Chemoenzymatic synthesis of uridine diphosphate-GlcNAc and uridine diphosphate-GalNAc analogs for the preparation of unnatural glycosaminoglycans

Eight N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate and N-acetylgalactosamine-1-phosphate analogs have been synthesized chemically and were tested for their recognition by the GlmU uridyltransferase enzyme. Among these, only substrates that have an amide linkage to the C-2 nitrogen were transferred by GlmU to afford their corresponding uridine diphosphate(UDP)-sugar nucleotides. Resin-immobilized GlmU showed comparable activity to nonimmobilized GlmU and provides a more facile final step in the synthesis of an unnatural UDP-donor. The synthesized unnatural UDP-donors were tested for their activity as substrates for glycosyltransferases in the preparation of unnatural glycosaminoglycans in vitro. A subset of these analogs was useful as donors, increasing the synthetic repertoire for these medically important polysaccharides.     

Theoretical prediction of vertical transition energies of diaminosilylenes and aminosubstituted disilenes

Vertical electronic transition energies of diaminosilylenes and their dimers (disilenes and nitrogen‐bridged) were investigated by ab initio and density functional calculations. A good linear correlation was found between the observed UV transition energies of various silylenes and disilenes and those of model compounds calculated using the CIS and TD–DFT methods. On the basis of these computations the experimental UV absorption maximum observed for the dimer of (i‐Pr₂N)₂Si: (λ_max 439 nm at 77 K), could be assigned to an Si? Si bonded dimer with an unusually long Si? Si distance of 2.472 Å, and the isomeric amino‐bridged cyclic dimer could be discarded. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 1536–1541, 2001     

Discrete Ti−O−Ti Complexes: Visible-Light-Activated,Homogeneous Alternative to TiO2 Photosensitisers

A series of novel bimetallic Ti^IV amine bis(phenolate) complexes was synthesised and fully characterised. X-ray crystallography studies revealed distorted octahedral geometries around the Ti centres with single or double oxo-bridges connecting the two metals. These robust, air- and moisture-stable complexes were employed as photosensitisers generating singlet oxygen following irradiation with visible light (420 nm) LED module in a commercial flow reactor. All five complexes showed high activity in the photo-oxygenation of α-terpinene and achieved complete conversion to ascaridole in four hours at ambient temperature. The excellent selectivity of these photosensitisers towards ascaridole (vs. transformation to p-cymene) was demonstrated with control experiments using a traditional TiO₂ catalyst. Further comparative studies employing the free pro-ligands as well as a monometallic analogue highlighted the importance of the ‘TiO₂-like’ moiety in the polymetallic catalysts. Computational studies were used to determine the nature of the ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) states and singlet–triplet gaps for each complex, the calculated trends in the UV-vis absorption spectra across the series agreed well with the experimental results.     

Water sorption,glass transition,and freeze-concentrated glass-like transition properties of calcium maltobionate–maltose mixtures

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The water sorption, glass transition, and freeze-concentrated thermal transition properties of calcium maltobionate (MBCa)–maltose mixtures were...     

Synthesis of [6]helicene-based sulfonic acid,sulfonamide, and disulfonimides

The synthesis of helically chiral [6]helicene-based sulfonic acid and sulfonamide from enantiomerically pure 1-acetylthio-5,6,9,10-tetrahydro[6]helicene is reported. The first helically chiral disulfonimides were developed as a synthetic application of [6]helicene-based sulfonamide. This new class of organocatalysts was tested in an asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction to obtain up to quantitative yields and enantioselectivities up to 24%.     

Biochemical, molecular genetic, and structural analyses of the staphylococcal nucleoid.

The nucleoid structure of an important human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, was dissected by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nucleoids dispersed on a cover glass consisted of fibrous units with two different widths of 40 and 80 nm, a feature shared with those of Escherichia coli. On the other hand, cells exposed to an oxidative stress exhibited clogged nucleoids. A knock-out of mrgA (metallo regulated genes A) encoding a staphylococcal homolog of the nucleoid compaction factor (E. coli Dps) eliminated the compaction response to the oxidative stress and reduced the susceptibilities to H2O2 and UV irradiation. We also observed that the negative supercoiling of plasmids is increased by the oxidative stress. A possible interrelation between the helical density and the nucleoid compaction is discussed in relation to the oxidative stress response.     

Impact of the macrocyclic structure and dynamic solvent effect on the reactivity of a localised singlet diradicaloid with π-single bonding character

Localised singlet diradicals are key intermediates in bond homolysis processes. Generally, these highly reactive species undergo radical–radical coupling reaction immediately after their generation. Therefore, their short-lived character hampers experimental investigations of their nature. In this study, we implemented the new concept of “stretch effect” to access a kinetically stabilised singlet diradicaloid. To this end, a macrocyclic structure was computationally designed to enable the experimental examination of a singlet diradicaloid with π-single bonding character. The kinetically stabilised diradicaloid exhibited a low carbon–carbon coupling reaction rate of 6.4 × 10³ s⁻¹ (155.9 μs), approximately 11 and 1000 times slower than those of the first generation of macrocyclic system (7.0 × 10⁴ s⁻¹, 14.2 μs) and the parent system lacking the macrocycle (5 × 10⁶ s⁻¹, 200 ns) at 293 K in benzene, respectively. In addition, a significant dynamic solvent effect was observed for the first time in intramolecular radical–radical coupling reactions in viscous solvents such as glycerin triacetate. This theoretical and experimental study demonstrates that the stretch effect and solvent viscosity play important roles in retarding the σ-bond formation process, thus enabling a thorough examination of the nature of the singlet diradicaloid and paving the way toward a deeper understanding of reactive intermediates.

An extremely long-lived localised singlet diradical with π-single bonding character is found in a macrocyclic structure that retards the radical–radical coupling reaction by the “stretch and solvent-dynamic effects”.     

Biotransformation of benzaldehyde-type and acetophenone-type derivatives by Pharbitis nil hairy roots

The glucosylation of some coumarin and flavone derivatives on incubation with the hairy roots of morning glory (Pharbitis nil) was previously reported. We further studied the biotransformation of benzaldehyde- and acetophenone-type derivatives. Vanillin and isovanillin were reduced to alcoholic derivatives and glucosylated at the phenolic and the alcoholic hydroxyl groups. In the case of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, the formyl group was reduced and the 3-hydroxyl or 4-hydroxyl groups were glucosylated to give monoglucosides. The 3-hydroxyl group was predominantly glucosylated to the 4-hydroxyl group. 4-beta-D-Glucopyranosyloxy-3-methoxybenzylalcohol was obtained in low yield. In time-course experiments with vanillin, it was found that the high-level reduction of the formyl group and glucosylation of the phenolic hydroxyl group occurred, and finally 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylvanillylalcohol was obtained as the main product. In the case of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde, and salicylaldehyde, the formyl groups were reduced, and then the hydroxyl groups at the benyl position were glucosylated to give alcoholic glucosides in relatively high yields. In 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyacetophenone, the 4-hydroxyl group was glucosylated and two dimerized glucosides, biphenyl and biphenylether types, were obtained in low yields. In acetophenone, 1-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-1-phenylethane and 2-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxyacetophenone were obtained. As mentioned above P. nil hairy roots showed various biotransformative activities including glucosylation of phenolic and benzylic hydroxyl groups, reduction of the formyl group near the benzene ring, and phenol oxidation dimerization. The glucosylation reaction was especially interesting for the production of valuable glucosides.     

Determination of the equilibrium structure of the charge-transfer state of (p-Cyanophenyl)pentamethyldisilane by means of transient infrared spectroscopy

An equilibrium structure of the charge-transfer (CT) state of (p-cyanophenyl)pentamethyldisilane was determined by transient infrared absorption spectroscopy of its CH stretching vibration region, and by the spectral simulation with quantum chemical calculations. It was found that a pattern of the CH stretching vibration bands of the CT state is substantially different from that of the S0 state. This band feature of the CT state was well reproduced assuming the planar sigma(Si-Si)pi* state, where the disilanyl group and the phenyl ring lie in the same plane. Considering that the disilanyl group in the S0 and the locally excited pipi* states lie in the plane perpendicular to the phenyl ring, an occurrence of a twisting-type structural change during the ICT process was experimentally identified in the present study.