Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel trisubstituted ethylenes: 3. Alkoxy ring-substituted isopropyl 2-cyano-3-phenyl-2-propenoates.

Novel trisubstituted ethylenes, alkoxy ring-substituted isopropyl 2-cyano-3-phenyl-2-propenoates, RPhCH = C(CN)COCH(CH) (where R is 2-methoxy, 3-methoxy, 4-methoxy, 2-ethoxy, 3-ethoxy, 4-ethoxy, 4-propoxy, 4-butoxy, 4-hexyloxy) were prepared and copolymerized with styrene. The ethylenes were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-substituted benzaldehydes and isopropyl cyanoacetate, and characterized by CHN analysis, FTIR, H and C NMR. All the ethylenes were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation (ABCN) at 70°C.

Design and application of a fluorogenic assay for monitoring inflammatory caspase activity.

Various fluorogenic assays exist for monitoring the activity of inflammatory caspases. However, there are no continuous assays that provide C-terminal substrate sequence specificity for inflammatory caspases. As a first step towards this, we have developed a continuous in vitro assay that relies on monitoring emission from tryptophan after cleavage of a quenching coumarin chromophore.