Photoredox/Sulfide Dual Catalysis for Modular Synthesis of Multi-Substituted Furan Rings via Catalytic Indirect Reductive Quenching.

The catalytic indirect reductive quenching method is facilitated by a combination of Ir(III) photoredox and sulfide dual-catalysis system. This study demonstrated a method for synthesizing multi-substituted furans by using a photoredox/sulfide dual-catalysis system. This method enables the synthesis of various furan derivatives, including spirofurans and phthalans.

Macromolecular crowding and supersaturation protect hemodialysis patients from the onset of dialysis-related amyloidosis.

Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA), a serious complication among long-term hemodialysis patients, is caused by amyloid fibrils of β2-microglobulin (β2m). Although high serum β2m levels and a long dialysis vintage are the primary and secondary risk factors for the onset of DRA, respectively, patients with these do not always develop DRA, indicating that there are additional risk factors. To clarify these unknown factors, we investigate the effects of human sera on β2m amyloid fibril formation, revealing that sera markedly inhibit amyloid fibril formation.

Supersaturation-Dependent Formation of Amyloid Fibrils.

The supersaturation of a solution refers to a non-equilibrium phase in which the solution is trapped in a soluble state, even though the solute's concentration is greater than its thermodynamic solubility. Upon breaking supersaturation, crystals form and the concentration of the solute decreases to its thermodynamic solubility. Soon after the discovery of the prion phenomena, it was recognized that prion disease transmission and propagation share some similarities with the process of crystallization.

Proton-accelerated Lewis acid catalysis for stereo- and regioselective isomerization of epoxides to allylic alcohols.

The isomerization of epoxides to allylic alcohols was developed via proton-accelerated Lewis acid catalysis. The addition of tBuOH as a proton source is the key to the efficient catalytic cycle. Trisubstituted epoxides, including enantioenriched derivatives, were selectively converted to secondary-allylic alcohols without loss of enantiopurity.

Inhibition of BACE1 and Amyloid-β Aggregation by Meroterpenoids from the Mushroom .

To develop drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the basis of the amyloid cascade hypothesis, the amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation inhibitory activities of 110 extracts from mushrooms were evaluated by thioflavin T (Th-T) assays. The MeOH extract of inhibited Aβ aggregation, and the bioactivity-guided fractionation of the extract afforded four novel meroterpenoids, named scutigeric acid (), albatrelactone methyl ester (), albatrelactone (), and 10',11'-dihydroxygrifolic acid (), together with two known compounds, grifolin () and grifolic acid (). The structures of - were elucidated using NMR, MS, UV, IR, and induced ECD spectral data.

Breakdown of supersaturation barrier links protein folding to amyloid formation.

The thermodynamic hypothesis of protein folding, known as the "Anfinsen's dogma" states that the native structure of a protein represents a free energy minimum determined by the amino acid sequence. However, inconsistent with the Anfinsen's dogma, globular proteins can misfold to form amyloid fibrils, which are ordered aggregates associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Here, we present a general concept for the link between folding and misfolding.

Multistep Changes in Amyloid Structure Induced by Cross-Seeding on a Rugged Energy Landscape.

Amyloid fibrils are aberrant protein aggregates associated with various amyloidoses and neurodegenerative diseases. It is recently indicated that structural diversity of amyloid fibrils often results in different pathological phenotypes, including cytotoxicity and infectivity. The diverse structures are predicted to propagate by seed-dependent growth, which is one of the characteristic properties of amyloid fibrils.

Central zinc metal-controlled regioselective meso-bromination of zincatedβ-silylporphyrins-rapid access to meso,β-dual-functionalized porphyrins.

A convenient method for the preparation of meso,β-dual-functionalized porphyrin was developed. The bromination of zincatedβ-silylporphyrin with NBS selectively yielded meso-bromo-β-silylporphyrin, whereas, the bromination of free-baseβ-silylporphyrin selectively yielded β-bromoporphyrin via an ipso-substitution of the silyl group. These meso,β-dual-functionalized porphyrins could be used as multipurpose synthons for fabricating various porphyrin derivatives.

Amyloid Formation of α-Synuclein Based on the Solubility- and Supersaturation-Dependent Mechanism.

Amyloid fibrils are formed by denatured proteins when the supersaturation of denatured proteins is broken by agitation, such as ultrasonication, or by seeding, although the detailed mechanism of how solubility and supersaturation regulate amyloid formation remains unclear. To further understand the mechanism of amyloid formation, we examined α-synuclein (α-syn) amyloid formation at varying concentrations of SDS, LPA, heparin, or NaCl at pH 7.5.

The Route from the Folded to the Amyloid State: Exploring the Potential Energy Surface of a Drug-Like Miniprotein.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of András Perczel at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary and colleagues from Osaka University, Japan. The image depicts the amyloid buildup of an Exenatide derivate miniprotein (E5) monitored on a simplified hyperspace. Read the full text of the article at 10.

The Route from the Folded to the Amyloid State: Exploring the Potential Energy Surface of a Drug-Like Miniprotein.

The amyloid formation of the folded segment of a variant of Exenatide (a marketed drug for type-2 diabetes mellitus) was studied by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and NMR spectroscopy. We found that the optimum temperature for E5 protein amyloidosis coincides with body temperature and requires well below physiological salt concentration. Decomposition of the ECD spectra and its barycentric representation on the folded-unfolded-amyloid potential energy surface allowed us to monitor the full range of molecular transformation of amyloidogenesis.

Heating during agitation of β-microglobulin reveals that supersaturation breakdown is required for amyloid fibril formation at neutral pH.

Amyloidosis-associated amyloid fibrils are formed by denatured proteins when supersaturation of denatured proteins is broken. β-Microglobulin (β2m) forms amyloid fibrils and causes dialysis-related amyloidosis in patients receiving long-term hemodialysis. Although amyloid fibrils of β2m in patients are observed at neutral pH, formation of β2m amyloids has been difficult to discern at neutral pH because of the amyloid-resistant native structure.

Chiroptical Protocol for the Absolute Configurational Assignment of Alkyl-Substituted Epoxides Using Bis(zinc porphyrin) as a CD-Sensitive Bidentate Host.

The absolute configurations of simple alkyl-substituted chiral epoxides not bearing other ligating groups are readily determined via the exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD) protocol using bidentate bis(zinc porphyrin) host system BP1 as a CD-sensitive chirality probe. In this situation, chiral epoxides can successfully be incorporated into the cleft of V-shaped host BP1 by double coordination of both oxygen lone pairs of the guest to the two central zinc ions of the host. We also propose a working model based on an MM2 optimized structure of the substrates that enables nonempirical prediction of the chirality of the bound epoxide.

Heat-Induced Aggregation of Hen Ovalbumin Suggests a Key Factor Responsible for Serpin Polymerization.

Although ovalbumin (OVA), a main component of hen egg white and a non-inhibitory serpin superfamily protein, has been reported to form fibrillar aggregates, its relationship with amyloid fibrils associated with various degenerative diseases is unclear. We studied the heat-induced aggregation of intact OVA using an amyloid-specific thioflavin T assay with a fluorometer or direct imaging with a light-emitting diode lamp and several physicochemical approaches, and the results confirmed that intact OVA forms aggregates with a small part of amyloid cores and dominantly amorphous aggregates. We isolated the amyloidogenic core peptide by proteolysis with trypsin.

Aggregation-phase diagrams of β-microglobulin reveal temperature and salt effects on competitive formation of amyloids amorphous aggregates.

Several serious diseases are associated with crystal-like amyloid fibrils or glass-like amorphous aggregates of denatured proteins. However, protein aggregation involving both types of aggregates has not yet been elucidated in much detail. Using a protein associated with dialysis-related amyloidosis, β-microglobulin (β2m), we previously demonstrated that amyloid fibrils and amorphous aggregates form competitively depending on salt (NaCl) concentration.

Regioselective β-silylation of porphyrins via iridium-catalyzed C-H bond activation.

An efficient approach to meso-unsubstituted β-silylporphyrins was developed through highly regioselective Ir-catalyzed C-H activation, in the presence of HSiMe(OSiMe) as the Si source, from meso-unsubstituted porphyrins. Further transformations of the silyl group, such as oxidation, halogenation, and cross-coupling reactions, could be achieved under mild conditions, demonstrating the synthetic utility of β-silylporphyrins as a multipurpose synthon for fabricating porphyrin derivatives.

Bis(zinc porphyrin) as a CD-sensitive bidentate host molecule: direct determination of absolute configuration of mono-alcohols.

A facile and direct protocol to determine the absolute configurations of chiral mono-alcohols without analyte derivatization can now be realized using a novel circular dichroic (CD)-sensitive bis(zinc porphyrin) BP1 host system. The binding of mono-alcohols to BP1 should be greatly enhanced by the simultaneous double coordination of the hydroxyl group to the two central metals of the porphyrin subunits.

Asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols catalyzed by vanadium-binaphthylbishydroxamic Acid complex.

A vanadium-binaphthylbishydroxamic acid (BBHA) complex-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols is described. The optically active binaphthyl-based ligands BBHA 2a and 2b were synthesized from (S)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-dicarboxylic acid and N-substituted-O-trimethylsilyl (TMS)-protected hydroxylamines via a one-pot, three-step procedure. The epoxidations of 2,3,3-trisubstituted allylic alcohols using the vanadium complex of 2a were easily performed in toluene with a TBHP water solution to afford (2R)-epoxy alcohols in good to excellent enantioselectivities.

9,10-Disubstituted octafluoroanthracene derivatives via palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling.

9,10-Dichlorooctafluoroanthracene (1) reacts with aryl boronic acids and terminal alkynes under palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling conditions to afford 9,10-diaryloctafluoroanthracenes (2a-e) and 9,10-dialkynyloctafluoroanthracenes (6a,b), respectively. Optical spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry indicate that octafluoro-9,10-di(thiophen-2-yl)anthracene (2d) exhibits donor-acceptor character and a LUMO energy level of -3.27 eV relative to vacuum.

Photoreactions of bicyclic aziridines with alkenes and alkynes: a novel synthetic methodology for 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane derivatives.

The photochemical C-C bond cleavage of bicyclic aziridines 7 and subsequent [3 + 2] cycloaddition with electron-deficient alkenes and alkynes afforded the novel head-to-head adducts selectively and efficiently. The adducts contain the naturally occurring 8-azabicyclo[3.2.

9,10-Dichlorooctafluoroanthracene as a building block for n-type organic semiconductors.

9,10-Dichlorooctafluoroanthracene (1) was synthesized from commercially available tetrafluorophthalic acid by an optimized solution-phase route. To establish 1 as a synthon for n-type organic semiconductors, the compound was reacted with phenylboronic acid under modified Suzuki-Miyaura coupling conditions to generate octafluoro-9,10-diphenylanthracene (7) in high yield. Cyclic voltammetry and X-ray crystallography indicate that 7 has a stabilized LUMO energy level and exhibits extended pi stacking, which should lead to efficient electron transport in solid-state devices.

Metal triflate-catalyzed cationic benzylation and allylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds.

The rare earth metal and hafnium triflate-catalyzed secondary benzylation and allylation of 1,3-diketones, ketoesters, and ketoamides are described. The procedure was carried out under non-anhydrous conditions. Various 1-phenylethyl cations were generated from substituted 1-phenylethanols using 0.

Secondary benzylation using benzyl alcohols catalyzed by lanthanoid, scandium, and hafnium triflate.

The combination of a secondary benzyl alcohol and a metal triflate (e.g., La, Yb, Sc, and Hf triflate) in nitromethane was a highly effective secondary-benzylation system.