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Strain coupling with ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity plays an important role in the development of multiferroic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with strong magnetoelectric coupling, but the underlying mechanisms have not been well understood. Strain coupling and dynamic relaxation in multiferroic MOF with perovskite structure [(CH3)2NH2][Mn(HCOO)3] were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), magnetic measurements and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). DSC results showed peaks at 183 K and 190 K at the rate of 5 K/min during cooling and heating processes, respectively. Magnetic measurements showed magnetic transition at ∼8.5 K at the heating rate of 2 K/min. Temperature and frequency dependences of elastic properties studied by DMA at frequencies of 0.5 Hz–10 Hz between 140 K and 300 K at heating rate of 2 K/min indicated that the minimum in storage modulus and the maximum in loss modulus and loss factor occurred near 190 K. The peak height of loss modulus and loss factor decreased at higher frequency, and the peak temperature was independent of frequency, showing the features of first-order phase transition. Near 190 K, paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transition triggered by disorder–order transition of alkylammonium cations located in the framework cavities occurred accompanied by the structural phase transition from rhombohedral space group R3-c to monoclinic space group Cc. The elastic anomalies and large energy loss near 190 K were associated with the coupling of the local strain with the freezing of dimethylammonium cation and the freezing of twin walls. Keywords: Metal-organic framework (MOF), Phase transition, Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), Elastic modulus, Energy loss

MYC is one of the most extensively studied oncogenic proteins and is closely associated with the occurrence and progression of many tumors. Previous studies have shown that MYC regulates cell fate through its liquid-liquid phase separation mechanism, which is dependent on two disordered domains within its N-terminal transcriptional activation regions. In this study, we revealed that the negatively charged conserved region (E242-E261) of the MYC protein controls its condensation formation and irreversible aggregation through multivalent electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, deletion or mutation of the E242-E261 amino acids in the MYC protein enhances the transcriptional function of MYC by altering its aggregation capacity and subsequently promoting cancer cell proliferation. The discovery of the negatively charged region and its regulatory action on the phase separation of MYC provides a new understanding of the aggregation and function of MYC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance to DNA-damaging agents is a major unsolved challenge for breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Here, we show that elevated expression of transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (TRPS1) is associated with lower drug sensitivity, reduced response rate, and poor prognosis in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients. Mechanistically, elevated TRPS1 expression promotes hyperactivity of DNA damage repair (DDR) in breast cancer cells. We provide evidence that TRPS1 dynamically localizes to DNA breaks in a Ku70-and Ku80-dependent manner and that TRPS1 is a new member of the DDR protein family. We also discover that the dynamics of TRPS1 assembly at DNA breaks is regulated by its reversible PARylation in the DDR, and that mutations of the PARylation sites on TRPS1 lead to increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Taken together, our findings provide new mechanistic insights into the DDR and chemoresistance in breast cancer patients and identify TRPS1 as a critical DDR protein. TRPS1 may also be considered as a target to improve chemo-sensitization strategies and, consequently, clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel ligustrazine-benzoic acid derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their protective effect against cobalt chloride-induced neurotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells. Combining hematoxylin and eosin staining, we found compound that (3,5,6-trimethylpyrazin-2-yl)methyl 3-methoxy-4-[(3,5,6-trimethylpyrazin-2-yl)methoxy]benzoate (4a) displayed promising protective effect on the proliferation of the injured PC12 cells (EC50 = 4.249 µM). Structure-activity relationships are briefly discussed.

In the clinic some anti-tumor drugs have shown damage to normal blood vessels, which could lead to vascular diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of anti-tumor drugs on normal blood vessels at the beginning of the drug design process. In this study, ligustrazine (TMP) and flavonoids were selected as raw materials. Sixteen novel TMP-flavonoid derivatives were designed and synthesized. Interestingly, compounds 14 and 16 were obtained by hydrolysis of a dihydroflavone to a chalcone under alkaline conditions. The cytotoxicity of the TMP-flavonoid derivatives was evaluated on five human tumor cell lines and one classical type of normal endothelial cell lines (HUVEC-12) by an MTT assay. Part of the derivatives showed better anti-tumor activities than the corresponding raw materials. Among them, compound 14 exhibited the closest activity to the positive control against the Bel-7402 cell line (IC50 = 10.74 ± 1.12 μM; DDP IC50 = 6.73 ± 0.37 μM) and had no toxicity on HUVEC-12 (IC50 > 40 μM). Subsequently, fluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis indicated that compound 14 could induce apoptosis of Bel-7402 cell lines. Moreover, the structure-activity relationships of these derivatives were briefly discussed.