Inhibition of IL-17A Protects against Thyroid Immune-Related Adverse Events while Preserving Checkpoint Inhibitor Antitumor Efficacy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy leverages the body's own immune system to attack cancer cells but leads to unwanted autoimmune side effects in up to 60% of patients. Such immune-related adverse events (IrAEs) may lead to treatment interruption, permanent organ dysfunction, hospitalization, and premature death. Thyroiditis is one of the most common IrAEs, but the cause of thyroid IrAEs remains unknown.

Genome editing retraces the evolution of toxin resistance in the monarch butterfly.

Identifying the genetic mechanisms of adaptation requires the elucidation of links between the evolution of DNA sequence, phenotype, and fitness. Convergent evolution can be used as a guide to identify candidate mutations that underlie adaptive traits, and new genome editing technology is facilitating functional validation of these mutations in whole organisms. We combined these approaches to study a classic case of convergence in insects from six orders, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), that have independently evolved to colonize plants that produce cardiac glycoside toxins.