Platelet-activating factor (PAF) promotes immunosuppressive neutrophil differentiation within tumors.

Chronic inflammatory milieu in the tumor microenvironment (TME) leads to the recruitment and differentiation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSCs, which are phenotypically and morphologically defined as a subset of neutrophils, cause major immune suppression in the TME, posing a significant challenge in the development of effective immunotherapies. Despite recent advances in our understanding of PMN-MDSC functions, the mechanism that gives rise to immunosuppressive neutrophils within the TME remains elusive.

Gene Editing and Small Molecule Inhibitors of the RNA Binding Protein IGF2BP2/IMP2 Show its Potential as an Anti-Cancer Drug Target.

Background: The RNA-binding protein IGF2BP2/IMP2/VICKZ2/p62 is an oncofetal protein that is overexpressed in several cancer entities. Employing IMP2 knockout colorectal cancer cells, we could show the important role of IMP2 in several hallmarks of cancer. This study aimed to functionally characterize IMP2 in lung (A549, LLC1) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2, Huh7) cell lines to assess its role as a potential target for these cancer entities.

Mouse Memory CD8 T Cell Subsets Defined by Tissue-Resident Memory Integrin Expression Exhibit Distinct Metabolic Profiles.

Tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells (TRM) principally reside in peripheral nonlymphoid tissues, such as lung and skin, and confer protection against a variety of illnesses ranging from infections to cancers. The functions of different memory CD8 T cell subsets have been linked with distinct metabolic pathways and differ from other CD8 T cell subsets. For example, skin-derived memory T cells undergo fatty acid oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation to a greater degree than circulating memory and naive cells.

Common and species-specific molecular signatures, networks, and regulators of influenza virus infection in mice, ferrets, and humans.

Molecular responses to influenza A virus (IAV) infections vary between mammalian species. To identify conserved and species-specific molecular responses, we perform a comparative study of transcriptomic data derived from blood cells, primary epithelial cells, and lung tissues collected from IAV-infected humans, ferrets, and mice. The molecular responses in the human host have unique functions such as antigen processing that are not observed in mice or ferrets.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Preoperative CT and Endoscopy Staging in Early Laryngeal Cancer.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative endoscopic tumor staging with regard to histopathologic staging in patients with early laryngeal cancer.

Study Design: A retrospective nonrandomized single-institution comparative cohort study including 109 patients.

Setting: A tertiary surgical center.

Functional lower airways genomic profiling of the microbiome to capture active microbial metabolism.

Background: Microbiome studies of the lower airways based on bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing assess microbial community structure but can only infer functional characteristics. Microbial products, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in the lower airways have significant impact on the host's immune tone. Thus, functional approaches to the analyses of the microbiome are necessary.

Modeling the metabolic interplay between a parasitic worm and its bacterial endosymbiont allows the identification of novel drug targets.

The filarial nematode represents a leading cause of disability in the developing world, causing lymphatic filariasis in nearly 40 million people. Currently available drugs are not well-suited to mass drug administration efforts, so new treatments are urgently required. One potential vulnerability is the endosymbiotic bacteria -present in many filariae-which is vital to the worm.

Prediction pipeline for discovery of regulatory motifs associated with Brugia malayi molting.

Filarial nematodes can cause debilitating diseases in humans. They have complicated life cycles involving an insect vector and mammalian hosts, and they go through a number of developmental molts. While whole genome sequences of parasitic worms are now available, very little is known about transcription factor (TF) binding sites and their cognate transcription factors that play a role in regulating development.

Nearly Complete Genome Sequence of Brugia malayi Strain FR3.

Lymphatic filariasis affects ∼120 million people and can result in elephantiasis and hydrocele. Here, we report the nearly complete genome sequence of the best-studied causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, The assembly contains four autosomes, an X chromosome, and only eight gaps but lacks a contiguous sequence for the known Y chromosome.

Sex chromosome evolution in parasitic nematodes of humans.

Sex determination mechanisms often differ even between related species yet the evolution of sex chromosomes remains poorly understood in all but a few model organisms. Some nematodes such as Caenorhabditis elegans have an XO sex determination system while others, such as the filarial parasite Brugia malayi, have an XY mechanism. We present a complete B.

Characterization of antibiotic resistance and host-microbiome interactions in the human upper respiratory tract during influenza infection.

Background: The abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the human respiratory microbiome remain poorly characterized. In the context of influenza virus infection, interactions between the virus, the host, and resident bacteria with pathogenic potential are known to complicate and worsen disease, resulting in coinfection and increased morbidity and mortality of infected individuals. When pathogenic bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance, they are more difficult to treat and of global health concern.

Cell-to-Cell Variation in Defective Virus Expression and Effects on Host Responses during Influenza Virus Infection.

Virus and host factors contribute to cell-to-cell variation in viral infections and determine the outcome of the overall infection. However, the extent of the variability at the single-cell level and how it impacts virus-host interactions at a system level are not well understood. To characterize the dynamics of viral transcription and host responses, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to quantify at multiple time points the host and viral transcriptomes of human A549 cells and primary bronchial epithelial cells infected with influenza A virus.

Microbial Composition of the Human Nasopharynx Varies According to Influenza Virus Type and Vaccination Status.

Factors that contribute to enhanced susceptibility to severe bacterial disease after influenza virus infection are not well defined but likely include the microbiome of the respiratory tract. Vaccination against influenza, while having variable effectiveness, could also play a role in microbial community stability. We collected nasopharyngeal samples from 215 individuals infected with influenza A/H3N2 or influenza B virus and profiled the microbiota by target sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.

Profiling the airway in the macaque model of tuberculosis reveals variable microbial dysbiosis and alteration of community structure.

Background: The specific interactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), and the lung microbiota in infection are entirely unexplored. Studies in cancer and other infectious diseases suggest that there are important exchanges occurring between host and microbiota that influence the immunological landscape. This can result in alterations in immune regulation and inflammation both locally and systemically.

Genomic and phenotypic characterization of myxoma virus from Great Britain reveals multiple evolutionary pathways distinct from those in Australia.

The co-evolution of myxoma virus (MYXV) and the European rabbit occurred independently in Australia and Europe from different progenitor viruses. Although this is the canonical study of the evolution of virulence, whether the genomic and phenotypic outcomes of MYXV evolution in Europe mirror those observed in Australia is unknown. We addressed this question using viruses isolated in the United Kingdom early in the MYXV epizootic (1954-1955) and between 2008-2013.

Neuronal matrix metalloproteinase-9 is a determinant of selective neurodegeneration.

Selective neuronal loss is the hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. In patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), most motor neurons die but those innervating extraocular, pelvic sphincter, and slow limb muscles exhibit selective resistance. We identified 18 genes that show >10-fold differential expression between resistant and vulnerable motor neurons.

Glioblastoma stem-like cells give rise to tumour endothelium.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is among the most aggressive of human cancers. A key feature of GBMs is the extensive network of abnormal vasculature characterized by glomeruloid structures and endothelial hyperplasia. Yet the mechanisms of angiogenesis and the origin of tumour endothelial cells remain poorly defined.

Prelicensure evaluation of combination vaccines.

There is considerable public health interest in licensing safe and effective combination vaccines. Because combination vaccines may progress rapidly from phase 1 to a pivotal phase 2 immunogenicity trial, a rigorous approach to address product issues early in development is warranted. Clinical studies to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and (when necessary) clinical end point efficacy of combination vaccines should be randomized and well controlled in most cases.

Cloning, sequencing, expression and allelic sequence diversity of ERG3 (C-5 sterol desaturase gene) in Candida albicans.

The C-5 sterol desaturase gene (ERG3), essential for yeast ergosterol biosynthesis, was cloned and sequenced from Candida albicans by homology with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ERG3. The ERG3 ORF contained 1158bp and encoded 386 deduced amino acids. The clone was used to transform a gal1 mutant derived from the Darlington strain of C.

Purification, reconstitution, and inhibition of cytochrome P-450 sterol delta22-desaturase from the pathogenic fungus Candida glabrata.

Sterol delta22-desaturase has been purified from a strain of Candida glabrata with a disruption in the gene encoding sterol 14alpha-demethylase (cytochrome P-45051; CYP51). The purified cytochrome P-450 exhibited sterol delta22-desaturase activity in a reconstituted system with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in dilaurylphosphatidylcholine, with the enzyme kinetic studies revealing a Km for ergosta-5,7-dienol of 12.5 microM and a Vmax of 0.

Preventive HIV type 1 vaccine clinical trials: a regulatory perspective.

The clinical development of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine should be planned so that adequate safety and efficacy data can be obtained in an efficient manner to permit a risk/benefit assessment. Phase 1 and 2 studies should support the selection of an appropriate vaccine formulation, dose and schedule for evaluation in efficacy trials. Evaluation of the immune response(s) elicited by an HIV vaccine has an important role, even early in clinical development.

Fluconazole resistance associated with drug efflux and increased transcription of a drug transporter gene, PDH1, in Candida glabrata.

Sequential Candida glabrata isolates were obtained from the mouth of a patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 who was receiving high doses of fluconazole for oropharyngeal thrush. Fluconazole-susceptible colonies were replaced by resistant colonies that exhibited both increased fluconazole efflux and increased transcripts of a gene which codes for a protein with 72.5% identity to Pdr5p, an ABC multidrug transporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Enhanced oxidative killing of azole-resistant Candida glabrata strains with ERG11 deletion.

The susceptibility of genetically defined Candida glabrata strains to killing by H2O2 and neutrophils was assessed. Fluconazole-susceptible L5L and L5D strains demonstrated survival rates higher than those of two fluconazole-resistant strains lacking the ERG11 gene coding for 14 alpha-demethylase. Fluconazole resistance can occur by mechanisms which increase fungal susceptibility to oxidative killing by H2O2 and neutrophils.