Zika virus remodels and hijacks IGF2BP2 ribonucleoprotein complex to promote viral replication organelle biogenesis.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes significant human disease that, with no approved treatment or vaccine, constitutes a major public health concern. Its life cycle entirely relies on the cytoplasmic fate of the viral RNA genome (vRNA) through a fine-tuned equilibrium between vRNA translation, replication, and packaging into new virions, all within virus-induced replication organelles (vROs). In this study, with an RNA interference (RNAi) mini-screening and subsequent functional characterization, we have identified insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) as a new host dependency factor that regulates vRNA synthesis.

Co-expression of human sialyltransferase improves N-glycosylation in Leishmania tarentolae and optimizes the production of humanized therapeutic glycoprotein IFN-beta.

The production of therapeutic glycoproteins is primarily expensive due to the necessity of culturing mammalian cells. These systems often require complex and costly culture media and typically yield low amounts of protein. Leishmania tarentolae, a non-pathogenic protozoan to mammals, has emerged as a cost-effective alternative system for heterologous glycoprotein expression due to its suitability for large-scale production using low-cost culture media, and its ability to perform mammalian-like post-translational modifications, including glycosylation.

Development of a single-domain antibody to target a G-quadruplex located on the hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA genome.

To achieve a virological cure for hepatitis B virus (HBV), innovative strategies are required to target the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) genome. Guanine-quadruplexes (G4s) are a secondary structure that can be adopted by DNA and play a significant role in regulating viral replication, transcription, and translation. Antibody-based probes and small molecules have been developed to study the role of G4s in the context of the human genome, but none have been specifically made to target G4s in viral infection.

Factor-Dependent Internal Ribosome Entry Site and -1 Programmed Frameshifting Signal in the Bemisia-Associated Dicistrovirus 2.

The dicistrovirus intergenic (IGR) IRES uses the most streamlined translation initiation mechanism: the IRES recruits ribosomes directly without using protein factors and initiates translation from a non-AUG codon. Several subtypes of dicistroviruses IRES have been identified; typically, the IRESs adopt two -to three overlapping pseudoknots with key stem-loop and unpaired regions that interact with specific domains of the ribosomal 40S and 60S subunits to direct translation. We previously predicted an atypical IGR IRES structure and a potential -1 programmed frameshift (-1 FS) signal within the genome of the whitefly Bemisia-associated dicistrovirus 2 (BaDV-2).

The 3' terminal region of Zika virus RNA contains a conserved G-quadruplex and is unfolded by human DDX17.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection remains a worldwide concern, and currently no effective treatments or vaccines are available. Novel therapeutics are an avenue of interest that could probe viral RNA-human protein communication to stop viral replication. One specific RNA structure, G-quadruplexes (G4s), possess various roles in viruses and all domains of life, including transcription and translation regulation and genome stability, and serves as nucleation points for RNA liquid-liquid phase separation.

Mapping and characterization of G-quadruplexes in monkeypox genomes.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a double-stranded DNA virus from the family Poxviridae, which is endemic in West and Central Africa. Various human outbreaks occurred in the 1980s, resulting from a cessation of smallpox vaccination. Recently, MPXV cases have reemerged in non-endemic nations, and the 2022 outbreak has been declared a public health emergency.

Enlarging the Toolbox Against Antimicrobial Resistance: Aptamers and CRISPR-Cas.

In the post-genomic era, molecular treatments and diagnostics have been envisioned as powerful techniques to tackle the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. Among the molecular approaches, aptamers and CRISPR-Cas have gained support due to their practicality, sensibility, and flexibility to interact with a variety of extra- and intracellular targets. Those characteristics enabled the development of quick and onsite diagnostic tools as well as alternative treatments for pan-resistant bacterial infections.

Chimeric Protein Designed by Genome-Scale Immunoinformatics Enhances Serodiagnosis of Bovine Neosporosis.

Neosporosis has become a concern since it is associated with abortion in cattle. Currently, diagnosis is determined through anamnesis, evaluation of the history, and perception of the clinical signs of the herd. There is no practical and noninvasive test adapted to a large number of samples, which represents a gap for the use of new approaches that provide information about infections and the risks of herds.

Trifluoromethyl arylamides with antileukemia effect and intracellular inhibitory activity over serine/arginine-rich protein kinases (SRPKs).

The serine/arginine-rich protein kinases (SRPKs) have frequently been found with altered activity in a number of cancers, suggesting they could serve as potential therapeutic targets in oncology. Here we describe the synthesis of a series of twenty-two trifluoromethyl arylamides based on the known SRPKs inhibitor N-(2-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)isonicotinamide (SRPIN340) and the evaluation of their antileukemia effects. Some derivatives presented superior cytotoxic effects against myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cell lines compared to SRPIN340.