Concise Synthesis of the Multiply Oxygenated ABC-Ring System of the Dihydro-β-agarofurans

The multiply oxygenated ABC-ring system of the dihydro-β-agarofurans was synthesized by employing two highly stereoselective reactions. The quinidine-catalyzed Diels–Alder reaction between a chiral dienophile and 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pyrone simultaneously installed the C2-stereogenic center and two contiguous tetrasubstituted carbon centers (C5 and C10) of the A-ring. After 12 additional transformations, the aldol reaction of the resulting spiral AC-ring cyclized the B-ring with stereoselective introduction of the C7- and C8-centers

Intermolecular Radical Reaction of <i>O</i>,<i>Se</i>-Acetals Generated via Seleno-Pummerer Rearrangement

A new general protocol for the synthesis of <i>O</i>,<i>Se</i>-acetals using the seleno-Pummerer reaction has been developed, and their radical-based two- and three-component coupling reactions were studied. The three-component coupling employed the <i>O</i>,<i>Se</i>-acetal, cyclopentenone, and an allylstannane derivative, and enabled stereoselective installations of α-acyloxy alkyl and functionalized allyl groups to generate the 2,3-<i>trans</i>-disubstituted cyclopentanone in a single operation. The obtained highly functionalized structure was used as an intermediate for facile assembly of the zedoarondiol carboskeleton

Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Antibody and Dasatinib Combination Therapy Exhibits Efficacy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Mouse Models

In this study, we investigated the in vivo metastasis suppression effects of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor inhibitor dasatinib, which targets cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), in combination with an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody. We classified clinical CRC cases as inflamed, excluded, or desert using immunohistochemical analysis and evaluated the tumor stroma. The excluded type was the most common, and cases with high-volume stroma in the primary lesions also had a high stromal volume in the liver metastatic lesions. Liver-metastasis mouse models with different stromal volumes were established and treatment-induced changes in the tumor immune microenvironment were evaluated. The anti-PD-1 antibody alone exhibited a therapeutic effect for the liver metastases with low stromal volumes but not for the liver metastases with high stromal volumes. In contrast, antitumor effects were observed with anti-PD-1 antibody/dasatinib combination therapy even in the liver metastases with high stromal volumes. Combination therapy reduced the stromal volume, promoted immune cell infiltration, induced antitumor cytotoxic T-cell responses, activated antitumor immunity, and promoted tumor regression. These results suggest that CAFs play an important role in the immune evasion of CRC and that anti-PD-1 antibody/dasatinib combination therapy has potential as a treatment option for patients with metastatic CRC for whom immunotherapy alone is ineffective

Comprehensive Analysis of Gene Expression Profiling to Explore Predictive Markers for Eradication Therapy Efficacy against <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>-Negative Gastric MALT Lymphoma

Although radiotherapy is the standard treatment for Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-negative gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, eradication therapy using antibiotics and an acid secretion suppressor can sometimes induce complete remission. We explored predictive markers for the response to eradication therapy for gastric MALT lymphoma that were negative for both API2-MALT1 and Hp infection using comprehensive RNA sequence analysis. Among 164 gastric MALT lymphoma patients who underwent eradication therapy as primary treatment, 36 were negative for both the API2-MALT1 fusion gene and Hp infection. Based on eradication therapy efficacy, two groups were established: complete response (CR) and no change (NC). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that cancer-related genes and infection-related genes were highly expressed in the NC and CR groups, respectively. Based on this finding and transcription factor, gene ontology enrichment, and protein–protein interaction analyses, we selected 16 candidate genes for predicting eradication therapy efficacy. Real-time PCR validation in 36 Hp-negative patients showed significantly higher expression of olfactomedin-4 (OLFM4) and the Nanog homeobox (NANOG) in the CR and NC groups, respectively. OLFM4 and NANOG could be positive and negative predictive markers, respectively, for eradication therapy efficacy against gastric MALT lymphoma that is negative for both API2-MALT1 and Hp infection

MRTF-A promotes angiotensin II-induced inflammatory response and aortic dissection in mice.

Aortic dissection (AD) is a major cause of acute aortic syndrome with high mortality due to the destruction of aortic walls. Although recent studies indicate the critical role of inflammation in the disease mechanism of AD, it is unclear how inflammatory response is initiated. Here, we demonstrate that myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A), a signal transducer of humoral and mechanical stress, plays an important role in pathogenesis of AD in a mouse model. A mouse model of AD was created by continuous infusion of angiotensin II (AngII) that induced MRTF-A expression and caused AD in 4 days. Systemic deletion of Mrtfa gene resulted in a marked suppression of AD development. Transcriptome and gene annotation enrichment analyses revealed that AngII infusion for 1 day caused pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic responses before AD development, which were suppressed by Mrtfa deletion. AngII infusion for 1 day induced pro-inflammatory response, as demonstrated by expressions of Il6, Tnf, and Ccl2, and apoptosis of aortic wall cells, as detected by TUNEL staining, in an MRTF-A-dependent manner. Pharmacological inhibition of MRTF-A by CCG-203971 during AngII infusion partially suppressed AD phenotype, indicating that acute suppression of MRTF-A is effective in preventing the aortic wall destruction. These results indicate that MRTF-A transduces the stress of AngII challenge to the pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic responses, ultimately leading to AD development. Intervening this pathway may represent a potential therapeutic strategy