O-Annulation to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Tale of Optoelectronic Properties from Five- to Seven-Membered Rings.

We take advantage of the Pummerer oxidative annulation reaction to extend PAHs through the formation of an intramolecular C-O bond with a suitable phenol substituent. Depending on the peripheral topology of the PAH precursor (e.g.

Rad51/BRCA2 disruptors inhibit homologous recombination and synergize with olaparib in pancreatic cancer cells.

Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor (PARPi). For patients bearing BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, olaparib is approved to treat ovarian cancer and in clinical trials to treat breast and pancreatic cancers. In BRCA2-defective patients, PARPi inhibits DNA single-strand break repair, while BRCA2 mutations hamper double-strand break repair.

Synthesis and complexing properties of cyclic benzylopeptoids - a new family of extended macrocyclic peptoids.

An efficient protocol for the solid-phase synthesis of six members of a new class of extended macrocyclic peptoids (based on ortho-, meta- and para-N-(methoxyethyl)aminomethyl phenylacetyl units) is described. Theoretical (DFT) and experimental (NMR) studies on the free and Na-complexed cyclic trimers (3-5) and tetramers (6-8) demonstrate that annulation of the rigidified peptoids can generate new hosts with the ability to sequestrate one or two sodium cations with the affinities and stoichiometries defined by the macrocycle morphology. Ion transport studies have been also performed in order to better appreciate the factors promoting transmembrane cation translocation.

Positive Quantitative Relationship between EMT and Contact-Initiated Sliding on Fiber-like Tracks.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex process by which cells acquire invasive properties that enable escape from the primary tumor. Complete EMT, however, is not required for metastasis: circulating tumor cells exhibit hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal states, and genetic perturbations promoting partial EMT induce metastasis in vivo. An open question is whether and to what extent intermediate stages of EMT promote invasiveness.