Probing novel epitopes on the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein for vaccine development.

RTS,S and R21 are the only vaccines recommended by the WHO to protect children from Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) clinical malaria. Both vaccines target the Pf sporozoite surface protein circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Recent studies showed that human antibodies neutralize Pf sporozoites most efficiently when simultaneously binding to the PfCSP NANP repeat and the NPDP junction domain.

Functionalized Protein Binders in Developmental Biology.

Developmental biology has greatly profited from genetic and reverse genetic approaches to indirectly studying protein function. More recently, nanobodies and other protein binders derived from different synthetic scaffolds have been used to directly dissect protein function. Protein binders have been fused to functional domains, such as to lead to protein degradation, relocalization, visualization, or posttranslational modification of the target protein upon binding.

Seamless knockins in Drosophila via CRISPR-triggered single-strand annealing.

CRISPR-Cas greatly facilitated the integration of exogenous sequences into specific loci. However, knockin generation in multicellular animals remains challenging, partially due to the complexity of insertion screening. Here, we describe SEED/Harvest, a method to generate knockins in Drosophila, based on CRISPR-Cas and the single-strand annealing (SSA) repair pathway.

Type VI Secretion System and Its Effectors PdpC, PdpD, and OpiA Contribute to Virulence in Galleria mellonella Larvae.

Francisella tularensis causes the deadly zoonotic disease tularemia in humans and is able to infect a broad range of organisms including arthropods, which are thought to play a major role in transmission. However, while mammalian and infection models are widely used to investigate pathogenicity, a detailed characterization of the major virulence factor, a noncanonical type VI secretion system (T6SS), in an arthropod infection model is missing. Here, we use Galleria mellonella larvae to analyze the role of the T6SS and its corresponding effectors in F.

Intake of a diet high in trans monounsaturated fatty acids or saturated fatty acids. Effects on postprandial insulinemia and glycemia in obese patients with NIDDM.

Objective: High intake of trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) is known to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. We studied the effects of diets enriched in various fatty acids on postprandial insulinemia and fasting serum levels of lipids and lipoproteins in obese patients with NIDDM.

Research Design And Methods: Sixteen obese NIDDM patients were studied in a free-living outpatient regimen.