Telomere length variation in tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts: potential biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The role of telomere dysfunction and aberrant telomerase activities in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been overlooked for many years. This study aimed to delineate the variation and prognostic value of telomere length in HCC. Telomere-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and qPCR were used to evaluate telomere length in HCC cell lines, tumor tissues, and isolated non-tumor cells within the tumor.

[Evaluation value of the levels of peripheral blood CD20 CD24 CD38 regulatory B cells on the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis].

Objective: To explore the predicting value of peripheral blood CD20 CD24 CD38 regulatory B cells (Bregs) on the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted. Septic patients aged > 65 years old, compliance with diagnostic criteria for Sepsis-3, admitted to emergency and emergency intensive care unit (ICU) of Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University from April 2016 to February 2017 were enrolled.

Ubiquitin specific peptidase 4 stabilizes interferon regulatory factor protein and promotes its function to facilitate interleukin-4 expression in T helper type 2 cells.

We speculated that ubiquitin specific peptidase 4 (USP4) may deubiquitinate interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) and affect T helper type 2 (Th2) cell function. This study aimed to validate this hypothesis. Here, the interaction between USP4 and IRF4 were analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation assay.

The H7N9 influenza A virus infection results in lethal inflammation in the mammalian host via the NLRP3-caspase-1 inflammasome.

The avian origin influenza A virus (IAV) H7N9 has caused a considerable number of human infections associated with high rates of death since its emergence in 2013. As a vital component of the host innate immune system, the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat containing receptor, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a critical role against H1N1 viral infection. However, the function of NLRP3 inflammasome in host immunological responses to the lethal H7N9 virus is still obscure.

Dysregulates Monocytes and Inhibits Macrophage Polarization through LC3-Dependent Autophagy.

Brucellosis is caused by infection with species and exhibits diverse clinical manifestations in infected humans. Monocytes and macrophages are not only the first line of defense against infection but also a main reservoir for . In the present study, we examined the effects of infection on human peripheral monocytes and monocyte-derived polarized macrophages.

Lkb1 maintains T cell lineage identity.

Regulatory T (T) cells are a distinct T-cell lineage characterized by sustained Foxp3 expression and potent suppressor function, but the upstream dominant factors that preserve T lineage-specific features are mostly unknown. Here, we show that Lkb1 maintains T cell lineage identity by stabilizing Foxp3 expression and enforcing suppressor function. Upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation Lkb1 protein expression is upregulated in T cells but not in conventional T cells.

Chemotherapy-induced intestinal inflammatory responses are mediated by exosome secretion of double-strand DNA via AIM2 inflammasome activation.

Chemotherapies are known often to induce severe gastrointestinal tract toxicity but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study considers the widely applied cytotoxic agent irinotecan (CPT-11) as a representative agent and demonstrates that treatment induces massive release of double-strand DNA from the intestine that accounts for the dose-limiting intestinal toxicity of the compound. Specifically, "self-DNA" released through exosome secretion enters the cytosol of innate immune cells and activates the AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2) inflammasome.

PPE38 Protein of Inhibits Macrophage MHC Class I Expression and Dampens CD8 T Cell Responses.

Suppression of CD8 T cell activation is a critical mechanism used by (MTB) to escape protective host immune responses. PPE38 belongs to the unique PPE family of MTB and in our previous study, PPE38 protein was speculated to participate in manipulating macrophage MHC class I pathway. To test this hypothesis, the function of mycobacterial PPE38 protein was assessed here using macrophage and mouse infection models.

Impairment of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in blood cells of patients with severe cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as a leading infectious disease worldwide. Our previous study showed interferon (IFN)-γ and CD3 T cell impairment in patients with severe cavitary pulmonary TB (PTB). However, the cause of the change in immune responses during the progression of TB is still poorly understood.

SOX2 regulates multiple malignant processes of breast cancer development through the SOX2/miR-181a-5p, miR-30e-5p/TUSC3 axis.

Background: High levels of SOX2 protein are correlated with increased dissemination of breast cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood.

Methods: In this study we investigate the role of SOX2 in breast cancer metastasis using multiple in vitro and in vivo assays including cell culture, shRNA-mediated knockdown, wound healing, colony formation, transwell chamber, xenograft and tail vein injection.

Generation of a Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine that Elicits Broad Protection in Mice and Ferrets.

New influenza vaccines that provide effective and broad protection are desperately needed. Live attenuated viruses are attractive vaccine candidates because they can elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses. However, recent formulations of live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have not been protective.

Global transcriptome analysis reveals extensive gene remodeling, alternative splicing and differential transcription profiles in non-seed vascular plant Selaginella moellendorffii.

Background: Selaginella moellendorffii, a lycophyte, is a model plant to study the early evolution and development of vascular plants. As the first and only sequenced lycophyte to date, the genome of S. moellendorffii revealed many conserved genes and pathways, as well as specialized genes different from flowering plants.

MicroRNA-191 acts as a tumor promoter by modulating the TET1-p53 pathway in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Unlabelled: Current treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains ineffective because knowledge of ICC carcinogenesis is unclear. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR-191, play an important role in tumorigenesis; but expression and biological functions of miR-191 in ICC remain to be established. This study investigated the functions and underlying mechanisms of miR-191 in ICC.

The conformational changes of Zika virus methyltransferase upon converting SAM to SAH.

An outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been reported in South and Central America and the Caribbean. Neonatal microcephaly potentially associated with ZIKV infection has already caused a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, there are no clinically effective vaccines or antiviral drugs available to treat ZIKV infection.

The deubiquitinase USP21 maintains the stemness of mouse embryonic stem cells via stabilization of Nanog.

Nanog is a master pluripotency factor of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Stable expression of Nanog is essential to maintain the stemness of ESCs. However, Nanog is a short-lived protein and quickly degraded by the ubiquitin-dependent proteasome system.

A Melting Curve-Based Multiplex RT-qPCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Four Human Coronaviruses.

Human coronaviruses HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1 are common respiratory viruses associated with acute respiratory infection. They have a global distribution. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of HCoV infection is important for the management and treatment of hospitalized patients with HCoV infection.

HIV-1 gp120 Glycoprotein Interacting with Dendritic Cell-specific Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 3-grabbing Non-integrin (DC-SIGN) Down-Regulates Tight Junction Proteins to Disrupt the Blood Retinal Barrier and Increase Its Permeability.

Approximately 70% of HIV-1 infected patients acquire ocular opportunistic infections and manifest eye disorders during the course of their illness. The mechanisms by which pathogens invade the ocular site, however, are unclear. Under normal circumstances, vascular endothelium and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which possess a well developed tight junction complex, form the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) to prevent pathogen invasion.

MicroRNA-210 promotes cancer angiogenesis by targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor-like 1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hypoxia drives cancer to become more aggressive, particularly angiogenesis, and the corresponding mechanisms still need to be further investigated. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the master hypoxia-induced microRNA (miRNA) miR-210 is upregulated in HCC and participates in HCC progression, but its roles in hypoxia-induced HCC angiogenesis are still unknown. Moreover, the correlation between miR-210 expression and HCC clinical progression also needs elucidation.

Bis-biguanide dihydrochloride inhibits intracellular replication of M. tuberculosis and controls infection in mice.

While there is an urgent need to develop new and effective drugs for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), repurposing FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) -approved drugs for development of anti-TB agents may decrease time and effort from bench to bedside.

The Landscape of A-to-I RNA Editome Is Shaped by Both Positive and Purifying Selection.

The hydrolytic deamination of adenosine to inosine (A-to-I editing) in precursor mRNA induces variable gene products at the post-transcription level. How and to what extent A-to-I RNA editing diversifies transcriptome is not fully characterized in the evolution, and very little is known about the selective constraints that drive the evolution of RNA editing events. Here we present a study on A-to-I RNA editing, by generating a global profile of A-to-I editing for a phylogeny of seven Drosophila species, a model system spanning an evolutionary timeframe of approximately 45 million years.

CD25 signaling regulates the function and stability of peripheral Foxp3+ regulatory T cells derived from the spleen and lymph nodes of mice.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a critical role in sustaining immune tolerance and maintaining immune balance to alloantigen after transplatation. However, the functions of peripheral Tregs in different organs have not been fully characterized. Here, we showed that spleen-derived Tregs exhibited higher expression of Foxp3, greater suppressive capacity, and lower levels of IL-17A secretion than lymph node-derived Tregs in vitro in the presence or absence of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6.

Novel Function of Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 in Suppressing Th17 Cell Development in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the CNS characterized by demyelination and axonal damage. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a well-established animal model for human MS. Although Th17 cells are important for disease induction, Th2 cells are inhibitory in this process.

Yeast-produced recombinant virus-like particles of coxsackievirus A6 elicited protective antibodies in mice.

Coxsackievirus A6 (CA6) has recently emerged as the predominant pathogen of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), causing significant morbidity in children and adults. The increasing prevalence of CA6 infection and its associated disease burden underscore the need for effective CA6 vaccines. However, CA6 grows poorly in cultured cells, making it difficult to develop inactivated whole-virus or live attenuated vaccines.