ß-Elemene induced ferroptosis via TFEB-mediated GPX4 degradation in EGFR wide-type non-small cell lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: ß-Elemene (ß-ELE), derived from Curcuma wenyujin, has anticancer effect on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the potential target and detail mechanism were still not clear. TFEB is the master regulator of lysosome biogenesis. Ferroptosis, a promising strategy for cancer therapy could be triggered via suppression on glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Weather TFEB-mediated lysosome degradation contributes to GPX4 decline and how ß-ELE modulates on this process are not clear. OBJECTIVES: To observe the action of ß-ELE on TFEB, and the role of TFEB-mediated GPX4 degradation in ß-ELE induced ferroptosis. METHODS: Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and molecular docking were applied to observe the binding affinity of ß-ELE on TFEB. Activation of TFEB and lysosome were observed by immunofluorescence, western blot, flow cytometry and qPCR. Ferroptosis induced by ß-ELE was observed via lipid ROS, a labile iron pool (LIP) assay and western blot. A549TFEB KO cells were established via CRISPR/Cas9. The regulation of TFEB on GPX4 and ferroptosis was observed in ß-ELE treated A549WT and A549TFEB KO cells, which was further studied in orthotopic NOD/SCID mouse model. RESULTS: ß-ELE can bind to TFEB, notably activate TFEB, lysosome and transcriptional increase on downstream gene GLA, MCOLN1, SLC26A11 involved in lysosome activity in EGFR wild-type NSCLC cells. ß-ELE increased GPX4 ubiquitination and lysosomal localization, with the increase on lysosome degradation of GPX4. Furthermore, ß-ELE induced ferroptosis, which could be promoted by TFEB overexpression or compromised by TFEB knockout. Genetic knockout or inactivation of TFEB compromised ß-ELE induced lysosome degradation of GPX4, which was further demonstrated in orthotopic NSCLC NOD/SCID mice model. CONCLUSION: This study firstly demonstrated that TFEB promoted GPX4 lysosome degradation contributes to ß-ELE induced ferroptosis in EGFR wild-type NSCLC, which gives a clue that TFEB mediated GPX4 degradation would be a novel strategy for ferroptosis induction and NSCLC therapy.

Roles of Fascin in Dendritic Cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that play a crucial role in activating naive T cells through presenting antigen information, thereby influencing immunity and anti-cancer responses. Fascin, a 55-kDa actin-bundling protein, is highly expressed in mature DCs and serves as a marker protein for their identification. However, the precise role of fascin in intratumoral DCs remains poorly understood. In this review, we aim to summarize the role of fascin in both normal and intratumoral DCs. In normal DCs, fascin promotes immune effects through facilitating DC maturation and migration. Through targeting intratumoral DCs, fascin inhibitors enhance anti-tumor immune activity. These roles of fascin in different DC populations offer valuable insights for future research in immunotherapy and strategies aimed at improving cancer treatments.

CuH-Catalyzed Asymmetric Intramolecular Reductive Coupling of Allenes to Enones.

The CuH-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular reductive coupling of allenes to enones is successfully realized, providing cis-hydrobenzofurans with promising yields and excellent enantioselectivities. Such brilliant enantioselectivities are partially contributed by CuH-catalyzed favorable kinetic resolution of the cyclization products. This protocol tolerates a broad range of functional groups, allowing for further construction of tricyclic and bridged-ring structures. Moreover, the meta-chiral functionalization of 4-substituted phenol and asymmetric dearomatization modification of phenol-contained bioactive molecules are also described.

Efficient access to cis-decalinol frameworks: copper(i)-catalyzed borylative cyclization of allene cyclohexanediones.

Cu-catalyzed borylative cyclization of allene cyclohexanediones has been described through a tandem ß-borylation and intramolecular allylic addition process, affording borylated cis-decalinols with excellent yields and diastereoselectivities. A good enantioselectivity is also achieved in the asymmetric version. The hemiboronate group in the cyclization products could be subjected to several useful transformations.

Efficient Access to Bicyclo[4.3.0]nonanes: Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Silylative Cyclization of Cyclohexadienone-Tethered Allenes.

The creation of three consecutive chiral carbon centers in one step is achieved using Cu-catalyzed asymmetric silylative cyclization of cyclohexadienone-tethered allenes. Through regioselective ß-silylation of the allene and subsequent enantioselective 1,4-addition to cyclohexadienone, this tandem reaction could afford cis-hydrobenzofuran, cis-hydroindole, and cis-hydroindene frameworks with excellent yields (80-98%) and enantioselectivities (94-98% ee) bearing vinylsilane and enone substructures. Meanwhile, this mild transformation is generally compatible with a wide range of functional groups, which allows further conversion of the bicyclic products to bridged and tricyclic ring structures.