Investigation of protein post-translational modifications with site-specifically incorporated non-canonical amino acids.

Despite the important functions of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) in numerous cellular processes, understanding the biological roles of PTMs remains quite challenging. Here, we summarize our efforts in recent years to incorporate a variety of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) to study the biological functions of protein PTMs in mammalian cells, with a focus on the use of ncAA tools to probe the biological functions of various protein PTMs. We design length-tunable lipidation mimics for studying lipidation function and designing protein drugs.

Ferroptotic Neutrophils Induce Immunosuppression and Chemoresistance in Breast Cancer.

Inducing ferroptosis in tumor cells is emerging as a strategy for treating malignancies that are refractory to traditional treatment modalities. However, the consequences of ferroptosis of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) need to be better understood in order to realize the potential of this approach. In this study, we discovered that neutrophils in chemoresistant breast cancer are highly sensitive to ferroptosis.

Simeprevir induces ferroptosis through β-TrCP/Nrf2/GPX4 axis in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The effective treatment regimens of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a specific subtype of breast cancer (BC) with proneness to relapse and poor prognosis, are still lacking. Simeprevir (SIM), approved for hepatitis C infection treatment, has been proved to be a competitive drug for the treatment of various solid tumors recently. However, the anti-tumor mechanisms of SIM and therapeutic effects on TNBC are uncertain.

The State of 21st Century Acupuncture in the United States.

The term "acupuncture" commonly refers to a non-pharmacologic therapy that is increasingly employed by diverse segments of the population for a wide variety of complaints including pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, frozen shoulder, and other issues. The term is also used as a short-hand for the wider medical system from which the placement of needles into the skin for therapeutic benefit and related techniques evolved. Thus "acupuncture" refers both to the therapeutic technique and the therapeutic system of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (AHM).