KF-catalyzed direct thiomethylation of carboxylic acids with DMSO to access methyl thioesters.

With dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the methylthio source, a KF-catalyzed strategy was employed for the direct thiomethylation of carboxylic acids with DMSO for the preparation of methyl thioesters. In this process, a wide range of methyl thioesters were obtained in moderate to excellent yields. This novel strategy features the first use of DMSO as a methylthiolating agent for the construction of methyl thioesters, transition metal-free conditions, inexpensive reagents, easy workup, broad substrate scope and sustainability. Additionally, this procedure can be readily scaled up to a gram scale.

Whole exome sequencing identifies a novel homozygous missense mutation of LHCGR gene in primary infertile women with empty follicle syndrome.

AIM: The genetic basis of empty follicle syndrome (EFS) is largely unknown, and the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic causes of EFS in primary infertile women. METHODS: Four affected women diagnosed with anovulation were recruited, and whole exome sequencing (WES) was requested for the genetic diagnosis of the cases. One hundred healthy controls were verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: A novel homozygous variant of the LHCGR gene (NM_000233:c.1847C>A) was revealed in one affected individual by WES. Trios analysis of the mutation revealed an autosomal recessive pattern. This LHCGR variant was absent in 100 healthy controls and predicted to be highly damaging to the function of LHCGR. CONCLUSIONS: The novel variant extends the mutational spectrum of the LHCGR gene associated with female sterility, which promotes the prognostic value of testing for LHCGR mutations in infertile women with EFS.

Hydrogen Bond Assisted Three-Component Tandem Reactions to Access N-Alkyl-4-Quinolones.

Hydrogen-bonding catalytic reactions have gained great interest. Herein, a hydrogen-bond-assisted three-component tandem reaction for the efficient synthesis of N-alkyl-4-quinolones is described. This novel strategy features the first proof of polyphosphate ester (PPE) as a dual hydrogen-bonding catalyst and the use of readily available starting materials for the preparation of N-alkyl-4-quinolones. The method provides a diversity of N-alkyl-4-quinolones in moderate to good yields. The compound 4h demonstrated good neuroprotective activity against N-methyl-ᴅ-aspartate (NMDA)-induced excitotoxicity in PC12 cells.

Effects of Chitosan and Cellulose Derivatives on Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Based Films: A Study of Rheological Properties of Film-Forming Solutions.

Bio-based packaging materials and efficient drug delivery systems have garnered attention in recent years. Among the soluble cellulose derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) stands out as a promising candidate due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and wide resources. However, CMC-based films have limited mechanical properties, which hinders their widespread application. This paper aims to address this issue by exploring the molecular interactions between CMC and various additives with different molecular structures, using the rheological method. The additives include O-carboxymethylated chitosan (O-CMCh), N-2-hydroxypropyl-3-trimethylammonium-O-carboxymethyl chitosan (HTCMCh), hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and cellulose nanofibers (CNF). By investigating the rheological properties of film-forming solutions, we aimed to elucidate the influencing mechanisms of the additives on CMC-based films at the molecular level. Various factors affecting rheological properties, such as molecular structure, additive concentration, and temperature, were examined. The results revealed that the interactions between CMC and the additives were dependent on the charge of the additives. Electrostatic interactions were observed for HACC and HTCMCh, while O-CMCh, CNC, and CNF primarily interacted through hydrogen bonds. Based on these rheological properties, several systems were selected to prepare the films, which exhibited excellent transparency, wettability, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and absence of cytotoxicity. The desirable characteristics of these selected films demonstrated the strong biocompatibility between CMC and chitosan and cellulose derivatives. This study offers insights into the preparation of CMC-based food packaging materials with specific properties.

ARHGEF40 promotes non-small cell lung cancer proliferation and invasion via the AKT-Wnt axis by binding to RhoA.

Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 40 (ARHGEF40) is a member of the Dbl-family of guanine nucleotide factor proteins. However, its expression pattern and biological function in malignant tumors, notably in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are currently unknown. The present study demonstrated that ARHGEF40 was highly expressed in NSCLC specimens and that its expression was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage (p < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.002), and poor prognosis (p = 0.0056). In addition, ARHGEF40 accelerated nuclear translocation of the key component ß-catenin and increased the expression levels of the Wnt signaling pathway targets c-myc, cyclin D1 and MMP7. Moreover, it promoted lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism, the current study demonstrated that ARHGEF40 could induce activation of the Wnt signaling pathway by increasing the phosphorylation levels of AKT and GSK3ß via interaction with RhoA. Moreover, the Dbl homology (DH)-pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of ARHGEF40 was responsible for this interaction. Its deletion abolished the binding, which blocked the activation of the Wnt signaling. Taken together, the data indicated that ARHGEF40 promoted the malignant phenotype of lung cancer cells by activating the AKT-Wnt axis. This was achieved by its interaction with RhoA via the DH-PH domain. ARHGEF40 may serve as a novel target for NSCLC treatment.

Synthesis of novel 1-phenyl-benzopyrrolizidin-3-one derivatives and evaluation of their cytoneuroprotective effects against NMDA-induced injury in PC12 cells.

A range of novel 1-phenyl-benzopyrrolizidin-3-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for neuroprotective effects against N-methyl-ᴅ-aspartate (NMDA)-induced injury in PC12 cells. Interestingly, derivatives that 1-phenyl moiety bearing electron-donating group, especially benzyloxy, and the trans-forms exhibited better protective activity against NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. Compound 11 m demonstrated the best neuroprotective potency and shown a dose-dependent prevention. The increased intracellular calcium (Ca2+) influx caused by NMDA in PC12 cells was reversed in the case of compound 11 m pretreatment at 15 µM. These results suggested that the synthesized 1-phenyl-benzopyrrolizidin-3-one derivatives exerted neuroprotective effect on NMDA-induced excitotoxicity in PC12 cells associated with inhibition of Ca2+ overload and can be further optimized for the development of neuroprotective agents.

Lamin B2 promotes the malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer cells by upregulating dimethylation of histone 3 lysine 9.

The relationship between Lamin B2 and tumor proliferation and migration is unclear. We explored the impact of Lamin B2 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry were combined to evaluate Lamin B2 expression and its relationship with the clinicopathological factors found in NSCLC. Western blotting, immunofluorescence analysis, and bioinformatics were used to investigate the effects of Lamin B2 on various regulatory pathways in cancer. Cytological experiments were conducted to evaluate Lamin B2 expression in tumor cells. We conducted co-immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between Lamin B2 and NSCLC and evaluate the results of rescue experiments. Lamin B2 was highly expressed in NSCLC and positively correlated with lymph node metastasis. In NSCLC, Lamin B2 interacted with Cyclin D1, upregulating G9α expression, thus increasing H3K9me2 levels. H3K9me2 binds to the promoter region of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) to induce CDH1 silencing and promotes cancer cell migration. Thus, we found that Lamin B2 was highly expressed in NSCLC cells and promoted their migration by increasing H3K9me2 levels, which induced E-cadherin gene silencing.

Supratentorial ependymoma with YAP1:FAM118B fusion: A case report.

We report a case of a 26-year-old Chinese man who had experienced three grand mal seizures in the past two months. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a relatively well-circumscribed lesion in the left frontal lobe. A craniotomy with total excision of the tumor was performed. Histopathological investigations confirmed a grade 2 ependymoma according to the World Health Organization classification. Genetic analysis revealed a tumor harboring FAM118B fusion to YAP1, and no other genetic alterations or methylation of the O6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene promoter were detected. This is the second case report of ependymoma with YAP1:FAM118B fusion.

BHLHE41 suppresses MCF-7 cell invasion via MAPK/JNK pathway.

Deregulation of the basic helix-loop-helix family member e41 (BHLHE41) has been characterized as a marker of progression of several cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the mechanism by which BHLHE41 regulates the invasion of breast cancer cells. BHLHE41 suppresses, whereas the silencing of BHLHE41 promotes tumour invasion of both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Meanwhile, BHLHE41 down-regulated the transcription and translation of SNAI1, SNAI2, VIM and CDH2, and up-regulated those of CLDN1, CLDN4 and CDH1. Reporter assay indicated that silencing of BHLHE41 dramatically activated the MAPK/JNK signalling pathway in MCF-7 cell line and the hypoxia signalling pathway in MDA-MB-231 cell line. Furthermore, silencing of BHLHE41 activated the MAPK/JNK signalling pathway by up-regulating phosphorylated JNK and failed to affect the expression of HIF-1 alpha in MCF-7 cells. After blocking the MAPK/JNK signalling pathway by specific inhibitor SP600125, silencing of BHLHE41 failed to promote tumour cell invasion. These results suggest that BHLHE41 facilitates MCF-7 cell invasion mainly via the activation of MAPK/JNK signalling pathway. In conclusion, although BHLHE41 suppresses tumour invasion in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, the specific regulatory mechanisms may be different.

ZNF326 promotes proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells by regulating ERCC1 expression.

The roles and downstream target genes of the transcription factor ZNF326 in malignant tumors are unclear. Out of 146 lung cancer tissue samples, we found that high expression of ZNF326 in 82 samples was closely related to low differentiation and a high pTNM stage of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. In vitro and in vivo analyses showed that ZNF326 significantly promoted cell cycle progression, colony formation, and proliferation as well as the growth of NSCLC transplanted tumors. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, dual-luciferase assay, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay confirmed that the C2H2 structure of ZNF326 binds to the -833 to -875 bp region of the ERCC1 promoter to initiate transcriptional activity. This binding promoted CyclinB1 synthesis and cell cycle progression. These results show that the ZNF326 transcription factor is highly expressed in lung cancer and promotes the proliferation of NSCLC cells by regulating the expression of ERCC1.

RASSF10 suppresses lung cancer proliferation and invasion by decreasing the level of phosphorylated LRP6.

Ras-association domain family (RASSF) proteins exert distinct cellular functions. The expression of RASSF10 in non-small cell lung cancer and its underlying mechanism have not been reported. Herein, we explored the roles of RASSF10 in lung cancer cells and potential molecular mechanisms. We found low RASSF10 expression in lung cancer specimens, which was associated with low differentiation, advanced pTNM stage, positive lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis in patients. Furthermore, RASSF10 overexpression inhibited the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells, which was the result of Wnt signaling suppression. However, we found that RASSF10 had no influence on Hippo signaling, while RASSF10 bound to LRP6 via the coiled-coil domains and reduced p-LRP6 level, eventually prohibiting ß-catenin nuclear translocation. However, deleting the coiled-coil domains ablated this function. These findings expound the interaction between RASSF10 and LRP6 and uncover a potential link between N-terminal RASSFs and the Wnt pathway.

CCDC85B promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

Coiled-coil domain containing 85 B (CCDC85B) is involved in diverse biological processes; however, its expression patterns and functions in human cancers are yet unknown. The present study demonstrated that the expression of CCDC85B in the cytoplasm of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor cells was significantly higher compared to adjacent normal lung tissues (P < 0.05). Furthermore, CCDC85B expression correlated with advanced TNM stage (P = 0.004) and positive regional lymph node metastasis (P = 0.009) of NSCLC. In addition, in A549 and H1299 lung cancer cell lines, the overexpression of CCDC85B promoted cell proliferation and invasion, while siRNA-mediated CCDC85B knockdown exhibited opposite effects. CCDC85B promoted AKT and GSK3ß phosphorylation and upregulated the levels of active ß-catenin, Wnt targets c-myc, cyclin D1, and MMP7. Besides, the CCDC85B-induced upregulation of phosphorylated GSK3ß and active ß-catenin was rescued following the treatment with PI3 K inhibitor, LY294002. In conclusion, CCDC85B was associated with NSCLC progression as it promoted the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells through activated AKT/GSK3ß/ß-catenin oncogenic signaling pathway. Therefore, CCDC85B might serve as a novel target for NSCLC treatment.

Correction to: Axin gene methylation status correlates with radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells.

Following publication of the original article.

ARHGEF39 promotes tumor progression via activation of Rac1/P38 MAPK/ATF2 signaling and predicts poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 39 (ARHGEF39), also called C9orf100, is a new member of the Dbl-family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Although ARHGEF39 has been proven to regulate tumor progression in hepatocellular carcinoma, the downstream signaling pathway of ARHGEF39 and its clinical associations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are currently unknown. In the present study, using MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, mice xenografts, wound healing, and transwell assays, we showed that ARHGEF39 promoted tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, ARHGEF39 promoted the expression of Cyclin A2, Cyclin D1, and MMP2 by activating Rac1, leading to increased phosphorylation of P38 and ATF2. Treatment with a P38 inhibitor counteracted the effect of ARHGEF39 overexpression on the increase in Cyclin A2, Cyclin D1, and MMP2 expression. Moreover, the elevated levels of p-P38 and p-ATF2 caused by ARHGEF39 overexpression could be inhibited by expression of a dominant negative Rac1 mutant (T17N). In addition, the inhibition of the expression of p-P38 and p-ATF2 by ARHGEF39 RNAi could be restored by the expression of a constitutively active Rac1 mutant (Q61L). A similar impact on cell growth and invasion was observed after ARHGEF39 overexpression combined with the P38 inhibitor, Rac1 T17N, or Rac1 Q61L. Using immunohistochemistry, ARHGEF39 expression was observed to correlate positively with larger tumor size in clinical samples from 109 cases of NSCLC (P = 0.008). The Kaplan-Meier test revealed that ARHGEF39 expression significantly affected the overall survival of patients with NSCLC (52.55 ± 6.40 months vs. 64.30 ± 5.40 months, P = 0.017). In conclusion, we identified that ARHGEF39 promotes tumor growth and invasion by activating the Rac1-P38-ATF2 signaling pathway, as well as increasing the expression of Cyclin A2, Cyclin D1, and MMP2 in NSCLC cells. ARHGEF39 may be a useful marker to predict poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC.

Odd-skipped related 1 inhibits lung cancer proliferation and invasion by reducing Wnt signaling through the suppression of SOX9 and ß-catenin.

The odd-skipped related 1 (OSR1) gene encodes a zinc-finger transcription factor. The expression and significance of OSR1 in human tumors remains unclear. We found that OSR1 was downregulated in lung cancers, and its expression was correlated with poor differentiation. Overexpression of OSR1 by OSR1 gene transfection into H1299 cells (H1299-OSR1) inhibited the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells. Knockdown of OSR1 with small interfering (si)RNA against OSR1 in A549 cells (A549-siOSR1) enhanced the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells. Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of GSK3ß increased, while that of p-GSK3ß, nuclear ß-catenin, cyclin D1, c-Myc and matrix metallopeptidase 7 significantly decreased in the H1299-OSR1 cells, and this pattern was reversed in the A549-siOSR1 cells compared to that in the control cells. Furthermore, upregulation of sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) by SOX9 gene transfection increased the expression of ß-catenin, which was inhibited by OSR1. The mRNA and protein expression levels of SOX9 and ß-catenin were reduced in H1299-OSR1 cells and increased in A549-siOSR1 cells. In conclusion, the expression of OSR1 was more reduced in lung cancer tissues than in normal lung tissues, and was correlated with poor differentiation. OSR1 downregulated the activity of the Wnt signaling pathway by suppressing the expression of SOX9 and ß-catenin.

p0071 interacts with E-cadherin in the cytoplasm so as to promote the invasion and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer.

As a member of the p120-catenin (p120ctn) subfamily, the p0071 study in tumor is very limited. We demonstrated the clinicopathological significance of p0071 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as E-cadherin. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to detect the interaction of p0071 with E-cadherin in A549 and SPC cells (E-cadherin is mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of these cells). p0071 cytoplasmic expression was knocked down by siRNA in these cells and this effect on the RhoA activity and cell invasion and migration ability were measured. p0071 overexpression in the cytoplasm of tumor cell was correlated with lymphatic metastase and poor prognosis of NSCLC. The patients with both abnormal expression of p0071 and E-cadherin (cytoplasmic expression) had a statistically significant shorter survival than the patients without both abnormal expression (P  < 0.05). There is a significant correlation between cytoplasmic overexpression of p0071 and E-cadherin in NSCLC tissues. p0071 interacted with E-cadherin in the cytoplasm of A549 and SPC cell lines. Treatment with siRNA-p0071 inhibited the invasion and migration ability of NSCLC cells. Above results confirmed that p0071 interacted with E-cadherin in the cytoplasm so as to promote the invasion and metastasis of NSCLC.

TNFAIP8 regulates Hippo pathway through interacting with LATS1 to promote cell proliferation and invasion in lung cancer.

TNFAIP8 is associated with prognosis of several human malignancies. However, the molecular mechanism of TNFAIP8 in lung cancer remains unknown. In our study, we found TNFAIP8 could enhance TEAD luciferase activity and inhibits the activity of Hippo pathway. TNFAIP8 also increased cyclin D1, CDK6, and decreased p27 in lung cancer cells. In addition, TNFAIP8 increased total YAP protein and promoted nuclear localization of YAP. More importantly, YAP depletion blocked the role of TNFAIP8 on cell cycle-related proteins and TEAD luciferase activity, revealing that TNFAIP8 regulates Hippo pathway in a YAP-dependend manner. Further experiments identified that TNFAIP8 depletion enhanced LATS1 phosphorylation and TNFAIP8 overexpression decreased phosphorylated LAST1 level. LATS1 siRNA treatment reversed the effects of TNFAIP8 plasmid or siRNA on cell cycle proteins. Besides, immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated the interaction between TNFAIP8 and LATS1 in H460 and H1299 cells, suggesting that TNFAIP8 regulates Hippo signaling through its interaction with LATS1. Colony formation assays and transwell assays showed that YAP or LATS1 depletion reversed the positive effect of TNFAIP8 on cell proliferation and invasion. TNFAIP8 overexpression could increase MMP-7 and TNFAIP8 depletion could decrease MMP-7 at both protein and mRNA levels, without significant changes of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin. Collectively, the present study provides a novel finding that TNFAIP8 regulates Hippo pathway through interacting with LATS1 to promote cell proliferation and invasion in lung cancer. TNFAIP8 may serve as a candidate biomarker for poor prognosis and a target for new therapies.

WWC3 regulates the Wnt and Hippo pathways via Dishevelled proteins and large tumour suppressor 1, to suppress lung cancer invasion and metastasis.

The scaffolding protein WWC (WW and C2-domain containing) family is known to regulate cell proliferation and organ size via the Hippo signalling pathway. However, the expression level of WWC3 in human tumours and the mechanisms underlying its role in cellular signal transduction have not yet been reported. Herein, we explored the potential roles of WWC3 in lung cancer cells and the corresponding molecular mechanisms. We found low WWC3 expression in both lung cancer cell lines and lung cancer specimens, which was associated with low differentiation, advanced pTNM stage, positive lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. Moreover, the overexpression of WWC3 inhibited the proliferation and invasiveness of lung cancer cells. These effects were mediated by the inhibition and stimulation of the Wnt and Hippo pathways, respectively, in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, WWC3 interacts with Dishevelled (Dvl) proteins, prevents casein kinase 1ϵ from phosphorylating Dvls, and inhibits ß-catenin nuclear translocation to inhibit the Wnt pathway. Deleting the WW and C-terminal PDZ-binding domains of WWC3 abrogated these effects. Moreover, the interaction of WWC3 with Dvls reduced the interaction between WWC3 and large tumour suppressor 1 (LATS1), as well as decreasing LATS1 phosphorylation to increase the nuclear importation of yes-associated protein (YAP) and attenuate the Hippo pathway. Deleting the WW domain of WWC3 abrogated this effect. These findings demonstrate the molecular interplay between WWC3, Dvls, and LATS1, and reveal a link between the Wnt and Hippo pathways, which provides a potential target for clinical intervention in lung cancer. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Diffuse midline gliomas with histone H3-K27M mutation: A rare case with PNET-like appearance and neuropil-like islands.

Diffuse midline glioma with histone H3-K27M mutation is a new tumor entity defined by the 2016 WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System. A 51-year-old Chinese woman presented with neck pain for a month. Subsequent MRI revealed an intramedullary neoplasm extending from C5 to C7. Histologically, the cellular area of the tumor was composed of primitive, poorly differentiated, small cells with scant cytoplasm, nuclear molding, and brisk mitotic activity, exhibiting PNET-like appearance, while in the hypocellular area, oligodendroglioma-like cells were observed. More importantly, neuropil-like islands were observed in the cellular area. Microvascular proliferation was noted, with no necrosis. Besides histone H3K27M mutation, immunohistochemical staining also showed that the tumor cells were positive for oligodendrocyte lineage transcription factor 2 and ATRX. The neuropil-like areas were positive for synaptophysin, intermingled with scattered neuronal nuclear antigen positive cells. The Ki-67 proliferation index was about 30%, and tumor cells were highly immunopositive for p53. Sequencing for IDH1 codon 132 and IDH2 codon 172 gene mutations showed negative results. Furthermore, fluorescent analysis revealed 1p deletion in the lesion but no 19q deletion. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as diffuse midline gliomas with histone H3-K27M mutation in the spinal cord, corresponding to WHO grade IV. After 4 months of remission, the tumor recurred; 2 months later, the patient died. Herein, we report an extremely rare case of diffuse midline glioma with histone H3K27M mutation, which was morphologically characterized simultaneously by primitive neuroectodermal tumor-like appearance and neuropil-like islands.