Durable lymphocyte subset elimination upon a single dose of AAV-delivered depletion antibody dissects immune control of chronic viral infection.

To interrogate the role of specific immune cells in infection, cancer, and autoimmunity, immunologists commonly use monoclonal depletion antibodies (depletion-mAbs) or genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). To generate a tool that combines specific advantages and avoids select drawbacks of the two methods, we engineered adeno-associated viral vectors expressing depletion mAbs (depletion-AAVs). Single-dose depletion-AAV administration durably eliminated lymphocyte subsets in mice and avoided accessory deficiencies of GEMMs, such as marginal zone defects in B cell-deficient animals.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen Expression in Human Tumors: A Tissue Microarray Study on 13,725 Tumors.

Background/objectives: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a cell-surface glycoprotein serving as a drug target, diagnostic marker, and serum marker for cancer monitoring. However, prevalence data on CEA expression in cancer tissues vary considerably. This study was designed to determine CEA expression in normal and neoplastic tissues.

PLAP expression is linked to invasive tumor growth in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Purpose: Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) is a protein with a poorly understood function that is normally only expressed in the placenta. In cancer, PLAP expression is a hallmark of germ cell neoplasms, but it can also occur in urothelial carcinoma. To evaluate the potential clinical significance of PLAP expression in bladder cancer, METHODS: PLAP protein was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in more than 2500 urothelial bladder carcinomas in a tissue microarray format.

Structural insights into a DNA polymerase reading the xeno nucleic acid HNA.

Xeno nucleic acids (XNAs) are unnatural analogues of the natural nucleic acids in which the canonical ribose or deoxyribose rings are replaced with alternative sugars, congener structures or even open-ring configurations. The expanding repertoire of XNAs holds significant promise for diverse applications in molecular biology as well as diagnostics and therapeutics. Key advantages of XNAs over natural nucleic acids include their enhanced biostability, superior target affinity and (in some cases) catalytic activity.

Loss of MTAP expression is strongly linked to homozygous 9p21 deletion, unfavorable tumor phenotype, and noninflamed microenvironment in urothelial bladder cancer.

Homozygous 9p21 deletions usually result in a complete loss of S-methyl-5'-thioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) expression visualizable by immunohistochemistry (IHC). MTAP deficiency has been proposed as a marker for predicting targeted treatment response. A tissue microarray including 2,710 urothelial bladder carcinomas were analyzed for 9p21 deletion by fluorescence in situ hybridization and MTAP expression by IHC.