Repeated Exposure of Vancomycin to Vancomycin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (VSSA) Parent Emerged VISA and VRSA Strains with Enhanced Virulence Potentials.

The emergence of resistance against the last-resort antibiotic vancomycin in staphylococcal infections is a serious concern for human health. Although various drug-resistant pathogens of diverse genetic backgrounds show higher virulence potential, the underlying mechanism behind this is not yet clear due to variability in their genetic dispositions. In this study, we investigated the correlation between resistance and virulence in adaptively evolved isogenic strains.

Improved differentiation of human adipose stem cells to insulin-producing β-like cells using PDFGR kinase inhibitor Tyrphostin9.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome where insulin secretion or the response to insulin produced by the body is compromised. The only available long-term treatment is the transplantation of pancreas or islet for procuring β-cells. However, due to the shortage of β-cell sources from the tissues, differentiation of pluripotent stem cells or terminally differentiated cells into β-cell is proposed as an alternative strategy.

Structural and functional studies of a large winged Z-DNA-binding domain of Danio rerio protein kinase PKZ.

The Z-DNA-binding domain of PKZ from zebrafish (Danio rerio; drZαPKZ ) contains the largest β-wing among known Z-DNA-binding domains. To elucidate the functional implication of the β-wing, we solved the crystal structure of apo-drZαPKZ . Structural comparison with its Z-DNA-bound form revealed a large conformational change within the β-wing during Z-DNA binding.