Reactivation of hyperglycemia-induced hypocretin (HCRT) gene silencing by N-acetyl-d-mannosamine in the orexin neurons derived from human iPS cells.

Orexin neurons regulate critical brain activities for controlling sleep, eating, emotions, and metabolism, and impaired orexin neuron function results in several neurologic disorders. Therefore, restoring normal orexin function and understanding the mechanisms of loss or impairment of orexin neurons represent important goals. As a step toward that end, we generated human orexin neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) by treatment with N-acetyl-d-mannosamine (ManNAc) and its derivatives. The generation of orexin neurons was associated with DNA hypomethylation, histone H3/H4 hyperacetylation, and hypo-O-GlcNAcylation on the HCRT gene locus, and, thereby, the treatment of inhibitors of SIRT1 and OGT were effective at inducing orexin neurons from hiPSCs. The prolonged exposure of orexin neurons to high glucose in culture caused irreversible silencing of the HCRT gene, which was characterized by H3/H4 hypoacetylation and hyper-O-GlcNAcylation. The DNA hypomethylation status, once established in orexin neurogenesis, was maintained in the HCRT-silenced orexin neurons, indicating that histone modifications, but not DNA methylation, were responsible for the HCRT silencing. Thus, the epigenetic status of the HCRT gene is unique to the hyperglycemia-induced silencing. Intriguingly, treatment of ManNAc and its derivatives reactivated HCRT gene expression, while inhibitors SIRT1 and the OGT did not. The present study revealed that the HCRT gene was silenced by the hyperglycemia condition, and ManNAc and its derivatives were useful for restoring the orexin neurons.

Experimental and computational studies of the roles of MgO and Zn in talc for the selective formation of 1,3-butadiene in the conversion of ethanol.

The one-step conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene was performed using talc containing Zn (talc/Zn) as a catalyst. The influence of the MgO and Zn in the talc on the formation rate and selectivity for 1,3-butadiene were investigated. MgO as a catalyst afforded 1,3-butadiene with a selectivity that was nearly the same as talc/Zn at ∼40% ethanol conversion at 673 K, although the rate of 1,3-butadiene formation over MgO was about 40 times lower than that over the talc/Zn. The introduced Zn cations were located in octahedral sites in place of Mg cations in the talc lattice. The Zn cations accelerated the rate of CH3CHO formation from ethanol, resulting in an increase in the rate of 1,3-butadiene formation. However, the rate of CH3CHO consumption to form crotonaldehyde was not influenced by Zn, although the distribution of crotonaldehyde was decreased with increasing Zn concentrations. X-ray photoelectron spectra of talc/Zn showed that the O1s binding energy was increased by increasing the concentration of Zn, while those of both Mg2p and Si2p were hardly influenced. DFT calculations were used to estimate the atomic charges on the O, Mg, Si, and Zn atoms when an atom of Zn per unit cell of talc was introduced into an octahedral site. On the basis of the results for the conversion of ethanol into 1,3-butadiene and the corresponding DFT calculations, the roles of the O, Zn, Mg, and Si atoms in the talc catalyst for the formation of 1,3-butadiene from ethanol were discussed.

Mechanistic Insight into a Sugar-Accelerated Tin-Catalyzed Cascade Synthesis of α-Hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone from Formaldehyde.

Applications of the formose reaction, which involves the formation of sugars from formaldehyde, have previously been confined to the selective synthesis of unprotected sugars. Herein, it is demonstrated that α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone (HBL), which is one of the most important intermediates in pharmaceutical syntheses, can be produced from paraformaldehyde. In the developed reaction system, homogeneous tin chloride exhibits high catalytic activity and the addition of mono- and disaccharides accelerates the formation of HBL. These observations suggest that the formose reaction may serve as a feasible pathway for the synthesis of important chemicals.

Stereoselective synthesis of UDP-2-(2-ketopropyl)galactose aided by di-tert-butylsilylene protecting group.

UDP-2-(2-ketopropyl)galactose (1) has been utilized as a valuable probe for profiling proteins modified by O-GlcNAc. In this work, we developed a protocol for efficient synthesis of 1. Thus, 2-methallylgalactose derivative 11, a synthetic intermediate for the compound 1, was prepared by stereoselective iodination and methallylation at C-2 position, through exploitation of 4,6-O-di-tert-butylsilylene protecting group.

Mechanistic studies on the cascade conversion of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone and formaldehyde into α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone.

The chemical synthesis of commercially and industrially important products from biomass-derived sugars is absolutely vital to establish biomass utilization as a sustainable alternative source of chemical starting materials. α-Hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone is a useful synthetic intermediate in pharmaceutical chemistry, and so novel biomass-related routes for its production may help to validate this eco-friendly methodology. Herein, we report the specific catalytic activity of homogeneous tin halides to convert the biomass-derived triose sugar 1,3-dihydroxyacetone and formaldehyde into α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone. A detailed screening of catalysts showed the suitability of tin catalysts for this reaction system, and isotope experiments using [D2]paraformaldehyde, substrate screening, and time profile measurements allowed us to propose a detailed reaction pathway. In addition, to elucidate the activated species in this cascade reaction, the effect of additional water and the influence of additional Brønsted acids on the reaction preferences for the formation of α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone, lactic acid, and vinyl glycolate were investigated. The active form of the Sn catalyst was investigated by (119)Sn NMR spectroscopy.

Tin-catalyzed conversion of biomass-derived triose sugar and formaldehyde to α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone.

The direct conversion of biomass-derived 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and formaldehyde to α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone (HBL) was achieved through the use of tin(iv) chloride and a small amount of water and the yield reached up to 70%. The reaction mechanism was also investigated by incorporating d2-formaldehyde into the reaction mixtures.

High-throughput recombinant gene expression systems in Pichia pastoris using newly developed plasmid vectors.

We describe here the construction of Gateway-compatible vectors, pBGP1-DEST and pPICZα-DEST, for rapid and convenient preparation of expression plasmids for production of secretory proteins in Pichia pastoris. Both vectors direct the synthesis of fusion proteins consisting of the N-terminal signal and pro-sequences of Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor, the recognition sites for Kex2 and Ste13 processing proteases, the mature region of a foreign protein flanked by attB1- and attB2-derived sequences at N- and C-termini, respectively, and myc plus hexahistidine tags added at the extreme C-terminus. To test the usefulness of these vectors, production of endo-glucanases and xylanases from termite symbionts, as well as a fungal glucuronoyl esterase, was performed. Enzyme activities were detected in the culture supernatants, indicating that the chimeric proteins were synthesized and secreted as designed.

Heterogeneous allylsilylation of aromatic and aliphatic alkenes catalyzed by proton-exchanged montmorillonite.

Allylsilylation of an alkene is the only known procedure to install both silyl and allyl groups onto a carbon-carbon double bond directly. Proton-exchanged montmorillonite showed excellent catalytic performances for the allylsilylation of alkenes. For example, the reaction of p-chlorostyrene with allyltrimethylsilane proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding allylsilylated product in 95% yield. We also attempted to isolate the reaction intermediate on the montmorillonite surface to investigate the reaction mechanism.

Key role of the pore volume of zeolite for selective production of propylene from olefins.

A plausible reaction mechanism for propylene (C(3)H(6)) production from ethylene (C(2)H(4)) was investigated, based on the amounts of effluent hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons produced in the pores of SAPO-34. Propylene was produced via an oligomerization-cracking mechanism. On the basis of this mechanism, the conversions of C(2)H(4), pentenes, and hexenes were examined. The catalytic performance was compared, in order to investigate the role of the pore volume of zeolites with 8-, 10-, and 12-membered rings in the selective production of C(3)H(6). The selectivity for C(3)H(6) was crucially dependent upon the pore volume of the zeolite. Highly selective production of C(3)H(6) from olefins (C(2)H(4), pentenes, and hexenes) can be accomplished by employing a new concept: adjusting the pore volume of a zeolite to accommodate the volume of an olefin and/or its carbenium cations, as opposed to a conventional molecular sieve approach. For example, an unimolecular cracking of pentenes into C(3)H(6) and C(2)H(4) involving primary cations can be controlled by the pore volume of a zeolite.

Spongipyran Synthetic Studies. Evolution of a Scalable Total Synthesis of (+)-Spongistatin 1.

Three syntheses of the architecturally complex, cytotoxic marine macrolide (+)-spongistatin 1 (1) are reported. Highlights of the first-generation synthesis include: use of a dithiane multicomponent linchpin coupling tactic for construction of the AB and CD spiroketals, and their union via a highly selective Evans boron-mediated aldol reaction en route to an ABCD aldehyde; introduction of the C(44)-C(51) side chain via a Lewis acid-mediated ring opening of a glucal epoxide with an allylstannane to assemble the EF subunit; and final fragment union via Wittig coupling of the ABCD and EF subunits to form the C(28)-C(29) olefin, followed by regioselective Yamaguchi macrolactonization and global deprotection. The second- and third- generation syntheses, designed with the goal of accessing one gram of (+)-spongistatin 1 (1), maintain both the first-generation strategy for the ABCD aldehyde and final fragment union, while incorporating two more efficient approaches for construction of the EF Wittig salt. The latter combine the original chelation-controlled dithiane union of the E- and F-ring progenitors with application of a highly efficient cyanohydrin alkylation to append the F-ring side chain, in conjunction with two independent tactics to access the F-ring pyran. The first F-ring synthesis showcases a Petasis-Ferrier union/rearrangement protocol to access tetrahydropyrans, permitting the preparation of 750 mgs of the EF Wittig salt, which in turn was converted to 80 mg of (+)-spongistatin 1, while the second F-ring strategy, incorporates an organocatalytic aldol reaction as the key construct, permitting completion of 1.009 g of totally synthetic (+)-spongistatin 1 (1). A brief analysis of the three syntheses alongside our earlier synthesis of (+)-spongistatin 2 is also presented.

Total synthesis of (+)-spongistatin 1. An effective second-generation construction of an advanced EF Wittig salt, fragment union, and final elaboration.

A stereocontrolled, total synthesis of (+)-spongistatin 1 (1) has been achieved. Union of a second-generation EF Wittig salt (+)-3 with the advanced ABCD aldehyde (-)-4, followed by regioselective macrolactonization and global deprotection afforded (+)-spongistatin 1 (1). The longest linear sequence, 29 steps, proceeded in 0.5% overall yield.

Stereoselective ring expansion via bicyclooxonium ion. A novel approach to oxocanes.

[reaction: see text] The stereoselective 1,4-rearrangement-ring expansion of tetrahydrofurans via bicyclo[3.3.0]oxonium ions was developed to synthesize oxocanes. On the basis of this rearrangement, the stereoselective synthesis of 2,8-syn-2,8-dimethyloxocane was accomplished.