CVT-4325: a potent fatty acid oxidation inhibitor with favorable oral bioavailability

New inhibitors of palmitoyl-CoA oxidation are based on the introduction of nitrogen heterocycles in the ‘Western Portion’ of the molecule. SAR studies led to the discovery of CVT-4325 (shown), a potent FOXi (IC₅₀ = 380 nM rat mitochondria) with favorable PK properties (F = 93%, t_1/2 = 13.6 h, dog).     

Pollinator attractiveness increases with distance from flowering orchids

Orchids are extraordinary among plants because many species are pollinated through sexual duplicity by producing flowers that mimic female insects to lure unsuspecting males. Previous work showed that sexual deception by the orchid Chiloglottis trapeziformis can have a negative impact on its wasp pollinator Neozeleboria cryptoides. We report that female wasps may be capable of mitigating the cost of the orchids' deception. Although male wasps quickly habituated to areas planted with unrewarding flower decoys, we found that the effectiveness of the chemical cue used by the wingless females to attract males increases with increasing distance from an orchid patch. The apparent specificity of the males' site-based avoidance strategy means that females emerging in areas occupied by flowering orchids could, potentially, leave the orchid colony by walking to increase their attractiveness.     

Costs influence male mate choice in a freshwater fish

It is well known that female mate choice decisions depend on the direct costs of choosing (either because of search costs or male-imposed costs). Far less is known about how direct fitness costs affect male mate choice. We conducted an experiment to investigate male mate choice in a fish, the Pacific blue-eye (Pseudomugil signifer). Preferred females were larger, probably because larger females are also more fecund. Males, however, were consistent in their choice of female only when the costs of associating with prospective mates were equal. By contrast, males were far less consistent in their choice when made to swim against a current to remain with their initially preferred mate. Our results suggest that males may also respond adaptively to changes in the costs of choosing.     

Synthesis and testing of novel classical cannabinoids: exploring the side chain ligand binding pocket of the CB1 and CB2 receptors

A series of C3 cyclic side-chain analogues of classical cannabinoids were synthesized to probe the ligand binding pocket of the CB1 and CB2 receptors. The analogues were evaluated for CB1 and CB2 receptor binding affinities relative to delta(8)-THC. The C3 side-chain geometries of the analogues were studied using high field NMR spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations. The results of these studies provide insights into the geometry of the ligand binding pocket of the CB1 and CB2 receptors.     

Genome sequence of Yersinia pestis KIM

We present the complete genome sequence of Yersinia pestis KIM, the etiologic agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. The strain KIM, biovar Mediaevalis, is associated with the second pandemic, including the Black Death. The 4.6-Mb genome encodes 4,198 open reading frames (ORFs). The origin, terminus, and most genes encoding DNA replication proteins are similar to those of Escherichia coli K-12. The KIM genome sequence was compared with that of Y. pestis CO92, biovar Orientalis, revealing homologous sequences but a remarkable amount of genome rearrangement for strains so closely related. The differences appear to result from multiple inversions of genome segments at insertion sequences, in a manner consistent with present knowledge of replication and recombination. There are few differences attributable to horizontal transfer. The KIM and E. coli K-12 genome proteins were also compared, exposing surprising amounts of locally colinear "backbone," or synteny, that is not discernible at the nucleotide level. Nearly 54% of KIM ORFs are significantly similar to K-12 proteins, with conserved housekeeping functions. However, a number of E. coli pathways and transport systems and at least one global regulator were not found, reflecting differences in lifestyle between them. In KIM-specific islands, new genes encode candidate pathogenicity proteins, including iron transport systems, putative adhesins, toxins, and fimbriae.     

An integrated, stacked microlaboratory for biological agent detection with DNA and immunoassays

An integrated, stacked microlaboratory for performing automated electric-field-driven immunoassays and DNA hybridization assays was developed. The stacked microlaboratory was fabricated by orderly laminating several different functional layers (all 76 x 76 mm(2)) including a patterned polyimide layer with a flip-chip bonded CMOS chip, a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive (PSA) layer with a fluidic cutout, an optically transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film, a PSA layer with a via, a patterned polyimide layer with a flip-chip bonded silicon chip, a PSA layer with a fluidic cutout, and a glass cover plate layer. Versatility of the stacked microlaboratory was demonstrated by various automated assays. Escherichia coli bacteria and Alexa-labeled protein toxin staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) were detected by electric-field-driven immunoassays on a single chip with a specific-to-nonspecific signal ratios of 4.2:1 and 3.0:1, respectively. Furthermore, by integrating the microlaboratory with a module for strand displacement amplification (SDA), the identification of the Shiga-like toxin gene (SLT1) from E. coli was accomplished within 2.5 h starting from a dielectrophoretic concentration of intact E. coli bacteria and finishing with an electric-field-driven DNA hybridization assay, detected by fluorescently labeled DNA reporter probes. The integrated microlaboratory can be potentially used in a wide range of applications including detection of bacteria and biowarfare agents, and genetic identification.     

A high-throughput Arabidopsis reverse genetics system

A collection of Arabidopsis lines with T-DNA insertions in known sites was generated to increase the efficiency of functional genomics. A high-throughput modified thermal asymmetric interlaced (TAIL)-PCR protocol was developed and used to amplify DNA fragments flanking the T-DNA left borders from approximately 100000 transformed lines. A total of 85108 TAIL-PCR products from 52964 T-DNA lines were sequenced and compared with the Arabidopsis genome to determine the positions of T-DNAs in each line. Predicted T-DNA insertion sites, when mapped, showed a bias against predicted coding sequences. Predicted insertion mutations in genes of interest can be identified using Arabidopsis Gene Index name searches or by BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) search. Insertions can be confirmed by simple PCR assays on individual lines. Predicted insertions were confirmed in 257 of 340 lines tested (76%). This resource has been named SAIL (Syngenta Arabidopsis Insertion Library) and is available to the scientific community at www.tmri.org.