Verification of specific G-quadruplex structure by using a novel cyanine dye supramolecular assembly: II. The binding characterization with specific intramolecular G-quadruplex and the recognizing mechanism

The supramolecular assembly of a novel cyanine dye, 3,3′-di(3-sulfopropyl)-4,5,4′,5′-dibenzo-9-ethyl-thiacarbocyanine triethylammonium salt (ETC) was designed to verify specific intramolecular G-quadruplexes from duplex and single-strand DNAs. Spectral results have shown that ETC presented two major distinct signatures with specific intramolecular G-quadruplexes in vitro: (i) dramatic changes in the absorption spectra (including disappearance of absorption peak around 660 nm and appearance of independent new peak around 584 nm); (ii) ∼70 times enhancement of fluorescence signal at 600 nm. Furthermore, based on 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism results, the preferring binding of ETC to specific intramolecular G-quadruplexes probably result from end-stacking, and the loop structure nearby also plays an important role

Serum Metabolomics of Burkitt Lymphoma Mouse Models

<div><p>Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a rare and highly aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The mortality rate of BL patients is very high due to the rapid growth rate and frequent systemic spread of the disease. A better understanding of the pathogenesis, more sensitive diagnostic tools and effective treatment methods for BL are essential. Metabolomics, an important aspect of systems biology, allows the comprehensive analysis of global, dynamic and endogenous biological metabolites based on their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). It has already been used to investigate the pathogenesis and discover new biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. In this study, we analyzed differences of serum metabolites in BL mice and normal mice by NMR-based metabolomics. We found that metabolites associated with energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and choline phospholipid metabolism were altered in BL mice. The diagnostic potential of the metabolite differences was investigated in this study. Glutamate, glycerol and choline had a high diagnostic accuracy; in contrast, isoleucine, leucine, pyruvate, lysine, α-ketoglutarate, betaine, glycine, creatine, serine, lactate, tyrosine, phenylalanine, histidine and formate enabled the accurate differentiation of BL mice from normal mice. The discovery of abnormal metabolism and relevant differential metabolites may provide useful clues for developing novel, noninvasive approaches for the diagnosis and prognosis of BL based on these potential biomarkers.</p></div

Metabolites responsible for the differences between tumor-bearing mice and controls.

<p>Metabolites responsible for the differences between tumor-bearing mice and controls.</p

Typical 600 MHz ¹H BPP-LED spectra of serum samples.

<p>(A) controls (B) tumor-bearing mice. Keys for metabolites: 42, Cholesterol; 43, Lipids (mainly HDL); 44, Lipids (triglycerides and fatty acids); 45, O-acetyl glycoproteins; 46, Glycerolipids; 47, Phosphatidylcholine; 48, Triglyceride; 49, Unsaturated lipid.</p

ROC curves for distinguishing controls from tumor-bearing mice according to metabolite differences.

<p>ROC curves for distinguishing controls from tumor-bearing mice according to metabolite differences.</p

Heat map of the 23 significantly changed serum metabolites in the control and tumor—bearing mice.

<p>Heat map of the 23 significantly changed serum metabolites in the control and tumor—bearing mice.</p

From Biomass to Functional Crystalline Diamond Nanothread: Pressure-Induced Polymerization of 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is one of the top-12 value-added chemicals from sugar. Besides the wide application in chemical industry, here we found that solid FDCA polymerized to form an atomic-scale ordered sp3-carbon nanothread (CNTh) upon compression. With the help of perfectly aligned π–π stacked molecules and strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds, crystalline poly-FDCA CNTh with uniform syn-configuration was obtained above 11 GPa, with the crystal structure determined by Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD). The in situ XRD and theoretical simulation results show that the FDCA experienced continuous [4 + 2] Diels–Alder reactions along the stacking direction at the threshold C···C distance of ∼2.8 Å. Benefiting from the abundant carbonyl groups, the poly-FDCA shows a high specific capacity of 375 mAh g–1 as an anode material of a lithium battery with excellent Coulombic efficiency and rate performance. This is the first time a three-dimensional crystalline CNTh is obtained, and we demonstrated it is the hydrogen bonds that lead to the formation of the crystalline material with a unique configuration. It also provides a new method to move biomass compounds toward advanced functional carbon materials

Typical 600 MHz ¹H CPMG spectra of serum samples.

<p>(A) controls (B) tumor-bearing mice. Keys for metabolites: 1, Lipids (mainly LDL); 2, Lipids (mainly VLDL); 3, Isoleucine; 4, Leucine; 5, Valine; 6, 3-Hydroxybutyrate; 7, Unknown; 8, Lactate; 9, Alanine; 10, Citrulline; 11, Arginine; 12, Acetate; 13, Proline; 14, Glutamate; 15, Glutamine; 16, Methionine; 17, Lipid; 18, Pyruvate; 19, Citrate; 20, Polyunsaturated fatty acid; 21, Asparagine; 22, Lysine; 23, α-Ketoglutarate; 24, Creatine; 25, Creatinine; 26, Choline; 27, Phosphocholine (PC) / Glycerophosphocholine (GPC); 28, Glucose; 29, TMAO (Trimethylamine-N-oxide); 30, Betaine; 31, Glycine; 32, Myo-inositol; 33, Glycerol; 34, Serine; 35, β-glucose; 36, α-glucose; 37, Urea; 38, Tyrosine; 39, Histidine; 40, Phenylalanine; 41, Formate.</p