Hormonal modulation of ESR1 mutant metastasis.

Estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) mutations occur frequently in ER-positive metastatic breast cancer, and confer clinical resistance to aromatase inhibitors. Expression of the ESR1 Y537S mutation induced an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) with cells exhibiting enhanced migration and invasion potential in vitro. When small subpopulations of Y537S ESR1 mutant cells were injected along with WT parental cells, tumor growth was enhanced with mutant cells becoming the predominant population in distant metastases.

Design and Catalyzed Activation of Tak-242 Prodrugs for Localized Inhibition of TLR4-Induced Inflammation.

Tak-242 (resatorvid), a Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) inhibitor, has been identified as a potent suppressor of innate inflammation. As a strategy to target Tak-242 to select tissue, four TLR4-inactive prodrugs were synthesized for activation via two different release mechanisms. Two nitrobenzyl Tak-242 prodrugs released the parent drug upon exposure to the exogenous enzyme nitroreductase, while the two propargyl prodrugs were converted to Tak-242 in the presence of Pd.