Feasibility of blood testing combined with PET-CT to screen for cancer and guide intervention.

Cancer treatments are often more successful when the disease is detected early. We evaluated the feasibility and safety of multicancer blood testing coupled with positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging to detect cancer in a prospective, interventional study of 10,006 women not previously known to have cancer. Positive blood tests were independently confirmed by a diagnostic PET-CT, which also localized the cancer.

Transcriptomic buffering of cryptic genetic variation contributes to meningococcal virulence.

Background: Commensal bacteria like Neisseria meningitidis sometimes cause serious disease. However, genomic comparison of hyperinvasive and apathogenic lineages did not reveal unambiguous hints towards indispensable virulence factors. Here, in a systems biological approach we compared gene expression of the invasive strain MC58 and the carriage strain α522 under different ex vivo conditions mimicking commensal and virulence compartments to assess the strain-specific impact of gene regulation on meningococcal virulence.

Structure and dynamics of a primordial catalytic fold generated by in vitro evolution.

Engineering functional protein scaffolds capable of carrying out chemical catalysis is a major challenge in enzyme design. Starting from a noncatalytic protein scaffold, we recently generated a new RNA ligase by in vitro directed evolution. This artificial enzyme lost its original fold and adopted an entirely new structure with substantially enhanced conformational dynamics, demonstrating that a primordial fold with suitable flexibility is sufficient to carry out enzymatic function.

Investigating the mode of action of sulfoxaflor: a fourth-generation neonicotinoid.

Background: The precise mode of action of sulfoxaflor, a new nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-modulating insecticide, is unclear. A detailed understanding of the mode of action, especially in relation to the neonicotinoids, is essential for recommending effective pest management practices.

Results: Radiolabel binding experiments using a tritiated analogue of sulfoxaflor ([(3) H]-methyl-SFX) performed on membranes from Myzus persicae demonstrate that sulfoxaflor interacts specifically with the high-affinity imidacloprid binding site present in a subpopulation of the total nAChR pool.

Host marking pheromone (HMP) in the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens.

Host marking pheromones (HMPs) are used by insects to mark hosts (usually a fruit) where they have already laid eggs. The compounds serve as a deterrent to conspecifics avoiding over-infestation of hosts (i.e.