The incidence of dengue fever epidemics has increased dramatically over the last few decades. However, no vaccine or antiviral therapies are available. Therefore, the need for safe and effective antiviral drugs has become imperative. The entry of dengue virus into a host cell is mediated by its major envelope (E) protein. The crystal structure of the E protein reveals a hydrophobic pocket that is presumably important for low-pHmediated membrane fusion. High-throughput docking with this hydrophobic pocket was performed, and hits were evaluated in cell-based assays. Compound 6 was identified as one of the inhibitors and had an average 50% effective concentration of 119 nM against dengue virus serotype 2 in a human cell line. Mechanism-ofaction studies demonstrated that compound 6 acts at an early stage during dengue virus infection. It arrests dengue virus in vesicles that colocalize with endocytosed dextran and inhibits NS3 expression. The inhibitors described in this report can serve as molecular probes for the study of the entry of flavivirus into host cells.
Dirhodium catalyzed reactions of aryl-substituted tetrahydropyranone diazoacetoacetates produce ylide intermediates that unexpectedly yield two oxabicyclo[4.2.1]-nonane diastereoisomers, but a single diastereoisomer is formed by increasing the steric bulk of the aryl substituent.
Understanding substitution and elimination
reactions is a critically
important key to comprehending chemical reactions and their mechanisms.
Memorizing differences between these reactions is one of the most
commonly used strategies to learn this subject. A card game is a helpful
supplement to teaching substitution and elimination reactions. A new
organic chemistry card game, CHEMCompete, is presented
that helps students predict the products of substitution and elimination
reactions of alkyl halides and classify the types of these reactions.
This game encourages cooperative learning in an enjoyable setting.
Significant improvements were observed in both students’ self-rated
survey responses and quiz scores evaluating their understanding of
this topic. CHEMCompete is an effective study tool
for learning substitution and elimination reactions of alkyl halides.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.