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Associated with their roles as targets for tumour promoters, there has been a long-standing interest in how members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family act to modulate cell growth and division. This has generated a great deal of observational data, but has for the most part not afforded clear mechanistic insights into the control mechanisms at play. Here, we review the roles of PKCε in protecting transformed cells from non-disjunction. In this particular cell cycle context, there is a growing understanding of the pathways involved, affording biomarker and interventional insights and opportunities.

PROTACs have recently emerged as a novel paradigm in drug discovery. They can hijack existing biological machinery to selectively degrade proteins of interest, in a catalytic fashion. Here we describe the design, optimisation and biological activity of a set of novel PROTACs targeting the Janus kinase family (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2) of proximal membrane-bound proteins. The JAK family proteins display membrane localisation by virtue of their association with cytoplasmic tails of cytokine receptors, and there are no reports of a successful PROTAC strategy being deployed against this class of proteins. JAK PROTACs from two distinct JAK chemotypes were designed, optimising the physicochemical properties for each template to enhance cell permeation. These PROTACs are capable of inducing JAK1 and JAK2 degradation, demonstrating an extension of the PROTAC methodology to an unprecedented class of protein targets. A number of known ligase binders were explored, and it was found that PROTACs bearing an inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) ligand induced significantly more JAK degradation over Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) and Cereblon (CRBN) PROTACs. In addition, the mechanism of action of the JAK PROTACs was elucidated, and it was confirmed that JAK degradation was both IAP- and proteasome-dependent.

The condensation of enantiopure 1,2-diamines with terephthalaldehyde, isophthalaldehyde or 2-iodo-, 2-alkyl- or 2-aryl-1,3-benzenedialdehydes in toluene followed by treatment with NBS in dichloromethane gives direct access to enantiopure 1,4-, and 1,3-di(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzenes (diamidines). The condensation of o-phthalaldehyde, and other ortho-disubstituted aromatic dialdehydes, with enantiopure 1,2-diamines, without NBS, gives enantiopure 3,5-dihydro-2H-imidazol-[2,1]-isoindoles.

(±)-iso-Amarine can be conveniently resolved via 1:1 salt formation with either hand of mandelic acid. Enantiopure iso-amarine can be acetylated and hydrolysed to give enantiopure 1,2-diamino-1,2-diphenylethanes.