Preparation of 5′-deoxy-5′-amino-5′-C-methyl adenosine derivatives and their activity against DOT1L

From a readily available 5-C-Me ribofuranoside, we have realized a reliable route to valuable 5′-deoxy-5′-amino-5′-C-methyl adenosine derivatives at gram scale with confirmed stereochemistry. These adenosine derivatives are useful starting materials for the preparation of 5′-deoxy-5′-amino-5′-C-methyl adenosine derivatives with higher complexity. From one of the new adenosine derivatives, some 5′-deoxy-5′-amino-5′-C-methyl adenosine DOT1L inhibitors were prepared in several steps. Data from DOT1L assay indicated that additional 5′-C-Me group improved the enzyme inhibitory activity.     

A comparative study of warheads for design of cysteine protease inhibitors

The effects on potency of cruzain inhibition of replacing a nitrile group with alternative warheads were explored. The oxime was almost an order of magnitude more potent than the corresponding nitrile and has the potential to provide access to the prime side of the catalytic site. Dipeptide aldehydes and azadipeptide nitriles were found to be two orders of magnitude more potent cruzain inhibitors than the corresponding dipeptide nitriles although potency differences were modulated by substitution at P1 and P3. Replacement of the α methylene of a dipeptide aldehyde with cyclopropane led to a loss of potency of almost three orders of magnitude. The vinyl esters and amides that were characterized as reversible inhibitors were less potent than the corresponding nitrile by between one and two orders of magnitude.     

Design,synthesis and in vitro anti-mycobacterial evaluation of gatifloxacin-1H-1,2,3-triazole-isatin hybrids

A set of novel gatifloxacin-1H-1,2,3-triazole-isatin hybrids 6a-l was designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti-mycobacterial activities against M. tuberculosis (MTB) H₃₇Rv and MDR-TB as well as cytotoxicity. The results showed that all the targets (MIC: 0.025–3.12 μg/mL) exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against MTB H₃₇Rv and MDR-TB, but were much more toxic (CC₅₀: 7.8–62.5 μg/mL) than the parent gatifloxacin (GTFX) (CC₅₀: 125 μg/mL). Among them, 61 (MIC: 0.025 μg/mL) was 2–32 times more potent in vitro than the references INH (MIC: 0.05 μg/mL), GTFX (MIC: 0.78 μg/mL) and RIF (MIC: 0.39 μg/mL) against MTB H₃₇Rv. The most active conjugate 6 k (MIC: 0.06 μg/mL) was 16–>2048 times more potent than the three references (MIC: 1.0–>128 μg/mL) against MDR-TB. Both of the two hybrids warrant further investigations.     

Discovery of orally bioavailable cyclohexanol-based NR2B-selective NMDA receptor antagonists with analgesic activity utilizing a scaffold hopping approach

NR2B subunit containing N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is an attractive target for chronic pain due to its involvement in disease states and its limited distribution in the central nervous system. Cyclohexanol-based leads 6a and 6c were identified as potent NR2B-selective NMDA antagonists utilizing a scaffold hopping approach. Further optimization of this series through replacement of the amide in the leads with an isoxazole and efforts to optimize the pharmacokinetic profiles led to the discovery of orally available brain penetrants 7k and 7l, which demonstrated analgesic activity in the mouse formalin test at early and late phases.     

基于EST-SSR标记的平欧杂种榛品种鉴定

为建立准确、高效的平欧杂种榛品种鉴定方法,本研究收集目前国内普遍引种的平欧杂种榛品种(品系)43个,选用课题组已开发的12对EST-SSR引物进行品种鉴定方法研究。结果表明:不同引物在供试样品中的PIC值为0.3800~0.7839,平均为0.5113,各引物组合经毛细管电泳均显示出了良好的扩增效果;平欧杂种榛品种(品系)间的亲缘关系较为复杂,其中薄壳红和平欧62、平欧3和平欧7、平欧30和平欧48的遗传距离最近;引物CAF-2、CAF-3、CAF-12和CAF-13组合使用,可完全区分43个平欧杂种榛品种(品系),其中引物CAF-2与CAF-13组合使用,可鉴定16个主栽品种(品系)。上述研究结果为平欧杂种榛的品种鉴定提供了便捷、有效的方法,也可为其他榛属植物研究提供参考。     

血清白蛋白与降血糖药物相互作用的关键位点分析

用生物信息学的方法分析不同物种的血清白蛋白的亲缘关系,分析降血糖药物米格列醇和伏格列波糖与人血清白蛋白相互作用位点在其他亲缘关系较近的物种中相应的氨基酸变化特点。结果表明米格列醇、伏格列波糖与人血清白蛋白的结合位点都位于人血清白蛋白亚区IB的疏水腔中,其间的主要作用力是氢键和疏水作用力。米格列醇和伏格列波糖与血清白蛋白结合位点处的氨基酸在其他物种中大部分都是保守的,只有少数的氨基酸不同,且极性也不相同。血清白蛋白疏水性分析发现米格列醇和伏格列波糖与血清白蛋白结合位点处的氨基酸中亲水性的较多,疏水性的少,在其他4个亲缘关系较近的物种也具有同样的现象。这些分析结果为进一步研究降血糖药物在其他物种中的表现及相互作用等提供了重要的科学依据。     

基于ITS和matK基因对牡丹组序列分析及其亲缘关系的研究

以芍药属牡丹组全部9个野生种、5个紫斑牡丹栽培品种及3个中原牡丹品种为试材,进行核糖体内转录间隔区（ITS）和叶绿体成熟酶K （matK）基因片段测序分析,探讨ITS和matK序列为牡丹组所有野生种种间关系提供分子证据。从GeneBank中选取了1个牡丹及3个外类群芍药、川赤芍和草芍药的ITS及matK序列。对试验样品进行DNA提取、PCR扩增并双向测序得到44条序列,人工校正后将所得44条序列进行比对;计算碱基组成频率、变异位点、简约信息位点数、转换/颠换比率、种内及种间遗传距离,以邻接法进行系统发育分析。结果表明,牡丹组所有个体ITS序列长度在750~800 bp,含有86个多态位点,74个简约信息位点,转换/颠换比率（R）为1.2;而matK序列含有20个简约信息位点,转换/颠换比率（R）为1.7。ITS序列分析将牡丹组野生种分为两大枝,稷山牡丹、紫斑牡丹、卵叶牡丹和杨山牡丹聚为一枝,狭叶牡丹、滇牡丹、黄牡丹和大花黄牡丹聚为另一枝,这两枝分别与革质花盘亚组和肉质花盘亚组相对应,而四川牡丹位于革质花盘亚组最底端,支持前人研究将四川牡丹归为革质花盘亚组。matK序列分析的牡丹组野生种间遗传距离结果不理想,未能清晰的表明野生种之间的亲缘关系。由此说明,ITS序列更适合牡丹组野生种间亲缘关系的研究分析。     

Genome analysis of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h isolated from China

No ascovirus isolated from China has been sequenced so far. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to sequence the genome of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) using the 454 pyrosequencing technology. The genome was found to be 190,519-bp long with a G+C content of 45.5%. We also found that it encodes 185 hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs) along with at least 50 amino acids, including 181 ORFs found in other ascoviruses and 4 unique ORFs. Gene-parity plots and phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between HvAV-3h and three other HvAV-3a strains and a distant relationship with Spodoptera frugiperda ascovirus 1a (SfAV-1a), Trichoplusia ni ascovirus 6a (TnAV-6a), and Diadromus pulchellus ascovirus 4a (DpAV-4a). Among the 185 potential genes encoded by the genome, 44 core genes were found in all the sequenced ascoviruses. In addition, 25 genes were found to be conserved in all ascoviruses except DpAV-4a. In the HvAV-3h genome, 24 baculovirus repeat ORFs (bros) were present, and the typical homologous repeat regions (hrs) were absent. This study supplies information important for understanding the conservation and functions of ascovirus genes as well as the variety of ascoviral genomes.

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Meteorological driven factors of population growth in brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), in rice paddies

Growth of brown planthopper (BPH) (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) in rice paddies is mainly driven by meteorological factors under similar management practices. By analyzing field investigation and meteorological data collected from 2008 to 2013 in Nanchang, China, we show that BPH population densities and monthly growth rates (BGR) changed greatly from May to October, and these changes were closely associated with meteorological factors. Stepwise regression and path analysis indicated average speed of winds (AW) in June and lowest temperature (LT) in July were the first factors entering analysis, which interpreted 46.20% and 31.90% of their influences on BGR. While highest temperature (HT) in August and average temperature (AT) in September were the most important factors affecting BGR, but their direct path coefficients were all smaller than their corresponding indirect path coefficients. In October, relative humidity (RH), AW and number of raining days (RD) had significant effects on BGR. According to the sum of each meteorological factor entering stepwise regression analysis sequences, we found AW had the utmost effect on BPH growth, followed by AT and RH, but LT and RD least. The work demonstrate dynamic meteorological factors driving BPH growth and outbreak in rice paddies, which would facilitate the development of durable approaches for forecasting and controlling this destructive rice pest.     

Mixotrophy in the marine red-tide cryptophyte Teleaulax amphioxeia and ingestion and grazing impact of cryptophytes on natural populations of bacteria in Korean coastal waters

Cryptophytes are ubiquitous and one of the major phototrophic components in marine plankton communities. They often cause red tides in the waters of many countries. Understanding the bloom dynamics of cryptophytes is, therefore, of great importance. A critical step in this understanding is unveiling their trophic modes. Prior to this study, several freshwater cryptophyte species and marine Cryptomonas sp. and Geminifera cryophila were revealed to be mixotrophic. The trophic mode of the common marine cryptophyte species, Teleaulax amphioxeia has not been investigated yet. Thus, to explore the mixotrophic ability of T. amphioxeia by assessing the types of prey species that this species is able to feed on, the protoplasms of T. amphioxeia cells were carefully examined under an epifluorescence microscope and a transmission electron microscope after adding each of the diverse prey species. Furthermore, T. amphioxeia ingestion rates heterotrophic bacteria and the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. were measured as a function of prey concentration. Moreover, the feeding of natural populations of cryptophytes on natural populations of heterotrophic bacteria was assessed in Masan Bay in April 2006. This study reported for the first time, to our knowledge, that T. amphioxeia is a mixotrophic species. Among the prey organisms offered, T. amphioxeia fed only on heterotrophic bacteria and Synechococcus sp. The ingestion rates of T. amphioxeia on heterotrophic bacteria or Synechococcus sp. rapidly increased with increasing prey concentrations up to 8.6 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹, but slowly at higher prey concentrations. The maximum ingestion rates of T. amphioxeia on heterotrophic bacteria and Synechococcus sp. reached 0.7 and 0.3 cells predator⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. During the field experiments, the ingestion rates and grazing coefficients of cryptophytes on natural populations of heterotrophic bacteria were 0.3–8.3 cells predator⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 0.012–0.033 d⁻¹, respectively. Marine cryptophytes, including T. amphioxeia, are known to be favorite prey species for many mixotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates and ciliates. Cryptophytes, therefore, likely play important roles in marine food webs and may exert a considerable potential grazing impact on the populations of marine bacteria.