Thyroid disorders are relatively frequently observed in pregnant women. However, the impact of pregnancy on maternal thyroid has not been systematically evaluated. In the present study, using the rat as an animal model, we observed that the weight of maternal thyroid increased by about 18% in late pregnancy. To gain an insight into the molecular mechanisms, we took advantage of RNA-seq approaches to investigate global gene expression changes in the maternal thyroid. We identified a total of 615 differentially expressed genes, most of which (558 genes or 90.7%) were up-regulated in late pregnancy compared to the non-pregnant control. Gene ontology analysis showed that genes involved in cell cycle and metabolism were significantly enriched among up-regulated genes. Unexpectedly, pathway analysis revealed that expression levels for key components of the thyroid hormone synthesis pathway were not significantly altered. In addition, by examining of the promoter regions of up-regulated genes, we identified MAZ (MYC-associated zinc finger protein) and TFCP2 (transcription factor CP2) as two causal transcription factors. Our study contributes to an increase in the knowledge on the maternal thyroid adaptation to pregnancy.

Novel therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are of the greatest priority given the consistent failure of recent clinical trials focused on Aβ or pTau. Earlier, we demonstrated that mild mitochondrial complex I inhibitor CP2 blocks neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in multiple mouse models of AD. To evaluate the safety of CP2 in humans, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 196 lymphoblastoid cell lines and identified 11 SNP loci and 64 mRNA expression probe sets that potentially associate with CP2 susceptibility. Using primary mouse neurons and pharmacokinetic study, we show that CP2 is generally safe at a therapeutic dose.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s Disease; genome-wide association study; lymphoblastoid cell lines; mitochondrial Complex I inhibitor.

OBJECTIVE

To study the genomic organization of vancomycin resistance in a local isolate of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA).

METHODS

Experimental study.

METHODS

Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, January 2008 through December 2010.

METHODS

A vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA-CP2) isolate (MIC 16 μg/ml) was isolated from a local hospital of Karachi. Species identification was confirmed by Gram staining, standard biochemical tests and PCR amplification of the nuc gene. The vancomycin MIC was re-confirmed by E-test. For the genetic determination of vancomycin resistance, in-vitro amplification of vanA cassette was performed by using plasmid DNA of CP2, CP2's transformant as template on MWG Thermo-Cycler. Amplified products of vanR, vanS, vanH, vanA, vanY, orf2, orf1D, orf2E, orf-Rev and IS element genes were subjected to Sanger's electrophoresis based sequence determination using specific primers. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) algorithm was used to identify sequences in GenBank with similarities to the vanA cassette genes.

RESULTS

The vancomycin-resistant isolate CP2 was found to be resistant to oxacillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, rifampicin, gentamicin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin, as well. The isolate CP2 revealed four bands: one of large molecular size ~56.4 kb and three of small size ~6.5 kb, ~6.1 kb and ~1.5 kb by agarose gel electrophoresis indicating the presence of 3 plasmids. The plasmid DNA of isolate CP2 was analyzed by PCR for the presence of the van cassettes with each of the vanA , vanB and vanC specific primers. It carried vanA cassette, which comprises of vanR, vanS, vanH, vanA, vanY, and orf2. The vanA cassette of isolate CP2 also carried an insertion element (IS). However, it did not show the PCR product for orf1. Vancomycin resistance was successfully transferred from the donor CP2 to a vancomycin-sensitive recipient S. aureus. The MIC of vancomycin for the transformant was 16 μg/ml, similar to the parent isolate CP2. Nucleotide sequencing of the PCR product showed similarity with van genes of enterococci and other VRSA reported from different parts of the world.

CONCLUSIONS

Sequence of vanA cassette of CP2 showed partial homology with vancomycin resistant enterococci, VRSA vanA cassette element recorded in gene bank NCBI.

The correlation between anisotropic 9Be NMR (quadrupolar and chemical shielding) interactions and the structure and dynamics in [Cp2Be], [Cp2*Be], and [(C5Me4H)2Be] is examined by solid-state 9Be NMR spectroscopy, as well as by ab initio and hybrid density functional theory calculations. The 9Be quadrupole coupling constants in the three compounds correspond well to the relative degrees of spherical ground-state electronic symmetry of the environment about beryllium. Theoretical computations of NMR interaction tensors are in excellent agreement with experimental values and aid in understanding the origins of NMR interaction tensors and their correlation to molecular symmetry. Variable-temperature (VT) 9Be and 13C NMR experiments reveal a highly fluxional structure in the condensed phase of [Cp2Be]. In particular, the pathway by which the Cp rings of [Cp2Be] 'invert' coordination modes is examined in detail using hybrid density functional theory in order to inspect variations of the 9Be NMR interaction tensors. The activation energy for the 'inversion' process is found to be 36.9 kJ mol(-1) from chemical exchange analysis of 13C VT CP/MAS NMR spectra. The low-temperature (ca. -100 degrees C) X-ray crystal structures of all three compounds have been collected and refined, and are in agreement with previously reported structures. In addition, the structure of the same Cp2Be crystal was determined at 20 degrees C and displays features consistent with increased intramolecular motion, supporting observations by 9Be VT NMR spectroscopy.

A simple admixture of Co(II) -salcy complexes with [Cp2 Fe(III) ]PF6 resulted in reproduction of the results with isolated Co(III) -salcy complexes in the copolymerization of epoxide and carbon dioxide. By using this in situ-generated active species with bis(triphenylphosphoranilydene)ammonium 2,4-dinitrophenolate, a para-methoxy-substituted Co-salcy complex was proven to be more active than the parent tert-butyl-substituted system. In contrast, the Co(II) -salcy complex substituted with the more strongly electron-donating NMe2 group did not show any activity for this copolymerization.

TFCP2L1 is a transcription factor that is crucial for self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). How TFCP2L1 maintains the pluripotent state of mESCs, however, remains unknown. Here, we show that knockdown of Tfcp2l1 in mESCs induces the expression of endoderm, mesoderm and trophectoderm markers. Functional analysis of mutant forms of TFCP2L1 revealed that TFCP2L1 depends on its N-terminus and CP2-like domain to maintain the undifferentiated state of mESCs. The N-terminus of TFCP2L1 is mainly associated with the suppression of mesoderm and trophectoderm differentiation, while the CP2-like domain is closely related to the suppression of endoderm commitment. Further studies showed that MTA1 directly interacts with TFCP2L1 and is indispensable for the TFCP2L1-mediated self-renewal-promoting effect and endoderm-inhibiting action. TFCP2L1-mediated suppression of mesoderm and trophectoderm differentiation, however, seems to be due to downregulation of Lef1 expression. Our study thus provides an expanded understanding of the function of TFCP2L1 and the pluripotency regulation network of ESCs.

The first 4d/4f polyphosphides were obtained by reaction of the divalent metallocenes [Cp*2Ln(thf)2] (Ln = Sm, Yb) with [{CpMo(CO)2}2(μ,η2:2-P2)] or [Cp*Mo(CO)2(η3-P3)]. Treatment of [Cp*2Ln(thf)2] (Ln = Sm, Yb) with [{CpMo(CO)2}2(μ,η2:2-P2)] gave the 16-membered bicyclic compounds [(Cp2*Ln)2P2(CpMo(CO)2)4] (Ln = Sm, Yb) as the major products. From the reaction involving samarocene, the cyclic P4 complex [(Cp*2Sm)2P4(CpMo(CO)2)2] and the cyclic P5 complex [(Cp*2Sm)3P5(CpMo(CO)2)3] were also obtained as minor products. In each reaction, the P2 unit is reduced and a rearrangement occurred. In dedicated cases, a P-P bond formation takes place, which results in a new aggregation of the central phosphorus scaffold. In the reactions of [Cp*2Ln(thf)2] (Ln = Sm, Yb) with [Cp*Mo(CO)2P3] a new P-P bond is formed by reductive dimerization and the 4d/4f hexaphosphides [(Cp*2Ln)2P6(Cp*Mo(CO)2)2] (Ln = Sm, Yb) were obtained.

Luminol is one of the best known chemiluminescent cyclic hydrazides used in basic solution. Owing to the complexity of luminol oxidation, the mechanism of luminol chemiluminescence (CL), especially in aqueous solution, has not yet been fully elucidated. Recent theoretical computations have confirmed that luminol CL originates from the chemiexcitation of a 1,2-dioxane-3,6-dione dianion (CP2-). This seems to be inconsistent with the luminol oxidation in aqueous solutions, where only the decomposition of a monoanionic peroxyketal (L-OOH) is confirmed to yield CL. In this work, we theoretically investigated the complete decomposition of L-OOH and the pKa of key intermediates in aqueous solutions using (time-dependent) density functional theory. L-OOH firstly cyclizes to an endoperoxide monoanion (EP-). When pH < pKa(EP- ), EP- directly decomposes by a retro-Diels-Alder (rDA) reaction to an aminophthalate monoanion (AP-) without CL activity. Moreover, when pH > pKa(EP- ), EP- deprotonates to dianionic EP2-, which rapidly eliminates N2 to CP2-, inducing chemiexcitation. This conclusion is supported by the pKa(EP- )≈8 estimated in this work, which is consistent with the pH-dependent profile of luminol CL observed in previous experiments. Thus, the pH-dependent CL determined by the acidity of endoperoxides may provide a theoretical basis to design new cyclic hydrazides with CL activity at different pH.

Clinical signs and lesions of Taura syndrome virus (TSV) infection in Penaeus monodon have not been documented although the virus has been detected in this shrimp species by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This study provides the first evidence of TSV infection in P. monodon by histological and in situ hybridization (ISH) analyses. We performed experimental bioassays with groups of P. monodon using inocula of P. monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei (Th04PmTSV and Th04LvTSV, respectively), which were collected from Thailand in 2004 and found to be positive for TSV by RT-PCR. Samples of shrimp for histological and ISH analyses were collected on Days 2, 14, and 28 post-inoculation. Mortality among TSV-inoculated P. monodon appeared on Day 3, with 2 out of 10 shrimp dying. Severe necrosis of cuticular epithelial cells and lymphoid organ spheroids, indicative of acute and chronic phase lesions of TSV infection, respectively, were detected in the samples. Sequence analyses of the capsid protein 2 (CP2) gene showed that Th04PmTSV and Th04LvTSV isolates were different; however, both belonged to a phylogenetic family of Asian TSV isolates. The results of this study demonstrated that both mortality and histological lesions are associated with TSV infection in P. monodon.

Performance in simple stimulus detection manifests as both probability of detection and speed of signaling detected stimuli. These two dimensions of performance across trials were examined with respect to brain states just prior to stimulus delivery, using near threshold stimuli targeting the magnocellular or the parvocellular visual streams in an attempt to isolate differential perceptual preparation. The EEG amplitude of 12 university students was analyzed in spectral bands from 2 to 50 Hz at 9 bilateral channel pairs in a window covering -450 ms to +50 ms relative to stimulus onset. A hierarchical statistical procedure was applied to control false positive results. EEG power in the 2, 4, 8 and 10 Hz bands was found significantly lower at the F7-F8 channel pair both before detected compared to omitted stimuli and before the fastest compared to slowest reaction time quartiles, with no stimulus type effect. In addition, the 22 and 24 Hz band activity was lower prior to better performance frontally (F3-F4, F7-F8) in reaction time but not in detection, while it was larger centro-parietally (CP1-CP2, P3-P4) in detection but not in reaction times. Spectral analysis thus shows stimulus detection and response speed to depend partly on common and partly on distinct pre-stimulus brain states.

We report the dynamical migration behavior of rigid polystyrene microparticles at an interface of co-flowing streams of primary CP1 (aqueous) and secondary CP2 (oils) immiscible phases at low Reynolds numbers (Re) in a microchannel. The microparticles initially suspended in the CP1 either continue to flow in the bulk CP1 or migrate across the interface into CP2, when the stream width of the CP1 approaches the diameter of the microparticles. Experiments were performed with different secondary phases and it is found that the migration criterion depends on the sign of the spreading parameter S and the presence of surfactant at the interface. To substantiate the migration criterion, experiments were also carried out by suspending the microparticles in CP2 (oil phase). Our study reveals that in case of aqueous-silicone oil combination, the microparticles get attached to the interface since S<0 and the three phase contact angle, θ>90°. For complete detachment of microparticles from the interface into the secondary phase, additional energy ΔG is needed. We discuss the role of interfacial perturbation, which causes detachment of microparticles from the interface. In case of mineral and olive oils, the surfactants present at the interface prevents attachment of the microparticles to the interface due to the repulsive disjoining pressure. Finally, using a aqueous-silicone oil system, we demonstrate size based sorting of microparticles of size 25μm and 15μm respectively from that of 15μm and 10μm and study the variation of separation efficiency η with the ratio of the width of the aqueous stream to the diameter of the microparticles ρ.

To explore whether focusing a target influenced gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and typical development (TD).

Thirty children with bilateral CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] I-III) and 22 with TD looked at a light at walkway end (Gaze Target) while walking and returned (No Target).

During Gaze versus No Target, children with TD reduced temporal-spatial parameters and movements in the sagittal (SPM) and transverse planes. In comparison, during Gaze Target, children in CP1 (GMFCS I) had larger trunk SPM, children in CP2 (GMFCS II) larger neck (SPM), and children in CP3 (GMFCS III) greater head and neck frontal plane movements, and reduced cadence and single support.

Focusing a target altered gait in children with CP. Children in CP1 reduced movements similar to children with TD, children in CP2 behaved nearly unchanged, whereas children in CP3 reduced movements and temporal-spatial parameters, potentially as a consequence of lack of sensory information from lower limbs.

By the use of Nicholson's method, the heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constants (ks) for the oxidation of a series of M2(O2CR)4 complexes have been determined in benzonitrile, where the metal M = Mo, W, Ru, or Rh and R = alkyl or aryl. For R = tBu, the values of ks follow the order M = Mo>> W>> Ru>> Rh. No simple influence of R on ks was observed, although added ligands that are known to reversibly bind to the dinuclear center were shown to influence the E1/2 values in order of their basicity and to suppress the rate of electron transfer. The reported data are compared with those obtained for Cp2Fe0/+, Cp2*Fe0/+, and Ru(bpy)2(2)+/3+ and with earlier work on dirhenium multiply bonded compounds.

Leishmaniasis is a disease found throughout the (sub)tropical parts of the world caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. Despite the numerous problems associated with existing treatments, pharmaceutical companies continue to neglect the development of better ones. The high toxicity of current drugs combined with emerging resistance makes the discovery of new therapeutic alternatives urgent. We report here the evaluation of a binuclear cyclopalladated complex containing Pd(II) and N,N'-dimethylbenzylamine (Hdmba) against Leishmania amazonensis The compound [Pd(dmba)(μ-N3)]2 (CP2) inhibits promastigote growth (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 13.2 ± 0.7 μM) and decreases the proliferation of intracellular amastigotes in in vitro incubated macrophages (IC50 = 10.2 ± 2.2 μM) without a cytotoxic effect when tested against peritoneal macrophages (50% cytotoxic concentration = 506.0 ± 10.7 μM). In addition, CP2 was also active against T. cruzi intracellular amastigotes (IC50 = 2.3 ± 0.5 μM, selective index = 225), an indication of its potential for use in Chagas disease therapy. In vivo assays using L. amazonensis-infected BALB/c showed an 80% reduction in parasite load compared to infected and nontreated animals. Also, compared to amphotericin B treatment, CP2 did not show any side effects, which was corroborated by the analysis of plasma levels of different hepatic and renal biomarkers. Furthermore, CP2 was able to inhibit Leishmania donovani topoisomerase 1B (Ldtopo1B), a potentially important target in this parasite. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02169141.).

The comparison of protective effects of native ceruloplasmin (CP) and of preparation CP1 containing carbohydrate fragment GlcNAc(beta(1,4]GlcNAc which specifically binds on RBC (alpha(1,6)Fuc receptors showed that CP1 exhibits much more powerful protective effect on RBC in copper-induced lysis. It was found, however, that CP2 (native CP devoided of CP1) protected RBC as well as CP despite its inability of binding to RBC membrane. CP and CP1 in a similar way decrease copper concentration in RBC. It was shown that copper accumulation and GSH decrease in RBC are two independent and concurrent processes; the copper and GSH concentrations are not the factors determining RBC resistance to hemolysis. CP inhibits the reaction of superoxide radicals generation as a result of Cu interaction with -SH groups of RBC membrane; the effect is more pronounced than the effect of catalase or superoxide dismutase. CP and CP1 preparations equally inhibit this reaction. Apparently CP reception on RBC leads not only to membrane protection from superoxide and hydroxyl radicals but represents a more complex process.

The search of new antibiotics, particularly with new mechanisms of action, is nowadays a very important public health issue, due to the worldwide increase of resistant pathogens. Within this effort, much research has been done on antimicrobial peptides, because having the membrane as a target, they represent a new antibiotic paradigm. Among these, cyclic peptides (CPs) made of sequences of D- and L-amino acids have emerged as a new class of potential antimicrobial peptides, due to their expected higher resistance to protease degradation. These CPs are planar structures that can form Self-assembled Cyclic Peptide Nanotubes (SCPNs), in particular in the presence of lipid membranes. Aiming at understanding their mechanism of action, we used biophysical experimental techniques (DSC and ATR-FTIR) together with Coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations, to characterize the interaction of these CPs with model membranes of different electrostatic charges' contents. DSC results revealed that the CPs show a strong interaction with negatively charged membranes, with differences in the strength of interactions depending on peptide and on membrane charge content, at odds with no or mild interactions with zwitterionic membranes. ATR-FTIR suggested that the peptides self-assemble at the membrane surface, adopting mainly a β-structure. The experiments with polarized light showed that in most cases they lie parallel to the membrane surface, but other forms and orientations are also apparent, depending on peptide structure and lipid:peptide ratio. The nanotube formation and orientation, as well as the dependence on membrane charge were also confirmed by the CG-MD simulations. These provide detail on the position and interactions, in agreement with the experimental results. Based on the findings reported here, we could proceed to the design and synthesis of a second-generation CPs, based on CP2 (soluble peptide), with increased activity and reduced toxicity.

Keywords: ATR-FTIR; Antimicrobial peptides; Coarse-Grained; D,L-α-cyclic peptides; DSC; Molecular dynamic simulations; Nanotubes; Self-Assembly.

6,6-Dicyanopentafulvene derivatives and metallocenes with redox potentials appropriate for forming their radical anions form highly persistent donor-acceptor salts. The charge-transfer salts of 2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-6,6-dicyanofulvene with cobaltocene (1⋅Cp2 Co) and 2,3,4,5-tetrakis(triisopropylsilyl)-6,6-dicyanofulvene with decamethylferrocene (2⋅Fc*) have been prepared. The X-ray structures of the two salts, formed as black plates, were obtained and are discussed herein. Compared with neutral dicyanopentafulvenes, the chromophores in the metallocene salts show substantial changes in bond lengths and torsional angles in the solid state. EPR, NMR, and optical spectroscopy, as well as superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements, reveal that charge-separation in the crystalline states and in frozen and fluid solutions depends on subtle differences of redox potentials, geometry, and on ion pairing. Whereas 1⋅Cp2 Co reveals paramagnetic character in the crystalline state and in solution, compound 2⋅Fc* shows a delicate balance between para- and diamagnetism, depending on the temperature and solvent characteristics.

Tfcp2l1 is a transcription factor critical for mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) maintenance. However, its role in human ESCs (hESCs) remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of Tfcp2l1 in controlling hESC activity and showed that Tfcp2l1 is functionally important in the maintenance of hESC identity. Tfcp2l1 expression is highly enriched in hESCs and dramatically decreases upon differentiation. Forced expression of Tfcp2l1 promoted hESC self-renewal. Functional analysis of the mutant forms of Tfcp2l1 revealed that both the CP2- and SAM-like domains are indispensable for Tfcp2l1 to maintain the undifferentiated state of hESCs. Notably, the CP2-like domain is closely related to the suppression of definitive endoderm and mesoderm commitment. Accordingly, knockdown of Tfcp2l1 significantly induced differentiation preferentially into definitive endoderm and mesoderm. Further studies found that inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by IWR1 is able to eliminate the differentiation caused by Tfcp2l1 downregulation. Taken together, these findings reveal the unique and crucial role of Tfcp2l1 in the determination of hESC fate and will expand our understanding of the self-renewal and differentiation circuitry in hESCs.

Pentaphosphaferrocene [Cp*Fe(η5 -P5 )] (1 a) represents an excellent building block for the template-directed synthesis of spherical supramolecules. Here, the self-assembly of 1 a with CuI and CuII halides in the presence of the template complexes [FeCp2 ][PF6 ], [CoCp2 ][PF6 ] and [CoCp2 ] is reported, testifying to the redox behavior of the formed supramolecules. The oxidation or reduction capacity of these reactive complexes does not inhibit their template impact and, for the first time, the cationic metallocene [CoCp2 ]+ is enclosed in unprecedented anionic organometallic hosts. Furthermore, the large variety of structural motifs, as icosahedral, trigonal antiprismatic, cuboidal and tetragonal antiprismatic arrangements of 1 a units are realized in the supramolecules [FeCp2 ]@[{1 a}12 (CuBr)17.3 ] (3), [CoCp2 ]+3 {[CoCp2 ]+ @[{1 a}8 Cu24.25 Br28.25 (CH3 CN)6 ]4- } (4), {[Cp2 Co]+ @[{1 a}8 (CuI)28 (CH3 CN)9.8 ]}{[Cp2 Co]+ @[{1 a)}8 Cu24.4 I26.4 (CH3 CN)8 ]2- } (5), and [{1 a}3 {(1 a)2 NH}3 Cu16 I10 (CH3 CN)7 ] (6), respectively.

Some effects of organophosphorus compounds (OPs) esters cannot be explained by action on currently recognized targets acetylcholinesterase or neuropathy target esterase (NTE). In previous studies, in membrane chicken brain fractions, four components (EPα, EPβ, EPγ and EPδ) of phenyl valerate esterase activity (PVase) had been kinetically discriminated combining data of several inhibitors (paraoxon, mipafox, PMSF). EPγ is belonging to NTE. The relationship of PVase components and acetylcholine-hydrolyzing activity (cholinesterase activity) is studied herein. Only EPα PVase activity showed inhibition in the presence of acetylthiocholine, similarly to a non-competitive model. EPα is highly sensitive to mipafox and paraoxon, but is resistant to PMSF, and is spontaneously reactivated when inhibited with paraoxon. In this papers we shows that cholinesterase activities showed inhibition kinetic by PV, which does not fit with a competitive inhibition model when tested for the same experimental conditions used to discriminate the PVase components. Four enzymatic components (CP1, CP2, CP3 and CP4) were discriminated in cholinesterase activity in the membrane fraction according to their sensitivity to irreversible inhibitors mipafox, paraoxon, PMSF and iso-OMPA. Components CP1 and CP2 could be related to EPα as they showed interactions between substrates and similar inhibitory kinetic properties to the tested inhibitors.

The reaction of As4Se4 with stoichiometric amounts of [Cp*Fe2(CO)4] (Cp* = C5Me5) in boiling toluene forms [Cp2*Fe2As2Se2] (1) in good yield. X-ray crystallography shows 1 to have a triple-decker structure which comprises a tetraatomic mu,eta4:4-As2Se2 ligand. Density functional theory (DFT) and extended Hückel molecular orbital (EHMO) calculations confirm that the As2Se2 ligand behaves as a four-electron pi donor. Oxidation of 1 with equimolar amounts of [(C5H5)2Fe]PF6, Br2 and I2, respectively, gave compounds 2-4. According to X-ray crystallographic investigations that were carried out on 2 and 4, the oxidation state has a considerable influence on the structure of the Fe2As2Se2 core: significant shortening of the Fe-Fe distance (deltad(Fe-Fe>> 0.3 A) and weakening of the As-As bond length ((deltad(As-As)>> 0.3 A) suggests the formal presence of two diatomic AsSe ligands and a Fe-Fe bond. DFT and EHMO calculations confirm that an electron is removed from an occupied Fe-Fe orbital of antibonding character during oxidation. All molecular orbitals lower their energies upon oxidation, but the energy drop is relatively small for those involving the As-As bond. An additional structural feature in 4 consists of an electronic interaction of the iodide with both As atoms which suggests a formally neutral ion pair. Electrochemical studies confirm that the oxidation of 1 is a reversible one-electron process with E(1/2)= +0.07 V (in THF). These studies also reveal that 4 dissociates in polar solvents, such as THF, into [1]+ and I-, which is followed by transformation into 1 and I3.