A new luciferase reporter gene assay for the detection of androgenic and antiandrogenic effects based on a human prostate specific antigen promoter and PC3/AR human prostate cancer cells.

We developed a new mammalian cell-based luciferase reporter gene assay for androgenic and antiandrogenic activities of chemicals and environmental samples. Environmental samples usually have a complex matrix that may contain the constituents acting as androgen receptor (AR) agonists, AR antagonists or aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. AhR agonists are known to elicit the antiandrogenic effect through cross-talk between AR and AhR signal transduction pathways. In this study, PC3/AR human prostate carcinoma cells were transiently transfected with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter-driven luciferase expression plasmid. The cells were treated with a test compound or an environmental sample for 24 h at 37 degrees C and then measured for luciferase activity. The luciferase activity was induced by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in a concentration-dependent manner in a concentration range from 10 fM to 1 nM. R1881, a synthetic androgen receptor agonist, induced luciferase activity and its inductive effects was additive to that of DHT. The luciferase activity was not induced by cortisol, a glucocorticoid, progesterone, a progestin, and 17beta-estradiol, an estrogen in a concentration range of up to 1 microM. DHT-induced luciferase activity was reduced by bicalutamide and cyproterone acetate, AR antagonists, and also by benzo[a]pyrene, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist, through AhR-mediated pathways. All of these findings indicate that the present assay system correctly responds to AR agonists, AR antagonists and AhR agonist and, therefore, it is a powerful tool for the sensitive and selective screening of chemicals and environmental samples for their androgenic and antiandrogenic activities. We developed the first assay system, in which the expression of luciferase was driven by the promoter of a prostate-specific antigen gene, a typical human androgen-regulated gene.     

Synthesis of 5-heteroarylazulenes: first selective electrophilic substitution at the 5-position of azulene

1,3-Di-tert-butylazulene reacted with highly electrophilic trifluoromethanesulfonate of N-containing heterocycles to give 5-(dihydroheteroaryl)azulene derivatives in good yield and treatment of the 5-(dihydroheteroaryl)azulene derivatives with KOH afforded 5-(heteroaryl)azulenes in excellent yield.     

In Situ Immobilization of Ultrafine Particles Synthesized in a Water/Oil Microemulsion

We investigated the in situ immobilization of ultrafine particles synthesized in a water/oil (w/o) microemulsion to silica for its possible application to supported metal catalysts. ZnS particles immobilized to silica by the ME method were consistent with those synthesized in a w/o microemulsion. Therefore, ZnS particles in a w/o microemulsion could be immobilized to silica without aggregation by this method. The relationship between the method of synthesizing Rh ultrafine particles in a w/o microemulsion and the diameter and diameter distribution of Rh particles immobilized to silica was studied. Rh-SiO(2) catalysts with a sharp diameter distribution could be prepared by immobilizing Rh-hydrazine complex particles because these complex particles would be very stable in a w/o microemulsion. The Rh particle diameters of Rh-SiO(2) catalysts prepared by changing the amount of silica produced were almost identical. Accordingly, the Rh particle diameter of Rh-SiO(2) catalysts could be controlled independently of Rh content by the ME method. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Visualization of complexes of Hoechst 33258 and DNA duplexes in solution by atomic force microscopy

Tertiary structure changes in DNA duplexes, induced by Hoechst 33258 binding, have been examined by the use of atomic force microscopy. Besides minor groove binding, which is an established mode of binding for this drug, Hoechst 33258 has now been found to show another binding mode, which causes an unwinding of the duplex. When the drug concentration is as high as 0.5 microg/ml, the Hoechst 33258 molecule seems to function as a clamp for two DNA chains and forms a condensate. The condensate was found to have a toroidal shape. By surveying more than 100 microscopic images of such condensates formed in I microg/ml drug solution, a mechanism of toroidal condensate formation has been proposed.     

Synthesis and two-electron redox behavior of diazuleno[2,1-a:1,2-c]naphthalenes

The Diels-Alder reaction of di-2-azulenylacetylene with tetraphenylcyclopentadienone afforded 7,8,9,10-tetraphenyldiazuleno[2,1-a:1,2-c]naphthalene in one pot via autoxidation of the presumed 1,2-di-2-azulenylbenzene derivative. In contrast, a similar reaction of bis(1-methoxycarbonyl-2-azulenyl)acetylene with tetraphenylcyclopentadienone gave the 1,2-di-2-azulenylbenzene derivative. The following cyclodehydrogenation reaction of the benzene derivative with iron(III) chloride afforded diazuleno[2,1-a:1,2-c]naphthalene 6,11-bismethoxycarbonyl derivative. The redox behavior of these novel diazuleno[2,1-a:1,2-c]naphthalenes was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV). These compounds exhibited two-step oxidation waves at +0.22 to +0.71 V upon CV, which revealed the formation of a radical cation and dication stabilized by the fused two azulene rings under the electrochemical oxidation conditions. Since the 1,2-di-2-azulenylbenzene derivative was oxidized at higher oxidation potentials (+0.83 and +1.86 V), the fusion of the two azulene rings to naphthalene increased electron-donating properties because of the formation of a closed-shell dicationic structure. Formation of the radical cation was characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy under the electrochemical oxidation conditions, although no evidence was obtained for the presumed dication under the conditions of the UV-vis spectroscopy measurement.     

Signals for scalar top quark atep collider HERA

In the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and theR-parity breaking model (RBM), we investigate production processes of the scalar top (stop) at HERA energies. These models are characterized by the possible existence of the light stop whose mass is lighter than those of the top quark and the other squarks. It is shown that in the MSSM the stop pair production via boson-gluon fusion gives a sizeable cross section and the most serious background $ep \to ec\bar cX$ could be suppressed by appropriate kinematical cuts. We also show that in the RBM the stop is singly produced in the neutral current processes and we have a clear signal as a sharp peak in the Bjorken parameterx distribution of the scattered electron.     

Fluorination of 2-alkyl-substituted oxanes. The synthesis and purification of perfluoro(2-alkyl-substituted oxane)s

Five kinds of 2-alkyl-substituted oxanes like 2-ethyloxane, 2-n-propyloxane, 2-iso-propyloxane, 2-n-butyloxane and 2-n-amyloxane were fluorinated electrochemically to give the corresponding perfluoro(2-alkyloxane)s. The perfluoro(2-alkyloxane)s were obtained in good yields from these starting materials together with isomeric perfluoro(2-alkyloxolane)s, perfluoro(2-alkyl-5-methyloxolane)s and perfluoro(dialkyl ether)s. The purification of the perfluoro(2-alkyloxane)s which contained small amounts of isomeric perfluoro(2-alkyloxolane)s was successfully achieved by recovering the former unreacted after treating these mixture with anhydrous aluminum chloride at 150 /sR 160 °C during /sR 48 hrs in order to convert the latter into the easy-separable perfluoro(2,5,5- trichloro-2-alkyloxolane)s. Small quantities of new perfluoro(5,5-dichloroalkanoyl chloride)s were also among the chlorination products. The spectroscopic data as well as the physical properties of these new fluorination products, and perfluoro(2,5,5-trichloro-2-alkyloxolane)s and perfluoro(5,5-dichloroalkanoyl chloride)s are presented.