TGFB1 induces fetal reprogramming and enhances intestinal regeneration.

The gut epithelium has a remarkable ability to recover from damage. We employed a combination of high-throughput sequencing approaches, mouse genetics, and murine and human organoids and identified a role for TGFB signaling during intestinal regeneration following injury. At 2 days following irradiation (IR)-induced damage of intestinal crypts, a surge in TGFB1 expression is mediated by monocyte/macrophage cells at the location of damage.

Alpinetin promotes hair regeneration via activating hair follicle stem cells.

Background: Alopecia affects millions of individuals globally, with hair loss becoming more common among young people.  Various traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have been used clinically for treating alopecia, however, the effective compounds and underlying mechanism are less known. We sought to investigate the effect of Alpinetin (AP), a compound extracted from Fabaceae and Zingiberaceae herbs, in hair regeneration.

Activation and Immune Regulation Mechanisms of PYHIN Family During Microbial Infection.

The innate immune system defenses against pathogen infections via patten-recognition receptors (PRRs). PRRs initiate immune responses by recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), including peptidoglycan, lipopolysaccharide, and nucleic acids. Several nucleic acid sensors or families have been identified, such as RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), Toll-like receptors (TLRs), cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), and PYHIN family receptors.

Reciprocal signals between nerve and epithelium: how do neurons talk with epithelial cells?

Most epithelium tissues continuously undergo self-renewal through proliferation and differentiation of epithelial stem cells (known as homeostasis), within a specialized stem cell niche. In highly innervated epithelium, peripheral nerves compose perineural niche and support stem cell homeostasis by releasing a variety of neurotransmitters, hormones, and growth factors and supplying trophic factors to the stem cells. Emerging evidence has shown that both sensory and motor nerves can regulate the fate of epithelial stem cells, thus influencing epithelium homeostasis.

Gestational Weight Gain and Its Effects on Maternal and Neonatal Outcome in Women With Twin Pregnancies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The incidence of twin pregnancies has risen recently. Such pregnancies are associated with an increased risk for poor maternal and infant outcomes. Gestational weight gain, particularly in singleton pregnancies, has been well-linked with maternal and infant outcomes.

Identification of a Novel Major Allergen in Buckwheat Seeds: Fag t 6.

Buckwheat is one of the five main allergenic foods (eggs, milk, wheat, buckwheat, and peanuts). Oleosin is an important type of allergen in some allergic foods. However, although most diagnostic nut and seed extracts are defatted, some patients with food allergies may have false negative diagnostic results of oleosin .

Structural mechanism of DNA recognition by the p204 HIN domain.

The interferon gamma-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) and its murine homologous protein p204 function in non-sequence specific dsDNA sensing; however, the exact dsDNA recognition mechanisms of IFI16/p204, which harbour two HIN domains, remain unclear. In the present study, we determined crystal structures of p204 HINa and HINb domains, which are highly similar to those of other PYHIN family proteins. Moreover, we obtained the crystal structure of p204 HINab domain in complex with dsDNA and provided insights into the dsDNA binding mode.

Phase Change Behavior of NaCl-HO Binary Solution Under the Control of AC Electric Field.

Cryopreservation, which refers to preservation of cells or tissues at subzero temperatures, inevitably involves the problem of cryoinjury caused by ice crystals. The application of an external electric field during the freezing process has been shown to be a promising approach to produce miniature ice grains and decrease the fraction of ice crystallization at a slow cooling rate. Thus, the dielectric and thermodynamic properties of NaCl-HO binary solutions at subzero temperatures were tremendously important for understanding the mechanism of ice formation under the manipulation of an AC electric field in biopreservation.

Atomic-resolution structures of type I ribosome inactivating protein alpha-momorcharin with different substrate analogs.

Alpha-momorcharin (Alpha-MMC) from the seed of bitter melon is a type I ribosome inactivating protein (RIP) that removes a specific adenine from 28S rRNA and inhibits protein biosynthesis. Here, we report seven crystal complex structures of alpha-MMC with different substrate analogs (adenine, AMP, cAMP, dAMP, ADP, GMP, and xanthosine) at 1.08 Å to 1.

Structure determination of CAMP factor of Mobiluncus curtisii and insights into structural dynamics.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common type of vaginal inflammation caused by a proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, among which Mobiluncus curtisii. In our previous studies on M. curtisii genome, we identified the presence of a genomic fragment encoding a 25 kDa pore-forming toxin, the CAMP factor, which is known to be involved in the synergistic lysis of erythrocytes namely CAMP reaction.

Structures of RIG-I-Like Receptors and Insights into Viral RNA Sensing.

RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) are an important family of pattern recognition receptors. They activate the immunological responses against viral infections by sensing RNAs in the cytoplasm. Recent studies provide significant insights into the activation and transduction mechanisms of RLRs family (members including RIG-I, MDA5, and LGP2).

X-ray crystal structure of putative transcription regulator lmo2088 from Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive food borne pathogen. The lmo2088 belongs to the TetR family of transcriptional regulators from L. monocytogenes.

Screening of Nanobody Specific for Peanut Major Allergen Ara h 3 by Phage Display.

Peanut allergy is a major health problem worldwide. Detection of food allergens is a critical aspect of food safety. The VHH domain of single chain antibody from camelids, also known as nanobody (Nb), showed its advantages in the development of biosensors because of its high stability, small molecular size, and ease of production.

Structure determination of the CAMP factor of Streptococcus agalactiae with the aid of an MBP tag and insights into membrane-surface attachment.

CAMP factor is a unique α-helical bacterial toxin that is known for its co-hemolytic activity in combination with staphylococcal sphingomyelinase. It was first discovered in the human pathogen Streptococcus agalactiae (also known as group B streptococcus), but homologous genes have been found in many other Gram-positive pathogens. In this study, the efforts that led to the determination of the first structure of a CAMP-family toxin are reported.

High-resolution crystal structure of Streptococcus agalactiae glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a multifunctional enzyme that plays critical roles in bacterial pathogenesis in some pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the crystal structure of group B streptococcus GAPDH was determined at 1.36 Å resolution.

Identification of novel enriched recurrent chimeric COL7A1-UCN2 in human laryngeal cancer samples using deep sequencing.

Background: As hybrid RNAs, transcription-induced chimeras (TICs) may have tumor-promoting properties, and some specific chimeras have become important diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for cancer.

Methods: We examined 23 paired laryngeal cancer (LC) tissues and adjacent normal mucous membrane tissue samples (ANMMTs). Three of these pairs were used for comparative transcriptomic analysis using high-throughput sequencing.

Structural insights into the interaction of the ribosomal P stalk protein P2 with a type II ribosome-inactivating protein ricin.

Ricin is a type II ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) that depurinates A at the sarcin-ricin loop of 28 S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), thus inactivating the ribosome by preventing elongation factors from binding to the GTPase activation centre. Recent studies have disclosed that the conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) of eukaryotic ribosomal P stalk proteins is involved in the process that RIPs target ribosome. However, the details of the molecular interaction between ricin and P stalk proteins remain unknown.

Crystal structure of the two-subunit tRNA m(1)A58 methyltransferase TRM6-TRM61 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The N(1) methylation of adenine at position 58 (m(1)A58) of tRNA is an important post-transcriptional modification, which is vital for maintaining the stability of the initiator methionine tRNAi(Met). In eukaryotes, this modification is performed by the TRM6-TRM61 holoenzyme. To understand the molecular mechanism that underlies the cooperation of TRM6 and TRM61 in the methyl transfer reaction, we determined the crystal structure of TRM6-TRM61 holoenzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence and absence of its methyl donor S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM).

Structural insights into the methyl donor recognition model of a novel membrane-binding protein UbiG.

UbiG is a SAM-dependent O-methyltransferase, catalyzing two O-methyl transfer steps for ubiquinone biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. UbiG possesses a unique sequence insertion between β4 and α10, which is used for membrane lipid interaction. Interestingly, this sequence insertion also covers the methyl donor binding pocket.

Structural and biochemical studies reveal UbiG/Coq3 as a class of novel membrane-binding proteins.

UbiG and Coq3 (orthologue in eukaryotes) are SAM-MTases (S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases) that catalyse both O-methylation steps in CoQ biosynthesis from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. However, the detailed molecular mechanism by which they function remains elusive. In the present paper, we report that UbiG/Coq3 defines a novel class of membrane-binding proteins.

Structure of the DNA-binding domain of the response regulator SaeR from Staphylococcus aureus.

The SaeR/S two-component regulatory system is essential for controlling the expression of many virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus. SaeR, a member of the OmpR/PhoB family, is a response regulator with an N-terminal regulatory domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain. In order to elucidate how SaeR binds to the promoter regions of target genes, the crystal structure of the DNA-binding domain of SaeR (SaeR(DBD)) was solved at 2.

The influence of process parameters and pulse ratio of precursors on the characteristics of La1 - x Al x O3 films deposited by atomic layer deposition.

The influence of processing parameters of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and lanthanum oxide (La2O3) gate dielectric is investigated. Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and tris(isopropylcyclopentadienyl) lanthanum [La(iPrCp)3] were used as precursors separately, and H2O was used as oxidant. The ultra-thin La1 - x Al x O3 gate dielectric films are deposited on p-type silicon substrates by atom layer deposition (ALD) for different pulse ratios of precursors.

Silicon diffusion control in atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3/La2O3/Al2O3 gate stacks using an Al2O3 barrier layer.

In this study, the physical and electrical characteristics of Al2O3/La2O3/Al2O3/Si stack structures affected by the thickness of an Al2O3 barrier layer between Si substrate and La2O3 layer are investigated after a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) tests indicate that an Al2O3 barrier layer (15 atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles, approximately 1.5 nm) plays an important role in suppressing the diffusion of silicon atoms from Si substrate into the La2O3 layer during the annealing process.

Structure of Rot, a global regulator of virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly versatile pathogen that can infect human tissue by producing a large arsenal of virulence factors that are tightly regulated by a complex regulatory network. Rot, which shares sequence similarity with SarA homologues, is a global regulator that regulates numerous virulence genes. However, the recognition model of Rot for the promoter region of target genes and the putative regulation mechanism remain elusive.