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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Subcutaneous Administration Of Tc007 Reduces Disease Severity In An Animal Model Of Sma, Virginia B. Mattis, Marina Y. Fosso, Cheng-Wei Tom Chang, Christian L. Lorson Nov 2009

Subcutaneous Administration Of Tc007 Reduces Disease Severity In An Animal Model Of Sma, Virginia B. Mattis, Marina Y. Fosso, Cheng-Wei Tom Chang, Christian L. Lorson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of infantile death. It is caused by the loss of functional Survival Motor Neuron 1 (SMN1). There is a nearly identical copy gene, SMN2, but it is unable to rescue from disease due to an alternative splicing event that excises a necessary exon (exon 7) from the majority of SMN2-derived transcripts. While SMNΔ7 protein has severely reduced functionality, the exon 7 sequences may not be specifically required for all activities. Therefore, aminoglycoside antibiotics previously shown to suppress stop codon recognition and promote translation read-through have been examined to increase the …


Synthesis Of Kurasoin B Analogs, J. R. Nielson, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus Apr 2009

Synthesis Of Kurasoin B Analogs, J. R. Nielson, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Presentations

Kurasoin B (1), isolated in 1996 by Uchida et al, selectively inhibits Farnesyltransferase (FTase), an enzyme responsible for activating human RAS proteins (ref. 1). When RAS proteins are mutated and then activated, they contribute 20 to 30 percent of all human tumors, including those of the pancreas, colon, small intestine, lung, prostate, liver, skin, and thyroid, as well as multiple myeloma and a number of leukemias (ref. 2). Kurasoin B, therefore, has great potential as a cancer drug lead.


Phase-Transfer Catalyzed Synthesis Of The Soy Isoflavanoid S-Equol, A. W. Butler, A. L. Calvert, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus Apr 2009

Phase-Transfer Catalyzed Synthesis Of The Soy Isoflavanoid S-Equol, A. W. Butler, A. L. Calvert, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Presentations

S-Equol is an isoflavanoid metabolized from the isoflavone daidzein by intestinal bacteria. Only 30-50 percent of all individuals possess bacteria that produce S-Equol. Recent data supports the compound’s pharmaceutical potential for treating prostate cancer and post-menopausal estrogen deficiency (ref. 1). Because the compound is only minutely available from natural sources, an affordable asymmetric total synthesis would be necessary to generate sufficient quantities for expanded research. Only one asymmetric total synthesis of S-Equol has been reported to date, using a chiral auxiliary to give product in a 10 percent yield over 6 steps (ref. 2). It is our goal to develop …


Phase-Transfer Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis Of S-Naproxen, M. A. Binkley, Michael A. Christiansen, K. H. Harper, M. B. Andrus Jan 2009

Phase-Transfer Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis Of S-Naproxen, M. A. Binkley, Michael A. Christiansen, K. H. Harper, M. B. Andrus

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Presentations

This presentation explores a modified approach to Kurasoin B.


Synthesis Of 12-Hete Using Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Catalysis, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus Jan 2009

Synthesis Of 12-Hete Using Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Catalysis, Michael A. Christiansen, M. B. Andrus

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Presentations

A new method of asymmetric phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation is described. The synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated with the total syntheses of kurasoin A, kurasoin B, and S-naproxenTM, with current work toward S-equol. This methodology is currently being applied to an improved asymmetric total synthesis of the natural compound 12-S-HETE.


Liposomes Recruit Ipac To The Shigella Flexneri Type Iii Secretion Apparatus Needle As A Final Step In Secretion Induction, C. R. Epler, Nicholas E. Dickenson, A. J. Olive, W. L. Picking, W. D. Picking Jan 2009

Liposomes Recruit Ipac To The Shigella Flexneri Type Iii Secretion Apparatus Needle As A Final Step In Secretion Induction, C. R. Epler, Nicholas E. Dickenson, A. J. Olive, W. L. Picking, W. D. Picking

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Shigella flexneri contact with enterocytes induces a burst of protein secretion via its type III secretion apparatus (TTSA) as an initial step in cellular invasion. We have previously reported that IpaD is positioned at the TTSA needle tip (M. Espina et al., Infect. Immuno. 74:4391-4400, 2006). From this position, IpaD senses small molecules in the environment to control the presentation of IpaB to the needle tip. This step occurs without type III secretion induction or IpaC recruitment to the S. flexneri surface. IpaC is then transported to the S. flexneri surface when target cell lipids are added, and this event …