Boron-mediated one-pot access to salicylaldehydes via ortho-C-H hydroxylation of benzaldehydes.

A novel protocol has been devised for the ortho-C-H hydroxylation of benzaldehydes. Directed by a transient imine group, the borylation of benzaldehydes, sequentially followed by the hydroxylation, furnishes diverse salicylaldehydes in a one-pot manner. The resultant salicylaldehydes could be readily applied in the downstream synthesis to produce bioactive molecules.

The effect of work area on work alienation among China's grassroots judicial administrators.

Work alienation refers to mental self-separation from work, and it is an integral reflection of workers and their work. Few studies have explored the association between work area and work alienation among grassroots judicial administrators. A stratified sampling method was used to collect data from 288 grassroots judicial administrators in Guangzhou to measure the overall status quo and work alienation in this group. This study found that the current grassroots judicial administrative team has a reasonable structure, high professional quality, and rich grassroots work experience, but a high level of work intensity (Mean = .667) and a lack of autonomy (Mean = .757) are prominent. Work area (unstandardized regression coefficient, B = .917) is significantly related to work alienation when controlling for sociodemographic and work characteristic variables: the closer the work area is to the city centre areas, the higher the level of work alienation. In addition, education level also has a significant effect on work alienation: the lower the individual education level is, the stronger the work alienation. The discussion focuses on the knowledge needs in grassroots judicial administrative work and the importance of the external working environment, and further research implications are proposed.

A methylation platform of unconventional inert aryl electrophiles: trimethylboroxine as a universal methylating reagent.

Methylation is one of the most fundamental conversions in medicinal and material chemistry. Extension of substrate types from aromatic halides to other unconventional aromatic electrophiles is a highly important yet challenging task in catalytic methylation. Disclosed herein is a series of transition metal-catalyzed methylations of unconventional inert aryl electrophiles using trimethylboroxine (TMB) as the methylating reagent. This transformation features a broad substrate type, including nitroarenes, benzoic amides, benzoic esters, aryl cyanides, phenol ethers, aryl pivalates and aryl fluorides. Another important merit of this work is that these widespread "inert" functionalities are capable of serving as directing or activating groups for selective functionalization of aromatic rings before methylation, which greatly expands the connotation of methylation chemistry.

Palladium-catalyzed denitrative Sonogashira-type cross-coupling of nitrobenzenes with terminal alkynes.

Described herein is a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between nitroarenes and terminal alkynes, offering a facile method for C(sp2)-C(sp) bond formation. The utility of this protocol has been proven by the construction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and orthogonal cross-coupling.

Intrarenal microRNA signature related to the fibrosis process in chronic kidney disease: identification and functional validation of key miRNAs.

BACKGROUND: Though the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in renal diseases have been extensively investigated, a thorough screening and comparison of miRNAs among different types of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has never been performed. METHODS: The intrarenal miRNAs were profiled from fresh kidney tissues of patients with biopsy-proven minimal change disease (MCD), focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) by using microarray. Commonly dysregulated miRNAs were validated by real-time PCR using paraffin-embedded renal tissues from all three types of CKD patients as well as mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model. Two novel miRNAs were selected and annotations of their target genes were performed using GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Biological functions of three two candidate miRNAs were explored in TGF-ß1-induced cell model using human kidney proximal tubular cells (HK-2). RESULTS: The kidney biopsy samples of three disease types represent different levels of damage and fibrosis, which were the mildest in MCD, moderate in FSGS, and the most severe in DN. 116 miRNAs were identified to be commonly dysregulated, including 40 up-regulated and 76 down-regulated in CKD tissues as compared with healthy donor kidney biopsy tissues. Two novel miRNAs, hsa-miR-3607-3p and hsa-miR-4709-3p, were verified as consistently differentially expressed among all three types of patient samples as well as in mouse model. In vitro, hsa-miR-3607-3p was repressed while hsa-miR-4709-3p was induced by TGF-ß1 treatment. Inhibition of hsa-miR-3607-3p or overexpression of hsa-miR-4709-3p promoted TGF-ß1-induced migration and F-actin assembling in HK-2 cells, which are characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Further study identified that ITGB8 and CALM3 were the bona fide target genes of hsa-miR-3607-3p and hsa-miR-4709-3p respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present identify a unique miRNAs profile that probably relates to the common fibrosis process of CKD. Results of our study suggest that hsa-miR-3607-3p and hsa-miR-4709-3p may represent as promising therapeutic targets against kidney fibrosis.

Co(iii)-catalyzed Z-selective oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling of alkenes with triisopropylsilylacetylene.

A Co(iii)-catalyzed direct oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reaction of acrylamides with triisopropylsilylacetylene is presented. It is applicable to unsubstituted, internal and terminal acrylamides with a broad functionality tolerance. The feasibility of this protocol is successfully demonstrated by the late-stage alkynylation of a derivative of steroid drug Epristeride.

Cascade C-H Annulation Reaction of Benzaldehydes, Anilines, and Alkynes toward Dibenzo[ a, f]quinolizinium Salts: Discovery of Photostable Mitochondrial Trackers at the Nanomolar Level.

Fluorescent mitochondrial trackers with the dibenzo[ a, f]quinolizinium core are unprecedentedly synthesized by a one-pot protocol starting from commercially available benzaldehydes, anilines, and alkynes through a rhodium(III)-catalyzed cascade C-H N- and C-annulation reaction. Among them, 5g is the most prominent and exhibits high specificity, high efficiency at nanomolar level, superior photostability, and low cytotoxicity.

Nickel(0)-Catalyzed Hydroalkenylation of Imines with Styrene and Its Derivatives.

A nickel(0)-catalyzed hydroalkenylation of imines with styrene and its derivatives is described. A wide range of aromatic and aliphatic imines directly coupled with styrene and its derivatives, thus providing various synthetically useful allylic amines with up to 95 % yield. The reaction offers a new atom- and step-economical approach to allylic amines by using alkenes instead of alkenyl-metallic reagents. Experiments and DFT calculations showed that TsNH2 promotes the proton transfer from the coordinated olefin to the imine, accompanied by a new C-C bond formation.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed Direct ortho-Chalcogenation of Phenols and Anilines.

A highly efficient Rh(III)-catalyzed direct C-H chalcogenation of phenols and anilines has been achieved with the assistance of the 2-pyridyl group. The reaction features a broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, complete monothiolation selectivity, and easily removable directing group.

Stromal Senp1 promotes mouse early folliculogenesis by regulating BMP4 expression.

BACKGROUND: Mammalian folliculogenesis, maturation of the ovarian follicles, require both growth factors derived from oocyte and surrounding cells, including stromal cells. However, the mechanism by which stromal cells and derived factors regulate oocyte development remains unclear. RESULTS: We observed that SENP1, a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-specific isopeptidase, was expressed in sm22α-positive stromal cells of mouse ovary. The sm22α-positive stromal cells tightly associated with follicle maturation. By using the sm22α-specific Cre system, we show that mice with a stromal cell-specific deletion of SENP1 exhibit attenuated stroma-follicle association, delayed oocyte growth and follicle maturation with reduced follicle number and size at early oocyte development, leading to premature ovarian failure at late stages of ovulating life. Mechanistic studies suggest that stromal SENP1 deficiency induces down-regulation of BMP4 in stromal cells concomitant with decreased expression of BMP4 receptor BMPR1b and BMPR2 on oocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support that protein SUMOylation-regulating enzyme SENP1 plays a critical role in early ovarian follicle development by regulating gene expression of BMP4 in stroma and stroma-oocyte communication.

Iridium-Catalyzed Direct Regioselective C4-Amidation of Indoles under Mild Conditions.

An efficient Ir-catalyzed amidation of indoles with sulfonyl azides is disclosed, affording diverse C4-amidated indoles exclusively under mild conditions. In this protocol, a variety of indoles with commonly occurring functional groups such as formyl, acetyl, carboxyl, amide, and ester at the C3 position are well tolerated.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Annulation of Pyridinones with Alkynes via Double C-H Activation: A Route to Functionalized Quinolizinones.

A Rh(III)-catalyzed oxidative annulation of pyridin-2(1H)-ones with alkynes via double C-H activation to produce highly functionalized 4H-quinolizin-4-ones is disclosed. This reaction features easily available starting materials, simple manipulation, a relatively wide substrate scope, and good functional group tolerance. The application of this protocol is demonstrated by the synthesis of a known fluorescent quinolizino[3,4,5,6-ija]quinolinium salt.

The role of adipose-derived inflammatory cytokines in type 1 diabetes.

Adipose tissue dysfunction correlates with the development of diabetes. Mice with an adipocyte-specific deletion of the SUMO-specific protease SENP1 develop symptoms of type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Peri-pancreatic adipocytes (PATs) exert both systemic and paracrine effects on pancreases function. Our recent studies report that PATs of SENP1-deficient mice have increased proinflammatory cytokine production compared with other adipose depots. Proinflammatory cytokines produced from PATs not only have direct cytotoxic effects on pancreatic islets, but also increase CCL5 expression in adjacent pancreatic islets, which induces persistent inflammation in pancreases by acquisition of Th1 and Th17 effector T cell subsets. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) can post-translationally conjugate to cellular proteins (SUMOylation) and modulate their biological functions. Several components in SUMOylation associate with T1DM susceptibility. We find that SUMOylation of NF-κB essential molecule NEMO augments NF-κB activity, NF-κB-dependent cytokine production and pancreatic inflammation. NF-κB inhibitor should provide therapeutic approach to block PAT inflammation and ameliorate the T1DM phenotype. We further propose that adipocytes in PATs may play a primary role in establishing pancreatic immune regulation at onset of diabetes, providing new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.

Palladium-Catalyzed Annulation of Internal Alkynes: Direct Access to π-Conjugated Ullazines.

A palladium-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 1-(2,6-dibromophenyl)-1H-pyrroles with alkynes has been developed to construct various π-conjugated indolizino[6,5,4,3-ija]quinolones (ullazines) with a reactive functional group tolerance. As illustrative examples, three new ullazine-based sensitizers are synthesized, and the performance of these dyes is examined in DSSC devices, which demonstrates the potential of direct C-H functionalization in the construction of organic optoelectronic materials.

Trifunctional cross-linker for mapping protein-protein interaction networks and comparing protein conformational states.

To improve chemical cross-linking of proteins coupled with mass spectrometry (CXMS), we developed a lysine-targeted enrichable cross-linker containing a biotin tag for affinity purification, a chemical cleavage site to separate cross-linked peptides away from biotin after enrichment, and a spacer arm that can be labeled with stable isotopes for quantitation. By locating the flexible proteins on the surface of 70S ribosome, we show that this trifunctional cross-linker is effective at attaining structural information not easily attainable by crystallography and electron microscopy. From a crude Rrp46 immunoprecipitate, it helped identify two direct binding partners of Rrp46 and 15 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) among the co-immunoprecipitated exosome subunits. Applying it to E. coli and C. elegans lysates, we identified 3130 and 893 inter-linked lysine pairs, representing 677 and 121 PPIs. Using a quantitative CXMS workflow we demonstrate that it can reveal changes in the reactivity of lysine residues due to protein-nucleic acid interaction.

Increasing the Depth of Mass-Spectrometry-Based Structural Analysis of Protein Complexes through the Use of Multiple Cross-Linkers.

Chemical cross-linking of proteins coupled with mass spectrometry (CXMS) is a powerful tool to study protein folding and to map the interfaces between interacting proteins. The most commonly used cross-linkers in CXMS are BS(3) and DSS, which have similar structures and generate the same linkages between pairs of lysine residues in spatial proximity. However, there are cases where no cross-linkable lysine pairs are present at certain regions of a protein or at the interface of two interacting proteins. In order to find the cross-linkers that can best complement the performance of BS(3) and DSS, we tested seven additional cross-linkers that either have different spacer arm structures or that target different amino acids (BS(2)G, EGS, AMAS, GMBS, Sulfo-GMBS, EDC, and TFCS). Using BSA, aldolase, the yeast H/ACA protein complex, and E. coli 70S ribosomes, we showed that, in terms of providing structural information not obtained through the use of BS(3) and DSS, EGS and Sulfo-GMBS worked better than the other cross-linkers that we tested. EGS generated a large number of cross-links not seen with the other amine-specific cross-linkers, possibly due to its hydrophilic spacer arm. We demonstrate that incorporating the cross-links contributed by the EGS and amine-sulfhydryl cross-linkers greatly increased the accuracy of Rosetta in docking the structure of the yeast H/ACA protein complex. Given the improved depth of useful information it can provide, we suggest that the multilinker CXMS approach should be used routinely when the amount of a sample permits.

Roles of methionine oxidation in E200K prion protein misfolding: Implications for the mechanism of pathogenesis in E200K linked familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative diseases caused by prion protein (PrP) conformational changes. More than 30 PRNP gene mutations have been associated with familial prion diseases. E200K-associated familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD) is the most common inherited prion disease. One of the hallmarks of prion diseases is the accumulation of oxidative damage. The mechanism by which oxidative modification of methionine (Met) residues influence the E200K PrP misfolding remains unclear. Here, we examined the stability, structural change, oligomerization and proteinase K resistance of unoxidized/oxidized E200K PrP and Met-to-Leu mutants. We found that oxidation of surface-exposed Met109/112/129/134/154/166 residues significantly destabilized E200K PrP but had a limited impact on the protein's structure. The oxidation of Met213 was the initial step in the conformational conversion of E200K PrP and facilitated the further oxidation of Met205/206. The oxidation of Met213/205/206 led to the exposure of the inner hydrophobic core, disrupted the overall structure of E200K PrP and induced the formation of large soluble multimers at low pH. In addition, the aggregation behavior of oxidized E200K PrP at the cellular level was investigated using E200K PrP Met-to-Ser mutants. The results showed that M109/112/129/154S or M134/166S mutants were efficiently localized on the cell membrane, whereas the M213/205/206S mutant generated many of aggregated fluorescent dots in the cytoplasm. The present work provides important clues for understanding the special roles of methionine oxidation in E200K PrP misfolding and links oxidative stress and consequent misfolding of oxidative damaged E200K PrP with the pathogenic mechanism of E200K-associated fCJD.

Structural insights into the function of a unique tandem GTPase EngA in bacterial ribosome assembly.

Many ribosome-interacting GTPases, with proposed functions in ribosome biogenesis, are also implicated in the cellular regulatory coupling between ribosome assembly process and various growth control pathways. EngA is an essential GTPase in bacteria, and intriguingly, it contains two consecutive GTPase domains (GD), being one-of-a-kind among all known GTPases. EngA is required for the 50S subunit maturation. However, its molecular role remains elusive. Here, we present the structure of EngA bound to the 50S subunit. Our data show that EngA binds to the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) and induces dramatic conformational changes on the 50S subunit, which virtually returns the 50S subunit to a state similar to that of the late-stage 50S assembly intermediates. Very interestingly, our data show that the two GDs exhibit a pseudo-two-fold symmetry in the 50S-bound conformation. Our results indicate that EngA recognizes certain forms of the 50S assembly intermediates, and likely facilitates the conformational maturation of the PTC of the 23S rRNA in a direct manner. Furthermore, in a broad context, our data also suggest that EngA might be a sensor of the cellular GTP/GDP ratio, endowed with multiple conformational states, in response to fluctuations in cellular nucleotide pool, to facilitate and regulate ribosome assembly.

Methionine oxidation accelerates the aggregation and enhances the neurotoxicity of the D178N variant of the human prion protein.

The D178N mutation of the prion protein (PrP) results in the hereditary prion disease fatal familial insomnia (FFI). Little is known regarding the effects of methionine oxidation on the pathogenesis of D178N-associated FFI. In the present study, we found that the D178N variant was more susceptible to oxidation than wild-type PrP, as indicated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Circular dichroism (CD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thioflavin T (ThT) binding assay studies demonstrated that methionine oxidation decreased the structural stability of the D178N variant, and the oxidized D178N variant exhibited a greater propensity to form ß-sheet-rich oligomers and aggregates. Moreover, these aggregates of oxidized D178N PrP were more resistant to proteinase K (PK) digestion. Additionally, using fluorescence confocal microscopy, we detected a high degree of aggregation in D178N-transfected Neuro-2a (N2a) cells after treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Furthermore, the oxidation and consequent aggregation of the D178N variant induced greater apoptosis of N2a cells, as monitored using flow cytometry. Collectively, these observations suggest that methionine oxidation accelerates the aggregation and enhances the neurotoxicity of the D178N variant, possibly providing direct evidence to link the pathogenesis of D178N-associated FFI with methionine oxidation.

Structural and functional insights into the mode of action of a universally conserved Obg GTPase.

Obg proteins are a family of P-loop GTPases, conserved from bacteria to human. The Obg protein in Escherichia coli (ObgE) has been implicated in many diverse cellular functions, with proposed molecular roles in two global processes, ribosome assembly and stringent response. Here, using pre-steady state fast kinetics we demonstrate that ObgE is an anti-association factor, which prevents ribosomal subunit association and downstream steps in translation by binding to the 50S subunit. ObgE is a ribosome dependent GTPase; however, upon binding to guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), the global regulator of stringent response, ObgE exhibits an enhanced interaction with the 50S subunit, resulting in increased equilibrium dissociation of the 70S ribosome into subunits. Furthermore, our cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the 50S·ObgE·GMPPNP complex indicates that the evolutionarily conserved N-terminal domain (NTD) of ObgE is a tRNA structural mimic, with specific interactions with peptidyl-transferase center, displaying a marked resemblance to Class I release factors. These structural data might define ObgE as a specialized translation factor related to stress responses, and provide a framework towards future elucidation of functional interplay between ObgE and ribosome-associated (p)ppGpp regulators. Together with published data, our results suggest that ObgE might act as a checkpoint in final stages of the 50S subunit assembly under normal growth conditions. And more importantly, ObgE, as a (p)ppGpp effector, might also have a regulatory role in the production of the 50S subunit and its participation in translation under certain stressed conditions. Thus, our findings might have uncovered an under-recognized mechanism of translation control by environmental cues.