CHANGES IN THE PATTERNS OF BIOSYNTHESIS and COMPOSITION OF AMINO ACIDS IN A MARINE PHYTOPLANKTER EXPOSED TO ULTRAVIOLET-B RADIATION: NITROGEN LIMITATION IMPLICATED

Abstract— The impact of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVBR) on the biosynthesis and the composition of intracellular dissolved free and combined amino acids was examined in nitrate-replete and nitrate-deficient cultures of Tetraselmis sp. Several similarities were observed in the response of Tetraselmis sp. to nitrogen deficiency and exposure to UVBR, in support of a view that UVBR affects amino acid synthesis in phytoplankton via its inhibitory effects on nitrogen assimilation into the cells. At levels that still permitted the uptake of carbon into the cells, both nitrogen deficiency and UVBR exposure resulted in a reduction in the overall rates of carbon incorporated into amino acids, an increase in the absolute concentrations of amino acids within the intracellular dissolved free amino acid (INDFAA) pool and a decrease in the total cellular amino acid (TCAA) pool. An examination of the patterns of carbon assimilation into individual amino acids in cells exposed to UVBR revealed similarities with the patterns in cells subject to nitrogen deficiency. The most conspicuous changes from the controls included an increased incorporation of ¹³C into glutamic' acid (glutamic acid + glutamine) and aspartic acid and a marked reduction into alanine and valine. Changes in the concentrations of amino acids within the INDFAA and TCAA pools were also similar in nitrate-deficient and UVBR-exposed cells and resembled the carbon assimilation patterns. These results strongly suggest that UVBR-induced changes in the biosynthesis and composition of amino acids are probably via its suppression of nitrogen assimilation into the cells.     

Characterization of magnetic nanoparticles modified with thiol functionalized PAMAM dendron for DNA recovery

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified with the thiol functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendron were synthesized to estimate their DNA recovery capabilities. Aminosilane-modified MNPs and MNPs surrounded by a phospholipid (distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE)) bilayer were used as core particles. Cystamine-core PAMAM dendrimers were reduced by dithiothreitol to dendron thiols and chemically conjugated to the core particles. Characterization of the synthesis revealed an increase of the surface amine charge from generation 1 (G1) to G6, starting with an aminosilane initiator. Particle size distribution analysis indicated that G6 PAMAM-modified MNPs exhibited monodispersity in an aqueous solution. G6 PAMAM-MNPs and G6 PAMAM-PE-MNPs synthesized by the proposed method have equivalent DNA recovery abilities to PAMAM-MNPs prepared by the conventional divergent synthesis method. In optimized conditions, 96% of λDNA was recovered using G6 PAMAM-PE-MNPs. Therefore, the method for preparing PAMAM-MNPs and PAMAM-PE-MNPs proposed in this study will be a novel approach for producing DNA carriers for efficient DNA purification by magnetic separation.     

Photoinduced depolymerization of poly(olefin sulfone)s possessing photobase generator side‐chains: Effect of spacer‐chain length

Photoinduced depolymerization of poly(olefin sulfone)s possessing photobase generators in the side‐chain was investigated. Irradiation with UV light generated base on the side‐chains and induced depolymerization based on proton abstraction on the main‐chain. The effect of the length of the spacer chain, which connects the photobase‐generating moiety to the polymer main chain on the photoinduced depolymerization, also was investigated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3873–3880     

New Preparation of Cyclic Acyloxyphosphorane by Reaction of Glyoxylic Acid with Phosphorus(III) Compounds

We have recently found that the reaction of α-keto acids (1) with phosphorus (III) compounds (3) yielded cyclic acyloxyphosphoranes(C-AOPs, 4), a new class of pentacovalent phosphorus species having a P-OC(O) group.^{1, 2)} The present paper deals with a new reaction of glyoxylic acid (2) with 3 to give C-AOPs (5) having no substituent at the C-3 position. 1 is an α-keto acid whereas 2 can be taken as an α-formyl acid. Although it is well known in the field of organic chemistry that the formyl group often behaves differently from a keto group, the reaction of 2 with 3 provides an example in which both groups behave in a similar manner.     

Ion-Selective Electrodes Based on Bilayer Film Coating

The electrode characteristics of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) for K⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, and Ca²⁺ based on bilayer film coatings, where the inner layer films are electroactive electropolymerized ones and the outer layer films are composed of conventional ion-sensitive materials, have been examined. These ISEs of the coated-wire electrode type have no conventional internal reference solution and reference electrode, but the inner films may be considered to function as the “internal standard solution.” The ion selectivity coefficients and the activity range showing Nernstian response were almost comparable to those of conventional liquid-membrane electrodes. The bilayer-coated ISEs showed insensitivity to O₂ and CO₂, long-term stability, and little drift. It was also found that the electrode performance is practically unchanged after sterilization in an autoclave. The results demonstrate that the bilayer-coated ISEs examined are promising for the determination of K⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, or Ca²⁺ activity in biological and environmental systems.     

偏氟乙烯／三氟乙烯共聚物介电松弛的结晶度效应

用改进的介电松弛谱仪（精度２‰）测定了ＶＤＦ／ＴｒＦＥ（７／２７、６５／３５、５２／４８ｍｏｌ％）共聚物溶液成膜、液氮淬火、熔融慢冷和热处理试样在－１２０—１３０℃、１０－２一１０４Ｈｚ范围的复数介电常数．介电松弛研究结果显示低结晶度的淬火试样较高结晶度的熔融慢冷和热处理试样的Ｔｃ高．结晶度上升，居里点处的介电常数增大．室温以下的介电频率谱分别由代表非晶区分子运动的β松弛（低频部）和局域运动的γ松弛（高频部）叠合而成．随结晶度提高，β松弛峰减小，γ松弛峰增大；非晶松弛强度减弱．晶区松弛强度增强．     

Synthesis and polymerization of 4-o-vinylbenzyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine

Some hindered amine polymers containing 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine structure were synthesized. A new monomer, 4-O-vinylbenzyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, was homopolymerized and copolymerized with some vinyl monomers in the presence of AIBN as an initiator. The obtained amine polymers were oxidized with hydrogen peroxide to obtain the polymers having nitroxyl radical moiety.     

Crystallographic analysis of a pair of isolable atropisomers of 2-aryl substituted indoline derivatives

The crystal and molecular structures of isomeric compounds of 1-(4′-chlorobenzoyl)-2-(2″-hydroxynaphthyl)-3,3-Dimethylindoline have been determined by single crystal X-ray analyses as a pair of diastereomeric atropisomers due to restricted rotation about a Csp³-Csp² bond.     

Reductive electron injection into duplex DNA by aromatic amines

An assay based on photoinduced reaction and subsequent cleavage of duplex DNA containing a bromodeoxyuridine ((Br)U) residue and an abasic site was developed to screen aromatic amines for their ability to initiate charge transfer by reductive electron donation. Two candidates, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,5-diaminonaphthalene (TMDN) and 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (DAN), expressed the desired activity, and an oligodeoxynucleotide-TMDN conjugate was subsequently prepared to identify additional variables affecting the efficiency of electron injection and transfer into DNA. This system demonstrated only mild sensitivity to molecular oxygen but was strongly inhibited by high concentrations of 2-mercaptoethanol. The nucleobase counter to the attached TMDN strongly modulated charge transfer as evident by a 60-fold decrease in reduction of the distal (Br)U when the counterbase A was substituted for C. An inverse relationship between this reduction and quenching of TMDN fluorescence by the counterbase was also discovered and is consistent with a competition between radical recombination and electron migration away from the initial site of its injection into DNA.