Vitamin C sensitizes triple negative breast cancer to PI3K inhibition therapy.

The clinical use of PI3K inhibitors, such as buparlisib, has been plagued with toxicity at effective doses. The aim of this study is to determine if vitamin C, a potent epigenetic regulator, can improve the therapeutic outcome and reduce the dose of buparlisib in treating -mutated triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The response of TNBC cells to buparlisib was assessed by EC measurements, apoptosis assay, clonogenic assay, and xenograft assay in mice.

Oscillatory cAMP signaling rapidly alters H3K4 methylation.

Epigenetic variation reflects the impact of a dynamic environment on chromatin. However, it remains elusive how environmental factors influence epigenetic events. Here, we show that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) alter H3K4 methylation via oscillatory intracellular cAMP.

Ascorbate Suppresses VEGF Expression in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of ascorbate, via DNA hydroxymethylation, on VEGF expression in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.

Methods: Dot-blot and hydroxymethylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing were applied to evaluate the impact of ascorbate on DNA hydroxymethylation in ARPE-19 cells. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was carried out to analyze the transcriptome.

Evaluation of fingermark detection sequences on paper substrates.

It is generally accepted that the amino acid reagent consisting of 1,2-indanedione and a catalytic amount of zinc chloride, referred to as IND-Zn, is the single best method for the detection of latent fingermarks on paper substrates and that ninhydrin is of limited value when used in sequence after this reagent. However, recent research has suggested that the sequence 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO) followed by ninhydrin may actually produce a greater number of fingermarks than IND-Zn on its own or IND-Zn followed by ninhydrin. This study focussed on the evaluation of two fingermark detection sequences for porous surfaces: (1) IND-Zn followed by ninhydrin, physical developer (PD) and the lipid stain nile red; and (2) DFO followed by ninhydrin, PD and nile red.