Isolation of xylose reductase gene ofPichia stipitis and its expression inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - A NADPH/NADH-dependent xylose reductase gene was isolated from the xylose-assimilating yeast,Pichia stipitis. DNA sequence analysis showed that the gene...     

Substituent effects on the tautomer ratios between the hydrazone imine and diazenyl enamine forms in side-chained quinoxalines

The 3-(arylhydrazono)methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines 9–11 were synthesized by the reaction of the quinoxalines 6–8 with various p-substituted benzenediazonium salts. Compounds 9–11 showed the tautomeric equilibria between the hydrazone imine A and diazenyl enamine B forms in dimethyl sulfoxide media. The substituent effect on the tautomer ratios of A to B was studied by the nmr spectroscopy to clarify that the presence of the ester group R² on the hydrazone carbon and electron-donating p-substituent R¹ on the side chain benzene ring exhibited a tendency to increase the ratios of the tautomer A .     

New butenolides in plantlets of Virola surinamensis (Myristicaceae)

A phytochemical investigation in plantlets of the Brazilian medicinal tree Virola surinamensis resulted in the isolation and structural determination of four new compounds: 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-(11'-piperonyl-n-undecyl)-butenolide; 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-(7'-piperonyl-n-heptyl)-butanolide; 9'-(3,4-methylenedioxy-phenyl)-nonanoic acid and 13'-(3,4-methylene-dioxyphenyl)-tridecanoic acid. Thirteen compounds previously isolated from seeds and adult plants were also reported.     

A Complex Pyrrolo-oxazinone and Its Iodo Derivative Isolated from a Tunicate

Two cytotoxic triphenylpyrrolo-oxazinones were isolated from a tunicate and their structures elucidated by spectral methods. Lukianol A ( = 3,7,8-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]oxazin-1 (1H)-one; 1 ) had MIC of 1 μg/ml in KB cytotoxicity tests; MIC value for 2 was 100 μg/ml.     

Stereoselective synthesis of procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate, and their abilities as antioxidant and DNA polymerase inhibitor

A simple method for the synthesis of procyanidin B3 substituted with a galloyl group at the 3 and 3″ position is described. Condensation of a benzylated catechin-3-O-gallate electrophile with a nucleophile, catechin and catechin-3-O-gallate, proceeded smoothly and stereoselectively to afford the corresponding dimer gallates, procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and procyanidin B3-3,3″-di-O-gallate, in good yields. Further, their antioxidant activities on UV-induced lipid peroxide formation, DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of DNA polymerase were also investigated. Among three procyanidin B3 congeners (procyanidin B3, 3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate), the 3,3″-di-O-gallate derivative showed the strongest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. Interestingly, the 3-O-gallate derivative was the strongest inhibitor of mammalian DNA polymerase with IC₅₀ value of 0.26 μM, although it showed the weakest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. It became apparent that the presence of a galloyl group at the C-3 position in the proanthocyanidin oligomer was very important for biological activity, however, the antioxidant activity of these compounds was not parallel to the DNA polymerase inhibitory activity.     

CHOICE OF COATINGS FOR THE OPTICAL ELEMENTS IN THE IRRADIATION SYSTEM OF VACUUM-ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ABOVE 50 nm

The spectral throughput of a vacuum-ultraviolet irradiation system at the SOR-RING facility was examined with various combinations of aluminum-and gold-coated optical elements in a 2.2-m modified Wadsworth monochromator. We found that the optimum was a combination of an aluminum-coated collimating mirror, concave grating, and plane deflecting mirror, and a combination of a gold-coated collimating mirror, concave grating and an aluminum-coated plane deflecting mirror in the wavelength regions 190-110 nm and 110-50 nm, respectively.     

Dioxopyrrolines. LXII. Diels-Alder reaction of 1-Aryl-4- and 5-methoxycarbonyl-1H-pyrrole-2,3-diones with various 1,3-dienes

Two new dioxopyrrolines (1-aryl-4-methoxycarbonyl-1H-pyrrole-2,3-dione 6 and the 5-methoxycarbonyl isomer 8) behaved as good dienophiles to some kind of 1,3-dienes examined. In most cases, the products were explained by the reaction where the largest lobe of HOMO of dienes reacted to the larger LUMO of dienophiles in an expected cis-endo manner. However, in the reactions of 8 with alkylbutadienes, piperylene and isoprene, abnormality in the reaction was observed, which was well explained by taking account of steric factors.     

Synthesis,structure, and dynamic behavior of cyclopentadienyl-lithium, -sodium,and -potassium annelated with bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units: a systematic study on site exchange of alkali metals on a cyclopentadienyl ring in tetrahydrofuran

Novel cyclopentadienyl (Cp)-alkali metal complexes 1-M and 2-M (M = Li, Na, K), in which the Cp ring is annelated with two bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units and substituted with a phenyl group for 1 and a tert-butyl group for 2, were synthesized, and their structures and dynamic behaviors were investigated by means of X-ray crystallography, dynamic (13)C NMR, and DFT calculations. The X-ray crystallography results indicated that 1-Li, 1-Na, and 2-Na form monomeric contact ion pairs (CIP) with three THF molecules coordinated to the metal atom. Also, in THF-d(8), all of the 1-M and 2-M form monomeric CIP in the ground state. However, variable-temperature (13)C NMR measurements of 1-M and 2-M in THF-d(8) demonstrated dynamic behavior in which the metal ion exchanges positions between the upper and lower faces of the Cp ring. From a study of the concentration dependence of the dynamic behavior, the exchange was found to proceed principally as an intramolecular process at concentration ranges lower than 0.2 M. The experimentally observed deltaG values for the intramolecular exchange process for all the 1-M and 2-M (except for 2-Li, whose intramolecular process was too slow to observe) were found to be quite similar in THF-d(8) solution and to fall within the range of 12-14 kcal mol(-)(1). Within this range, a tendency was observed for the deltaG values to increase as the size of the metal decreased. Theoretical calculations (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) afforded considerably large values as the gas-phase dissociation energy for 1-M (162.7 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Li; 131.6 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Na; 110.9 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = K) and for 2-M (170.0 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Li; 137.5 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Na; 115.4 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = K). These values should be compensated for by a decrease in the solvation energies for the metal ions with increasing size, as exemplified by the calculated solvation energy for M(+)(Me(2)O)(4), which serves as a model for metal ions solvated with four molecules of THF (-122.9 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Li; -94.7 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = Na; -67.7 kcal mol(-)(1) for M = K). This compensation results in a small difference in the overall energy for dissociation of 1-M or 2-M in ethereal solutions, thus supporting the similar deltaG values observed for the intramolecular metal exchange.     

Phase Separation in Sol-Gel System Containing Mixture of 3- and 4-Functional Alkoxysilanes

The phase separation behavior of gelling systems containing the mixture of 3-functional and 4-functional alkoxysilanes has been investigated. The relation between the starting composition and resultant macroporous morphology was examined using tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) as starting alkoxysilanes, formamide (FA) as an additive, under an acidic condition. Up to TMOS:VTMS molar ratio of 0.5:0.5, the phase relation remained almost unchanged from that of pure TMOS system which exhibits morphology with well-defined co-continuous macropores in a very limited concentration region. On the VTMS-rich side typically TMOS:VTMS = 0.2:0.8, however, the co-continuous macroporous morphology was obtained in a broader composition range than those of either pure TMOS or VTMS system. A dome-like pseudo binary region was obtained with the two-phase region extending toward FA-rich direction. The domain size and pore volume of the gels with macroporous morphology could be controlled by alkoxide:water ratio and total solvent fraction, respectively.