Pancreatic Differentiation of Stem Cells Reveals Pathogenesis of a Syndrome of Ketosis-Prone Diabetes.

Genetic analysis of an adult patient with an unusual course of ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD) and lacking islet autoantibodies demonstrated a nucleotide variant in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of , a β-cell development gene. When differentiated to the pancreatic lineage, his induced pluripotent stem cells stalled at the definitive endoderm (DE) stage. Metabolomics analysis of the cells revealed that this was associated with leucine hypersensitivity during transition from the DE to the pancreatic progenitor (PP) stage, and RNA sequencing showed that defects in leucine-sensitive mTOR pathways contribute to the differentiation deficiency.

Short Communication: Lack of Support for Socially Connected HIV-1 Transmission Among Young Adult Black Men Who Have Sex with Men.

We explore the phylogenetic relationships among HIV sequences sampled from young adult black men who have sex with men (YAB-MSM), who are connected through peer referral/social ties and who attend common venues. Using 196 viral sequences sampled from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 10 individuals, our preliminary phylogenetic results indicate that these socially connected YAB-MSM are infected with distantly related viruses and provide no evidence for viral transmission between network members. Our results suggest that HIV-prevention strategies that target young adult MSM should extend beyond their network members and local community.

Analytical evaluation of a real-time PCR-based DNA demethylation assay to assess the frequency of naturally occurring regulatory T cells in peripheral blood.

Objectives: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) which may indicate operational tolerance provide a promising biomarker for individualization of immunosuppression. Naturally thymus-derived Tregs (nTregs) represent the major suppressive phenotype and can be identified by their demethylation status in the Tregs Specific Demethylated Region (TSDR) of the Forkhead-Box-P3 (FOXP3) gene using quantitative PCR (qPCR).

Design And Methods: The analytical performance of a TSDR demethylation qPCR assay was assessed in whole blood of healthy individuals (HI) and kidney transplant recipients (KTR).

Human adipose tissue as a reservoir for memory CD4+ T cells and HIV.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine whether adipose tissue functions as a reservoir for HIV-1.

Design: We examined memory CD4(+) T cells and HIV DNA in adipose tissue-stromal vascular fraction (AT-SVF) of five patients [four antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated and one untreated]. To determine whether adipocytes stimulate CD4(+) T cells and regulate HIV production, primary human adipose cells were cocultured with HIV-infected CD4(+) T cells.