Reactions of 1 with different inorganic molecules such as [Mo(CO)₃(1,3,5-Me₃C₆H₃)] or AlEt₃ have confirmed the possibility of 1 to act as a tridentate or monodentate ligand to give the [{(CO)₃Mo}(μ₃-O)₃{Ti₃(η⁵-C₅Me₅)₃(μ₃-N)}] (2) and [{Et₃Al}(μ₃-O){(μ-O)₂Ti₃(η⁵-C₅Me₅)₃(μ₃-N)}] (3) complexes, respectively. Surprisingly, reactions of 1 with [M(CO)₆] (M = Cr, Mo, W) complexes led to activate the μ₃-N unit in 1 to afford the new compounds [Ti₃(η⁵-C₅Me₅)₃(μ-O)₄{(NC)M(CO)₅}]₂ [M = Cr (4), Mo (5), W (6)]. Molecular structures of complexes 2-6 have been established by single crystal X-ray analysis.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermally stable aromatic and semiaromatic polyamides derived from thiourea-based flexible diacid dichlorides

Abstract  

New diacid dichlorides bearing phenyl thiourea groups were prepared by a facile synthetic approach and characterized using spectroscopic and elemental analyses. A series of novel aromatic and semiaromatic polyamides were prepared via a condensation route from the synthesized diacid dichlorides with 4,4′-oxydianiline. The polymers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and their physical properties, including their solution viscosities, solubilities and thermal properties, were studied too. Polyamides with phenyl thiourea moieties in the backbone showed good solubilities in amide solvents such as DMAc, DMF, DMSO, and NMP. All of the synthesized polymers had η _inh values of 0.042–0.053 dm³/g, and were obtained in quantitative yield. GPC measurements of the synthesized polyamides indicated M _w values of 64,759–86,172. The crystallinity of the polymers was evaluated via their X-ray diffraction patterns. Their glass transition temperatures were found to be 218–229 °C. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the polymers were thermally stable in the range 300–398 °C in a N₂ atmosphere.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids (+)-myrtine, (−)-lupinine, and (+)-epiepiquinamide

The organocatalytic synthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids (+)-myrtine, (−)-lupinine, and (+)-epiepiquinamide is described. It involved, as the key step, an enantioselective intramolecular aza-Michael reaction (IMAMR) catalyzed by Jørgensen catalyst I, affording the common precursor with high enantioselectivity. This compound was subsequently transformed into the three alkaloids in a highly diastereoselective manner.     

Highly trifluoromethylated platinum compounds

The homoleptic, square‐planar organoplatinum(II) compound [NBu₄]₂[Pt(CF₃)₄] ( 1 ) undergoes oxidative addition of CF₃I under mild conditions to give rise to the octahedral organoplatinum(IV) complex [NBu₄]₂[Pt(CF₃)₅I] ( 2 ). This highly trifluoromethylated species reacts with Ag⁺ salts of weakly coordinating anions in Me₂CO under a wet‐air stream to afford the aquo derivative [NBu₄][Pt(CF₃)₅(OH₂)] ( 4 ) in around 75 % yield. When the reaction of 2 with the same Ag⁺ salts is carried out in MeCN, the solvento compound [NBu₄][Pt(CF₃)₅(NCMe)] ( 5 ) is obtained in around 80 % yield. The aquo ligand in 4 as well as the MeCN ligand in 5 are labile and can be cleanly replaced by neutral and anionic ligands to furnish a series of pentakis(trifluoromethyl)platinate(IV) compounds with formulae [NBu₄][Pt(CF₃)₅(L)] (L=CO ( 6 ), pyridine (py; 7 ), tetrahydrothiophene (tht; 8 )) and [NBu₄]₂[Pt(CF₃)₅X] (X=Cl ( 9 ), Br ( 10 )). The unusual carbonyl–platinum(IV) derivative [NBu₄][Pt(CF₃)₅(CO)] ( 6 ) is thermally stable and has a ν_CO of 2194 cm^?1. The crystal structures of 2? CH₂Cl₂, 5 , [PPh₄][Pt(CF₃)₅(CO)] ( 6′ ), and 7 have been established by X‐ray diffraction methods. Compound 2 has shown itself to be a convenient entry to the chemistry of highly trifluoromethylated platinum compounds. To the best of our knowledge, compounds 2 and 4 – 10 are the organoelement compounds with the highest CF₃ content to have been isolated and adequately characterized to date.     

Chromium and molybdenum pentacarbonyl complexes of phosphinocarbodithioates: synthesis, molecular structure and behaviour in RAFT polymerisation

Molybdenum and chromium pentacarbonyldiphenylphosphinocarbodithioate complexes have been prepared in a one‐pot reaction from the corresponding metallocarbonyldiphenylphosphine. The complexes have been characterised by IR, ¹H, ³¹P and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies and by mass spectrometry. The solid‐state structures of [Cr(CO)₅{PPh₂CS₂CH(Ph)CH₃}] ( 1 ) and [Mo(CO)₅{PPh₂CS₂CH(Ph)CH₃}] ( 2 ) are reported. Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural and crystallise in the triclinic P$\bar 1Molybdenum and chromium pentacarbonyldiphenylphosphinocarbodithioate complexes have been prepared in a one-pot reaction from the corresponding metallocarbonyldiphenylphosphine. The complexes have been characterised by IR, (1)H, (31)P and (13)C?NMR spectroscopies and by mass spectrometry. The solid-state structures of [Cr(CO)(5){PPh(2)CS(2)CH(Ph)CH(3)}] (1) and [Mo(CO)(5){PPh(2)CS(2)CH(Ph)CH(3)}] (2) are reported. Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural and crystallise in the triclinic P1 space group. These new organometallic compounds are highly efficient reversible chain-transfer agents for reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerisation of styrene (St) and n-butyl acrylate (nBA), with controlled number-average molar mass values and narrow dispersities (<1.2). The controlled character of the polymerisation was further exemplified by the synthesis of St and nBA diblock copolymers.