Ricerc@Sapienza

The oxidation of a series of aryl 1-methyl-1-phenylethyl sulfides with H2O2catalyzed by the two tetradentate nonheme-iron complexes [(PDP)FeII(SbF6)2] and [(BPMCN)FeII(OTf)2] occurs by an electron transfer-oxygen transfer (ET/OT) mechanism as supported by the observation of products deriving from fragmentation of the corresponding radical cations in association with S-oxidation products (sulfoxides). © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The self-assembling processes underlining the capabilities of facially differentiated ("Janus") polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrins (paCDs) as non-viral gene nanocarriers have been investigated by a pluridisciplinary approach. Three representative Janus paCDs bearing a common tetradecahexanoyl multitail domain at the secondary face and differing in the topology of the cluster of amino groups at the primary side were selected for this study. All of them compact pEGFP-C3 plasmid DNA and promote transfection in HeLa and MCF-7 cells, both in absence and in presence of human serum.

Microgravity is one of the most important features in space?ight. Previous evidence from in-vitro studies has shown that signi?cant changes occur under simulated microgravity. For thisreason, human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells were selected as cell model of intestinalepithelial barrier and their response to altered gravity conditions was investigated, especially onthe protein level.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction is one of the most promising new extraction methods for liquid samples before ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) analysis. Several types of materials, including carbonaceous ones, have been prepared for this purpose. In this paper, for the first time, the preparation, characterization, and sorption capability of Fe3O4-graphitized carbon black (mGCB) composite toward some compounds of environmental interest were investigated.

A new on-line multidimensional system for sequential trapping and individual elution and separationof peptides based on their molecular weight is described. By sequentially using two chemically differenttrapping columns, a polymethacrylate monolith and a packed C18 one, peptides from complex samplescan be on-line trapped and divided into two fractions, containing respectively mainly medium-large pep-tides and smaller peptides. Then, by means of two switching valves working in parallel, the two fractionswere individually separated by reversed phase chromatography.

The aim of metabolic untargeted profiling is to detect and identify unknown compounds in a biological matrix to achieve the most comprehensive metabolic coverage. In phytochemical mixtures, however, the complexity of the sample could present significant difficulties in compound identification. In this case, the optimization of both the chromatographic and the mass-spectrometric conditions is supposed to be crucial for the detection and identification of the largest number of compounds.

A novel type of graphene-like quantum dots, synthesized by oxidation and cage-opening of C60 buckminsterfullerene, has been studied as a ?uorescent and absorptive probe for heavy-metal ions. The lattice structure of such unfolded fullerene quantum dots (UFQDs) is distinct from that of graphene since it includes both carbon hexagons and pentagons. The basic optical properties, however, are similar to those of regular graphene oxide quantum dots.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the Lysine-acetyltransferase Gcn5 (KAT2) is part of the SAGA complex and is responsible for histone acetylation widely or at specific lysines. In this paper we report that GCN5 deletion differently affects the growth of two strains. The defective mitochondrial phenotype is related to a marked decrease in mtDNA content, which also involves the deletion of specific regions of the molecule.

In multicellular systems, the control of cell size is fundamental in regulating the development and growth of the different organs and of the whole organism. In most systems, major changes in cell size can be observed during differentiation processes where cells change their volume to adapt their shape to their final function. How relevant changes in cell volume are in driving the differentiation program is a long-standing fundamental question in developmental biology.