Total Synthesis, Revised Structure, and Biological Evaluation of Elgonene B and Analogues.

Herein, we report the first total synthesis of elgonene B and its congeners, thus resulting in a revision of the configuration at the C-6 carbon of the originally proposed structure of elgonene B. This synthetic approach demonstrates the utility of several important reactions such as the chiral oxazaborolidinium ion-catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction, Ando's Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination, and the intermolecular Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction as key steps. Additionally, the study explores the cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of elgonene B and its congeners (1-4).

Resetting the epigenome: Methylation dynamics in cancer stem cells.

The molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell pluripotency and differentiation has shown the crucial role that methylation plays in this process. DNA methylation has been shown to be important in the context of developmental pathways, and the role of histone methylation in establishment of the bivalent state of genes is equally important. Recent studies have shed light on the role of RNA methylation changes in stem cell biology. The dynamicity of these methylation changes not only regulates the effective maintenance of pluripotency or differentiation, but also provides an amenable platform for perturbation by cellular stress pathways that are inherent in immune responses such as inflammation or oncogenic programs involving cancer stem cells. We summarize the recent research on the role of methylation dynamics and how it is reset during differentiation and de-differentiation.