An Experimental Protocol for the Boyden Chamber Invasion Assay With Absorbance Readout.

The phenomenon of cell invasion is an essential step in angiogenesis, embryonic development, immune responses, and cancer metastasis. In the course of cancer progression, the ability of neoplastic cells to degrade the basement membrane and penetrate neighboring tissue (or blood vessels and lymph nodes) is an early event of the metastatic cascade. The Boyden chamber assay is one of the most prevalent methods implemented to measure the pro- or anti-invasive effects of drugs, investigate signaling pathways that modulate cell invasion, and characterize the role of extracellular matrix proteins in metastasis.

Crystal structures, electron spin resonance, and thermogravimetric analysis of three mixed-valence copper cyanide polymers.

The crystal structures of three mixed-valence copper cyanide alkanolamine polymers are presented, together with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electron spin resonance (ESR) data. In all three structures, a Cu moiety on a crystallographic center of symmetry is coordinated by two alkanolamines and links two CuCN chains via cyanide bridging groups to form diperiodic sheets. The sheets are linked together by cuprophilic Cu-Cu interactions to form a three-dimensional network.

The e-liquid flavoring cinnamaldehyde induces cellular stress responses in human proximal tubule (HK-2) kidney cells.

Flavored e-liquid use has become popular among e-cigarette users recently, but the effects of such products outside the lung are not well characterized. In this work, acute exposure to the popular flavoring cinnamaldehyde (CIN) was performed on human proximal tubule (HK-2) kidney cells. Cells were exposed to 0-100 µM CIN for 24-48 h and cellular stress responses were assessed.

Accurate Crystal Structures of CHCN, CH(CN), and CHCN Valence Isomers Using Nonspherical Atomic Scattering Factors.

Fourteen crystal structures, mostly from good-quality datasets but including some marginal and twinned exemplars, from a series of novel polycyclic benzo- and naphtho-fused organic nitriles are presented and accurately described, including some related structures of a bromo-substituted and partially hydrogenated analogues. These structures represent a considerable increase in the number of published structures within their archetypes. This work highlights the significant advancement in structural refinement software proffered by NoSpherA2, which enables Hirshfeld Atom Refinement (HAR) of the structures within Olex2 v1.

A biosynthetically inspired synthesis of (-)-berkelic acid and analogs.

We describe a complete account of our total synthesis and biological evaluation of (-)-berkelic acid and analogs. We delineate a synthetic strategy inspired by a potentially biomimetic union between the natural products spicifernin and pulvilloric acid. After defining optimal parameters, we executed a one-pot silver-mediated in situ dehydration of an isochroman lactol to methyl pulvillorate, the cycloisomerization of a spicifernin-like alkynol to the corresponding exocyclic enol ether, and a subsequent cycloaddition to deliver the tetracyclic core of berkelic acid.

Characterization of novel small-molecule NRF2 activators: Structural and biochemical validation of stereospecific KEAP1 binding.

Background: Semi-synthetic oleanane triterpenoid antioxidant inflammation modulators (tpAIMs) are small molecules that interact with KEAP1 cysteine residue 151 (C151) and activate NRF2. Exploration of the structure-activity relationship between the tpAIMs and KEAP1 is limited by the predominantly hydrocarbon nature of the oleanane triterpenoid pentacyclic ring structure. Therefore, we used novel, chemically-tractable, synthetic antioxidant inflammation modulators (sAIMs) to probe the stereoselectivity of the ligand-protein interaction.

The effects of environmental variability and spatial sampling on the three-dimensional inversion problem.

The overall goal of this work is to quantify the effects of environmental variability and spatial sampling on the accuracy and uncertainty of estimates of the three-dimensional ocean sound-speed field. In this work, ocean sound speed estimates are obtained with acoustic data measured by a sparse autonomous observing system using a perturbative inversion scheme [Rajan, Lynch, and Frisk, J. Acoust.

(5Z,7Z,9Z)-5,10-Di-bromo-benzo[8]annulene.

In the structure of the title compound, C12H8Br2, the two bromine substituents are oriented exo to the boat-shaped cyclo-octa-tetra-ene at the two ring sites that are β to the ring fusion positions. The average Br-C bond distance is 1.919 (2) Å, the average distance for C=C double bonds that are Br substituted is 1.

A tetrabromo-1,4-ethanonaphthalene and related dibromo-1,4-ethenonaphthalene.

(1RS,3RS,4RS,10SR)-2,2,3,10-Tetrabromo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1,4-ethanonaphthalene, C12H10Br4, (I), is the first structure to be reported with four Br atoms bound to a 1,4-ethanonaphthalene framework and also the first which possesses three Br atoms in exo positions. Interactions between the Br atoms [three short intramolecular Br..

Dimethyl 7-meth-oxy-tetra-cyclo-[6.4.0.0(2,4).0(3,7)]dodeca-1(12),5,8,10-tetra-ene-3,4-dicarboxyl-ate.

The title compound, C(17)H(16)O(5), is a previously unreported substituted semibulvalene cage compound (that is, a tricyclic hydro-carbon formed from one cyclo-propane and two cyclo-pentene rings which also has one double bond fused to a benzene ring). It has one meth-oxy substituent attached to the bridgehead C atom that links only the two cyclo-pentene rings and two methyl carboxyl-ate groups located on the C atom shared by all three non-benzene rings and that shared only between the cyclo-propane and the cyclo-pentene rings. The stereochemistry of the two enanti-omers (racemate) that assemble in each unit cell is RRRS and SSSR.

exo-10,11-Dibromo-tricyclo-[6.3.1.0]dodeca-2,4,6,9-tetra-ene.

The title compound, C(12)H(10)Br(2), is a bridged ring system based on a homobenzonorbornadiene framework. The exo configuration of one of the Br atoms was previously assigned via NMR correlations and has now been confirmed by the geometry of the solid-state structure. The compound features a Br-C-C-Br torsion angle of 66.

A concise synthesis of berkelic acid inspired by combining the natural products spicifernin and pulvilloric acid.

We describe a concise synthesis of the structurally novel fungal extremophile metabolite berkelic acid, an effort leading to an unambiguous assignment of C22 stereochemistry. Our synthetic approach was inspired by the recognition that berkelic acid displays structural characteristics reminiscent of two other fungal metabolites, spicifernin and pulvilloric acid. Based on this notion, we executed a synthesis that features a Ag-catalyzed cascade dearomatization-cycloisomerization-cycloaddition sequence to couple two natural product inspired fragments.

Gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of unactivated C==C bonds with alkyl ammonium salts.

A mixture of (5)AuCl [ = PCy2[2-(2,6-C6H3(OMe)2)C6H4]] and AgOTf catalyzes the intramolecular hydroamination of unactivated C==C bonds with primary and secondary ammonium salts.

Platinum-catalyzed hydrofunctionalization of unactivated alkenes with carbon, nitrogen and oxygen nucleophiles.

The transition metal-catalyzed addition of the X-H bond of a carbon, nitrogen or oxygen nucleophile across the C[double bond]C bond of an unactivated alkene (hydrofunctionalization) represents an attractive, atom-economical approach to the synthesis of carbocyclic and heterocyclic molecules and for the elaboration of ethylene and 1-alkenes. We have developed a family of Pt(II)-catalyzed protocols for the inter- and intramolecular hydrofunctionalization of unactivated alkenes with a range of H-X nucleophiles including beta-diketones, indoles, amines, carboxamides and alcohols. These transformations display good functional group compatibility, low moisture sensitivity, and often good generality.

Gold(I)-catalyzed enantioselective hydroamination of N-allenyl carbamates.

Treatment of the N-4,5-hexadienyl carbamate 2a with a catalytic 1:2 mixture of [(S)-1]Au2Cl2 [(S)-1 = (S)-3,5-t-Bu-4-MeO-MeOBIPHEP] and AgClO4 in m-xylene at -40 degrees C for 24 h led to isolation of 2-vinylpyrrolidine 3a in 97% yield with 81% ee. Gold(I)-catalyzed enantioselective hydroamination was effective for a number of carbamate groups and tolerated terminal disubstitutution of the allenyl moiety.

Room temperature hydroamination of N-alkenyl ureas catalyzed by a gold(i) N-heterocyclic carbene complex.

[Structure: see text] Treatment of an N-4-pentenyl or N-5-hexenyl urea with a catalytic 1:1 mixture of a gold(I) N,N-diaryl imidazol-2-ylidine complex and AgOTf at or near room temperature leads to intramolecular exo-hydroamination to form the corresponding nitrogen heterocycle in excellent yield.

Platinum-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of unactivated olefins with secondary alkylamines.

Reaction of benzyl-2,2-diphenyl-4-pentenylamine with a catalytic 1:2 mixture of [PtCl2(H2C=CH2)]2 (2.5 mol %) and PPh3 in dioxane at 120 degrees C for 16 h led to isolation of 1-benzyl-2-methyl-4,4-diphenylpyrrolidine in 75% yield. A number of gamma- and delta-amino olefins underwent intramolecular hydroamination to form the corresponding pyrrolidine derivatives in moderate to good yield.

New Type 2 Copper-Cysteinate Proteins. Copper Site Histidine-to-Cysteine Mutants of Yeast Copper-Zinc Superoxide Dismutase.

Preparation and characterization of two new site-directed mutant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, i.e., His46Cys (H46C) and His120Cys (H120C), in which individual histidyl ligands in the copper-binding site were replaced by cysteine, are reported here.