Structural determinants of phorbol ester binding activity of the C1a and C1b domains of protein kinase C theta

Mitophagy pathways and Alzheimer's disease: From pathogenesis to treatment

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-dependent, incurable mental illness that is associated with the accumulation of aggregates of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau fragments (p-tau). Detailed studies on postmortem AD brains, cell lines, and mouse models of AD have shown that numerous cellular alterations, including mitochondrial deficits, synaptic disruption and glial/astrocytic activation, are involved in the disease process. Mitophagy is a cellular process by which damaged/weakened mitochondria are selectively eliminated from the cell. In AD, impairments in mitophagy trigger the gradual accumulation of defective mitochondria. This review will focus on the recent progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms and pathological role of mitophagy and its implications for AD pathogenesis. We will also discuss the novel concept of the regulation of mitophagy as a therapeutic avenue for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Nanotechnology-mediated immunochemotherapy with Ingenol-3-Mebutate for Systematic Anti-tumor Effects

Cancer-Immunotherapy was the most exciting topic. However, either insensitivity due to singleness of therapeutic target or immune evasion leads to the failure of the treatment. Ingenol-3-mebutate (I3A) can inhibit cancer through synergy between immunotherapy and chemotherapy, however, the speculation and accurate mechanism haven't been confirmed in vivo limited by its hydrophobicity and pH-instability, which also hindered its clinical translation. Herein we developed a polymeric micelle with 'acidic core' provided by single alcoholic hydroxyl (-CH(CH3)-OH) encapsulating I3A (I3A-PM), which successfully overcome the aforementioned problems and reduce the toxicity in vivo. To test the synergy, S180 tumor-bearing mice were subjected to I3A-PM through intravenous and intratumoral administration, we found I3A-PM presented significant antitumor effect, and promoted Th1 polarization by upregulating the level of Th1 cytokines (IL-12, IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α), and accelerated the expansion of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, meanwhile, I3A-PM depleted regulatory T cells, Th2 cytokine IL-6 through inhibiting TGF-β signaling pathway. Furthermore, we appealed to virtual screening of tumor target, and found a new pathway of I3A as a TGF-β receptor type I inhibitor to improve immunostimulatory effects. These results demonstrated I3A-PM as a promising nanoagent for cancer immunotherapy strategy. The synergistic therapeutic effects are encouraged to further evaluate in different cancer model compared with commercial products to facilitate research finding (I3A-PM) entering the clinic.