A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 2 Promotes Protection against Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of maladaptive cardiac remodeling and heart failure. In the damaged heart, loss of function is mainly due to cardiomyocyte death and remodeling of the cardiac tissue. The current study shows that A-kinase anchoring protein 2 (AKAP2) orchestrates cellular processes favoring cardioprotection in infarcted hearts.

Metoclopramide treatment blocks CD93-signaling-mediated self-renewal of chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells.

Self-renewal is a key characteristic of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) responsible for the development and maintenance of leukemia. In this study, we identify CD93 as an important regulator of self-renewal and proliferation of murine and human LSCs, but not hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The intracellular domain of CD93 promotes gene transcription via the transcriptional regulator SCY1-like pseudokinase 1 independently of ligation of the extracellular domain.

Molecular modulation of autophagy: New venture to target resistant cancer stem cells.

Autophagy is a highly regulated catabolic process in which superfluous, damaged organelles and other cytoplasmic constituents are delivered to the lysosome for clearance and the generation of macromolecule substrates during basal or stressed conditions. Autophagy is a bimodal process with a context dependent role in the initiation and the development of cancers. For instance, autophagy provides an adaptive response to cancer stem cells to survive metabolic stresses, by influencing disease propagation modulation of essential signaling pathways or by promoting resistance to chemotherapeutics.

A rhodium-catalysed Sonogashira-type coupling exploiting C-S functionalisation: orthogonality with palladium-catalysed variants.

This report concerns the development of an efficient Sonogashira-type coupling of arylmethylsulfides and terminal alkynes to generate aryl alkyne motifs. Orthogonal reactivity between traditional Pd catalysts, and the Rh catalysts employed, results in the ability to selectively activate either the C-S bond or C-X bond through catalyst choice. The Rh-bisphosphine catalyst has further been shown to be able to effect a hydroacylation-Sonogashira tandem sequence, and in combination with further onward reactions has been used in the synthesis of heterocycles and polycyclic systems.