Synthesis of an O-acyl isopeptide by using native chemical ligation to efficiently construct a hydrophobic polypeptide

By using dimethylformamide to suppress the O-to-N acyl migration, we efficiently synthesized an O-acyl isopeptide by native chemical ligation of a peptide-thioester and a Cys-O-acyl isopeptide. The reaction mixture was then loaded onto an octadecylsilane reverse-phase HPLC column, and the isopeptide was purified by using a linear gradient of CH₃CN in 0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid. The recovery rate of the O-acyl isopeptide was considerably higher than that of the corresponding native polypeptide. Synthesis of O-acyl isopeptides via native chemical ligation, with O-to-N acyl migration as the final step to give the native form, has potential as an efficient method of constructing hydrophobic polypeptides.     

Effect of preparative conditions on crystallinity of apatite particles obtained from simulated body fluids

Preparation of colloidal hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles under body fluid conditions was investigated with focusing on the effect of preparative conditions on crystallinity of the resulting particles. Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane was added to 1.5SBF (a solution having 1.5 times higher ion concentrations than those of a simulated body fluid, SBF) to increase the solution pH, which resulted in induction of homogeneous nucleation of HAp in the solution. Colloidal HAp particles having diameters about 300 nm were obtained. When the reaction was proceeded at 70°C and the sample was dried by heating, it was effective to obtain HAp particles having high crystallinity. Experimental results support that remaining water in the sample contributed to increase HAp crystallinity.     

Kinetics of hydrogen bonding between anthracene urea derivatives and anions in the excited state

Urea compounds are useful anion sensors due to their hydrogen-bonding capabilities. We investigated the emissive properties of complexes consisting of urea-anthracene (nPUA, n = 1, 2) host compounds and acetate anions held as guests through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The kinetics of a new emission band formed by conformational changes in the excited singlet state were revealed. The new band is thought to arise from a charge-transfer interaction between the anthracene and urea moieties after intermolecular hydrogen-bond reconfiguration in the excited state, with rate constants of 2.4 × 10(9) and 4.0 × 10(7) s(-1) for 1PUA and 2PUA, respectively.     

Spatiotemporally controlled contraction of micropatterned skeletal muscle cells on a hydrogel sheet

We have developed gel sheet-supported C(2)C(12) myotube micropatterns and combined them with a microelectrode array chip to afford a skeletal muscle cell-based bioassay system. Myotube line patterns cultured on a glass substrate were transferred with 100% efficiency to the surface of fibrin gel sheets. The contractile behavior of each myotube line pattern on the gel was individually controlled by localized electrical stimulation using microelectrode arrays that had been previously modified with electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). We successfully demonstrated fluorescent imaging of the contraction-induced translocation of the glucose transporter, GLUT4, from intracellular vesicles to the plasma membrane of the myotubes. This device is applicable for the bioassay of contraction-induced metabolic alterations in a skeletal muscle cell.     

Cluster algorithms for anisotropic quantum spin models

We present cluster Monte Carlo algorithms for theXYZ quantum spin models. In the special case ofS=1/2, the new algorithm can be viewed as a cluster algorithm for the 8-vertex model. As an example, we study theS=1/2XY model in two dimensions with a representation in which the quantization axis lies in the easy plane. We find that the numerical autocorrelation time for the cluster algorithm remains of the order of unity and does not show any significant dependence on the temperature, the system size, or the Trotter number. On the other hand, the autocorrelation time for the conventional algorithm strongly depends on these parameters and can be very large. The use of improved estimators for thermodynamic averages further enhances the efficiency of the new algorithms.     

Synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted dodecakis(trifluoroethoxy)-phthalocyaninato vanadyl complexes

Three novel unsymmetrical vanadyl dodecakis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phthalocyaninates with nitro, amino or with no substitution were synthesized by a statistical condensation of 3,4,5,6-tetrakis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phthalonitrile with 4-nitro, 4-amino or 4-unsubstituted phthalonitrile, and separated by common column chromatography. These highly soluble phthalocyanines were characterized by elemental analysis, ir and ¹H-nmr, uv-visible and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectroscopy. Their uv-visible absorption spectra in solution and in doped poly(methyl methacrylate) films showed that they were less aggregated unsymmetrical phthalocyanines.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence study of anthracene based dendrimer and dendron

A new type of polyaromatic dendrimer composed of six anthracene groups was synthesized, which showed a monomeric fluorescence feature with a diminished quantum yield due to intramolecular self-quenching processes in the dendritic framework.     

Synthesis and characterization of the novel l‐(substituted phenoxy/phenyl)‐2‐phospholene and phospholane 1‐oxide derivatives

The synthesis of the novel 1‐(substituted phenoxy/phenyl)‐2‐phospholene and phospholane 1‐oxide derivatives, which are analogs of sugars having a phosphorus atom in place of the ring oxygen of normal sugars, is described. All of the synthesized derivatives are structurally characterized by multi nuclear NMR, mass, and IR spectral data, elemental and X‐ray crystallographic analyses.