Efficient degradation of formaldehyde based on DFT-screened metal-doped C3N6 monolayer photocatalysts: performance evaluation and mechanistic insights.

Photocatalytic oxidation is an efficient and promising technology for reducing indoor pollution levels of formaldehyde (HCHO). However, developing efficient and low-cost photocatalysts for the removal of HCHO remains challenging due to the time-consuming and expensive nature of traditional "trial and error" and "directed research" approaches. To achieve this goal, first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to high-throughput screen candidate TM-C3N6 photocatalysts for high-performance degradation of HCHO. The results revealed that Zr-C3N6 and Hf-C3N6 in functionalizing C3N6 with 28 transition metals showed excellent adsorption energy of HCHO, boosting the highly effective capture of HCHO. Meanwhile, an excellent adsorption performance mechanism was further elicited by the electric structure-property relationship. In addition, reaction mechanisms for HCHO degradation and three potential reaction pathways for HCHO degradation were systematically evaluated. Our findings indicated that hydroxyl-assisted dehydrogenation and oxygen-assisted dehydrogenation are the most favorable pathways, with rate-limiting steps involving the formation of ˙OH and ˙O radicals. Overall, this study may provide new insights into a high-throughput screening of novel photocatalysts that are both high-performing and low-cost for the removal of formaldehyde. This, in turn, can accelerate the experimental development process and reduce the associated costs and time consumption.

Gas therapy potentiates aggregation-induced emission luminogen-based photoimmunotherapy of poorly immunogenic tumors through cGAS-STING pathway activation.

The immunologically "cold" microenvironment of triple negative breast cancer results in resistance to current immunotherapy. Here, we reveal the immunoadjuvant property of gas therapy with cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway activation to augment aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active luminogen (AIEgen)-based photoimmunotherapy. A virus-mimicking hollow mesoporous tetrasulfide-doped organosilica is developed for co-encapsulation of AIEgen and manganese carbonyl to fabricate gas nanoadjuvant. As tetra-sulfide bonds are responsive to intratumoral glutathione, the gas nanoadjuvant achieves tumor-specific drug release, promotes photodynamic therapy, and produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, the AIEgen-mediated phototherapy triggers the burst of carbon monoxide (CO)/Mn2+. Both H2S and CO can destroy mitochondrial integrity to induce leakage of mitochondrial DNA into the cytoplasm, serving as gas immunoadjuvants to activate cGAS-STING pathway. Meanwhile, Mn2+ can sensitize cGAS to augment STING-mediated type I interferon production. Consequently, the gas nanoadjuvant potentiates photoimmunotherapy of poorly immunogenic breast tumors in female mice.

Mechanisms of carcinogenic activity triggered by lysine-specific demethylase 1A.

Epigenetics has emerged as a prime focus area in the field of cancer research. Lysine-specific demethylase 1A (LSD1), the first discovered histone demethylase, is mainly responsible for catalysing demethylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3K9 to activate or inhibit gene transcription. LSD1 is abnormally expressed in various cancers and participates in cancer proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, invasion, drug resistance and other processes by interacting with regulatory factors. Therefore, it may serve as a potential therapeutic target for cancer. This review summarises the major oncogenic mechanisms mediated by LSD1 and provides a reference for developing novel and efficient anticancer strategies targeting LSD1.

Discovery of natural product-like spirooxindole derivatives as highly potent and selective LSD1/KDM1A inhibitors for AML treatment.

Histone lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a promising new therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Following the work on the discovery of natural LSD1 inhibitor higenamine, we herein performed further structure-based design, synthesis, and extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, affording structurally new spirooxindole derivatives. Particularly, FY-56 was identified to be a highly potent LSD1 inhibitor (IC50 = 42 nM) and showed high selectivity over monoamine oxidases (MAO-A/B). Mechanistic studies showed that FY-56 moderately inhibited the proliferation and clone formation of leukemia cells, induced H3K4me1/2 accumulation and p53 activation as well as reduced the mRNA levels of the transcription factors HOXA9 and MEIS1. Meanwhile, FY-56 induced differentiation of MOLM-13 and MV4-11 cells, accompanied by an enhanced percentage of markers characteristic to differentiated macrophages and monocytes. Further in vivo studies showed that FY-56 obviously reduced the proportion of CD45+/CD33+ leukocytes in peripheral blood and spleen, and significantly prolonged the survival rate of mice. Collectively, FY-56 represents a structurally novel, highly potent and selective LSD1 inhibitor and exhibits therapeutic promise for AML treatment. The spirooxindole scaffold derived from FY-56 could be used to design structurally new LSD1 inhibitors for treating human diseases.

Peptidylarginine deiminases 4 as a promising target in drug discovery.

Peptidylarginine deaminase 4 (PAD4) is a crucial post-translational modifying enzyme catalyzing the conversion of arginine into citrulline residues, and mediating the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). PAD4 plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and various tumors. Therefore, PAD4 is considered as a promising drug target for disease diagnosis and treatment. More and more efforts are devoted to developing highly efficient and selective PAD4 inhibitors via high-throughput screening, structure-based drug design and structure-activity relationship study. This article outlined the physiological and pathological functions of PAD4, and corresponding representative small molecule inhibitors reported in recent years.

Histone lysine methyltransferase SET8 is a novel therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

SET8 is the only lysine methyltransferase that can specifically monomethylate the histone H4K20. SET8-mediated protein modifications are largely involved in the regulation of cell cycle, DNA repair, gene transcription, cell apoptosis, and other vital physiological processes. The aberrant expression of SET8 is closely linked to the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of a variety of cancers. As a consequence, targeting SET8 could be an appealing strategy for cancer therapy. In this article, we introduce the molecular structure of SET8, followed by summarizing its roles in various biological pathways. Crucially, we highlight the potential functions of SET8 in tumors, as well as progress in the development of SET inhibitors for cancer treatment.

Hierarchical architectures of bismuth molybdate nanosheets onto nickel titanate nanofibers: Facile synthesis and efficient photocatalytic removal of tetracycline hydrochloride.

A huge challenge in the field of pollutant removal is the scarcity of visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalysts that are efficient, stable, easily recyclable and capable of mineralizing organic pollutants. In this regard, a novel hierarchical architecture of Bi2MoO6 nanosheets onto NiTiO3 nanofibers for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) removal was rationally designed and fabricated via a facile approach. In this heterojunction system, highly homogeneous-distributed Bi2MoO6 nanosheets were anchored on electrospun NiTiO3 nanofibers, endowing the heterojunction with compact interfacial contact. By virtue of the favorable interfacial contact and matched band alignment, promoted suppression of photo-generated electron-hole recombination is achieved in Bi2MoO6/NiTiO3 system, as confirmed by photoluminescence measurement. As a result, the heterojunction with Bi2MoO6/NiTiO3 molar ratio of 1:1 exhibits an outstanding VLD photocatalytic activity and good stability for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) degradation. The photodegradation rate constant (k) is 26.0, 5.4 or 3.7 folds higher than that of pristine NiTiO3, Bi2MoO6, or the mechanical mixture (20.2 wt% NiTiO3 + 79.8 wt% Bi2MoO6). The holes and superoxide radicals are detected as the dominant active species responsible for TC removal. Moreover, this work reports an efficient VLD photocatalyst for TC removal and will open up new insights into the design of novel fiber-shaped VLD heterojunction photocatalyts for environment remediation.

[Construction and identification of recombinant adenovirus of muramidase-released protein gene fragment from Streptococcus suis type 2].

OBJECTIVE: To construct and identify the recombinant adenovirus of muramidase-released protein (MRP) gene fragment from Streptococcus suis type 2 (SS2). METHODS: The specific primers were designed based on the sequence of MRP gene fragment. The MRP gene fragment (467-1351 bp) was amplified by PCR method with genomic DNA of SS2 as a template. PCR products were cloned in pMD18-T vector. Then MRP gene fragment was linked into the adenovirus shuttle plasmid (pShuttle-CMV) to construct recombinant shuttle plasmid (pShuttle-CMV-MRP). After PmeI digestion, it was transformed into BJ5183-AD-1 competent cells containing adenoviral backbone plasmid pAdEasy-1 to construct homogeneous recombinant adenovirus plasmid (pAdeno-CMV-MRP). Then the recombinant adenovirus plasmid was linearized by PmeI and then transfected into AD-293 cells for viral packaging. Finally, the virus liquid was tested by PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Cytopathic effect (CPE) was observed at 8 d after transfection of linear pAdeno-CMV-MRP in AD-293 cells. MRP gene fragment and protein expression were also detected in the virus liquid. CONCLUSION: The recombinant adenovirus of MRP gene fragment (rAdeno-MRP) from SS2 was constructed successfully.