Orchestrated desaturation reprogramming from stearoyl-CoA desaturase to fatty acid desaturase 2 in cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis.

Background: Adaptative desaturation in fatty acid (FA) is an emerging hallmark of cancer metabolic plasticity. Desaturases such as stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) have been implicated in multiple cancers, and their dominant and compensatory effects have recently been highlighted. However, how tumors initiate and sustain their self-sufficient FA desaturation to maintain phenotypic transition remains elusive.

Lycorine esters exert anti-HCoV-OC43 effect through reversibly acylating cysteine residue in the nsp 12 NiRAN domain.

By introducing ester warheads into the hydroxyl groups in lycorine (1), three types of lycorine mono-ester or di-ester analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities against HCoV-OC43. Most of them showed higher selective indexes (SI) than 1, up to nearly 14 times. Using compound 6b as a probe, we firstly demonstrated that lycorine esters directly targeted nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyltransferase (NiRAN) domain in the non-structural protein 12 (nsp 12) by reversibly acylating Cys12 to induce the shrink of NiRAN pocket and block the viral replication, different from the known RdRp inhibitors.

Hyperaminoacidemia from interrupted glucagon signaling increases pancreatic acinar cell proliferation and size via mTORC1 and YAP pathways.

Increased blood amino acid levels (hyperaminoacidemia) stimulate pancreas expansion by unclear mechanisms. Here, by genetic and pharmacological disruption of glucagon receptor (GCGR) in mice and zebrafish, we found that the ensuing hyperaminoacidemia promotes pancreatic acinar cell proliferation and cell hypertrophy, which can be mitigated by a low protein diet in mice. In addition to mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling, acinar cell proliferation required , the most highly expressed amino acid transporter gene in both species.

A de novo gene promotes seed germination under drought stress in Arabidopsis.

The origin of genes from non-coding sequences is a long-term and fundamental biological question. However, how de novo genes originate and integrate into the existing pathways to regulate phenotypic variations is largely unknown. Here, we selected seven genes from 782 de novo genes for functional exploration based on transcriptional and translational evidence.

Regulatory factor X-5/SCL/TAL1 interruption site axis promotes aerobic glycolysis and hepatocellular carcinoma cell stemness.

The incidence and development of various tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), are linked to tumor stem cells. Although research has revealed how important SCL/TAL1 interruption site (STIL) is in many human tumors, the impact of STIL on HCC stem cells is poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the regulatory mechanisms and the function of STIL in the stemness of HCC tumor cells.