Increased formation of neutrophil extracellular traps induced by autophagy and identification of autophagy-related biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abnormal death of neutrophils and the subsequent ineffective clearance of cell fragments result in production of autoantigens that can lead to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Excessive formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) can trigger the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as type I interferons, leading to tissue damage and immune dysfunction in SLE patients. In this study, we found that a decrease in neutrophil counts in the peripheral blood was correlated with clinical parameters in SLE patients.

The FF-ATP synthase α subunit of induces inflammatory responses by controlling amino acid catabolism.

Sepsis is a leading cause of fatality in invasive candidiasis. The magnitude of the inflammatory response is a determinant of sepsis outcomes, and inflammatory cytokine imbalances are central to the pathophysiological processes. We previously demonstrated that a FF-ATP synthase α subunit deletion mutant was nonlethal to mice.

The δ subunit of FF-ATP synthase is required for pathogenicity of Candida albicans.

Fungal infections, especially candidiasis and aspergillosis, claim a high fatality rate. Fungal cell growth and function requires ATP, which is synthesized mainly through oxidative phosphorylation, with the key enzyme being FF-ATP synthase. Here, we show that deletion of the Candida albicans gene encoding the δ subunit of the FF-ATP synthase (ATP16) abrogates lethal infection in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis.

Deletion of the Gene in Blocks Its Escape From Macrophage Clearance.

Macrophages provide the first-line defense against invasive fungal infections and, therefore, escape from macrophage becomes the basis for the establishment of invasive infection. Here, we found that deletion of (Δ/Δ) in resulted in a dramatic decrease from 69.2% (WT) to 1.

Pooled analysis of nuclear acid sequence-based amplification for rapid diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M pneumoniae) is a common human etiology of respiratory infections. Nuclear acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) shows good value for the detection of M pneumoniae that surpasses PCR. However, the optimal detection technology still remains to be identified.