Crystal structure of 7-methoxy-1-{[(E)-2,6-dimethylphenylimino] (phenyl)methyl}-2-naphthol: Clarification of non-covalent bonding interactions on the basis of spatial organization of single molecular structure and the molecular alignments

Crystal structure of the title compound, 7-methoxy-1-{[(E)-2,6-dimethylphenylimino] (phenyl)methyl}-2-naphthol, which has N-aryl group instead of ketonic carbonyl group has been comparatively analysed with the precursor compound of 1-benzoyl-2-hydroxy-7-methoxynaphthalene. The distinct features in the molecular accumulation structures of title triarylimine compound and the precursor diaryl ketone demonstrate that the spatial organization of the former is mainly determined π-π stacking interaction and for the latter the non-classical hydrogen bondings govern the spatial organization. Besides both of the compounds show non-coplanaryl accumulation of aromatic rings molecular structure, the title compound has molecular core of imino group which attaches three aromatic rings of C-1-naphthyl, C-phenyl, and N-phenyl stems of nearly perpendicular alignment of each aryl groups to residual two aryl ones respectively, giving highly congested circumstance at the inner site of molecules. On the other hand, the precursor aromatic ketone molecule has relatively large space compared to title compound, enabling conformational flexibility to some extent within restriction of maintaining non-coplanar organization. The molecules of the precursor compound in crystal are stabilized by a number of non-covalent bonding interactions, mainly by non-classical hydrogen bondings. The achievement stabilization contributed a number of non-classical hydrogen bonding is considered to be due to the inner-molecular motility of single molecular structure. Contrarily, the congested inner-molecular situation of title compound makes largely rigid molecular conformation, which affords at the same time exposure of three aromatic planes outside the molecular core. The single molecular organization permits π-π stacking interaction stabilization instead of formation of a number of weak interactions. Thus, the governing factors for the distinct feature of the single molecular and the accumulation structures of title compound and the precursor are interpreted from the viewpoint of predominantly effective intermolecular interaction, a strong π-π stacking interaction or sum of weak non-classical hydrogen bondings, determined by the inner-molecular congestive conditions directly affects the inner-molecular motility

Crystal structure of 1-benzoyl-2,7-dimethoxy-8-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl) naphthalene: Head-to-head fashioned molecular motif for accumulating weak non-classical hydrogen bonds

Title compound, 1-benzoyl-2,7-dimethoxy-8-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)naphthalene, an unsymmetrically substituted aromatic diketone compound having non-coplanarly accumulated aromatic rings structure, has been synthesized and its crystal structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The asymmetric unit of title compound contains two independent conformers. For each conformer, the two aroyl groups are non-coplanarly situated against the naphthalene ring plane and oriented in an opposite direction. The 3,5-dimethylbenzoyl group leans more than the non-substituted benzoyl group on the other peri-position of the naphthalene ring. The characteristics in the single molecular crystal structure of this unsymmetrical compound show unique relationship with two symmetrically substituted homologues, namely 1,8-dibenzoyl-2,7-dimethoxynaphthalene and 2,7-dimethoxy-1,8-bis(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl) naphthalene. Dihedral angles between 3,5-dimethylbenzene ring and naphthalene ring of 2,7-dimethoxy-1,8-bis(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)naphthalene are larger than those between benzene ring and naphthalene ring of 1,8-dibenzoyl-2,7-dimethoxynaphthalene. Dihedral angle between 3,5-dimethylbenzoyl group and naphthalene ring in title compound is close to those of symmetrical homologue having two 3,5-dimethylbenzoyl groups. In the similar manner, dihedral angle between non-substituted benzoyl group and naphthalene ring in title compound is also close to those of symmetrical homologue bearing two non-substituted benzoyl groups. On the other hand, the crystal packing of title compound has rather similar feature with 2,7-dimethoxy-1,8-bis(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)naphthalene. Two compounds have common crystalline molecular structural motif of head-to-head fashioned intermolecular interaction of 3,5-dimethylbenzoyl moieties. It is interpreted that the interactions between (sp3)C–H and π orbital preferentially govern the molecular packing motif. Molecular structure feature of title compound and the symmetrically 3,5-dimethylbenzoylated homologue strongly manifests that accumulation of weak non-classical hydrogen bonds play a crucial role in determination of the crystal packing rather than sole function of stronger non-classical hydrogen bond and π…π stacking

Geological records of transient fluid drainage into the shallow mantle wedge

Pore fluid pressure on subduction zone megathrusts is lowered by fluid drainage into the overlying plate, affecting subduction zone seismicity. However, the spatial and temporal scales of fluid flow through suprasubduction zones are poorly understood. We constrain the duration and velocity of fluid flow through a shallow mantle wedge based on the analyses of vein networks consisting of high-temperature serpentine in hydrated ultramafic rocks from the Oman ophiolite. On the basis of a diffusion model and the time-integrated fluid flux, we show that the channelized fluid flow was short-lived (2.1 × 10−1 to 1.1 × 101 years) and had a high fluid velocity (2.7 × 10−3 to 4.9 × 10−2 meters second−1), which is close to the propagation velocities of seismic events in present-day subduction zones. Our results suggest that the drainage of fluid into the overlying plate occurs as episodic pulses, which may influence the recurrence of megathrust earthquakes

Anti-NF-κB peptide derived from nuclear acidic protein attenuates ovariectomyinduced osteoporosis in mice

NF-κB is a transcription factor that is activated with aging. It plays a key role in the development of osteoporosis by promoting osteoclast differentiation and inhibiting osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we developed a small anti-NF-κB peptide called 6A-8R from a nuclear acidic protein (also known as macromolecular translocation inhibitor II, Zn2+-binding protein, or parathymosin) that inhibits transcriptional activity of NF-κB without altering its nuclear translocation and binding to DNA. Intraperitoneal injection of 6A-8R attenuated ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in mice by inhibiting osteoclast differentiation, promoting osteoblast differentiation, and inhibiting sclerostin production by osteocytes in vivo with no apparent side effects. Conversely, in vitro, 6A-8R inhibited osteoclast differentiation by inhibiting NF-κB transcriptional activity, promoted osteoblast differentiation by promoting Smad1 phosphorylation, and inhibited sclerostin expression in osteocytes by inhibiting myocyte enhancer factors 2C and 2D. These findings suggest that 6A-8R has the potential to be an antiosteoporotic therapeutic agent with uncoupling properties.Takami K., Okamoto K., Etani Y., et al. Anti-NF-κB peptide derived from nuclear acidic protein attenuates ovariectomyinduced osteoporosis in mice. JCI Insight 8, e171962 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.171962

SC3-seq: A method for highly parallel and quantitative measurement of single-cell gene expression

Single-cell mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) methods have undergone rapid development in recent years, and transcriptome analysis of relevant cell populations at single-cell resolution has become a key research area of biomedical sciences. We here present single-cell mRNA 3-prime end sequencing (SC3-seq), a practical methodology based on PCR amplification followed by 3-prime-end enrichment for highly quantitative, parallel and cost-effective measurement of gene expression in single cells. The SC3-seq allows excellent quantitative measurement of mRNAs ranging from the 10, 000-cell to 1-cell level, and accordingly, allows an accurate estimate of the transcript levels by a regression of the read counts of spike-in RNAs with defined copy numbers. The SC3-seq has clear advantages over other typical single-cell RNA-seq methodologies for the quantitative measurement of transcript levels and at a sequence depth required for the saturation of transcript detection. The SC3-seq distinguishes four distinct cell types in the peri-implantation mouse blastocysts. Furthermore, the SC3-seq reveals the heterogeneity in human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) cultured under on-feeder as well as feeder-free conditions, demonstrating a more homogeneous property of the feeder-free hiPSCs. We propose that SC3-seq might be used as a powerful strategy for single-cell transcriptome analysis in a broad range of investigations in biomedical sciences

Discovery of a Long-duration Superflare on a Young Solar-type Star EK Draconis with Nearly Similar Time Evolution for H alpha and White-light Emissions

Young solar-type stars are known to show frequent "superflares, " which may severely influence the habitable worlds on young planets via intense radiation and coronal mass ejections. Here we report an optical spectroscopic and photometric observation of a long-duration superflare on the young solar-type star EK Draconis (50-120 Myr age) with the Seimei telescope and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The flare energy 2.6 x 10³⁴ erg and white-light flare duration 2.2 hr are much larger than those of the largest solar flares, and this is the largest superflare on a solar-type star ever detected by optical spectroscopy. The H alpha emission profile shows no significant line asymmetry, meaning no signature of a filament eruption, unlike the only previous detection of a superflare on this star. Also, it did not show significant line broadening, indicating that the nonthermal heating at the flare footpoints is not essential or that the footpoints are behind the limb. The time evolution and duration of the H alpha flare are surprisingly almost the same as those of the white-light flare, which is different from general M-dwarf (super-)flares and solar flares. This unexpected time evolution may suggest that different radiation mechanisms than general solar flares are predominant, such as: (1) radiation from (off-limb) flare loops and (2) re-radiation via radiative back-warming, in both of which the cooling timescales of flare loops could determine the timescales of H alpha and white light