CTP Synthetase (CtpS) is a universally conserved and essential metabolic enzyme. While many enzymes form small oligomers, CtpS forms large-scale filamentous structures of unknown function in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. By simultaneously monitoring CtpS polymerization and enzymatic activity, we show that polymerization inhibits activity, and CtpS's product, CTP, induces assembly. To understand h...

Recently, we disclosed the uncatalyzed formation of polyaminoboranes (PABs) from monomeric diisopropylaminoborane (iPr2N−BH2) and primary amines (RNH2). Their structure is studied through a detailed multinuclear NMR study their full spectroscopic characterization presented revealing that N-alkyl substituted PABs exhibit magnetically non-equivalent methylenic protons in close vicinity BN-backbon...

We apply the dressing method to a string solution given by a static string wrapped around the equator of a three-sphere and find that the result is the single spike solution recently discussed in the literature. Further application of the method allows the construction of solutions with multiple spikes. In particular we construct the solution describing the scattering of two single spikes and c...

To ascertain the exact anti-myeloma mechanism of thalidomide in vivo, we performed structural development studies of thalidomide, and obtained various analogues with specific molecular properties. Among these derivatives, we found that a new thalidomide analogue, 2-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1H-isoindole-1,3-dione (5HPP-33) had the most potent anti-myeloma effect and tubulin-polymerizati...

In order to fertilize the oocyte, sperm must undergo a series of biochemical changes in the female reproductive tract, known as capacitation. Once capacitated, spermatozoon can bind to the zona pellucida of the egg and undergo the acrosome reaction (AR), a process that enables its penetration and fertilization of the oocyte. Important processes that characterize sperm capacitation are actin pol...

The reaction of (E)-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-heptenal with butylamine and glycine methyl ester produced brown macromolecular pigments, which showed fluorescent characteristics similar to lipofuscins. This polymerization reaction implies in the first step the formation of 1-alkyl-2-(1'-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles (IV, VI). Compounds IV and VI have been isolated and characterized from the above reactions, and t...

Due to the significance of disulfide bonds within modern material and medicinal sciences, this review provides an overview disulfide-containing polymers that can be obtained by chain-growth polymerization monomers.

Metal displacement reactions between conducting polymers-"synthetic metals"-and noble metals (Pt, Au and Ag) have been demonstrated using a seeding polymerization technique, to produce a synthetic metal nanofiber network decorated with noble metal nanoparticles, in one-step.

Nanorattles made of hollow polymer nanocapsules with entrapped silver nanoparticles were synthesized in one step by using lipid vesicles as templates. Free radical photoinitiator facilitated both polymerization within the bilayer and formation of metal nanoparticles in the aqueous core.

Mesoporous carbons with highly uniform and tunable mesopores were fabricated by one-step vapor deposition polymerization (VDP) using colloidal silica particles as templates and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a carbon precursor.