Decreased l-tryptophan concentration in distinctive brain regions of mice treated repeatedly with phencyclidine

It has been reported that repeated phencyclidine (PCP) treatment induces schizophrenia-like behavior in mice. l-Tryptophan (Trp) concentrations in brain tissues of control (n?=?8) and PCP-treated mice (10 mg/kg/day, s.c., 14 days, n?=?10) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The HPLC method involved pre-column fluorescence derivatization with (R)-(?)-4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-PyNCS). Eight different parts of the brain, namely, the frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, striatum, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebellum, of both groups were investigated. A significant decrease in the l-Trp concentration in the nucleus accumbens (p?=?0.024) and hippocampus (p?=?0.027) was observed in PCP-treated mice, suggesting that alteration of the l-Trp metabolism might occur in these brain parts.     

Practical Synthesis of (20S)‐10‐(3‐Aminopropyloxy)‐7‐ethylcamptothecin,a Water‐Soluble Analogue of Camptothecin

A robust, practical synthesis of (20S)‐10‐(3‐aminopropyloxy)‐7‐ethylcamptothecin (T‐2513, 5 ), which is a water‐soluble analogue of camptothecin, has been developed. The key step in this synthesis is a highly diastereoselective ethylation at the C20 position by using N‐arylsulfonyl‐(R)‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐3‐carboxylic acid ester as a chiral auxiliary, which affords the key intermediate ethyl‐(S)‐2‐acyloxy‐2‐(6‐cyano‐5‐oxo‐1,2,3,5‐tetrahydroindolizin‐7‐yl)butanoate ( 8 k ) in 93 % yield and 87 % de. Optically pure compound 8 k was obtained by a single recrystallization from acetone and its further elaboration through Friedlander condensation afforded compound 5 . This synthesis does not require any chromatographic purification steps and can provide compound 5 on a multi‐gram scale in 6.3 % overall yield (16 steps).     

Rotamer decomposition and protein dynamics: Efficiently analyzing dihedral populations from molecular dynamics

Molecular mechanics methods have matured into powerful methods to understand the dynamics and flexibility of macromolecules and especially proteins. As multinanosecond to microsecond length molecular dynamics (MD) simulations become commonplace, advanced analysis tools are required to generate scientifically useful information from large amounts of data. Some of the key degrees of freedom to understand protein flexibility and dynamics are the amino acid residue side chain dihedral angles. In this work, we present an easily automated way to summarize and understand the relevant dihedral populations. A tremendous reduction in complexity is achieved by describing dihedral timeseries in terms of histograms decomposed into Gaussians. Using the familiar and widely studied protein lysozyme, it is demonstrated that our approach captures essential properties of protein structure and dynamics. A simple classification scheme is proposed that indicates the rotational state population for each dihedral angle of interest and allows a decision if a given side chain or peptide backbone fragment remains rigid during the course of an MD simulation, adopts a converged distribution between conformational substates or has not reached convergence yet. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Yeasts and Lactic Acid Bacteria Mixed-Specie Biofilm Formation is a Promising Cell Immobilization Technology for Ethanol Fermentation

We previously found that some Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum remarkably formed mixed-specie biofilm in a static co-culture and deduced that this biofilm had potential as immobilized cells. We investigated the application of mixed-specie biofilm formed by S. cerevisiae BY4741 and L. plantarum HM23 for ethanol fermentation in repeated batch cultures. This mixed-specie biofilm was far abundantly formed and far resistant to washing compared with S. cerevisiae single biofilm. Adopting mixed-specie biofilm formed on cellulose beads as immobilized cells, we could produce enough ethanol from 10 or 20 % glucose during ten times repeated batch cultures for a duration of 10 days. Cell numbers of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum during this period were stable. In mixed-specie biofilm system, though ethanol production was slightly lower compared to S. cerevisiae single-culture system due to by-production of lactate, pH was stably maintained under pH 4 without artificial control suggesting high resistance to contamination. Inoculated model contaminants, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, were excluded from the system in a short time. From the above results, it was indicated that the mixed-specie biofilm of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum was a promising immobilized cell for ethanol fermentation for its ethanol productivity and robustness due to high resistance to contamination.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of 2,2′-binaphthalene-based receptor bearing trimethylsilyl groups to improve the solubility

Two trimethylsilyl groups were introduced at 5- and 5′-positions of 2,2′-binaphthalene to improve the solubility of 2,2′-binaphthalene-based receptors. The X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed the twisted structure of 2 in the solid state. The solubility of 2 was moderately improved by 3.1-fold comparing with mother skeleton 1. As a practical example of 2, receptor 8 bearing two aza-15-crown-5 moieties was prepared and the selective binding of 8 with Ba²⁺ can be observed by the formation of sandwich-like complex, which shows no prevention of binding ability of the receptor by introduction of the bulky substituents.     

Synthesis and properties of thermotropic liquid-crystalline polyesters containing 9,10-diphenylanthracene moiety in the main chain

We synthesized thermotropic liquid-crystalline polyesters in which 9,10-diphenylanthracene moieties are incorporated into the main chain type of polyester forming the chiral smectic C (Sm C*). The polymers were prepared by the isopropyltitanate-catalyzed reaction of biphenyldicarboxylic acid and the corresponding diols, with different ratios of diol of 9,10-diphenylanthracene moiety to the alkane diols (1, 5, and 10 mol %) under nitrogen atmosphere. The polymers exhibited thermotropic liquid crystals despite the presence of a bulky diphenylanthracene moiety in the main chain. The circular dichroism spectra revealed that a Sm C* phase was formed in the polymer with 1 mol % of anthracene moiety, although only an Sm A phase was formed in the other polymers. This is the first example of a Sm C* polyester containing a diphenylanthracene moiety in the main chain. Furthermore, we measured the optical properties of the polymers and found that they exhibited very high fluorescent efficiency. The fluorescence spectra of the thin film differed from that of a CH₂Cl₂ solution.     

Chirality Induction by Formation of Assembled Structures Based on Anion‐Responsive π‐Conjugated Molecules

Anion‐responsive π‐conjugated compounds having chiral alkyl chains were synthesized. Circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) were observed in the solution‐state assemblies of the chiral anion receptors and those of their anion complexes as salts of a planar triazatriangulenium cation. The CD and CPL spectral patterns of the ion‐pair‐based assemblies were completely opposite to those of the anion‐free assemblies, and this suggests that anion binding and subsequent ion pairing change the chirality of the assembly modes.     

Enhanced Magneto‐optical Properties of Semiconductor EuS Nanocrystals Assisted by Surface Plasmon Resonance of Gold Nanoparticles

Remarkable magneto‐optical properties of a new isolator material, that is, europium sulfide nanocrystals with gold (EuS–Au nanosystem), has been demonstrated for a future photo‐information technology. Attachment of gold particles that exhibit surface plasmon resonance leads to amplification of the magneto‐optical properties of the EuS nanocrystals. To construct the EuS–Au nanosystems, cubic EuS and spherical Au nanocrystals have been joined by a variety of organic linkers, that is, 1,2‐ethanedithiol (EDT), 1,6‐hexanedithiol (HDT), 1,10‐decanedithiol (DDT), 1,4‐bisethanethionaphthalene (NpEDT), or 1,4‐bisdecanethionaphthalene (NpDDT) . Formation of these systems was observed by XRD, TEM, and absorption spectra measurements. The magneto‐optical properties of the EuS–Au nanosystem have been characterized by using Faraday rotation spectroscopy. The Faraday rotation angle of the EuS–Au nanosystem is dependent on the Au particle size and interparticle distance between EuS and Au nanocrystals. Enhancement of the Faraday rotation of EuS–Au nanosystems was observed. The spin configuration in the excited state of the EuS–Au nanosystem was also investigated using photo‐assisted electron paramagnetic resonance.     

Asymmetric α‐Hydroxylation of Tetralone‐Derived β‐Ketoesters by Using a Guanidine–Urea Bifunctional Organocatalyst in the Presence of Cumene Hydroperoxide

Highly enantioselective catalytic oxidation of 1‐tetralone‐derived β‐keto esters was achieved by using a guanidine–urea bifunctional organocatalyst in the presence of cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), a safe, commercially available oxidant. The α‐hydroxylation products were obtained in 99 % yield with up to 95 % enantiomeric excess (ee). The present oxidation was successfully applied to synthesize a key intermediate of the anti‐cancer agent daunorubicin ( 2 ).