ABSTRACT
Communesins are a class of alkaloids mainly from the marine-derived fungi belonging to the genus Penicillium. The communesins contain a unique, densely functional caged seven-ring system skeleton, with five stereogenic centers at least, of which two are the vicinal quaternary carbon centers. These structural features make the synthesis of these compounds extremely challenging. In addition, communesins have been known to have a variety of biological activities such as the insecticidal, cell proliferation inhibito ry and significant cytotoxic activities. At present, eight research groups have completed the total synthesis of several communesins, and reports on the skeleton synthesis have been published. This paper summarizes the chemical skeleton synthesis and total synthesis of communesins in a chronological order, so as to provide a reference for further studies on this class of natural compounds.
ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis(TB),a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB), is the outcome of the interaction between polygenes and environmental factors,which has been shown in lots of genetic studies. In recent years,the research of TB susceptibility genes and their single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)loci has become a hot topic,but genes and SNPs exactly associated with TB susceptibility are rarely reported. What's more,some susceptibility genes are different among races, populations and geographical distributions, resulting in inconsistency, or even contrary conclusions drawn from local studies of different populations or areas. In order to obtain susceptibility genes that are widely applicable and exactly associated with TB,it is necessary to screen the genes preliminarily in the laboratory animals with gene diversity, and thereafter, verify those genes in animals or humans. The Collabrative Cross(CC)mice have the advantages of diverse and clear genetic background,which can provide a new tool for the research of TB susceptibility. This review summarizes the advances in the studies of TB susceptibility genes and their SNPs, and looking forward to the application of CC mice in these studies and its significance.