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Metal organic frameworks have received great attention as the chiral stationary phase for racemic drug separation because of their fascinating structures and properties. However, the most homochiral metal organic frameworks were constructed by rare and precious chiral organic ligands. In this work, an achiral metal organic framework, together with a natural chiral selector carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin built a synergistic separation system in the open tubular capillary electrochromatography. The novel coated columns were developed by inducing metal organic framework nanoparticles to grow on the imidazolyl functional capillary inner wall. The baseline separations of hydroxychloroquine, ofloxacin, and atenolol were achieved in the synergistic separation system. The effects of the concentration of chiral selector, pH, voltage, and the concentration of organic additives were studied. Compared with chiral selector auxiliary bare capillary, the resolutions of three drugs were remarkably improved. The relative standard deviations for the retention time of intraday (n = 6), interday (n = 6), and column-to-column were less than 2.1, 2.6, and 5.2%, respectively. These results demonstrate that affordable synergistic separation systems are prospective for racemic drug enantioseparation in capillary electrochromatography.

Chiral ionic liquids (CILs) have attracted more and more attention due to their superior performance as chiral additives in capillary electrophoresis. In this work, based on the cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives and three new amino acid CILs (trifluoroacetate-L-Hydroxyproline, nitric acid-L-Hydroxyproline and trifluoroacetate-L-threonine), the new synergistic systems were established for chiral drug separation. In contrast to the traditional single glucosyl-β-CD (Glu-β-CD) separation system, the CIL/Glu-β-CD synergistic systems achieved improved resolution of three model drug racemates. Some experimental variables, such as CIL concentration, Glu-β-CD concentration, buffer pH, applied voltage, and the type and proportion of organic modifier, were optimized in the trifluoroacetate-L-Hydroxyproline/Glu-β-CD synergistic system. In addition, the recognition process in the synergistic system was studied through the molecular modeling method.

Gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) and neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are often refractory to therapy after metastasis. Adoptive cell therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, though remarkably efficacious for treating leukemia, is yet to be developed for solid tumors such as GICs and NETs. Here we isolated a llama-derived nanobody, VHH1, and found that it bound cell surface adhesion protein CDH17 upregulated in GICs and NETs. VHH1-CAR T cells (CDH17CARTs) killed both human and mouse tumor cells in a CDH17-dependent manner. CDH17CARTs eradicated CDH17-expressing NETs and gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancers in either tumor xenograft or autochthonous mouse models. Notably, CDH17CARTs do not attack normal intestinal epithelial cells, which also express CDH17, to cause toxicity, likely because CDH17 is localized only at the tight junction between normal intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, CDH17 represents a class of previously unappreciated tumor-associated antigens that is 'masked' in healthy tissues from attack by CAR T cells for developing safer cancer immunotherapy.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors represent a promising new class of agents that have demonstrated efficacy in treating various cancers, particularly those that carry BRCA1/2 mutations. The cancer associated BRCA1/2 mutations disrupt DNA double strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR). PARP inhibitors (PARPis) have been applied to trigger synthetic lethality in BRCA1/2-mutated cancer cells by promoting the accumulation of toxic DSBs. Unfortunately, resistance to PARPis is common and can occur through multiple mechanisms, including the restoration of HR and/or the stabilization of replication forks. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying PARPi resistance, we conducted an unbiased CRISPR-pooled genome-wide library screen to identify new genes whose deficiency confers resistance to the PARPi olaparib. Our study revealed that ZNF251, a transcription factor, is a novel gene whose haploinsufficiency confers PARPi resistance in multiple breast and ovarian cancer lines harboring BRCA1 mutations. Mechanistically, we discovered that ZNF251 haploinsufficiency leads to constitutive stimulation of DNA-PKcs-dependent non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair of DSBs and DNA-PKcs-mediated fork protection in BRCA1-mutated cancer cells (BRCA1mut + ZNF251KD). Moreover, we demonstrated that DNA-PKcs inhibitors can restore PARPi sensitivity in BRCA1mut + ZNF251KD cells ex vivo and in vivo. Our findings provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying PARPi resistance and highlight the unexpected role of DNA-PKcs in this phenomenon.

Menin serves both tumor suppressor and promoter roles in a highly tumor-specific manner. In colorectal cancer, menin is overexpressed and plays a critical role in regulating transcription of SKP2, and combined treatment with a menin inhibitor and small-molecule EGFR inhibitor (EGFRi) leads to synergistic killing of colorectal cancer cells. However, the full spectrum of menin function in colorectal cancer remains uncertain. Herein, we demonstrate that menin inhibition increases glycolysis in colorectal cancer cells. This menin inhibitor–induced increase in glycolysis occurs in an mTOR-independent manner and enhances the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to EGFRis. In addition, we show that EGFRis induce autophagy in colorectal cancer cells, which is important for cell survival in the setting of combined treatment with an EGFRi and menin inhibitor. Inhibition of autophagy with chloroquine further sensitizes colorectal cancers to treatment with the combination of an EGFRi and menin inhibitor. Together, these findings uncover a novel role for menin in colorectal cancer as a repressor of glycolysis and demonstrate that menin inhibitor–induced increases in glycolysis sensitize colorectal cancer cells to EGFRis. In addition, these findings illustrate the importance of autophagy as a protective mechanism against EGFRis, especially in the presence of menin inhibition. Ultimately, these data open the possibility of using menin-mediated regulation of glycolysis to potentially improve treatment modalities for colorectal cancer.

Supplementary Figures 1-5

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1), is a familial tumor syndrome resulting from mutations in the tumor suppressor gene menin (MEN1). Menin plays an essential role in both repressing and activating gene expression. However, it is not well understood how menin represses expression of multiple genes. Upon MEN1 excision, the transcription factor Gli1 and its target genes, including Ptch1 and c-Myc, were shown to be elevated in the absence of an apparent Hedgehog) pathway-activating ligand or when Smoothened (SMO), a key component of the pathway, is inhibited. Menin binds to the GLI1 promoter and recruits PRMT5, a histone arginine methyltransferase associated with transcriptional repression. Both PRMT5 binding and histone H4 arginine 3 methylation (H4R3m2s) are decreased at the GLI1 promoter in MEN1-excised cells. Moreover, MEN1 ablation resulted in increased binding of transcriptionally active Gli1 at the GLI1 promoter in a manner not influenced by the canonical Hedgehog signaling pathway. Inhibition of Gli1 by the small-molecule inhibitor GANT-61 led to decreased expression of Gli1 and its target genes in MEN1-depeleted cells. Furthermore, GANT-61 potently suppressed proliferation of MEN1-excised cells as compared with control cells. These findings uncover a novel epigenetic link whereby menin directly represses Gli1 expression, independent of the canonical Hedgehog signaling pathway, via PRMT5 and its repressive H4R3m2s mark.Implications: Inhibition of GLI1 suppresses neuroendocrine tumors harboring mutations in the MEN1 gene. Mol Cancer Res; 11(10); 1215–22. ©2013 AACR.

PDF - 2205KB, Supplementary Figure 1: Gli1 mRNA levels in menin-null cells complemented with physiologically relevant Men1 mutants. Men1-null MEF's were complemented with either vector, WT, or the mutant A242V and the levels of Gli1 were determined by qRT-PCR. Data was normalized to Men1-null cells complemented with WT menin. Supplementary Figure 2: Gli1 mRNA levels are elevated upon Men1 excision in MEFs. Men1l/l;Ubc9 CreER cells were treated with either DMSO or 4-hydroxy tamoxifen (4-OHT)and the levels of Gli1 were determined by qRT-PCR. Inset, Western Blotting showing complete excision of menin upon 4-OHT treatment. Data were normalized to Gli1 values in DMSO treated cells. Supplementary Figure 3: Ectopic expression of menin results in reduction of Gli1 in BON cells, a human carcinoid cell line. qRT-PCR for Gli1 mRNA in BON cells ectopically expressing menin or control vector. Inset, Western blotting of menin in BON cells ectopically expressing menin or control vector.Supplementary Figure 4: Chromatin IP (ChIP) for total histone H3 in PIME1 cells treated with either DMSO (Men1l/l) or tamoxifen (Men1Δ/Δ). Supplementary Figure 5: Total HDAC1 level are unaffected upon Men1 excision. Cell lysates from Men1l/l;CreER MEFs treated with either DMSO (lane 1) or tamoxifen (lane 2), and PIME cells treated with either DMSO (lane 3 ) or tamoxifen (lane 4) were subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted for HDAC1. Ponceau S is included as a loading control. Supplementary Figure 6: Quantitation of C-MYC and PTCH1 protein levels in menin-null PIME1 cells treated with GANT-61. Cell lysates from menin-null PIME1 cells treated with either DMSO or GANT-61 were immunoblotted with anti-MYC and anti-PTCH1 antibodies, and the band intensities were quantitated by densitometeric analysis using Image J software and normalized to the intensity of their respective Ponceau S stains. Data are normalized to DMSO-treated cells. Supplementary Table 1: qRT-PCR primers. Supplementary Table 2: ChIP primers

This supplementary file contains methods for menin immunohistochemistry, reagents, cell culture, proliferation assays, western blotting, plasmids and transfections, RT-PCR, cell visualization assays including clonogenicity, H&E staining, and live cell imaging, ChIP assays, and calcium resin competition assays.

Supplemental Figure S1: Menin inhibition has minimal effects on cell growth in colon cancer cells. Supplemental Figure S2: Inhibition of menin selectively sensitizes colon cancer cells to iEGFRs. Supplemental Figure S3: BAPTA rescues cells from the combination of gefitinib plus MI-2-2. Supplemental Figure S4: SERCA2 over-expression rescues cells from thapsigargin but not gefitinib. Supplemental Figure S5: Gefitinib induced CRC suppression is mediated by activation of IP3R3. Supplemental Figure S6: Menin inhibition, gefitinib, and TG all decrease SKP2 levels. Supplemental Figure S7: Regulation of SKP2 transcription by menin and intracellular calcium levels.

Menin is a nuclear epigenetic regulator that can both promote and suppress tumor growth in a highly tissue-specific manner. The role of menin in colorectal cancer, however, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that menin was overexpressed in colorectal cancer and that inhibition of menin synergized with small-molecule inhibitors of EGFR (iEGFR) to suppress colorectal cancer cells and tumor xenografts in vivo in an EGFR-independent manner. Mechanistically, menin bound the promoter of SKP2, a pro-oncogenic gene crucial for colorectal cancer growth, and promoted its expression. Moreover, the iEGFR gefitinib activated endoplasmic reticulum calcium channel inositol trisphosphate receptor 3 (IP3R3)–mediated release of calcium, which directly bound menin. Combined inhibition of menin and iEGFR-induced calcium release synergistically suppressed menin-mediated expression of SKP2 and growth of colorectal cancer. Together, these findings uncover a molecular convergence of menin and the iEGFR-induced, IP3R3-mediated calcium release on SKP2 transcription and reveal opportunities to enhance iEGFR efficacy to improve treatments for colorectal cancer.Significance:Menin acts as a calcium-responsive regulator of SKP2 expression, and small molecule EGFR inhibitors, which induce calcium release, synergize with Menin inhibition to reduce SKP2 expression and suppress colorectal cancer.

PDF file - 2MB, Supplementary Fig. S1. Menin interacts directly with PRMT5.Supplementary Fig. S2. Men1 is completely excised in Men1l/l;Ubc9CreER mice after treatment with tamoxifen (4OHT). Supplementary Fig. S3. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of control Men1l/l and Men1-excised islets. Supplementary Fig. S4. Menin recruits PRMT5 and its histone methylation mark, H4R3m2s, to the Gas1 promoter. Supplementary Fig. S5. Ectopic expression of PRMT5, and either wild type or mutant menin in HEK293 cells used for co-immunoprecipitation and histone methyltransferase (HMT) assays. Supplementary Fig. S6. Islet area and fasting insulin levels in Men1l/l; RipCre mice treated with either control solution or GDC 0449.Supplementary Fig. S7. Menin interacts with PRMT5, but not PRMT7. Menin was ectopically expressed in HEK293 cells, and menin immunoprecipitates were immunoblotted with either anti-PRMT5 or -PRMT7 antibodies.

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Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an inherited tumor syndrome that includes susceptibility to pancreatic islet tumors. This syndrome results from mutations in the MEN1 gene, encoding menin. Although menin acts as an oncogenic cofactor for mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) fusion protein–mediated histone H3 lysine 4 methylation, the precise basis for how menin suppresses gene expression and proliferation of pancreatic beta cells remains poorly understood. Here, we show that menin ablation enhances Hedgehog signaling, a proproliferative and oncogenic pathway, in murine pancreatic islets. Menin directly interacts with protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a negative regulator of gene transcription. Menin recruits PRMT5 to the promoter of the Gas1 gene, a crucial factor for binding of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) ligand to its receptor PTCH1 and subsequent activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, increases repressive histone arginine symmetric dimethylation (H4R3m2s), and suppresses Gas1 expression. Notably, MEN1 disease-related menin mutants have reduced binding to PRMT5, and fail to impart the repressive H4R3m2s mark at the Gas1 promoter, resulting in its elevated expression. Pharmacologic inhibition of Hedgehog signaling significantly reduces proliferation of insulinoma cells, and expression of Hedgehog signaling targets including Ptch1, in MEN1 tumors of mice. These findings uncover a novel link between menin and Hedgehog signaling whereby menin/PRMT5 epigenetically suppresses Hedgehog signaling, revealing it as a target for treating MEN1 tumors. Cancer Res; 73(8); 2650–8. ©2013 AACR.

Nanoparticles, which have unique properties, have attracted growing attention in enantiomeric separation nowadays. In this paper, an L-cysteine functionalized gold nanoparticle (L-Cys-GNP) based capillary column was prepared and applied in separating drug enantiomers in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with lactobionic acid (LA) as a chiral selector. Compared with bare fused-silica capillary columns, the capillary columns modified with L-Cys-GNPs showed excellent chiral separation performance. A series of parameters affecting the enantiomeric separation were systematically investigated.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors represent a promising new class of agents that have demonstrated efficacy in treating various cancers, particularly those that carryBRCA1/2mutations. The cancer associatedBRCA1/2mutations disrupt DNA double strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR). PARP inhibitors (PARPis) have been applied to trigger synthetic lethality inBRCA1/2-mutated cancer cells by promoting the accumulation of toxic DSBs. Unfortunately, resistance to PARPis is common and can occur through multiple mechanisms, including the restoration of HR and/or the stabilization of replication forks. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying PARPi resistance, we conducted an unbiased CRISPR-pooled genome-wide library screen to identify new genes whose deficiency confers resistance to the PARPi olaparib. Our study revealed that ZNF251, a transcription factor, is a novel gene whose haploinsufficiency confers PARPi resistance in multiple breast and ovarian cancer lines harboring BRCA1 mutations. Mechanistically, we discovered thatZNF251haploinsufficiency leads to constitutive stimulation of DNA-PKcs-dependent non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair of DSBs and DNA-PKcs-mediated fork protection inBRCA1-mutated cancer cells (BRCA1mut+ZNF251KD). Moreover, we demonstrated that DNA-PKcs inhibitors can restore PARPi sensitivity in BRCA1mut+ZNF251KD cellsex vivoandin vivo. Our findings provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying PARPi resistance and highlight the unexpected role of DNA-PKcs in this phenomenon.Significance statementOur study identified a novel geneZNF251which haploinsufficiency causes the resistance to PARP inhibitors in breast cancer cells and pinpointed a novel mechanism of the resistance.

How to improve the enantiomer separation efficiency of drugs is a hot topic. In this paper, polydopamine (PDA) coating doped with graphene oxide (GO) by physical adsorption was used to modify the capillary column to enhance the enantioseparation efficiency of the drugs. In the capillary electrochromatography (CEC) system, the novel capillary column with carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) as a chiral selector has completed the enantioseparation of four basic drugs (propranolol, metoprolol, amlodipine and chlorpheniramine). The optimum separation conditions were obtained by optimizing the pH of the buffer, the concentration of organic modifier, the concentration of the chiral selector and the voltage, and the resolution and peak shape were significantly improved compared with uncoated bare-fused column. The stability and reproducibility of the new capillary column were satisfactory and the relative standard deviation of intra-day and inter-day was

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition of diabetes with onset or first recognition in pregnancy. Its incidence is increasing, and GDM deleteriously affects both mother and the fetus during and even after pregnancy. Previous studies in mice have shown that during pregnancy, β-cell proliferation increases in the middle and late stages of pregnancy and returns to normal levels after delivery. Hormones, such as prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone as well as protein kinases, play important roles in regulating gestation-mediated β-cell proliferation; however, the regulatory relationship between them is uncertain. We previously found that protein kinase Pbk was crucial for basal proliferation of mouse islet cells. Herein we show that Pbk is upregulated during pregnancy in mice and Pbk kinase activity is required for enhanced β- cell proliferation during pregnancy. Notably, knock-in (KI) of a kinase-inactivating Pbk mutation leads to impaired glucose tolerance and reduction of β-cell proliferation and islet mass in mice during pregnancy. Prolactin upregulates the expression of Pbk, but the upregulation is diminished by knockdown of the prolactin receptor and by the inhibitors of JAK and STAT5, which mediate prolactin receptor signaling, in β-cells. Treatment of β-cells with prolactin increases STAT5 binding to the Pbk locus, as well as the recruitment of RNA polymerase II, resulting in increased Pbk transcription. These results demonstrate that Pbk is upregulated during pregnancy, at least partly by prolactin-induced and STAT5-mediated enhancement of gene transcription, and Pbk is essential for pregnancy-induced β-cell proliferation, increase in islet mass, and maintenance of normal blood glucose during pregnancy in preclinical models. These findings provide new insights into the interplay between hormones and protein kinases that ultimately prevent the development of GDM.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a symmetric arginine methyltransferase, regulates cell functions by influencing gene transcription through posttranslational modification of histones and non-histone proteins. PRMT5 interacts with multiple partners including menin, which controls beta cell homeostasis. However, the role of Prmt5 in pancreatic islets, particularly in beta cells, remains unclear. A mouse model with an islet-specific knockout (KO) of the Prmt5 gene was generated, and the influence of the Prmt5 excision on beta cells was investigated via morphologic and functional studies. Beta cell function was evaluated by glucose tolerance test (GTT) and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) test. Beta cell proliferation was evaluated by immunostaining. Gene expression change was determined by real-time qPCR. Molecular mechanisms were investigated in beta cells in vitro and in vivo in Prmt5 KO mice. The results show that islet-specific KO of Prmt5 reduced expression of the insulin gene and impaired glucose tolerance and GSIS in vivo. The mechanistic study indicated that PRMT5 is involved in the regulation of insulin gene transcription, likely via histone methylation-related chromatin remodeling. The reduced expression of insulin in beta cells in the Prmt5 KO mice may contribute to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and deficient GSIS in the mouse model. These results will provide new insights into exploring novel strategies to treat diabetes caused by insulin insufficiency.

Recently, ionic liquids have been widely used for chiral separation. However, several papers have reported the use of ionic liquids as the sole chiral selector. In this work, a novel capillary electrophoresis method using the ionic liquid 3-methyl-1-(3-sulfopropyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium lactobionate (MSI-LA) as a chiral selector was developed for the enantioseparation of propranolol, metoprolol, bisoprolol, esmolol, atenolol, sotalol, terbutaline and clenbuterol. Method optimization was conducted and the optimized method (40 mM borax buffer, v/v 30% methanol, pH 8.5, 160 mM MSI-LA; +10 kV voltage; capillary temperature, 15 °C; 50 mbar/5 s injection; detection wavelength, 230 nm) was successful for the baseline separation of the eight basic drugs. The LA (lactobionic acid) system was compared. The possible mechanisms of enantioseparation were investigated using molecular modeling. Both the cation and anion of MSI-LA provided interactions between the chiral selector and analytes, and finally enhanced chiral recognition capability compared with LA.

Menin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) pathways play central yet opposing roles in regulating β cell function, with menin suppressing and GLP-1 promoting β cell function. Xing et al show that GLP-1 induces PKA-mediated phosphorylation of menin. Phosphorylation of menin triggers its interaction with nuclear actin to relieve menin’s transcriptional repression and increase insulin production., Both menin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) pathways play central yet opposing role in regulating β cell function, with menin suppressing, and GLP-1 promoting, β cell function. However, little is known as to whether or how GLP-1 pathway represses menin function. Here, we show that GLP-1 signaling–activated protein kinase A (PKA) directly phosphorylates menin at the serine 487 residue, relieving menin-mediated suppression of insulin expression and cell proliferation. Mechanistically, Ser487-phosphorylated menin gains increased binding affinity to nuclear actin/myosin IIa proteins and gets sequestrated from the Ins1 promoter. This event leads to reduced binding of repressive epigenetic histone modifiers suppressor variegation 3–9 homologue protein 1 (SUV39H1) and histone deacetylases 1 (HDAC1) at the locus and subsequently increased Ins1 gene transcription. Ser487 phosphorylation of menin also increases expression of proproliferative cyclin D2 and β cell proliferation. Our results have uncovered a previously unappreciated physiological link in which GLP-1 signaling suppresses menin function through phosphorylation-triggered and actin/myosin cytoskeletal protein–mediated derepression of gene transcription.

Pancreatic beta cells undergo compensatory proliferation in the early phase of type 2 diabetes. While pathways such as FoxM1 are involved in regulating compensatory beta cell proliferation, given the lack of therapeutics effectively targeting beta cell proliferation, other targetable pathways need to be identified. Herein, we show that Pbk, a serine/threonine protein kinase, is essential for high fat diet (HFD)‐induced beta cell proliferation in vivo using a Pbk kinase deficiency knock‐in mouse model. Mechanistically, JunD recruits menin and HDAC3 complex to the Pbk promoter to reduce histone H3 acetylation, leading to epigenetic repression of Pbk expression. Moreover, menin inhibitor (MI) disrupts the menin–JunD interaction and augments Pbk transcription. Importantly, MI administration increases beta cell proliferation, ameliorating hyperglycemia, and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in HFD‐induced diabetic mice. Notably, Pbk is required for the MI‐induced beta cell proliferation and improvement of IGT. Together, these results demonstrate the repressive role of the menin/JunD/Pbk axis in regulating HFD‐induced compensatory beta cell proliferation and pharmacologically regulating this axis may serve as a novel strategy for type 2 diabetes therapy., Pancreatic beta cells undergo compensatory proliferation in the early phase of type 2 diabetes. Understanding the mechanism and regulation of compensatory beta cell proliferation may allow for improved treatment options for diabetes. Herein we elucidated that the menin/JunD/Pbk axis is important in compensatory beta‐cell proliferation.

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-co-(ethylene dimethacrylate) [poly(GMA-co-EDMA)] monoliths were prepared, and used as a support to attach gold nanoparticles (AuNP) via Au-S bond. Pepsin, acting as a chiral selector, was linked to the surface of the carboxyl-modified AuNP through a hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide coupling reaction. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The pepsin@AuNP@poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolith showed preferable enantioselectivity for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), chloroquine (CHQ), hydroxyzine (HXY), labetalol (LAB), nefopam (NEF), clenbuterol (CLE), amlodipine (AML) and chlorpheniramine (CHL) in capillary electrochromatography (CEC). These racemic drugs were monitored at the maximum absorption wavelength (220 nm for HXQ, CHQ, HXY, LAB, NEF; 240 nm for AML; 215 nm for CLE, CHL). In comparison with the pepsin@poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolith loaded with 5 nm AuNP, the pepsin@poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolith loaded with 13 nm AuNP shows significantly enhanced enantiomeric resolution (HCQ: 0.62 → 3.45; CHQ: 0.60 → 2.11; HXY: 0.49 → 2.30; LAB: 1.03 → 2.45, 1.45 → 3.46, 0 → 0.67; NEF: 0.53 → 1.29; CLE: 0.42 → 0.56; AML: 0 → 0.83; CHL: 0.24 → 0.55). Pepsin concentration, buffer pH value, buffer concentration and applied voltage were investigated in detail with (±) HCQ and (±) HXY as model analytes. The reproducibility of intra-day, inter-day and column-to-column were explored, and found to be satisfactory.

Menin serves both tumor suppressor and promoter roles in a highly tumor-specific manner. In colorectal cancer, menin is overexpressed and plays a critical role in regulating transcription of SKP2, and combined treatment with a menin inhibitor and small-molecule EGFR inhibitor (EGFRi) leads to synergistic killing of colorectal cancer cells. However, the full spectrum of menin function in colorectal cancer remains uncertain. Herein, we demonstrate that menin inhibition increases glycolysis in colorectal cancer cells. This menin inhibitor–induced increase in glycolysis occurs in an mTOR-independent manner and enhances the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to EGFRis. In addition, we show that EGFRis induce autophagy in colorectal cancer cells, which is important for cell survival in the setting of combined treatment with an EGFRi and menin inhibitor. Inhibition of autophagy with chloroquine further sensitizes colorectal cancers to treatment with the combination of an EGFRi and menin inhibitor. Together, these findings uncover a novel role for menin in colorectal cancer as a repressor of glycolysis and demonstrate that menin inhibitor–induced increases in glycolysis sensitize colorectal cancer cells to EGFRis. In addition, these findings illustrate the importance of autophagy as a protective mechanism against EGFRis, especially in the presence of menin inhibition. Ultimately, these data open the possibility of using menin-mediated regulation of glycolysis to potentially improve treatment modalities for colorectal cancer.

Discovering more superior performance of ionic liquids for the separation science has triggered increasing interest. In this work, two new Hydroxy acid-based chiral ionic liquids (CILs) (tertramethylammonium-d-pantothenate (TMA-d-PAN), tertramethylammonium-d-quinate (TMA-d-QUI)) were designed and first used as additives to establish the maltodextrin-based synergistic systems for enantioseparation in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Compared to traditional single maltodextrin chiral separation system, significantly improved separations of all tested drugs in the CIL/Maltodextrin synergistic systems were obtained. Some parameters (CIL concentration, maltodextrin concentration, buffer pH, and applied voltage) in the TMA-d-PAN/Maltodextrin synergistic system have been examined and optimized for analytes. The molecular docking software AutoDock was applied to simulate the recognition process and surmise feasible resolution mechanism in the Maltodextrin/CILs synergistic systems, which has certain guiding value.

As a novel separation mode of capillary electrophoresis (CE), liposome electrokinetic capillary chromatography (LEKC) has aroused considerable attention in recent years; however, the enantioseparation based on this new system has not been previously investigated. In this study, we proposed a brand-new LEKC chiral separation approach using liposomes comprised of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol as pseudo-stationary phase and sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) as chiral selector. Compared with the single CD system and CD-SDS-MEKC system, this LEKC method presented an obviously preferable enantioseparation of four model drugs (naproxen, warfarin, ketoprofen and amlodipine). In this new established system, all the enantiomers represented baseline separations with the resolution and selectivity respectively achieving 1.584/1.067 (for naproxen), 2.226/1.045 (for warfarin), 1.537/1.038 (for ketoprofen) and 2.592/1.097 (for amlodipine), while other two comparative systems demonstrated no separation or a poor separation. Several important parameters affecting the enantioseparation, such as buffer pH, concentration of liposomes, phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and chiral selector (SBE-β-CD), and applied voltage were systematically investigated. Satisfactory repeatability was achieved through intra-day, inter-day and batch-to-batch investigations with relative standard deviations less than 3.40%. Furthermore, the established method was successfully applied to test the chiral impurity of naproxen sample.

A monolithic capillary column was prepared by single-step copolymerization of the ionic liquid 1-vinyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide (VOI) and styrene. The VOI and styrene monomers were introduced to provide multiple interaction sites and increase hydrophobicity and aromaticity of the monolithic column, respectively. The effect of porogen ratio, monomer ratio and reaction temperature on permeability was investigated. The resulting column was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and the results suggest that the column possesses high porosity and good homogeneity. A relatively strong anodic electroosmotic flow was generated over a wide range of pH values (pH 2.0–10.0), and this facilitates the rapid separation of analytes within 12 min. Alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), proteins and amino acids were used to evaluate the performance of the monolithic column under capillary electrochromatography mode by UV detection. Mixed-mode retention mechanisms including hydrophobic interaction, π-stacking, ion-exclusion interaction were observed. The monolithic column exhibits high column efficiency (8.72 × 104 plates∙m−1) and satisfying separation capability (the resolution of four alkylbenzenes: 2.54, 2.86 and 4.62, four PAHs: 2.79, 4.83 and 4.77, three proteins: 4.35 and 2.86, two amino acids: 3.34).

A new bilayer chiral stationary phase for use in open tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) system is described. Gold nanoparticles were modified with L-cysteine, with a tetramethylammonium lactobionate ionic liquid that acts as the chiral selector. The gold nanoparticle-coated column provides good enantioseparation and favorable reproducibility. Compared with an uncoated separation system, the column developed displays improved separation of the racemic β-blockers propranolol, esmolol, bisoprolol and sotalol (resolutions of enotiomers are 6.29, 6.11, 6.12 and 6.02, respectively). The materials and coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The main driving forces (CEC and electro-osmotic flow) were studied to evaluate the variation of the immobilized columns. The effects of buffer pH value, concentration of chiral selector, type of organic modifier and applied voltage were optimized. Satisfactory relative standard deviations were achieved in run-to-run, day-to-day and column-to-column experiments. Graphical abstractSchematic preparation of a capillary column with bilayer chiral selectors coated gold nanoparticles. This novel OT-CEC system was applied for separation of four basic racemic β-blockers.

This study deals with the nonaqueous capillary electrophoretic enantioseparation of twenty-two amino alcohol drugs with a maltobionic acid (MA)-based ionic liquid (tetramethylammonium maltobionic acid, TMA-MA) as the novel chiral selector. In consideration of the poor solubility of MA in organic solvents, we managed to transform MA into ionic liquids (ILs) for the first time. Interestingly, this chiral selector exhibited powerful enantioselectivity towards the model analytes in company with boric acid. Systematical experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of concentration of TMA-MA, boric acid and tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (Tris) as well as applied voltage on the enantioseparation. A great majority of enantiomers (except labetalol) were baseline separated under the optimized conditions and the effect of the molecular structure of amino alcohol drugs on the chiral separation was discussed. In addition, electrophoretic experiments, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS) and molecular modeling with the Gaussian program were employed to demonstrate the mechanism of chiral recognition. Based on the formation of an ionic liquid-boric acid-analyte complex, hydrogen binding was mainly responsible for enantioseparation.

The authors describe a synergistic system for nanoparticle based chiral separation. It is based on the use of a conventional chiral selector hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin and a kind of gold nanoparticle functionalized with D-penicillamine as an additive. This nanomaterial displays a synergistic effect on the efficiency of the enantioseparation of the chiral drugs amlodipine, tropicamide, and ofloxacin. A comparative study on the enantioseparation capability of three separation systems, viz. (a) single hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin system, (b) achiral citrate capped gold nanoparticle/ hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin system, and (c) chiral D-penicillamine functionalized gold nanoparticle/ hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin system was performed. The results show that the D-penicillamine functionalized gold nanoparticle/hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin synergistic system has remarkable superiority. The effects of concentrations of D-penicillamine functionalized gold nanoparticle and hydroxyproyl-β-cyclodextrin, of buffer pH value and concentration, and of applied voltage on the performance of enantioseparation were investigated.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have radically improved the treatment of B cell–derived malignancies by targeting CD19. The success has not yet expanded to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We developed a Sequentially Tumor-Selected Antibody and Antigen Retrieval (STAR) system to rapidly isolate multiple nanobodies (Nbs) that preferentially bind AML cells and empower CAR T cells with anti-AML efficacy. STAR-isolated Nb157 specifically bound CD13, which is highly expressed in AML cells, and CD13 CAR T cells potently eliminated AML in vitro and in vivo. CAR T cells bispecific for CD13 and TIM3, which are upregulated in AML leukemia stem cells, eradicated patient-derived AML, with much reduced toxicity to human bone marrow stem cells and peripheral myeloid cells in mouse models, highlighting a promising approach for developing effective AML CAR T cell therapy.

ObjectiveWe aimed to elucidate the mutual regulation mechanism of ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF1α), and the mechanism they promote the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells under hypoxic conditions.DesignCell counting, migration, self-renewal ability, chemoresistance and expression of stemness genes were established to detect the stemness of HCC cells. Immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were used to elucidate the mutual regulation mechanism of USP22 and HIF1α. HCC patient samples and The Cancer Genome Atlas data were used to demonstrate the clinical significance. In vivo USP22-targeting experiment was performed in mice bearing HCC.ResultsUSP22 promotes hypoxia-induced HCC stemness and glycolysis by deubiquitinating and stabilising HIF1α. As direct target genes of HIF1α, USP22 and TP53 can be transcriptionally upregulated by HIF1α under hypoxic conditions. In TP53 wild-type HCC cells, HIF1α induced TP53-mediated inhibition of HIF1α-induced USP22 upregulation. In TP53-mutant HCC cells, USP22 and HIF1α formed a positive feedback loop and promote the stemness of HCC. HCC patients with a loss-of-function mutation at TP53 and high USP22 and/or HIF1α expression tend to have a worse prognosis. The USP22-targeting lipopolyplexes caused high tumour inhibition and high sorafenib sensitivity in mice bearing HCC.ConclusionUSP22 promotes hypoxia-induced HCC stemness by a HIF1α/USP22 positive feedback loop on TP53 inactivation. USP22 is a promising target for the HCC therapy.

Recently, in separation science, ionic liquids (ILs) have been commonly used as modifiers for buffer solutions, dynamic coating solutions, or coating solutions on carriers in capillary electrophoresis. However, only several papers have reported the use of chiral ILs as the sole chiral selector. In this paper, a chiral ionic liquid, cholinium-clindamycin phosphate (Ch-CP), was synthesized and employed as a sole chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis (CE). A series of parameters affecting the separation were optimized, including chiral selector concentration, buffer pH, proportion of organic modifier, as well as the applied voltage. Under the optimal conditions, compared to clindamycin phosphate (CP), the IL selector showed better enantioseparation capability and improved peak shapes for five racemic drugs. In addition, Molecular docking program Autodock was employed to elucidate the chiral recognition mechanism of Ch-CP, the computing results conformed to the experimental results.

Menin, a protein encoded by the MEN1 gene, suppresses cancers associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), but promotes the development of a subset of leukemia induced by mixed lineage leukemia (MLL)-derived fusion proteins (MLL-FPs). The crystal structure of menin indicates that it acts as a scaffold protein to bind the N-terminus of MLL via a central pocket. Small molecule menin-MLL inhibitors (MIs) bind the menin pocket to disrupt the menin/MLL interaction, resulting in suppression of MLL-FP-transformed acute myeoloid leukemia (AML). It is thought that MIs suppress the MLL-FP-induced leukemia by blocking the menin/MLL interaction and menin/MLL-induced HOX gene transcription. However, it is not clear whether MIs also affect other aspects of menin biology beyond disruption of the menin/MLL interaction. Here we show for the first time that MIs reduced menin protein levels and decreased the half-life of menin protein but have no effect on mRNA level in MLL-FP-expressing leukemia cells, and proteasome or E1 ligase inhibitor rescued the MI-induced menin degradation. Notably, the MI-induced reduction of H3K4m3 and HOXA9 expression was rescued with a proteasome inhibitor that blocks MI-induced menin protein degradation. Mechanistically, MIs promote the interaction of menin with Hsp70-associated ubiquitin ligase CHIP, resulting in increased menin ubiquitination, leading to increased menin degradation. Together, these findings uncover a novel mechanism whereby small molecule MIs increase menin degradation by triggering the Hsp70/CHIP-mediated ubiquitin-proteasome pathway that ultimately leads to the reduction in HOXA9 gene expression and leukemia suppression.

Transfersomes were a special kind of nanomaterials with higher deformability and flexibility. A rapid method for coated-column preparation using anionic transfersomes as a coating material by electrostatic adsorption was developed. With carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin added in running buffer as the chiral selector, the capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation system based on the transfersomes-coated column modified by electrostatic adsorption was established for the first time. Propranolol and metoprolol acted as model drugs to evaluate the enantioseparation performance, these two basic drugs achieved baseline separation with satisfactory resolution and selection factor in this transfersomes-electrochromatography system but only partial separation in bare column system. In order to get the optimal separation condition, concentration of chiral selector, buffer pH, and applied voltage were systematically investigated. A rapid and efficient enantioseparation electrochromatography system was established and showed that transfersomes as the stationary phase could efficiently improve chiral separation effect.

Recently, increasing attention has been given to the research on chiral ionic liquids (CILs) in chiral separation field; however, only a few literatures focus on the exploration of CILs as the sole chiral selector. In this study, an ionic liquid chiral selector based on antibiotic, namely tetramethylammonium clindamycin phosphate (TMA-CP), was originally synthesized and subsequently utilized for enantioseparation in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Remarkably improved separations of eight racemic analytes were achieved in TMA-CP system in contrast to the clindamycin phosphate (CP) system. The optimal separation conditions were determinated by systematic experiments on several crucial parameters including the type and proportion of organic modifier, CIL concentration, buffer pH, and applied voltage. Additionally, molecular modeling with AutoDock was applied to probe into the chiral recognition mechanism of the ionic liquid chiral selectors, which well corresponded with the experimental results. It is the first time that antibiotic-based ionic liquid was exploited as favorable sole chiral selector in CE, and this strategy has paved a new way for development of novel ionic liquids chiral selectors based on antibiotics. Graphical abstract.

The preparation of an organic polymer monolithic column modified with an amino acid ionic liquid and graphene oxide (AAIL-GO) and its application to capillary electrochromatography (CEC) was described. The AAIL tetramethylammonium-L-arginine was bonded to a monolithic column that was previously modified with graphene oxide by using an hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide coupling reaction. The morphology of a poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The incorporation of AAIL and graphene oxide was detected by infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The resulting monolithic column produced a strong and stable electroosmotic flow from the anode to the cathode in the pH range from 3 to 9. Compared with a column modified with AAIL or graphene oxide only, the AAIL-GO-modified column has a better separation ability for amino acids, β-blockers, and nucleotides (the resolution of three amino acids: 2.231 and 2.036, β-blockers: 2.779 and 2.470 and nucleotides: 8.345 and 3.321). Molecular modeling was applied to demonstrate the separation mechanism of small molecules which showed a good support for experimental results. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) systems with an amino acid ionic liquid-graphene oxide modified organic polymer monolithic column as stationary phases for separation of amino acids, β-blockers, and nucleotides.

The authors describe the fabrication of a stationary phase for use in enantioseparation in capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The stationary phase was obtained by covalent immobilization of graphene oxide (GO) on the inner walls of a fused-silica capillary. Methyl-β-cyclodextrin was used as the chiral selector, and the enantiomers were detected by UV absorptiometry. Compared with uncoated fused-silica capillary, obviously improved separation of three tested drug enantiomers was obtained in the GO-polymer coated capillary column (the resolution of Naproxen: 0 → 1.56, Warfarin: 0 → 1.89 and Pranoprofen:0 → 1.51). The effects of buffer pH, type and proportion of organic modifier, concentration of chiral selector and applied voltage were optimized. Molecular modeling was applied to demonstrate the mechanism of enantioseparation, which showed a good agreement with the experimental results.

In recent years, chiral ionic liquids (CILs) have attracted more and more attention in the field of enantioseparation. In this study, two novel spirocyclic chiral ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium(T-4)-bis[(2S)-2-(hydroxy-κO)-3-methylbutanoato-κO]borate (BMIm(+)BLHvB(-)) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (T-4)-bis[(αS)-α-(hydroxy-κO)-4-methylbenzeneacetato-κO]borate (BMIm(+)BSMB(-)), were applied for the first time in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to establish synergistic systems for enantiomeric separation. Significantly improved separations of five tested analytes were observed in the CILs synergistic systems based on three β-cyclodextrin derivatives (CD), compared with conventional single CD separation systems. Several principal parameters such as CILs concentration, cyclodextrin concentration, buffer pH, and applied voltage were systematically investigated with BMIm(+)BLHvB(-)/hydroxypropyl-β-CD selected as a model system to optimize the enantioseparation. Molecular modeling was applied to further demonstrate the chiral recognition mechanism of the CILs/hydroxypropyl-β-CD synergistic system, which showed a good agreement with the experimental results.

The inner wall of a capillary was coated with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to form tentacle-type coating, and poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles (PGMA NPs) were then immobilized on the film. Ethanediamine-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector was covalently bonded into the PGMA NPs through the ring-open reaction. The materials were characterized by SEM, TEM and FT-IR. The modified column was applied to the enantioseparation of the racemates of propranolol, amlodipine and metoprolol. Compared to a capillary with a single layer of CD-PGMA (without GMA coating) and to a CD-GMA system (without PGMA nanoparticles), the performance of the capillary is strongly improved. The effects of buffer pH value and applied voltage were optimized. Best resolutions (propranolol: 1.27, metoprolol: 1.01 and amlodipine: 2.93) were obtained when using the PGMA-coated capillary system. The run-to-run, day-to-day and column-to-column reproducibility were tested and found to be highly attractive. The new stationary phase is likely to have a large potential and scope in that it may also be applied to chiral separations of other enantiomers, such as amino acids and biogenic amines. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of a capillary column with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) coating which was then immobilized with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles and ethanediamine-β-cyclodextrin. This novel open tubular column was applied to construct capillary electrochromatography system for separation of basic racemic drugs.

Supplemental digital content is available in the text., Objectives Menin, a chromatin binding protein, interacts with various epigenetic regulators to regulate gene transcription, whereas forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is a transcription factor that can be regulated by multiple signaling pathways. Both menin and FOXO1 are crucial regulators of β-cell function and metabolism; however, whether or how they interplay to regulate β cells is not clear. Methods To examine whether menin affects expression of FOXO1, we ectopically expressed menin complementary DNA and small hairpin RNA targeting menin via a retroviral vector in INS-1 cells. Western blotting was used to analyze protein levels. Results Our current work shows that menin increases the expression of FOXO1. Menin stabilizes FOXO1 protein level in INS-1 cells, as shown by increased half-life of FOXO1 by menin expression. Moreover, menin represses ubiquitination of FOXO1 protein and AKT phosphorylation, We found that menin stabilizes FOXO1 by repressing FOXO1 degradation mediated by S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, promoting caspase 3 activation and apoptosis. Conclusions Because FOXO1 upregulates the menin gene transcription, our findings unravel a crucial menin and FOXO1 interplay, with menin and FOXO1 upregulating their expression reciprocally, forming a positive feedback loop to sustain menin and FOXO1 expression.

In this study, a carboxymethylated-β-cyclodextrin-based chiral ionic liquid (CIL), tetramethylammonium-carboxymethylated-β-cyclodextrin (TMA-CM-β-CD) was successfully designed and synthesized. This cyclodextrin-based ionic liquids (ILs) was used as the sole chiral selector in capillary electrophoresis, and it is very interesting to find that the chiral separation capability can be remarkably improved when a conventional cyclodextrin chiral selector evolved into an IL chiral selector. The ionic liquid showed satisfactory separation performance towards twelve tested drugs. A series of parameters affecting the enantioseparation, such as the type and proportion of organic modifier, buffer pH, chiral selector concentration, as well as applied voltage were systematically investigated. Additionally, the molecular docking program Autodock was applied to further demonstrate the mechanism of chiral recognition and the enhanced enantioselectivity of TMA-CM-β-CD, which kept in agreement with our experimental results.