A five-coordinate Ni(I) complex supported by 1,4,7-triisopropyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane.

An isolated Ni(II)-nitrosyl complex supported by the bulky tridentate 1,4,7-triisopropyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (iPrTACN) ligand was obtained from the reaction of a Ni(II) dimethyl complex with NOPF, suggesting the formation of a Ni(I) species that reacts with the resulting NO product. Use of a π-acceptor ancillary isocyanide ligand led to the isolation and characterization of an uncommon 5-coordinate Ni(I) complex supported by the iPrTACN ligand and -butylisocyanide.

Electrocatalytic H evolution promoted by a bioinspired (N2S2)Ni(II) complex.

A bioinspired (N2S2)Ni(II) electrocatalyst is reported that produces H from CFCOH with a turnover frequency (TOF) of ∼1250 s at low acid concentration (<0.043 M) in MeCN. A mechanism for the H production by this electrocatalyst is proposed and its activity is benchmarked against those of other reported molecular Ni H evolution electrocatalysts.

Impact of dynamic covalent chemistry and precise linker length on crystallization kinetics and morphology in ethylene vitrimers.

Vitrimers, dynamic polymer networks with topology conserving exchange reactions, have emerged as a promising platform for sustainable and reprocessable materials. While prior work has documented how dynamic bonds impact stress relaxation and viscosity, their role on crystallization has not been systematically explored. Precise ethylene vitrimers with 8, 10, or 12 methylene units between boronic ester junctions were investigated to understand the impact of bond exchange on crystallization kinetics and morphology.

Sulfoglycodendrimer Therapeutics for HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.

Hexavalent sulfoglycodendrimers (SGDs) are synthesized as mimics of host cell heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) to inhibit the early stages in viral binding/entry of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. Using an HIV neutralization assay, the most promising of the seven candidates are found to have sub-micromolar anti-HIV activities. Molecular dynamics simulations are separately implemented to investigate how/where the SGDs interacted with both pathogens.

Adaptive Evolution of Peptide Inhibitors for Mutating SARS-CoV-2.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is currently causing a worldwide pandemic with dramatic societal consequences for the humankind. In the past decades, disease outbreaks due to such zoonotic pathogens have appeared with an accelerated rate, which calls for an urgent development of adaptive (smart) therapeutics. Here, a computational strategy is developed to adaptively evolve peptides that could selectively inhibit mutating S protein receptor binding domains (RBDs) of different SARS-CoV-2 viral strains from binding to their human host receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

Activated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Recovery Following Stroke Via Regulation of Inflammation and Oligodendrogenesis.

Background Brain repair mechanisms fail to promote recovery after stroke, and approaches to induce brain regeneration are scarce. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are thought to be a promising therapeutic option. However, their efficacy is not fully elucidated, and the mechanism underlying their effect is not known.

Mass spectrometry imaging of lipids: untargeted consensus spectra reveal spatial distributions in Niemann-Pick disease type C1.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a tool to rapidly map the spatial location of analytes without the need for tagging or a reporter system. Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1) is a neurodegenerative, lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and sphingolipids in the endo-lysosomal system. Here, we use MSI to visualize lipids including cholesterol in cerebellar brain tissue from the NPC1 symptomatic mouse model and unaffected controls.

Toward Catalytic, Enantioselective Chlorolactonization of 1,2-Disubstituted Styrenyl Carboxylic Acids.

An investigation into the use of Lewis base catalysis for the enantioselective chlorolactonization of 1,2-disubstituted alkenoic acids is described. Two mechanistically distinct reaction pathways for catalytic chlorolactonization have been identified. Mechanistic investigation revealed that tertiary amines predominately operate as Brønsted rather than Lewis bases.

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) Agents: Quantum Chemistry and MRI.

Diamagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) contrast agents offer an alternative to Gd(3+) -based contrast agents for MRI. They are characterized by containing protons that can rapidly exchange with water and it is advantageous to have these protons resonate in a spectral window that is far removed from water. Herein, we report the first results of DFT calculations of the (1) H nuclear magnetic shieldings in 41 CEST agents, finding that the experimental shifts can be well predicted (R(2) =0.

Sample collection and amino acids analysis of extracellular fluid of mouse brain slices with low flow push-pull perfusion.

Brain tissue slices are a common neuroscience model that allows relatively sophisticated analysis of neuronal networks in a simplified preparation. Most experimental methodology utilizes electrophysiological tools to probe these model systems. The work here demonstrates the adaptation of low-flow push-pull perfusion sampling (LFPS) to a brain slice system.

Magnetic, Fluorescent, and Copolymeric Silicone Microspheres.

. Here, polydimethylsiloxane microspheres (≈1 μm diameter) are synthesized using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, the first demonstration of a scalable synthetic procedure for crosslinked silicone microspheres. This continuous, aerosol process is also used to directly produce fluorescent, magnetic, and copolymeric derivatives; the potential biomedical applications of these microspheres are explored.

Cytoplasmic delivery and selective, multicomponent labeling with oligoarginine-linked protein tags.

Strategies that leverage bio-orthogonal interactions between small molecule ligands and genetically encoded amino acid sequences can be used to attach high-performance fluorophores to proteins in living cells. However, a major limitation of chemical protein labeling is that cells' plasma membranes are impermeable to many useful probes and biolabels. Here, we show that conjugation to nonaarginine, a cell penetrating peptide (CPP), enables passive cytoplasmic delivery of otherwise membrane-impermeant, small molecule protein labels.

A price to pay for relaxed substrate specificity: a comparative kinetic analysis of the class II lanthipeptide synthetases ProcM and HalM2.

Lanthipeptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide natural products (RiPPs) that typically harbor multiple intramolecular thioether linkages. For class II lanthipeptides, these cross-links are installed in a multistep reaction pathway by a single enzyme (LanM). The multifunctional nature of LanMs and the manipulability of their genetically encoded peptide substrates (LanAs) make LanM/LanA systems promising targets for the engineering of new antibacterial compounds.

π-π interaction energies as determinants of the photodimerization of mono-, di-, and triazastilbenes.

We describe the quantitative [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of crystalline trans-2,4-dichloro-6-styrylpyrimidine to produce the corresponding htt r-ctt cyclobutane dimer, and we present (1)H NMR analysis of the photolysis of this and six other mono-, di-, and triazastilbenes in solid and solution states. Density functional (M06-2X) and correlated ab initio (MP2) calculations were used to obtain interaction energies between two monomers of each azastilbene. These energies mirror the relative polarization of the stilbene moieties and can be quantitatively correlated with the rate of reaction and selective formation of the htt r-ctt dimers.

Synthesis of Polyglycerol, Porphyrin-Cored Dendrimers Using Click Chemistry.

Polyglycerol, porphyrin-cored dendrimers were synthesized by the click reaction of azide-cored polyglycerol dendrons and octaazidoporphyrin . The dendrons were synthesized divergently starting with TBDPS protected allyl alcohol . Two, three and four cycles of dihydroxylation-allyl etherification gave dendrons [G-2.

16-Aza-ent-beyerane and 16-Aza-ent-trachylobane: potent mechanism-based inhibitors of recombinant ent-kaurene synthase from Arabidopsis thaliana.

The secondary ent-beyeran-16-yl carbocation (7) is a key branch point intermediate in mechanistic schemes to rationalize the cyclic structures of many tetra- and pentacyclic diterpenes, including ent-beyerene, ent-kaurene, ent-trachylobane, and ent-atiserene, presumed precursors to >1000 known diterpenes. To evaluate these mechanistic hypotheses, we synthesized the heterocyclic analogues 16-aza-ent-beyerane (12) and 16-aza-ent-trachylobane (13) by means of Hg(II)- and Pb(IV)-induced cyclizations onto the Delta12 double bonds of tricyclic intermediates bearing carbamoylmethyl and aminomethyl groups at C-8. The 13,16-seco-16-norcarbamate (20a) was obtained from ent-beyeran-16-one oxime (17) by Beckmann fragmentation, hydrolysis, and Curtius rearrangement.

A non-antibacterial oxazolidinone derivative that inhibits epithelial cell sheet migration.

We have developed a high-throughput assay for screening chemical libraries for compounds that affect cell sheet migration during wound closure in epithelial cell monolayers. By using this assay, we have discovered a new inhibitor of cell sheet migration. This compound (UIC-1005) is a 3,4-disubstituted oxazolidinone that bears an electrophilic alpha,beta-unsaturated N-acyl group required for activity.

An organometallic route to oligonucleotides containing phosphoroselenoate.

Unlike the widespread use of phosphorothioates in nucleic acid chemistry, complementary research on phosphoroselenoates has been severely limited. Previous routes to DNA and RNA that contain phosphoroselenoates employ elemental Se and KSeCN as Se transfer agents, although these reagents suffer from low or unselective reactivity. The metastability of the Pbond;Se bond demands soluble, selective Se transfer reagents.

New transition-metal-dependent DNAzymes as efficient endonucleases and as selective metal biosensors.

Like proteins and RNA molecules, many DNA molecules have now been shown to catalyze a variety of reactions and are thus called DNAzymes. With limited building blocks, DNAzymes need to recruit other cofactors in order to match other enzymes in terms of reaction diversity and catalytic efficiency. Several unique properties make transition-metal ions an ideal choice of cofactor for DNAzymes.