Facile route for the synthesis of the iminosugar nucleoside (3R,4R)-1-(pyren-1-yl)-4-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidin-3-ol

N-(Pyren-1-yl)-(3R,4S)-4-[(1S,2R)-1,2,3-trihydroxypropyl]pyrrolidin-3-ol (4) was obtained in 36% yield from 3-deoxy-3-C-formyl-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-allofuranose (3) by combined hydrolysis and aminoalkylation reactions with 1-aminopyrene in a one-pot reaction. Cleavage reactions of the exocyclic triol chain in 4 with NaIO₄ and NaBH₄ resulted in iminosugars 7 and 8, which are analogues of the furanose forms of 2-deoxy-d-allose and of 2-deoxy-d-ribose, the latter analogue N-(pyren-1-yl)-(3R,4R)-4-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidin-3-ol (8) being formed in 83% yield.     

Toward the Synthesis of Pyroglutamate Lauroyl Ester: Biocatalysis Versus Chemical Catalysis

The synthesis of dodecyl pyroglutamate (or pyroglutamate lauroyl ester) was achieved in a two-step process involving a pyroglutamic acid alkyl ester intermediate. The reaction was carried out either by lipase or by chemical catalysis using ion exchange resin. Among the various tested lipases, the one from Candida antarctica B gave the best results allowing 73% formation of the desired ester after 6 h. Comparing the efficiency of this latter lipase with the one of Amberlyst IR120H resin in catalyzing this reaction, the biocatalyst gave a molar yield of pyroglutamate lauroyl ester of 79% compared to 69% when using the ion exchange resin starting with 1.04 mmol substrate in each case.     

Thermodynamics of the reduction of NADP with 2-propanol catalyzed by an NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase

The apparent equilibrium constant of the biochemical reaction, 2-propanol+NADP(ox) = acetone+NADP(red), was determined at I = 0.25 M over a wide range of pH (5.63 to 8.02) and temperature (5 to 40 degrees C). The reaction was catalyzed by an NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. The results were used to calculate thermodynamic quantities for the chemical (ionic) reference reaction: 2-propanol+NADP(ox)(3-) = acetone+NADP(red)(4-)+H(+). The thermodynamic quantities for this reference reaction are as follows: equilibrium constant K = (5.98+/-0.46) x 10(-10); standard molar Gibbs energy change Delta(r)G(0) = (52.65+/-0.19) kJmol(-1); standard molar enthalpy change Delta(r)H(0) = (38.9+/-0.6) kJmol(-1); and standard molar entropy change Delta(r)S(0) = -(46.1+/-2.2)J K(-1)mol(-1). All of these results pertain to 25 degrees C (298.15 K) and I = 0. The results also lead, in conjunction with tabulated thermodynamic quantities, to the standard electromotive force E(0) = -0.140 V for the reduction of NADP(ox)(3-) to NADP(red)(4-).     

UDP-galactose 4-epimerase: a key enzyme in exopolysaccharide formation by Lactobacillus casei CRL 87 in controlled pH batch cultures

AIMS: To evaluate the relationship between exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and the sugar nucleotide biosynthetic enzymes in Lactobacillus casei CRL 87 under optimum growth conditions for polymer formation: controlled pH on galactose or glucose. Studies with an EPS mutant were carried out to determine the key enzymes in EPS synthesis under the above culture conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: EPS concentration was estimated by the phenol/sulphuric acid method, while the activities of the biosynthetic enzymes were determined spectrophotometrically by measuring the formation or disappearance of NAD(P)H at 340 nm. An environmental pH of 5.0, using galactose as carbon source, markedly improved not only polymer production and yield but also, cell growth and lactic acid production. Analysis of the activities of the EPS precursor-forming enzymes revealed that polysaccharide synthesis was correlated with uridine-diphosphate (UDP)-glucose pyrophosphorylase and UDP-galactose 4-epimerase under these growth conditions. CONCLUSIONS: EPS synthesis by Lact. casei CRL 87 was considerably improved at a controlled pH of 5.0 with galactose as carbon source, and was correlated with the activity of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and UDP-galactose 4-epimerase. The results obtained with the wild-type and EPS- strains suggest that UDP-galactose 4-epimerase plays an essential role in EPS formation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Unravelling the key enzymes involved in EPS biosynthesis under optimum culture conditions for polymer production provides important information for the design of strategies, via genetic engineering, to enhance polysaccharide formation.     

汶川大地震灾后不同滑坡体上柏木体内非结构性碳水化合物的特性

"5.12"汶川大地震不仅直接摧毁森林17.3万hm²,还通过对土壤和林内生境的剧烈改变对现存森林造成潜在威胁。以地震重灾区北川的主要分布树种柏木为研究对象,在2009年6月初(夏初)和10月初(秋季)两个时期,对不同类型柏木林的叶、枝、根可溶性糖和淀粉含量进行测定分析,旨在认识震后初期柏木对逆境胁迫的生理响应,为研究大地震对植物体内碳水化合物的影响和对逆境的适应性提供科学依据。结果表明:地震对柏木体内碳水化合物的含量有较大影响,总体表现为严重滑坡类型具有较高的可溶性糖含量,较低的根系淀粉含量。夏初严重滑坡类型柏木叶、枝、根可溶性糖含量分别为(11.44±1.08)%、(4.64±0.42)%、(5.48±0.51)%。就不同器官而言,可溶性糖含量叶>根>枝,淀粉含量叶>枝>根;夏初碳水化合物含量均高于秋季,且仅叶片可溶性糖和淀粉含量在不同季节存在显著性差异(P<0.05),说明柏木叶片对地震反应最为敏感。地震带来的灾害如山体滑坡等对植物的生理活动产生巨大影响, 不利于林木生长。     

Regioselective enzymatic acylation of multi-hydroxyl compounds in organic synthesis

With current developments in enzyme-catalyzed reactions and techniques available for rational redesign of natural biocatalysts, the enzymatic biosynthesis can become one of the most valuable synthetic methods. Enzymatic regioselective catalysis in organic media has played a key role in pursuing asymmetric synthesis for active chiral compounds. Here, we shortly describe some historical issues of the rapidly growing area, enzymatic catalysis in synthetic organic chemistry and then review researches that have been carried out in the regioselective enzymatic catalysis for the past two decades. An application of this technology to the modification of some potential target drug compound will be also presented.     

Painting of parental chromatin in Beta hybrids by multi-colour fluorescent in situ hybridization

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is a relatively young crop and has a narrow gene pool. In order to introduce genetic variability into the crop, interspecific hybrids, selected from crosses with wild beets of the sections Corollinae and Procumbentes, have been generated. The introgressed B. procumbens chromatin carries resistance genes to beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii Schm. These lines are important for breeding of nematode-resistant sugar beet, while Corollinae species are potential donors of tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses such as drought or saline soils. We have used in situ hybridization of genomic DNA to discriminate the parental chromosomes in these interspecific hybrids. Suppression of cross-hybridization by blocking DNA was not necessary indicating that the investigated Beta genomes contain sufficient species-specific DNA enabling the unequivocal determination of the genomic composition of the hybrids. Interspecific hybrid lines with an additional chromosome (2n = 18 + 1), chromosome fragment (2n = 18 + fragment) or translocation of B. procumbens (2n = 18) were analysed by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) at mitosis and meiosis. Species-specific satellites and ribosomal genes used in combination with genomic DNA or in rehybridization experiments served as landmark probes for chromosome identification in hybrid genomes. The detection of a B. procumbens translocation of approx. I Mbp demonstrated the sensitivity and resolution of GISH and showed that this approach is a powerful method in genome analysis projects of the genus Beta.     

Effect of adult nutrition on the melanization immune response of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi

Two dietary resources - blood and sugar - were assessed for effects on the melanization immune response of the mosquito Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae) towards inoculated Sephadex beads (negatively charged C-25). This melanization is conferred by genetic factors capable of making the mosquito refractory to malaria parasites. If An. stephensi females had obtained a bloodmeal one day before inoculation with a bead, the efficacy of their immune response increased with the concentration of sugar ingested. At the highest sugar concentration (6%) tested, 38% of the mosquitoes completely melanized their bead, whereas at the lowest sugar concentration (2%), none of the mosquitoes were able to melanize their bead completely. Among mosquitoes not having a bloodmeal, the immuno-competence was low (c. 9% of the mosquitoes completely melanized their bead) and independent of sugar concentration. The observed interaction between these two resources indicates that both resources are required for the Anopheles female to develop an effective melanization immune response.