Depletion of nuclear histone H2A variants is associated with chronic DNA damage signaling upon drug-evoked senescence of human somatic cells.

Cellular senescence is associated with global chromatin changes, altered gene expression, and activation of chronic DNA damage signaling. These events ultimately lead to morphological and physiological transformations in primary cells. In this study, we show that chronic DNA damage signals caused by genotoxic stress impact the expression of histones H2A family members and lead to their depletion in the nuclei of senescent human fibroblasts.

High-level expression of the malaria blood-stage vaccine candidate Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 and induction of antibodies that inhibit erythrocyte invasion.

Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) is a highly promising malaria blood-stage vaccine candidate that has induced protection in rodent and nonhuman primate models of malaria. Authentic conformation of the protein appears to be essential for the induction of parasite-inhibitory antibody responses. Here we have developed a synthetic gene with adapted codon usage to allow expression of Plasmodium falciparum FVO strain AMA-1 (PfAMA-1) in Pichia pastoris.