3-Aryl(hetaryl)-3-hydroxy-2-phosphorus-substituted acrylonitriles. Synthesis and experimental and theoretical conformational analysis

Under conditions of the phase transfer catalysis, acylation of (thio)phosphorylacetonitriles by (het)aroyl chlorides affords the Z-enol forms of C-acylation products in high yields. Their configurations were studied by IR spectroscopy, dipole moment measurements, and ab initio quantum-chemical calculations [B3LYP/6-31G(d)]. The C=C double bond and the phosphoryl or thiophosphoryl group have an s-cis arrangement. The possibility of strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding in these conformers is the governing factor responsible for the three-dimensional structures of the compounds under investigation. Derivatives of nicotinic acid existing in the individual form as zwitterions are the only exceptions

Integrated Operational Taxonomic Units (IOTUs) in Echolocating Bats: A Bridge between Molecular and Traditional Taxonomy

Background: Nowadays, molecular techniques are widespread tools for the identification of biological entities. However, until very few years ago, their application to taxonomy provoked intense debates between traditional and molecular taxonomists. To prevent every kind of disagreement, it is essential to standardize taxonomic definitions. Along these lines, we introduced the concept of Integrated Operational Taxonomic Unit (IOTU). IOTUs come from the concept of Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) and paralleled the Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit (MOTU). The latter is largely used as a standard in many molecular-based works (even if not always explicitly formalized). However, while MOTUs are assigned solely on molecular variation criteria, IOTUs are identified from patterns of molecular variation that are supported by at least one more taxonomic characteristic. Methodology/Principal Findings: We tested the use of IOTUs on the widest DNA barcoding dataset of Italian echolocating bats species ever assembled (i.e. 31 species, 209 samples). We identified 31 molecular entities, 26 of which corresponded to the morphologically assigned species, two MOTUs and three IOTUs. Interestingly, we found three IOTUs in Myotis nattereri, one of which is a newly described lineage found only in central and southern Italy. In addition, we found a level of molecular variability within four vespertilionid species deserving further analyses. According to our scheme two of them (i.e. M. bechsteinii and Plecotus auritus) should be ranked as unconfirmed candidate species (UCS). Conclusions/Significance: From a systematic point of view, IOTUs are more informative than the general concept of OTUs and the more recent MOTUs. According to information content, IOTUs are closer to species, although it is important to underline that IOTUs are not species. Overall, the use of a more precise panel of taxonomic entities increases the clarity in the systematic field and has the potential to fill the gaps between modern and traditional taxonomy

Novel olefin metathetis catalysts with fluorinated N-alkyl-NA '-arylimidazolin-2-ylidene ligands

International audienceNovel ruthenium carbene complexes bearing unsymmetrical NHC-ligands based on N-alkyl-NA '-arylimidazoline with hexafluoroisopropylmethoxy group in para-position of N-aryl moiety have been synthesized. Catalytic activity of complexes obtained was investigated on model reactions of intra- and intermolecular olefin metathesis

3-Aryl(hetaryl)-3-hydroxy-2-phosphorus-substituted acrylonitriles. Synthesis and experimental and theoretical conformational analysis

Under conditions of the phase transfer catalysis, acylation of (thio)phosphorylacetonitriles by (het)aroyl chlorides affords the Z-enol forms of C-acylation products in high yields. Their configurations were studied by IR spectroscopy, dipole moment measurements, and ab initio quantum-chemical calculations [B3LYP/6-31G(d)]. The C=C double bond and the phosphoryl or thiophosphoryl group have an s-cis arrangement. The possibility of strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding in these conformers is the governing factor responsible for the three-dimensional structures of the compounds under investigation. Derivatives of nicotinic acid existing in the individual form as zwitterions are the only exceptions

Conjugates of 3,5-Bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and Sesquiterpene Lactones Have an Antitumor Effect via Resetting the Metabolic Phenotype of Cancer Cells

In recent years, researchers have often encountered the significance of the aberrant metabolism of tumor cells in the pathogenesis of malignant neoplasms. This phenomenon, known as the Warburg effect, provides a number of advantages in the survival of neoplastic cells, and its application is considered a potential strategy in the search for antitumor agents. With the aim of developing a promising platform for designing antitumor therapeutics, we synthesized a library of conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones. To gain insight into the determinants of the biological activity of the prepared compounds, we showed that the conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones, which are cytotoxic agents, demonstrate selective activity toward a number of tumor cell lines with glycolysis-inhibiting ability. Moreover, the results of molecular and in silico screening allowed us to identify these compounds as potential inhibitors of the pyruvate kinase M2 oncoprotein, which is the rate-determining enzyme of glycolysis. Thus, the results of our work indicate that the synthesized conjugates of 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidone and sesquiterpene lactones can be considered a promising platform for designing selective cytotoxic agents against the glycolysis process, which opens new possibilities for researchers involved in the search for antitumor therapeutics among compounds containing piperidone platforms