Interaction of NF-Y with the 3′-flanking DNA sequence of the CCAAT box

AbstractNF-Y, also referred to as CCAAT-binding factor, is a major CCAAT-binding transcription factor. The present study demonstrated that the 3′-flanking region of the CCAAT box is involved in the formation of a stable NF-Y·DNA complex. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the interaction of NF-Y with DNA 15 bp downstream of the CCAAT box alters not only the affinity of NF-Y for its binding site but also the electrophoretic mobility of the NF-Y·DNA complex. This interaction is accompanied by a conformational change of NF-Y as demonstrated by a change in the reactivity of an anti-NF-YA antibody to the NF-Y·DNA complex

Synthesis and Optical Properties of Axially Chiral Bibenzo[ b]carbazole Derivatives

Pure organic materials with the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) property have attracted significant research interest over the past few decades. In this study, a series of axially chiral bibenzo[b]carbazole derivatives were synthesized by adopting palladium- and iridium-catalyzed direct C–H functionalization reactions as the key steps. These compounds exhibited CPL characteristics with considerably large dissymmetry factors up to 2.81 × 10–2 in the solid state, indicating the formation of well-ordered aggregates.Takishima R., Nishii Y., Miura M.. Synthesis and Optical Properties of Axially Chiral Bibenzo[ b]carbazole Derivatives. Organic Letters. 23(4), 1349-1354, (2021); 19 February 2021: ©2021 American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00011

Lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) from barley and maize leaves are potent inhibitors of bacterial and fungal plant pathogens

Four homogeneous proteins (Cw18, Cw20, Cw21, Cw22) were isolated from etiolated barley leaves by extraction of the insoluble pellet from a Tris-HCl (pH 7.5) homogenate with 1.5 M LiCl and fractionation by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. All 4 proteins inhibited growth of the pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus (EC50S = 1−3 × 10−7 M) and had closely related N-terminal amino acid sequences. The complete amino acid sequences of proteins Cw18 and Cw21 were determined and found to be homologous to previously described, non-specific lipid transfer proteins from plants (32–62% identical positions). The proteins also inhibited growth of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas solanacearum (EC50s = 3–6 × 10−7 M) and the fungus Furium solani (EC50s = 3–20 × 10−6 M). A homologous protein from maize leaves (Cw41) was purified in a similar manner and also found to have inhibitory properties, A synergistic effect against the fungus was observed when protein Cw21, was combined with thionins. A defense role for non-specific lipid transfer proteins from plants is proposed

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (+)‐Merobatzelladine B

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91220/1/ange_201201001_sm_miscellaneous_information.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91220/2/4204_ftp.pd

Synthesis and circularly polarized luminescence properties of BINOL-derived bisbenzofuro[2,3-b:3′,2′-e]pyridines (BBZFPys)

A series of optically active bisbenzofuro[2,3-b:3′,2′-e]pyridine (BBZFPy) derivatives was synthesized starting with the readily available (S)- and (R)-1,1′-bi-2-naphthols through a palladium-catalyzed multiple intramolecular C-H/C-H coupling as the key ring-closure step. The effect of terminal tert-butyl substituents on the BBZFPy skeleton was systematically investigated to uncover a unique aggregation-induced enhancement of CPL characteristics in the solid state. The crystal structures of the coupling products were also evaluated by single crystal X-ray analysis and the well-ordered intermolecular stacking arrangements appeared to be responsible for the enhanced CPL.Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 325–336. doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.3

Involvement of both protein kinase C and G proteins in superoxide production after IgE triggering in guinea pig eosinophils

ABSTRACTTo study the function and mechanism of eosinophils via the low affinity IgE receptor (FceRII), we examined the production of 02 metabolites by measuring the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL) response and the generation of cysteinyl leukotrienes. Eosinophils obtained from guinea pig peritoneal fluid sensitized with horse serum were purified. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was induced by stimulation with monoclonal anti-CD23 antibody, but not by mouse serum (controls). The mean (±SEM) value of LDCL was 20.6±1.3X103 c.p.m. This reaction consisted of an initial rapid phase and a propagation phase and ended within lOmin. Guinea pig eosinophils were histochemically stained with monoclonal anti-CD23 antibody. The major product generated in the LDCL response was superoxide, as determined by the measurement of superoxide by cytochrome c reduction and the complete inhibitory effect of superoxide dismutase on the LDCL response. Pretreatment with either pertussis toxin or cholera toxin inhibited the LDCL reaction. Depletion of bivalent ions by EDTA inhibited this response and the protein kinase C inhibitor D-sphingosin inhibited both 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol-induced and FcϵRII-mediated LDCL. These findings suggest that the NADPH-protein kinase C pathway may be involved in the FceRII-mediated LDCL response in guinea pig eosinophils

Purification and antipathogenic activity of lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) from the leaves of Arabidopsis and spinach

Two homogeneous proteins active in vitro against the bacterial pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus were obtained from a crude cell-wall preparation from the leaves of Columbia wild-type Arabidopsis. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of these proteins allowed their identification as lipid transfer proteins (LTP-a1, LTP-a2); the LTP1-a1 sequence was identical to that deduced from a previously described cDNA (EMBL M80566) and LTP-a2 was quite divergent (44% identical positions). These proteins were not detected in the cytoplasmic fraction by Western-blot analysis. Proteins LTP-s1 and LTP-s2 were similarly obtained from spinach leaves; LTP-s1 was 91% identical to a previously purified spinach LTP (Swiss Prot P10976), and LTP-s2 was moderately divergent (71% identical positions). About of the total LTPs were detected in the cytoplasmic fraction from spinach by Westem-blot analysis. Concentrations of these proteins causing 50% inhibition (EC-50) were in the 0.1–1 μM range for the bacterial pathogens C. michiganensis and Pseudomonas solanacearum and close to 10 μM for the fungal pathogen Fusarium solani

Understanding User Behavior on Online Music Distribution Sites: A Discourse Approach

We analyze user behavior on two music distribution websites, SoundCloud.com and Last.fm, using a computer-mediated discourse analysis approach. The broad goal is to infer patterns of use that can inform the development of system/site designs to facilitate communication among online users. The specific goal is to analyze the actions users perform through comments posted to the sites. Based on a manually-coded sample of 49,324 comments, we address two research questions: What are the most common speech acts used in comments on the music distribution sites, and how, if at all, do design differences – between the two sites and between the two commenting modes available on SoundCloud – affect speech act use? From these comparisons, we identify site purpose (SoundCloud as a music sharing site, Last.fm as a music streaming site) and commenting mode (regular vs. timed comments) as important factors that contribute to the characteristics of user comments, and suggest implications of these findings for the design of music distribution sites.ye