id
stringlengths
4
8
title
stringlengths
1
642
abstract
stringlengths
50
17.9k
15355026
A new family of macrocycles produced by sequential Claisen-Schmidt condensations.
[reaction: see text] Members of a new family of macrocycles have been synthesized in one step, from simple building blocks, by sequential Claisen-Schmidt condensations.
15356205
The upregulated expression of sonic hedgehog in motor neurons after rat facial nerve axotomy.
Nerve injury leads to the induction of a large number of genes to repair the damage and to restore synaptic transmission. We have attempted to identify molecules whose mRNA expression is altered in response to facial nerve axotomy. Here we report that facial nerve axotomy upregulates Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and its recept...
15355116
The migrastatin family: discovery of potent cell migration inhibitors by chemical synthesis.
The first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-migrastatin (1), a macrolide natural product with anti-metastatic properties, has been accomplished. Our concise and flexible approach utilized a Lewis acid-catalyzed diene aldehyde condensation (LACDAC) to install the three contiguous stereocenters and the trisubstituted (Z)...
15355070
Adenine ribbon with Watson-crick and Hoogsteen motifs as the "double-sided adhesive tape" in the supramolecular structure of adenine and metal carboxylate.
The cocrystals of adenine and metal (II) quinoline-2-carboxylates (M = Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+) have been obtained by self-assembly. The complexes are composed of adenine ribbons with the AA22 pairing pattern involving both Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen faces in hydrogen bonding and the neutral molecules of carboxylate positione...
15355327
3beta-20beta-dihydroxy-5alpha-pregnane (UC1011) antagonism of the GABA potentiation and the learning impairment induced in rats by allopregnanolone.
Allopregnanolone is a progesterone metabolite and GABA-A receptor modulator with benzodiazepine like effects, including decreased learning and memory. In vitro 3beta-hydroxypregnane steroids antagonize allopregnanolone-induced effects, but no antagonism has been shown in vivo. Our purpose was to evaluate 3beta-20beta-d...
15353077
Oestradiol, cyclodextrin-encapsulated 17beta-oestradiol and the oestradiol solubilizer 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin all impair preimplantation mouse embryo development.
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HbetaC) used as a solubilizer for oestradiol, 17beta-oestradiol (ethanol soluble) and HbetaC-encapsulated-17beta-oestradiol on mouse embryo development in vitro. HbetaC had no effect on day 3 development. In contrast, blastocyst deve...
15352791
Freezing on heating of liquid solutions.
We report a reversible liquid-solid transition upon heating of a simple solution composed of a-cyclodextrine (alpha CD), water, and 4-methylpyridine. These solutions are homogeneous and transparent at ambient temperature and solidify when heated to temperatures between 45 degrees and 75 degrees. Quasielastic and elasti...
15350107
Catalysis by hydrophobically modified poly(propylenimine) dendrimers having quaternary ammonium and tertiary amine functionality.
Four different quaternary ammonium chloride-modified poly(propylenimine) (PPI) dendrimers were synthesized by alkylation of a PPI dendrimer having eight dimethylamino end groups with 1-bromooctane or 1-bromododecane. By varying the mole ratio of alkyl bromide to dendrimer, averages of 4-10 quaternary ammonium groups we...
15350101
Formation of supramolecular cavitands on copper electrode surfaces.
The adsorption of 1,1'-dibenzyl-4,4'-bipyridinium molecules (dibenzyl-viologen or DBV(2+) for the sake of simplicity) on chloride precovered Cu(100) has been studied in an electrochemical environment by means of cyclic voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy. DBV(2+) spontaneously forms a highly ordered p...
15350097
Surface characterization, modification chemistry, and separation performance of polyimide and polyamidoamine dendrimer composite films.
6FDA-polyimide films modified by polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with generations of 0, 1, and 2 are reported in this article. The actual molecular conformation and bulk size of these three generation dendrimers immobilized on polyimide surface were characterized by atomic force microscopy. After comparing with the r...
15350094
Exceptional gas permeation selectivity of a glued Langmuir-Blodgett bilayer by pH control.
The monolayer properties of 5,11,17,23,29,35-hexakis[(N,N,N-trimethylamonium)-N-methyl-37,38,39,40,41,42-hexakis-n-hexadecyloxy-calix[6]arene hexachloride (1) have been characterized over aqueous solutions of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) as a function of pH. At high pH values (e.g., pH 10)...
15350089
The nature of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer adsorption on sputtered gold substrates.
A detailed study of the self-assembly and coverage by 1-nonanethiol of sputtered Au surfaces using molecular resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is presented. The monolayer self-assembles on a smooth Au surface composed predominantly of [111] oriented grains. The domains of ...
15350070
Photochemical reaction, acidichromism, and supramolecular nanoarchitectures in the Langmuir-Blodgett films of an amphiphilic styrylquinoxaline derivative.
An amphiphilic styrylquinoxaline derivative, 3-(4-(hexadecyloxy)styryl)quinoxalin-2(1H)-one (SQC16), was newly synthesized to investigate their photochemical and gas responsive properties in organized molecular films. It was observed that SQC16 can spread as a monolayer on the subphases with various pH values and be su...
15350063
Organization of four thermotropic liquid crystals of different polarities on model liquid and solid surfaces.
The thermodynamic and surface properties of four structurally related thermotropic liquid crystals (LC) were investigated to understand their organization at gas-liquid and gas-solid interfaces. In this study, LC with a benzoyloxy azobenzene mesogenic core substituted with heptyloxy and/or dioxyethylene ether groups we...
15350059
A simulation study of electrostatic effects on mixed ionic micelles confined between two parallel charged plates.
Confined colloidal systems have been the subject of extensive theoretical and experimental research, and the recent observation of long-range like-charge attraction in such systems has only highlighted their peculiar behavior. On the other hand, surfactant solutions are often used in small confined space, yet their beh...
15350054
Supramolecular assemblies of a naturally derived sophorolipid.
Acidic sophorolipid (SL) molecules derived from yeasts represent a novel type of asymmetrical bolaamphiphiles due to their unique structural features that include an asymmetrical polar head size (disaccharide vs COOH), a kinked hydrophobic core (cis-9-octadecenoic chain), and a non-amide polar-nonpolar linkage. Light m...
15352114
Cylindrical micelles from the aqueous self-assembly of an amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PEO-b-PFS) block copolymer with a metallo-supramolecular linker at the block junction.
A supramolecular AB diblock copolymer has been prepared by the sequential self-assembly of terpyridine end-functionalized polymer blocks by using Ru(III)/Ru(II) chemistry. By this synthetic strategy a hydrophobic poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) was attached to a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block to give an amph...
15352111
Using noncovalent intra-strand and inter-strand interactions to prescribe helix formation within a metallo-supramolecular system.
The effect of inter-strand and intra-strand interactions is explored in a metallo-supramolecular system in which the metal-ligand coordination requirements may be satisfied by more than one different supramolecular architecture. This is achieved by introducing alkyl substituents onto the spacers of readily prepared bis...
15352110
A new color of the synthetic chameleon methoxyallene: synthesis of trifluoromethyl-substituted pyridinol derivatives: an unusual reaction mechanism, a remarkable crystal packing, and first palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions.
Addition of lithiated methoxyallene to pivalonitrile afforded after aqueous workup the expected iminoallene 1 in excellent yield. Treatment of this intermediate with silver nitrate accomplished the desired cyclization to the electron-rich pyrrole derivative 2 in moderate yield. Surprisingly, trifluoroacetic acid conver...
15352107
Hydrogen-bonding cooperativity: using an intramolecular hydrogen bond to design a carbohydrate derivative with a cooperative hydrogen-bond donor centre.
Neighbouring groups can be strategically located to polarise HO.OH intramolecular hydrogen bonds in an intended direction. A group with a unique hydrogen-bond donor or acceptor character, located at hydrogen-bonding distance to a particular OH group, has been used to initiate the hydrogen-bond network and to polarise a...
15352106
Relative binding affinities of molecular capsules investigated by ESI-mass spectrometry.
ESI-MS(/MS) has been used as a method which allows the fast, unambiguous and sensitive simultaneous detection and relative stability approximation of supramolecular assemblies in mixtures. In spite of the obvious fundamental differences between solution and gas phase, ESI-MS in the case of self-assembled molecular caps...
15352096
Chiral recognition by resorcin[4]arene receptors: intrinsic kinetics and dynamics.
Molecular recognition of representative amino acids (A) by a chiral amido[4]resorcinarene receptor (1(L)) was investigated in the gas phase by ESI-FT-ICR mass spectrometry. The ligand displacement reaction between noncovalent diastereomeric [1(L).H.A](+) complexes and the 2-aminobutane enantiomers (B) exhibits a distin...
15350287
Nanotechnology and biomimetic methods in therapeutics: molecular scale control with some help from nature.
Nanoscale science and engineering has provided new avenues for engineering materials with macromolecular and even molecular precision. In particular, researchers are beginning to mimic biological systems, achieving molecular scale control via self-assembly and directed assembly techniques. Fabrication and manipulation ...
15345574
Simultaneous topography and recognition imaging using force microscopy.
We present a method for simultaneously recording topography images and localizing specific binding sites with nm positional accuracy by combining dynamic force microscopy with single molecule recognition force spectroscopy. For this we used lysozyme adsorbed to mica, the functionality of which was characterized by enzy...
15345573
All-optical constant-force laser tweezers.
Optical tweezers are a powerful tool for the study of single biomolecules. Many applications require that a molecule be held under constant tension while its extension is measured. We present two schemes based on scanning-line optical tweezers to accomplish this, providing all-optical alternatives to force-clamp traps ...
15345568
Probing the self-assembly and the accompanying structural changes of hydrophobin SC3 on a hydrophobic surface by mass spectrometry.
The fungal class I hydrophobin SC3 self-assembles into an amphipathic membrane at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces such as the water-air and water-Teflon interface. During self-assembly, the water-soluble state of SC3 proceeds via the intermediate alpha-helical state to the stable end form called the beta-sheet state...
15345567
A structural model of polyglutamine determined from a host-guest method combining experiments and landscape theory.
Modeling the structure of natively disordered peptides has proved difficult due to the lack of structural information on these peptides. In this work, we use a novel application of the host-guest method, combining folding theory with experiments, to model the structure of natively disordered polyglutamine peptides. Ini...
15345566
Time-resolved visible and infrared study of the cyano complexes of myoglobin and of hemoglobin I from Lucina pectinata.
The dynamics of the ferric CN complexes of the heme proteins Myoglobin and Hemoglobin I from the clam Lucina pectinata upon Soret band excitation is monitored using infrared and broad band visible pump-probe spectroscopy. The transient response in the UV-vis spectral region does not depend on the heme pocket environmen...
15345562
Organization of Ca2+ release units in excitable smooth muscle of the guinea-pig urinary bladder.
Ca(2+) release from internal stores (sarcoplasmic reticulum or SR) in smooth muscles is initiated either via pharmaco-mechanical coupling due to the action of an agonist and involving IP3 receptors, or via excitation-contraction coupling, mostly involving L-type calcium channels in the plasmalemma (DHPRs), and ryanodin...
15345554
Oleic and docosahexaenoic acid differentially phase separate from lipid raft molecules: a comparative NMR, DSC, AFM, and detergent extraction study.
We have previously suggested that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may in part function by enhancing membrane lipid phase separation into lipid rafts. Here we further tested for differences in the molecular interactions of an oleic (OA) versus DHA-containing phospholipid with sphingomy...
15345546
Wide nanoscopic pore of maxi-anion channel suits its function as an ATP-conductive pathway.
The newly proposed function of the maxi-anion channel as a conductive pathway for ATP release requires that its pore is sufficiently large to permit passage of a bulky ATP(4-) anion. We found a linear relationship between relative permeability of organic anions of different size and their relative ionic mobility (measu...
15345542
Rational design of solution additives for the prevention of protein aggregation.
We have developed a statistical-mechanical model of the effect of solution additives on protein association reactions. This model incorporates solvent radial distribution functions obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of particular proteins into simple models of protein interactions. In this way, the e...
15345539
Simulating induced interdigitation in membranes.
In this study we introduce a mesoscopic lipid-water-alcohol model. Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations have been used to investigate the induced interdigitation of bilayers consisting of double-tail lipids by adding alcohol molecules to the bilayer. Our simulations nicely reproduce the experimental phase di...
15345528
Molecular dynamics simulations of forced conformational transitions in 1,6-linked polysaccharides.
Recent atomic force microscopy stretching measurements of single polysaccharide molecules suggest that their elasticity is governed by force-induced conformational transitions of the pyranose ring. However, the mechanism of these transitions and the mechanics of the pyranose ring are not fully understood. Here we use s...
15345431
Comparison of atomic force microscopy interaction forces between bacteria and silicon nitride substrata for three commonly used immobilization methods.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has emerged as a powerful technique for mapping the surface morphology of biological specimens, including bacterial cells. Besides creating topographic images, AFM enables us to probe both physicochemical and mechanical properties of bacterial cell surfaces on a nanometer scale. For AFM, b...
15342187
A novel anionic dendrimer for improved cellular delivery of antisense oligonucleotides.
The optimal design of hybridisation-competent antisense oligonucleotides (ODNs) coupled with an efficient delivery system appear to be important prerequisites for the successful use of antisense reagents for gene silencing. We selected an antisense ODN complementary to an accessible region of the epidermal growth facto...
15341839
Sodium chloride-induced self-assembly of microfibers from nanofiber components.
Self-assembly of a nucleotide bolaamphiphile, terminated with two nucleotide moieties including thymine, deoxyribose, and phosphodiester at both ends of the C20 oligomethylene chain, in sodium chloride aqueous solutions has been studied by SEM, LSM, FE-SEM, micro-FTIR, and zeta-potential measurement. The self-assembly ...
15239672
Transient kinetics of the reaction catalysed by magnesium protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase.
Magnesium protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase (ChlM), an enzyme in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway, catalyses the transfer of a methyl group to magnesium protoporphyrin IX (MgP) to form magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester (MgPME). S-Adenosyl-L-methionine is the other substrate, from which a methyl group i...
15214846
Carbohydrate-binding modules: fine-tuning polysaccharide recognition.
The enzymic degradation of insoluble polysaccharides is one of the most important reactions on earth. Despite this, glycoside hydrolases attack such polysaccharides relatively inefficiently as their target glycosidic bonds are often inaccessible to the active site of the appropriate enzymes. In order to overcome these ...
15202931
Novel prenyl-linked benzophenone substrate analogues of mycobacterial mannosyltransferases.
PPM (polyprenol monophosphomannose) has been shown to act as a glycosyl donor in the biosynthesis of the Man (mannose)-rich mycobacterial lipoglycans LM (lipomannan) and LAM (lipoarabinomannan). The Mycobacterium tuberculosis PPM synthase (Mt-Ppm1) catalyses the transfer of Man from GDP-Man to polyprenyl phosphates. Th...
15333987
[Memantine: a therapeutic drug for Alzheimer's disease and the comparison with MK-801].
Memantine is agreed officially as a therapeutic drug for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) in EU and USA. Memantine is a similar uncompetitive NMDA-receptor antagonist to MK-801 and phencyclidine (PCP), and it prevents nerve cell death induced by the ischemia which induces as excessive release of glutamate. T...
15332924
Trapping time statistics and efficiency of transport of optical excitations in dendrimers.
We theoretically study the trapping time distribution and the efficiency of the excitation energy transport in dendritic systems. Trapping of excitations, created at the periphery of the dendrimer, on a trap located at its core, is used as a probe of the efficiency of the energy transport across the dendrimer. The tran...
15332921
Polymer adsorption onto random planar surfaces: interplay of polymer and surface correlations.
We study the adsorption of homogeneous or heterogeneous polymers onto heterogeneous planar surfaces with exponentially decaying site-site correlations, using a variational reference system approach. As a main result, we derive simple equations for the adsorption-desorption transition line. We show that it is preferable...
15332915
Methyl rotational tunneling dynamics of p-xylene confined in a crystalline zeolite host.
The methyl rotational tunneling spectrum of p-xylene confined in nanoporous zeolite crystals has been measured by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and analyzed to extract the rotational potential energy surfaces characteristic of the methyl groups in the host-guest complex...
15332829
One-dimensional oxalato-bridged Cu(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes with purine and adenine as terminal ligands.
The reaction of nucleobases (adenine or purine) with a metallic salt in the presence of potassium oxalate in an aqueous solution yields one-dimensional complexes of formulas [M(mu-ox)(H(2)O)(pur)](n) (pur = purine, ox = oxalato ligand (2-); M = Cu(II) [1], Co(II) [2], and Zn(II) [3]), [Co(mu-ox)(H(2)O)(pur)(0.76)(ade)(...
15332806
Self-assembly using dynamic coordination chemistry and hydrogen bonding: mercury(II) macrocycles, polymers and sheets.
The self-assembly of extended metal-containing arrays is described based on dynamic coordination chemistry at mercury(II) with bis(amidopyridyl) ligands to form macrocycles, polymers, or sheets which can be further organized by hydrogen bonding between amide substituents. The ligands 1,2-C6H4[NHC(O)-4-C5H4N]2, 1, 1,2-C...
15331226
Magnetoresistive-based biosensors and biochips.
Over the past five years, magnetoelectronics has emerged as a promising new platform technology for biosensor and biochip development. The techniques are based on the detection of the magnetic fringe field of a magnetically labeled biomolecule interacting with a complementary biomolecule bound to a magnetic-field senso...
15330619
Environmentally responsive molecular baskets: unimolecular mimics of both micelles and reversed micelles.
[structure: see text] When four facially amphiphilic cholate derivatives are attached to a tetraaminocalixarene scaffold, the resulting molecule responds to environmental changes by rotation of the cholate units. In polar solvents, the molecule adopts a micellelike conformation with the hydrophilic alpha-faces of the c...
15330598
Photoelectrochemical properties of supramolecular composite of fullerene nanoclusters and 9-mesityl-10-carboxymethylacridinium ion on SnO2.
[structure: see text] The photovoltaic cell composed of both fullerene nanoclusters and 9-mesityl-10-carboxymethylacridinium ion exhibits significant enhancement in the photoelectrochemical performance as well as broader photoresponse in the visible and near-infrared regions as compared with the reference system contai...
15330579
Oxygenation of calixarene phenol rings.
[structure: see text] The first examples of epoxy-p-quinol and diepoxy-p-quinol calixarene derivatives have been obtained by base-promoted direct addition of O(2)(oxygenation) to calixarene phenol rings. The regio- and stereochemistry of these derivatives was determined by 2D NMR studies, in conjunction with MM3 calcul...
15332261
Polyamine dendrimer-based MRI contrast agents for functional kidney imaging to diagnose acute renal failure.
<h4>Purpose</h4>To choose an efficacious renal functional MRI contrast agent to image early renal tubular damage. We synthesized and compared smaller polyamine dendrimer-based MRI contrast agents (<60 kD) that, unlike Gd-[DTPA], transiently accumulate in renal tubules and can be used to visualize renal structural and f...
15331667
Zinc metalloproteinase-mediated cleavage of the human Nogo-66 receptor.
The central nervous system myelin components oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein, myelin-associated glycoprotein and the Nogo-66 domain of Nogo-A inhibit neurite outgrowth by binding the neuronal glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored Nogo-66 receptor (NgR) that transduces the inhibitory signal to the cell interior via...
15324923
Improvement of gliquidone hypoglycaemic effect in rats by cyclodextrin formulations.
This study was carried out with the aim to optimize the pharmacological profile of gliquidone (GLI)--a poorly bioavailable hypoglycaemic agent sparingly soluble in water--through complexation with cyclodextrins. In order to increase the apparent solubility of GLI, two cyclodextrins, namely beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) an...
15322284
The HU-DNA binding interaction probed with UV resonance Raman spectroscopy: structural elements of specificity.
The Escherichia coli protein HU functions as an architectural DNA-binding protein by facilitating DNA looping or bending to form multiprotein complexes. Although HU does not recognize a specific DNA sequence, site-specific binding to a number of discontinuous, looped, or bent DNA substrates has been observed. In this s...
15147239
Characterization of bromosulphophthalein binding to human glutathione S-transferase A1-1: thermodynamics and inhibition kinetics.
In addition to their catalytic functions, GSTs (glutathione S-transferases) bind a wide variety of structurally diverse non-substrate ligands. This ligandin function is known to result in the inhibition of catalytic function. The interaction between hGSTA1-1 (human class Alpha GST with two type 1 subunits) and a non-su...
15308216
Molecular recognition of cocaine by acetylcholinesterases for affinity purification and bio-sensing.
Cholinesterases can be used as sensitive biorecognition elements for widely used agricultural pesticides. This requires highly purified and inhibitor-free enzyme preparations. In the present work the cocaine derivative benzoylecgonine was for the first time used as the molecular recognition element for the purification...
15296490
Control of immune responses by trafficking cell surface proteins, vesicles and lipid rafts to and from the immunological synapse.
Supramolecular clusters at the immunological synapse provide a mechanism for structuring complex communication networks between cells of the immune system. Regulating intra- and intercellular trafficking of proteins and lipids to and from the immunological synapse provides an additional level of complexity in determini...
15294244
Theoretical and experimental vibrational study of phenylurea: structure, solvent effect and inclusion process with the beta-cyclodextrin in the solid state.
FTIR and Raman vibrational spectroscopic techniques as well as DFT quantum chemical calculation were used for characterizing conformational changes of phenylurea (a herbicide parent molecule) occurring from solid state to aqueous medium. Experimental infrared frequencies were assigned on the base of urea and benzenic d...
15281134
Evaluation of the relative stability of liganded versus ligand-free protein conformations using Simplicial Neighborhood Analysis of Protein Packing (SNAPP) method.
Many proteins change their conformation upon ligand binding. For instance, bacterial periplasmic binding proteins (bPBPs), which transport nutrients into the cytoplasm, generally consist of two globular domains connected by strands, forming a hinge. During ligand binding, hinge motion changes the conformation from the ...
15276060
Favorable interactions of amine- and ester-terminated PAMAM with cationic surfactants: photophysical and transport studies.
Conductivity (kappa), turbidity (tau), and fluorescence (I1/I3) studies of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), hexadecylpyridinium bromide (HPyBr), and hexadecylpyridinium chloride (HPyCl) in aqueous poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 0 to 2.5 G have been carried out. The complexation of surfact...
15183902
Haploidentical transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood.
Haploidentical transplantation in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a promising option for children lacking a suitable donor. We have updated our series of patients with ALL and report the results. Additionally, we reviewed the literature and try to embed our own experiences in the published results. We p...
15379692
Modelling and simulation: a computational perspective in anticancer drug discovery.
The availability of high-quality molecular graphics tools in the public domain is changing the way macromolecular structure is perceived by researchers, educators and students alike. Computational methods have become increasingly important in a number of areas such as comparative or homology modelling, functional site ...
15379563
Targeting the inverted CCAAT box 2 in the topoisomerase IIalpha promoter by JH-37, an imidazole-pyrrole polyamide hairpin: design, synthesis, molecular biology, and biophysical studies.
The topoisomerase IIalpha promoter is regulated through transcription factor interactions with five inverted CCAAT boxes (ICBs). In confluent cancer cells, binding of nuclear factor Y to ICB2 represses the expression of this gene, contributing to resistance to topoisomerase II poisons. The ICB sites within the topoisom...
15378206
The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is an inherited immunodeficiency caused by a variety of mutations in the gene encoding the WAS protein (WASp). WASp is expressed in hematopoetic cells and facilitates the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in response to many important cell stimuli. Extensive study of WAS and mo...
15378205
New insight on the molecular mechanisms of high-density lipoprotein cellular interactions.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is an independent negative risk factor for coronary artery disease and thus represents today the only protective factor against atherosclerosis. The protective effect of HDL is mostly attributed to its central function in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), a process whereby ...
15373497
Enhanced thermodynamic and kinetic stability of calix[4]arene dimers locked in the cone conformation.
Wide rim tetraurea derivatives (2a,b) have been prepared from a calix[4]arene rigidified in the cone conformation by two diethyleneglycol ether bridges between adjacent oxygens. In comparison to the analogous tetraurea derivatives (3a,b) of a tetrapentoxy calix[4]arene, 2a,b show an increased thermodynamic stability in...
15373490
Giant extended pi-conjugated dendrimers containing the 10,15-dihydro-5H-diindeno[1,2-a;1',2'-c]fluorene chromophore: synthesis, NMR behaviors, optical properties, and electroluminescence.
This paper reports the facile synthetic strategy of a series of novel pi-conjugated dendrimers (G0 and G1) based on 10,15-dihydro-5H-diindeno[1,2-a;1',2'-c]fluorene (truxene) in which the benzene cores are generated "in-situ" from acetyl aromatics by the acid-promoted cyclotrimerizations. The unique NMR behaviors, phys...
15373473
Viologen-calix[6]arene pseudorotaxanes. Ion-pair recognition and threading/dethreading molecular motions.
A calix[6]arene wheel, whose cavity has been extended and rigidified by N-phenylureido groups on the upper rim, forms pseudorotaxane species with molecular axles containing the viologen (4,4'-bipyridinium) unit in CH(2)Cl(2) solution. In these conditions, the self-assembly process is very efficient, with associated Del...
15373471
Highly nonplanar, electron deficient, N-substituted tetra-oxocyclohexadienylidene porphyrinogens: structural, computational, and electrochemical investigations.
The structures and electrochemistry of N-benzylated meso-tetrakis (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-oxo-cyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene) porphyrinogens have been investigated. Structural determinations reveal the isomeric identity of the products obtained from the N-alkylation of the parent meso-tetra (oxo-cyclohexadienylidene) porphyrin...
15374621
Refolding of chemically denatured alpha-amylase in dilution additive mode.
Cyclodextrins (CDs) possess hydrophobic surfaces, which probably shield the hydrophobic surfaces of denatured proteins and prevent the direct interactions between the surfaces which are believed to be responsible for protein aggregation during refolding process. This probability was evaluated by studying the refolding ...
15372027
Supramolecular self-assembled molecules as organic directing agent for synthesis of zeolites.
Solid materials with uniform micropores, such as zeolites, can act as selective catalysts and adsorbents for molecular mixtures by separating those molecules small enough to enter their pores while leaving the larger molecules behind. Zeolite A is a microporous material with a high void volume. Despite its widespread i...
15369398
Macrocyclic inhibitors for peptide deformylase: a structure-activity relationship study of the ring size.
Peptide deformylase (PDF) catalyzes the removal of the N-terminal formyl group from newly synthesized polypeptides in eubacteria. Its essential role in bacterial cells but not in mammalian cells makes it an attractive target for antibacterial drug design. We have previously reported an N-formylhydroxylamine-based, meta...
15342914
DNA heterogeneity and phosphorylation unveiled by single-molecule electrophoresis.
Broad-spectrum analysis of DNA and RNA samples is of increasing importance in the growing field of biotechnology. We show that nanopore measurements may be used to assess the purity, phosphorylation state, and chemical integrity of nucleic acid preparations. In contrast with gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, a...
15366916
Catalytic probe lithography: catalyst-functionalized scanning probes as nanopens for nanofabrication on self-assembled monolayers.
This article describes the use of scanning catalytic probe lithography for nanofabrication of patterns on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of reactive adsorbates. Catalytic writing was carried out by scanning over bis(omega-tert-butyldimethyl-siloxyundecyl)disulfide SAMs using 2-mercapto-5-benzimidazole sulfonic acid-f...
15366902
Self-recognition, structure, stability, and guest affinity of pyrogallol[4]arene and resorcin[4]arene capsules in solution.
In the present study, we used diffusion NMR to probe the structures and characteristics of the products obtained from the self-assembly of resorcin[4]arenes 1a and 1b and pyrogallol[4]arenes 2a and 2b in CDCl(3) solutions. It was found that all four molecules self-assemble into hexameric capsules. The hexameric capsule...
15366897
Combinatorial synthesis of star-shaped block copolymers: host-guest chemistry of unimolecular reversed micelles.
The combination of combinatorial techniques for the synthesis as well as for the screening of novel star-shaped block copolymers consisting of a poly(ethylene glycol) core and a poly(caprolactone) shell leads to a fast evaluation of interesting properties of these materials. The polymers could be synthesized in a fully...
15366895
Phototriggered self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded rosette.
Azobenzene-appended melamine M2 and barbiturate B2, both possessing bulky tridodecyloxyphenyl (TDP) wedge(s), were designed and synthesized to establish a photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assembly. The geometrical isomer EE-M2 bearing two E-azobenzene moieties easily complexed with B2, affording a remarka...
15366891
Enhancing Hoogsteen interactions: a pyrrole-containing purine nucleoside that competes with guanosine self-assembly.
A pyrrole-appended purine nucleoside 1 is described that can form an "extended" three-point Hoogsteen-type interaction due to the stabilization of the donor-acceptor-acceptor (DAA) motif. Nucleoside 1 is shown to bind guanosine 10 (a classic ADD motif) to form ensemble I. This interaction competes effectively with guan...
15366871
Organic nanoparticles whose size and rigidity are finely tuned by cross-linking the end groups of dendrimers.
Dendrimers with molecular weights ranging from ca. 2700 to 11 000 and from 16 to 64 homoallyl ether end groups were cross-linked using the Grubbs ring-closing metathesis reaction. A combination of SEC, MALDI-TOF-MS, and AFM were used to characterize the cross-linked nanoparticles. The data suggest a significant decreas...
15366870
Construction of supramolecular polymers with alternating alpha-, beta-cyclodextrin units using conformational change induced by competitive guests.
Supramolecular polymers having alternating alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin (CD) units have been prepared by using conformational change induced by competitive guests. Although each CD unit does not form intermolecular complexes, a mixture of an alpha-CD derivative and a beta-CD derivative formed intermolecular complexes t...
15366867
Simultaneous freezing of chirality and in-out conformation of a macropentacyclic cryptand by protonation.
Compound 1, a cryptand-derived macropentacycle, is a flexible molecule that encompasses many conformations (symmetrical, unsymmetrical, and chiral ones) depending on the observation temperature (VT 1H NMR). Selective monoprotonation of this molecule leads to a totally unsymmetrical, rigidly chiral species in solution (...
15362863
Kinetic mechanism of histidine-tagged homocitrate synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Kinetic data have been collected suggesting a preferred sequential ordered kinetic mechanism for the histidine-tagged homocitrate synthase (HCS) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with alpha-ketoglutarate binding before AcCoA and CoA released before homocitrate. Oxaloacetate is also a substrate for HCS, but with lower affin...
15361620
Mesophase structure-mechanical and ionic transport correlations in extended amphiphilic dendrons.
We have studied the self-assembly of amphiphilic dendrons extended with linear polyethylene oxide (PEO) chains and their ion complexes. Keeping the dendron core and linear PEO chain compatible allows for the combination of dendritic core-shell and conventional blockcopolymer characteristics for complex mesophase behavi...
15360264
Synthesis and H+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ coordination behavior of a bis(fluorophoric) bibrachial lariat aza-crown.
The synthesis, protonation behavior, and Cu2+ and Zn2+ coordination chemistry of the novel bibrachial aza lariat ether (naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)[2-(20-[2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)amino]ethyl]-3,6,9,17,20,23,29,30-octaazatricyclo[23.3.1.1*11,15*]triaconta-1(29),11(30),12,14,25,27-hexaen-6-yl)ethyl]amine (L) are discussed. ...
15360242
Intra and intermolecular magnetic interactions in a series of dinuclear Cu(II)/hxta complexes [H5hxta = N,N'-(2-hydroxy-1,3-xylylene)-bis-(N-carboxymethylglycine)]: correlation of magnetic properties with geometry.
Nine dinuclear copper(II) complexes with hxta5- ligands [H5hxta = N,N'-(2-hydroxy-1,3-xylylene)-bis-(N-carboxymethylglycine)]: [Cu2(MeO-hxtaH)(H2O)2] x 4H2O (1), [Na(micro-H2O)2(H2O)6][Cu2(Cl-hxta)(H2O)3]2 x 6H2O (2), [Cu(H2O)6][Cu2(Me-hxta)(H2O)2](NO3) x 2H2O (3), [Cu2(R-hxtaH)(H2O)3] x 3H2O [R = Cl (4), CH3 (5), and ...
15360235
Spontaneous self-assembly of an unsymmetric trinuclear triangular copper(II) pyrazolate complex, [Cu3(micro3-OH)(micro-pz)3(MeCOO)2(Hpz)] (Hpz = pyrazole). synthesis, experimental and theoretical characterization, reactivity, and catalytic activity.
The almost quantitative formation of the triangular trinuclear copper derivative [Cu3(3-OH)(-pz)3(MeCOO)2(Hpz)] (1) (Hpz = pyrazole), has been simply achieved by adding Hpz to an ethanol solution of Cu(MeCOO)2 x H2O. An X-ray molecular structure determination shows that 1 is completely unsymmetric and that trinuclear u...
15360233
Functionalized metal oxide clusters: synthesis, characterization, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of a novel series of fully reduced heteropolyoxovanadium cationic clusters decorated with organic ligands--[MVIV6O6[(OCH2CH2)2N(CH2CH2OH)]6]X (M = Li, X = Cl x LiCl; M = Na, X = Cl x H2O; M = Mg, X = 2Br x H2O;...
A novel series of fully reduced heteropolyoxovanadium(IV) compounds, [MVIV6O6[(OCH2CH2)2N(CH2CH2OH)]6]X (1, M = Li, X = Cl x LiCl; 2, M = Na, X = Cl x H2O; 3, M = Mg, X = 2Br x H2O; 4, M = Mn, X = 2Cl; 5, M = Fe, X = 2Cl; 6, M = Co, X = 2Cl x H2O; 7, M = Ni, X = 2Cl x H2O), have been synthesized and characterized by FT...
15360225
Formation of hexacoordinate complexes of PhCCSiF3 with 2,2'-bipyridine and with 1,10-phenanthroline through intermolecular silicon...nitrogen interactions.
Bidentate intermolecular Si...N interactions were utilized to form new hypervalent complexes of trifluoro-phenylethynyl-silane with 2,2'-bipyridine and with 1,10-phenanthroline. X-ray structures obtained for these complexes display a somewhat distorted octahedral geometry about the silicon atom. Binding constants rangi...
15358553
Characterization of trans- and cis-cleavage activity of the SARS coronavirus 3CLpro protease: basis for the in vitro screening of anti-SARS drugs.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been globally reported. A novel coronavirus (CoV), SARS-CoV, was identified as the etiological agent of the disease. SARS-CoV 3C-like protease (3CLpro) mediates the proteolytic processing of replicase polypeptides 1a and 1ab into functional proteins, playing an important rol...
15357213
The structure and replication of kinetoplast DNA.
Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), the mitochondrial DNA of flagellated protozoa of the order Kinetoplastida, is unique in its structure, function and mode of replication. It consists of few dozen maxicircles, encoding typical mitochondrial proteins and ribosomal RNA, and several thousands minicircles, encoding guide RNA molecule...
15356108
Dynamic redistribution of the activating 2B4/SAP complex at the cytotoxic NK cell immune synapse.
The 2B4 molecule (CD244) has been described as a coreceptor in human NK cell activation. However, the behavior of 2B4 during the cytotoxic NK cell immune synapse (NK-IS) formation remains undetermined. In this study, we demonstrate the redistribution of 2B4 and the signaling adaptor molecule, signaling lymphocyte activ...
15353569
Single-cell microbiology: tools, technologies, and applications.
The field of microbiology has traditionally been concerned with and focused on studies at the population level. Information on how cells respond to their environment, interact with each other, or undergo complex processes such as cellular differentiation or gene expression has been obtained mostly by inference from pop...
15353567
Microbial type I fatty acid synthases (FAS): major players in a network of cellular FAS systems.
The present review focuses on microbial type I fatty acid synthases (FASs), demonstrating their structural and functional diversity. Depending on their origin and biochemical function, multifunctional type I FAS proteins form dimers or hexamers with characteristic organization of their catalytic domains. A single polyp...
15353566
Bacterial transcriptional regulators for degradation pathways of aromatic compounds.
Human activities have resulted in the release and introduction into the environment of a plethora of aromatic chemicals. The interest in discovering how bacteria are dealing with hazardous environmental pollutants has driven a large research community and has resulted in important biochemical, genetic, and physiologica...
15351967
PML nuclear bodies: dynamic sensors of DNA damage and cellular stress.
Promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs) are generally present in all mammalian cells, and their integrity correlates with normal differentiation of promyelocytes. Mice that lack PML NBs have impaired immune function, exhibit chromosome instability and are sensitive to carcinogens. Although their direct role in...
15343375
Dangerous liaisons at the virological synapse.
Cell-to-cell viral transmission facilitates the propagation of HIV-1 and human T cell leukemia virus type 1. Mechanisms of cell-to-cell transmission by retroviruses were not well understood until the recent description of virological synapses (VSs). VSs function as specialized sites of immune cell-to-cell contact that ...
15342597
A novel mutation within the central Listeria monocytogenes regulator PrfA that results in constitutive expression of virulence gene products.
The PrfA protein of Listeria monocytogenes functions as a key regulatory factor for the coordinated expression of many virulence genes during bacterial infection of host cells. PrfA activity is controlled by multiple regulatory mechanisms, including an apparent requirement for either the presence of a cofactor or some ...
15342596
Transcriptional Repressor CopR: use of SELEX to study the copR operator indicates that evolution was directed at maximal binding affinity.
CopR is one of the two copy number control elements of the streptococcal plasmid pIP501. It represses transcription of the repR mRNA encoding the essential replication initiator protein about 10- to 20-fold by binding to its operator region upstream of the repR promoter pII. CopR binds at two consecutive sites in the m...
15342592
The hFbpABC transporter from Haemophilus influenzae functions as a binding-protein-dependent ABC transporter with high specificity and affinity for ferric iron.
Pathogenic Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria spp. (Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis), Serratia marcescens, and other gram-negative bacteria utilize a periplasm-to-cytosol FbpABC iron transporter. In this study, we investigated the H. influenzae FbpABC transporter in a siderophore-deficient Escherichia coli bac...
15342580
Structural determinants required to target penicillin-binding protein 3 to the septum of Escherichia coli.
In Escherichia coli, cell division is mediated by the concerted action of about 12 proteins that assemble at the division site to presumably form a complex called the divisome. Among these essential division proteins, the multimodular class B penicillin-binding protein 3 (PBP3), which is specifically involved in septal...