Publications by authors named "Swayampakula M"

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) targeting CD19 or B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) are highly effective against B cell malignancies. However, application of CAR-T to less differentially expressed targets remains a challenge due to lack of tumor-specific antigens and CAR-T controllability. CD123, a highly promising leukemia target, is expressed not only by leukemic and leukemia-initiating cells, but also by myeloid, hematopoietic progenitor, and certain endothelial cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the role of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is often resistant to standard treatments due to its hypoxic environment and KRAS mutations.
  • Researchers conducted experiments on human and mouse PDAC cells, observing the effects of blocking CA9 and combining it with gemcitabine to evaluate potential cytotoxic outcomes.
  • Findings revealed that knocking down CA9 or using inhibitors increased cytotoxicity in hypoxic conditions, suggesting CA9 is a promising target for enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments in PDAC patients.
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Unlabelled: Conversion of the cellular prion protein PrP into its pathogenic isoform PrP is the hallmark of prion diseases, fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting many mammalian species including humans. Anti-prion monoclonal antibodies can arrest the progression of prion diseases by stabilizing the cellular form of the prion protein. Here, we present the crystal structure of the POM6 Fab fragment, in complex with the mouse prion protein (moPrP).

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Hypoxia is a prominent feature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and cancer cells must dynamically adapt their metabolism to survive in these conditions. A major consequence of metabolic rewiring by cancer cells in hypoxia is the accumulation of acidic metabolites, leading to the perturbation of intracellular pH (pHi) homeostasis and increased acidosis in the TME. To mitigate the potentially detrimental consequences of an increasingly hypoxic and acidic TME, cancer cells employ a network of enzymes and transporters to regulate pH, particularly the extracellular facing carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) and CAXII.

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Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a hypoxia inducible factor 1-induced, cell surface pH regulating enzyme with an established role in tumor progression and clinical outcome. However, the molecular basis of CAIX-mediated tumor progression remains unclear. Here, we have utilized proximity dependent biotinylation (BioID) to map the CAIX 'interactome' in breast cancer cells in order to identify physiologically relevant CAIX-associating proteins with potential roles in tumor progression.

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Misfolded prion proteins are the cause of neurodegenerative diseases that affect many mammalian species, including humans. Transmission of the prion diseases poses a considerable public-health risk as a specific prion disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy can be transferred to humans and other mammalian species upon contaminant exposure. The underlying mechanism of prion propagation and the species barriers that control cross species transmission has been investigated quite extensively.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prion protein (PrP(C)) transitions into an infectious isoform (PrP(Sc)), contributing to severe neurodegenerative diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
  • Tricyclic phenothiazine compounds like promazine and chlorpromazine show potential in inhibiting PrP(Sc) formation, but the exact molecular workings are not fully understood.
  • Research indicates that promazine binding induces structural changes in the prion protein and stabilizes certain regions, which may help the normal isoform resist forming harmful aggregates.
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Prion infections cause lethal neurodegeneration. This process requires the cellular prion protein (PrP(C); ref. 1), which contains a globular domain hinged to a long amino-proximal flexible tail.

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Prion diseases are progressive, infectious neurodegenerative disorders caused primarily by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) into an insoluble, protease-resistant, aggregated isoform termed PrP(sc). In native conditions, PrP(c) has a structured C-terminal domain and a highly flexible N-terminal domain. A part of this N-terminal domain consists of 4-5 repeats of an unusual glycine-rich, eight amino acids long peptide known as the octapeptide repeat (OR) domain.

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Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the conversion of the cellular prion protein PrP(c) into a pathogenic isoform PrP(sc). Passive immunization with antiprion monoclonal antibodies can arrest the progression of prion diseases. Here, the crystal structure of the Fab fragment of an antiprion monoclonal antibody, POM1, in complex with human prion protein (huPrP(c)) has been determined to 2.

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Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the conversion of the cellular prion protein PrP(c) to the pathogenic isoform PrP(sc). Several antibodies are known to interact with the cellular prion protein and to inhibit this transition. An antibody Fab fragment, Fab POM1, was produced that recognizes a structural motif of the C-terminal domain of mouse prion protein.

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