Search results for "Theoretical Chemistry"

2020

X-chromosomal retinitis pigmentosa (RP) frequently is caused by mutations in the retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) gene. We evaluated the potential of PTC124 (Ataluren, TranslamaTM) treatment to promote ribosomal read-through of premature termination codons (PTC) in RPGR. Expression constructs in HEK293T cells showed that the efficacy of read-through reagents is higher for UGA than UAA PTCs. We identified the novel hemizygous nonsense mutation c.1154T > A, p.Leu385* (NM_000328.3) causing a UAA PTC in RPGR and generated patient-derived fibroblasts. Immunocytochemistry of serum-starved control fibroblasts showed the RPGR protein in a dot-like expression pattern along the primary…

2019

Ultrasmall polyaminocarboxylate-coated gold nanoparticles (NPs), Au@DTDTPA and Au@TADOTAGA, that have been recently developed exhibit a promising potential for image-guided radiotherapy. In order to render the radiosensitizing effect of these gold nanoparticles even more efficient, the study of their localization in cells is required to better understand the relation between the radiosensitizing properties of the agents and their localization in cells and in tumors. To achieve this goal, post-functionalization of Au@DTDTPA nanoparticles by near-infrared (NIF) organic dyes (aminated derivative of cyanine 5, Cy5-NH2) was performed. The immobilization of organic Cy5-NH2 dyes onto the gold nano…

N-Methyl-β-carboline alkaloids: structure-dependent photosensitizing properties and localization in subcellular domains

2020

N-Methyl-β-carboline (βC) alkaloids, including normelinonine F (1b) and melinonine F (2b), have been found in a vast range of living species playing different biological, biomedical and/or pharmacological roles. Despite this, molecular bases of the mechanisms through which these alkaloids would exert their effect still remain unknown. Fundamental aspects including the photosensitizing properties and intracellular internalization of a selected group of N-methyl-βC alkaloids were investigated herein. Data reveal that methylation of the βC main ring enhances its photosensitizing properties either by increasing its binding affinity with DNA as a biomolecular target and/or by increasing its oxid…

2019

(1) Background: The high-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the central nervous system with BCOR alteration (HGNET-BCOR) is a highly malignant tumor. Preclinical models and molecular targets are urgently required for this cancer. Previous data suggest a potential role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling in HGNET-BCOR. (2) Methods: The primary HGNET-BCOR cells PhKh1 were characterized by western blot, copy number variation, and methylation analysis and by electron microscopy. The expression of IGF2 and IGF1R was assessed by qRT-PCR. The effect of chemotherapeutics and IGF1R inhibitors on PhKh1 proliferation was tested. The phosphorylation of IGF1R and downstream molecules was assessed …

Influence of Grain Size, Oxygen Stoichiometry, and Synthesis Conditions on the γ-Fe2O3 Vacancies Ordering and Lattice Parameters

2002

The soft chemistry method has been used to synthesize γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles: various synthesis temperature were applied to obtain nanometric powders with crystallite size in the 9–14 nm range. Powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, surface area measurements, and electron microscopy (TEM, SEM). It is clearly shown that these nanometric powders are very well crystallized as indicated by XRD and IR spectra which present substructural bands attributed to vacancies ordering (P4132). Based on these model materials and in the crystallite size range studied here, cell parameter appears to be not linked to crystallite size. It rat…

Proton magnetic resonance imaging with para-hydrogen induced polarization.

2012

A major challenge in imaging is the detection of small amounts of molecules of interest. In the case of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) their signals are typically concealed by the large background signal of e.g. the body. This problem can be tackled by hyperpolarization which increases the NMR signals up to several orders of magnitude. However, this strategy is limited for (1)H, the most widely used nucleus in NMR and MRI, because the enormous number of protons in the body screens the small amount of hyperpolarized ones. Here, we describe a method giving rise to high (1)H MRI contrast for hyperpolarized molecules against a large background signal. The contrast is based on the J-coupling i…

Essential Oil Composition of Alluaudia procera and in Vitro Biological Activity on Two Drug-Resistant Models

2019

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in antibiotic and antitumor chemotherapy. In response to the necessity to find new therapeutic strategies, plant secondary metabolites including essential oils (EOs) may represent one of the best sources. EOs in plants act as constitutive defenses against biotic and abiotic stress, and they play an important role in the pharmacology for their low toxicity, good pharmacokinetic and multitarget activity. In this context, natural products such as EOs are one of the most important sources of drugs used in pharmaceutical therapeutics. The aim of this paper was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oil of Alluaudia procera leaves, obtained by hy…

Modular Solid-Phase Synthesis of Antiprotozoal Barnesin Derivatives

2020

Here, we applied and optimized a solid support (SP)-based Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reagent to prepare SP-bound vinylogous amino acids. Subsequent SP-based peptide synthesis, global deprotection, and chemical modifications yielded 14 lipodipeptides carrying vinylogous amino acids, including the natural product barnesin A (1). Biological evaluation revealed that several synthesized derivatives show micromolar to nanomolar inhibitory activity against papain-like cysteine proteases, human cathepsin L, and rhodesain.

Synthesis of nucleoside and nucleotide conjugates of bile acids, and polymerase construction of bile acid-functionalized DNA.

2010

Aqueous Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions of 5-iodopyrimidine or 7-iodo-7-deazaadenine nucleosides with bile acid-derived terminal acetylenes linked via an ester or amide tether gave the corresponding bile acid–nucleoside conjugates. Analogous reactions of halogenated nucleoside triphosphates gave directly bile acid-modified dNTPs. Enzymatic incorporation of these modified nucleotides to DNA was successfully performed using Phusion polymerase for primer extension. One of the dNTPs (dCTP bearing cholic acid) was also efficient for PCR amplification.

Non-covalent interactions of N-phenyl-1,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxamide 3-oxide derivatives—a case of intramolecular N-oxide hydrogen bonds

2017

The crystal structures of new N-phenyl-1,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxamide 3-oxide derivatives are reported. The results of X-ray diffraction showed the existence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between carboxamide nitrogen donors and N-oxide oxygen acceptors. The use of Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules allowed its classification as a strong interaction, with energy about 10 kcal/mol, and of intermediate character between closed shell and shared bonds. Comparison of experimental data and quantum theoretical calculations indicated that a substituent attached to the phenyl ring in the para position influences the strength and geometry of the title hydrogen bonding. Stronger π-elect…