Crosstalk between kinases, phosphatases and miRNAs in cancer

Reversible phosphorylation of proteins, performed by kinases and phosphatases, is the major post translational protein modification in eukaryotic cells. This intracellular event represents a critical regulatory mechanism of several signaling pathways and can be related to a vast array of diseases, including cancer. Cancer research has produced increasing evidence that kinase and phosphatase activity can be compromised by mutations and also by miRNA silencing, performed by small non-coding and endogenously produced RNA molecules that lead to translational repression. miRNAs are believed to target about one-third of human mRNAs while a single miRNA may target about 200 transcripts simultaneously. Regulation of the phosphorylation balance by miRNAs has been a topic of intense research over the last years, spanning topics going as far as cancer aggressiveness and chemotherapy resistance. By addressing recent studies that have shown miRNA expression patterns as phenotypic signatures of cancers and how miRNA influence cellular processes such as apoptosis, cell cycle control, angiogenesis, inflammation and DNA repair, we discuss how kinases, phosphatases and miRNAs cooperatively act in cancer biology.

Benzocaine complexation with p-sulfonic acid calix[n]arene: experimental ((1) H-NMR) and theoretical approaches

The aim of this work was to study the interaction between the local anesthetic benzocaine and p-sulfonic acid calix[n]arenes using NMR and theoretical calculations and to assess the effects of complexation on cytotoxicity of benzocaine. The architectures of the complexes were proposed according to (1) H NMR data (Job plot, binding constants, and ROESY) indicating details on the insertion of benzocaine in the cavity of the calix[n]arenes. The proposed inclusion compounds were optimized using the PM3 semiempirical method, and the electronic plus nuclear repulsion energy contributions were performed at the DFT level using the PBE exchange/correlation functional and the 6-311G(d) basis set. The remarkable agreement between experimental and theoretical approaches adds support to their use in the structural characterization of the inclusion complexes. In vitro cytotoxic tests showed that complexation intensifies the intrinsic toxicity of benzocaine, possibly by increasing the water solubility of the anesthetic and favoring its partitioning inside of biomembranes.