Diagnosis of naturally-occurring Cushing's syndrome by primary care veterinarians in selected European countries.

Background: Several tests are available to diagnose naturally-occurring Cushing's syndrome in dogs but there is a paucity of information on how primary care veterinarians (PCVs) use or interpret them.

Objectives: Determine how PCVs from selected European countries diagnose Cushing's syndrome in dogs.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey study assessing testing protocols used by PCVs for screening and differentiation of Cushing's syndrome.

Genome editing for resistance against plant pests and pathogens.

The conventional breeding of crops struggles to keep up with increasing food needs and ever-adapting pests and pathogens. Global climate changes have imposed another layer of complexity to biological systems, increasing the challenge to obtain improved crop cultivars. These dictate the development and application of novel technologies, like genome editing (GE), that assist targeted and fast breeding programs in crops, with enhanced resistance to pests and pathogens.

Molecular Mechanism of HER2 Rapid Internalization and Redirected Trafficking Induced by Anti-HER2 Biparatopic Antibody.

Amplification and overexpression of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), an ErbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase, have been implicated in human cancer and metastasis. A bispecific tetravalent anti-HER2 antibody (anti-HER2-Bs), targeting two non-overlapping epitopes on HER2 in domain IV (trastuzumab) and domain II (39S), has been reported to induce rapid internalization and efficient degradation of HER2 receptors. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of this antibody-induced rapid HER2 internalization and intracellular trafficking.

Anti-ICOSL New Antigen Receptor Domains Inhibit T Cell Proliferation and Reduce the Development of Inflammation in the Collagen-Induced Mouse Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Lymphocyte costimulation plays a central role in immunology, inflammation, and immunotherapy. The inducible T cell costimulator (ICOS) is expressed on T cells following peptide: MHC engagement with CD28 costimulation. The interaction of ICOS with its sole ligand, the inducible T cell costimulatory ligand (ICOSL; also known as B7-related protein-1), triggers a number of key activities of T cells including differentiation and cytokine production.

Rotavirus vaccine efficacy: current status and areas for improvement.

The difference noted in Rotavirus vaccine efficiency between high and low income countries correlates with the lack of universal access to clean water and higher standards of hygiene. Overcoming these obstacles will require great investment and also time, therefore more effective vaccines should be developed to meet the needs of those who would benefit the most from them. Increasing our current knowledge of mucosal immunity, response to Rotavirus infection and its modulation by circadian rhythms could point at actionable pathways to improve vaccination efficacy, especially in the case of individuals affected by environmental enteropathy.

Maturation of a Humanized Shark VNAR Domain to Improve Its Biophysical Properties to Facilitate Clinical Development.

Molecular engineering to increase the percentage identity to common human immunoglobulin sequences of non-human therapeutic antibodies and scaffolds has become standard practice. This strategy is often used to reduce undesirable immunogenic responses, accelerating the clinical development of candidate domains. The first humanized shark variable domain (VNAR) was reported by Kovalenko and colleagues and used the anti-human serum albumin (HSA) domain, clone E06, as a model to construct a number of humanized versions including huE06v1.

The geminivirus nuclear shuttle protein NSP inhibits the activity of AtNSI, a vascular-expressed Arabidopsis acetyltransferase regulated with the sink-to-source transition.

DNA viruses can suppress or enhance the activity of cellular acetyltransferases to regulate virus gene expression and to affect cell cycle progression in support of virus replication. A role for protein acetylation in regulating the nuclear export of the bipartite geminivirus (Begomovirus) DNA genome was recently suggested by the findings that the viral movement protein NSP, a nuclear shuttle protein, interacts with the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) nuclear acetyltransferase AtNSI (nuclear shuttle protein interactor), and that this interaction and NSI expression are necessary for cabbage leaf curl virus infection and pathogenicity. To further investigate the consequences of NSI-NSP interactions, and the potential role of NSI in Arabidopsis growth and development, we used a reverse yeast two-hybrid selection and deletion analysis to identify NSI mutants that failed to interact with NSP, and promoter fusions to a uidA reporter gene to analyze the pattern of NSI expression during plant development.

Interaction of the movement protein NSP and the Arabidopsis acetyltransferase AtNSI is necessary for Cabbage leaf curl geminivirus infection and pathogenicity.

DNA viruses can modulate the activity of cellular acetyltransferases to regulate virus gene expression and to affect cell cycle progression in order to support virus replication. A role for protein acetylation in regulating the nuclear export of the bipartite geminivirus DNA genome was recently suggested by the findings that the viral movement protein NSP, which shuttles the viral genome between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, interacts with a novel Arabidopsis acetyltransferase, AtNSI, and the increased expression of AtNSI enhances susceptibility to Cabbage leaf curl virus infection. To further investigate the interaction of NSP and AtNSI and to establish the importance of this interaction in virus infections, we used a reverse yeast two-hybrid selection and deletion analysis to identify NSP mutants that were impaired in their ability to bind AtNSI.

A novel Arabidopsis acetyltransferase interacts with the geminivirus movement protein NSP.

Protein acetylation is important in regulating DNA-templated processes specifically and protein-protein interactions more generally in eukaryotes. The geminivirus movement protein NSP is essential for virus movement, shuttling the viral DNA genome between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. We have identified a novel Arabidopsis protein, AtNSI, that interacts with NSP.