Correction to: Platelets promote breast cancer cell MCF-7 metastasis by direct interaction: surface integrin α2ß1-contacting-mediated activation of Wnt-ß-catenin pathway.

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Platelets promote breast cancer cell MCF-7 metastasis by direct interaction: surface integrin α2ß1-contacting-mediated activation of Wnt-ß-catenin pathway.

BACKGROUND: Integrin-mediated platelet-tumor cell contacting plays an important role in promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transformation of tumor cells and cancer metastasis, but whether it occurs in breast cancer cells is not completely clear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of integrin α2ß1 in platelet contacting to human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and its effect on the EMT and the invasion of MCF-7 cells. METHODS: Human platelets were activated by thrombin, and separated into pellets and releasates before the co-incubation with MCF-7 cells. Cell invasion was evaluated by transwell assay. The surface integrins on pellets and MCF-7 cells were inhibited by antibodies. The effect of integrin α2ß1 on Wnt-ß-catenin pathway was assessed by integrin α2ß1-silencing and Wnt-ß-catenin inhibitor XAV. The therapeutic effect of integrin α2ß1-silencing was confirmed in the xenograft mouse model. RESULTS: Pellets promote the invasion and EMT of MCF-7 cells via direct contacting of surface integrin α2ß1. The integrin α2ß1 contacting activates Wnt-ß-catenin pathway and promotes the expression of EMT proteins in MCF-7 cells. The activated Wnt-ß-catenin pathway also promotes the autocrine of TGF-ß1 in MCF-7 cells. Both Wnt-ß-catenin and TGF-ß1/pSmad3 pathways promote the expression of EMT proteins. Integrin α2ß1-silencing inhibits breast cancer metastasis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The direct interaction between platelets and tumor cells exerts its pro-metastatic function via surface integrin α2ß1 contacting and Wnt-ß-catenin activation. Integrin α2ß1-silencing has the potential effect of inhibiting breast cancer metastasis.

Stabilising fleeting intermediates of stilbene photocyclization with amino-borane functionalisation: the rare isolation of persistent dihydrophenanthrenes and their [1,5] H-shift isomers.

The key intermediate, 4a,4b-dihydrophenanthrene (DPH), involved in the photocyclization of stilbene and derivatives is known to be unstable, and is therefore poorly characterized/understood. We have found that functionalising stilbenes with NMe2 and BMes2 groups can greatly enhance the stability of 4a,4b-DPHs, allowing quantitative isolation and full characterization of these rare species. Furthermore, we discovered that the new amino-borane decorated 4a,4b-DPHs can undergo thermal [1,5] H sigmatropic shift, forming isomers 4a,10a-DPHs. Both 4a,4b-DHPs and 4a,10a-DHPs are stable towards air and moisture, while only the former were found to undergo oxidative dehydrogenation upon irradiation at 365 nm under air, yielding brightly blue/green fluorescent NMe2 and BMes2 functionalised phenanthrene analogues. Control studies established that the trans-Mes2B-Ph-NMe2 unit is responsible for the stability of these isolated 4a,4b-DHPs and their [1,5]-H shift isomers.

A simple multi-responsive system based on aldehyde functionalized amino-boranes.

A simple aldehyde functionalized amino-triarylborane donor-acceptor system (BO-1) was found to display distinct responses toward multiple external stimuli including solvent, temperature and pressure, with emission colours changing from blue to red. The operating mechanism most likely involves reversible switching between closed and open structures based on an intramolecular B ← O bond. Imbedded donor-acceptor charge transfer transitions played a key role in the multi-coloured fluorescent response of this new boron system to external stimuli. Multi-coloured and erasable fluorescent images on solid substrates based BO-1's "turn-on" response toward solvents, particularly water, are demonstrated.

1,1-Hydroboration of Fused Azole-Isoindole Analogues as an Approach for Construction of B,N-Heterocycles and Azole-Fused B,N-Naphthalenes.

Three isoelectronic analogues of pyrido[2,1-a]isoindole have been found to undergo a facile 1,1-hydroboration with HBMes2 borane, which provides a new and convenient method for the synthesis of B,N-heterocycles 1a-3a in high yields. Compounds 1a-3a can undergo photoelimination upon irradiation at 300 nm, generating heterocycle-fused B,N-naphthalene molecules 1b-3b, which display distinct yellow-green and blue fluorescent colors, respectively. Compound 1a undergoes thermal elimination, producing 1b at 280 °C, while compound 2a only undergoes partial elimination, forming 2b at 320 °C. Compound 3a is thermally stable up to 320 °C.

Responsive supramolecular polymers based on the bis[alkynylplatinum(II)] terpyridine molecular tweezer/arene recognition motif.

Supramolecular polymers are constructed based on the novel bis[alkynylplatinum(II)] terpyridine molecular tweezer/pyrene recognition motif. Successive addition of anthracene as the diene and cyano-functionalized dienophile triggers the reversible supramolecular polymerization process, thus advancing the concept of utilizing Diels-Alder chemistry to access stimuli-responsive materials in compartmentalized systems.

Comparison of clinical efficacy of three different neoadjuvant approaches (chemotherapy combined vaginal intracavitary irradiation, neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone or radiotherapy) combined with surgery for patients with stage Ib2 and IIa2 cervical cancer.

A total of 285 patients with stage Ib2 and IIa2 cervical cancer were categorized into three groups, and received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with vaginal intracavitary irradiation, neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone or radiotherapy, respectively. The effective rate of 70.6 % in group 1 was much higher than 41.4% in group 2 (P=0.000) and 46.9 % in group 3 (P=0.000); The percentage of patients receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy was 44.1% in group 1, much lower than 67.8% in group 2 (P=0.001) and 64.6% in group 3 (P=0.004); The percentage of patients with no postoperative risk factor in group 1 was 52.0%, much higher than 32.2% in group 2 (P=0.006) and 35.4% in group 3 (P=0.019); The occurrence rate of surgery-related complications in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 29.4%, 28.7%, and 33.3%, respectively, with no statistical differences among the groups (P=0.981). Regarding preoperative neoadjuvant complications, none were obvious in group 3, while occurrence rates of myelosuppression in groups 1 and 2 were 89.1% and 86.6%, of nausea and vomitting were 78.4% and 78.2%, but without significant differences (all P>0.05). Among 166 patients who received postoperative adjuvant therapy in the three groups, the occurrence rates were: 65.4%, 64.3% and 61.1% respectively for myelosuppression; 42.3%, 38.1%, and 38.9% for nausea and vomiting; 9.6%, 9.5% and 9.7% for urocystitis; and 63.5%, 69.0% and 65.3% enteritis and rectitis. There were no statistically significant differences among them (all P>0.05). The five-year disease-free survival rates (DFS) in groups 1, 2, 3 were 78.3%, 75.1%, 80.9%, respectively; the five-year overall survival rates (OS) were 81.4%, 78.2%, and 81.1%, respectively. The five-year OS of 166 patients receiving postoperative in the three groups were 72.4%, 69.5%, and 71.8%, respectively, with no significant variation (all P>0.05). Although there were no differences among three groups in DFS and OS, preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with intracavitary radiotherapy may increase the effective rate and the percentage of patients with no postoperative risk factors and decrease the percentage of patients receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy, thereby decreasing complications indirectly and increasing quality of life.

1,8-Naphthalimide-Cu(ІІ) ensemble based turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of thiols in organic aqueous media.

A 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble was rationally designed and synthesized as a new turn-on fluorescent probe utilizing the 'chemosensing ensemble' method for detections of thiols (Cys, Hcy and GSH) with high selectivity over other α-amino acids at pH 7.4 in organic aqueous media (EtOH/HEPES, v/v=9:1). The recognition mechanism was attributed to the remove Cu(II) from the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble by thiols and the release of flurescence of ligand 1. Remarkable fluorescence enhancements were therefore observed in the sensing process of thiols by the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble. Furthermore, the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble was successfully applied to the fluorescence imaging of thiols in CHO cells with high sensitivity and selectivity.