Synthesis of α-iodoketals from methyl ketones via sustainable and orthogonal tandem catalysis.

A highly efficient method for the direct synthesis of α-iodoketals from methyl ketones has been developed via sustainable integration of orthogonal tandem catalytic reactions: copper(II) oxide catalyzed iodination reaction and the subsequent excess or regenerated iodine catalyzed regioselective ketalization reaction.

Optogenetic induction of caspase-8 mediated apoptosis by employing Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2.

Apoptosis, a programmed cell death mechanism, is a regulatory process controlling cell proliferation as cells undergo demise. Caspase-8 serves as a pivotal apoptosis-inducing factor that initiates the death receptor-mediated apoptosis pathway. In this investigation, we have devised an optogenetic method to swiftly modulate caspase-8 activation in response to blue light. The cornerstone of our optogenetic tool relies on the PHR domain of Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochrome 2, which self-oligomerizes upon exposure to blue light. In this study, we have developed two optogenetic approaches for rapidly controlling caspase-8 activation in response to blue light in cellular systems. The first strategy, denoted as Opto-Casp8-V1, entails the fusion expression of the Arabidopsis blue light receptor CRY2 N-terminal PHR domain with caspase-8. The second strategy, referred to as Opto-Casp8-V2, involves the independent fusion expression of caspase-8 with the PHR domain and the CRY2 blue light-interacting protein CIB1 N-terminal CIB1N. Upon induction with blue light, PHR undergoes aggregation, leading to caspase-8 aggregation. Additionally, the blue light-dependent interaction between PHR and CIB1N also results in caspase-8 aggregation. We have validated these strategies in both HEK293T and HeLa cells. The findings reveal that both strategies are capable of inducing apoptosis, with Opto-Casp8-V2 demonstrating significantly superior efficiency compared to Opto-Casp8-V1.

(E)-Ethyl 2-benzoyl-4-(naphthalen-2-yl)-4-oxobut-2-enoate.

The title compound, C(23)H(18)O(4), is a 1,4-enedione compound which contains a naphthalene ring and a benzene ring. The dihedral angle between the ring systems is 74.9 (2)°. In the crystal, the mol-ecules form π-π stacking inter-actions between naphthalene rings of inversion-related mol-ecules, with an inter-planar spacing of 3.499 (2) Å.

Highly efficient synthesis of 3a,6a-dihydrofuro[2,3-b]furans via a novel bicyclization.

A highly efficient method for the construction of 3a,6a-dihydrofuro[2,3-b]furan derivatives has been developed via a novel bicyclization, which is very valuable for the synthesis of fused furofuran compounds since it is time-saving and catalyst-free. Based on the bicyclization, a coupled domino strategy has been developed to directly construct 3a,6a-dihydrofuro[2,3-b]furan derivatives from methyl ketones.

I2-CF3SO3H synergistic promoted sp3 C-H bond diarylation of aromatic ketones.

An I(2)-CF(3)SO(3)H synergistic promoted sp(3) C-H bond diarylation protocol was developed for the synthesis of 2,2-bis(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)-1-aryl ethanones. The reaction performed well in the absence of any metal and ligand. It integrated three reactions with different mechanisms (iodination, Kornblum oxidation, and hydroarylation) in a single reactor.