A cationic Zn(II) porphyrazine induces a stable parallel G-quadruplex conformation in human telomeric DNA

A water soluble Zn(II) porphyrazine drives the conformational equilibrium of the G-quadruplex of a human telomeric sequence exclusively towards a parallel conformation upon complexation.     

In–CuInS2 nanocomposite film prepared by pulsed laser deposition using a single source precursor

An In–CuInS₂ nanocomposite film has been prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition applying a single source precursor. X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations evidence that the film consists of nanocrystals of elemental In and chalcopyrite type CuInS₂ with sizes of 36 and 17 nm respectively. A detailed analysis of the electrical performance of the film suggests that the nanoparticles are in Ohmic contact and that the resistivity is mainly caused by the CuInS₂ nanocrystals which are less conducting than the pure In metal. Irradiation of the film with light shows a photoconductive effect mainly with wavelengths larger than 515 nm and smaller than 850 nm.     

Induction of apoptosis by photoexcited tetracyclic compounds derivatives of benzo[b]thiophenes and pyridines

The antiproliferative activity, upon UVA irradiation, of two tetracyclic derivatives of benzo[b]thiophenes and pyridines, a benzo[b]thienopyridopyrimidone (1) and a thienocarboline (2), has been investigated in a panel of human tumor cell lines. The two compounds present a remarkable cytotoxicity after UVA irradiation (365 nm), reaching an IC50 of 0.1 microM in the leukaemia cell lines and 0.3-0.5 microM in the solid tumour cell lines. Their effect on the cell cycle was measured by flow cytometry in Jurkat cells. The compounds induce cell cycle perturbations and trigger a massive apoptosis as revealed by the externalisation of Annexin V-targeted residues at the outer plasmatic membrane. Furthermore the drugs induce, upon UVA irradiation significant variations of the mitochondrial potential (Deltapsi(mt)) measured by flow cytometry using the fluorochrome JC-1. In addition we characterized the mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using the probe dihydroethidine (HE) and the oxidations of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin using the interacting probe nonyl acridine orange (NAO). Both compounds stimulate the production of ROS, and remarkably induce oxidation of cardiolipin. We have investigated the DNA-binding properties of these two compounds by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence. The two compounds exhibit a low affinity toward the macromolecule. The mode of binding was also investigated by means of flow linear dichroism (LD) which has revealed that the two compounds do not efficiently intercalate into DNA. Finally, the DNA-photocleavaging properties of the test compounds were studied on pBR322 plasmid DNA as a model. Only compound 1 is able to induce a significant production of single strand breaks only after digestion with the base excision repair enzyme Endo III. Altogether these data suggest that DNA is not a preferential target of these molecules and other subcellular structures may be responsible for their high phototoxic activity.     

Dynamical suppression of 1/f noise processes in qubit systems

We investigate the capability of dynamical decoupling techniques to reduce decoherence from a realistic environment generating 1/f noise. The predominance of low frequency modes in the noise profile allows for decoherence scenarios where relatively slow control rates suffice for a drastic improvement. However, the actual figure of merit is very sensitive to the details of the dynamics, with decoupling performance which may deteriorate for non-Gaussian noise and/or high frequency working points. Our results are promising for robust solid-state qubits and beyond.     

Intercalation of organic dye molecules into double-stranded DNA. Part 2: the annelated quinolizinium ion as a structural motif in DNA intercalators

DNA intercalators represent an important class of compounds with a high potential as DNA-targeting drugs. In this review it is demonstrated that annelated quinolizinium derivatives such as coralyne and derivatives thereof intercalate into DNA and that this structural motif allows several variations of the substitution pattern without loss of intercalating properties. The commonly applied methods for the evaluation of the DNA association, mainly spectroscopic studies, are pointed out. In addition, studies on the biological activities of annelated quinolizinium derivatives, such as topoisomerase poisoning or cell toxicity, are highlighted.     

Characterization of Asx Turn Types and Their Connate Relationship with β-Turns

Models of asparagine-containing dipeptides specifically designed to favor intrinsic folding into an Asx turn were characterized both theoretically, by using quantum chemistry, and experimentally, by using laser spectroscopy in the gas phase. Both approaches provided evidence for the spontaneous folding of both the Asn-Ala and Asn-Gly dipeptide models into the most stable Asx turn, a conformation stabilized by a C10 H-bond that was very similar to a type II’ β-turn. In parallel, analysis of Asx turns implicating asparagine in crystallized protein structures in the Protein Data Bank revealed a sequence-dependent behavior. In Asn-Ala sequences, the Asx turn was found in conjunction with a type I β-turn for which the first of the four defining residues was Asn. The observation that the Asx turn in these structures is mostly of type II’ (i. e., its most stable innate structure) suggests that this motif might foster the formation and/or enhance the stability of the backbone β-turn. In contrast, the Asx turns observed in Asn-Gly sequences extensively adopted a type II Asx-turn structure, thus suggesting that their formation should be ascribed to other factors, such as hydration. The fact that the Asx turn in a Asn-Gly sequence is also often found in combination with a hydrated β-bulge supports the premise that a Asn-Gly sequence might efficiently promote the formation of the β-bulge secondary structure.     

Crack edge displacement and elastic constant determination for an orthotropic material

A method for determining the elastic constants of an isotropic material, based on crack edge displacement data, is extended to an orthotropic material. Complex potentials are used to obtain the stresses and displacements for plane strain. Mode I crack problems in three mutually orthogonal planes are considered and solved. In particular, the expressions of crack edge displacements are obtained in an explicit form. An iterative statistical identification method, based on a Bayesan approach, is used to identify the elastic constants of an orthotropic medium from the Mode I crack displacements measured from the mid-point of the crack. Some graphics are displayed to illustrate the convergence of the pertinent parameters and the approach of the analytical displacements to their experimental values.