Suzuki cross-coupling of solid-supported chloropyrimidines with arylboronic acids

The utility of the Suzuki cross-coupling to synthesize biaryl compounds is expanded herein to include reactions of resin-supported chloropyrimidines with boronic acids. In particular, an efficient method is described for the synthesis of a library of biaryl compounds from solid-supported chloropyrimidines. The Suzuki reaction was performed in an inert atmosphere using Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(t-Bu)(3) as catalyst, spray-dried KF as base, and THF as solvent. The reaction was allowed to proceed overnight at 50 degrees C. Upon cleavage with acid, a library of 4-(substituted amino)-6-arylpyrimidines was obtained in moderate yield and high purity.     

ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF MEROCYANINE 540

Abstract Simultaneous exposure to the lipophilic dye merocyanine 540 (MC 540) and white light inactivates several enveloped viruses. The same treatment appears to have little or no effect on pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells, mature red cells, and mature leukocytes. At least some components of the clotting system are spared, too. The molecular basis of the virucidal effect of MC 540 and light is not yet completely understood. Based on what is known about the interactions of MC 540 with cells and artificial membranes, it seems likely that MC 540 binds to and damages the viral envelope. MC 540-mediated photosensitization may have implications for the sterilization of bone marrow and blood products, the preparation of vaccines, and selected areas of antiviral therapy.     

Dissociation constants of the ampholyte glycine in 50 mass % methanol-water from 5 to 55°C,with related thermodynamic quantities

The two thermodynamic dissociation constants of glycine at 11 temperatures from 5 to 55°C in 50 mass % methanol-water mixed solvent have been determined from precise emf measurements with hydrogen-silver bromide electrodes in cells without liquid junction. The first acidic dissociation constant (K ₁)for the process HG⁺H⁺+G^± is expressed as a function ofT(^oK) by the equation pK ₁ = 2043.5/T – 9.6504 + 0.019308T. At 25°C, pK ₁is 2.961 in the mixed solvent, as compared with 2.350 in water, with H°=1497 cal-mole^–1, G°=4038 cal-mole^–1, S°=–8.52 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1, and C _p ^o =–53 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1. The second acidic dissociation constant (K ₂)for the process G^±H⁺+G^– over the temperature range studied is given by the equation pK ₂ = 3627.1/T – 7.2371 + 0.015587T. At 25°C, pK ₂is 9.578 in MeOH–H₂O as compared with 9.780 in water, whereas H° is 10,257 cal-mole^–1, G° is 13,063 cal-mole^–1, S° is –9.41 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1, and C _p ^o is –43 cal-°K^–1-mole^–1. The protonated glycine becomes weaker in 50 mass % methanol-water, whereas the second dissociation process becomes stronger despite the lower dielectric constant of the mixed solvent (=56.3 at 25°C).     

Tailoring Chimeric Ligands for Studying and Biasing ErbB Receptor Family Interactions

Described is the development and application of a versatile semisynthetic strategy, based on a combination of sortase‐mediated coupling and tetrazine ligation chemistry, which can be exploited for the efficient incorporation of tunable functionality into chimeric recombinant proteins. To demonstrate the scope of the method, the assembly of a set of bivalent ligands, which integrate members of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) ligand family, is described. By using a series of bivalent EGFs with variable intraligand spacing, the differences in structure were correlated with the ability to bias signaling in the ErbB receptor family in a cell motility assay. Biasing away from EGFR‐HER2 dimerization with a bivalent EGF was observed to reduce cell motility in an intraligand distance‐dependent fashion, thus demonstrating the utility of the approach for acutely perturbing receptor‐mediated cell signaling pathways.     

Dual Illumination Enhances Transformation of an Engineered Green-to-Red Photoconvertible Fluorescent Protein

The molecular mechanisms for the photoconversion of fluorescent proteins remain elusive owing to the challenges of monitoring chromophore structural dynamics during the light-induced processes. We implemented time-resolved electronic and stimulated Raman spectroscopies to reveal two hidden species of an engineered ancestral GFP-like protein LEA, involving semi-trapped protonated and trapped deprotonated chromophores en route to photoconversion in pH 7.9 buffer. A new dual-illumination approach was examined, using 400 and 505 nm light simultaneously to achieve faster conversion and higher color contrast. Substitution of UV irradiation with visible light benefits bioimaging, while the spectral benchmark of a trapped chromophore with characteristic ring twisting and bridge-H bending motions enables rational design of functional proteins. With the improved H-bonding network and structural motions, the photoexcited chromophore could increase the photoswitching-aided photoconversion while reducing trapped species.     

Energy transfer in the nanostar: the role of coulombic coupling and dynamics

We present a theoretical investigation of energy transfer in the phenylene ethynelene dendrimer known as the nanostar. Data from extensive molecular dynamics simulations are used to model the dynamical effects caused by torsional motion of the phenyl groups. We compare rate constants for energy transfer between the two-ring chromophore and the three-ring chromophore obtained via the F?rster model, the ideal dipole approximation (IDA), and the transition density cube (TDC) method, which has as its limit an exact representation of the Coulombic coupling. We find that the rate constants obtained with the TDC are extremely sensitive to the phenyl group rotation, whereas the constants computed with the F?rster model and the IDA are not. The implications of these results for the interpretation of recent pump-probe experiments on the nanostar are discussed in detail. Finally, we predict the temperature dependence of the rate constant for energy transfer.