Synthesis of the Cyanine 7 labeled neutrophil-specific agents for noninvasive near infrared fluorescence imaging

A neutrophil-binding peptide, cinnamoyl-F(D)LF(D)LF (cFLFLF), was labeled with the near infrared (NIR) fluorophore, Cyanine 7 (Cy7). This construct was modified with a polyethylene glycol (PEG, M_W 3.4 kDa) moiety in order to increase its solubility and bioavailability to circulating neutrophils. A preliminary noninvasive fluorescence imaging of a mouse model of ear inflammation with the fluorescent probe is presented.     

Design and synthesis of 4-[3,5-dioxo-11-oxa-4,9-diazatricyclo[5.3.1.02,6]undec-4-yl]-2-trifluoromethyl-benzonitriles as androgen receptor antagonists

A novel series of 4-[3,5-dioxo-11-oxa-4,9-diazatricyclo[5.3.1.0^2,6]undec-4-yl]-2-trifluoromethyl-benzonitriles has been synthesized. The ability of these compounds to act as antagonists of the androgen receptor was investigated and several were found to have potent activity in vitro and in vivo.     

A fatty acyl-CoA reductase highly expressed in the head of honey bee (Apis mellifera) involves biosynthesis of a wide range of aliphatic fatty alcohols

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are social insects which have remarkable complexity in communication pheromones. These chemical signals comprise a mixture of hydrocarbons, wax esters, fatty acids, aldehydes and alcohols. In this study, we detected several long chain aliphatic alcohols ranging from C18-C32 in honey bees and the level of these alcohols varied in each body segment. C18:0Alc and C20:0Alc are more pronounced in the head, whereas C22:0Alc to C32Alc are abundant in the abdomen. One of the cDNAs coding for a fatty acyl-CoA reductase (AmFAR1) involved in the synthesis of fatty alcohols was isolated and characterized. AmFAR1 was ubiquitously expressed in all body segments with the predominance in the head of honey bees. Heterologous expression of AmFAR1 in yeast revealed that AmFAR1 could convert a wide range of fatty acids (14:0–22:0) to their corresponding alcohols, with stearic acid 18:0 as the most preferred substrate. The substrate preference and the expression pattern of AmFAR1 were correlated with the level of total fatty alcohols in bees. Reconstitution of the wax biosynthetic pathway by heterologous expression of AmFAR1, together with Euglena wax synthase led to the high level production of medium to long chain wax monoesters in yeast.     

Synthesis and properties of triplex-forming oligonucleotides containing 2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-(3-aminoprop-1-ynyl)-uridine

2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl)-5-(3-aminoprop-1-ynyl)-uridine phosphoramidite (MEPU) has been synthesized from d-ribose and 5-iodouracil and incorporated into triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) by automated solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. The TFOs gave very high triplex stability with their target duplexes as measured by ultraviolet/fluorescence melting and DNase I footprinting. The incorporation of MEPU into TFOs renders them resistant to degradation by serum nucleases.     

Singing behavior and singing functions of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) at Mt. Wuliang,central Yunnan,China

We used data on loud duetted and solo songs collected from one habituated polygynous group of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) on Mt. Wuliang, Yunnan, to test several hypotheses about the functions of these songs. The major functions proposed for loud gibbon songs include resource defense, mate defense, pairbonding, group cohesion and mate attraction. Duet bouts are generally initiated by adult males, who select the highest trees near to ridges or on steep slopes as singing trees. Such trees facilitate voice transmission and inter‐group communication. Singing trees tended to be located near important food patches and sleeping sites, which supports the resource defense hypothesis. The adult male and two adult females always sang interactively, alternating male phrases with the females' stereotyped great calls, to produce the duets, and females rarely produced great calls if they were more than 30 m from the male. The two females usually produced great calls synchronously during the duet, especially when they were close together. These features support both the mate defense and pairbonding hypotheses. The number of great calls and their degree of synchrony transmit information about spatial relationships and possibly pairbond strength to members to neighboring groups and floating animals. During or after the duet bouts, the adult females and juvenile moved toward to the adult male; and group members maintained a close spatial relationship, which supports the group cohesion hypothesis. Other incidents observed suggest a mate competition role for duets. The adult male always sang when the females started duetting with the subadult male. The subadult male sang solo bouts, but they were not more frequent or longer than bouts initiated by the adult male. Although mate attraction is the likely function of subadult solos, it was not convincingly demonstrated. In conclusion, all hypotheses concerning the function of singing are supported by at least some of the data, and none can be excluded. Am. J. Primatol. 71:539–547, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.