Limited proteolysis by a prostatic endopeptidase, the sperm-activating factor initiatorin, regulates the activation of pro-carboxypeptidase B in the seminal fluid of the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

A prostate trypsin-like serine endopeptidase called initiatorin (BmIni) is an essential factor in triggering the sperm maturation response of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. BmIni has been predicted to specifically cleave the carboxyl side of two consecutive arginine residues present in certain seminal plasma and sperm proteins, but the actual substrates are still unknown. In an attempt to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the sperm maturation signaling pathway, in this study, we examined whether BmIni activates the seminal carboxypeptidase B (BmCPB) protein through specific degradation.

Electron spin polarization generated by transport of singlet and quintet multiexcitons to spin-correlated triplet pairs during singlet fissions.

Singlet fission (SF) is expected to exceed the Shockley-Queisser theoretical limit of efficiency of organic solar cells. Transport of spin-entanglement in the triplet-triplet pair state one singlet exciton is a promising phenomenon for several energy conversion applications including quantum information science. However, direct observation of electron spin polarization by transport of entangled spin-states has not been presented.

Scandium-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions of 3-sulfanyl- and 3-selanylpropargyl alcohols.

The scandium-catalyzed substitution reactions of the phenylsulfanyl and phenylselanyl propargyl alcohols 3a- i and 7a- h regioselectively proceeded to give the propargylated compounds 4 and 8 in high yields.