Breast tumorigenesis relies on complex interactions between tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment, orchestrated by tightly regulated transcriptional networks. C/EBPβ is a key transcription factor that regulates the proliferation and differentiation of multiple cell types and modulates a variety of biological processes such as tissue homeostasis and the immune response. In addition, C/EBPβ has well-established roles in mammary gland development, is overexpressed in breast cancer, and has tumor-promoting functions. In this review, we discuss context-specific roles of C/EBPβ during breast tumorigenesis, isoform-specific gene regulation, and regulation of the tumor immune response. We present challenges in C/EBPβ biology and discuss the importance of C/EBPβ isoform-specific gene regulation in devising new therapeutic strategies.
A domino nitro reduction-aza-Michael addition sequence has been investigated for α,β-unsaturated ketones and compared with the analogous reaction for conjugated esters. As expected, six-membered ring closures of ketones did not proceed as well as for esters (<60% vs. >85%) due to the greater inherent reactivity of the ketones. This problem was minimized by performing the cyclization at lower temperature for a shorter time. The process has been extended to a synthesis of (±)-cis-4a-alkyl-1,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-2H-carbazol-2-ones with good yields (65%-86%). While the rigidity of the system and closure of the smaller five-membered ring created some strain in the products, yields were acceptable. The cis ring junction resulted from axial attack to give a more stable chair-like enol that tautomerized to the target heterocycle.
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