Tissue Engineered 3D Constructs for Volumetric Muscle Loss.

Severe injuries to skeletal muscles, including cases of volumetric muscle loss (VML), are linked to substantial tissue damage, resulting in functional impairment and lasting disability. While skeletal muscle can regenerate following minor damage, extensive tissue loss in VML disrupts the natural regenerative capacity of the affected muscle tissue. Existing clinical approaches for VML, such as soft-tissue reconstruction and advanced bracing methods, need to be revised to restore tissue function and are associated with limitations in tissue availability and donor-site complications.

Mfd regulates RNA polymerase association with hard-to-transcribe regions in vivo, especially those with structured RNAs.

RNA polymerase (RNAP) encounters various roadblocks during transcription. These obstacles can impede RNAP movement and influence transcription, ultimately necessitating the activity of RNAP-associated factors. One such factor is the bacterial protein Mfd, a highly conserved DNA translocase and evolvability factor that interacts with RNAP.

The enigmatic role of Mfd in replication-transcription conflicts in bacteria.

Conflicts between replication and transcription can have life-threatening consequences. RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the major impediment to replication progression, and its efficient removal from DNA should mitigate the consequences of collisions with replication. Cells have various proteins that can resolve conflicts by removing stalled (or actively translocating) RNAP from DNA.

Inhibiting the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance.

Efforts to battle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are generally focused on developing novel antibiotics. However, history shows that resistance arises regardless of the nature or potency of new drugs. Here, we propose and provide evidence for an alternate strategy to resolve this problem: inhibiting evolution.

Replication-Transcription Conflicts Generate R-Loops that Orchestrate Bacterial Stress Survival and Pathogenesis.

Replication-transcription collisions shape genomes, influence evolution, and promote genetic diseases. Although unclear why, head-on transcription (lagging strand genes) is especially disruptive to replication and promotes genomic instability. Here, we find that head-on collisions promote R-loop formation in Bacillus subtilis.

The mutation rate of mycobacterial repetitive unit loci in strains of M. tuberculosis from cynomolgus macaque infection.

Background: Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRUs) are minisatellites within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genome. Copy number variation (CNV) in MIRU loci is used for epidemiological typing, making the rate of variation important for tracking the transmission of Mtb strains. In this study, we developed and assessed a whole-genome sequencing (WGS) approach to detect MIRU CNV in Mtb.