Addition of heteroaromatics to alkylidenecyclopropanes catalyzed by palladium

The reaction of heteroaromatics, such as furans, thiophenes, thiazoles, and pyrroles, with alkylidenecyclopropanes proceeded smoothly in the presence of palladium catalysts, producing the corresponding alpha-allylated products in good to high yields. For example, the reaction of 3-butylpentylidenecyclopropane (1a) with 2-methylfuran (2a), ethyl 2-thiophenecarboxylate (4a), 2-isobutylthiazole (6a), and 1-methylpyrrole (11b) gave the alpha-allylated products in 70%, 66%, 77%, and 30% yield, respectively. The reaction proceeded predominantly through distal bond cleavage. The order of reactivity of heteroaromatics toward 1a is as follows: furan > thiophene approximately thiazole (5-position) > thiazole (2-position) approximately pyrrole. This methodology provides a means for introducing an allylic group to various kinds of heteroaromatics under mild conditions.     

Construction of artificial signal transducers on a lectin surface by post-photoaffinity-labeling modification for fluorescent saccharide biosensors

A new general method, post-photoaffinity-labeling modification (PPALM), for constructing fluorescent saccharide biosensors based on naturally occurring saccharide-binding proteins, lectins, is described in detail. An active-site-directed incorporation of a masked reactive site into a lectin was conducted by using a photoaffinity labeling technique followed by demasking and then chemical modification to yield a fluorescent lectin. Two photoaffinity labeling reagents were designed and synthesized in this study. The labeling reagent with a photoreactive site appended through a disulfide link to a mannoside unit was bound to the saccharide-binding pocket of the lectin concanavalin A (Con A). After light irradiation, the mannoside unit was cleaved by reduction. The unique thiol group thus produced was site-specifically modified with various fluorescent groups (dansyl, coumarin, or dimethylaminobenzoate derivatives) to afford fluorescent Con As. The labeling site was characterized by protease-catalyzed digestion followed by HPLC, MALDI-TOF MS, and tandem mass-mass spectrometry; these methods indicated that the photolabeling step is remarkably site specific. Strong fluorescence was observed in the engineered Con A with a fluorophore, and the emission changed sensitively upon saccharide complexation. The binding constants for various saccharides were determined by fluorescence titration and demonstrated that the binding selectivity and affinity of the engineered Con As are comparable to those of native Con A. The red shift of the emission maximum, the decrease in the fluorescence anisotropy of the dansyl unit, and the increase in the twisted intramolecular charge transfer emission caused by sugar binding to the engineered Con A explicitly indicate that the microenvironment of the appended fluorophores changes from a restricted and relatively hydrophobic environment into a rather freely mobile and hydrophilic environment.     

Thermodynamic Theory of Equilibrium Copolymerization

General equations are derived for the thermodynamics of equilibrium copolymerization based on the diad model of copolymer. Physical interactions between components in solution are taken into consideration. Several special cases are treated in detail. When these physical interactions are absent, the relations obtained from the theory agree completely with those derived from the kinetics. Equilibrium monomer concentrations are illustrated as functions of excess free energy due to formation of heterodiad, equilibrium constants of homopolymerization, and initial monomer concentrations. It is shown that when the physical interactions are present, their effects cannot be ignored even in dilute solution. In bulk copolymerization, the physical interactions have a considerable effect on equilibrium, especially when the equilibrium monomer volume fractions are relatively small.     

Improved synthesis of oligonucleotides containing 2-thiouridine derivatives by use of diluted iodine solution

It is known that the 2-thiocarbonyl group of 2-thiouridine (s²U) derivatives reacts easily with various oxidizing agents used in oligonucleotide synthesis to give a complex mixture. In this letter, we report an improved method for the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing s²U derivatives. It turned out that the 2-thiocarbonyl group of oligonucleotides containing s²U derivatives was stable in a 0.02 M solution of iodine in pyridine-THF-H₂O. These conditions were successfully applied to the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing s²U derivatives on an automated DNA/RNA synthesizer. Moreover, no undesirable side reactions were detected so that these modified oligonucleotides could be obtained in markedly improved yields.     

Specific interactions between silver(I) ions and cytosine-cytosine pairs in DNA duplexes

Very specific binding of the Ag(i) ion unexpectedly stabilized DNA duplexes containing the naturally occurring cytosine-cytosine (C-C) mismatch-base pair; because the C-C pair selectively binds to the Ag(i) ion, we developed a DNA-based Ag(i) sensor that employed an oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing C-C pairs used for Ag(i) binding sites.     

Three-dimensional encapsulation of live cells by using a hybrid matrix of nanoparticles in a supramolecular hydrogel

From a library of glyco-lipid mimics with muconic amide as the spacer, we found that 1, a glyco-lipid that has N-acetyl glucosamine and methyl cyclohexyl groups as its hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails, respectively, formed a stable hydrogel (0.05 wt %) through hierarchical self-assembly of the lipid molecules into supramolecular nanofibers. The formation of the supramolecular hydrogel was verified by rheological measurements, and the supramolecular nanofiber was characterized as the structural element by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy observations. Absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopic measurements revealed that the muconic amide moieties of 1 are arranged in a helical, stacked fashion in the self-assembled nanofibers. Moreover, we unexpectedly found that the homogeneous distribution of the supramolecular nanofibers of 1 was greatly facilitated by the addition of polystyrene nanobeads (100-500 nm in diameter), as evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopic observations. It is interesting that the obtained supramolecular hybrid matrix can efficiently encapsulate and distribute live Jurkat cells in three dimensions under physiological conditions. This supramolecular hybrid matrix is intriguing as a unique biomaterial.     

Facile synthesis of [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene from o-dihalostilbenes

A convenient one-pot synthesis of [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene from readily available o-dihalostilbenes using combined reagents of sodium sulfide nonahydrate (Na₂S·9H₂O) or sodium hydrosulfide hydrate (NaSH·nH₂O) and sulfur is described along with plausible reaction paths in this intriguing reaction.     

Skeletal Rearrangement of O‐Propargylic Formaldoximes by a Gold‐Catalyzed Cyclization/Intermolecular Methylene Transfer Sequence

Skeletal rearrangement of O‐propargylic formaldoximes, in the presence of gold catalysts, afforded 4‐methylene‐2‐isoxazolines in good to excellent yields by an intermolecular methylene transfer. In addition, the cascade reaction with maleimide in the presence of a gold catalyst afforded isoxazole derivatives by cyclization/methylene transfer and a subsequent ene reaction, whereas that using a copper catalyst gave oxazepines through a 2,3‐rearrangement.     

High‐Resolution Crystal Structure of a Silver(I)–RNA Hybrid Duplex Containing Watson–Crick‐like CSilver(I)C Metallo‐Base Pairs

Metallo‐base pairs have been extensively studied for applications in nucleic acid‐based nanodevices and genetic code expansion. Metallo‐base pairs composed of natural nucleobases are attractive because nanodevices containing natural metallo‐base pairs can be easily prepared from commercially available sources. Previously, we have reported a crystal structure of a DNA duplex containing T? Hg^II? T base pairs. Herein, we have determined a high‐resolution crystal structure of the second natural metallo‐base pair between pyrimidine bases C? Ag^I? C formed in an RNA duplex. One Ag^I occupies the center between two cytosines and forms a C? Ag^I? C base pair through N3? Ag^I? N3 linear coordination. The C? Ag^I? C base pair formation does not disturb the standard A‐form conformation of RNA. Since the C? Ag^I? C base pair is structurally similar to the canonical Watson–Crick base pairs, it can be a useful building block for structure‐based design and fabrication of nucleic acid‐based nanodevices.