Faculty News l Fac ty e s Steve Regen One of the most important and also one of the most controversial hypotheses that has emerged in the biomembrane area in recent years is the lipid raft hypothesis. In essence, cholesterol is presumed to combine with sphingolipids to form transient domains that are vital for cellular function; e.g., signal transduction and protein trafficking. However, the size, lifetimes and even the very existence of lipid rafts has remained uncertain. In a recent Perspective that I published in Biochemistry, I have summarized key studies that have been carried out in my laboratories using our nearest-neighbor recognition method. These studies provide a basis for understanding why lipid rafts must exist: Regen, S. L. "The Origin of Lipid Rafts" Biochemistry, 2020, 59, 4617-4621. The need for new classes of drugs is apparent by the recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has led to the COVID-19 pandemic. While not at the same level of urgency as SARS-CoV-2, the need for creating new classes of antibacterial and antifungal agents has also become urgent due to the evolution of drug-resistant forms of bacteria and fungi. In a recent Perspective, I have highlighted the lack of attention that has been paid to the aggregation state of membrane-disrupting molecules as therapeutic agents in general, and how aggregation can affect the selectivity of such agents: Regen, S. L. "Membrane-disrupting Molecules as Therapeutic Agents: A Cautionary Note. JACS Au, 2021, 1, 3-7. We have introduced novel approaches for improving the cellular selectivity of membrane-disrupting antimicrobial agents by monomer control and "taming". In a recent Perspective, I have highlighted each of these novel approaches: Regen, S. L. "Improving the Cellular Selectivity of a Membrane-disrupting Antimicrobial Agent by Monomer Control and by Taming" Molecules, 2021, 26, 374. In an effort to create hyperthin membranes that could be used for the separation of CO2 and N2 from flue gas, we have recently shown that defects that are present in polyelectrolyte bilayers can be repaired by simple ion exchange using a common surfactant; i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate: Pramanik, N.B.; Shaligram, S.; Regen, S.L. "Defect Repair of Polyelectrolyte Bilayers Using SDS: The Action of Micelles Versus Monomers" Langmuir, 2021, 37, 5306-5310. David Vicic Since the last newsletter, David Vicic has been preparing for his role as the Vice-Chair of the ACS Winter Fluorine Conference (WFC) that will be held in Clearwater, FL in January 2022. The WFC is the flagship meeting of the ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry. David will serve as Chair of the meeting in 2023. David also gave a keynote lecture at the Science Forum Chemistry virtual meeting: WiFo (Wissenschaftsforum Chemie) organized by the German Chemical Society (GDCh) in August of 2021. The published scientific contributions from the group include: Shreiber, S. T. and Vicic, D. A “Synthesis and Characterization of the Dinuclear Cobalt(III) Complex: [(C2F5)3Co(mu-F)]22- ” J. Organomet. Chem. 2021, 949, 121974. Shreiber, S. T. and Vicic, D. A. “Solvated Nickel Complexes as Stoichiometric and Catalytic Perfluoroalkylation Agents” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 2-8. Vogt, N.; Sandleben, A.; Kletsch, L.; Schäfer, S; Chin, M. T.; Vicic, D. A.; Hörner, G.; Klein “On the Role of the X Colilgands in Cyclometalated [Ni(Phbpy)X] Complexes (HPhbpy = 6-phenyl-2,2’-bipyridine)” A. Organometallics 2021, 40, 1776-1785. Xue, T. and Vicic, D.A. “Routes to Acetonitrile-Supported Trifluoromethyl and Perfluorometallacyclopentane Complexes of Cobalt” A. Organometallics 2020, 39, 3175-3720. This work was listed as one of the "most-read" articles of the journal during the month of October. Shreiber, S. T. and Vicic, D. A. “Synthesis and Oxidative Stability of an Anionic Perfluoroethyl Cobalt(III) Complex” Helv. Chim. Acta 2020, 103, e2000149. (Special issue dedicated to Antonio Togni). Department of Chemistry · Page 11
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