NanoPARCEL: a method for controlling cellular behavior with external light

We developed a simple preparation procedure for the protein encapsulated nanoparticle and used the nanoparticle for spatiotemporal activity control of various proteins. We succeeded in the local protein activation within cells by light using the nanoparticle.     

N-Methylated Peptide Synthesis via Generation of an Acyl N-Methylimidazolium Cation Accelerated by a Brønsted Acid

The development of a robust amide-bond formation remains a critical aspect of N-methylated peptide synthesis. In this study, we synthesized a variety of dipeptides in high yields, without severe racemization, from equivalent amounts of amino acids. Highly reactive N-methylimidazolium cation species were generated in situ to accelerate the amidation. The key to success was the addition of a strong Brønsted acid. The developed amidation enabled the synthesis of a bulky peptide with a higher yield in a shorter amount of time compared with the results of conventional amidation. In addition, the amidation can be performed by using either a microflow reactor or a conventional flask. The first total synthesis of naturally occurring bulky N-methylated peptides, pterulamides I–IV, was achieved. Based on experimental results and theoretical calculations, we speculated that a Brønsted acid would accelerate the rate-limiting generation of acyl imidazolium cations from mixed carbonic anhydrides.     

Permeation of aromatic compounds in aqueous solutions through thin,dense cellulose acetate membranes

The partition and diffusion coefficients of aqueous solutions of aromatic compounds through a thin, dense cellulose acetate membrane were measured at 20°C. The water content and the thickness of the prepared membranes varied from 0.121 to 0.610 by volume fraction and from 17 to 88 μm, respectively. The aromatic solutes used were phenol, aniline, hydroquinone and p-chlorophenol. The solute concentration ranged between 9.0 x 10^-5 and 1.0 x 10^-3 mol/l. The partition coefficients had the following order: p-chlorophenol, phenol, aniline, hydroquinone; they were experimentally correlated with the water content of the swollen membranes.The dependence of the diffusion coefficients on the water content of the membrane was examined using as basis a pore model and a free volume model, respectively. The diffusion coefficients were adequately correlated with the water content of the membrane according to the relation given by the free volume model.     

Formal total synthesis of (−)-hamigeran B from a chemo-enzymatically prepared building block with quaternary chiral center

A formal total synthesis of (?)-hamigeran B was achieved in 17 steps from commercially available ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate. Carbonyl reductase-catalyzed asymmetric reduction and the subsequent chemical transformations furnished an enantiomerically pure synthetic intermediate, (R)-5-formyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate. Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with Gao's arylboronate [2-(2-formyl-3-methoxy-5-methylphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane], under PdCl₂(dppf)?CH₂Cl₂ catalysis, and the subsequent cyclization by way of intramolecular reductive SmI₂-mediated 1,2-diol formation provided a tricyclic skeleton with a tetrasubstituted double bond between C-1 and C-9b. Upon hydrogenation of this double bond, the proper stereochemistry of the remaining chiral centers was established. Exclusive addition of the hydrogen atom from the β-face occurred, owing to the shielding of the α-face with a bulky TBS protective group on the C-4 alcohol. The hydrogenation products were transformed into Clive's synthetic precursor for (?)-hamigeran B.     

Preparation of a copper ion complex of sterically congested diphenyldiazomethanes having a pyridine ligand and characterization of their photoproducts

To show that persistent high-spin polycarbenes can be realized by utilizing hetero spin systems, two diphenyldiazomethanes having pyridyl groups, i.e., bis{4-(4-pyridyl)-2,6-dimethylphenyl}diazomethane (4,4'-DPy-1-N(2)) and {2,4-di(4-pyridyl)-6-bromophenyl}(2,6-dimethyl-4-tert-butylphenyl)diazomethane (2,4-DPy-1-N(2)), were prepared. Triplet carbenes, 4,4'-DPy-1 and 2,4-DPy-1, generated by photolysis of the corresponding diazomethanes were characterized by spectroscopic means (ESR and UV/vis in matrix at low temperatures and laser flash photolysis in solution at room temperature). The results showed that they were fairly persistent. Magnetic properties of the photoproducts from a 1:1 complex between DPy-1-N(2) and Cu(hfac)(2) (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate) were characterized by ESR and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magneto/susceptometer. The field dependences of magnetization for the complexes, expressed by using M versus H/T plots, were analyzed in terms of the Brillouin function to be S = 6.80 (F = 0.60) for the 1:1 complex of 4,4'-DPy-1 and Cu(hfac)(2) and S = 3.71 (F = 0.73) for the 1:1 complex of 2,4-DPy-1 and Cu(hfac)(2) at 2.0 K. Thus, it has been demonstrated that a high-spin species is actually generated in the photoproducts and that the complexed carbenes showed significant stability.     

Synthesis of monoglucosylated high-mannose-type dodecasaccharide,a putative ligand for molecular chaperone,calnexin, and calreticulin

Convergent and stereoselective synthetic routes to Man9GlcNAc2 (1b), alpha-Glc1M9GlcNAc2 (2b), and its stereoisomer beta-Glc1M9GlcNAc2 (3) were established. Interaction analysis of 2b with CRT was measured by 1H NMR spectroscopy, and the first NMR-based evidence for the specific binding of CRT to 2b was obtained.     

Determination of the new morpholino anthracycline MX2.HCl and its metabolites in biological samples by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Methods for determining concentrations of a new morpholino anthracycline MX2.HCl and its metabolites in biological samples using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection are described. The limits of detection were less than 1 ng/ml for all compounds after extraction from 0.5 ml of plasma using C18 Sep-Pak cartridges and consecutive solvent extraction. The recoveries from rat plasma ranged from 72.0 to 89.3%. The peak-height ratio of the fluorescence intensities of these compounds versus internal standard showed a linear correlation for concentrations up to at least 500 ng/ml in the plasma (correlation coefficient r greater than 0.999). The within-day and between-day precisions of this assay were in the range 0.8-8.7% (n = 5) and 2.0-3.5% (n = 5), respectively. The concentrations of these compounds in the blood and urine can be also determined by a slight modification of the extraction procedure.     

Surface activity of myristic acid in the poly(methyl methacrylate)/supercritical carbon dioxide system

To confirm the surface activity of myristic acid in the dispersion polymerization of vinyl monomers in scCO2, the interfacial tension (IFT) at the polymer/supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) interface has been measured. For the IFT measurements, a high-pressure pendant drop apparatus was constructed. The IFT data was obtained by the axisymmetric drop shape analysis of melt polymer droplets formed at the tip of a capillary. The reliability of the apparatus was confirmed by measuring the IFT of polystyrene (PS)/scCO2 and polypropylene (PP)/CO2 systems. The IFT of the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/scCO2 system with and without myristic acid was also measured. The IFT decreased on addition of myristic acid. The magnitude of the IFT depression due to the myristic acid was comparable to that of PS/scCO2 systems with the block copolymer surfactant, PS-b-poly(fluorooctyl acrylate). The surface activity of the myristic acid was confirmed by the decrease of IFT.     

Seed polymerization of tetraethyl ortho-silicate in the presence of rod-like colloidal particles of anionic palygorskite and cationic β-FeO(OH)

Kinetic analyses were made of the seed polymerization of tetraethyl ortho-silicate (TEOS) in the presence of rod-like colloidal particles of palygorskite and cationic -FeO(OH) by turbidity and dynamic light-scattering measurements. Transmission electron microscopic measurements supported the formation of core-shell particles. The seed polymerization of TEOS took place exclusively on the surfaces of palygorskite. The main cause of the observation is due to the fact that the main component of palygorskite is SiO₂ and the affinity between palygorskite and TEOS is high, though the electrostatic repulsion between them is not favorable for shell formation. The shell formation of silica on a -FeO(OH) particle also proceeded. The electrostatic attraction forces between the anionic polar TEOS monomers and cationic -FeO(OH) particles played an important role in shell formation. These results are consistent with a polymerization mechanism consisting of the formation of small preliminary particles followed by their coalescence on the surfaces of the seeds to give the final large particles coated with silica layers.