GATA zinc finger domain-containing protein 2A (GATAD2A) deficiency reactivates fetal haemoglobin in patients with β-thalassaemia through impaired formation of methyl-binding domain protein 2 (MBD2)-containing nucleosome remodelling and deacetylation (NuRD) complex.

Reactivation of fetal haemoglobin (HbF) expression is an effective way to treat β-thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia. In the present study, we identified a novel GATA zinc finger domain-containing protein 2A (GATAD2A) mutation, which contributed to the elevation of HbF and ameliorated clinical severity in a patient with β-thalassaemia, by targeted next-generation sequencing. Knockout of GATAD2A led to a significant induction of HbF in both human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor-2 (HUDEP-2) and human cluster of differentiation (CD)34 cells with a detectable impact on erythroid differentiation.

Epigenetic inactivation of ERF reactivates γ-globin expression in β-thalassemia.

The fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch is regulated in a developmental stage-specific manner and reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) has therapeutic implications for treatment of β-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, two major global health problems. Although significant progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch, the mechanism of epigenetic regulation of HbF silencing remains to be fully defined. Here, we performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA sequencing analysis of the bone marrow-derived GYPA erythroid cells from β-thalassemia-affected individuals with widely varying levels of HbF groups (HbF ≥ 95th percentile or HbF ≤ 5th percentile) to screen epigenetic modulators of HbF and phenotypic diversity of β-thalassemia.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel quinolone derivatives dual targeting histone deacetylase and tubulin polymerization as antiproliferative agents.

A strategy to develop chemotherapy agents by combining two complimentary chemo-active groups into a single molecule may have higher efficacy and fewer side effects than that of single-target drugs. In this article, we describe the synthesis and evaluation of a series of novel dual-acting levofloxacin-HDACi conjugates to target both histone deacetylase (HDAC) and tubulin polymerization. These bifunctional conjugates exhibited potent inhibitory activities against HDACs and tubulin polymerization.

Immobilization of (1S,2R)-(+)-2-amino-1,2-diphenylethanol derivates on aminated silica gel with different linkages as chiral stationary phases and their enantioseparation evaluation by HPLC.

A chiral selector was prepared through the reaction between (1S,2R)-(+)-2-amino-1,2-diphenylethanol and phenyl isocyanate. This selector was immobilized on aminated silica gel, respectively, with bifunctional group linkers of 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate, methylene-di-p-phenyl diisocyanate, and terephthaloyl chloride to produce corresponding three chiral stationary phases. The prepared compounds and chiral stationary phases were characterized by FT-IR, elemental analysis, (1)H NMR, and solid-state (1)H NMR.