A GaCl3-catalyzed [4+1] cycloaddition of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and isocyanides leading to unsaturated gamma-lactone derivatives

A GaCl3-catalyzed reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with isocyanides leading to the formation of unsaturated lactone derivatives is described. This is the first example of the catalytic [4+1] cycloaddition of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones and isocyanides. GaCl3 is an excellent catalyst due to its lower oxophilicity, which is desirable for all of the key steps, such as E/Z isomerization, cyclization, and deattachment from the products.     

Basic peptides as functional components of non-viral gene transfer vehicles

Improving the performance of non-viral gene-delivery vehicles that consist of synthetic compounds and nucleic acids is a key to successful gene therapy. Supplementing synthetic vehicles with various biological functions by using natural or artificial peptides is a promising approach with which to achieve this goal. One of the obstacles hindering this effort is that some of the potentially useful peptides, especially those with many basic amino acid residues, interfere with the formation of the complex owing to strong electrostatic interactions with the nucleic acid. In this review, we describe our recent work in examining the potential of these peptides in gene delivery, using a recombinant lambda phage particle as the model for the gene-delivery complex. Lambda phage encapsulates large duplex DNA in a rigid polyplex-like shell with a diameter of 55 nm, and can display various peptides on this capsid, independently of particle formation. By examining the expression of marker genes encapsulated in the phage capsid, we have demonstrated that the protein transduction domain of HIV Tat protein and the nuclear localization signal derived from SV40 T antigen can remarkably facilitate the delivery of these marker genes across the two major barriers, the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane, respectively. Our results indicate that these basic peptides can constitute effective components of synthetic gene-transfer complexes, as long as sufficient copies are displayed on the outer surface of the complex.     

Phase-Separation Phenomena of Copolymer Solutions and Fractionation of Copolymers by Chemical Composition

Precipitation temperature-total polymer concentration diagrams for toluene solutions of two styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers different in chemical composition and their mixtures were determined and then triangular phase diagrams of this system were constructed from these diagrams. It is speculated from the triangular phase diagrams and experimentally shown that the copolymer may be effectively fractionated by chemical composition in this system.     

Identification of conjugation positions of urinary glucuronidated vitamin D3 metabolites by LC/ESI–MS/MS after conversion to MS/MS‐fragmentable derivatives

A liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry‐based method was developed for the identification of the conjugation positions of the monoglucuronides of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D₃ [25(OH)D₃] and 24,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [24,25(OH)₂D₃] in human urine. The method employed derivatization with 4‐(4‐dimethylaminophenyl)‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione to convert the glucuronides into fragmentable derivatives, which provided useful product ions for identifying the conjugation positions during the MS/MS. The derivatization also enhanced the assay sensitivity and specificity for urine sample analysis. The positional isomeric monoglucuronides, 25(OH)D₃‐3‐ and ‐25‐glucuronides, or 24,25(OH)₂D₃‐3‐, ‐24‐ and ‐25‐glucuronides, were completely separated from each other under the optimized LC conditions. Using this method, the conjugation positions were successfully determined to be the C3 and C24 positions for the glucuronidated 25(OH)D₃ and 24,25(OH)₂D₃, respectively. The 3‐glucuronide was not present for 24,25(OH)₂D₃, unlike 25(OH)D₃, thus we found that selective glucuronidation occurs at the C24‐hydroxy group for 24,25(OH)₂D₃.     

Cyclic sample pooling using two‐dimensional liquid chromatography system enhances coverage in shotgun proteomics

We report a cyclic sample pooling technique devised in two‐dimensional liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS) shotgun proteomics that renders deeper proteome coverage; we combined low pH reversed‐phase (RP) LC in trifluoroacetic acid in the first dimension, followed by cyclic sample pooling of the eluate and low‐pH RP‐LC in formic acid in the second dimension. The new protocol has a significantly higher resolving power suitable for LC‐ESI‐MS/MS shotgun proteomics. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vinyl Polymerization. 269. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by p,p'-Dimethoxydiphenyldiazomethane

Using p,p'-dimethoxydiphenyldiazomethane (DMDM) as initiator, the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in benzene or in bulk was carried out. The initial rate of polymerization, R_p, was found to be expressed by the following equation:

R_p = k[DMDM]^0.53 [MMA]^0.84

The polymerization was confirmed to proceed by a radical mechanism. The over-all activation energy for the polymerization in benzene was calculated as 19.3 kcal/mole. The rate of thermal decomposition of DMDM was also measured in benzene and the rate equation was obtained as follows:

k_d (sec^?1) = 1.0 × 10¹⁵ exp (^?29.1 kcal/RT) (for 50-80°C)

Explanations of these observations are discussed in connection with those of the preceding papers.     

Liquid crystalline polyurethane. Polyurethanes containing bis-(p-oxymethylphenyl) terephthalate

Several polyurethanes based on bis-(p-oxymethylphenyl) terephthalate (BOPT) were synthesized and studied with respect to some of their thermal properties. BOPT exhibits a mesomorphic phase at 252–264°C. Polymerization was carried out by equimolar reaction with hexamethyl-ene diisocyanate (HDI), 4,4-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H₁₂MDI) α,α'-diisocyanate-1,3-dimethylcyclohexane (H6 XDI), 4,4′-diphenylmeth-ane diisocyanate (MDI), 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), and phenylene diisocyanate (PDI). It became clear that polyurethanes obtained from BOPT with HDI, H₁₂MDI, H₆XDI, and TDI have mesomorphic phases at 243–291, 214–250, 172–229, and 180–234°C, respectively, as determined by DSC and polarized microscopy, and that all polyurethanes are crystalline as evidenced by x-ray diffraction.     

Second-harmonic-generation microscope using eight-segment polarization-mode converter to observe three-dimensional molecular orientation

We developed a compact polarization-mode converter for microscopy to control three-dimensional polarization at the focus. The converter consisted of two homogeneously aligned liquid-crystal spatial light modulators with eight independently controllable electrodes (segments), and a quarter-waveplate. The converter converted a linearly polarized beam to three polarization modes: two orthogonal linear polarizations and a pseudo-radial polarization. We applied the converter to second-harmonic-generation microscopy and demonstrated the detection of three-dimensional molecular orientation.