Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Axial Spondyloarthritis: 2-Year Results from Two Phase 3 Studies.

Objectives: Bimekizumab, a monoclonal IgG1 antibody that selectively inhibits interleukin (IL)‑17F in addition to IL-17A, previously demonstrated efficacy and was well tolerated to 1 year in patients with non-radiographic (nr-) and radiographic (r-) axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Here, we report bimekizumab safety and efficacy to 2 years.

Methods: Patients completing week 52 in the phase 3 studies BE MOBILE 1 (nr-axSpA; NCT03928704) and 2 (r‑axSpA; NCT03928743) were eligible for an ongoing open‑label extension (OLE; NCT04436640).

Performance of cut-offs of the ASAS Health Index to discriminate between treatment groups in patients with axial spondyloarthritis in the TICOSPA trial.

Objective: To test trial and longitudinal known group discrimination of thresholds of meaning for improvement and health states of the ASAS Health Index (ASAS HI) in patients with active axSpA treated in a randomized study.

Methods: Data from baseline and week 48 from the tight-controlled, treat-to-target trial TICOSPA study were used. The performance of different thresholds to assess change or health states of the ASAS HI were evaluated between arms and against changes in patients' relevant outcomes and various external responder criteria.

Origin and evolution of the triploid cultivated banana genome.

Most fresh bananas belong to the Cavendish and Gros Michel subgroups. Here, we report chromosome-scale genome assemblies of Cavendish (1.48 Gb) and Gros Michel (1.

Chromosome-level genomes of three key Allium crops and their trait evolution.

Allium crop breeding remains severely hindered due to the lack of high-quality reference genomes. Here we report high-quality chromosome-level genome assemblies for three key Allium crops (Welsh onion, garlic and onion), which are 11.17 Gb, 15.

The immediate effects of polyploidization of change in a strain-specific way along environmental gradients.

The immediate effects of plant polyploidization are well characterized and it is generally accepted that these morphological, physiological, developmental, and phenological changes contribute to polyploid establishment. Studies on the environmental dependence of the immediate effects of whole-genome duplication (WGD) are, however, scarce but suggest that these immediate effects are altered by stressful conditions. As polyploid establishment seems to be associated with environmental disturbance, the relationship between ploidy-induced phenotypical changes and environmental conditions is highly relevant.

The genome of the king protea, Protea cynaroides.

The king protea (Protea cynaroides), an early-diverging eudicot, is the most iconic species from the Megadiverse Cape Floristic Region, and the national flower of South Africa. Perhaps best known for its iconic flower head, Protea is a key genus for the South African horticulture industry and cut-flower market. Ecologically, the genus and the family Proteaceae are important models for radiation and adaptation, particularly to soils with limited phosphorus bio-availability.

Reshuffling of the ancestral core-eudicot genome shaped chromatin topology and epigenetic modification in Panax.

All extant core-eudicot plants share a common ancestral genome that has experienced cyclic polyploidizations and (re)diploidizations. Reshuffling of the ancestral core-eudicot genome generates abundant genomic diversity, but the role of this diversity in shaping the hierarchical genome architecture, such as chromatin topology and gene expression, remains poorly understood. Here, we assemble chromosome-level genomes of one diploid and three tetraploid Panax species and conduct in-depth comparative genomic and epigenomic analyses.

Genomes of early-diverging streptophyte algae shed light on plant terrestrialization.

Mounting evidence suggests that terrestrialization of plants started in streptophyte green algae, favoured by their dual existence in freshwater and subaerial/terrestrial environments. Here, we present the genomes of Mesostigma viride and Chlorokybus atmophyticus, two sister taxa in the earliest-diverging clade of streptophyte algae dwelling in freshwater and subaerial/terrestrial environments, respectively. We provide evidence that the common ancestor of M.

Functions of p120ctn in development and disease.

p120 catenin (p120ctn), a component of the cadherin-catenin complex, was the first member to be identified in a most interesting subfamily of the Armadillo family. Several p120ctn isoforms are generated by alternative splicing. These isoforms fulfill pleiotropic functions according to their subcellular localization: modulating the turnover rate of membrane-bound cadherins, regulating the activation of small Rho GTPases in the cytoplasm, and modulating nuclear transcription.

Human antimicrobial peptides: defensins, cathelicidins and histatins.

Antimicrobial peptides, which have been isolated from many bacteria, fungi, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, are an important component of the natural defenses of most living organisms. The isolated peptides are very heterogeneous in length, sequence and structure, but most of them are small, cationic and amphipathic. These peptides exhibit broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, fungi and enveloped viruses.

Development of a S. cerevisiae whole cell biocatalyst for in vitro sialylation of oligosaccharides.

Absence of sialylation on recombinant glycoproteins compromises their efficacy as therapeutic agents, as it results in rapid clearance from the human bloodstream. To circumvent this, several strategies are followed, including the implementation of a post-secretion glycosylation step. In this paper we describe the engineering of yeast cells expressing active surface exposed Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase (TS) fused to the yeast Aga2 protein, and the use of this yeast in the sialylation of synthetic oligosaccharides.

Cloning and characterization of the glucosidase II alpha subunit gene of Trichoderma reesei: a frameshift mutation results in the aberrant glycosylation profile of the hypercellulolytic strain Rut-C30.

We describe isolation and characterization of the gene encoding the glucosidase II alpha subunit (GIIalpha) of the industrially important fungus Trichoderma reesei. This subunit is the catalytic part of the glucosidase II heterodimeric enzyme involved in the structural modification within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of N-linked oligosaccharides present on glycoproteins. The gene encoding GIIalpha (gls2alpha) in the hypercellulolytic strain Rut-C30 contains a frameshift mutation resulting in a truncated gene product.

Role of oxidative phosphorylation in histatin 5-induced cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The susceptibility of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the anti-microbial peptide, histatin 5, was tested after pre-growth in fermentable and non-fermentable carbon sources and in the absence or presence of the uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). S. cerevisiae was more resistant to histatin 5 when grown on a fermentable carbon source compared to growth on a non-fermentable carbon source, indicating an important role for oxidative phosphorylation in histatin 5-induced cell death.

Bax-induced cell death in Candida albicans.

Bax is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins involved in the regulation of genetically programmed cell death in mammalian cells. It has been shown that heterologous expression of Bax in several yeast species, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Pichia pastoris, also induces cell death. In this study we investigated the effects of Bax expression in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans.

Total serum protein N-glycome profiling on a capillary electrophoresis-microfluidics platform.

We implemented 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS)-labeled asparagine-linked glycan (N-glycan) profiling on a microfluidic electrophoresis platform. Using 11.5 cm effective length etched channels and 4% linear polyacrylamide as the separation matrix, the major N-glycans in human serum were profiled in 12 min with a resolution comparable to what is achieved for these analytes on gel-based DNA sequencers.

Noninvasive diagnosis of liver cirrhosis using DNA sequencer-based total serum protein glycomics.

We applied our 'clinical glycomics' technology, based on DNA sequencer/fragment analyzers, to generate profiles of serum protein N-glycans of liver disease patients. This technology yielded a biomarker that distinguished compensated cirrhotic from noncirrhotic chronic liver disease patients, with 79% sensitivity and 86% specificity (100% sensitivity and specificity for decompensated cirrhosis). In combination with the clinical chemistry-based Fibrotest biomarker, compensated cirrhosis was detected with 100% specificity and 75% sensitivity.