Correction to: Bazedoxifene as a novel GP130 inhibitor for Colon Cancer therapy.

In the original publication of this article [1], there is an error in Fig. 4A.

Bazedoxifene as a novel GP130 inhibitor for Colon Cancer therapy.

Background: Interleukin-11 (IL-11), a dominant IL-6 family cytokine, is involved in tumorigenesis, tumor progression and differentiation in colon cancer cells. IL-11 signaling has been recently identified as a potential therapeutic target in colon cancer. Bazedoxifene, a third- generation selective estrogen modulator approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is a novel inhibitor of IL-11/GP130 signaling discovered by docking modeling.

Repositioning Bazedoxifene as a novel IL-6/GP130 signaling antagonist for human rhabdomyosarcoma therapy.

Interleukins-6 (IL-6)/GP130 signaling pathway represents a promising target for cancer therapy due to its critical role in survival and progression of multiple types of cancer. We have identified Bazedoxifene, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug used for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis, with novel function as inhibitor of IL-6/GP130 interaction. In this study, we investigate the effect of Bazedoxifene in rhabdomyosarcoma and evaluate whether inhibiting IL-6/GP130 signaling is an effective therapeutic strategy for rhabdomyosarcoma.

Growth-suppressive activity of raloxifene on liver cancer cells by targeting IL-6/GP130 signaling.

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, which is involved in the regulation of differentiation and growth of certain types of tumor cells. Constitutive activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) induced by IL-6 is frequently detected in liver cancer and has emerged as a viable molecular target for liver cancer treatment. However, few inhibitors targeting up-streams of STAT3 are available for the therapy of liver cancer.

Feedback Activation of STAT3 as a Cancer Drug-Resistance Mechanism.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays crucial roles in several cellular processes such as cell proliferation and survival, and has been found to be aberrantly activated in many cancers. Much research has explored the leading mechanisms for regulating the STAT3 pathway and its role in promoting tumorigenesis. We focus here on recent evidence suggesting that feedback activation of STAT3 plays a prominent role in mediating drug resistance to a broad spectrum of targeted cancer therapies and chemotherapies.

Anti-inflammatory effects of novel curcumin analogs in experimental acute lung injury.

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) and its most severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units (ICU). Currently, there is no effective pharmacological treatment for acute lung injury. Curcumin, extracted from turmeric, exhibits broad anti-inflammatory properties through down-regulating inflammatory cytokines.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel class of curcumin analogs as anti-inflammatory agents for prevention and treatment of sepsis in mouse model.

A novel class of asymmetric mono-carbonyl analogs of curcumin (AMACs) were synthesized and screened for anti-inflammatory activity. These analogs are chemically stable as characterized by UV absorption spectra. In vitro, compounds 3f, 3m, 4b, and 4d markedly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values in low micromolar range.

Drug design targeting protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning: discovery of raloxifene and bazedoxifene as novel inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 interface.

The IL-6/GP130/STAT3 pathway is critical for the progression of multiple types of cancers. We report here the discovery of raloxifene and bazedoxifene as novel inhibitors of IL-6/GP130 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD) and drug repositioning approaches. Multiple drug scaffolds were simultaneously docked into hot spots of GP130 D1 domain by MLSD to compete with the key interacting residues of IL-6, followed by tethering to generate virtual hit compounds.

Fragment-based drug design and drug repositioning using multiple ligand simultaneous docking (MLSD): identifying celecoxib and template compounds as novel inhibitors of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

We describe a novel method of drug discovery using MLSD and drug repositioning, with cancer target STAT3 being used as a test case. Multiple drug scaffolds were simultaneously docked into hot spots of STAT3 by MLSD, followed by tethering to generate virtual template compounds. Similarity search of virtual hits on drug database identified celecoxib as a novel inhibitor of STAT3.

Celecoxib inhibits interleukin-6/interleukin-6 receptor-induced JAK2/STAT3 phosphorylation in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Growing evidence shows an association between chronic liver inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. STAT3, which is associated with inflammation and cellular transformation, is constitutively activated in human HCC tissues but not in normal human liver tissues. Although interleukin-6 (IL-6) is elevated in the serum of patients with HCC, it is not fully understood whether STAT3 constitutive activation is positively correlated with autocrine IL-6 secreted by HCC cells.

Celecoxib inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation and suppresses cell migration and colony forming ability in rhabdomyosarcoma cells.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in the pediatric and adolescent population. Though treatments for localized disease have reasonable long-term success rates, if disease is diffuse at diagnosis, outcomes are far poorer. Additional and/or alternative therapies are critical for improved clinical outcomes.

Multiple ligand simultaneous docking: orchestrated dancing of ligands in binding sites of protein.

Present docking methodologies simulate only one single ligand at a time during docking process. In reality, the molecular recognition process always involves multiple molecular species. Typical protein-ligand interactions are, for example, substrate and cofactor in catalytic cycle; metal ion coordination together with ligand(s); and ligand binding with water molecules.

Robust analysis of 5'-transcript ends: a high-throughput protocol for characterization of sequence diversity of transcription start sites.

The structure and diversity at the 3' ends of mRNA transcripts have been extensively characterized using several tag-based techniques in eukaryotes. However, the 5' ends of mRNA transcripts are not well understood, owing to a lack of efficient experimental approaches. We developed a new gene expression profiling method, called robust analysis of 5'-transcript ends (5' RATE), to rapidly isolate the 5' ends of mRNA transcripts.

RL-SAGE and microarray analysis of the rice transcriptome after Rhizoctonia solani infection.

Sheath blight caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani is an emerging problem in rice production worldwide. To elucidate the molecular basis of rice defense to the pathogen, RNA isolated from R. solani-infected leaves of Jasmine 85 was used for both RL-SAGE library construction and microarray hybridization.

Magnaporthe grisea infection triggers RNA variation and antisense transcript expression in rice.

Rice blast disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, is an excellent model system to study plant-fungal interactions and host defense responses. In this study, comprehensive analysis of the rice (Oryza sativa) transcriptome after M. grisea infection was conducted using robust-long serial analysis of gene expression.

Deep and comparative analysis of the mycelium and appressorium transcriptomes of Magnaporthe grisea using MPSS, RL-SAGE, and oligoarray methods.

Background: Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, is a devastating disease causing tremendous yield loss in rice production. The public availability of the complete genome sequence of M. grisea provides ample opportunities to understand the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis on rice plants at the transcriptome level.

Large-scale identification of expressed sequence tags involved in rice and rice blast fungus interaction.

To better understand the molecular basis of the defense response against the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe grisea), a large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing approach was used to identify genes involved in the early infection stages in rice (Oryza sativa). Six cDNA libraries were constructed using infected leaf tissues harvested from 6 conditions: resistant, partially resistant, and susceptible reactions at both 6 and 24 h after inoculation. Two additional libraries were constructed using uninoculated leaves and leaves from the lesion mimic mutant spl11.