No abstract

The search for receptors that can selectively capture small and potentially toxic anions in protic media has sparked a renewed interest in the synthesis and anion-binding properties of polydentate Lewis acids. Seeking new paradigms to enhance the anion affinities of such systems, we synthesized a bidentate Lewis acid that contains a boryl and a telluronium moiety as Lewis acidic sites. Anion-complexation studies indicate that this telluronium borane displays a high affinity for fluoride in methanol. Structural and computational studies show that the unusual fluoride affinity of this bidentate telluronium borane can be correlated with the formation of a B-F → Te chelate motif supported by a strong lone-pair(F) → σ*(Te-C) donor-acceptor interaction. These results, which illustrate the viability of heavier chalcogenium centres as anion-binding sites, allow us to introduce a novel strategy for the design of polydentate Lewis acids with enhanced anion affinities.

Granzyme B (GZMB) is a serine protease that is abundantly expressed in advanced human atherosclerotic lesions and may contribute to plaque instability. Perforin is a pore-forming protein that facilitates GZMB internalization and the induction of apoptosis. Recently a perforin-independent, extracellular role for GZMB has been proposed. In the current study , the role of GZMB in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was assessed. Apolipoprotein E (APOE)and APOE ؊/؊ ؋ perforin ؊/؊ double knockout (GDKO, PDKO) mice were generated to test whether GZMB exerted a causative role in aneurysm formation. To induce aneurysm, mice were given angiotensin II (1000 ng/kg/min) for 28 days. GZMB was found to be abundant in both murine and human AAA specimens. GZMB deficiency was associated with a decrease in AAA and increased survival compared with APOE-KO and PDKO mice. Although AAA rupture was observed frequently in APOE-KO (46.7%; n ‫؍‬ 15) and PDKO (43.3%; n ‫؍‬ 16) mice, rupture was rarely observed in GDKO (7.1%; n ‫؍‬ 14) mice. APOE-KO mice exhibited reduced fibrillin-1 staining compared with GDKO mice, whereas in vitro protease assays demonstrated that fibrillin-1 is a substrate of GZMB. As perforin deficiency did not affect the outcome, our results suggest that GZMB contributes to AAA pathogenesis via a perforin-independent mechanism involving extracellular matrix degradation and subsequent loss of vessel An aneurysm is a permanent focal dilatation of an artery that is associated with progressive weakening of the vessel wall. Approximately 80% of all aortic aneurysms occur in the abdominal region.1 Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an increasingly common and frequently fatal clinical condition, responsible for more than 15,000 deaths per year in the United States.1 The most significant risk factors for AAA are male gender, cigarette smoking, age, family history, and atherosclerotic disease.2,3 The incidence of AAA measuring 2.9 to 4.9 cm in diameter ranges from 1.3% in men 45 to 54 years of age to 12.5% in men 75 to 84 years of age. In women, prevalence ranges from 0% to 5.2% in the same age groups. 2Rupture occurs in approximately 20% of AAA exceeding 5 cm in diameter but is expected in over 50% of AAA greater than 7 cm. 2

Extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation is a hallmark of many chronic inflammatory diseases that can lead to a loss of function, aging, and disease progression. Ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation from the sun is widely considered as the major cause of visible human skin aging, causing increased inflammation and enhanced ECM degradation. Granzyme B (GzmB), a serine protease that is expressed by a variety of cells, accumulates in the extracellular milieu during chronic inflammation and cleaves a number of ECM proteins. We hypothesized that GzmB contributes to ECM degradation in the skin after UV irradiation through both direct cleavage of ECM proteins and indirectly through the induction of other proteinases. Wild-type and GzmB-knockout mice were repeatedly exposed to minimal erythemal doses of solar-simulated UV irradiation for 20 weeks. GzmB expression was significantly increased in wild-type treated skin compared to nonirradiated controls, colocalizing to keratinocytes and to an increased mast cell population. GzmB deficiency significantly protected against the formation of wrinkles and the loss of dermal collagen density, which was related to the cleavage of decorin, an abundant proteoglycan involved in collagen fibrillogenesis and integrity. GzmB also cleaved fibronectin, and GzmB-mediated fibronectin fragments increased the expression of collagen-degrading matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in fibroblasts. Collectively, these findings indicate a significant role for GzmB in ECM degradation that may have implications in many age-related chronic inflammatory diseases.