A molecular approach to rationally constructing specific fluorogenic substrates for the detection of acetylcholinesterase activity in live cells,mice brains and tissues

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an extremely critical hydrolase tightly associated with neurological diseases. Currently, developing specific substrates for imaging AChE activity still remains a great challenge due to the interference from butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CE). Herein, we propose an approach to designing specific substrates for AChE detection by combining dimethylcarbamate choline with a self-immolative scaffold. The representative P10 can effectively eliminate the interference from CE and BChE. The high specificity of P10 has been proved via imaging AChE activity in cells. Moreover, P10 can also be used to successfully map AChE activity in different regions of a normal mouse brain, which may provide important data for AChE evaluation in clinical studies. Such a rational and effective approach can also provide a solid basis for designing probes with different properties to study AChE in biosystems and another way to design specific substrates for other enzymes.

In this work, a new approach was developed for designing the representative P10 with high selectivity and sensitivity for imaging AChE activity in the cells and normal mouse brain.     

A dimeric constrained‐geometry titanium complex linked by double Ti–CH2–Al–CH2 heterocycles

In the structure of bis({N‐[di­methyl(1η⁵‐2,3,4,6‐tetra­methyl­in­den­yl)­silyl]­cyclo­hexyl­amido‐1κN}(methyl‐3κC)‐di‐μ₃‐methyl­ene‐1:2:3κ³C;1:3:3′κ³C‐tris(pentafluorophenyl‐2κC)titanium) benzene disolvate, [Me₂Si(η⁵‐2,3,4,6‐Me₄C₉H₂)(C₆H₁₁N)]Ti[(μ₃‐CH₂)Al(C₆F₅)₃][AlMe(μ₃‐CH₂)]₂ or [Ti₂(C₂₁H₇AlF₁₅)₂(C₂₁H₃₁NSi)₂]·2C₆D₆, the dimer is located on an inversion center, and the two Ti centers are linked by double Ti(μ₃‐CH₂)Al(C₆F₅)₃AlMe(μ₃‐CH₂) heterocycles. The electron‐deficient Ti centers are further stabilized by two α‐agostic interactions between Ti and one H atom of each bridging methyl­ene group.     

Polymerization of MMA by oscillating zirconocene catalysts, diastereomeric zirconocene mixtures, and diastereospecific metallocene pairs

Characteristics of methyl methacrylate (MMA) polymerization using oscillating zirconocene catalysts, (2-Ph-Ind)₂ZrX₂ (X = Cl, 1; X = Me, 2), mixtures of rac- and meso-zirconocene diastereomers, (SBI)ZrMe₂ [3, SBI = Me₂Si(Ind)₂] and (EBI)ZrMe₂ [4, EBI = C₂H₄(Ind)₂], as well as diastereospecific metallocene pairs, rac-4/Cp₂ZrMe₂ (5) and rac-4/CGCTiMe₂ [6, CGC = Me₂Si(Me₄C₅)(t-BuN)], are reported. MMA polymerization using the chloride catalyst precursor 1 activated with a large excess of the modified methyl aluminoxane is sluggish, uncontrolled, and produces atactic PMMA. On the other hand, the polymerization by a 2/1 ratio of 2/B(C₆F₅)₃ or 2/Ph₃CB(C₆F₅)₄ is controlled and produces syndiotactic PMMA. Mixtures of diastereomeric ansa-zirconocenes 3 or 4 containing various rac/meso ratios, when activated with B(C₆F₅)₃, yield bimodal PMMA; this behavior is attributed to the meso-diastereomer that, in its pure form, affords bimodal, syndio-rich atactic PMMA. For MMA polymerization using diastereospecific metallocene pairs, rac-4/5 and rac-4/6, the isospecific catalyst site dominates the polymerization events under the conditions employed in this study, and the aspecific and syndiospecific sites are largely nonproductive, thereby forming only highly isotactic PMMA.     

Calculation of the viscosity of binary liquids at various temperatures using Jouyban-Acree model

Applicability of the Jouyban-Acree model for calculating absolute viscosity of binary liquid mixtures with respect to temperature and mixture composition is proposed. The correlation ability of the model is evaluated by employing viscosity data of 143 various aqueous and non-aqueous liquid mixtures at various temperatures collected from the literature. The results show that the model is able to correlate the data with an overall percentage deviation (PD) of 1.9+/-2.5%. In order to test the prediction capability of the model, three experimental viscosities from the highest and lowest temperatures along with the viscosities of neat liquids at all temperatures have been employed to train the model, then the viscosity values at other mixture compositions and temperatures were predicted and the overall PD obtained is 2.6+/-4.0%.     

The structures of 5-methyl-5-phenyl-5H-dibenzo[b,f] silepin and its saturated analog

The structures of 5-methyl-5-phenyl-5H-dibenzo[b,f] silepin (I) and 5-methyl- 5-phenyl-1O,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo [b,f] silepin (II) have been determined from three-dimensional X-ray data collected by counter methods. I crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnam with a 7.596(3), b 18.102(5) and c 12.190(2) Å; observed and calculated densities (Z = 4) are 1.17 and 1.18 g cm^?3, respectively. II crystallizes in the monoclinic space group $\text{P}\text{2}{}_1\text{c}$ with a 11.115(3), b 7.920(3), c 20.765(5) Å and β 111.71(2)°; observed and calculated densities (Z = 4) are 1.17 g cm^?3. Anisotropic refinement of nonhydrogen atoms, with hydrogen atoms included at fixed ideal locations, gave conventional R-factors of 4.5% (I) and 5.0% (II). Compound I exhibits the boat conformation for the tricyclic framework and is located on a crystallographically required mirror plane. Com- pound II has the expected folded boat conformation. The torsion angle about the 10,11-bond is 0.0° for I, a crystallographic symmetry requirement, and 89.9° for II. Mean SiC bond distances are 1.863 Å(I) and 1.875 Å(II). The dihedral angles between the planar benzo groups are 129.7° (I) and 137.2° (II); introduc- tion of unsaturation at the 10,11-position decreases the dihedral angle in the tri- cyclic system, i.e., the tricyclic system is more bent.     

Blue-shifted hydrogen-bonded complexes. II. CH3F(HF)1 n 3 and CH2F2(HF)1 n 3

The equilibrium structures, binding energies, and vibrational spectra of the clusters CH₃F(HF)_{1 n 3} and CH₂F₂(HF)_{1 n 3} have been investigated with the aid of large-scale ab initio calculations performed at the Møller–Plesset second-order level. In all complexes, a strong C–FH–F halogen–hydrogen bond is formed. For the cases n = 2 and n = 3, blue-shifting C–HF–H hydrogen bonds are formed additionally. Blue shifts are, however, encountered for all C–H stretching vibrations of the fluoromethanes in all complexes, whether they take part in a hydrogen bond or not, in particular also for n = 1. For the case n = 3, blue shifts of the ν(C–H) stretching vibrational modes larger than 50 cm⁻¹ are predicted. As with the previously treated case of CHF₃(HF)_{1 n 3} complexes (A. Karpfen, E. S. Kryachko, J. Phys. Chem. A 107 (2003) 9724), the typical blue-shifting properties are to a large degree determined by the presence of a strong C–FH–F halogen–hydrogen bond. Therefore, the term blue-shifted appears more appropriate for this class of complexes. Stretching the C–F bond of a fluoromethane by forming a halogen–hydrogen bond causes a shortening of all C–H bonds. The shortening of the C–H bonds is proportional to the stretching of the C–F bond.     

Perturbation about the mean field critical point

We consider two models that are small perturbations of Gaussian or mean field models: the first one is a double well /4⁴ — /2² perturbation of a massless Gaussian lattice field in the weak coupling limit (0, proportional to ). The other consists of a spin 1/2 Ising model with long-range Kac type interactions; the inverse range of the interaction, , is the small parameter. The second model is related to the first one via a sine-Gordon transformation. The lattice ^d has dimensiond3.In both cases we derive an asymptotic estimate to first order (in or ²) on the location of the critical point. Moreover, we prove bounds on the remainder of an expansion in or around the Gaussian or mean field critical points.The appendix, due to E. Speer, contains an extension of Weinberg's theorem on the divergence of Feynman graphs which is used in the proofs.Supported by NSF Grant # MCS 78-01885Supported by NSF Grant # PHY 78-15920     

Four-dimensional density and energy density functional

The relations based on an external one-electron operator V( r ) are examined from two view-points, i.e., from the Hohenberg–Kohn approach and the four-dimensional density concept introduced by Wilson and Frost, and extensively studied by Parr and Politzer. The object being to obtain, with the help of the Hellmann–Feynman theorem, new formulas for the energy of atoms and molecules, and to discuss the construction of the universal energy density functional on the basis of the four-dimensional density.     

High pressure-temperature Raman measurements of H2O melting to 22 GPa and 900 K

The melting curve of H(2)O has been measured by in situ Raman spectroscopy in an externally heated diamond anvil cell up to 22 GPa and 900 K. The Raman-active OH-stretching bands and the translational modes of H(2)O as well as optical observations are used to directly and reliably detect melting in ice VII. The observed melting temperatures are higher than previously reported x-ray measurements and significantly lower than recent laser-heating determinations. However, our results are in accord with earlier optical determinations. The frequencies and intensities of the OH-stretching peaks change significantly across the melting line while the translational mode disappears altogether in the liquid phase. The observed OH-stretching bands of liquid water at high pressure are very similar to those obtained in shock-wave Raman measurements.