Highlights d RNAPII RPB1-K1268 ubiquitination is essential for transcription recovery and DNA repair d Sequential ubiquitination of RNAPII and UVSSA coordinates the recruitment of TFIIH d Strand-specific ChIPseq enables mapping of RNAPII and reveals genome-wide repair kinetics d RNAPII ubiquitination protects against neurodegeneration phenotype in Cockayne syndrome

We demonstrate site-resolved imaging of individual bosonic Yb 174 atoms in a Hubbard-regime twodimensional optical lattice with a short lattice constant of 266 nm. To suppress the heating by probe light with the 1 S 0 -1 P 1 transition of the wavelength λ=399 nm for high-resolution imaging and preserve atoms at the same lattice sites during the fluorescence imaging, we simultaneously cool atoms by additionally applying narrow-line optical molasses with the 1 S 0 -3 P 1 transition of the wavelength λ=556 nm. We achieve a low temperature of T 7.4 13 K ( ) m = , corresponding to a mean oscillation quantum number along the horizontal axes of 0.22(4) during the imaging process. We detect, on average, 200 fluorescence photons from a single atom within a 400 ms exposure time, and estimate a detection fidelity of 87(2)%. The realization of a quantum gas microscope with enough fidelity for Yb atoms in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice opens up the possibilities for studying various kinds of quantum many-body systems such as Bose and Fermi gases, and their mixtures, and also long-rangeinteracting systems such as Rydberg states.

A novel series of 2-O-alkylascorbic acids (5a-u) was synthesized, and their scavenging activities against active oxygen species as well as their suppressive effects on the arrhythmias in rat heart ischemia-reperfusion models were evaluated. Some 2-O-alkylascorbic acids (5e-1) exhibited potent inhibiting activities against lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates and in alleviating effects in the ischemia-reperfusion models. Studies on the structure-activity relationship demonstrated that a free 3-enolic hydroxyl group and the longer alkyl chains substituted on the 2-hydroxyl group of ascorbic acid were beneficial for the biological and pharmacological activities. 2-O-Octadecylascorbic acid (5k, CV-3611), one of the most potent and promising compounds, markedly inhibited lipid peroxidation (IC50 = 4.3 X 10(-6) M) and alleviated myocardial lesions induced by ischemia-reperfusion at an oral dose of 1 mg/kg in rats.

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We discovered a nonpeptidic compound, TAK-070, that inhibited BACE1, a rate-limiting protease for the generation of A␤ peptides that are considered causative for Alzheimer's disease (AD), in a noncompetitive manner. TAK-070 bound to full-length BACE1, but not to truncated BACE1 lacking the transmembrane domain. Short-term oral administration of TAK-070 decreased the brain levels of soluble A␤, increased that of neurotrophic sAPP␣ by ϳ20%, and normalized the behavioral impairments in cognitive tests in Tg2576 mice, an APP transgenic mouse model of AD. Six-month chronic treatment decreased cerebral A␤ deposition by ϳ60%, preserving the pharmacological efficacy on soluble A␤ and sAPP␣ levels. These results support the feasibility of BACE1 inhibition with a noncompetitive inhibitor as disease-modifying as well as symptomatic therapy for AD.

Biosynthesis of nicotine in tobacco requires N-methylputrescine oxidase (MPO), which belongs to the copper-containing amine oxidase superfamily. Previous studies identified tobacco MPO1 and its close homolog NtDAO1 (formerly called MPO2), of which MPO1 has been shown preferentially to oxidize N-methylated amines. We show here that NtDAO1, as well as a homologous Arabidopsis diamine oxidase (DAO), accept non-N-methylated amines more efficiently than their corresponding N-methylated amines. MPO1 is coordinately regulated with other nicotine biosynthesis genes with regard to COI1-MYC2-dependent jasmonate induction and its dependence on nicotine-specific ERF transcription factors, whereas NtDAO1 is constitutively expressed at low basal levels in tobacco plants. Both MPO1 and NtDAO1 are targeted to peroxisomes by their C-terminal motifs, and the peroxisomal localization of MPO1 is required for it to function in nicotine biosynthesis in jasmonate-elicited cultured tobacco cells. Restricted occurrence of the MPO subfamily in Nicotiana and Solanum indicates that, during the formation of the Solanaceae, MPO has evolved from a DAO, which functions in polyamine catabolism within peroxisomes, by optimizing substrate preference and gene expression patterns to be suitable for alkaloid formation.

A novel series of omega-pyridylalkenoic acids has been prepared by applying the Wittig reaction. Modifications were made in the omega-aryl moiety, the alkylene chain length, the alpha-methylene group adjacent to the carbonyl group, and the carboxyl group of the molecule. The compounds were tested as inhibitors of thromboxane synthetase in an in vitro assay and in ex vivo experiments with the rat. Most members of this new class of thromboxane synthetase inhibitors (TXSI) showed good activity in both assay systems. (E)-7-Phenyl-7-(3-pyridyl)-6-heptenoic acid (9c; CV-4151) was one of the most potent compounds in in vitro enzyme inhibition (IC50 = 2.6 X 10(-8) M) and, when orally administered, the most potent and long acting in the inhibition of blood thromboxane A2 production in the rat. New conceptual models I-III for the enzyme-substrate (prostaglandin H2, PGH2) and the enzyme-TXSI interactions are proposed for understanding the molecular design and structure-activity relations.

It is known that obese adipose tissues are hypoxic and express hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α. Although some studies have shown that the expression of HIF-1α in adipocytes induces glucose intolerance, the mechanisms are still not clear. In this study, we examined its effects on the development of type 2 diabetes by using adipocyte-specific HIF-1α knockout (ahKO) mice. ahKO mice showed improved glucose tolerance compared with wild type (WT) mice. Macrophage infiltration and mRNA levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) were decreased in the epididymal adipose tissues of high fat diet induced obese ahKO mice. The results indicated that the obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation was suppressed in ahKO mice. In addition, in the ahKO mice, serum insulin levels were increased under the free-feeding but not the fasting condition, indicating that postprandial insulin secretion was enhanced. Serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels were also increased in the ahKO mice. Interestingly, adiponectin, whose serum levels were increased in the obese ahKO mice compared with the obese WT mice, stimulated GLP-1 secretion from cultured intestinal L cells. Therefore, insulin secretion may have been enhanced through the adiponectin-GLP-1 pathway in the ahKO mice. Our results suggest that the deletion of HIF-1α in adipocytes improves glucose tolerance by enhancing insulin secretion through the GLP-1 pathway and by reducing macrophage infiltration and inflammation in adipose tissue.