Brominated tyrosine-derived metabolites from the sponge Ianthella basta

Two novel metabolites, containing four bromotyrosine units, have been isolated from the sponge $\text{Ianthella basta}$.     

Synthesis of 4-aryl-, 2,4-diaryl- and 2,4,7-triarylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines by a combination of the Suzuki cross-coupling and N-arylation reactions

A simple and facile synthesis of novel 4-aryl-2-chloro-, 2,4-diaryl- and 2,4,7-triarylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines with various aryl and heteroaryl assemblies in the heterocyclic framework by a combination of Suzuki cross-coupling and N-arylation reactions of 2,4-dichloropyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine with arylboronic acids and haloarenes are described. A majority of the synthesized compounds were found to emit in a near UV-blue spectral range with fluorescence quantum yields up to 67%. The impact of aryl groups attached to the pyrrole ring of pyrrolopyrimidine derivatives on optical properties is discussed.     

Mutations in distant residues moderately increase the enantioselectivity of Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase towards methyl 3bromo-2-methylpropanoate and ethyl 3phenylbutyrate

Directed evolution combined with saturation mutagenesis identified six different point mutations that each moderately increases the enantioselectivity of an esterase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFE) towards either of two chiral synthons. Directed evolution identified a Thr230Ile mutation that increased the enantioselectivity from 12 to 19 towards methyl (S)-3-bromo-2-methylpropanoate. Saturation mutagenesis at Thr230 identified another mutant, Thr230Pro, with higher-than-wild-type enantioselectivity (E=17). Previous directed evolution identified mutants Asp158Asn and Leu181Gln that increased the enantioselectivity from 3.5 to 5.8 and 6.6, respectively, towards ethyl (R)-3-phenylbutyrate. In this work, saturation mutagenesis identified other mutations that further increase the enantioselectivity to 12 (Asp158Leu) and 10 (Leu181Ser). A homology model of PFE indicates that all mutations lie outside the active site, 12-14 A from the substrate and suggests how the distant mutations might indirectly change the substrate-binding site. Since proteins contain many more residues far from the active site than close to the active site, random mutagenesis is strongly biased in favor of distant mutations. Directed evolution rarely screens all mutations, so it usually finds the distant mutations because they are more common, but probably not the most effective.     

Fabrication and phase variation in annealed Cu3Se2 nanowire arrays

We have found for the first time that Cu₃Se₂ nanowired products encased inside the alumina pores by electrodeposition demonstrate the promising nonlinear optical properties in UV-vis-NIR spectra region. Furthermore, the annealing of these products results in the formation of Cu_2−xSe with x depending on the annealing temperature. Optical nonlinearities of as-grown and thermally treated copper selenide nanowire arrays were evidenced using the standard open-aperture Z-scan and laser pump-probe techniques.