Boston College

About: Boston College is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 9749 authors who have published 25406 publications receiving 1105145 citations. The organization is also known as: BC.

A Catalytic Enantiotopic-Group-Selective Suzuki Reaction for the Construction of Chiral Organoboronates

Abstract: Catalytic enantiotopic-group-selective cross-couplings of achiral geminal bis(pinacolboronates) provide a route for the construction of nonracemic chiral organoboronates. In the presence of a chiral monodentate taddol-derived phosphoramidite ligand, these reactions occur with high levels of asymmetric induction. Mechanistic experiments with chiral 10B-enriched geminal bis(boronates) suggest that the reaction occurs by a stereochemistry-determining transmetalation that occurs with inversion of configuration at carbon.

Methods for the Chemical Synthesis of Fullerenes

Abstract: C60 has been synthesized by chemical methods in 12 steps. Lessons learned in the author's laboratory during a decade devoted to the synthesis and study of open geodesic polyarenes strongly influenced the strategy and methodology ultimately employed for preparing a suitable 60-carbon precursor and for closing it up to the fullerene ball. This review provides a personal account of how the new synthetic tools were developed and put to use.

Lytic Cycle of Toxoplasma gondii: 15 Years Later.

Abstract: Toxoplasmosis is the clinical and pathological consequence of acute infection with the obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Symptoms result from tissue destruction that accompanies lytic parasite growth. This review updates current understanding of the host cell invasion, parasite replication, and eventual egress that constitute the lytic cycle, as well as the ways T. gondii manipulates host cells to ensure its survival. Since the publication of a previous iteration of this review 15 years ago, important advances have been made in our molecular understanding of parasite growth and mechanisms of host cell egress, and knowledge of the parasite's manipulation of the host has rapidly progressed. Here we cover molecular advances and current conceptual frameworks that include each of these topics, with an eye to what may be known 15 years from now.

Lotka-Volterra pairwise modeling fails to capture diverse pairwise microbial interactions.

Abstract: From the soil to our body, microbes, such as bacteria, are everywhere and affect us in many ways. Many microbes perform important roles in natural environments and for our health, but some of them can cause harm and lead to diseases. Often, microbes affect and interact with each other within large groups or communities. Because of their widespread ramifications, it is important to understand how microbial communities work. In addition to experiments, mathematical modeling offers one way to gain insight into the dynamics of microbial communities. A model commonly used to describe the interactions between organisms is the so-called ‘pairwise model’. Pairwise models can be useful to predict the dynamics of a community in which two species physically interact, such as a predator-prey community. However, it was unknown if this model was suitable to adequately predict the dynamics of microbial species in communities. Microbes often interact via chemicals that diffuse in the environment. For example, one microbe might provide food for another microbe or release toxins to kill it. However, a pairwise model does not consider food or toxins, but only how one microbe stimulates or inhibits the growth of another. Momeni et al. simulated different scenarios commonly found in microbial communities to test whether a pairwise model could capture how, for example, chemicals released by one bacterial species would either help others to grow or stop them from growing. The results showed that for many scenarios, pairwise models cannot qualitatively represent the dynamics of a microbial community. A next step will be to work on the limitations of current experimental technologies and mathematical models to improve the understanding of microbial communities. This knowledge could be used to develop new strategies for ecosystem engineering, such as for example making soils more fertile to improve crop yields, or tackling antibiotic resistance of bacteria.