Dry gel synthesis of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite using hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) as a mesoporogen and its catalytic activity in alkylation reactions.

In this work, a "green" and facile method for synthesis of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite was presented by combination of a bio-mesoporogen and a dry gel conversion (DGC) process. ZSM-5 zeolite with high hierarchy factors and excellent mesoporosity was synthesized by adding hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), which originated from cellulose biomass, to a zeolitic synthetic gel. The obtained zeolite samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine their properties. The influence of crystallization time on the crystallinity of ZSM-5 zeolite was investigated. Moreover, the results showed that HPMC as a pore directing agent is an important factor for the formation of hierarchical zeolite with high mesoporosity. The as-prepared ZSM-5 sample with high pore volume, large surface area and abundant accessible acid sites, which seriously improves diffusion efficiency and catalytic activity, exhibited high catalytic performance in the benzylation reaction.

Glucocorticoid receptor gene mutations confer glucocorticoid resistance in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Glucocorticoid (GC) is a key drug in the treatment of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), and the initial GC response is an important prognostic factor. GC receptors play an essential role in GC sensitivity, and somatic mutations of the GC receptor gene, NR3C1, are reportedly identified in some BCP-ALL cases, particularly at relapse. Moreover, associations of somatic mutations of the CREB-binding protein (CREBBP) and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 (WHSC1) genes with the GC-resistance of ALL have been suggested. However, the significance of these mutations in the GC sensitivity of BCP-ALL remains to be clarified in the intrinsic genes. In the present study, we sequenced NR3C1, WHSC1, and CREBBP genes in 99 BCP-ALL and 22 T-ALL cell lines (32 and 67 cell lines were known to be established at diagnosis and at relapse, respectively), and detected their mutations in 19 (2 cell lines at diagnosis and 15 cell lines at relapse), 26 (6 and 15), and 38 (11 and 15) cell lines, respectively. Of note, 14 BCP-ALL cell lines with the NR3C1 mutations were significantly more resistant to GC than those without mutations. In contrast, WHSC1 and CREBBP mutations were not associated with GC resistance. However, among the NR3C1 unmutated BCP-ALL cell lines, WHSC1 mutations tended to be associated with GC resistance and lower NR3C1 gene expression. Finally, we successfully established GC-resistant sublines of the GC-sensitive BCP-ALL cell line (697) by disrupting ligand binding and DNA binding domains of the NR3C1 gene using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. These observations demonstrated that somatic mutations of the NR3C1 gene, and possibly the WHSC1 gene, confer GC resistance in BCP-ALL.