Identification of aceNKPs, a committed common progenitor population of the ILC1 and NK cell continuum.

The development of innate lymphoid cell (ILC) transcription factor reporter mice has shown a previously unexpected complexity in ILC hematopoiesis. Using novel polychromic mice to achieve higher phenotypic resolution, we have characterized bone marrow progenitors that are committed to the group 1 ILC lineage. These common ILC1/NK cell progenitors (ILC1/NKP), which we call "aceNKPs", are defined as lineageId2IL-7RαCD25α4β7NKG2A/C/EBcl11b.

Tumor-Derived Lactic Acid Modulates Activation and Metabolic Status of Draining Lymph Node Stroma.

Communication between tumors and the stroma of tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) exists before metastasis arises, altering the structure and function of the TDLN niche. Transcriptional profiling of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC), the dominant stromal population of lymph nodes, has revealed that FRCs in TDLNs are reprogrammed. However, the tumor-derived factors driving the changes in FRCs remain to be identified.

Impact of Locally Administered Carboxydextran-Coated Super-Paramagnetic Iron Nanoparticles on Cellular Immune Function.

Interstitially administered iron oxide particles are currently used for interoperative localization of sentinel lymph nodes (LNs) in cancer staging. Several studies have described concerns regarding the cellular accumulation of iron oxide nanoparticles relating them to phenotype and function deregulation of macrophages, impairing their ability to mount an appropriate immune response once an insult is present. This study aims to address what phenotypic and functional changes occur during lymphatic transit and accumulation of these particles.

Exploring the role of stromal osmoregulation in cancer and disease using executable modelling.

Osmotic regulation is a vital homoeostatic process in all cells and tissues. Cells initially respond to osmotic stresses by activating transmembrane transport proteins to move osmotically active ions. Disruption of ion and water transport is frequently observed in cellular transformations such as cancer.

Macrophages are exploited from an innate wound healing response to facilitate cancer metastasis.

Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in tumour progression, which is facilitated by their ability to respond to environmental cues. Here we report, using murine models of breast cancer, that TAMs expressing fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which are also found in human breast cancer, represent a macrophage phenotype similar to that observed during the wound healing response. Importantly, the expression of a wound-like cytokine response within the tumour is clinically associated with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers.

Registered report: Melanoma exosomes educate bone marrow progenitor cells toward a pro-metastatic phenotype through MET.

The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology seeks to address growing concerns about reproducibility in scientific research by conducting replications of selected experiments from a number of high-profile papers in the field of cancer biology. The papers, which were published between 2010 and 2012, were selected on the basis of citations and Altmetric scores (Errington et al., 2014).

Optimism on quality of life in Portuguese chronic patients: moderator/mediator?

Objective: optimism is an important variable that has consistently been shown to affect adjustment to quality of life in chronic diseases. This study aims to clarify if dispositional optimism exerts a moderating or a mediating influence on the personality traits-quality of life association, in Portuguese chronic patients.

Methods: multiple regression models were used to test the moderation and mediation effects of dispositional optimism in quality of life.

Psychosocial factors as predictors of quality of life in chronic Portuguese patients.

Background: Chronic illnesses are diseases of long duration and generally of slow progression. They cause significant quality of life impairment. The aim of this study was to analyse psychosocial predictors of quality of life and of subjective well-being in chronic Portuguese patients.

Recombinant single-chain variable fragment and single domain antibody piezoimmunosensors for detection of HIV1 virion infectivity factor.

In this paper recombinant single-chain fragments (scFv-4BL), and single domain antibodies (4BL-V(H)) and (4BL-V(H)D) generated against HIV1 virion infectivity factor (Vif) are used to develop piezoimmunosensors for HIV1 recognition. Mixed self assembled monolayers were generated at the surface of gold coated crystal sensors to which scFv-4BL, 4BL-V(H), or 4BL-V(H)D were immobilized. Impedance analysis was used to discriminate interfering signals from frequency variation data and to increase the sensor sensitivity.

Piezoelectric biosensors for biorecognition analysis: application to the kinetic study of HIV-1 Vif protein binding to recombinant antibodies.

In this work three piezoelectric sensors modified with anti-HIV-1 Vif (virion infectivity factor) single fragment antibodies (4BL scFV), single domains (VH) and camelized single domains (VHD) were constructed and used to detect HIV1 Vif in liquid samples. Dithio-bis-succinimidyl-undecanoate (DSU) and 11-hydroxy-1-undecanethiol (HUT) mixed self assembled monolayers (SAM) were generated at the sensors surface onto which the antibodies were immobilized. All sensors detected specifically the target HIV1-Vif antigen in solution and no unspecific binding was monitored.

Molecular construction of bionanoparticles: chimaeric SIV p17-HIV I p6 nanoparticles with minimal viral protein content.

VLPs (virus-like particles) are promising delivery vectors for molecular therapy, since they combine the major advantages of viral vectors with significantly fewer viral vector disadvantages. The present paper describes the molecular construction of chimaeric VLPs based on minimal SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) and HIV1 components. A chimaeric protein was constructed by fusion of SIV matrix protein (p17) and HIV1 p6 protein, and we demonstrated that the chimaeric proteins assemble as 80 nm nanoparticles containing approximately 7700 chimaeric protein units.