Amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polylactide (PEG/PLA) copolymers with an aldehyde group at one end and a methacryloyl group at the other chain end were synthesized by anionic polymerization. The efficiencies of the functionalization at both ends were almost quantitative. The amphiphilic block copolymers formed micelles in aqueous media. Acetal groups on the micelle surface were quantitatively converted to aldehyde groups by an acid treatment. The end methacryloyl group located in the core of the micelle was polymerized effectively to form core−shell-type nanoparticles having reactive aldehyde groups on the surface. The size of the reactive nanoparticle was 20−30 nm which was constant with temperatures up to 60 °C. The stability of the micelle was also confirmed by a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment. When SDS was added to the nanosphere solution to 20 mg/mL, the particle was not collapsed. The particle was stable enough even in organic solvents. This functionalized micelle having high stability is not only expected to have wide utilities in biomedical applications (including drug delivery, diagnosis, and surface modification through the coupling of bioactive substances) but also to be of great interest as a novel supramolecular architecture.

Formation of amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polylactide (PEG/PLA) block copolymers was accomplished by using potassium alkoxides to initiate the anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide, with the living chain end initiating the polymerization of lactide. By using potassium 3,3-diethoxypropoxide as an initiator, block copolymers with an acetal moiety at the PEG chain end, which was later converted into an aldehyde group, were obtained. The amphiphilic block copolymers formed micelles in aqueous milieu. The conversion of acetal end groups to aldehyde groups was carried out by an acid treatment using 0.01 mol L-1 hydrochloric acid. The extent of the conversion attained was >90%, without any side reaction such as aldol condensation. The micellar structure may play an important role in preventing a possible aldol condensation between the neighboring two aldehyde groups at the PEG chain end. From dynamic light scattering measurements, no angular dependence of the scaled characteristic line width was observed in the case of the acetal-PEG/PLA(52/56) micelle, suggesting the spherical structure. The diameter and polydispersity factor of the polymeric micelle were influenced by the molecular weights and the composition of two components of the block copolymer. The block copolymer with the molecular weight of 5200 for PEG and 5600 for PLA was a most suitable balance for micelle formation with narrow distribution. Actually, the diameter and polydispersity factor (μ/Γ2) of acetal-PEG/PLA(52/56), determined by a cumulative method, were 33 nm and 0.03, respectively. No change in the micelle size and shape was observed before and after the conversion of the acetal end groups to aldehyde groups on the micelle. The critical micelle concentrations (cmc) of the polymeric micelle was 2−4 mg L-1, as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene. This functionalized micelle, in particular the one carrying terminal aldehyde groups, is expected to have a wide utility not only in biomedical applications (e.g., drug delivery, diagnosis, and surface modification through the coupling of bioactive substances), but also for the construction of the supramolecular architecture.

Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) and homologous DNA recombination (HR) are two major postreplicational repair (PRR) pathways. The REV3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase ζ, which is involved in mutagenic TLS. To investigate the role of REV3 in vertebrates, we disruped the gene in chicken DT40 cells. REV3−/− cells are sensitive to various DNA‐damaging agents, including UV, methyl methanesulphonate (MMS), cisplatin and ionizing radiation (IR), consistent with its role in TLS. Interestingly, REV3−/− cells showed reduced gene targeting efficiencies and significant increase in the level of chromosomal breaks in the subsequent M phase after IR in the G2 phase, suggesting the involvement of Rev3 in HR‐mediated double‐strand break repair. REV3−/− cells showed significant increase in sister chromatid exchange events and chromosomal breaks even in the absence of exogenous genotoxic stress. Furthermore, double mutants of REV3 and RAD54, genes involved in HR, are synthetic lethal. In conclusion, Rev3 plays critical roles in PRR, which accounts for survival on naturally occurring endogenous as well as induced damages during replication.

Global food security demands the development and delivery of new technologies to increase and secure cereal production on finite arable land without increasing water and fertilizer use. There are several options for boosting wheat yields, but most offer only small yield increases. Wheat is an inbred plant, and hybrids hold the potential to deliver a major lift in yield and will open a wide range of new breeding opportunities. A series of technological advances are needed as a base for hybrid wheat programmes. These start with major changes in floral development and architecture to separate the sexes and force outcrossing. Male sterility provides the best method to block self-fertilization, and modifying the flower structure will enhance pollen access. The recent explosion in genomic resources and technologies provides new opportunities to overcome these limitations. This review outlines the problems with existing hybrid wheat breeding systems and explores molecular-based technologies that could improve the hybrid production system to reduce hybrid seed production costs, a prerequisite for a commercial hybrid wheat system.