Identification of an antimalarial synthetic trioxolane drug development candidate

The discovery of artemisinin more than 30 years ago provided a completely new antimalarial structural prototype; that is, a molecule with a pharmacophoric peroxide bond in a unique 1,2,4-trioxane heterocycle. Available evidence suggests that artemisinin and related peroxidic antimalarial drugs exert their parasiticidal activity subsequent to reductive activation by haem, released as a result of haemoglobin digestion by the malaria-causing parasite. This irreversible redox reaction produces carbon-centred free radicals, leading to alkylation of haem and proteins (enzymes), one of which--the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum ATPase PfATP6 (ref. 7)--may be critical to parasite survival. Notably, there is no evidence of drug resistance to any member of the artemisinin family of drugs. The chemotherapy of malaria has benefited greatly from the semi-synthetic artemisinins artemether and artesunate as they rapidly reduce parasite burden, have good therapeutic indices and provide for successful treatment outcomes. However, as a drug class, the artemisinins suffer from chemical (semi-synthetic availability, purity and cost), biopharmaceutical (poor bioavailability and limiting pharmacokinetics) and treatment (non-compliance with long treatment regimens and recrudescence) issues that limit their therapeutic potential. Here we describe how a synthetic peroxide antimalarial drug development candidate was identified in a collaborative drug discovery project.     

Structure and processing of yeast precursor tRNAs containing intervening sequences.

We have isolated a precursor of yeast tRNATyr and shown that it contains an intervening sequence identical to that found in the gene for tRNATyr. The conformation of pre-tRNATyr is similar to that of mature tRNATyr except for the anticodon loop. The loop is sensitive to endonucleolytic cleavage by S1 nuclease near to the ends of the intervening sequence. This pre-tRNA is functionally inactive as it cannot be aminoacylated and the anticodon is not accessible for hydrogen bonding. A crude nuclear extract from yeast contains an excision-ligase activity which will process pre-tRNATyr into mature tRNATyr.     

Deduced amino acid sequence from the bovine oxytocin-neurophysin I precursor cDNA

The nonapeptide hormone oxytocin-like arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is synthesized as part of a larger precursor polypeptide. The precursor also includes the neurophysin molecule with which the hormone is associated in the neurosecretory granules of the hypothalamo-pituitary tract. A protein of molecular weight (Mr) approximately 20,000 has been isolated from supraoptic nuclei of rat hypothalami which, after tryptic cleavage, released a neurophysin-like molecule of Mr approximately 10,000 and an oligopeptide related to oxytocin. This result was complemented by in vitro translation of bovine hypothalamic mRNA. Among the primary translation products a single polypeptide of Mr approximately 16,500 was shown to contain antigenic determinants recognized by specific antisera against bovine neurophysin I and oxytocin. Here we report the amino acid sequence of the bovine oxytocin-neurophysin I (OT-NpI) precursor which was derived from sequence analysis of the cloned cDNA. As is the case for the bovine arginine-vasopressin-neurophysin II (AVP-NpII) precursor, the signal sequence of the OT-NpI precursor is immediately followed by the nonapeptide hormone which is connected to neurophysin I by a Gly-Lys-Arg sequence. A striking feature of the nucleic acid sequence is the 197-nucleotide long perfect homology with the AVP-NpII precursor mRNA sequence encoding the conserved middle part of neurophysins I and II.     

Production of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes by selection.

Mutants of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase have been produced that protect the cell against the poisonous aldehyde acrolein by increasing the NADH-NAD ratio. The altered properties include changes both in binding constants and in cooperativity. Such mutants may be useful in exploring the nature of adaptation at the molecular level.     

Production of multiple plant hormones from a single polyprotein precursor.

Some animal and yeast hormone genes produce prohormone polypeptides that are proteolytically processed to produce multiple copies of hormones with the same or different functions. In plants, four polypeptides have been identified that can be classed as hormones (intercellular chemical messengers) but none are known to be produced as multiple copies from a single precursor. Here we describe a polyprotein hormone precursor, present in tobacco plants, that gives rise to two polypeptide hormones, as often found in animals and yeast. The tobacco polypeptides activate the synthesis of defensive proteinase-inhibitor proteins in a manner similar to that of systemin, an 18-amino-acid polypeptide found in tomato plants. The two tobacco polypeptides are derived from each end of a 165-amino-acid precursor that bears no homology to tomato prosystemin. The data show that structurally diverse polypeptide hormones in different plant species can serve similar signalling roles, a condition not found in animals or yeast.     

利用玉米胚芽渣制取植酸

利用玉米胚芽渣为原料，采用改良氨菲丁法制取植酸，结果表明，１７ｋｇ玉米胚芽渣可获得５０％植酸水溶液０．３２ｋｇ，其质量符合国内外相应标准，可使玉米胚芽的经济效益提高４０％以上。     

D-天冬氨酸的制备和应用

D－天冬氨酸是一种重要的手性化合物，在医药、食品等方面具有重要作用，特别是作为手性药物合成的前体、中间体在医药行业中有着重要的应用前景。目前其制备方法主要是消旋体的拆分，其中酶法拆分最具竞争力。综述了D－天冬氨酸的应用及制备方法，为开展D－天冬氨酸的制备及应用研究提供了一定的依据。     

一种利用甘氨酸氧化酶生产乙醛酸的方法

为实现生物法工业化生产乙醛酸,采用基因工程技术对甘氨酸氧化酶（ThiO）进行表达优化,使用SDS-PAGE电泳手段验证ThiO的可溶性表达,通过全细胞转化法检测重组菌体生产乙醛酸的能力,并优化了反应条件,在放大体系中考察其应用性。结果表明：构建的菌株Bacillus subtilis 168（pP43NMK-ThiO）...     

以阿魏酸为底物生物合成香兰素

概述了香兰素的应用和市场概况．重点综述了以阿魏酸为底物生物合成香兰素的4种途径（非氧化脱羧反应、侧链还原、不依赖于辅酶A的去乙酰反应和依赖于辅酶A的去乙酰反应）以及目前国内外的生产情况．