Key Points aPC protects from myocardial and renal IRIs by restricting mTORC1-mediated activation of the Nlrp3 inflammasome. Nlrp3 inflammasome suppression by aPC is independent of its anticoagulant effect, depends on PAR-1, and can be mimicked by parmodulin-2.

Key Points Parmodulins are a new class of PAR1 inhibitors that target the cytosolic face of PAR1 to block signaling through Gαq, but not Gα12/13. Unlike vorapaxar, which causes endothelial injury, parmodulins selectively block proinflammatory, but not cytoprotective, signaling.

The first rhodium(I)-catalyzed asymmetric addition of organoboronic acids to oxabicyclic alkenes is reported. This asymmetric ring-opening (ARO) reaction can proceed in high yield under very mild conditions with electronically diverse organoboronic acids, in a highly diastereoselective and enantioselective manner. [structure: see text]

A high-throughput screen of the NIH-MLSMR compound collection, along with a series of secondary assays to identify potential targets of hit compounds, previously identified a 1,3-diaminobenzene scaffold that targets protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1). We now report additional structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies that delineate the requirements for activity at PAR1 and identify plasma-stable analogues with nanomolar inhibition of PAR1-mediated platelet activation. Compound 4 was declared as a probe (ML161) with the NIH Molecular Libraries Program. This compound inhibited platelet aggregation induced by a PAR1 peptide agonist or by thrombin but not by several other platelet agonists. Initial studies suggest that ML161 is an allosteric inhibitor of PAR1. These findings may be important for the discovery of antithrombotics with an improved safety profile.

An essential coordinator of all DNA metabolic processes is Replication Protein A (RPA). RPA orchestrates these processes by binding to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and interacting with several other DNA binding proteins. Determining the real-time kinetics of single players such as RPA in the presence of multiple DNA processors to better understand the associated mechanistic events is technically challenging. To overcome this hurdle, we utilized non-canonical amino acids and bio-orthogonal chemistry to site-specifically incorporate a chemical fluorophore onto a single subunit of heterotrimeric RPA. Upon binding to ssDNA, this fluorescent RPA (RPAf) generates a quantifiable change in fluorescence, thus serving as a reporter of its dynamics on DNA in the presence of multiple other DNA binding proteins. Using RPAf, we describe the kinetics of facilitated self-exchange and exchange by Rad51 and mediator proteins during various stages in homologous recombination. RPAf is widely applicable to investigate its mechanism of action in processes such as DNA replication, repair and telomere maintenance.