RNF6 promotes myeloma cell proliferation and survival by inducing glucocorticoid receptor polyubiquitination.

RNF6, a RING-type ubiquitin ligase, has been identified as an oncogene in various cancers but its role in multiple myeloma (MM) remains elusive. In the present study we first showed that the expression levels of RNF6 in MM were significantly elevated compared with the bone marrow cells of healthy donors. Overexpression of RNF6 in LP1 and PRMI-8266 MM cell lines promoted cell proliferation, whereas knockdown of RNF6 led to apoptosis of MM cells. Furthermore, we revealed that RNF6, as a ubiquitin ligase, interacted with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and induced its K63-linked polyubiquitination. Different from current knowledge, RNF6 increased GR stability at both endogenous and exogenous contexts. Such an action greatly promoted GR transcriptional activity, which was confirmed by luciferase assays and by the increased expression levels of prosurvival genes including Bcl-xL and Mcl-1, two typical downstream genes of the GR pathway. Consistent with these findings, ectopic expression of RNF6 in MM cells conferred resistance to dexamethasone, a typical anti-myeloma agent. In conclusion, we demonstrate that RNF6 promotes MM cell proliferation and survival by inducing atypical polyubiquitination to GR, and RNF6 could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of MM.

Efficient MgO-based mesoporous CO2 trapper and its performance at high temperature.

A novel MgO-based porous adsorbent has been synthesized in a facile co-precipitation method for the first time, in order to provide a candidate for trapping CO(2) in flue gas at high temperature. The resulting composite exhibits a mesoporous structure with a wide pore size distribution, due to the even dispersion and distribution of microcrystalline MgO in the framework of alumina to form a concrete-like structure. These sorbents can capture CO(2) at high temperature (150-400°C), possessing high reactivity and stability in cyclic adsorption-desorption processes, providing competitive candidates to control CO(2) emission.

Preparation of cross-linked bimodal mesoporous SBA-15 with numerous pore openings.

Using poly (ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer (P123) as template and tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica source, well-ordered cross-linked bimodal mesoporous SBA-15 was easily prepared via an one-pot synthetic strategy, where a pre-self-assembly of P123 with TEOS in strong acidic media was introduced followed by pH-adjusting. The pH-adjusting can effectively change the copolymer micelle size, which directly lead to the formation of the bimodal mesoporous structure at pH range of 6-7.5, with most typical value at pH = 7.5. Meanwhile, these bimodal mesopores are interconnected, which generates a 3D intra-particle porosity with many pore-openings on the surfaces of particles. After modified with tetraethylenepentamine, the as-synthesized bimodal mesoporous SBA-15 exhibited the CO2 adsorption capacities much higher than as-synthesized conventional SBA-15. These bimodal mesoporous SBA-15 materials have great potential application in CO2 capture.

In situ synthesis of ordered mesoporous silica materials embedded in cotton fiber and their CO2 capture properties.

Mesoporous silica/cotton fiber composite materials have been prepared in situ by using pluronics P123 (EO20PO70EO20) as template, tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica source and degreasing cotton as supporter. In order to avoid the hydrolysis of cotton fiber in a strong acidic media during the hydrothermal treatment, two kinds of methods were used to control the acidity of the reaction media. One was to adjust the pH to 5 after self-assembly in a strong acidic media; the other was a two-step route containing the pre-hydrolysis of TEOS and self-assembly in a weak acidic media. The resulting shaped composite materials presented the morphology of cotton fiber, and the silica particles mainly covered the surfaces of cotton fibers. These silica particles possessed a slightly ordered pore structure or a well ordered SBA-15 structure according to the difference in the synthetic methods. After modification with tetraethylenepentamine, these shaped composite materials exhibited considerable CO2 adsorption capacity. The use of cotton fiber has the advantages of shaping the powdery materials, dispersing the silica particles and avoiding the formation of moisture and sticky solid surfaces by overloaded tetraethylenepentamine.