Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu Chen, Wen Li, Song Kwon, Yixin Wang, Zhaoting Li, Quanyin Hu
Summary: In this study, ferritin-targeting PROTACs were developed to induce iron overload stress inside cancer cells and investigate subsequent cellular behaviors. The screened compound, DeFer-2, degraded ferritin and elevated free iron content, leading to caspase 3GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in cancer cells. Furthermore, DeFer-2 was loaded into an albumin-based nano-formulation, which effectively inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of mice.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ziqi Zhang, Dan Deng, Yi Li, Jianwei Ding, Qiong Wu, Lili Zhang, Guangjie Zhang, Muhammad Junaid Iqbal, Rui Wang, Jianqi Zhang, Xiaohui Qiu, Zhixiang Wei
Summary: The study introduces a polymerized small-molecule acceptor (PJ1) as an interface modulator to optimize the morphology of all-small-molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs) and improve power conversion efficiency. Adding a small amount of PJ1 effectively condenses the morphology, enhances crystallinity, and decreases domain sizes in ASM-OSCs, ultimately leading to accelerated hole transfer and enhanced charge transport.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chao Wang, Bidong Zhang, Arne Kruger, Xiaochen Du, Lidia Visser, Alexander S. S. Domling, Carsten Wrenger, Matthew R. Groves
Summary: This study describes a series of small-molecule inhibitors targeting P. falciparum ATC with low nanomolar binding affinities, selectively binding to a previously unreported allosteric pocket, inhibiting ATC activation.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Obtin Alkhamis, Juan Canoura, Konstantin Bukhryakov, Anamary Tarifa, Anthony P. DeCaprio, Yi Xiao
Summary: Aptamers have great potential as biorecognition elements for sensors, but current aptamer-based assays often lack the required sensitivity and selectivity. This study presents a rational approach to develop colorimetric cyanine dye-displacement assays that can be widely applied to DNA aptamers, accelerating the development and use of mix-and-measure assays for various analytical applications.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Cristina Negrete-Garcia, Javier de Jesus Ramos-Abundis, Noe Alvarado-Vasquez, Eduardo Montes-Martinez, Martha Montano, Carlos Ramos, Bettina Sommer
Summary: Communication between cells is mediated by extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes that contain mRNA and miRNA. Exosomal miRNAs have been studied for their potential as biomarkers for prognosis and diagnosis of various pathologies. However, their role in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease with no cure, is not well understood. This review focuses on the role of exosomal miRNAs in the onset and progression of IPF and discusses their potential as therapeutic agents.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Mingfeng Yu, Yuchao Yang, Matthew Sykes, Shudong Wang
Summary: Tankyrases are multifunctional enzymes that regulate various biological processes, including telomere maintenance and cellular signaling. Their involvement in human diseases, especially cancer, has led to increased interest in tankyrase inhibitors as potential therapeutics. This review provides an overview of tankyrases and their cancer-related functions, and discusses the progress of small-molecule inhibitors targeting tankyrases, including their binding modes and clinically trialed inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuyu Jin, Shao-hua Zhuo, Yasushi Takemoto, Yan-mei Li, Motonari Uesugi
Summary: The effective co-delivery of antigens and immune potentiators, as well as high antigen presentation, are two major challenges in subunit vaccine development. In this study, peptide antigens were conjugated with cholicamide, a self-assembling small molecule adjuvant, to address these issues. Co-assemblies of the conjugates and cholicamide achieved high levels of both cytokine induction and MHC class II peptide presentation.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xu Zhang, Xiang-Jie Zhu, Zhi Zhong, Jiang-Chuan Du, Guo-Xu Fang, Xiu-Liang Cui, Ling-Ting Guan, Yan-Yu Hu, Hong-Yang Wang, Pei-Lin Zhang
Summary: This article describes a small molecule cocktail (SMC) that can induce differentiation of liver cancer cells and potential treat liver cancer. SMC can remodel gene expression profile and alter cell fate, causing liver cancer cells to lose malignant characteristics and regain hepatocyte phenotype. In vivo experiments showed that SMC induced tissue necrosis or fibrosis within tumors and the expression of hepatic nuclear marker in healthy tissues.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yawei Miao, Mengde Zhai, Zhenxiao Zhao, Xingdong Ding, Ziyang Xia, Haoxin Wang, Linqin Wang, Cheng Chen, Ming Cheng
Summary: In this study, two asymmetric small molecules, BTD-DA and BTD-PA, were designed and synthesized to modify the perovskite/Spiro-OMeTAD interface in order to improve the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The molecule BTD-PA showed better defect passivation and energy level regulation due to its strong interaction with the uncoordinated Pb2+ on the perovskite surface. PSCs treated with BTD-PA achieved a champion power conversion efficiency of 24.46% and 22.46% for different active areas, and showed improved long-term stability.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhong Li, Anil Mathew Tharappel, Jimin Xu, Yuekun Lang, Cathleen M. Green, Jing Zhang, Qishan Lin, Sudha Chaturvedi, Jia Zhou, Marlene Belfort, Hongmin Li
Summary: A small-molecule library was screened to find potent inhibitors of the Cne Prp8 intein, leading to the identification of compound 6G-318S with potential antifungal properties. These inhibitors showed specific action against Cryptococcus species and demonstrated synergistic effects with certain antimycotics. Their binding to the target Prp8 intein was covalent and mutation of the active-site residue reduced binding, highlighting their potential as a new class of antifungal drugs.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rahul Banerjee, John D. Lipscomb
Summary: Rigorous substrate selectivity in enzyme catalysis is attributed to the favorable process of substrate binding to the enzyme active site based on complementary physiochemical characteristics. However, this selectivity becomes more difficult to rationalize for diminutive molecules with too narrow a range of physical characteristics.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bin Kan, Yuanyuan Kan, Lijian Zuo, Xueliang Shi, Ke Gao
Summary: Recent breakthroughs have been made in solution-processed organic solar cells combining small-molecule donor and nonfullerene acceptor, with certified efficiency over 15%. By modifying materials and optimizing morphology, researchers have achieved impressive progress in this area. Small-molecule materials with easily tuned properties will be a key focus for future developments.
Article
Energy & Fuels
James W. Sturman, Eloi Grignon, Bryony T. McAllister, Chae-Ho Yim, Elena A. Baranova, Dwight S. Seferos, Yaser Abu-Lebdeh
Summary: In this study, a novel small molecule azaacene (SmAz) was synthesized and its electrochemical performance as an anode material in Li-ion batteries was investigated. The results show that SmAz exhibits a reversible capacity of around 550 mA h g(-1) at 50 mA g(-1), which exceeds its theoretical capacity. The activation process and charge storage mechanism of SmAz were also explored, providing insights into the behavior of organic electrodes and potential design features for their improvement.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Gang Zhang, Shan Li, Kai-Wen Cheng, Tsui-Fen Chou
Summary: AAA ATPases, essential enzymes found in all organisms, are involved in various cellular activities. Researchers have identified and developed small-molecule inhibitors against these enzymes. Structural information suggests further development of specific AAA ATPase inhibitors in the future.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Marta Trasoletti, Ivan Visentin, Eva Campo, Andrea Schubert, Francesca Cardinale
Summary: Strigolactones, as phytohormones, play important roles in plant development and response to environmental stress. This article examines the evidence of their involvement in stress acclimation strategies, focusing on osmotic stress. The findings suggest that strigolactones function as backstage operators, adjusting the acclimation responses based on the plant's stress experience and contributing to the formation of environmental memory.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Masahiko Yoshimura, Yoshikatsu Sato, Keiko Kuwata, Shigeo Toh, Duncan Holbrook-Smith, Hua Zhang, Peter McCourt, Kenichiro Itami, Toshinori Kinoshita, Shinya Hagihara
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shigeo Toh, Duncan Holbrook-Smith, Peter J. Stogios, Olena Onopriyenko, Shelley Lumba, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Alexei Savchenko, Peter McCourt
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Duncan Holbrook-Smith, Shigeo Toh, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Peter McCourt
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2016)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Masahiko Yoshimura, Shinya Hagihara
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2018)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yuichiro Tsuchiya
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Masahiko Yoshimura, Ayato Sato, Keiko Kuwata, Yoshiaki Inukai, Toshinori Kinoshita, Kenichiro Itami, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Shinya Hagihara
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Biology
Shelley Lumba, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Frederic Delmas, Jodi Hezky, Nicholas J. Provart, Qing Shi Lu, Peter McCourt, Sonia Gazzarrini
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shigeo Toh, Duncan Holbrook-Smith, Michael E. Stokes, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Peter McCourt
CHEMISTRY & BIOLOGY
(2014)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shigeo Toh, Duncan Holbrook-Smith, Michael E. Stokes, Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Peter McCourt
CHEMISTRY & BIOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuichiro Tsuchiya, Danielle Vidaurre, Shigeo Toh, Atsushi Hanada, Eiji Nambara, Yuji Kamiya, Shinjiro Yamaguchi, Peter McCourt
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2010)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shigeo Toh, Yuji Kamiya, Naoto Kawakami, Eiji Nambara, Peter McCourt, Yuichiro Tsuchiya
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2012)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daisuke Uraguchi, Keiko Kuwata, Yuh Hijikata, Rie Yamaguchi, Hanae Imaizumi, A. M. Sathiyanarayanan, Christin Rakers, Narumi Mori, Kohki Akiyama, Stephan Irle, Peter McCourt, Toshinori Kinoshita, Takashi Ooi, Yuichiro Tsuchiya
Article
Plant Sciences
Jia Xin Yap, Yuichiro Tsuchiya
Summary: The root parasitic plant Striga hermonthica senses strigolactones from host plants to germinate. It has been found that the plant hormone gibberellins increase the sensitivity of Striga seeds to strigolactones by up-regulating the expression of strigolactone receptors. This reveals the indirect role of gibberellins in seed germination in Striga compared to their dominant role in non-parasitic plants.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shigeo Toh, Peter McCourt, Yuichiro Tsuchiya
PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR
(2012)