Search results for " modifica"

Efficient microwave-mediated synthesis of fullerene acceptors for organic photovoltaics

2014

Two different processes, namely the Bamford–Stevens and [4 + 2] Diels Alder reactions, have been optimized under microwave irradiation for the functionalization of fullerenes. In this manner, all the main C60- and C70-based acceptor derivatives for organic solar cells such as PCBM, DPM, BHN and ICBA, have been prepared in higher yields and shorter reaction times with respect to the reported data. These findings represent a step forward toward the wide production of cheaper organic solar cells as a consequence of the cost abatement of the acceptors given by higher yields, lower waste production, and reduced reaction time which means a strong energy saving.

Selective Stimulation of Hepatitis C Virus and Pestivirus NS5B RNA Polymerase Activity by GTP

1999

NS5B of the hepatitis C virus is an RNA template-dependent RNA polymerase and therefore the key player of the viral replicase complex. Using a highly purified enzyme expressed with recombinant baculoviruses in insect cells, we demonstrate a stimulation of RNA synthesis up to 2 orders of magnitude by high concentrations of GTP but not with ATP, CTP, UTP, GDP, or GMP. Enhancement of RNA synthesis was found with various heteropolymeric RNA templates, with poly(C)-oligo(G)12 but not with poly(A)-oligo(U)12. Several amino acid substitutions in polymerase motifs B, C, and D previously shown to be crucial for RdRp activity were tested for GTP stimulation of RNA synthesis. Most of these mutations, …

Direct quantification of cell-free, circulating DNA from unpurified plasma.

2014

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in body tissues or fluids is extensively investigated in clinical medicine and other research fields. In this article we provide a direct quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) as a sensitive tool for the measurement of cfDNA from plasma without previous DNA extraction, which is known to be accompanied by a reduction of DNA yield. The primer sets were designed to amplify a 90 and 222 bp multi-locus L1PA2 sequence. In the first module, cfDNA concentrations in unpurified plasma were compared to cfDNA concentrations in the eluate and the flow-through of the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit and in the eluate of a phenol-chloroform isoamyl (PCI) based DNA extraction, to elucidate the D…

Electrochemical performance of activated screen printed carbon electrodes for hydrogen peroxide and phenol derivatives sensing

2019

Screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) are widely used for the electroanalysis of a plethora of organic and inorganic compounds. These devices offer unique properties to address electroanalytical chemistry challenges and can successfully compete in numerous aspects with conventional carbon-based electrodes. However, heterogeneous kinetics on SPCEs surfaces is comparatively sluggish, which is why the electrochemical activation of inks is sometimes required to improve electron transfer rates and to enhance sensing performance. In this work, SPCEs were subjected to different electrochemical activation methods and the response to H2O2 electroanalysis was used as a testing probe. Changes in to…

Perfluorocarbons–graphene oxide nanoplatforms as biocompatible oxygen reservoirs

2018

Abstract 3-Pentadecafluoroheptyl,5-perfluorophenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (FOX) molecules were attached onto a graphene oxide (GO) via a facile aromatic substitution in alkaline environment. This approach allows achieving high degree of functionalization under mild conditions. The covalent attachment of perfluoromoieties onto GO lamellae was confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. The performance of these nanoplatforms (GOF) as oxygen reservoirs was assessed at different concentrations and temperature. The results revealed that under physiologic conditions GO and FOX synergistically operate for increasing oxygen uptake and release, either from a thermodynamic and a kinetic point of view. Even at low…

EPR investigations of polymeric and H2O2 -modified C3N4 -based photocatalysts

2019

The C3N4 -based nanopowders prepared by thermal condensation of melamine (MCN) with subsequent thermal etching (MCN-TE) and H2O2 -treatment were investigated by Q- and X-band EPR spectroscopy in dark and upon in situ UVA or visible-light exposure. Lorentzian signal at g = 2.003, more pronounced in the case of the thermally etched material, dominates EPR spectra of MCN and MCN-TE. More complex spectra were found for H2O2 -treated photocatalysts revealing the presence of signals attributed to the radicals produced via H2O2 interaction with C/N sites in the C3N4 polymeric network. The X-band spectra monitored upon in situ irradiation of the C3N4 -based photocatalysts evidenced the intensity gr…

Synthesis and some reactions of linear poly(iminohexamethylene)

1987

By complete reduction of polyamide-6, poly(iminohexamethylene) (PIH) was obtained. This new linear polyamine was characterized by i.r. and by n.m.r. spectroscopy as well as by titration. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements and X-ray diffraction found a high degree of crystallinity whose extent strongly depends upon the pre-treatment. The polyammonium salts that form with inorganic and organic acids show the typical polyelectrolyte effect in viscometry. PIH was alkylated with methyl iodide or acrylic acid and was acylated with N-BOC-l-α-amino acids or N-BOC-ω-amino-alkylenecarboxylic acids. The properties of these derivatives are described.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR downstream pathway activation and TKI targeted therapies sensitivity: Effect of the plasma membrane-associat…

2017

Adenocarcinoma of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is a severe disease. Patients carrying EGFR mutations may benefit from EGFR targeted therapies (e.g.: gefitinib). Recently, it has been shown that sialidase NEU3 directly interacts and regulates EGFR. In this work, we investigate the effect of sialidase NEU3 overexpression on EGFR pathways activation and EGFR targeted therapies sensitivity, in a series of lung cancer cell lines. NEU3 overexpression, forced after transfection, does not affect NSCLC cell viability. We demonstrate that NEU3 overexpression stimulates the ERK pathway but this activation is completely abolished by gefitinib treatment. The Akt pathway is also hyper-activated upo…

2015

Modified nucleotide 5-methylcytosine (m5C) is frequently present in various eukaryotic RNAs, including tRNAs, rRNAs and in other non-coding RNAs, as well as in mRNAs. RNA:m5C-methyltranferases (MTases) Nop2 from S. cerevisiae and human proliferation-associated nucleolar antigen p120 are both members of a protein family called Nop2/NSUN/NOL1. Protein p120 is well-known as a tumor marker which is over-expressed in various cancer tissues. Using a combination of RNA bisulfite sequencing and HPLC-MS/MS analysis, we demonstrated here that p120 displays an RNA:m5C- MTase activity, which restores m5C formation at position 2870 in domain V of 25S rRNA in a nop2Δ yeast strain. We also confirm that ye…

Histone-mediated transgenerational epigenetics

2019

Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms operate at the interface between the environment and genome, by converting the environmental stimuli to phenotypic responses through changes in the chromatin landscape, which ultimately affects gene expression in the absence of alterations in DNA sequence. In this scenario, transgenerational inheritance occurs when epigenetic variations induced by environmental stimuli are transmitted through the germ line to succeeding generations that had never experienced those stimuli. There is an ever-growing list of reports indicating that histones are fundamental players in these processes in a variety of organisms. In this chapter, we provide a perspective on histone-d…