Alkaline Phosphatase-based Electrochemical Analysis for Point-of-Care Testing

Point-of-care testing (POCT) devices have evolved to provide beneficial information about an individual's health whenever needed. Enzyme-based analytical devices have facilitated the highly selective detection of numerous biological molecules and ions. Enzymes are commonly used as the tags of recognition components, such as antibodies, to generate and amplify detection signals. Particularly, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is one of the most widely used enzymes because of its high turnover number and low cost. Rapid response time and the incorporation of many sensors fabricated by micro/nano processing technologies are the advantages in using electrochemical devices as analytical tools. Therefore, ALP-based electrochemical devices have potential applications for more practical POCT platforms. This review summarizes recent research progress of ALP-based electrochemical devices for POCT. In addition to ALP substrates, the application of ALP-based immunosensors, aptasensors, and DNAzyme sensors are discussed.     

Restriction landmark genome scanning method using isoschizomers (MspI/HpaII) for DNA methylation analysis

Restriction landmark genome scanning (RLGS) is a 2-DE of genomic DNA, which visualizes thousands of loci. In a conventional RLGS method for methylation analysis, we have used a methylation sensitive restriction enzyme, NotI as a landmark. However, it was unable to discriminate methylation polymorphism from sequence polymorphism. Here, we report an improved RLGS method to detect methylated sites directly. We employed isoschizomers, MspI and HpaII, that recognize the same sequence (CCGG) but have different methylation sensitivity. We carried out the RLGS analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Columbia, and obtained a pair of spot patterns with MspI and HpaII. We detected 22 spots in both patterns. In comparison of them, 18% of the spots were polymorphic, which indicated the methylation of C(5m)CGG sites. Further analyses revealed an additional methylated site of NotI. Moreover, 52 and 54 restriction enzyme sites were also analyzed in two other ecotypes, Wassilewskija and Landsberg erecta, respectively. Consequently, 15% of the 52 common sites showed methylation polymorphism among the three ecotypes. The restriction sites analyzed in this study were located in or near genes, and contribute new data about the correlation between methylation status and gene expression. Therefore, this result strongly indicates that the improved RLGS method is readily applicable to practical analyses of methylation dynamics, and provides clues to the relationship between methylation and gene expression.     

Topographic, electrochemical, and optical images captured using standing approach mode scanning electrochemical/optical microscopy

We developed a high-resolution scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) for the characterization of various biological materials. Electrode probes were fabricated by Ti/Pt sputtering followed by parylene C-vapor deposition polymerization on the pulled optical fiber or glass capillary. The effective electrode radius estimated from the cyclic voltammogram of ferrocyanide was found to be 35 nm. The optical aperture size was less than 170 nm, which was confirmed from the cross section of the near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) image of the quantum dot (QD) particles with diameters in the range of 10-15 nm. The feedback mechanism controlling the probe-sample distance was improved by vertically moving the probe by 0.1-3 microm to reduce the damage to the samples. This feedback mode, defined as "standing approach (STA) mode" (Yamada, H.; Fukumoto, H.; Yokoyama, T.; Koike, T. Anal. Chem. 2005, 77, 1785-1790), has allowed the simultaneous electrochemical and topographic imaging of the axons and cell body of a single PC12 cell under physiological conditions for the first time. STA-mode feedback imaging functions better than tip-sample regulation by the conventionally available AFM. For example, polystyrene beads (diameter approximately 6 microm) was imaged using the STA-mode SECM, whereas imaging was not possible using a conventional AFM instrument.     

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of novel 4-substituted and configurationally stable analogues of thalidomide

The preparation of new thalidomide derivatives 4-methyl-(3S,4R)-3a and 4-phenyl-(3S,4S)-3b starting from pyroglutamic acids (2R,3R)-7a and (2R,3S)-7b, possessing an inappropriate stereochemistry, was successfully realized due to stereochemically complete epimerization at the alpha-stereogenic center upon formation of the corresponding N-phthaloyl anhydrides 9a,b. The demonstrated conformational stability of these new thalidomide derivatives provides solid experimental evidence for practical feasibility of the approach described here to overcome the inherent problem of configurational instability of thalidomide by introducing an alkyl or aryl group in the C4 position. [reaction: see text].     

Operationally convenient, efficient asymmetric synthesis of enantiomerically pure 4-aminoglutamic acids via methylene dimerization of chiral glycine equivalents with dichloromethane

This paper presents a practical and efficient asymmetric synthesis of enantiomerically pure 4-aminoglutamic acids using a quite unusual methylene dimerization of chiral nucleophilic glycine equivalents with dichloromethane under phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) conditions. From a synthetic standpoint, the reported procedure is highly operationally convenient and scalable as it does not require any chromatographic purification of the intermediate products.     

Toward the total synthesis of tetrodotoxin: stereoselective construction of the 7-oxanorbornane intermediate

The stereoselective synthesis of 7-oxanorbornane regarding as a key synthetic intermediate of tetrodotoxin (TTX) is reported. The bicyclo ring bearing various functional groups was successfully elaborated by a furan Diels–Alder (DA) reaction. The stereoselective installation of a quaternary amino carbon center to the DA product was achieved with the Tsuji–Trost allylation. The stereochemistry was unambiguously confirmed with X-ray.