No abstract

Anionic molecular imide complexes of aluminium are accessible via a rational synthetic approach involving the reactions of organo azides with a potassium aluminyl reagent. In the case of K2[(NON)Al(NDipp)]2 (NON=4,5‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylanilido)‐2,7‐di‐tert‐butyl‐9,9‐dimethyl‐xanthene; Dipp=2,6‐diisopropylphenyl) structural characterization by X‐ray crystallography reveals a short Al−N distance, which is thought primarily to be due to the low coordinate nature of the nitrogen centre. The Al−N unit is highly polar, and capable of the activation of relatively inert chemical bonds, such as those found in dihydrogen and carbon monoxide. In the case of CO, uptake of two molecules of the substrate leads to C−C coupling and C≡O bond cleavage. Thermodynamically, this is driven, at least in part, by Al−O bond formation. Mechanistically, a combination of quantum chemical and experimental observations suggests that the reaction proceeds via exchange of the NR and O substituents through intermediates featuring an aluminium‐bound isocyanate fragment.

Inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (pRB) alters the expression of a myriad of genes. To understand the altered cellular environment that these changes create, we took advantage of the Drosophila model system and used targeted liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to profile the metabolic changes that occur when RBF1, the fly ortholog of pRB, is removed. We show that RBF1-depleted tissues and larvae are sensitive to fasting. Depletion of RBF1 causes major changes in nucleotide synthesis and glutathione metabolism. Under fasting conditions, these changes interconnect, and the increased replication demand of RBF1-depleted larvae is associated with the depletion of glutathione pools. In vivo 13 C isotopic tracer analysis shows that RBF1-depleted larvae increase the flux of glutamine toward glutathione synthesis, presumably to minimize oxidative stress. Concordantly, H 2 O 2 preferentially promoted apoptosis in RBF1-depleted tissues, and the sensitivity of RBF1-depleted animals to fasting was specifically suppressed by either a glutamine supplement or the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine. Effects of pRB activation/inactivation on glutamine catabolism were also detected in human cell lines. These results show that the inactivation of RB proteins causes metabolic reprogramming and that these consequences of RBF/RB function are present in both flies and human cell lines.

Aluminium oxides constitute an important class of inorganic compound that are widely exploited in the chemical industry as catalysts and catalyst supports. Due to the tendency for such systems to aggregate via Al‐O‐Al bridges, the synthesis of well‐defined, soluble, molecular models for these materials is challenging. Here we show that reactions of the potassium aluminyl complex K2[(NON)Al]2 (NON=4,5‐bis(2,6‐diiso‐propylanilido)‐2,7‐di‐tert‐butyl‐9,9‐dimethylxanthene) with CO2, PhNCO and N2O all proceed via a common aluminium oxide intermediate. This highly reactive species can be trapped by coordination of a THF molecule as the anionic oxide complex [(NON)AlO(THF)]−, which features discrete Al−O bonds and dimerizes in the solid state via weak O⋅⋅⋅K interactions. This species reacts with a range of small molecules including N2O (to give a hyponitrite ([N2O2]2−) complex) and H2, the latter offering an unequivocal example of heterolytic E−H bond cleavage across a main group M−O bond.

A reversible electronic switching effect has been observed in plasma polymer films with embedded silver nanoparticles. The electrical and nanostructural properties of the films have been investigated, and three different structure types were observed: metallic, percolation, and dielectric. While for the metallic and dielectric types, respectively, metallic conduction and thermally activated tunneling can be identified as the dominant electronic conduction mechanisms, switching appears only in percolation structures. These drastic, abrupt changes of up to six orders of magnitude in the current-voltage behavior are highly reversible for these nanocomposite materials, and are defined as threshold switching

Loss-of-function mutations in p16INK4A (CDKN2A) occur in approximately 80% of sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), contributing to its early progression. While this loss activates the cell cycle-dependent kinases CDK4/6, which have been considered as drug targets for many years, p16INK4A-deficient PDAC cells are inherently resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors. This study searched for targeted therapies that might synergize with CDK4/6 inhibition in this setting. We report that the IGF1R/IR inhibitor BMS-754807 cooperated with the CDK4/6 inhibitor PD-0332991 to strongly block proliferation of p16INK4A-deficient PDAC cells in vitro and in vivo. Sensitivity to this drug combination correlated with reduced activity of the master cell growth regulator mTORC1. Accordingly, replacing the IGF1R/IR inhibitor with the rapalog inhibitor temsirolimus broadened the sensitivity of PDAC cells to CDK4/6 inhibition. Our results establish targeted therapy combinations with robust cytostatic activity in p16INK4A-deficient PDAC cells and possible implications for improving treatment of a broad spectrum of human cancers characterized by p16INK4A loss.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) activates at least two receptors, AT1 and AT2, with the majority of its effects-such as vasoconstriction, inflammation, and matrix deposition-mediated by the AT1 receptor. It is thought that the AT2 receptor counteracts these processes; however, recent studies have found proinflammatory and hypertrophic effects of this receptor subtype. To identify the physiological roles of the AT2 receptor in chronic kidney disease, we performed renal ablation in AT2 receptor knockout and wild-type mice. Renal injury caused a greater impairment of renal function, glomerular injury, albuminuria, and mortality in the knockout mice than in the wild-type mice. There was increased fibronectin expression and inflammation in the knockout mice, as shown by augmented monocyte/macrophage infiltration and higher chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and RANTES expression in the remnant kidney. The higher mortality and renal morbidity of the knockout mice was not due to differences in systemic blood pressure, glomerular volume, AT1 receptor, renin, or endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression. Whether activation of the AT2 receptor will have therapeutic benefit in chronic kidney disease will require further study.

Synthetic routes to lithium, magnesium, and zinc aluminyl complexes are reported, allowing for the first structural characterization of an unsupported lithium-aluminium bond. Crystallographic and quantum-chemical studies are consistent with the presence of ah ighly polar Li À Al interaction, characterized by al ow bond order and relatively little charge transfer from Al to Li. Comparison with magnesium and zinc aluminyl systems reveals changes to both the MÀAl bond and the (NON)Al fragment (where NON = 4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilido)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene), consistent with am ore covalent character,w ith the latter complex being shown to react with CO 2 via ap athway that implies that the zinc centre acts as the nucleophilic partner.