Carbodiimide reagents for the chemical probing of RNA structure in cells.

Deciphering the conformations of RNAs in their cellular environment allows identification of RNA elements with potentially functional roles within biological contexts. Insight into the conformation of RNA in cells has been achieved using chemical probes that were developed to react specifically with flexible RNA nucleotides, or the Watson-Crick face of single-stranded nucleotides. The most widely used probes are either selective SHAPE (2'-hydroxyl acylation and primer extension) reagents that probe nucleotide flexibility, or dimethyl sulfate (DMS), which probes the base-pairing at adenine and cytosine but is unable to interrogate guanine or uracil.

C-Labeling of Aryl Ketones as Candidate Histamine Subtype-3 Receptor PET Radioligands through Pd(0)-Mediated C-Carbonylative Coupling.

Pd(0)-mediated coupling between iodoarenes, [C]carbon monoxide and aryltributylstannanes has been used to prepare simple model [C]aryl ketones. Here, we aimed to label four 2-aminoethylbenzofuran chemotype based molecules ([C]-) in the carbonyl position, as prospective positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands for the histamine subtype 3 receptor (H3R) by adapting this methodology with use of aryltrimethylstannanes. Radiosynthesis was successfully performed on a platform equipped with a mini-autoclave and a liquid handling robotic arm, within a lead-shielded hot-cell.

Storable, thermally activated, near-infrared chemiluminescent dyes and dye-stained microparticles for optical imaging.

Imaging techniques are a vital part of clinical diagnostics, biomedical research and nanotechnology. Optical molecular imaging makes use of relatively harmless, low-energy light and technically straightforward instrumentation. Self-illuminating, chemiluminescent systems are particularly attractive because they have inherently high signal contrast due to the lack of background emission.