Knocking off cancer's HAT: CSS1477 disrupts oncogenic programs.

EP300/CBP are histone acetyltransferases recruited onto chromatin by oncogenic transcription factors and control the transcriptional program via their activity in enhancer areas. In the December issue of Cancer Cell, Nicosia et al.1 offer new promise in targeting EP300/CBP using the small-molecule inhibitor CSS1477 in patients with blood tumors and no other therapeutic options.

Thioredoxin and redox signaling in vasculature-studies using Trx2 endothelium-specific transgenic mice.

Increasing evidence supports that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from mitochondria in vasculature significantly contribute to human disease. The mitochondrial antioxidant systems, particularly the redox protein thioredoxin-2 (Trx2), provide a primary line of defense against cellular ROS. Using endothelial cell culture and endothelial cell-specific transgenesis of Trx2 gene in mice, we demonstrate the critical roles of Trx2 in regulating endothelium functions. Here, we describe the methods related to generation and characterization of the Trx2 transgenic mice, and the in vivo functional assays associated with Trx2 activities. These methods could be applied to functional analyses for other redox genes.