The Exonuclease Trex2 Shapes Psoriatic Phenotype.

Trex2 is a keratinocyte-specific 3'-deoxyribonuclease that participates in the maintenance of skin homeostasis after DNA damage. Here, we show that this exonuclease is strongly upregulated in human psoriasis, a hyperproliferative and inflammatory skin disease. Similarly, the imiquimod (IMQ)- and Il23-induced mouse psoriasis was associated with a substantial upregulation of Trex2, which was recruited into fragmented chromatin in keratinocytes that were undergoing impaired proliferation, differentiation, and cell death, indicating an important role in DNA processing.

Expression of CD11c Is Associated with Unconventional Activated T Cell Subsets with High Migratory Potential.

CD11c is an α integrin classically employed to define myeloid dendritic cells. Although there is little information about CD11c expression on human T cells, mouse models have shown an association of CD11c expression with functionally relevant T cell subsets. In the context of genital tract infection, we have previously observed increased expression of CD11c in circulating T cells from mice and women.

Curcumin mediates oxaliplatin-acquired resistance reversion in colorectal cancer cell lines through modulation of CXC-Chemokine/NF-κB signalling pathway.

Resistance to oxaliplatin (OXA) is a complex process affecting the outcomes of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients treated with this drug. De-regulation of the NF-κB signalling pathway has been proposed as an important mechanism involved in this phenomenon. Here, we show that NF-κB was hyperactivated in in vitro models of OXA-acquired resistance but was attenuated by the addition of Curcumin, a non-toxic NF-κB inhibitor.

Trim28 Haploinsufficiency Triggers Bi-stable Epigenetic Obesity.

More than one-half billion people are obese, and despite progress in genetic research, much of the heritability of obesity remains enigmatic. Here, we identify a Trim28-dependent network capable of triggering obesity in a non-Mendelian, "on/off" manner. Trim28(+/D9) mutant mice exhibit a bi-modal body-weight distribution, with isogenic animals randomly emerging as either normal or obese and few intermediates.

Draft Genome Sequences of Mycobacterium setense Type Strain DSM-45070 and the Nonpathogenic Strain Manresensis, Isolated from the Bank of the Cardener River in Manresa, Catalonia, Spain.

We present here the draft genome sequences of two Mycobacterium setense strains. One of them corresponds to the M. setense type strain DSM-45070, originally isolated from a patient with a posttraumatic chronic skin abscess.

Serine/threonine kinases and E2-ubiquitin conjugating enzymes in Planctomycetes: unexpected findings.

The regulation of signal transduction by phosphorylation and ubiquitination is essential to ensure the correct behavior of eukaryotic cells. We searched for protein families involved in such signaling in several eukaryotic species and in a limited set of prokaryotes, where two members of the Planctomycetes phylum were included as they exhibit eukaryote-like features (Gemmata obscuriglobus and Pirellula staleyi). We identified sequences homologous to eukaryotic serine/threonine kinases (STKs) and E2-ubiquitin conjugating enzymes in the two Planctomycetes species.

MacroH2A--an epigenetic regulator of cancer.

Epigenetic regulation is one of the most promising and expanding areas of cancer research. One of the emerging, but least understood aspects of epigenetics is the facultative and locus-specific incorporation of histone variants and their function in chromatin. With the characterization of the first loss of function phenotypes of the macroH2A histone variants, previously unrecognized epigenetic mechanisms have now moved into the spotlight of cancer research.

Macro domains as metabolite sensors on chromatin.

How metabolism and epigenetics are molecularly linked and regulate each other is poorly understood. In this review, we will discuss the role of direct metabolite-binding to chromatin components and modifiers as a possible regulatory mechanism. We will focus on globular macro domains, which are evolutionarily highly conserved protein folds that can recognize NAD(+)-derived metabolites.

Elongator: an ancestral complex driving transcription and migration through protein acetylation.

Elongator is an evolutionary highly conserved complex. At least two of its cellular functions rely on the intrinsic lysine acetyl-transferase activity of the elongator complex. Its two known substrates--histone H3 and α-tubulin--reflect the different roles of elongator in the cytosol and the nucleus.