mRNA Synthesis and Encapsulation in Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles.

mRNA vaccines have recently generated significant interest due to their success during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their success is due to advances in mRNA design and encapsulation into ionizable lipid nanoparticles (iLNPs). This has highlighted the potential for the use of mRNA-iLNPs in other settings such as cancer, gene therapy, or vaccines for different infectious diseases.

mRNA vaccine against malaria tailored for liver-resident memory T cells.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium species transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Following a mosquito bite, Plasmodium sporozoites migrate from skin to liver, where extensive replication occurs, emerging later as merozoites that can infect red blood cells and cause symptoms of disease. As liver tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm cells) have recently been shown to control liver-stage infections, we embarked on a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine strategy to induce liver Trm cells to prevent malaria.

Using Full-Spectrum Flow Cytometry to Phenotype Memory T and NKT Cell Subsets with Optimized Tissue-Specific Preparation Protocols.

Full-spectrum flow cytometry is now routinely used in many laboratories internationally, and the demand for this technology is rapidly increasing. With capacity to use larger and more complex staining panels, standardized protocols are required for optimal panel design and analysis. Importantly, for ex vivo analysis, tissue preparation methods also need to be optimized to ensure samples are truly representative of tissues in situ.

PP2A Phosphatase as an Emerging Viral Host Factor.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is one of the most ubiquitous cellular proteins and is responsible for the vast majority of Ser/Thr phosphatase activity in eukaryotes. PP2A is a heterotrimer, and its assembly, intracellular localization, enzymatic activity, and substrate specificity are subject to dynamic regulation. Each of its subunits can be targeted by viral proteins to hijack and modulate its activity and downstream signaling to the advantage of the virus.

Cryo-EM structure of the deltaretroviral intasome in complex with the PP2A regulatory subunit B56γ.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a deltaretrovirus and the most oncogenic pathogen. Many of the ~20 million HTLV-1 infected people will develop severe leukaemia or an ALS-like motor disease, unless a therapy becomes available. A key step in the establishment of infection is the integration of viral genetic material into the host genome, catalysed by the retroviral integrase (IN) enzyme.

Inhibition of HTLV-1 Infection by HIV-1 First- and Second-Generation Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors.

More than 10 million people worldwide are infected with the retrovirus human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Infection phenotypes can range from asymptomatic to severe adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy. HTLV-1, like human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), is a blood-borne pathogen and viral infection happens in a similar fashion, with the major mode of transmission through breastfeeding.

A high-throughput screen for ligand binding reveals the specificities of three amino acid chemoreceptors from Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae.

Chemoreceptors play a central role in chemotaxis, allowing bacteria to detect chemical gradients and bias their swimming behavior in order to navigate toward favorable environments. The genome of the kiwifruit pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) strain NZ-V13 encodes 43 predicted chemoreceptors, none of which has been characterized.