L1CAM Is a Marker for Enriching Corticospinal Motor Neurons in the Developing Brain.

The cerebral cortical tissue of murine embryo and pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons can survive in the adult brain and extend axons to the spinal cord. These features suggest that cell transplantation can be a strategy to reconstruct the corticospinal tract (CST). It is unknown, however, which cell population makes for safe and effective donor cells. To address this issue, we grafted the cerebral cortex of E14.5 mouse to the brain of adult mice and found that the cells in the graft extending axons along the CST expressed CTIP2. By using CTIP2:GFP knock-in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), we identified L1CAM as a cell surface marker to enrich CTIP2+ cells. We sorted L1CAM+ cells from E14.5 mouse brain and confirmed that they extended a larger number of axons along the CST compared to L1CAM- cells. Our results suggest that sorting L1CAM+ cells from the embryonic cerebral cortex enriches subcortical projection neurons to reconstruct the CST.

Engineering cancer stem-like cells from normal human lung epithelial cells.

It has been proposed that a subpopulation of tumour cells with stem cell-like characteristics, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), drives tumour initiation and generates tumour heterogeneity, thus leading to cancer metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance. Although there has been substantial progress in CSC research into many solid tumour types, an understanding of the biology of CSCs in lung cancer remains elusive, mainly because of their heterogeneous origins and high plasticity. Here, we demonstrate that engineered lung cancer cells derived from normal human airway basal epithelial cells possessed CSC-like characteristics in terms of multilineage differentiation potential and strong tumour-initiating ability. Moreover, we established an in vitro 3D culture system that allowed the in vivo differentiation process of the CSC-like cells to be recapitulated. This engineered CSC model provides valuable opportunities for studying the biology of CSCs and for exploring and evaluating novel therapeutic approaches and targets in lung CSCs.

Synthesis of novel 26-substituted milbemycin A4 derivatives and their acaricidal activities.

A series of novel 26-substituted milbemycin A4 derivatives was synthesized from 5-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-26-hydroxymilbemycin A4 prepared by selenium dioxide oxidation of 5-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-milbemycin A4. Their acaricidal activities were assessed against the organophosphorus-sensitive two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) on the primary leaves of cowpea plants (Vigna sinesis Savi species) by spraying.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of benzoheterocyclic analogues of N'-benzoyl-N-(tert-butyl)benzohydrazide: Part 1. Design of benzoheterocyclic analogues.

The N'-benzoyl group of N-tert-butyl-N'-benzoyl-3,5-dimethylbenzohydrazide (1) was converted to a series of benzoheterocyclecarbonyl groups in order to investigate the potential usefulness of superimposing a hydrazine insecticide on 20-hydroxyecdysone. A series of analogues with benzodioxole, benzodioxane, benzodioxapine, indole, benzoxazole, benzoxazine or benzothiazole instead of the phenyl group of (1) were synthesized and tested for their insecticidal activity against the common cutworm (Spodoptera litura F). N-tert-Butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbohydrazide and N-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxine-6-carbohydrazide showed high insecticidal activities, superior to that of (1) and equal to that of the commercial insecticide tebufenozide (RH-5992).

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of benzoheterocyclic analogues of N'-benzoyl-N-(tert-butyl)benzohydrazide: Part 2. Introduction of substituents on the benzene rings of the benzoheterocycle moiety.

A series of N'-benzoheterocyclecarbonyl-N-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethylbenzohydrazide analogues possessing a variety of substituents on the benzene rings of the benzoheterocyle moieties were synthesized and tested for their insecticidal activity. The introduction of a methyl group at the R1 position of the benzoheterocycle moiety strongly increased the insecticidal activity. Among the analogues synthesized, N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-5-methyl-6-chromanecarbohydrazide showed the highest insecticidal activity (LC50 = 0.89 mg litre(-1)).

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of benzoheterocyclic analogues of N'-benzoyl-N-(tert-butyl)benzohydrazide: Part 3. Modification of N-tert-butylhydrazine moiety.

Nineteen analogues were synthesized by modifying the tert-butylhydrazine moieties of N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-5-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxine-6-carbohydrazide and N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-5-methylchromane-6-carbohydrazide (chromafenozide), and the synthesized analogues were evaluated for their insecticidal activity against Spodoptera litura F. While all of the synthesized analogues had insecticidal activity inferior to those of the lead compounds, several of the analogues nonetheless showed high insecticidal activity. Chromafenozide has shown very high selectivity toward lepidopteran species.

Oncogene-mediated human lung epithelial cell transformation produces adenocarcinoma phenotypes in vivo.

It has been challenging to engineer lung adenocarcinoma models via oncogene-mediated transformation of primary cultured normal human cells. Although viral oncoprotein-mediated malignant transformation has been reported, xenografts derived from such transformed cells generally represent poorly differentiated cancers. Here, we demonstrate that the combined expression of multiple cellular factors induces malignant transformation in normal human lung epithelial cells. Although a combination of four genetic alterations, including hTERT overexpression, inactivation of the pRB and p53 pathways, and KRAS activation, is insufficient for normal human small airway epithelial cells to be fully transformed, expression of one additional oncogene induces malignant transformation. Notably, we have succeeded in reproducing human lung adenocarcinoma phenotypes in the flanks of nude mice by introducing an active form of PIK3CA, CYCLIN-D1, or a dominant-negative form of LKB1 in combination with the four genetic alterations above. Besides differentiated lung cancer, poorly differentiated cancer models can also be engineered by employing c-MYC as one of the genetic elements, indicating that histologic features and degree of differentiation of xenografts are controllable to some extent by changing the combination of genetic elements introduced. This is the first study reporting malignant transformation of normal lung epithelial cells in the absence of viral oncoproteins. We propose that our model system would be useful to identify the minimal and most crucial set of changes required for lung tumorigenesis, and that it would provide a broadly applicable approach for discovering attractive therapeutic targets.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel N-oxydihydropyrroles: 4-hydroxy-3-mesityl-1-methoxymethoxy derivatives with various substituents at the 5-position.

This paper reports the synthesis and insecticidal activity of a series of novel 4-hydroxy-3-mesityl-1-methoxymethoxy-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives, in which the substituents at the 5-position were varied with a number of alkyl and spirocycloalkyl groups. Investigation of the structure-activity relationships revealed that small alkyl and spirocyclohexyl groups had a favorable effect on the insecticidal activity of these agents against Myzus persicae.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel dihydropyrrole derivatives with N-sulfanyl, sulfinyl, and sulfonyl moieties.

This paper reports the synthesis and insecticidal activity of a new type of dihydropyrrole derivatives with sulfur moieties such as sulfanyl, sulfinyl, and sulfonyl groups at the 1-position. These derivatives exhibited high insecticidal potency against Nilaparvata lugens and Nephotettix cincticeps. Investigation of the structure-activity relationships revealed that the alkoxycarbonyloxy groups at the 4-position tended to increase the systemic insecticidal activity.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel N-oxydihydropyrrole derivatives with a substituted spirocyclohexyl group.

A series of 5-spirocyclohexyl-3-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives (3) with various substituents on the spirocyclohexyl ring was synthesized and evaluated for its insecticidal activity against the aphid, Myzus persicae. Substituents at the 1- and 4-positions of the dihydropyrrole ring were also varied to optimize the activity. An investigation of the structure-activity relationship revealed that methoxy, alkoxyalkoxy, ethylenedioxy and methoxyimino groups were favorable as substituents at the 4-position of the spirocyclohexyl ring. The activity was optimized by the respective substitution of a methoxy or methoxymethoxy moiety and cyclopropylcarbonyloxy group at the 1- and 4-positions of the dihydropyrrole ring.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of N-oxydihydropyrroles: 4-hydroxy-3-mesityl-5,5-dimethyl derivatives with various substituents at the 1-position.

A new series of N-oxydihydropyrrole derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for insecticidal activity against Nilaparvata lugens and Myzus persicae. Various substituents were introduced to the 1-position of the dihydropyrrole ring, and the derivatives obtained exhibited systemic and/or contact insecticidal activity. The structure-activity relationship revealed that small alkyoxy and alkoxyalkoxy groups were more favorable than alkylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy, or sulfonyloxy groups as substituents at the 1-position.