Activation of the general stress response sigma factor SigB prevents competence development in .

Unlabelled: Seemingly simple bacteria mount intricate adaptive responses when exposed to physical stress or nutrient limitation, and the activation of these responses is governed by complex signal transduction networks. Upon entry into the stationary growth phase, the soil bacterium may develop natural competence, form biofilms or stress-resistant cells, or ultimately trigger a cellular differentiation program leading to spore formation. Master regulators, such as Spo0A, ComK, SinR, and SigB, constantly monitor the bacterium's environment and then determine appropriate adaptive responses.

Observation of Topotactic Linker Reorganization in the Aperiodic Metal-Organic Framework TRUMOF-1.

We use synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements to monitor the solvothermal crystallization mechanism of the aperiodic metal-organic framework TRUMOF-1. Following an initial incubation period, TRUMOF-1 forms as a metastable intermediate that subsequently transforms into an ordered product with triclinic crystal symmetry. We determine the structure of this ordered phase, which we call msw-TRUMOF-1, and show that it is related to TRUMOF-1 through topotactic reorganization of linker occupancies.

Exploring the targetome of IsrR, an iron-regulated sRNA controlling the synthesis of iron-containing proteins in .

is a common colonizer of the skin and nares of healthy individuals, but also a major cause of severe human infections. During interaction with the host, pathogenic bacteria must adapt to a variety of adverse conditions including nutrient deprivation. In particular, they encounter severe iron limitation in the mammalian host through iron sequestration by haptoglobin and iron-binding proteins, a phenomenon called "nutritional immunity.

Non-cross-reactive epitopes dominate the humoral immune response to COVID-19 vaccination - kinetics of plasma antibodies, plasmablasts and memory B cells.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in inducing protective immunity. While the serum antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination has been studied in depth, our knowledge of the underlying plasmablast and memory B cell (Bmem) responses is still incomplete. Here, we determined the antibody and B cell response to COVID-19 vaccination in a naïve population and contrasted it with the response to a single influenza vaccination in a primed cohort.

Extracellular vesicles as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and recurrence detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant liver tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, current diagnostic tools are often invasive and technically limited. In the last decade, non-invasive liquid biopsies have transformed the field of clinical oncology, showcasing the potential of various liquid-biopsy derived analytes, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), to diagnose and monitor HCC progression and metastatic spreading, serving as promising novel biomarkers.

Liver failure after treatment with inotuzumab and polychemotherapy including PEG-asparaginase in a patient with relapsed Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

We present the case of a 58-year-old female patient who presented with an extramedullary B-ALL relapse after prior allogenic HSCT and blinatumomab therapy. The patient died from complications of a drug-induced acute liver failure after a salvage therapy combining inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO)-based induction followed by consolidation with high dose MTX and pegaspargase based on the GMALL protocol for older ALL patients. After a diagnosis of the extramedullary relapse in the form of a retro vesical chloroma, the patient received an individualized multi-agent chemotherapy based on induction chemotherapy for older patients in combination with InO.

Enhancing bacterial fitness and recombinant enzyme yield by engineering the quality control protease HtrA of .

In the expanding market of recombinant proteins, microbial cell factories such as are key players. Microbial cell factories experience secretion stress during high-level production of secreted proteins, which can negatively impact product yield and cell viability. The CssRS two-component system and CssRS-regulated quality control proteases HtrA and HtrB play critical roles in the secretion stress response.

MassSpecPreppy-An end-to-end solution for automated protein concentration determination and flexible sample digestion for proteomics applications.

In proteomics, fast, efficient, and highly reproducible sample preparation is of utmost importance, particularly in view of fast scanning mass spectrometers enabling analyses of large sample series. To address this need, we have developed the web application MassSpecPreppy that operates on the open science OT-2 liquid handling robot from Opentrons. This platform can prepare up to 96 samples at once, performing tasks like BCA protein concentration determination, sample digestion with normalization, reduction/alkylation and peptide elution into vials or loading specified peptide amounts onto Evotips in an automated and flexible manner.

Toxin exposure and HLA alleles determine serum antibody binding to toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) of .

Life-threatening toxic shock syndrome is often caused by the superantigen toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) produced by . A well-known risk factor is the lack of neutralizing antibodies. To identify determinants of the anti-TSST-1 antibody response, we examined 976 participants of the German population-based epidemiological Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND-0).

The Influence of Manganese Addition on the Properties of Biodegradable Zinc-Manganese-Calcium Alloys.

This study focuses on the preparation and characterization of zinc-based alloys containing magnesium, calcium, and manganese. The alloys were prepared by the melting of pure elements, casting them into graphite molds, and thermo-mechanically treating them via hot extrusion. The phase compositions of the samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction technique and SEM/EDX analysis.

Structure and Physical Properties of MgZnCa Metallic Glasses.

The Mg-Zn-Ca system has previously been proposed as the most suitable biodegradable candidate for biomedical applications. In this work, a series of ribbon specimens was fabricated using a melt-spinning technique to explore the glass-forming ability of the Mg-Zn-Ca system along the concentration line of 7 at.% of calcium.

SigB modulates expression of novel SigB regulon members via Bc1009 in non-stressed and heat-stressed cells revealing its alternative roles in Bacillus cereus.

Background: The Bacillus cereus Sigma B (SigB) dependent general stress response is activated via the two-component RsbKY system, which involves a phosphate transfer from RsbK to RsbY. It has been hypothesized that the Hpr-like phosphocarrier protein (Bc1009) encoded by bc1009 in the SigB gene cluster may play a role in this transfer, thereby acting as a regulator of SigB activation. Alternatively, Bc1009 may be involved in the activation of a subset of SigB regulon members.

BCL11B depletion induces the development of highly cytotoxic innate T cells out of IL-15 stimulated peripheral blood αβ CD8+ T cells.

BCL11B, an essential transcription factor for thymopoiesis, regulates also vital processes in post-thymic lymphocytes. Increased expression of BCL11B was recently correlated with the maturation of NK cells, whereas reduced BCL11B levels were observed in native and induced T cell subsets displaying NK cell features. We show that BCL11B-depleted CD8+ T cells stimulated with IL-15 acquired remarkable innate characteristics.

Impact of different oral treatments on the composition of the supragingival plaque microbiome.

Background: Dental plaque consists of a diverse microbial community embedded in a complex structure of exopolysaccharides. Dental biofilms form a natural barrier against pathogens but lead to oral diseases in a dysbiotic state.

Objective: Using a metaproteome approach combined with a standard plaque-regrowth study, this pilot study examined the impact of different concentrations of lactoperoxidase (LPO) on early plaque formation, and active biological processes.

Implementing and evaluating far-field 3D X-ray diffraction at the I12 JEEP beamline, Diamond Light Source.

Three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) is shown to be feasible at the I12 Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing (JEEP) beamline of Diamond Light Source. As a demonstration, a microstructually simple low-carbon ferritic steel was studied in a highly textured and annealed state. A processing pipeline suited to this beamline was created, using software already established in the 3DXRD user community, enabling grain centre-of-mass positions, orientations and strain tensor elements to be determined.

The Vibrio vulnificus stressosome is an oxygen-sensor involved in regulating iron metabolism.

Stressosomes are stress-sensing protein complexes widely conserved among bacteria. Although a role in the regulation of the general stress response is well documented in Gram-positive bacteria, the activating signals are still unclear, and little is known about the physiological function of stressosomes in the Gram-negative bacteria. Here we investigated the stressosome of the Gram-negative marine pathogen Vibrio vulnificus.

Comparative proteome analysis of the tegument of male and female adult Schistosoma mansoni.

The tegument, as the surface layer of adult male and female Schistosoma spp. represents the protective barrier of the worms to the hostile environment of the host bloodstream. Here we present the first comparative analysis of sex-specific tegument proteins of paired or virgin Schistosoma mansoni.

Atomic structure evolution related to the Invar effect in Fe-based bulk metallic glasses.

The Invar effect is universally observed in Fe-based bulk metallic glasses. However, there is limited understanding on how this effect manifests at the atomic scale. Here, we use in-situ synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction to study the structural transformations of (FeBY)Nb and (FeBY)Mo bulk metallic glasses around the Curie temperature to understand the Invar effect they exhibit.

Comparative analysis of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vector vaccines.

Vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been associated with vaccine- induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (VITT/TTS), but the causative factors are still unresolved. We comprehensively analyzed the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2.

[Small hepatocellular carcinoma : Diagnostics according to guidelines and established in the clinical setting].

Clinical/methodical Issue: The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-especially the characterization of small lesions <2 cm-continues to be a radiological challenge.

Standard Radiological Methods: In the current S3 guideline on diagnosis and therapy of HCC, contrast-enhanced imaging examinations, such as contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are still the diagnostic standard.

Methodological Innovations: HCC in the cirrhotic liver should be diagnosed by its typical contrast-enhanced pattern in the MRI.

The Minimal Genome Compendium.

To better understand cellular life, it is essential to decipher the contribution of individual components and their interactions. Minimal genomes are an important tool to investigate these interactions. Here, we provide a database of 105 fully annotated genomes of a series of strains with sequential deletion steps of the industrially relevant model bacterium starting with the laboratory wild type strain 168 and ending with PG38, which lacks approximately 40% of the original genome.

Insights in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) causes a thromboembolic complication termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Using biophysical techniques, mouse models, and analysis of VITT patient samples, we identified determinants of this vaccine-induced adverse reaction. Super-resolution microscopy visualized vaccine components forming antigenic complexes with platelet factor 4 (PF4) on platelet surfaces to which anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from VITT patients bound.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a Streptococcus suis vaccine composed of six conserved immunogens.

A vaccine protecting against different Streptococcus suis serotypes is highly needed in porcine practice to improve animal welfare and reduce the use of antibiotics. We hypothesized that immunogens prominently recognized by convalescence sera but significantly less so by sera of susceptible piglets are putative protective antigens. Accordingly, we investigated immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a multicomponent vaccine including six main conserved immunogens, namely SSU0934, SSU1869, SSU0757, SSU1950, SSU1664 and SSU0187.

A Comprehensive View on the Human Antibody Repertoire Against Antigens in the General Population.

Our goal was to provide a comprehensive overview of the antibody response to antigens in the general population as a basis for defining disease-specific profiles and diagnostic signatures. We tested the specific IgG and IgA responses to 79 staphylococcal antigens in 996 individuals from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. Using a dilution-based multiplex suspension array, we extended the dynamic range of specific antibody detection to seven orders of magnitude, allowing the precise quantification of high and low abundant antibody specificities in the same sample.