Koji Sato

Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylation-carbonylation of allylic carbonates to form .beta.,.gamma.-unsaturated esters

La decarboxylation-carbonylation de (allyl alkyl) carbonates en les esters alkyliques dacides aliene-3oiques, se fait par reaction avec le monoxyde de carbone en presence de complexes de palladium coordines a des phosphines tertiaires

Anti-angiogenic action of the C-terminal domain of tenomodulin that shares homology with chondromodulin-I.

Tenomodulin (TeM) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that contains a C-terminal domain with homology to the mature, secreted form of chondromodulin-I (ChM-I), a cartilage-derived angiogenesis inhibitor. TeM transcripts have been found in hypovascular tissues such as tendons and ligaments but the biological activity of TeM has not yet been fully explored. Using an adenovirus expression system, we utilized the forced expression and subsequent secretion of the human TeM C-terminal 116 amino acids (Ad-shTeM) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to assess the anti-angiogenic properties of TeM. The C-terminal 120 amino acids of the human ChM-I precursor (Ad-shChM-I) was similarly expressed in HUVECs as a comparison study. Transduction of both Ad-shTeM and Ad-shChM-I resulted in significant impairment of the tube-forming activity of HUVECs, when cultured in Matrigel. Similarly, conditioned medium from COS7 cells, transfected with plasmid DNA encoding shTeM or shChM-I, inhibited tube formation of HUVECs when compared to medium derived from either COS7 cells transfected with control vector or from non-transfected cells. Upon infection of HUVECs with Ad-shTeM or Ad-shChM-I, DNA synthesis stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was reduced to 40-50% of normal levels. Additionally, in a modified Boyden chamber assay, migration of HUVECs in response to VEGF was significantly affected following transduction of either Ad-shTeM or Ad-shChM-I and these transduced HUVECs were found to spread well on type I collagen or fibronectin, but not on vitronectin. Furthermore, the transduction of either Ad-shTeM or Ad-shChM-I in human melanoma cells resulted in suppression of tumor growth in association with decreased vessel density in vivo. Hence, we have demonstrated that, similarly to ChM-1, the C-terminal domain of TeM exhibits both anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activities when expressed in a secreted form.

Activities of water and HCl in Aqueous solution systems of HClMCln including CuCl2, NiCl2 and FeCl3

Abstract Activities of HCl in the HClue5f8CuCl2, HClue5f8NiCl2 and HClue5f8FeCl3 aqueous solution systems, which cannot be determined by the e.m.f. method, were calculated at 298 K by applying the McKay-Perring method based on the measured water activities. The water activities of these solutions and those of HClue5f8NaCl solutions were determined by a transpiration method, and the b values involved in the corrected Zdanovskii equation were evaluated as a function of water activity. The calculated values of a(HCl) of the aqueous solution system of HClue5f8NaCl agreed well with those determined by the e.m.f. method at both dilute and concentrated HCl levels. The activities of HCl in the solution systems being studied were then calculated. The change in a(HCl) with an increase in the chloride concentration is attributable to the change in ionic strength of the solution, and thus the concentration of the chemical species present in the solution.

Laboratory reduction rate and current efficiency studies of batch type electrolytic reduction of U(VI) in a sulfate system

The electrolytic reduction of U(VI) was investigated to improve the batch type electrolytic reduction of uranyl sulfate. For this purpose, theoretical considerations were made on the time variation of reduction rate and of current efficiency. A monitoring device consisting of two titanium electrodes and one platinum electrode was developed to determine the reduction ratio and to detect the end point of the reduction of U(VI). The monitoring device worked well for these purposes. The reduction rate in a batch type electrolytic reduction of U(VI) at constant current was larger than theoretically expected. This phenomenon was attributed to the increase in the mass transfer rate of U(VI) species toward the cathode due to the disturbance of the concentration boundary layer by hydrogen gas evolved from the cathode surface. The deterioration of titanium cathode experienced in an operating plant was investigated, and was found to be caused by platinum plating onto the titanium cathode surface during the operation. The deteriorated cathode could be restored by immersing it in a hot aqua regia or a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and phosphoric acid for a few minutes.

A functional role of the glycosylated N-terminal domain of chondromodulin-I

Chondromodulin-I (ChM-I) is a 25-kDa glycoprotein that specifically localizes in the extracellular matrix of cartilage and negatively regulates angiogenesis. ChM-I comprises two domains: an N-terminal hydrophilic domain (domain 1) containing an N-linked glycosylation site and a C-terminal hydrophobic domain (domain 2) with all four disulfide bonds that are present in this protein. We generated a nonglycosylated recombinant human ChM-I (NG-hChM-I) and compared its bioactivity with that of the glycosylated form of human ChM-I (G-hChM-I) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro. NG-hChM-I exhibited the growth factor/inhibitor activity in the cultures of chondrocytes and vascular endothelial cells but required markedly higher doses. Although domain 1 is predicted to be hydrophilic per se on the basis of its amino acid sequence, NG-hChM-I remains insoluble in aqueous solution as much as ΔN-hChM-I that lacks the N-terminal 37 amino acids containing an N-glycosylation site. Circular dichroism measurements revealed that the content of α-helix was calculated to be 34% in G-hChM-I, whereas the content of the characteristic secondary structures in NG-hChM-I was distinctly lower than those in G-hChM-I. These results indicate that glycosylation in domain 1 is critical for the structural integrity for biological functions of ChM-I in vitro.