Effect of Divalent Metal Ions on the Ribonuclease Activity of the Toxin Molecule HP0894 from Helicobacter pylori.

Bacteria and archaea respond and adapt to environmental stress conditions by modulating the toxin-antitoxin (TA) system for survival. Within the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the protein HP0894 is a key player in the HP0894-HP0895 TA system, in which HP0894 serves as a toxin and HP0895 as an antitoxin. HP0894 has intrinsic ribonuclease (RNase) activity that regulates gene expression and translation, significantly influencing bacterial physiology and survival. This activity is influenced by the presence of metal ions such as Mg2+. In this study, we explore the metal-dependent RNase activity of HP0894. Surprisingly, all tested metal ions lead to a reduction in RNase activity, with zinc ions (Zn2+) causing the most significant decrease. The secondary structure of HP0894 remained largely unaffected by Zn2+ binding, whereas structural rigidity was notably increased, as revealed using CD analysis. NMR characterized the Zn2+ binding, implicating numerous His, Asp, and Glu residues in HP0894. In summary, these results suggest that metal ions play a regulatory role in the RNase activity of HP0894, contributing to maintaining the toxin molecule in an inactive state under normal conditions.

Development of KEAP1-targeting PROTAC and its antioxidant properties: In vitro and in vivo.

Oxidative stress due to abnormal accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an initiator of a large number of human diseases, and thus, the elimination and prevention of excessive ROS are important aspects of preventing the development of such diseases. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is an essential transcription factor that defends against oxidative stress, and its function is negatively controlled by Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1). Therefore, activating NRF2 by inhibiting KEAP1 is viewed as a strategy for combating oxidative stress-related diseases. Here, we generated a cereblon (CRBN)-based proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), which we named SD2267, that induces the proteasomal degradation of KEAP1 and leads to NRF2 activation. As was intended, SD2267 bound to KEAP1, recruited CRBN, and induced the degradation of KEAP1. Furthermore, the KEAP1 degradation efficacy of SD2267 was diminished by MG132 (a proteasomal degradation inhibitor) but not by chloroquine (an autophagy inhibitor), which suggested that KEAP1 degradation by SD2267 was proteasomal degradation-dependent and autophagy-independent. Following KEAP1 degradation, SD2267 induced the nuclear translocation of NRF2, which led to the expression of NRF2 target genes and attenuated ROS accumulation induced by acetaminophen (APAP) in hepatocytes. Based on in vivo pharmacokinetic study, SD2267 was injected intraperitoneally at 1 or 3 mg/kg in APAP-induced liver injury mouse model. We observed that SD2267 degraded hepatic KEAP1 and attenuated APAP-induced liver damage. Summarizing, we described the synthesis of a KEAP1-targeting PROTAC (SD2267) and its efficacy and mode of action in vitro and in vivo. The results obtained suggest that SD2267 could be used to treat hepatic diseases related to oxidative stress.

Novel Strategy To Inhibit Transthyretin Amyloidosis via the Synergetic Effect of Chemoselective Acylation and Noncovalent Inhibitor Release.

Strategies for developing targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs), which have the advantages of a prolonged duration of action and selectivity toward a drug target, have attracted great interest in drug discovery. Herein, we report chemoselective covalent inhibitors that specifically target lysine ε-amine groups that conjugate with an endogenous protein to prevent disease-causing protein misfolding and aggregation. These TCIs are unique because the benzoyl group is preferentially conjugated to Lys15 at the top of the T4 binding site within transthyretin (TTR) while simultaneously releasing a potent noncovalent TTR kinetic stabilizer. The potency of these covalent inhibitors is superior to tafamidis, the only FDA-approved drug for the treatment of hereditary TTR amyloidosis. In addition to investigations into the covalent modification of TTR via reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, direct methods are performed to confirm and visualize the presumed covalent interaction via mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography.

Manassantin A inhibits tumour growth under hypoxia through the activation of chaperone-mediated autophagy by modulating Hsp90 activity.

BACKGROUND: Chaperon-mediated autophagy (CMA) has taken on a new emphasis in cancer biology. However, the roles of CMA in hypoxic tumours are poorly understood. We investigated the anti-tumour effects of the natural product ManA through the activation of CMA in tumour progression under hypoxia. METHODS: The effect of ManA on CMA activation was assessed in mouse xenograft models and cells. The gene expressions of HIF-1α, HSP90AA1, and transcription factor EB (TFEB) were analysed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets to assess the clinical relevance of CMA. RESULTS: ManA activates photoswitchable CMA reporter activity and inhibits Hsp90 chaperone function by disrupting the Hsp90/F1F0-ATP synthase complex. Hsp90 inhibition enhances the interaction between CMA substrates and LAMP-2A and TFEB nuclear localisation, suggesting CMA activation by ManA. ManA-activated CMA retards tumour growth and displays cooperative anti-tumour activity with anti-PD-1 antibody. TCGA datasets show that a combined expression of HSP90AA1High/HIF1AHigh or TFEBLow/HIF1AHigh is strongly correlated with poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: ManA-induced CMA activation by modulating Hsp90 under hypoxia induces HIF-1α degradation and reduces tumour growth. Thus, inducing CMA activity by targeting Hsp90 may be a promising therapeutic strategy against hypoxic tumours.

Structural Deformation of MTX Induced by Nanodrug Conjugation Dictate Intracellular Drug Transport and Drug Efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Understanding structural interactions between the active drug and conjugated nanoparticles is critical for optimizing intracellular drug transport and for increasing nano drug efficacy. In this regard, analyzing the conformational deformation of conjugated drugs surrounding nanoparticles is essential to understand the corresponding nanodrug efficacy. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to present an optimal synthesis method for efficient drug delivery through a clear structural analysis of nanodrugs according to the type of conjugation. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the structural variation of methotrexate (MTX) surrounding carbon nanotubes, depending on the type of conjugation style, such as covalent and non-covalent (PEGylation) bonds, was investigated. Specifically, covalent bonds of MTX surrounding CNTs induced greater structural deformation compared to non-covalent bonds (ie, PEGylated CNT). CONCLUSION: Greater changes in the structural variations of MTX analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) significantly improved the anti-inflammatory drug efficacy of human fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS) via stable drug release in the extracellular environment and burst drug release under intracellular conditions.

Methylglyoxal-derived hemoglobin advanced glycation end products induce apoptosis and oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The presence of excess glucose promotes hemoglobin glycation via the biochemical modification of hemoglobin by dicarbonyl products. However, the precise effects of Hb-AGEs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are not known to date. Therefore, we investigated the tentative effects of Hb-AGEs in HUVECs. Initially, we used the AGE formation assay to examine the selectivity of MGO toward various proteins. Among all proteins, MGO-Hb-AGEs formation was higher compared to the formation of other dicarbonyl-mediated AGEs. Our next data demonstrated that treatment with 0.5 mg/mL of Hb-AGEs-4w significantly reduced cell viability in HUVECs. Further, we evaluated the role of MGO in conformational and structural changes in Hb. The results showed that Hb demonstrated a highly altered conformation upon incubation with MGO. Moreover, Hb-AGEs-4w treatment strongly increased ROS production, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential in HUVECs, and moderately reduced the expression of phosphorylated forms of p-38 and JNK. We observed that Hb-AGEs-4w treatment increased the number of apoptotic cells and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved the nuclear enzyme PARP in HUVECs. Finally, Hb-AGEs also inhibited migration and proliferation of HUVECs, thus be physiologically significant in endothelial dysfunction. Taken together, our data suggest that Hb-AGEs may play a critical role in inducing vascular endothelial cell damage. Therefore, this study may provide a plausible explanation for the potential Hb-AGEs in human endothelial cell dysfunction of diabetic patients.

The GNAQ T96S Mutation Affects Cell Signaling and Enhances the Oncogenic Properties of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common malignant tumor in the liver, grows and metastasizes rapidly. Despite advances in treatment modalities, the five-year survival rate of HCC remains less than 30%. We sought genetic mutations that may affect the oncogenic properties of HCC, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data analysis. We found that the GNAQ T96S mutation (threonine 96 to serine alteration of the Gαq protein) was present in 12 out of 373 HCC patients (3.2%). To examine the effect of the GNAQ T96S mutation on HCC, we transfected the SK-Hep-1 cell line with the wild-type or the mutant GNAQ T96S expression vector. Transfection with the wild-type GNAQ expression vector enhanced anchorage-independent growth, migration, and the MAPK pathways in the SK-Hep-1 cells compared to control vector transfection. Moreover, cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration, and the MAPK pathways were further enhanced in the SK-Hep-1 cells transfected with the GNAQ T96S expression vector compared to the wild-type GNAQ-transfected cells. In silico structural analysis shows that the substitution of the GNAQ amino acid threonine 96 with a serine may destabilize the interaction between the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) protein and GNAQ. This may reduce the inhibitory effect of RGS on GNAQ signaling, enhancing the GNAQ signaling pathway. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping analysis for Korean HCC patients shows that the GNAQ T96S mutation was found in only one of the 456 patients (0.22%). Our data suggest that the GNAQ T96S hotspot mutation may play an oncogenic role in HCC by potentiating the GNAQ signal transduction pathway.

Unfolded Protein Corona Surrounding Nanotubes Influence the Innate and Adaptive Immune System.

The plasma proteins around nanoparticles (NPs) form an outer protein corona, significantly influencing the subsequent immune response. However, it was uncertain whether the protein corona around NPs influences immune response. This study clarified that the immune response mediated by the protein corona is greatly dependent on the type of plasma proteins surrounding the NPs. Structural changes in the unfolded protein corona elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and induced major proinflammatory cytokine release in both murine and human macrophage cell lines. In contrast, negligible structural changes in the protein corona provoke neither ROS production nor proinflammatory cytokine release. Furthermore, in vivo analysis confirms that a stimulated immune response by an unfolded protein corona triggers selective activation of innate and adaptive immunity in the spleen. Specifically, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and CD8+ T cells are overpopulated by unfolded protein corona structures surrounding nanotubes, whereas innate and adaptive immunologic responses are not triggered by a normal protein corona. In conclusion, highly unfolded protein corona structures are strongly correlated with subsequent activation of proinflammatory cytokines and innate immune responses; thus, the protein corona can be used in immune-enhancing therapy.

Molecular Interactions between Two LMP2A PY Motifs of EBV and WW Domains of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase AIP4.

Interactions involving Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) LMP2A and Nedd4 family E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases promote the ubiquitination of LMP2A-associated proteins, which results in the perturbation of normal B-cell signaling. Here, we solved the solution structure of the WW2 domain of hAIP4 and investigated the binding mode involving the N-terminal domain of LMP2A and the WW2 domain. The WW2 domain presented a conserved WW domain scaffold with a three-stranded anti-parallel ß-sheet and bound two PY motifs via different binding mechanisms. Our NMR titration and ITC data demonstrated that the PY motifs of LMP2A can recognize and interact weakly with the XP groove of the WW2 domain (residues located around the third ß-strand), and then residues between two PY motifs optimize the binding by interacting with the loop 1 region of the WW2 domain. In particular, the residue Val15 in the hairpin loop region between ß1 and ß2 of the WW2 domain exhibited unique changes depending on the terminal residues of the PY motif. This result suggested that the hairpin loop is responsible for additional interactions outside the XP groove, and this hypothesis was confirmed in a deuterium exchange experiment. These weak but wide interactions can stabilize the complex formed between the PY and WW domains.

Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Is Involved in LPA5-Mediated Brain Damage after a Transient Ischemic Stroke.

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 5 (LPA5) has been recently identified as a novel pathogenic factor for brain ischemic stroke. However, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we determined whether the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) could be involved in LPA5-mediated brain injuries after ischemic challenge using a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). RAGE was upregulated in the penumbra and ischemic core regions after tMCAO challenge. RAGE upregulation was greater at 3 days than that at 1 day after tMCAO challenge. It was mostly observed in Iba1-immunopositive cells of a post-ischemic brain. Suppressing LPA5 activity with its antagonist, TCLPA5, attenuated RAGE upregulation in the penumbra and ischemic core regions, particularly on Iba1-immunopositive cells, of injured brains after tMCAO challenge. It also attenuated blood-brain barrier disruption, one of the core pathogenesis upon RAGE activation, after tMCAO challenge. As an underlying signaling pathways, LPA5 could contribute to the activation of ERK1/2 and NF-κB in injured brains after tMCAO challenge. Collectively, the current study suggests that RAGE is a possible mediator for LPA5-dependent ischemic brain injury.

Crystal structures of human NSDHL and development of its novel inhibitor with the potential to suppress EGFR activity.

NAD(P)-dependent steroid dehydrogenase-like (NSDHL), an essential enzyme in human cholesterol synthesis and a regulator of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) trafficking pathways, has attracted interest as a therapeutic target due to its crucial relevance to cholesterol-related diseases and carcinomas. However, the development of pharmacological agents for targeting NSDHL has been hindered by the absence of the atomic details of NSDHL. In this study, we reported two X-ray crystal structures of human NSDHL, which revealed a detailed description of the coenzyme-binding site and the unique conformational change upon the binding of a coenzyme. A structure-based virtual screening and biochemical evaluation were performed and identified a novel inhibitor for NSDHL harboring suppressive activity towards EGFR. In EGFR-driven human cancer cells, treatment with the potent NSDHL inhibitor enhanced the antitumor effect of an EGFR kinase inhibitor. Overall, these findings could serve as good platforms for the development of therapeutic agents against NSDHL-related diseases.

Structure-based design of peptides that trigger Streptococcus pneumoniae cell death.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems regulate key cellular functions in bacteria. Here, we report a unique structure of the Streptococcus pneumoniae HigBA system and a novel antimicrobial agent that activates HigB toxin, which results in mRNA degradation as an antibacterial strategy. In this study, protein structure-based peptides were designed and successfully penetrated the S. pneumoniae cell membrane and exerted bactericidal activity. This result represents the time during which inhibitors triggered S. pneumoniae cell death via the TA system. This discovery is a remarkable milestone in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae, and the mechanism of bactericidal activity is completely different from those of current antibiotics. Furthermore, we found that the HigBA complex shows a crossed-scissor interface with two intermolecular ß-sheets at both the N and C termini of the HigA antitoxin. Our biochemical and structural studies provided valuable information regarding the transcriptional regulation mechanisms associated with the structural variability of HigAs. Our in vivo study also revealed the potential catalytic residues of HigB and their functional relationships. An inhibition study with peptides additionally proved that peptide binding may allosterically inhibit HigB activity. Overall, our results provide insights into the molecular basis of HigBA TA systems in S. pneumoniae, which can be applied for the development of new antibacterial strategies. DATABASES: Structural data are available in the PDB database under the accession number 6AF4.

Inhibition of LPA5 Activity Provides Long-Term Neuroprotection in Mice with Brain Ischemic Stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in ischemic survivors who are suffering from motor, cognitive, and memory impairment. Previously, we have reported suppressing LPA5 activity with its specific antagonist can attenuate acute brain injuries after ischemic stroke. However, it is unclear whether suppressing LPA5 activity can also attenuate chronic brain injuries after ischemic stroke. Here, we explored whether effects of LPA5 antagonist, TCLPA5, could persist a longer time after brain ischemic stroke using a mouse model challenged with tMCAO. TCLPA5 was administered to mice every day for 3 days, starting from the time immediately after reperfusion. TCLPA5 administration improved neurological function up to 21 days after tMCAO challenge. It also reduced brain tissue loss and cell apoptosis in mice at 21 days after tMCAO challenge. Such long-term neuroprotection of TCLPA5 was associated with enhanced neurogenesis and angiogenesis in post-ischemic brain, along with upregulated expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor. Collectively, results of the current study indicates that suppressing LPA5 activity can provide long-term neuroprotection to mice with brain ischemic stroke.

Brain energy metabolism and multiple sclerosis: progress and prospects.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease accompanied with nerve pain and paralysis. Although various pathogenic causes of MS have been suggested, including genetic and environmental factors, how MS occurs remains unclear. Moreover, MS should be diagnosed based on clinical experiences because of no disease-specific biomarker and currently available treatments for MS just can reduce relapsing frequency or severity with little effects on disease disability. Therefore, more efforts are required to identify pathophysiology of MS and diagnosis markers. Recent evidence indicates another aspect of MS pathogenesis, energy failure in the central nervous system (CNS). For instance, inflammation that is a characteristic MS symptom and occurs frequently in the CNS of MS patients can result into energy failure in mitochondria and cytosol. Indeed, metabolomics studies for MS have reported energy failure in oxidative phosphorylation and alteration of aerobic glycolysis. Therefore, studies on the metabolism in the CNS may provide another insight for understanding complexity of MS and pathogenesis, which would facilitate the discovery of promising strategies for developing therapeutics to treat MS. This review will provide an overview on recent progress of metabolomic studies for MS, with a focus on the fluctuation of energy metabolism in MS.

Protein-Nanoparticle Interaction: Corona Formation and Conformational Changes in Proteins on Nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are highly potent tools for the diagnosis of diseases and specific delivery of therapeutic agents. Their development and application are scientifically and industrially important. The engineering of NPs and the modulation of their in vivo behavior have been extensively studied, and significant achievements have been made in the past decades. However, in vivo applications of NPs are often limited by several difficulties, including inflammatory responses and cellular toxicity, unexpected distribution and clearance from the body, and insufficient delivery to a specific target. These unfavorable phenomena may largely be related to the in vivo protein-NP interaction, termed "protein corona." The layer of adsorbed proteins on the surface of NPs affects the biological behavior of NPs and changes their functionality, occasionally resulting in loss-of-function or gain-of-function. The formation of a protein corona is an intricate process involving complex kinetics and dynamics between the two interacting entities. Structural changes in corona proteins have been reported in many cases after their adsorption on the surfaces of NPs that strongly influence the functions of NPs. Thus, understanding of the conformational changes and unfolding process of proteins is very important to accelerate the biomedical applications of NPs. Here, we describe several protein corona characteristics and specifically focus on the conformational fluctuations in corona proteins induced by NPs.

Induced DNA bending by unique dimerization of HigA antitoxin.

The bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) system regulates cell growth under various environmental stresses. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative pathogen of tuberculosis (TB), has three HigBA type II TA systems with reverse gene organization, consisting of the toxin protein HigB and labile antitoxin protein HigA. Most type II TA modules are transcriptionally autoregulated by the antitoxin itself. In this report, we first present the crystal structure of the M. tuberculosis HigA3 antitoxin (MtHigA3) and MtHigA3 bound to its operator DNA complex. We also investigated the interaction between MtHigA3 and DNA using NMR spectroscopy. The MtHigA3 antitoxin structure is a homodimer that contains a structurally well conserved DNA-binding domain at the N-terminus and a dimerization domain at the C-terminus. Upon comparing the HigA homologue structures, a distinct difference was found in the C-terminal region that possesses the ß-lid, and diverse orientations of two helix-turn-helix (HTH) motifs from HigA homologue dimers were observed. The structure of MtHigA3 bound to DNA reveals that the promoter DNA is bound to two HTH motifs of the MtHigA3 dimer presenting 46.5° bending, and the distance between the two HTH motifs of each MtHigA3 monomer was increased in MtHigA3 bound to DNA. The ß-lid, which is found only in the tertiary structure of MtHigA3 among the HigA homologues, causes the formation of a tight dimerization network and leads to a unique arrangement for dimer formation that is related to the curvature of the bound DNA. This work could contribute to the understanding of the HigBA system of M. tuberculosis at the atomic level and may contribute to the development of new antibiotics for TB treatment.

SETD1A Promotes Proliferation of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells via FOXM1 Transcription.

Androgen deprivation therapy eventually leads to the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the histone H3K4 methyltransferase SETD1A is a major regulator for the proliferation of metastatic CRPC (mCRPC). The expression of SETD1A was significantly correlated with the survival rate of patients with prostate cancer. SETD1A, which is expressed at a higher level in mCRPC than in primary prostate cancer cells, promotes the expression of FOXM1, a gene encoding a cell proliferation-specific transcription factor. SETD1A is recruited to the promoter region of FOXM1 (forkhead box M1) upon binding to E2F1, a protein that regulates the transcription of FOXM1 and contributes to the trimethylation of H3K4 in the FOXM1 promoter region. In addition, SETD1A is essential for the expression of stem cell factor (e.g., OCT4, octamer-binding transcription factor 4) and stem cell formation in mCRPC, suggesting the importance of SETD1A expression in mCRPC tumor formation. Notably, poor prognosis is associated with high expression of the SETD1A-FOXM1 pair in clinical data sets. Therefore, our study suggests that SETD1A plays an important role in the proliferation of mCRPC by regulating FOXM1 transcription.

Crystal structure of proteolyzed VapBC and DNA-bound VapBC from Salmonella enterica Typhimurium LT2 and VapC as a putative Ca2+ -dependent ribonuclease.

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) system has gained attention for its essential roles in cellular maintenance and survival under harsh environmental conditions such as nutrient deficiency and antibiotic treatment. There are at least 14 TA systems in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2, a pathogenic bacterium, and none of the structures of these TA systems have been determined. We determined the crystal structure of the VapBC TA complex from S. Typhimurium LT2 in proteolyzed and DNA-bound forms at 2.0 Å and 2.8 Å resolution, respectively. The VapC toxin possesses a pilT N-terminal domain (PIN-domain) that shows ribonuclease activity, and the VapB antitoxin has an AbrB-type DNA binding domain. In addition, the structure revealed details of interaction mode between VapBC and the cognate promoter DNA, including the inhibition of VapC by VapB and linear conformation of bound DNA in the VapBC complex. The complexation of VapBC with the linear DNA is not consistent with known structures of VapBC homologs in complex with bent DNA. We also identified VapC from S. Typhimurium LT2 as a putative Ca2+ -dependent ribonuclease, which differs from previous data showing that VapC homologs have Mg2+ or Mn2+ -dependent ribonuclease activities. The present studies could provide structural understanding of the physiology of VapBC systems and foundation for the development of new antibiotic drugs against Salmonella infection.

Development of Predictive Models for Identifying Potential S100A9 Inhibitors Based on Machine Learning Methods.

S100A9 is a potential therapeutic target for various disease including prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. However, the sparsity of atomic level data, such as protein-protein interaction of S100A9 with RAGE, TLR4/MD2, or CD147 (EMMPRIN) hinders the rational drug design of S100A9 inhibitors. Herein we first report predictive models of S100A9 inhibitory effect by applying machine learning classifiers on 2D-molecular descriptors. The models were optimized through feature selectors as well as classifiers to produce the top eight random forest models with robust predictability and high cost-effectiveness. Notably, optimal feature sets were obtained after the reduction of 2,798 features into dozens of features with the chopping of fingerprint bits. Moreover, the high efficiency of compact feature sets allowed us to further screen a large-scale dataset (over 6,000,000 compounds) within a week. Through a consensus vote of the top models, 46 hits (hit rate = 0.000713%) were identified as potential S100A9 inhibitors. We expect that our models will facilitate the drug discovery process by providing high predictive power as well as cost-reduction ability and give insights into designing novel drugs targeting S100A9.

A highly sensitive fluorescent probe that quantifies transthyretin in human plasma as an early diagnostic tool of Alzheimer's disease.

The development of sensitive and reliable fluorescent probes for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is highly challenging and plays an important role in achieving effective treatments. Herein, we designed and synthesized an indole-based fluorophore for TTR in human plasma, an important hallmark of AD pathogenesis. This robust and simple fluorescent method allows quantification of TTR in the complex biological matrix.