Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Typing with a Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Sensor Using Hybridization Enhancement Blockers

We constructed a simple method for discrimination of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensor by determining the binding volume (BV) between a target SNP allele and a probe complementary to the target. In the method, a novel additive termed “blocker,” which is a short single-stranded DNA complementary to the target, was used. The blocker enhanced the BV of the target only to the full-match probe 10-fold or more, so the SNP alleles could be discriminated readily. The effect of the blocker concentration was also examined. The BV to only a full-match probe increased with increasing the blocker concentration and reached a plateau at the concentration of 300–500 nM. To assess the effectiveness of this method, the SNP associated with progressive rod-cone degeneration in dog was determined. The results of genotyping with the method were in good agreement with those obtained by direct sequencing.     

Radiation-induced degradation of aqueous 2–chlorophenol assisted by zeolites

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - This study aims to demonstrate that zeolite has the potential to increase the efficiency of radiolysis treatment of aqueous organic pollutants by...     

Deprotection of dithioacetals with 30% hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by tantalum(V) chloride–sodium iodide or niobium(V) chloride–sodium iodide

The reaction of dithioacetals with 30% hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalytic amounts of tantalum(V) and iodide ion effectively produced carbonyl compounds in high yields. Dithioacetals also can be deprotected using the niobium(V) catalyzed oxidation of iodide ion by hydrogen peroxide under mild conditions.     

Dual Chemical Modification of a Polytheonamide Mimic: Rational Design and Synthesis of Ion‐Channel‐Forming 48‐mer Peptides with Potent Cytotoxicity

Polytheonamide B ( 1 ) is a natural peptide that displays potent cytotoxicity against P388 mouse leukemia cells (IC₅₀=0.098 nm ). Linear 48‐mer 1 is known to form monovalent cation channels on binding to lipid bilayers. We previously developed a fully synthetic route to 1 , and then achieved the design and synthesis of a structurally simplified analogue of 1 , namely, dansylated polytheonamide mimic 2 . Although the synthetically more accessible 2 was found to emulate the channel function of 1 , its cytotoxicity was decreased 120‐fold. Herein, the chemical preparation and biological evaluation of seven analogues 3 – 9 of 2 are reported. Compounds 3 – 9 were modified at their N terminus and/or the side chain of residue 44 of 2 to alter their physicochemical properties. The total synthesis of 3 – 9 was accomplished in a unified fashion by a combination of solid‐phase and solution‐phase chemistry. Systematic evaluation of the hydrophobicities, single‐channel currents, ion‐exchange activities, and cytotoxicities of 3 – 9 revealed that their hydrophobicities are correlated with the total magnitude of ion exchange and determine their cytotoxic potency. Consequently, the most hydrophobic analogue 9 exhibited the lowest IC₅₀ value, which is comparable to that of 1 . Therefore, these results clarified that the bioactivity of the polytheonamide‐based peptides can be rationally controlled by changing their hydrophobicity at the N and C termini of the 48‐amino‐acid sequence.