Organization and polysaccharides of sponge aggregation factor.

Aggregation factor, the macromolecular complex which mediates species-specific aggregation of dissociated sponge cells, was isolated from several species, partially characterized, and visualized by electron microscopy. All factors were large fibrous complexes with a backbone and side chains or arms. In some factors, the backbone is linear. In others it is circular and the complex appears as a sunburst with arms extending like rays from the circle. The size and location of the polysaccharide chains have been studied using purified preparations of Microciona prolifera. "Sunbursts" treated with ethylenediaminetraacetate (EDTA) for 4 weeks at 0 degrees C dissociate into 3 protein- and polysaccharide-containing components. Sodium dodecyl sulfate does not cause the sunburst to dissociate nor does it inhibit dissociation in the presence of EDTA suggesting that dissociation is not due to hydrolytic enzymes. The dissociation products were fractionated on a 977-A pore size micropore glass column. Fifteen percent of the material is excluded and appears in the electron microscope as the central circle of the sunburst. Digestion of the circles with 10(-3) M dithiothreitol (DTT) and 0.5 mg/ml proteinase K for 72 h at 37 degrees C produces 2 polysaccharide chains of 65,000 and 6,000 daltons as fractionated and sized on a 233-A pore size micropore glass column using Pharmacia dextrans as standards. The included fractions of the EDTA-treated material are subunits of the arms which contain 70% of the polysaccharide. A single polysaccharide of 6,000 daltons as measured on 233-A size glass beads and Sephadex G-75 is released from these subunits by proteinase digestion. Pharmacia dextrans are used as standard on both columns. We calculate that there would be four 65,000-dalton chains and one hundred 6,000-dalton chains per circle and fifty 6,000-dalton chains per arm. The third component of the EDTA-treated preparation is partially included on the column. It appears as linear fibrils in the electron microscope and contains polydisperse polysaccharides of several-hundred-thousand daltons. It may be an impurity since there is apparently less than 1 of the large polysaccharide chains per sunburst.     

C-H to N substitution dramatically alters the sequence-specific DNA alkylation, cytotoxicity, and expression of human cancer cell lines

We designed and synthesized sequence-specific alkylating conjugates 1 and 2, which selectively alkylate matched sequences at nanomolar concentrations. Conjugates 1 and 2 differ only in that the C-H is substituted by an N in the second ring, which precisely recognizes and effectively alkylates DNA according to the recognition rule of Py-Im polyamides. We investigated sequence-specific DNA alkylation, cytotoxicity in 39 human cancer cell lines, and the effect on expression levels in cancer cell lines by Py-Im conjugates 1 and 2. The COMPARE analysis of the mean graphs showed that conjugates 1 and 2 did not correlate well with each other (r = 0.65) despite having a common DNA alkylating mechanism (purine N3 alkylation). Array-based gene expression analysis demonstrated that there are several oppositely regulated genes. The results suggest the intriguing possibility that DNA alkylating agents recognizing longer base-pair sequences may provide a promising approach for developing new types of antigene agents.     

Super acid-induced Pummerer-type cyclization reaction: improvement in the synthesis of chiral 1,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines

Improved synthesis of four stereoisomeric chiral 1,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (1a, b, ent-1a, b) was achieved via the super acid-induced cyclization of chiral N-[1-methyl-2-(phenylsulfinyl)ethyl]-N-(1-phenylethyl)formamides (4a, b, ent-4a, b) using the Pummerer-type cyclization reaction as a key step. The cyclization leading to the isoquinoline ring proceeded in a quantitative manner when trifluoromethane sulfonic acid (TFSA) was used as the super acid, although Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of 4-phenylsulfanyl TIQ derivatives (5) with benzene used as the solvent accompanied cyclization to yield the 4-phenyl-TIQs (7). The byproduct (7) was exclusively formed when a large excess amount of TFSA was used.     

Effect of Organic Ligands Used in Sol-Gel Process on the Formation of Mullite

The preparation of mullite by the sol-gel method using organic polydentate ligands and the effect of the raw materials and organic polydentate ligands on the formation of mullite were investigated. Two series of samples were prepared using tetraethoxyorthosilicate (TEOS) and aluminum nitrate nonahydrate, or dibutoxyethylacetoacetatoaluminum (Al(OBu)₂(AcAcEt)) as the silica and alumina sources, respectively, and using ethylene glycol (EG), 1,3-propanediol (PD), 1,3-butanediol (BD), 2-methyl-2, 4-pentanediol (MPD), diethlene glycol monoethyl ether (DEME) and ethoxyethanol as the ligands. When the alumina source was aluminum nitrate nonahydrate, mullite was apt to appear in the order of EG>PD>MPD. When Al(OBu)₂(AcAcEt) was the alumina source, the tendency toward the appearance of mullite crystalline phase was EG>BD>DEME>MPD. Between the two alumina sources, aluminum nitrate nonahydrate gave mullite much easier than Al(OBu)₂(AcAcEt). These relationships were discussed from the viewpoints of the coordination ability of the ligands and the miscibility between the silica and alumina.     

Mechanism of the molecular hysteresis

The redox behavior in acetone solution of (1,5-dithiacyclooctane 1-oxide)bis(pentaammineruthenium(II)) has been characterized, where the concept of “molecular hysteresis” is presented. Detailed thermodynamics for the complex are studied, in which intramolecular electron transfer rates for Ru³⁺OS/Ru²⁺→Ru²⁺SO/Ru³⁺ were determined as 0.12 sec^?1 and 0.055 sec^?1. The molecular hysteresis consists of two important factors: isomerizations for the sulfoxideruthenium complexes and the slow intramolecular electron transfer in the complex; both are examined. Isomerization rates for Ru³⁺S→O and Ru²⁺O→S determined range from 0.4 to 5000 sec^?1 and from 0.7 to 16 sec^?1, respectively, for [Ru(NH₃)₅(sulfoxide)]^2+/3+. A mechanism for the slow electron transfer in the complex is also presented. Features of molecular hysteresis are discussed.     

Engineered biosynthesis of plant polyketides: chain length control in an octaketide-producing plant type III polyketide synthase

The chalcone synthase (CHS) superfamily of type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) produces a variety of plant secondary metabolites with remarkable structural diversity and biological activities (e.g., chalcones, stilbenes, benzophenones, acrydones, phloroglucinols, resorcinols, pyrones, and chromones). Here we describe an octaketide-producing novel plant-specific type III PKS from aloe (Aloe arborescens) sharing 50-60% amino acid sequence identity with other plant CHS-superfamily enzymes. A recombinant enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed seven successive decarboxylative condensations of malonyl-CoA to yield aromatic octaketides SEK4 and SEK4b, the longest polyketides known to be synthesized by the structurally simple type III PKS. Surprisingly, site-directed mutagenesis revealed that a single residue Gly207 (corresponding to the CHS's active site Thr197) determines the polyketide chain length and product specificity. Small-to-large substitutions (G207A, G207T, G207M, G207L, G207F, and G207W) resulted in loss of the octaketide-forming activity and concomitant formation of shorter chain length polyketides (from triketide to heptaketide) including a pentaketide chromone, 2,7-dihydroxy-5-methylchromone, and a hexaketide pyrone, 6-(2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone, depending on the size of the side chain. Notably, the functional diversity of the type III PKS was shown to evolve from simple steric modulation of the chemically inert single residue lining the active-site cavity accompanied by conservation of the Cys-His-Asn catalytic triad. This provided novel strategies for the engineered biosynthesis of pharmaceutically important plant polyketides.     

Synthesis and pharmacology of 3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-1,4-benzoxazine-8-carboxamide derivatives, a new class of potent serotonin-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists.

A series of 3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-1,4-benzoxazine-8-carboxamide derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for serotonin-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonistic activity assessed by their ability to antagonize the von Bezold-Jarish (BJ) effect in rats. Derivatives bearing 1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl moiety as a basic function attached to the carboxamide at position 8 showed more potent antagonistic activity than those bearing the other three basic moieties. Structure-activity relationships of this series showed that methyl and chloro groups were more effective as substituents at positions 4 and 6, respectively. The representative compound 15 (Y-25130) in this series showed potent antagonistic activity on the BJ effect (ED50 = 1.3 micrograms/kg i.v.), high affinity for 5-HT3 receptor (Ki = 2.9 nM) and complete protection against cisplatin-induced emesis in dogs at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg i.v.     

Specific adenine alkylation by pyrrole-imidazole CBI conjugates

We examined DNA alkylation by pyrrole (Py)-imidazole (Im) hairpin polyamides, which possess 1,2,9,9a-tetrahydrocyclopropa[1,2-c]benz[1,2-e]indol-4-one (CBI) or cyclopropapyrroloindole (CPI) as DNA alkylating moieties. High-resolution denaturing gel electrophoresis revealed that alkylation by CBI conjugates 2 and 4 occurred specifically at adenines (A) in matched sequences, whereas CPI conjugates 1 and 3 alkylated both A and guanines (G) in matched sequences. The origin of the different reactivity of CBI and CPI conjugates is discussed in relation to the electrophilicity of the cyclopropane moiety. The high selectivity of the CBI conjugate gives additional sequence specificity relative to CPI conjugates that would be useful for the biological applications.     

X-ray gated Mössbauer spectroscopic studies on57Co-labelled cobalt/II/ fluoride

KX-ray-gated emission Mössbauer spectra of⁵⁷Co-labelled CoF₂ and CoF₂.2H₂O were measured at room temperature, using the coincidence technique. A difference was found in the relative intensity of⁵⁷Fe(II)/⁵⁷Fe(III) between the X-ray-gated and non-gated emission spectra. The results are explained in terms of local radiolytic effects of water of crystallization and the chemical effects associated with the de-excitation processes caused by EC-decay.     

1H-NMR Investigation of the Binding of 2-Methylnaphthalene to α-Cyclodextrin in D2O Solutions

As -cyclodextrin (-CD) was added to D₂Osolutions of 2-methylnaphthalene, its proton signals shifted to lower fieldsat low concentrations of -CD. At 2.0 × 10^-2 moldm^-3 of -CD, however, a reverse, higher-field shift wasobserved for the H-8 signal, indicating the formation of 1 : 1 and 2 : 1-CD–2-methylnaphthalene inclusion complexes. Intrinsic chemicalshift differences of all the protons in 2-methylnaphthalene have beenevaluated for both the 1 : 1 and the 2 : 1-CD–2-methylnaphthalene inclusion complexes. These intrinsicchemical shift differences suggest that the first -CD molecule has noselectivity in accommodating one end of uncomplexed 2-methylnaphthalene;-CD binds to a methyl group, as well as a naphthalene ring-end havingno methyl group, to form the 1 : 1 inclusion complex, resulting in theformation of two kinds of 1 : 1 complexes.