Quantitative preparation of 3,4-di(methylene)tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide by Zn-induced 1,4-debromination. A valuable 6-C reactive diene in [4+2] cycloadditions with DMAD and [60]fullerene

Optimum reaction conditions for the quantitative preparation of the highly reactive 3,4-di(methylene) tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide are described. The method involves the zinc-induced 1,4-debromination of 3,4-bis(bromomethyl)-2,5-dihydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide in acetone solvent either by using conventional heating, microwave or ultrasonic irradiation. The [4+2] cycloaddition reaction of 3,4-di(methylene) tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide with dienophiles such as DMAD and C-60 led to the efficient and clean formation of the corresponding Diels-Alder cycloadducts. Specifically for [60]fullerene, the short-chain C-60 monoadduct was formed in a short reaction time and in high overall yield (56%). In contrast, the iodine-induced 1,4-debromination using KI in toluene, in the presence of 18-crown-6 as a phase transfer catalyst, failed to give the corresponding [4+2] C-60 monoadduct at room temperature or in refluxing toluene and a low product yield (13%) was only obtained at a temperature of 45-50 degrees C.Rsc Advance

One-pot thermally chemocontrolled double Diels-Alder strategies. A route to [4+2] functionalisation/[4+2] derivatization of C-60

The one-pot double Diels-Alder reactions of 3,4-di(methylene)tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide using temperature as the only chemocontrol element are described. Zn-dust promoted the 1,4-debromination of 3,4-bis(bromomethyl)-2,5-dihydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide in 5-nonanone, under MW conditions, followed by a Diels-Alder reaction, an SO2 extrusion step and a second Diels-Alder reaction. This approach was applied successfully in double [4 + 2] cycloadditions using the same or two different dienophiles to afford the corresponding Diels-Alder products in excellent yields. An elegant and practical method for [4 + 2] functionalisation/[4 + 2] derivatization of C-60 was achieved in a one-pot manner via the formation of a new reactive C-66 dienic intermediate.Rsc Advance

ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling shapes the DNA replication landscape.

The eukaryotic DNA replication machinery must traverse every nucleosome in the genome during S phase. As nucleosomes are generally inhibitory to DNA-dependent processes, chromatin structure must undergo extensive reorganization to facilitate DNA synthesis. However, the identity of chromatin-remodeling factors involved in replication and how they affect DNA synthesis is largely unknown. Here we show that two highly conserved ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Isw2 and Ino80, function in parallel to promote replication fork progression. As a result, Isw2 and Ino80 have especially important roles for replication of late-replicating regions during periods of replication stress. Both Isw2 and Ino80 complexes are enriched at sites of replication, suggesting that these complexes act directly to promote fork progression. These findings identify ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes that promote DNA replication and define a specific stage of replication that requires remodeling for normal function

Patterning of light-emitting conjugated polymer nanofibres.

Organic materials have revolutionized optoelectronics by their processability, flexibility and low cost, with application to light-emitting devices for full-colour screens, solar cells and lasers. Some low-dimensional organic semiconductor structures exhibit properties resembling those of inorganics, such as polarized emission and enhanced electroluminescence. One-dimensional metallic, III-V and II-VI nanostructures have also been the subject of intense investigation as building blocks for nanoelectronics and photonics. Given that one-dimensional polymer nanostructures, such as polymer nanofibres, are compatible with sub-micrometre patterning capability and electromagnetic confinement within subwavelength volumes, they can offer the benefits of organic light sources to nanoscale optics. Here we report on the optical properties of fully conjugated, electrospun polymer nanofibres. We assess their waveguiding performance and emission tuneability in the whole visible range. We demonstrate the enhancement of the fibre forward emission through imprinting periodic nanostructures using room-temperature nanoimprint lithography, and investigate the angular dispersion of differently polarized emitted light

The SWR1 Histone Replacement Complex Causes Genetic Instability and Genome-Wide Transcription Misregulation in the Absence of H2A.Z

The SWR1 complex replaces the canonical histone H2A with the variant H2A.Z (Htz1 in yeast) at specific chromatin regions. This dynamic alteration in nucleosome structure provides a molecular mechanism to regulate transcription, gene silencing, chromosome segregation and DNA repair. Here we show that genetic instability, sensitivity to drugs impairing different cellular processes and genome-wide transcriptional misregulation in htz1Δ can be partially or totally suppressed if SWR1 is not formed (swr1Δ), if it forms but cannot bind to chromatin (swc2Δ) or if it binds to chromatin but lacks histone replacement activity (swc5Δ and the ATPase-dead swr1-K727G). These results suggest that in htz1Δ the nucleosome remodelling activity of SWR1 affects chromatin integrity because of an attempt to replace H2A with Htz1 in the absence of the latter. This would impair transcription and, either directly or indirectly, other cellular processes. Specifically, we show that in htz1Δ, the SWR1 complex causes an accumulation of recombinogenic DNA damage by a mechanism dependent on phosphorylation of H2A at Ser129, a modification that occurs in response to DNA damage, suggesting that the SWR1 complex impairs the repair of spontaneous DNA damage in htz1Δ. In addition, SWR1 causes DSBs sensitivity in htz1Δ; consistently, in the absence of Htz1 the SWR1 complex bound near an endonuclease HO-induced DSB at the mating-type (MAT) locus impairs DSB-induced checkpoint activation. Our results support a stepwise mechanism for the replacement of H2A with Htz1 and demonstrate that a tight control of this mechanism is essential to regulate chromatin dynamics but also to prevent the deleterious consequences of an incomplete nucleosome remodelling

A Barcode Screen for Epigenetic Regulators Reveals a Role for the NuB4/HAT-B Histone Acetyltransferase Complex in Histone Turnover

Dynamic modification of histone proteins plays a key role in regulating gene expression. However, histones themselves can also be dynamic, which potentially affects the stability of histone modifications. To determine the molecular mechanisms of histone turnover, we developed a parallel screening method for epigenetic regulators by analyzing chromatin states on DNA barcodes. Histone turnover was quantified by employing a genetic pulse-chase technique called RITE, which was combined with chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing. In this screen, the NuB4/HAT-B complex, containing the conserved type B histone acetyltransferase Hat1, was found to promote histone turnover. Unexpectedly, the three members of this complex could be functionally separated from each other as well as from the known interacting factor and histone chaperone Asf1. Thus, systematic and direct interrogation of chromatin structure on DNA barcodes can lead to the discovery of genes and pathways involved in chromatin modification and dynamics