Through enhanced tree dynamics carbon dioxide enrichment may cause tropical forests to lose carbon

The fixation and storage of C by tropical forests, which contain close to half of the globe's biomass C, may be affected by elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. Classical theoretical approaches assume a uniform stimulation of photosynthesis and growth across taxa. Direct assessments of the C balance either by flux studies or by repeated forest inventories also suggest a current net uptake, although magnitudes sometimes exceed those missing required to balance the global C cycle. Reasons for such discrepancies may lie in the nature of forest dynamics and in differential responses of taxa or plant functional types. In this contribution I argue that CO2 enrichment may cause forests to become more dynamic and that faster tree turnover may in fact convert a stimulatory effect of elevated CO2 on photosynthesis and growth into a long-term net biomass C loss by favouring shorter-lived trees of lower wood density. At the least, this is a scenario that deserves inclusion into long-term projections of the C relations of tropical forests. Species and plant functional type specific responses ('biodiversity effects') and forest dynamics need to be accounted for in projections of future C storage and cycling in tropical forests.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of benzo[c][1,7] and [1,8]phenanthrolines analogues of nitidine and fagaronine

Fagaronine and nitidine are natural benzo[c] phenanthridinium alkaloids, which display antileukemic activity. Both act as topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II inhibitors. The objective of the present study was to prepare noncharged isosters of these compounds, with replacement of the aromatic A ring by a pyridine ring, present in other topoisomerase I inhibitors. Various 7,8- and 8,9-dimethoxy and metylenedioxy benzo[c][1,7] and [1,8]phenanthrolines were readily synthesized by benzyne-mediated cyclization of the corresponding substituted N-(2-halobenzyl)-5-quinolinamines or 5-isoquinolinamines. In both series, compounds bearing oxygenated substituents at positions 8 and 9 exhibited cytotoxic properties towards L1210 murine leukemia cells, which may result from their capacities to intercalate into DNA. Topoisomerase I inhibition was observed for all active compounds.     

A transesterification reaction is implicated in the covalent binding of benzo[b]acronycine anticancer agents with DNA and glutathion

The benzo[b]acronycine derivative S23906-1 has been recently identified as a promising antitumor agent, showing remarkable in vivo activities against a panel of solid tumors. The anticancer activity is attributed to the capacity of the drug to alkylate DNA, selectively at the exocyclic 2-amino group of guanine residues. Hydrolysis of the C-1 and C-2 acetate groups of S23906-1 provides the diol compound S28907-1 which is inactive whereas the intermediate C-2 monoacetate derivative S28687-1 is both highly reactive toward DNA and cytotoxic. The reactivity of this later compound S28687-1 toward two bionucleophiles, DNA and the tripeptide glutathion, has been investigated by mass spectrometry to identify the nature of the (type II) covalent adducts characterized by the loss of the acetate group at position 2. On the basis of NMR and molecular modeling analyses, the reaction mechanism is explained by a transesterification process where the acetate leaving group is transferred from position C-2 to C-1. Altogether, the study validates the reaction scheme of benzo[b]acronycine derivative with its target.     

Comparison of bulk enucleation methods for porcine oocytes

Cloning of mammalian oocytes requires that the recipient oocyte is enucleated to remove all genetic material associated with the chromosomes. The procedure currently used in most species requires careful micromanipulation of oocytes treated with cytochalasin B to prevent structural damage. Although functional, this procedure requires time and limits the number of oocytes available for cloning, and our ability to understand the mechanisms of nuclear reprogramming. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating different procedures to enucleate large pools of oocytes in a time-efficient manner. Two different approaches were tested. The first approach involved centrifugation of zona-free oocytes through a percoll gradient to separate the portion containing the chromatin from the cytoplasmic portion. The second used etoposide to prevent chromatin segregation at first metaphase and resulting in the expulsion of all chromosomes in the polar body. Using the chemical approach an average enucleation rate of 39.4 +/- 7.5% was obtained, while the centrifugation approach resulted in an average enucleation rate of 66.9 +/- 6. In terms of time efficiency, the control manipulation method takes 0.11 min and the centrifugation took an average of 0.52 min per oocyte. The MPF activity at the end of procedure was estimated through the measurement of H1 activity and as expected, the etoposide-cycloheximide treated oocytes had lower H1 activity which was restored by further incubation in the maturation medium for 5 hr while the centrifugation gave a nonsignificant intermediary result. In conclusion, the results presented suggest that both the chemical and the mechanical methods are usable alternatives to micromanipulation of oocytes to generate a large number of chromosome free cytoplasm for biochemical analysis. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 67: 70-76, 2004.     

On-resin assembly of a linkerless lanthanide(III)-based luminescence label and its application to the total synthesis of site-specifically labeled mechanosensitive channels

A synthesis strategy for the on-resin assembly of luminescent lanthanide chelates from commercially available compounds was developed. Advantages of the approach include the absence of spacers between the metal ion and the attachment site, and the compatibility with typical chemical protein synthesis protection schemes. Methoxycoumarin-labeled lysine and tris(tert-butyl)-DOTA were consecutively coupled with high efficiency to a free amino group in otherwise fully protected peptide segments using standard peptide synthesis methods. Addition of stoichiometric amounts of Tb(3+) to the modified, cleaved, and purified peptides yielded the desired lanthanide chelate. Incorporation of this label into a chemically synthesized, full-length mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) of E. coli and subsequent reconstitution into vesicles resulted in a functional mechanosensitive channel of comparable conductance to the wild-type channel. However, this channel required increased suction to gate. Excitation of the antenna molecule methoxycoumarin at 336 nm resulted in an emission spectrum typical for Tb(3+) and a luminescence lifetime of 0.67 ms. The location of the probe close to the backbone of this protein may provide precise information about conformational changes during channel opening from LRET studies.     

18F]Galacto-RGD: synthesis, radiolabeling, metabolic stability, and radiation dose estimates

It has been demonstrated in various murine tumor models that radiolabeled RGD-peptides can be used for noninvasive determination of alphavbeta3 integrin expression. Introduction of sugar moieties improved the pharmacokinetic properties of these peptides and led to tracer with good tumor-to-background ratios. Here we describe the synthesis, radiolabeling, and the metabolic stability of a glycosylated RGD-peptide ([18F]Galacto-RGD) and give first radiation dose estimates for this tracer. The peptide was assembled on a solid support using Fmoc-protocols and cyclized under high dilution conditions. It was conjugated with a sugar amino acid, which can be synthesized via a four-step synthesis starting from pentaacetyl-protected galactose. For radiolabeling of the glycopeptide, 4-nitrophenyl-2-[18F]fluoropropionate was used. This prosthetic group allowed synthesis of [18F]Galacto-RGD with a maximum decay-corrected radiochemical yield of up to 85% and radiochemical purity >98%. The overall radiochemical yield was 29 +/- 5% with a total reaction time including final HPLC preparation of 200 +/- 18 min. The metabolic stability of [18F]Galacto-RGD was determined in mouse blood and liver, kidney, and tumor homogenates 2 h after tracer injection. The average fraction of intact tracer in these organs was approximately 87%, 76%, 69%, and 87%, respectively, indicating high in vivo stability of the radiolabeled glycopeptide. The expected radiation dose to humans after injection of [18F]Galacto-RGD has been estimated on the basis of dynamic PET studies with New Zealand white rabbits. According to the residence times in these animals the effective dose was calculated using the MIRDOSE 3.0 program as 2.2 x 10(-2) mGy/MBq. In conclusion, [18F]Galacto-RGD can be synthesized in high radiochemical yields and radiochemical purity. Despite the time-consuming synthesis of the prosthetic group 185 MBq of [18F]Galacto-RGD, a sufficient dose for patient studies, can be produced starting with approximately 2.2 GBq of [18F]flouride. Moreover, the fast excretion, the suitable metabolic stability and the low estimated radiation dose allow to evaluate this tracer in human studies.     

Inhaled nebulized nitrite is a hypoxia-sensitive NO-dependent selective pulmonary vasodilator

The blood anion nitrite contributes to hypoxic vasodilation through a heme-based, nitric oxide (NO)-generating reaction with deoxyhemoglobin and potentially other heme proteins. We hypothesized that this biochemical reaction could be harnessed for the treatment of neonatal pulmonary hypertension, an NO-deficient state characterized by pulmonary vasoconstriction, right-to-left shunt pathophysiology and systemic hypoxemia. To test this, we delivered inhaled sodium nitrite by aerosol to newborn lambs with hypoxic and normoxic pulmonary hypertension. Inhaled nitrite elicited a rapid and sustained reduction ( approximately 65%) in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, with a magnitude approaching that of the effects of 20 p.p.m. NO gas inhalation. This reduction was associated with the immediate appearance of NO in expiratory gas. Pulmonary vasodilation elicited by aerosolized nitrite was deoxyhemoglobin- and pH-dependent and was associated with increased blood levels of iron-nitrosyl-hemoglobin. Notably, from a therapeutic standpoint, short-term delivery of nitrite dissolved in saline through nebulization produced selective, sustained pulmonary vasodilation with no clinically significant increase in blood methemoglobin levels. These data support the concept that nitrite is a vasodilator acting through conversion to NO, a process coupled to hemoglobin deoxygenation and protonation, and evince a new, simple and inexpensive potential therapy for neonatal pulmonary hypertension.