3,3′-Dibromo-1,1′-[ethyl­enedioxy­bis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]dibenzene

In the centrosymmetric title compound, C16H14Br2N2O2, the intra­molecular interplanar distance between the parallel benzene rings is 1.305 (3) Å, while the inter­molecular interplanar distance (between neighbouring mol­ecules) is 3.463 (3) Å, exhibiting obvious strong inter­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions

(S)-(+)-4-(Oxiran-2-ylmeth­oxy)-9H-carbazole

In the title compound, C15H13NO2, all atoms of the carbazole group are coplanar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.005 Å), and the dihedral angle between this plane and C—O—C plane of oxane group is 57.1 (4)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by an N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, resulting in infinite supra­molecular chains along [001]

Recombinant expression and functional analysis of a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene fragment

To investigate the function of a bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC2) derived from photosynthetically-grown Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a fragment of the pepc2 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. After optimal induction for 6 h, PEPC activity in the reverse mutant was lower than wild type (0.9 vs. 1.7 U/mg protein), and soluble protein was also lower than wild type (119 vs. 186 mg/g dry wt). In contrast, the total lipid content was increased from 56 (in wild type) to 71 mg/g dry wt, despite the growth rate being slightly diminished. The changes in PEPC activity, soluble protein and total lipid in the forward mutant were the opposite (2.4 U/mg, 230 mg/g, and 44 mg/g dry wt, respectively). Together, these data indicate that PEPC may function as a metabolic pivot in the regulation of protein and lipid accumulation in this alga

The role of globular heads of the C1q receptor in HPV 16 E2-induced human cervical squamous carcinoma cell apoptosis is associated with p38 MAPK/JNK activation

BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) E2 protein is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein. HPV 16 E2 regulates many biological responses, including DNA replication, gene expression, and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the receptor for globular heads of the human C1q (gC1qR) gene expression, HPV 16 E2 transfection and apoptosis regulation in human cervical squamous carcinoma cells (C33a and SiHa). METHODS gC1qR expression was examined in C33a and SiHa cells using real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Apoptosis of C33a and SiHa cells was assessed by flow cytometry. C33a and SiHa cell viability, migration and proliferation were detected using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay, a transwell assay and 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA (3H-TdR), respectively. RESULTS C33a and SiHa cells that were transfected with a vector encoding HPV 16 E2 displayed significantly increased gC1qR gene expression and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK)/c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation as well as up-regulation of cellular apoptosis, which was abrogated by the addition of gC1qR small interfering RNA (siRNA). Furthermore, the changes in C33a and SiHa cell viability, migration and proliferation that were observed upon HPV 16 E2 transfection were abrogated by SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) or SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) treatment. CONCLUSION These data support a mechanism whereby HPV 16 E2 induces apoptosis by silencing the gC1qR gene or inhibiting p38 MAPK/JNK signalling in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81000251) and the Nanjing Medical Science and Technique Development Foundation

3,3′-Dibromo-1,1′-[(propane-1,3-diyl­dioxy)­bis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]dibenzene

The mol­ecule of the title compound, C17H16Br2N2O2, lies on a twofold axis that passes through the middle atom of the three-atom trimethyl­ene unit. The two aromatic rings are aligned at an angle of 76.02 (4)°

Ethyl 5,8-dibromo-2-dibromo­methyl-6,7-dimeth­oxyquinoline-3-carb­oxy­late

The title compound, C15H13Br4NO4, was obtained via radical bromination reaction of ethyl 6,7-dimeth­oxy-2-methyl­quinoline-3-carboxyl­ate and N-bromo­succinimide (NBS) in the presence of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) under photocatalytic conditions. The quinoline ring system is approximately planar with a maximum deviation from the mean plane of 0.035 (1) Å. The dihedral angle between the six-membered rings is 2.33 (2)°. The meth­oxy O atoms of the two neighboring meth­oxy groups are in-plane while their methyl C atoms are located on either side of the quinolyl ring plane at distances of −1.207 (1) and 1.223 (1) Å