Symmetry or asymmetry in cheletropic additions forming cyclopropanes

Cheletropic additions forming cyclopropane rings were studied theoretically. Ten addition paths were traced by means of density-functional-theory calculations. Two 1,4-dienes, 1,4-pentadiene, and tricyclo[5.3.1.0^4,9]undeca-2,5-diene were adopted as substrates. CO, SO₂, C₂H₅PCl₂, CCl₂ and SiCl₂ were employed as cheletropic reagents (Xs). An orbital correlation diagram of the Woodward–Hoffmann (W–H) rule and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) interactions between them were investigated in detail. The FMO interactions, HOMO (1,4-diene)lumo (X) and homo (X)LUMO (diene), work reasonably for the progress of the reactions. Those cause the formation of two C–X bonds and a cyclopropane ring, and alternation of double bonds to single bonds. All the additions are concerted. The easiness of the ring formation depends upon the energy gap between HOMO and lumo and that between homo and LUMO, and the spatial directions of HOMO and LUMO extensions. Symmetry conservation of the W–H rule does not hold necessarily for those addition paths. The symmetry-breaking was discussed in terms of FMO interactions.Acknowledgement This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan and by Nishida Memorial Foundation for Fundamental Chemical Research.     

Theoretical prediction of optical absorption maxima for photosensory receptor mutants

We found a linear correlation between the theoretically predicted shifts and experimentally observed absorption spectra for various mutants of photoactive yellow protein, a photosensory receptor. Excitation energies of mutants were evaluated by the combination of the high level ab initio calculation for the chromophore inside and the low level ab initio calculation for the surrounding protein environment. Importantly, the electronic states of these two regions were treated both as variables and they are solved consistently to each other. The protein–chromophore interaction has been accurately reproduced by this method.     

The biphasic virulence activities of gingipains: activation and inactivation of host proteins

Gingipains are trypsin-like cysteine proteinases produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major causative bacterium of adult periodontitis. Rgps (HRgpA and RgpB) and Kgp are specific for -Arg-Xaa- and -Lys-Xaa- peptide bonds, respectively. HRgpA and Kgp are non-covalent complexes containing separate catalytic and adhesion/hemagglutinin domains, while RgpB has only a catalytic domain with a primary structure essentially identical to that of the cata-lytic subunit of HRgpA. The multiple virulence activities of gingipains are reviewed in view of the biphasic mechanisms: activation and inactivation of host proteins. Rgps enhanced vascular permeability through prekallikrein activation or direct bradykinin release in combination with Kgp. This Rgp action is potentially associated with gingival edema and crevicular fluid production. Rgps activate the blood coagulation system, leading to progression of inflammation and consequent alveolar bone loss in the periodontitis site. Rgps also activate protease-activated receptors and induce platelet aggregation, which, together with the coagulation-inducing activity, may explain an emerging link between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease. Kgp is the most potent fibrinogen/fibrin degrading enzyme of the three gingipains in human plasma, being involved in the bleeding tendency at the diseased gingiva. Gingipains stimulate expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in fibroblasts and activate secreted latent MMPs that can destroy periodontal tissues. Gingipains degrade cytokines, components of the complement system and several receptors, including macrophage CD14, T cell CD4 and CD8, thus perturbing the host-defense systems and thereby facilitating sustained colonization of P. gingivalis. Gingipains are potent virulence factors of P. gingivalis, and in many regards their pathogenic activities constitute new mechanisms of bacterial virulence.     

Preparation of polysiloxanes from silicic acid. III. Preparation and properties of polysilicic acid butyl esters

Polysilicic acid butyl esters were prepared from 1-butanol and silicic acid extracted from sodium metasilicate solution and water glass with tetrahydrofuran and hydrochloric acid. The properties of the esters were dependent on the degree of esterification (DE). The esters with a DE of less than ca. 60% could be isolated by precipitation with hexane and were highly liable to self-condensation, whereas those with more than 60% DE were soluble in solvents and could not be precipitated easily. They underwent further condensation to form highly polymerized esters. Subsequent silylation allowed the isolation and characterization of these esters. The solvent-soluble silylated esters had moderate thermal stability with decomposition points between 210 and 260°C and number-average molecular weights of 10,000–30,000. From the evaluation of units structures of silylate it was suggested that polymer backbone was a pseudoladder structure.     

Effects of a nonplanar porphyrin rings on the spin-spin interactions in low-spin ferric porphyrin radical cationst

Low-spin ferric porphyrin radical cations formed by the oxidation of chloro(meso-tetraalkylporphyrinato)iron(III) followed by the addition of bulky 2-methylimidazole show antiferromagnetic coupling, which is interpreted in terms of the interaction between porphyrin a2u and iron d(xy), orbitals caused by the S4 ruffling of the porphyrin core.     

Officinatrione: an unusual (17S)-17,18-seco-lupane skeleton,and four novel lupane-type triterpenoids from the roots of Taraxacum officinale

Novel 5 lupane-type of triterpenois, i.e., 3β-acetoxy-18α,19α-epoxylupan-21β-ol (1), 18α,19α-epoxy-21β-hydroxylupan-3-one (2), lup-18-ene-3,21-dione (3), lupa-18,21-dien-3β-yl acetate (4), and (17S)-17,18-seco-lup-19(21)-ene-3,18,22-trione (5), named officinatrione, as well as 16 known compounds from the roots of Taraxacum officinale collected in Takatsuki city, Osaka, Japan. Of the above compounds, 5 was the first lupane-type triterpene, of which the D-ring was open to form a nine-membered ring. Compounds 2 and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against L1210 cell line (IC₅₀ 10.5 and 10.1 μM).     

High-quality lowest-loss-mode lasing in GaAs quasi-stadium laser diodes having unstable resonators

We obtained high-quality lowest-loss-mode lasing in quasi-stadium laser diodes having unstable resonators that consisted of two curved end mirrors and two straight sidewall mirrors. The laser diodes were fabricated by applying a reactive ion etching technique to a metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition-grown graded-index separate-confinement heterostructure single-quantum-well GaAs/AlGaAs structure. The electrode contact area of the laser diodes was formed along unstable periodic orbits, along which the optical beams are localized. Highly directional fan-out beams corresponding to the numerically obtained lowest loss mode were emitted from the end mirrors under CW operation at room temperature.     

Studies on the syntheses of polymetalloxanes and their properties as a precursor for amorphous oxide. IV. Properties of SiO2–TiO2 oxide fibers from polytitanosiloxane

From polytitanosiloxanes (PTS), SiO₂–TiO₂ oxide fibers with fairly good tensile strength were prepared, and their mechanical and thermal properties were investigated. The precursor fibers PTS-0.5 and PTS-1.0 were obtained by dry spinning of a highly viscous PTS solution which were formed as the reaction mixture of silicic acid (SA) with bis(2,4-pentanedionato)titanium diisopropoxide (PTP) in the molar ratios (SA/PTP) of 0.5 and 1.0. The precursor fibers PTS-0.5 were too brittle to measure their tensile strength, whereas PTS-1.0 and the heat-treated fibers were found to have tensile strength of 130 (precursor), 540 (500°C), and 450 (900°C) MPa, respectively. Heat-treatment of the fibers PTS-1.0 at above 1000°C forms anatase and rutile of titanium dioxide. The crystallization is resulted from the unreacted PTP which is not incorporated into the polymer network.     

Femtosecond laser-induced stimulation of a single neuron in a neuronal network

We demonstrated the stimulation of neurons at a single-cell level in cultured neuronal network by a focused femtosecond laser. When the femtosecond laser was focused on a neuron loaded with a fluorescent calcium indicator, the fluorescence intensity immediately increased at the laser spot, suggesting that intracellular Ca²⁺ increases in the neuronal cell due to the femtosecond laser irradiation. The probability of Ca²⁺ elevation at the laser spot depended on the average laser power, irradiation time, and position of the focal point along the optical axis, indicating that the femtosecond laser activates neurons because of multiphoton absorption. Moreover, after laser irradiation of a single neuron cultured on multielectrode arrays, the evoked electrical activity of the neurons was demonstrated by electrophysiological systems, which concluded that the focused femtosecond laser could achieve stimulating a single neuron in a neuronal network with high spatial and temporal resolution.