Zhifeng Mao

Identification of an Iridium(III)-Based Inhibitor of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

The novel iridium(III) complex 1 was verified as a potent inhibitor of the TNF-α-TNFR protein-protein interaction in vitro and in cellulo. The iridium(III) center plays a critical role in organizing the structure of the bioactive metal complex, as the isolated ligands were found to be completely inactive. Both iridium enantiomers inhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity and TNF-α-TNFR binding. 1 represents a promising scaffold for the further development of more potent organometallic TNF-α inhibitors.

An Ir(III) complex chemosensor for the detection of thiols

Abstract In this study, we report the use of a cyclometalated luminescent iridium(III) complex for the visualization of thiols. The detection of glutathione (GSH) by complex 1 is achieved through the reduction of its phendione N^N donor, which influences the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) of the complex. Complex 1 produced a maximum threefold luminescence enhancement at 587 nm in response to GSH. The linear detection range of 1 for GSH is between 0.2 and 2 M equivalents of GSH, with a detection limit of 1.67 μM. Complex 1 also displays good selectivity for thiols over other amino acids.

Inhibition of the p53/hDM2 protein-protein interaction by cyclometallated iridium(III) compounds

Inactivation of the p53 transcription factor by mutation or other mechanisms is a frequent event in tumorigenesis. One of the major endogenous negative regulators of p53 in humans is hDM2, a ubiquitin E3 ligase that binds to p53 causing proteasomal p53 degradation. In this work, a library of organometallic iridium(III) compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to disrupt the p53/hDM2 protein-protein interaction. The novel cyclometallated iridium(III) compound 1 [Ir(eppy)2(dcphen)](PF6) (where eppy = 2-(4-ethylphenyl)pyridine and dcphen = 4, 7-dichloro-1, 10-phenanthroline) blocked the interaction of p53/hDM2 in human amelanotic melanoma cells. Finally, 1 exhibited anti-proliferative activity and induced apoptosis in cancer cell lines consistent with inhibition of the p53/hDM2 interaction. Compound 1 represents the first reported organometallic p53/hDM2 protein-protein interaction inhibitor.

A novel dinuclear iridium(III) complex as a G-quadruplex-selective probe for the luminescent switch-on detection of transcription factor HIF-1α

A novel dinuclear Ir(III) complex 5 was discovered to be specific to G-quadruplex DNA, and was utilized in a label-free G-quadruplex-based detection platform for transcription factor activity. The principle of this assay was demonstrated by using HIF-1α as a model protein. Moreover, this HIF-1α detection assay exhibited potential use for biological sample analysis.

A tutorial review for employing enzymes for the construction of G-quadruplex-based sensing platforms

With rapid advances in the field of DNA chemistry, nucleic acids and DNA-modifying enzymes have recently emerged as versatile components for the construction of oligonucleotide-based sensors. Meanwhile, the G-quadruplex motif has been widely employed for the development of DNA-based assays due to its diverse structural variety. In this tutorial, we introduce the principles of G-quadruplex-based sensing and the use of DNA-modifying enzymes for sensor platform development. We also highlight recent studies of the application of DNA-modifying enzymes for the development of G-quadruplex-based luminescent detection platforms with a view towards how those enzymes play an important role in sensitivity enhancement.