Mating behavior in Drosophila depends critically on the sexual identity of specific regions in the brain, but several studies have identified courtship genes that express products only outside the nervous system. Although these genes are each active in a variety of non-neuronal cell types, they are all prominently expressed in the adult fat body, suggesting an important role for this tissue in behavior. To test its role in male courtship, fat body was feminized using the highly specific Larval serum protein promoter. We report here that the specific feminization of this tissue strongly reduces the competence of males to perform courtship. This effect is limited to the fat body of sexually mature adults as the feminization of larval fat body that normally persists in young adults does not affect mating. We propose that feminization of fat body affects the synthesis of male-specific secreted circulating proteins that influence the central nervous system. In support of this idea, we demonstrate that Takeout, a protein known to influence mating, is present in the hemolymph of adult males but not females and acts as a secreted protein.

The palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of indoles, pyrroles, and furans by aryl chlorides has been demonstrated. The method employs a palladium acetate catalyst, 2-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-biphenyl ligand, and an inorganic base. Electron-rich and electron-poor aryl chlorides as well as chloropyridine coupling partners can be used and arylated heterocycles are obtained in moderate to good yields. Optimization of base, ligand, and solvent is required for achieving best results.

The circadian clock controls many circadian outputs. Although a large number of transcripts are affected by the circadian oscillator, very little is known about their regulation and function. We show here that the Drosophila takeout gene, one of the output genes of the circadian oscillator, is regulated similarly to the circadian clock genes Clock (Clk) and cry. takeout RNA levels are at constant high levels in Clk JRK mutants. The circadian transcription factor PAR domain protein 1 (Pdp1ε) is a transcription factor that had previously been postulated to control clock output genes, particularly genes regulated similarly to Clk. In agreement with this, we show here that Pdp1ε is a regulator of takeout. Takeout levels are low in flies with reduced Pdp1ε and high in flies with increased amounts of Pdp1ε. Furthermore, flies with reduced or elevated Pdp1ε levels in the fat body display courtship defects, identifying Pdp1ε as an important transcriptional regulator in that tissue.fat body | courtship | clock | Drosophila G enetic and molecular analyses have yielded significant insight into the genes that constitute the core components of the Drosophila circadian clock (reviewed in refs. 1-3). It is regulated by two interlocked transcription/translation-based feedback loops, the period/timeless (per/tim) and Clock (Clk) loops (4). In addition, the regulation of the nuclear entry of proteins, their degradation rate, and phosphorylation state are crucial regulatory steps that are controlled by and contribute to the circadian clock. The per/tim cycle starts with the binding of CLK/CYC heterodimers to E-box promoter elements of the per and tim genes and their subsequent transcriptional activation. Eventually, the newly formed PER and TIM proteins will enter the nucleus and inhibit CLK/CYC action, thereby inhibiting the transcription of their own genes (5-7). Transcription of per and tim will resume once their protein levels have decreased sufficiently to release the inhibition of CLK/CYC. Rhythmic expression of Clock mRNA is regulated in the second loop, the Clock loop. CLK/CYC activate vrille (vri) and Pdp1ε, a transcriptional repressor and activator respectively, that have been shown to bind the Clock promoter competitively (8, 9). Although it was thought that this competition accounts for the oscillatory regulation of Clk mRNA, the fact that Clk mRNA levels are still high in Clk JRK mutants (4) and that the core oscillator is only minimally impacted in flies with increased or decreased PAR domain protein 1 (Pdp1ε) levels (depending on the allele/transgene and tissue examined) (10-12), indicate that an as yet unknown activator is required for Clk transcription. It has recently been demonstrated that CLK protein levels are constant in cells and that it is the phosphorylation state of the protein that determines its binding to DNA and its transcriptional activator function (7).Although locomotor activity is the best-characterized circadian output, the circadian clock regulates numerous other outputs such as sleep (13-16), n...

A simple and general method for arylation of carbon-hydrogen bonds in compounds containing directing groups has been developed. Anilides, benzylamines, benzoic acids, 2-aryl and alkylpyridines can be arylated in ortho-positions by using a combination of substrate, aryl iodide, silver acetate and catalytic palladium acetate. The use of a pyridine-containing removable auxiliary ligand allows the arylation of b-positions in carboxylic acid derivatives and g-positions in amine derivatives. Non-activated sp 3 carbon-hydrogen bonds are also reactive. A mechanistically distinct method for the alkenylation of anilides has also been developed.

Carboxylic amides Q 0490Direct Palladium-Catalyzed ortho-Arylation of Benzylamines. -Under the optimized conditions shown, most of the substrates are biarylated. In the case of 3-substituted benzylamines only monoarylated products are obtained. N-Methylbenzylamine (I) can be acetylated but not trifluoroacetylated. The latter reaction requires the addition of a transition-metal scavenging resin before chromatographic purification. -(LAZAREVA, A.; DAUGULIS*, O.; Org. Lett. 8 (2006) 23, 5211-5213; Dep. Chem., Univ. Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA; Eng.) -R. Steudel 09-081