A sticky situation for targeted cancer therapy.

In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Andlovic et al. unravel how certain fusicoccin toxins synergize with interferon-α to kill cancer cells. The results suggest that fusicoccins potentiate apoptosis by "sticking together" 14-3-3 protein-protein interactions.

Programmed Polyene Cyclization Enabled by Chromophore Disruption.

A new polyene cyclization strategy exploiting β-ionyl derivatives was developed. Photoinduced deconjugation of the extended π-system within these chromophores unveils a contrathermodynamic polyene that engages in a Heck bicyclization to afford [4.4.

Pyridazine -Oxides as Photoactivatable Surrogates for Reactive Oxygen Species.

A method for the photoinduced evolution of atomic oxygen from pyridazine -oxides was developed. This underexplored oxygen allotrope mediates arene C-H oxidation within complex, polyfunctional molecules. A water-soluble pyridazine -oxide was also developed and shown to promote photoinduced DNA cleavage in aqueous solution.