background: microtubules (mt) are important components of cell cytoskeleton and play key roles in cell motility mitosis and meiosis. they are also the targets of several anticancer agents which indicating their importance in maintaining cell viability. microtubular reorganization contributing to apoptotic morphology occurs in normal and neoplastic cells undergoing apoptosis induced by cytotoxic...

Hydroxypipecolic acids are bioactive compounds widely distributed in nature and are valuable building blocks for the organic synthesis of pharmaceuticals. We have found a novel hydroxylating enzyme with activity toward L-pipecolic acid (L-Pip) in a filamentous fungus, Fusarium oxysporum c8D. The enzyme L-Pip trans-4-hydroxylase (Pip4H) of F. oxysporum (FoPip4H) belongs to the Fe(II)/α-ketogluta...

The regiodivergent ring contraction of diastereomeric 2-silyl-5,6-dihydro-6-aryl-(2H)-pyrans via [1,2]- and [1,4]-Wittig rearrangements to the corresponding α-silylcyclopentenols or (α-cyclopropyl)acylsilanes favor the [1,4]-pathway by ortho and para directing groups in the aromatic appendage and/or by sterically demanding silyl groups. The [1,2]-pathway is dominant with meta directing or elect...

Hereditary pyropoikilocytosis is a severe hemolytic anemia caused by spectrin deficiency and defective spectrin dimer self-association, typically found in African populations. We describe two Utah families of northern European ancestry including 2 propositi with atypical non-microcytic hereditary pyropoikilocytosis, 7 hereditary elliptocytosis members and one asymptomatic carrier. The underlyin...

Phytochemical analysis and chemopreventive testing of a special “α-/β-acid free” hops extract led to the identification of isohumulones (hops iso-α-acids) as potent inducers of NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR) activity. CD values (concentrations required to double the specific activity of QR in Hepa1c1c7 cell culture) were in the range of 1.3 to 10.2 μg/mL, with CD value of trans-isohumulone < ci...

The oil obtained by hydrodistillation of aerial parts of Phlomis elliptica Benth. (Labiatae), which is a rare shrub endemic to Iran, was subjected to GC-FID and GC-MS analyses. Thirty-one constituents, making up about 98.4 % of the total composition of oil, were characterized. Monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and other compounds constituted 13.4 %, 78.9 % and 6.1 % of the essential oil, respectivel...

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are transmembrane proteins required for the generation of action potentials in excitable cells and essential for propagating electrical impulses along nerve cells. VGSCs are complexes of a pore-forming α subunit and auxiliary β subunits, designated as β1/β1B-β4 (encoded by SCN1B-4B, respectively), which also function in cell-cell adhesion. We previously rep...

Periodontitis (PD) is known to be one of most prevalent worldwide chronic inflammatory diseases. There are several treatments including antibiotics for PD; however, since drug resistance is an increasing problem, new drugs particularly derived from plants with fewer side effects are required. The effects of trans-anethole on IL-1 β and TNF-α level in a rat model of PD were investigated and comp...

A novel class of stereocomplexes is described by the interaction of helically complementary poly(phenylacetylene)s (PPAs) carrying an α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetamide pendant group. The formation of the stereocomplex requires the presence of cis amide bonds on the external crest of the polymer to provide efficient cooperative supramolecular hydrogen bonding between matching enantiomer...