Wen Yang

Expansion microscopy is a promising optical imaging technique with subdiffraction-limited resolution on conventional fluorescence microscopes, but it remains difficult to achieve efficient and controllable protein anchoring for rapid expansion imaging applications. Herein, we report a robust photoclick protein anchoring strategy-based expansion imaging technique, which allows minute-scale molecule anchoring and sample homogenization at the 1 h scale in cell and tissue samples. The photoclick protein anchoring strategy relies on the UV-light-induced cyclization reaction for anchor grafting onto the proteins, allowing subsequent protein anchoring to the hydrogel for expansion imaging. With this technique, we achieved the nanoscale feature imaging of microtubule networks and multiplexed imaging of structure reorganization of cellular cytoskeleton and cell nucleus with the presence of mechanosignaling disorder in vascular smooth muscle cells upon oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) stimulation. We also validated the feasibility of our strategy for rapid protein anchoring and expansion imaging of hippocampal cell features in mouse brain slices. Moreover, we demonstrated photoclick protein anchoring in the region of interest (ROI) across the large-scale sample for selective sample retention and expansion imaging by using a mask-assisted exposure method. We believe that our method holds great promise as a robust candidate of super-resolution imaging techniques for versatile biological and clinical applications on standard fluorescence imaging platforms.

A Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem reaction strategy for the construction of a dihydrophenalene-lactone tetracyclic skeleton has been disclosed. Starting with 2-naphthol-tethered ketones and active methylene esters, the tandem reaction catalyzed by Sc(OTf)₃ proceeded well to afford an array of dihydrophenalene-fused lactones with moderate to high efficiency and diastereoselectivity. Moreover, the synthetic utility of this protocol was demonstrated by easy gram-scale preparation and diverse product transformations.

An efficient cobalt-catalyzed selective hydroboration of 1,3-enynes with HBpin toward 1,3-dienylboronate esters is disclosed. With a commercially available catalytic system of Co(acac)(2) and dppf, the hydroboration reactions proceeded well to afford a wide range of 1,3-dienylborates in moderate to high yields. This protocol features a cheap base-metal catalytic system, broad substrate scope, excellent selectivity, easy gram-scale preparation, and good functional group tolerance and provides access to synthetically valuable 1,3-dienylborates.

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of aryl phosphonates from aryl bromides and trialkylphosphites via EDA complex-based photochemistry has been developed.

An efficient Brønsted acid-catalyzed tandem reaction has been developed for the construction of a dihydrophenalene skeleton bearing an all-carbon quaternary center. Starting with 2-naphthol-tethered ketones and indoles, the tandem reaction catalyzed by TsOH monohydrate proceeded smoothly with good to excellent efficiency through a double Friedel-Crafts alkylation process. Moreover, the synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by easy gram-scale preparation and product transformations to fused hexacyclic compounds.

The effective imaging of endogenous HNO is highly crucial for pathology research and medical development due to its important pharmacological activity in biological systems. Here, a ratiometric photoacoustic probe in response to HNO was rationally developed to effectively assess HNO prodrug release and liver injury in vivo.

A tertiary amine thiourea-catalyzed asymmetric cross-aldol reaction of aryl ketones with trifluoromethyl ketone hydrates via enolate intermediates has been developed.

We describe a general and efficient transition-metal free C-C bond cross-coupling of (hetero)aryl ethers and diarylmethanes via C(sp²)-O bond cleavage. The coupling reactions mediated by KHMDS proceeded well with high efficiency, broad substrate scope, and good functional group tolerance. The robustness and practicability of this protocol also have been demonstrated by easy gram-scale preparation and diversified product derivatization.

An efficient catalyst-free C(sp³)–H functionalization of methyl azaarenes with heteroaromatic trifluoromethyl ketone hydrates in neat water for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols has been developed.