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Membranes of high ion permselectivity are significant for the separation of ion species at the subnanometer scale. Here, we report porous organic cage (i.e., CC3) membranes with hierarchical channels including discrete internal cavities and cage-aligned external cavities connected by subnanometer-sized windows. The windows of CC3 sieve monovalent ions from divalent ones and the dual nanometer-sized cavities provide pathways for fast ion transport with a flux of 1.0 mol m–2 h–1 and a mono-/divalent ion selectivity (e.g., K+/Mg2+) up to 103, several orders of magnitude higher than the permselectivities of reported membranes. Molecular dynamics simulations illustrate the ion transport trajectory from the external to internal cavity via the CC3 window, where ions migrate in diverse hydration states following the energy barrier sequence of K+ < Na+ < Li+ ≪ Mg2+. This work sheds light on ion transport properties in porous organic cage channels of discrete frameworks and offers guidelines for developing membranes with hierarchical channels for efficient ion separation.

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The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) resides in the chromosome 8q24 cancer-risk locus and acts as a vital oncogene during tumorigenesis and progression. However, how is post-transcriptionally regulated, for example, by small ncRNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) is largely unknown. Here, we report how miRNAs regulate expression and also investigate the biological significance of this regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that miR-215, a P53-inducible miRNA, is a key regulator of expression in HCC and identified an interaction between miR-215 and PCAT-1 in dual luciferase reporter gene assays. We also found that post-transcriptional silencing of by miR-215 or siRNAs significantly inhibited proliferation of HCC cells and, conversely, that inhibition of endogenous miR-215 up-regulated PCAT-1 expression and promoted cell viability. The tumor-suppressing role of miR-215 was further confirmed in an mouse HCC xenograft model. Of note, gene profiling assays suggested that the kinase CRK-like proto-oncogene, adaptor protein (CRKL), is a potential downstream target of the miR-215-PCAT-1 axis in HCC, and we demonstrated that CRKL silencing significantly suppresses cell proliferation. Taken together and considering the essential role of CRKL in cancer cells, we propose that the TP53-miR-215-PCAT-1-CRKL axis might represent an important regulatory pathway in HCC. In summary, our results highlight the involvement of several ncRNAs in HCC and thus provide critical insights into the molecular pathways operating in this malignancy.

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