Correction to "A Stepwise Targeting Curcumin Derivative, Ser@TPP@CUR, for Acute Kidney Injury".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00585.].

A Stepwise Targeting Curcumin Derivative, Ser@TPP@CUR, for Acute Kidney Injury.

Based on the pathological mechanisms of acute kidney injury (AKI), a stepwise targeting curcumin derivative, Ser@TPP@CUR, was developed in this study. Ser@TPP@CUR can be specifically internalized by renal tubular epithelial cells via KIM-1 receptor-mediated endocytosis and then actively distributed in mitochondria under the effect of TPP, a mitochondrial targeting molecule. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that Ser@TPP@CUR effectively ameliorated injured renal tubular epithelial cells and improved renal functions of AKI mice.

Fucose, mannose, and ß-N-acetylglucosamine glycopolymers initiate the mouse sperm acrosome reaction through convergent signaling pathways.

The sperm acrosome reaction (AR), an essential exocytosis step in mammalian fertilization, is mediated by a species-specific interaction of sperm surface molecules with glycans on the egg. Previous studies indicate that a subset of terminal carbohydrates on the mouse egg zona pellucida (ZP) trigger the AR by cross-linking or aggregating receptors on the sperm membrane. However, the exact role of those carbohydrates in AR has not been identified and the mechanism underlying the AR still needs further investigation. To study this process, a series of glycopolymers was synthesized. The glycopolymers are composed of a multivalent scaffold (norbornene), a functional ligand (previously identified ZP terminal monosaccharides), and a linker connecting the ligand and the scaffold. The polymers were tested for their ability to initiate AR and through which signaling pathways AR induction occurred. Our data demonstrate that mannose, fucose, and ß-N-acetylglucosamine 10-mers and 100-mers initiate AR in a dose-dependent manner, and the 100-mers are more potent on a per monomer basis than the 10-mers. Although nearly equipotent in inducing the AR at the optimal concentrations, their AR activation kinetics are not identical. Similar to mouse ZP3, all 100-mer-activated AR are sensitive to guanine-binding regulatory proteins (G-proteins), tyrosine kinase, protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and Ca(2+)-related antagonists. Thus, the chemotypes of synthetic glycopolymers imitate the physiologic AR-activation agents and provide evidence that occupation of one of at least three different receptor binding sites is sufficient to initiate the AR.

PCR-mediated recombination of the amplification products of the Hibiscus tiliaceus cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene.

PCR-mediated recombination describes the process of in vitro chimera formation from related template sequences present in a single PCR amplification. The high levels of genetic redundancy in eukaryotic genomes should make recombination artifacts occur readily. However, few evolutionary biologists adequately consider this phenomenon when studying gene lineages. The cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (GapC), which encodes a NADP-dependent nonphosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the cytosol, is a classical low-copy nuclear gene marker and is commonly used in molecular evolutionary studies. Here, we report on the occurrence of PCR-mediated recombination in the GapC gene family of Hibiscus tiliaceus. The study suggests that recombinant areas appear to be correlated with DNA template secondary structures. Our observations highlight that recombination artifacts should be considered when studying specific and allelic phylogenies. The authors suggest that nested PCR be used to suppress PCR-mediated recombination.