On the distorted {NiN₆} octahedron in hexakis(imidazole)nickel(II) bis(4-nitrobenzoate) dihydrate

181-188The reaction of [Ni(H₂O)₆]Cl₂ with the sodium salt of 4-nitrobenzoic acid (4-nbaH) in the presence of imidazole results in the formation of the title compound hexakis(imidazole)nickel(II) bis(4-nitrobenzoate) dihydrate (1). Compound (1) is dehydrated to hexakis(imidazole)nickel(II) bis(4-nitrobenzoate) (2) by heating at 100oC. Both compounds are characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra, X-ray powder pattern and thermal studies. The title compound [Ni(Im)₆](4-nba)₂.2H₂O (1) crystallizes in the centrosymmetric triclinic space group P₁⁻ with the Ni(II) situated on an inversion center. The structure of (1) consists of a distorted octahedral hexakis(imidazole)nickel(II) cation, a free uncoordinated 4-nba anion and a lattice water with half of the molecule accounting for the asymmetric unit. In the complex cation the central metal is bonded to six neutral terminal Im ligands. The distortion of the {NiN6}octahedron in (1) is discussed in terms of the difference between the longest and shortest Ni-N bonds. A comparative study of several [Ni(Im)6]2+ compounds in different structural environments is described. In the crystal structure, the cation, anion and lattice water are linked by three types of H-bonding interactions comprising two O-H•••O, three N-H•••O and three C-H•••O interactions. Each hexacoordinated Ni(II) complex cation is linked to eight symmetry related 4-nba anions and four different lattice water molecules via N-H•••O and C-H•••O interactions, while each 4-nba anion is H-bonded to four complex cations and two symmetry related lattice water molecules. Pairs of [Ni(Im)₆]²⁺ cations and 4-nba anions are linked to lattice water molecules via O-H•••O and C-H•••O interactions. As a result of the hydrogen bonding interactions, the cations and anions are organized into alternating layers

Loss of keratin 8 phosphorylation leads to increased tumor progression and correlates with clinico-pathological parameters of OSCC patients.

BACKGROUND: Keratins are cytoplasmic intermediate filament proteins expressed in tissue specific and differentiation dependent manner. Keratins 8 and 18 (K8 and K18) are predominantly expressed in simple epithelial tissues and perform both mechanical and regulatory functions. Aberrant expression of K8 and K18 is associated with neoplastic progression, invasion and poor prognosis in human oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). K8 and K18 undergo several post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, which are known to regulate their functions in various cellular processes. Although, K8 and K18 phosphorylation is known to regulate cell cycle, cell growth and apoptosis, its significance in cell migration and/or neoplastic progression is largely unknown. In the present study we have investigated the role of K8 phosphorylation in cell migration and/or neoplastic progression in OSCC. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To understand the role of K8 phosphorylation in neoplastic progression of OSCC, shRNA-resistant K8 phospho-mutants of Ser73 and Ser431 were overexpressed in K8-knockdown human AW13516 cells (derived from SCC of tongue; generated previously). Wound healing assays and tumor growth in NOD-SCID mice were performed to analyze the cell motility and tumorigenicity respectively in overexpressed clones. The overexpressed K8 phospho-mutants clones showed significant increase in cell migration and tumorigenicity as compared with K8 wild type clones. Furthermore, loss of K8 Ser73 and Ser431 phosphorylation was also observed in human OSCC tissues analyzed by immunohistochemistry, where their dephosphorylation significantly correlated with size, lymph node metastasis and stage of the tumor. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide first evidence of a potential role of K8 phosphorylation in cell migration and/or tumorigenicity in OSCC. Moreover, correlation studies of K8 dephosphorylation with clinico-pathological parameters of OSCC patients also suggest its possible use in prognostication of human OSCC

HNRNPC haploinsufficiency affects alternative splicing of intellectual disability-associated genes and causes a neurodevelopmental disorder

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC) is an essential, ubiquitously abundant protein involved in mRNA processing. Genetic variants in other members of the HNRNP family have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we describe 13 individuals with global developmental delay, intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities, and subtle facial dysmorphology with heterozygous HNRNPC germline variants. Five of them bear an identical in-frame deletion of nine amino acids in the extreme C terminus. To study the effect of this recurrent variant as well as HNRNPC haploinsufficiency, we used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and fibroblasts obtained from affected individuals. While protein localization and oligomerization were unaffected by the recurrent C-terminal deletion variant, total HNRNPC levels were decreased. Previously, reduced HNRNPC levels have been associated with changes in alternative splicing. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on published RNA-seq datasets of three different cell lines to identify a ubiquitous HNRNPC-dependent signature of alternative spliced exons. The identified signature was not only confirmed in fibroblasts obtained from an affected individual but also showed a significant enrichment for genes associated with intellectual disability. Hence, we assessed the effect of decreased and increased levels of HNRNPC on neuronal arborization and neuronal migration and found that either condition affects neuronal function. Taken together, our data indicate that HNRNPC haploinsufficiency affects alternative splicing of multiple intellectual disability-associated genes and that the developing brain is sensitive to aberrant levels of HNRNPC. Hence, our data strongly support the inclusion of HNRNPC to the family of HNRNP-related neurodevelopmental disorders. [Display omitted] We identified genetic variants of HNRNPC in 13 individuals with intellectual disability and global developmental delay. Through a meta-analysis of multiple cell types, we found that loss of HNRNPC affects alternative splicing, in particular of intellectual disability-associated genes. In vivo assays confirmed that neurodevelopment was affected by aberrant HNRNPC levels