YY1 Binding to Regulatory Elements That Lack Enhancer Activity Promotes Locus Folding and Gene Activation.

Enhancers activate their cognate promoters over huge distances but how enhancer/promoter interactions become established is not completely understood. There is strong evidence that cohesin-mediated loop extrusion is involved but this does not appear to be a universal mechanism. Here, we identify an element within the mouse immunoglobulin lambda (Igλ) light chain locus, HSCλ1, that has characteristics of active regulatory elements but lacks intrinsic enhancer or promoter activity.

Temporal analyses reveal a pivotal role for sense and antisense enhancer RNAs in coordinate immunoglobulin lambda locus activation.

Transcription enhancers are essential activators of V(D)J recombination that orchestrate non-coding transcription through complementary, unrearranged gene segments. How transcription is coordinately increased at spatially distinct promoters, however, remains poorly understood. Using the murine immunoglobulin lambda (Igλ) locus as model, we find that three enhancer-like elements in the 3' Igλ domain, Eλ3-1, HSCλ1 and HSE-1, show strikingly similar transcription factor binding dynamics and close spatial proximity, suggesting that they form an active enhancer hub.

A bovine antibody possessing an ultralong complementarity-determining region CDRH3 targets a highly conserved epitope in sarbecovirus spike proteins.

Broadly neutralizing antibodies have huge potential as novel antiviral therapeutics due to their ability to recognize highly conserved epitopes that are seldom mutated in viral variants. A subset of bovine antibodies possess an ultralong complementarity-determining region (CDR)H3 that is highly adept at recognizing such conserved epitopes, but their reactivity against Sarbecovirus Spike proteins has not been explored previously. Here, we use a SARS-naïve library to isolate a broadly reactive bovine CDRH3 that binds the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and all SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Lactic acid bacteria as mucosal delivery vehicles: a realistic therapeutic option.

Recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in particular lactococci and lactobacilli, have gained increasing interest as mucosal delivery vehicles in recent years. With the development of mucosal vaccines, studies on LAB expression systems have been mainly focused on the generation of genetic tools for antigen expression in different locations. Recombinant LAB show advantages in a wide range of aspects over other mucosal delivery systems and represent an attractive candidate for the delivery of therapeutic and prophylactic molecules in different applications.

The miR-302/367 cluster: a comprehensive update on its evolution and functions.

microRNAs are a subclass of small non-coding RNAs that fine-tune the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. The miR-302/367 cluster, generally consisting of five members, miR-367, miR-302d, miR-302a, miR-302c and miR-302b, is ubiquitously distributed in vertebrates and occupies an intragenic cluster located in the gene La-related protein 7 (LARP7). The cluster was demonstrated to play an important role in diverse biological processes, such as the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), self-renewal and reprogramming.

Roles of M cells in infection and mucosal vaccines.

The mucosal immune system plays a crucial part in the control of infection. Exposure of humans and animals to potential pathogens generally occurs through mucosal surfaces, thus, strategies that target the mucosa seem rational and efficient vaccination measures. Vaccination through the mucosal immune system can induce effective systemic immune responses simultaneously with mucosal immunity compared with parenteral vaccination.

Cellular microRNAs and picornaviral infections.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a subtype of short, endogenous, and non-coding RNAs, which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. The miRNA-mediated gene silencing mechanism is involved in a wide spectrum of biological processes, such as cellular proliferation, differentiation, and immune responses. Picornaviridae is a large family of RNA viruses, which includes a number of causative agents of many human and animal diseases viz.

MicroRNA roles in the NF- κB signaling pathway during viral infections.

NF- κ B signaling network is a crucial component of innate immunity. miRNAs are a subtype of small noncoding RNAs, involved in regulation of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Increasing evidence has emerged that miRNAs play an important role in regulation of NF- κ B signaling pathway during viral infections.

Phylogenetic analysis of the endoribonuclease Dicer family.

Dicers are proteins of the ribonuclease III family with the ability to process dsRNA, involved in regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Dicers are conserved from basal metazoans to higher metazoans and contain a number of functional domains that interact with dsRNA. The completed genome sequences of over 34 invertebrate species allowed us to systematically investigate Dicer genes over a diverse range of phyla.