Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Synthetic Indolone Derivatives as Anti-Tumor Agents Targeting p53-MDM2 and p53-MDMX

A series of novel indolone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinities toward MDM2 and MDMX. Some compounds showed potent MDM2 and moderate MDMX activities. Among them, compound A13 exhibited the most potent affinity toward MDM2 and MDMX, with a K_i of 0.031 and 7.24 μM, respectively. A13 was also the most potent agent against HCT116, MCF7, and A549, with IC₅₀ values of 6.17, 11.21, and 12.49 μM, respectively. Western blot analysis confirmed that A13 upregulated the expression of MDM2, MDMX, and p53 by Western blot analysis. These results indicate that A13 is a potent dual p53-MDM2 and p53-MDMX inhibitor and deserves further investigation.     

BF3*Et2O/MCM-41固体酸催化剂及其催化性能的研究

MCM-41因其具有规整的六方一维孔道、高比表面积及可作为催化剂或催化剂载体的优良性能而备受关注[1]. 但由于铝取代的MCM-41具弱酸性, 将其作为酸催化剂的研究尚不多见. 为此, 对MCM-41进行表面改性或负载酸性物质是行之有效的方法. 本文以BF3*Et2O对MCM-41分子筛进行表面改性, 并采用XRD和原位FTIR技术对BF3*Et2O/MCM-41催化剂进行表征; 探讨了催化剂制备条件对环氧氯丙烷与异丁醇的缩合反应性能的影响.     

Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to study the dissociation of the p53·MDM2/X complex by potentially anticancer compounds

A new analytical method to study the dissociation of the complexes between the oncosuppressor p53 and its negative modulators murine double‐minute protein 2 (MDM2) or MDMX, is proposed. This technique is reliable to determine the dissociative power exerted by small molecules on the complex taking advantage of the appearance of migrating MDM2 or MDMX in a native polyacrylamide gel, when inhibitors are added to the complex mixture. Therefore, we propose this new approach to easily screen library of compounds, with potential pharmacological anticancer activity.     

A Novel ERK2 Degrader Z734 Induces Apoptosis of MCF–7 Cells via the HERC3/p53 Signaling Pathway

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and synthetic chemicals targeting specific proteins or various molecular pathways for tumor suppression, such as ERK inhibitors and degraders, have been intensively investigated. The targets of ERK participate in the regulation of critical cellular mechanisms and underpin the progression of anticancer therapy. In this study, we identified a novel small molecule, which we named Z734, as a new mitogen–activated protein kinase 1 (ERK2) degrader and demonstrated that Z734 inhibits cell growth by inducing p53–mediated apoptotic pathways in human breast cancer cells. Treatment with Z734 resulted in the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and migration invasion, as well as cancer cell death via apoptosis. In addition, the Co–IP and GST pulldown assays indicated that the HECT and RLD domains containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 3 (HERC3) could directly interact with ERK2 through the HECT domain, promoting ERK2 ubiquitination. We also observed a strong link between HERC3 and p53 for the modulation of apoptosis. HERC3 can increase the protein and phosphorylation levels of p53, which further promotes apoptotic activity. In a xenograft mouse model, the effect was obtained in a treatment group that combined Z734 with lapatinib compared with that of the single–treatment groups. In summary, our results indicated that Z734 actively controls the development of breast cancer through apoptosis, and HERC3 may mediate ERK2 and p53 signaling, which offers new potential targets for clinical therapy.     

PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂的丙烷脱氢催化性能

用微型催化反应装置评价,并结合X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、表面积和孔结构测试、程序升温还原(TPR)、氢化学吸附和热重分析等方法研究了负载型PtSn/γ-Al2O3,PtSn/MCM-41和PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂的丙烷脱氢反应催化性能.发现PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂具有较PtSn/MCM-41催化剂高的丙烷脱氢反应活性和较PtSn/γ-Al2O3催化剂高的反应稳定性.实验结果表明,纯硅MCM-41载体表面的锡物种因与载体相互作用较弱故易被还原,导致铂金属分散度和催化剂的丙烷脱氢活性较低.用Al2O3修饰MCM-41可以增强Sn物种与Al2O3/MCM-41载体之间的相互作用,提高PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂铂金属分散度和丙烷脱氢催化活性.并且,积炭后的PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂具有较高的铂金属表面裸露度,故具有较高的丙烷脱氢反应稳定性.PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂优良的丙烷脱氢催化性能町能不仅与Sn-载体Al2O3/MCM-41较强的相互作用有关,而且与Al2O3/MCM-41载体的介孔结构有关.     

The eukaryotic Pso2p/Snm1p family revisited: in silico analyses of Pso2p A, B and Plasmodium groups

The eukaryotic family of Pso2/Snm1 exo/endonuclease proteins has important functions in repair of DNA damages induced by chemical interstrand cross-linking agents and ionizing radiation. These exo/endonucleases are also necessary for V(D)J recombination and genomic caretaking. However, despite the growing biochemical data about this family, little is known about the number of orthologous/paralogous Pso2p/Snm1p sequences in eukaryotes and how they are phylogenetically organized. In this work we have characterized new Pso2p/Snm1p sequences from the finished and unfinished eukaryotic genomes and performed an in-depth phylogenetic analysis. The results indicate that four phylogenetically related groups compose the Pso2p/Snm1p family: (i) the Artemis/Artemis-like group, (ii) the Pso2p A group, (iii) the Pso2p B group and (iv) the Pso2p Plasmodium group. Using the available biochemical and genomic information about Pso2p/Snm1p family, we concentrate our research in the study of Pso2p A, B and Plasmodium groups. The phylogenetic results showed that A and B groups can be organized in specific subgroups with different functions in DNA metabolism. Moreover, we subjected selected Pso2p A, B and Plasmodium proteins to hydrophobic cluster analysis (HCA) in order to map and to compare conserved regions within these sequences. Four conserved regions could be detected by HCA, which are distributed along the metallo-β-lactamase and β-CASP motifs. Interestingly, both Pso2p A and B proteins are structurally similar, while Pso2p Plasmodium proteins have a unique domain organization. The possible functions of A, B and Plasmodium groups are discussed.     

Benzylation of benzene and substituted benzenes by benzyl chloride over InCl3, GaCl3, FeCl3 and ZnCl2 supported on clays and Si-MCM-41

Liquid phase benzylation of benzene by benzyl chloride to diphenyl methane over InCl₃, GaCl₃, FeCl₃ and ZnCl₂ supported on commercial clays (viz. Montmorillonite-K10, Montmorillonite-KSF and Kaolin) or on high silica mesoporous MCM-41 (at 60, 70 and 80 °C) has been investigated. The supported InCl₃, GaCl₃ and FeCl₃ showed high activity for the benzylation of benzene. The redox function created due to the impregnation of the clays or Si-MCM-41 by InCl₃, GaCl₃, FeCl₃ or ZnCl₂ seems to play a very important role in the benzylation process. Among the catalysts, the InCl₃/Mont.-K10 showed both high activity and high selectivity for the benzylation. The activity of this catalyst for the benzylation of different aromatic compounds is in the following order: benzene>toluene>mesitylene>anisole. The InCl₃ (or GaCl₃)/Mont.-K10 (or Si-MCM-41) catalyst showed high benzene benzylation activity even in the presence of moisture in the reaction mixture. The catalyst can also be reused in the benzylation for several times. Kinetics of the benzene benzylation (using excess of benzene) over the supported metal chloride catalysts have also been thoroughly investigated. A plausible reaction mechanism for the benzylation over the supported metal chloride catalysts is proposed.     

PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂的丙烷脱氢催化性能

用微型催化反应装置评价, 并结合X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、表面积和孔结构测试、程序升温还原(TPR)、氢化学吸附和热重分析等方法研究了负载型PtSn/γ-Al2O3, PtSn/MCM-41和PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂的丙烷脱氢反应催化性能. 发现PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂具有较PtSn/MCM-41催化剂高的丙烷脱氢反应活性和较PtSn/γ-Al2O3催化剂高的反应稳定性. 实验结果表明, 纯硅MCM-41载体表面的锡物种因与载体相互作用较弱故易被还原, 导致铂金属分散度和催化剂的丙烷脱氢活性较低. 用Al2O3修饰MCM-41可以增强Sn物种与Al2O3/MCM-41载体之间的相互作用, 提高PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂铂金属分散度和丙烷脱氢催化活性. 并且, 积炭后的PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂具有较高的铂金属表面裸露度, 故具有较高的丙烷脱氢反应稳定性. PtSn/Al2O3/MCM-41催化剂优良的丙烷脱氢催化性能可能不仅与Sn-载体Al2O3/MCM-41较强的相互作用有关, 而且与Al2O3/MCM-41载体的介孔结构有关.     

p53 and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit independently function in regulating actin damage-induced tetraploid G1 arrest

We previously reported that the p53 tumor suppressor protein plays an essential role in the induction of tetraploid G1 arrest in response to perturbation of the actin cytoskeleton, termed actin damage. In this study, we investigated the role of p53, ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM), and catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) in tetraploid G1 arrest induced by actin damage. Treatment with actin- damaging agents including pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) increases phosphorylation of Ser-15 and Ser-37 residues of p53, but not Ser-20 residue. Knockdown of ATM and DNA-PKcs do not affect p53 phosphorylation induced by actin damage. However, while ATM knockdown does not affect tetraploid G1 arrest, knockdown of DNA-PKcs not only perturbs tetraploid G1 arrest, but also results in formation of polyploidy and induction of apoptosis. These results indicate that DNA-PKcs is essential for the maintenance of actin damage induced- tetraploid G1 arrest in a p53-independent manner. Furthermore, actin damage-induced p53 expression is not observed in cells synchronized at G1/S of the cell cycle, implying that p53 induction is due to actin damage-induced tetraploidy rather than perturbation of actin cytoskeleton. Therefore, these results suggest that p53 and DNA- PKcs independently function for tetraploid G1 arrest and preventing polyploidy formation.     

MCM-41与不同配体-Tb3+组装体的性能研究

在氨水体系中制备了MCM-41-水杨酸、MCM-41-水杨酸-Tb3+、MCM-41-水杨酸-邻菲咯啉-Tb3+,并通过XRD、IR、激发与发射光谱等技术对其进行了表征.在氨水和室温条件下就可获得规整有序、结品度高、稳定性好的组装体样品.MCM-41-水杨酸体系中,水杨酸掺杂浓度为0.025 g时发光最强.在MCM-41-水杨酸-T3+体系中,低强度激发下,Tb3+自身并不发光,但对水杨酸起到敏化作用,随Tb3+用量的增加,水杨酸发光逐渐增强;高能量激发下,提高了水杨酸和Tb3+的激发态密度,无论是低温(7 K)还是高温(300 K),均观察到Tb3+的由5D3→7F5,5D4→7F6,5D4→7F4的发光.在MCM-41-水杨酸-邻菲咯啉-Tb3+体系中,MCM-41的表面品格场对配体单重态和三重态能级有较大的影响,第二配体邻菲咯啉S1态吸收的能量向,T3+转移的效率增加,使Tb3+荧光发射强度增强.     

MCM-41分子筛固载BF3·X固体酸催化剂的合成及其催化性能的研究

以BF3·X(X=Et2O, H2O, H3PO4, HOAc, HOEt)对MCM-41分子筛进行表面改性, 具体合成了BF3·X/MCM-41固体酸催化剂, 同时采用XRD和原位FT-IR技术对BF3·X/MCM-41催化剂进行表征, 并探讨了催化剂的制备条件对环氧氯丙烷与异丁醇的缩合反应性能的影响.     

An integrated in silico screening strategy for identifying promising disruptors of p53-MDM2 interaction

The p53 protein, also called guardian of the genome, plays a critical role in the cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. This protein is frequently inactivated in several types of human cancer by abnormally high levels of its negative regulator, mouse double minute 2 (MDM2). As a result, restoration of p53 function by inhibiting p53-MDM2 protein–protein interaction has been pursued as a compelling strategy for cancer therapy. To date, a limited number of small-molecules have been reported as effective p53−MDM2 inhibitors. X-ray structures of MDM2 in complex with some ligands are available in Protein Data Bank and herein, these data have been exploited to efficiently identify new p53-MDM2 interaction antagonists through a hierarchical virtual screening strategy. For this purpose, the first step was aimed at compiling a focused library of 686,630 structurally suitable compounds, from PubChem database, similar to two known effective inhibitors, Nutlin-3a and DP222669. These compounds were subjected to the subsequent structure-based approaches (quantum polarized ligand docking and molecular dynamics simulation) to select potential compounds with highest binding affinity for MDM2 protein. Additionally, ligand binding energy, ADMET properties and PAINS analysis were also considered as filtering criteria for selecting the most promising drug-like molecules. On the basis of these analyses, three top-ranked hit molecules, CID_118439641, CID_60452010 and CID_3106907, were found to have acceptable pharmacokinetics properties along with superior in silico inhibitory ability towards the p53-MDM2 interaction compared to known inhibitors. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics results well confirmed the interactions of the final selected compounds with critical residues within p53 binding site on the MDM2 hydrophobic clefts with satisfactory thermodynamics stability. Consequently, the new final scaffolds identified by the presented computational approach could offer a set of guidelines for designing promising anti-cancer agents targeting p53-MDM2 interaction.     

Pt－Mo／Al_2O_3和Pt－Co－Mo／Al_2O_3催化剂中Pt、Co助

利用ＴＰＲ、Ｈ_２－ＴＰＤ技术，考察了氢气氛下的Ｐｔ－Ｍｏ／Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３和Ｐｔ－Ｃｏ－Ｍｏ／Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３催化体系中物种和电荷交换的现象和规律，揭示了Ｐｔ和Ｃｏ在表面Ｍｏ物种还原过程中助剂作用的本质．Ｐｔ－Ｍｏ／Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３的ＴＰＲ、Ｈ_２－ＴＰＤ结果证明，由于微量Ｐｔ参与了表面Ｍｏ物种还原时的物种和电子交换，有效地降低了其还原温度．Ｒｔ－Ｍｏ／Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３在氢还原过程中，氢和Ｍｏ容易形成载有活动氢的氢物种，并储存在催化剂表面，这种活动氢在Ａｒ中，甚至Ａｒ－Ｈ２混合气中可以释放出来。Ｐｔ－Ｃｏ－Ｍｏ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３的研究结果表明，Ｃｏ可以进一步促进Ｍｏ的还原．在样品预还原过程中，氢和Ｃｏ可以形成氢物种，其上的氢具有更强的可动性，很容易溢流到Ｍｏ物种的边上促进其还原．根据以上规律可以推测，加氢脱硫催化剂中Ｃｏ和贵金属的作用是使催化剂更容易形成低价的配位不饱和的钼中心，也就是ＨＤＳ活性中心．     

Binding Ensembles of p53-MDM2 Peptide Inhibitors by Combining Bayesian Inference and Atomistic Simulations

Designing peptide inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 interaction against cancer is of wide interest. Computational modeling and virtual screening are a well established step in the rational design of small molecules. But they face challenges for binding flexible peptide molecules that fold upon binding. We look at the ability of five different peptides, three of which are intrinsically disordered, to bind to MDM2 with a new Bayesian inference approach (MELD × MD). The method is able to capture the folding upon binding mechanism and differentiate binding preferences between the five peptides. Processing the ensembles with statistical mechanics tools depicts the most likely bound conformations and hints at differences in the binding mechanism. Finally, the study shows the importance of capturing two driving forces to binding in this system: the ability of peptides to adopt bound conformations (ΔGconformation) and the interaction between interface residues (ΔGinteraction).     

Mo_2N/Zr-MCM-41新型催化剂的制备、表征及其麻疯树油加氢脱氧的催化性能

采用水热法合成载体MCM-41与不同初始n(Si)/n(Zr)的Zr-MCM-41,由(NH_4)_6Mo_7O_(24)与载体经过共浸渍、高温焙烧、氨气程序升温氮化制备了Mo_2N/Zr-MCM-41新型加氢脱氧催化剂。采用XRD、BET、XPS、TEM以及吡啶红外等手段对催化剂进行了表征,并采用高压反应釜评价了不同n(Si)/n(Zr)的Mo_2N/Zr-MCM-41催化麻疯树油加氢脱氧反应的性能。结果表明,Zr改性后的载体与纯硅MCM-41同样具有良好的孔道结构,且L酸、B酸酸值提高。Mo_2N作为活性组分体现出了优异的加氢脱氧性能,在反应温度350℃、氢气分压3.0 MPa条件下催化的产品油组成主要为直链烷烃与芳香族化合物,占产品组分的90%(质量分数)以上;不同n(Si)/n(Zr)的新型催化剂脱氧率可高达100%;芳香族化合物含量高于直链烷烃,最高可占组成的72.09%(质量分数),主要以单环、双环芳香烃为主,碳链长度分布在C_(8-16);直链烷烃碳链长度分布在C_(8-17)。通过Mo_2N/Zr-MCM-41催化后的麻疯树油经分馏处理后可制备生物燃料。     

Comparative Study of CuO Species on CuO/Al2O3, CuO/CeO-Al2O3 andCuO/La2O-Al2O3 Catalysts for CO Oxidation

CuO/Al2O3, CuO/CeO2-Al2O3, and CuO/La2O3-Al2O3 (denoted as Cu/Al, Cu/CeAl, and Cu/LaAl) catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method. CuO species and CuO/Al2O3 thermal solid-solid interaction were characterized by in situ XRD, Raman spectroscopy and H2-TPR techniques. For the Cu/Al catalyst, a CuAl2O4 phase exists between the CuO and Al2O3 layer and the CuO phase exists on the surface in both highly dispersed and bulk forms. For the Cu/CeAl catalyst, there is highly dispersed and bulk CuO on the surface, but most of the CuO has transferred into the internal layer of CeO2 as bulk CuO and CuAl2O4. For the Cu/LaAl catalyst, only bulk CuO is present on the surface of the catalyst and no CuAl2O4 is formed. The catalytic activity order for CO oxidation is Cu/CeAl>Cu/Al>Cu/LaAl. The highly dispersed CuO on the catalyst surface may be the active phase for CO oxidation. The results show that the addition of CeO2 not only promotes both the transference of CuO and the formation of CuAl2O4 but also favors the CO oxidation due to the association of highly dispersed CuO with CeO2, while La2O3 hinders the transference of CuO and the formation of CuAl2O4.     

Pt/Al2O3和Pt-Cu/Al2O3催化CCl4氢化脱氯反应

制备了Al2O3负载Pt单金属催化剂和负载Pt-Cu双金属催化剂,比较了二者不同还原温度对其催化CCl4氢化脱氯反应性能的影响。 单金属Pt催化剂上主要生成CHCl3,而双金属Pt-Cu催化剂上产物随催化剂制备时的还原温度不同而异,当催化剂经400 ℃用H2还原后产物主要为CHCl3,而当催化剂经800 ℃用H2还原后产物主要为CCl2CCl2。 由于CCl4氢化反应是强放热反应,催化剂表面局部过热使得在反应中生成的C2等产物聚合结焦,覆盖了催化剂的活性中心,导致催化剂失活。 因此,通过加入甲醇作为稀释剂以带走部分反应热可提高催化剂的稳定性。 同时也降低了CHCl3的选择性,提高了CCl2CCl2的选择性。     

Pt对Ni2P/MCM-41催化剂加氢脱硫性能的影响

以MCM-41为载体, 采用程序升温还原法制备了含有少量Pt的Ni-P/MCM-41催化剂, 并用氢气程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、 X射线衍射(XRD)、 N₂吸附比表面积、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)对催化剂的结构和性能进行了表征. 考察了P/Ni摩尔比及Pt含量对Ni-P/MCM-41催化剂催化二苯并噻吩(DBT)加氢脱硫(HDS)性能的影响. 结果表明, Pt能降低Ni₂P催化剂的还原温度, 并有助于Ni₂P相的生成, 抑制团聚现象, 提高催化剂的HDS活性. 当Pt的质量分数为0.6%, P/Ni摩尔比为2时, 催化剂具有最佳加氢脱硫活性, 在340 ℃, 3.0 MPa, 氢油体积比为500, 质量空速(WHSV)为2.0 h^-1的条件下, 二苯并噻吩转化率为100%, 且催化剂加氢脱硫活性在120 h内基本保持稳定.     

Liquid Phase Hydrogenation of t,t,c‐1,5,9‐Cyclododecatriene over Ni/MCM‐41 and Ni/SiO2 Catalysts

Ni‐loaded pure siliceous and aluminosilicate MCM‐41 (Ni/MCM‐41) and nickel‐loaded silica (15Ni/SiO₂) were synthesized via wet impregnation and were characterized by various techniques. The H₂ consumption in the TPR analysis was found to be proportional to the Ni amount in the calcined samples. After reduction the average Ni particle sizes of 15Ni/MCM‐41 and 15Ni/SiO₂ were 9–12 and 16 nm, respectively, by means of XRD and TEM measurements. All catalysts owned weak and intermediate Lewis acid sites that increased slightly with increasing the Ni amount and the Al content. In the liquid phase hydrogenation of t,t,c‐1,5,9‐cyclododecatriene over Ni/MCM‐41, the catalytic activity was parallel to the Ni content and enhanced slightly with the acid amount of the catalysts. Consequently, it was proposed that the Ni metallic sites contributed the major effect to the catalytic activity while the Lewis acid sites promoted a small but significant influence on the catalytic performance. It is noteworthy that all 15Ni/MCM‐41 catalysts exhibited remarkably higher activity than that of the conventional 15Ni/SiO₂ catalyst.