Tumor-Derived Exosomes Contain microRNAs with Immunological Function: Implications for a Novel Immunosuppression Mechanism.

Tumor-derived vesicles (TDV) have been recently implicated in immunosuppression by transporting specific proteins, including Fas ligand (FasL) and TRAIL, to immune cells. We hypothesized that TDVs carrying miRNAs with immunological function could interfere with the translational machinery of immune cells and lead to TDV-mediated immunosuppression in cancer. We show that TDVs from human tumor cells indeed contain multiple miRNA species with known roles in lymphocyte development and function: hsa-miR-146a, miR-29a, and miR-21.

Synthesis and biophysical studies on 35-deoxy amphotericin B methyl ester.

The use of molecular editing in the elucidation of the mechanism of action of amphotericin B is presented. A modular strategy for the synthesis of amphotericin B and its designed analogues is developed, which relies on an efficient gram-scale synthesis of various subunits of amphotericin B. A novel method for the coupling of the mycosamine to the aglycone was identified.

Lipid-induced conformational transition of the amyloid core fragment Abeta(28-35) and its A30G and A30I mutants.

The interaction of the beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) with neuronal membranes could play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies have focused on the interactions of Abeta oligomers to explain the neuronal toxicity accompanying Alzheimer's disease. In our study, we have investigated the role of lipid interactions with soluble Abeta(28-35) (wild-type) and its mutants A30G and A30I in their aggregation and conformational preferences.