Detection and Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Belonging to the B.1.1.7 Lineage in the Philippines.

We report the sequencing and detection of 36 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples containing lineage-defining mutations specific to viruses belonging to the B.1.1.

Control of cellular Bcl-xL levels by deamidation-regulated degradation.

The cellular concentration of Bcl-xL is among the most important determinants of treatment response and overall prognosis in a broad range of tumors as well as an important determinant of the cellular response to several forms of tissue injury. We and others have previously shown that human Bcl-xL undergoes deamidation at two asparaginyl residues and that DNA-damaging antineoplastic agents as well as other stimuli can increase the rate of deamidation. Deamidation results in the replacement of asparginyl residues with aspartyl or isoaspartyl residues.

Evolution of the human gastrokine locus and confounding factors regarding the pseudogenicity of GKN3.

In a screen for genes expressed specifically in gastric mucous neck cells, we identified GKN3, the recently discovered third member of the gastrokine family. We present confirmatory mouse data and novel porcine data showing that mouse GKN3 expression is confined to mucous cells of the corpus neck and antrum base and is prominently expressed in metaplastic lesions. GKN3 was proposed originally to be expressed in some human populations and a pseudogene in others.

An efficient visualization tool for the analysis of protein mutation matrices.

Background: It is useful to develop a tool that would effectively describe protein mutation matrices specifically geared towards the identification of mutations that produce either wanted or unwanted effects, such as an increase or decrease in affinity, or a predisposition towards misfolding. Here, we describe a tool where such mutations are efficiently identified, categorized and visualized. To categorize the mutations, amino acids in a mutation matrix are arranged according to one of three sets of physicochemical characteristics, namely hydrophilicity, size and polarizability, and charge and polarity.