The Stress Response of Aphids to the Accumulation of Heavy Metals Along L. Under Cadmium Treatment.

Due to the intensification of human activities, the ecosystems are being polluted by heavy metals. The pollution of heavy metals in agricultural systems has become a serious issue of global concern. This study detected the bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd) in broad beans and aphids through continuous exposure to varying concentrations of Cd pollution (0, 3.

Boosting Lipofection Efficiency Through Enhanced Membrane Fusion Mechanisms.

Gene transfection is a fundamental technique in the fields of biological research and therapeutic innovation. Due to their biocompatibility and membrane-mimetic properties, lipid vectors serve as essential tools in transfection. The successful delivery of genetic material into the cytoplasm is contingent upon the fusion of the vector and cellular membranes, which enables hydrophilic polynucleic acids to traverse the hydrophobic barriers of two intervening membranes.

Functional and Biological Characterization of the LGR5Δ5 Splice Variant in HEK293T Cells.

The regulator of the canonical Wnt pathway, leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), is expressed in the stem cell compartment of several tissues and overexpressed in different human carcinomas. The isoform of the stem cell marker LGR5, named LGR5Δ5 and first described by our group, is associated with prognosis and metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and soft tissue sarcoma (STS). In a proof-of-principle analysis, the function of LGR5Δ5 was investigated in HEK293T cells, a model cell line of the Wnt pathway, compared to full-length LGR5 (FL) expression.

Whole-Exome Sequencing, Mutational Signature Analysis, and Outcome in Multiple Myeloma-A Pilot Study.

The complex and heterogeneous genomic landscape of multiple myeloma (MM) and many of its clinical and prognostic implications remains to be understood. In other cancers, such as breast cancer, using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and molecular signatures in clinical practice has revolutionized classification, prognostic prediction, and patient management. However, such integration is still in its early stages in MM.

Extracellular Vesicles from Plasma of Patients with Glioblastoma Promote Invasion of Glioblastoma Cells Even After Tumor Resection.

: Glioblastoma (GB) is a highly aggressive tumor, whose progression is mediated by secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can pass the brain-blood barrier and be found in the plasma. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of the effects of EVs from the plasma of healthy donors (hEVs) and GB patients before (bEVs) and after (aEVs) tumor surgical resection on invasion of normal astrocytes and GB cells. : We performed the transwell invasion assay, analyzed MAP kinases activation by Western blotting, studied SNAI1/SNAI2 cellular localization by confocal microscopy, measured cadherins expression by flow cytometry, and analyzed secretion of cytokines, which regulate migration and inflammation, by immunoassay.

Efficacy and Safety of Pazopanib in the Treatment of Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Pazopanib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been explored for its efficacy in treating various subtypes of thyroid cancer, including differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). This systematic review assesses the efficacy and safety of pazopanib, focusing on the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and response rates and adverse events. A comprehensive search was conducted in databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to October 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials and phase II clinical trials that investigated the use of pazopanib in thyroid cancer.

Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) Affecting HLA Genes in Breast Cancer: Clinical Relevance and Therapeutic Opportunities.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I molecules (or Human Leucocyte Antigen class-I) play a key role in adaptive immunity against cancer. They present specific tumor neoantigens to cytotoxic T cells and provoke an antitumor cytotoxic response. The total or partial loss of HLA molecules can inhibit the immune system's ability to detect and destroy cancer cells.

Dairy Cattle and the Iconic Autochthonous Cattle in Northern Portugal Are Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant .

Animals destined for human consumption play a key role in potentially transmitting bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes. However, there is limited knowledge about the carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in native breeds. We aimed to characterize the phenotypic profiles and antibiotic resistance genes in isolated from bovines, including three native Portuguese bovine breeds.

Approaches and Challenges in Characterizing the Molecular Content of Extracellular Vesicles for Biomarker Discovery.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer nanoparticles released from all known cells and are involved in cell-to-cell communication via their molecular content. EVs have been found in all tissues and body fluids, carrying a variety of biomolecules, including DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and lipids, offering insights into cellular and pathophysiological conditions. Despite the emergence of EVs and their molecular contents as important biological indicators, it remains difficult to explore EV-mediated biological processes due to their small size and heterogeneity and the technical challenges in characterizing their molecular content.

Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Purine Compounds Synergistically Inducing Larval Settlement in Using Multi-Group Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis.

Most benthic marine invertebrates exhibit a characteristic biphasic life cycle, consisting of a planktonic larval stage followed by a benthic adult stage [...

Biology: The Open Road to a Theory of Life.

The journal was launched in 2012 [...

Phylogenetic characterization of Bifidobacterium kimbladii sp. nov., a novel species from the honey stomach of the honeybee Apis mellifera.

Six novel Bifidobacterium strains H1HS16N, Bin2N, Hma3N, H6bp22N, H1HS10N, and H6bp9N, were isolated from the honey stomach of Apis mellifera. Cells are Gram-positive, non-motile, non-sporulating, facultatively anaerobic, and fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase-positive. Optimal growth conditions occur at 37 °C in anaerobiosis in MRS medium added with 2 % fructose and 0.

Protocol for evaluating the activity of R2 retrotransposons in mammalian cells.

R2 retrotransposons can be harnessed to insert genes at targeted sites by all-RNA delivery, presenting a new technology for next-generation biotherapeutics. Here, we report a protocol for evaluating the gene integration activity of R2 retrotransposons in mammalian cells. We describe the construction of vectors separately expressing R2 protein and donor, the process of liposome transfection, and flow cytometry.

Integrated View of Baseline Protein Expression in Human Tissues Using Public Data Independent Acquisition Data Sets.

The PRIDE database is the largest public data repository of mass spectrometry-based proteomics data and currently stores more than 40,000 data sets covering a wide range of organisms, experimental techniques, and biological conditions. During the past few years, PRIDE has seen a significant increase in the amount of submitted data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics data sets. This provides an excellent opportunity for large-scale data reanalysis and reuse.

WhiA transcription factor provides feedback loop between translation and energy production in a genome-reduced bacterium.

Introduction: WhiA is a conserved protein found in numerous bacteria. It consists of an HTH DNA-binding domain linked with a homing endonuclease (HEN) domain. WhiA is one of the most conserved transcription factors in reduced bacteria of the class Mollicutes.

The IBEX Imaging Knowledge-Base: A Community Resource Enabling Adoption and Development of Immunofluoresence Imaging Methods.

The iterative bleaching extends multiplexity (IBEX) Knowledge-Base is a central portal for researchers adopting IBEX and related 2D and 3D immunofluorescence imaging methods. The design of the Knowledge-Base is modeled after efforts in the open-source software community and includes three facets: a development platform (GitHub), static website, and service for data archiving. The Knowledge-Base facilitates the practice of open science throughout the research life cycle by providing validation data for recommended and non-recommended reagents, e.

Multi-ancestry GWAS of severe pregnancy nausea and vomiting identifies risk loci associated with appetite, insulin signaling, and brain plasticity.

While most pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is at the severe end of the clinical spectrum and is associated with dehydration, undernutrition, and adverse maternal, fetal, and child outcomes. Herein we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy of 10,974 cases and 461,461 controls across European, Asian, African, and Latino ancestries. We identified ten significantly associated loci, of which six were novel (, , , , , and , and confirmed previous genome-wide significant associations with risk genes , , , and .

Comparative genomics of the sexually transmitted parasite reveals relaxed and convergent evolution and genes involved in spillover from birds to humans.

is the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis which infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Trichomonads parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans including birds, livestock, and domesticated animals. Recent genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that these parasite species undergo frequent host-switching, and that a current epoch spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to in humans.

Asynchronous Transitions from Hepatoblastoma to Carcinoma in High-Risk Pediatric Tumors.

Most malignant hepatocellular tumors in children are classified as either hepatoblastoma (HB) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but some tumors demonstrate features of both HB and HCC. These tumors have been recognized under a provisional diagnostic category by the World Health Organization and are distinguished from HB and HCC by a combination of histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular features. Their outcomes and cellular composition remain an open question.

An Expanded Registry of Candidate cis-Regulatory Elements for Studying Transcriptional Regulation.

Mammalian genomes contain millions of regulatory elements that control the complex patterns of gene expression. Previously, The ENCODE consortium mapped biochemical signals across many cell types and tissues and integrated these data to develop a Registry of 0.9 million human and 300 thousand mouse candidate cis-Regulatory Elements (cCREs) annotated with potential functions.

PSGL-1 excludes HIV Env from virion surface through spatial hindrance involving structural folding of the decameric repeats (DR).

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), a mucin-like surface glycoprotein, is primarily expressed on lymphoid and myeloid cells. PSGL-1 has recently been identified as an HIV restriction factor, blocking HIV infectivity mainly through virion incorporation that sterically hinders virion attachment to target cells. PSGL-1 also inhibits HIV Env incorporation into virions.

A bacterial NLR-related protein recognizes multiple unrelated phage triggers to sense infection.

Immune systems must rapidly sense viral infections to initiate antiviral signaling and protect the host. Bacteria encode >100 distinct viral (phage) defense systems and each has evolved to sense crucial components or activities associated with the viral lifecycle. Here we used a high-throughput AlphaFold-multimer screen to discover that a bacterial NLR-related protein directly senses multiple phage proteins, thereby limiting immune evasion.

Polymers for mRNA Delivery.

mRNA delivery has emerged as a transformative approach in biotechnology and medicine, offering a versatile platform for the development of novel therapeutics. Unlike traditional small molecule drugs or protein-based biologics, mRNA therapeutics have the unique ability to direct cells to generate therapeutic proteins, allowing for precise modulation of biological processes. The delivery of mRNA into target cells is a critical step in realizing the therapeutic potential of this technology.

Endotoxin-Free Outer Membrane Vesicles for Safe and Modular Anticancer Immunotherapy.

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) have emerged as promising vehicles for anticancer drug delivery due to their inherent tumor tropism, immune-stimulatory properties, and potential for functionalization with therapeutic proteins. Despite their advantages, the high lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin content in the OMVs raises significant safety and regulatory challenges. In this work, we produce LPS-attenuated and LPS-free OMVs and systematically assess the effects of LPS modification on OMVs' physicochemical characteristics, membrane protein content, immune-stimulatory capacity, tolerability, and anticancer efficacy.

Aberrant splicing in Huntington's disease accompanies disrupted TDP-43 activity and altered m6A RNA modification.

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene, leading to altered gene expression. However, the mechanisms leading to disrupted RNA processing in HD remain unclear. Here we identify TDP-43 and the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) writer protein METTL3 to be upstream regulators of exon skipping in multiple HD systems.