Dual fluorescent molecular substrates selectively report the activation, sustainability and reversibility of cellular PKB/Akt activity

New Bioactive Aromatic Heterocyclic Macromolecules with Monosaccharide Core

1,1,2-trimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indole is an important heterocyclic compound, its available in reasonable price and can easily modified to make a good intermediate for other derivatives. That is quite enough reasons to use as starting material for a new series of compounds with other biomolecules such as monosaccharides after simple modification. The target molecules show biological activity. So, the current work is aiming to improve the activity and the properties of the benzo indole by attaching with a naturally occurring, and biodegradable compounds represented by 2-deoxy-2-amino -d-glucose and 6-deoxy-6-amino-d-glucose to synthesis both mono and di-saccharides derivatives of benzo indole. Two steps synthesis were used for mono-saccharide derivatives and three steps for di-saccharide derivatives, the first is the functionalization of 1,1,2-trimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indole [1] via the reaction with POCl3 to produce 2-(1,1-dimethyl-1H-benzo[e]indol-2(3H)-ylidene) malonaldehyde [2] with two aldehydes reaction centers, while in the second step the latter was coupled with sugar via amino groups to get the two monosaccharide derivatives [3,5], while the disaccharides molecules [4,6] taken one more step with harder conditions to overcome the steric hindrance at the other reaction center. The purity and characterization of the target molecules was confirmed using spectroscopy methods including 1H NMR and 13 NMR. The synthesized compound shows a good biological activity as antibacterial antifungal.

Dual-Emission GFP Chromophore-Based Derivative for Imaging and Discriminating Aβ Oligomers and Aggregates

β-Amyloid deposition is one of the main pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The development of fluorescent probes targeting specific β-amyloid species has recently become an attractive strategy to achieve the early diagnosis of AD. In this work, a dual-channel fluorescent protein chromophore derivative C17 was rationally designed and synthesized for the detection and discrimination of Aβ₄₂ aggregates and oligomers. C17 exhibits a specific turn-on emission peak for Aβ₄₂ oligomers at ∼470 nm (peak A) and a peak at ∼600 nm (peak B) for both Aβ₄₂ oligomers and Aβ₄₂ aggregates. Taking advantage of the dual emission of the probe, the dynamic aggregation process of the Aβ₄₂ peptide was monitored in solution. Moreover, double staining of brain sections from transgenic AD mice revealed that peak A of C17 preferentially detected Aβ₄₂ oligomers, whereas peak B was more sensitive to Aβ₄₂ aggregates. The fact that probe C17 can be used for dissecting these two Aβ₄₂ species makes C17 a comprehensive tool for β-amyloid aggregation studies in AD research.

Endogenous Cyclin D1 Promotes the Rate of Onset and Magnitude of Mitogenic Signaling via Akt1 Ser473 Phosphorylation

Cyclin D1 encodes the regulatory subunit of a holoenzyme that phosphorylates RB and functions as a collaborative nuclear oncogene. The serine threonine kinase Akt plays a pivotal role in the control of cellular metabolism, survival, and mitogenic signaling. Herein, Akt1-mediated phosphorylation of downstream substrates in the mammary gland is reduced by cyclin D1 genetic deletion and is induced by mammary-gland-targeted cyclin D1 overexpression. Cyclin D1 is associated with Akt1 and augments the rate of onset and maximal cellular Akt1 activity induced by mitogens. Cyclin D1 is identified in a cytoplasmic-membrane-associated pool, and cytoplasmic-membrane-localized cyclin D1—but not nuclear-localized cyclin D1—recapitulates Akt1 transcriptional function. These studies identify a novel extranuclear function of cyclin D1 to enhance proliferative functions via augmenting Akt1 phosphorylation at Ser473.

Chen et al. show that the rate of onset and maximal cellular Akt1 activity induced by mitogens was augmented by cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 bound and phosphorylated Akt1 at Ser473. These studies identify a novel extranuclear function of cyclin D1 to enhance proliferative functions via augmenting Akt1 phosphorylation at Ser473.

The membrane-associated form of cyclin D1 enhances cellular invasion

The essential G₁-cyclin, CCND1, is a collaborative nuclear oncogene that is frequently overexpressed in cancer. D-type cyclins bind and activate CDK4 and CDK6 thereby contributing to G₁–S cell-cycle progression. In addition to the nucleus, herein cyclin D1 was also located in the cytoplasmic membrane. In contrast with the nuclear-localized form of cyclin D1 (cyclin D1^NL), the cytoplasmic membrane-localized form of cyclin D1 (cyclin D1^MEM) induced transwell migration and the velocity of cellular migration. The cyclin D1^MEM was sufficient to induce G₁–S cell-cycle progression, cellular proliferation, and colony formation. The cyclin D1^MEM was sufficient to induce phosphorylation of the serine threonine kinase Akt (Ser473) and augmented extranuclear localized 17β-estradiol dendrimer conjugate (EDC)-mediated phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473). These studies suggest distinct subcellular compartments of cell cycle proteins may convey distinct functions.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen cleavage of vitamin B9 stimulates oncogenic signaling through metabotropic glutamate receptors

Kaittanis et al. show that the processing of glutamated folates by prostate-specific membrane antigen induces the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors and initiation of PI3K–Akt signaling in prostate cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) or folate hydrolase 1 (FOLH1) is highly expressed on prostate cancer. Its expression correlates inversely with survival and increases with tumor grade. However, the biological role of PSMA has not been explored, and its role in prostate cancer remained elusive. Filling this gap, we demonstrate that in prostate cancer, PSMA initiates signaling upstream of PI3K through G protein–coupled receptors, specifically via the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR). PSMA’s carboxypeptidase activity releases glutamate from vitamin B9 and other glutamated substrates, which activate mGluR I. Activated mGluR I subsequently induces activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) through phosphorylation of p110β independent of PTEN loss. The p110β isoform of PI3K plays a particularly important role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer, but the origin of its activation was so far unknown. PSMA expression correlated with PI3K–Akt signaling in cells, animal models, and patients. We interrogated the activity of the PSMA–PI3K axis through positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Inhibition of PSMA in preclinical models inhibited PI3K signaling and promoted tumor regression. Our data present a novel oncogenic signaling role of PSMA that can be exploited for therapy and interrogated with imaging.

Multifunctional Magnetic Gd(3+) -Based Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles: Combination of Magnetic Resonance and Multispectral Optoacoustic Detections for Tumor-Targeted Imaging in vivo

To overcome traditional barriers in optical imaging and microscopy, optoacoustic-imaging has been changed to combine the accuracy of spectroscopy with the depth resolution of ultrasound, achieving a novel modality with powerful in vivo imaging. However, magnetic resonance imaging provides better spatial and anatomical resolution. Thus, a single hybrid nanoprobe that allows for simultaneous multimodal imaging is significant not only for cutting edge research in imaging science, but also for accurate clinical diagnosis. A core-shell-structured coordination polymer composite microsphere has been designed for in vivo multimodality imaging. It consists of a Fe3 O4 nanocluster core, a carbon sandwiched layer, and a carbocyanine-Gd(III) (Cy-Gd(III) ) coordination polymer outer shell (Fe3 O4 @C@Cy-Gd(III) ). Folic acid-conjugated poly(ethylene glycol) chains are embedded within the coordination polymer shell to achieve extended circulation and targeted delivery of probe particles in vivo. Control of Fe3 O4 core grain sizes results in optimal r2 relaxivity (224.5 × 10(-3) m(-1) s(-1) ) for T2 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Cy-Gd(III) coordination polymers are also regulated to obtain a maximum 25.1% of Cy ligands and 5.2% of Gd(III) ions for near-infrared fluorescence and T1 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. The results demonstrate their impressive abilities for targeted, multimodal, and reliable imaging.

Emerging biomarkers in head and neck cancer in the era of genomics

Head and neck cancer (HNC) broadly includes carcinomas arising from the mucosal epithelia of the head and neck region as well as various cell types of salivary glands and the thyroid. As reflected by the multiple sites and histologies of HNC, the molecular characteristics and clinical outcomes of this disease vary widely. In this Review, we focus on established and emerging biomarkers that are most relevant to nasopharyngeal carcinoma and head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which includes primary sites in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. Applications and limitations of currently established biomarkers are discussed along with examples of successful biomarker development. For emerging biomarkers, preclinical or retrospective data are also described in the context of recently completed comprehensive molecular analyses of HNSCC, which provide a broad genetic landscape and molecular classification beyond histology and clinical characteristics. We will highlight the ongoing effort that will see a shift from prognostic to predictive biomarker development in HNC with the goal of delivering individualized cancer therapy.

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging of cancer cells and tumors through specific biosynthesis of silver nanoclusters

Human life toll by cancer, one of the highest among most dreaded diseases in advanced societies, could be reduced by implementing evidence-based strategies for its prevention, early diagnosis and assessment of the progress and suitability of therapies by fast and non-invasive methods. In this contribution, a novel strategy is reported for highly sensitive recognition and in vivo imaging of cancer cells taking advantage of their spontaneous ability to generate silver nanoclusters (NCs) with high near-infrared fluorescence emission by intracellular reduction of innocuous silver salts. Both ex vivo experiments comparing cancer cell models to normal cells and in vivo imaging of subcutaneous xenografted tumor (cervical carcinoma model) in nude mice established the validity of this strategy for precise and selective imaging of cells and tumors. Furthermore, it was observed that the spontaneous self-generation of Ag NCs by tumors in their inside led to drastic reduction of their sizes and often to complete remission, thus providing important hope for new therapy strategies based on cheap and readily available agents.

Near-infrared fluorescent probes in cancer imaging and therapy: an emerging field

Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is an attractive modality for early cancer detection with high sensitivity and multi-detection capability. Due to convenient modification by conjugating with moieties of interests, NIRF probes are ideal candidates for cancer targeted imaging. Additionally, the combinatory application of NIRF imaging and other imaging modalities that can delineate anatomical structures extends fluorometric determination of biomedical information. Moreover, nanoparticles loaded with NIRF dyes and anticancer agents contribute to the synergistic management of cancer, which integrates the advantage of imaging and therapeutic functions to achieve the ultimate goal of simultaneous diagnosis and treatment. Appropriate probe design with targeting moieties can retain the original properties of NIRF and pharmacokinetics. In recent years, great efforts have been made to develop new NIRF probes with better photostability and strong fluorescence emission, leading to the discovery of numerous novel NIRF probes with fine photophysical properties. Some of these probes exhibit tumoricidal activities upon light radiation, which holds great promise in photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and photoimmunotherapy. This review aims to provide a timely and concise update on emerging NIRF dyes and multifunctional agents. Their potential uses as agents for cancer specific imaging, lymph node mapping, and therapeutics are included. Recent advances of NIRF dyes in clinical use are also summarized.