Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of 1-(4-methylbenzoyl)-3-(4 aminosulfonylphenyl)thiourea

An efficient synthesis of the title compound, 1-(4-methylbenzoyl)-3-(4-aminosulfonyl phenyl)thiourea,  was carried out by reaction of 4-methylbenzoyl chloride with potassium thiocyanate in acetone to afford 4-methylbenzoyl isothiocyanate in situ followed by treatment with sulfanilamide. The structure was confirmed by spectroscopic data and elemental analyses. The molecular structure was determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n with unit cell dimensions of a = 4.8116(9) Å, b = 17.150(3) Å, c = 18.677(3) Å, γ = 96.487(4) °, and V = 1531.4(5) Å3

中国における保税物流園区の発展に関する研究

改革開放から,中国経済の急成長に伴って,物流需要が増加した。一方,現在の中国の物流産業は,発展途上段階にある。そのなかで,物流事業者(第3方物流)の育成および近代的な物流施設の整備が,物流を発展させるための大きなテーマとなっている。特に,国際物流に関わる物流施設立地の受け皿として,保税物流園区がある。本論文は,まず保税物流園区の基本的な概念について触れ,位置づけ,従来の保税区とどのように違うのか,現在,保税物流園区がどのように展開し,その状況はどのようになっているのか。そして,企業は保税物流園区をどのように利用しているのかという視点から物流機能を類型化した。次に,上海外高橋,大連,天津の3つの保税物流園区の事例を通じて,行政側の優遇策,さらに日系物流事業者が,保税物流園区をどのように利用し,どのような特別のメリットがあるのか,さらに入居企業特性と政府の関係,今後保税物流園区はどのように展開していく可能性があるのかについて検討する

Cell-specific secretory granule sorting mechanisms: the role of MAGEL2 and retromer in hypothalamic regulated secretion

Intracellular protein trafficking and sorting are extremely arduous in endocrine and neuroendocrine cells, which synthesize and secrete on-demand substantial quantities of proteins. To ensure that neuroendocrine secretion operates correctly, each step in the secretion pathways is tightly regulated and coordinated both spatially and temporally. At the trans-Golgi network (TGN), intrinsic structural features of proteins and several sorting mechanisms and distinct signals direct newly synthesized proteins into proper membrane vesicles that enter either constitutive or regulated secretion pathways. Furthermore, this anterograde transport is counterbalanced by retrograde transport, which not only maintains membrane homeostasis but also recycles various proteins that function in the sorting of secretory cargo, formation of transport intermediates, or retrieval of resident proteins of secretory organelles. The retromer complex recycles proteins from the endocytic pathway back to the plasma membrane or TGN and was recently identified as a critical player in regulated secretion in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, melanoma antigen protein L2 (MAGEL2) was discovered to act as a tissue-specific regulator of the retromer-dependent endosomal protein recycling pathway and, by doing so, ensures proper secretory granule formation and maturation. MAGEL2 is a mammalian-specific and maternally imprinted gene implicated in Prader-Willi and Schaaf-Yang neurodevelopmental syndromes. In this review, we will briefly discuss the current understanding of the regulated secretion pathway, encompassing anterograde and retrograde traffic. Although our understanding of the retrograde trafficking and sorting in regulated secretion is not yet complete, we will review recent insights into the molecular role of MAGEL2 in hypothalamic neuroendocrine secretion and how its dysregulation contributes to the symptoms of Prader-Willi and Schaaf-Yang patients. Given that the activation of many secreted proteins occurs after they enter secretory granules, modulation of the sorting efficiency in a tissue-specific manner may represent an evolutionary adaptation to environmental cues

Sustainable soil improvement and water use inagriculture: CCU enabling technologies afford an innovative approach

With industrial CO2-emission reduction the heart of carbon capture enabling technologies, we report on a solution engineered to potentially redress the issues of soil improvement and sustainable use of fresh water for food production. In a laboratory-scale pilot study, we demonstrate the capabilities of an innovative and novel product utilising carbon-capture to restore soil properties critical for crop production. In the first study of its kind, the carbon-initiated mode-of-action resulted in changes to soil physical and chemical properties. Soil water retention in a range of soil types was significantly increased by up to 62%; soil pH increased by 0.7–1.1 units: soil microbial colonisation increased by ˜20% over the short term and crop biomass was enhanced by up to 38%. These results give impetus for developing CCU technologies to address environmental issues

Yeast Mitochondrial Interactosome Model: Metabolon Membrane Proteins Complex Involved in the Channeling of ADP/ATP

The existence of a mitochondrial interactosome (MI) has been currently well established in mammalian cells but the exact composition of this super-complex is not precisely known, and its organization seems to be different from that in yeast. One major difference is the absence of mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK) in yeast, unlike that described in the organization model of MI, especially in cardiac, skeletal muscle and brain cells. The aim of this review is to provide a detailed description of different partner proteins involved in the synergistic ADP/ATP transport across the mitochondrial membranes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to propose a new mitochondrial interactosome model. The ADP/ATP (Aacp) and inorganic phosphate (PiC) carriers as well as the VDAC (or mitochondrial porin) catalyze the import and export of ADP, ATP and Pi across the mitochondrial membranes. Aacp and PiC, which appear to be associated with the ATP synthase, consist of two nanomotors (F0, F1) under specific conditions and form ATP synthasome. Identification and characterization of such a complex were described for the first time by Pedersen and co-workers in 2003

A Comparative Structural Bioinformatics Analysis of the Insulin Receptor Family Ectodomain Based on Phylogenetic Information

The insulin receptor (IR), the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) and the insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) are covalently-linked homodimers made up of several structural domains. The molecular mechanism of ligand binding to the ectodomain of these receptors and the resulting activation of their tyrosine kinase domain is still not well understood. We have carried out an amino acid residue conservation analysis in order to reconstruct the phylogeny of the IR Family. We have confirmed the location of ligand binding site 1 of the IGF1R and IR. Importantly, we have also predicted the likely location of the insulin binding site 2 on the surface of the fibronectin type III domains of the IR. An evolutionary conserved surface on the second leucine-rich domain that may interact with the ligand could not be detected. We suggest a possible mechanical trigger of the activation of the IR that involves a slight ‘twist’ rotation of the last two fibronectin type III domains in order to face the likely location of insulin. Finally, a strong selective pressure was found amongst the IRR orthologous sequences, suggesting that this orphan receptor has a yet unknown physiological role which may be conserved from amphibians to mammals