This review rationalizes the varied designs of systems for incorporation of UAAs into proteins via canonical codons.

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A single pyridine unit incorporated into G-quadruplex DNA has revealed efficient energy transfer reactions in cation-containing G-quadruplexes. 8-(2-Pyridyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine, "2PyG", is a highly sensitive internal fluorescent probe of G-quadruplex folding and energy transfer. 2PyG was minimally disruptive to G-quadruplex folding and exhibited intense fluorescence, even when it was base-stacked with other guanine residues. Using 2PyG we have quantified energy transfer efficiencies within G-quadruplex structures prepared under conditions of excess Na(+)/K(+) (110 mM) or in 40% polyethylene glycol (PEG) under salt deficient conditions. G-quadruplex structures containing coordinated cations exhibited efficient DNA-to-probe energy transfer reactions (η(t) = 0.11-0.41), while PEG-folded G-quadruplexes exhibited very little energy transfer (η(t) = 0.02-0.07). Experiments conducted using unmodified G-quadruplexes suggest that cation coordination at the O(6) position of guanine residues results in enhanced quantum yields of G-quadruplex nucleobases that, in turn, serve as efficient energy donors to 2PyG. Given the growing interest in G-quadruplex-based devices and materials, these results will provide important design principles toward harnessing the potentially useful photophysical properties of G-quadruplex wires and other G-rich structures.

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Guanosines with substituents at the 8-position can provide useful fluorescent probes that effectively mimic guanine residues even in highly demanding model systems such as polymorphic G-quadruplexes and duplex DNA. Here, we report the synthesis and photophysical properties of a small family of 8-substituted-2′-deoxyguanosines that have been incorporated into the human telomeric repeat sequence using phosphoramidite chemistry. These include 8-(2-pyridyl)-2′-deoxyguanosine (2PyG), 8-(2-phenylethenyl)-2′-deoxyguanosine (StG) and 8-[2-(pyrid-4-yl)-ethenyl]-2′-deoxyguanosine (4PVG). On DNA folding and stability, 8-substituted guanosines can exhibit context-dependent effects but were better tolerated by G-quadruplex and duplex structures than pyrimidine mismatches. In contrast to previously reported fluorescent guanine analogs, 8-substituted guanosines exhibit similar or even higher quantum yields upon their incorporation into nucleic acids (Φ = 0.02–0.45). We have used these highly emissive probes to quantify energy transfer efficiencies from unmodified DNA nucleobases to 8-substituted guanosines. The resulting DNA-to-probe energy transfer efficiencies (ηt) are highly structure selective, with ηt(duplex) < ηt(single-strand) < ηt(G-quadruplex). These trends were independent of the exact structural features and thermal stabilities of the G-quadruplexes or duplexes containing them. The combination of efficient energy transfer, high probe quantum yield, and high molar extinction coefficient of the DNA provides a highly sensitive and reliable readout of G-quadruplex formation even in highly diluted sample solutions of 0.25 nM.

Tumour‐associated microglia/macrophages (TAM) are the most numerous non‐neoplastic populations in the tumour microenvironment in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common malignant brain tumour in adulthood. The mTOR pathway, an important regulator of cell survival/proliferation, is upregulated in GBM, but little is known about the potential role of this pathway in TAM. Here, we show that GBM‐initiating cells induce mTOR signalling in the microglia but not bone marrow‐derived macrophages in both in vitro and in vivo GBM mouse models. mTOR‐dependent regulation of STAT3 and NF‐κB activity promotes an immunosuppressive microglial phenotype. This hinders effector T‐cell infiltration, proliferation and immune reactivity, thereby contributing to tumour immune evasion and promoting tumour growth in mouse models. The translational value of our results is demonstrated in whole transcriptome datasets of human GBM and in a novel in vitro model, whereby expanded‐potential stem cells (EPSC)‐derived microglia‐like cells are conditioned by syngeneic patient‐derived GBM‐initiating cells. These results raise the possibility that microglia could be the primary target of mTOR inhibition, rather than the intrinsic tumour cells in GBM.

Palladium nanostructures with therapeutic potential are emerging as innovative tools in the nanomedical field.

Huntington’s disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in exon 1 of the HTT gene. We have previously shown that exon 1 HTT does not always splice to exon 2 producing a small transcript (HTTexon1) that encodes the highly pathogenic exon 1 HTT protein. The mechanisms by which this incomplete splicing occurs are unknown. Here, we have generated a minigene system that recapitulates the CAG repeat-length dependence of HTTexon1 production, and has allowed us to define the regions of intron 1 necessary for incomplete splicing. We show that manipulation of the expression levels of the splicing factor SRSF6, predicted to bind CAG repeats, modulates this aberrant splicing event and also demonstrate that RNA polymerase II transcription speed regulates the levels of HTTexon1 production. Understanding the mechanisms by which this pathogenic exon 1 HTT is generated may provide the basis for the development of strategies to prevent its production.