Identification of a New Cholesterol-Binding Site within the IFN-γ Receptor that is Required for Signal Transduction.

The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a master regulator of innate and adaptive immunity involved in a broad array of human diseases that range from atherosclerosis to cancer. IFN-γ exerts it signaling action by binding to a specific cell surface receptor, the IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR), whose activation critically depends on its partition into lipid nanodomains. However, little is known about the impact of specific lipids on IFN-γR signal transduction activity.

Super-Resolution Microscopy Using a Bioorthogonal-Based Cholesterol Probe Provides Unprecedented Capabilities for Imaging Nanoscale Lipid Heterogeneity in Living Cells.

Despite more than 20 years of work since the lipid raft concept was proposed, the existence of these nanostructures remains highly controversial due to the lack of noninvasive methods to investigate their native nanorganization in living unperturbed cells. There is an unmet need for probes for direct imaging of nanoscale membrane dynamics with high spatial and temporal resolution in living cells. In this paper, a bioorthogonal-based cholesterol probe (chol-N ) is developed that, combined with nanoscopy, becomes a new powerful method for direct visualization and characterization of lipid raft at unprecedented resolution in living cells.

ROS-Dependent ER Stress and Autophagy Mediate the Anti-Tumor Effects of Tributyltin (IV) Ferulate in Colon Cancer Cells.

Organotin compounds represent potential cancer therapeutics due to their pro-apoptotic action. We recently synthesized the novel organotin ferulic acid derivative tributyltin (IV) ferulate (TBT-F) and demonstrated that it displays anti-tumor properties in colon cancer cells related with autophagic cell death. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism of TBT-F action in colon cancer cells.