AAV-mediated gene transfer of DNase I in the liver of mice with colorectal cancer reduces liver metastasis and restores local innate and adaptive immune response.

Liver metastasis is the main cause of colorectal cancer (CRC)-related death. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play important roles in CRC progression. Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) has been shown to alter NET function by cleaving DNA strands comprising the NET backbone.

Production of Recombinant Protein Self-Assembly Nanocontainers in a Prokaryotic System.

We optimized a method for the preparation and purification of self-assembled protein nanocontainers EPN, the latest achievement in protein engineering. These nanocontainers are highly stable and provide the possibility of highly specific loading of a protein therapeutic drug. The described technique can be proposed as a tool for production of nanocontainers in a prokaryotic system.

Stochastics of Degradation: The Autophagic-Lysosomal System of the Cell.

Autophagy is a conservative and evolutionarily ancient process that enables the transfer of various cellular compounds, organelles, and potentially dangerous cellular components to the lysosome for their degradation. This process is crucial for the recycling of energy and substrates, which are required for cellular biosynthesis. Autophagy not only plays a major role in the survival of cells under stress conditions, but is also actively involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis.

New insights into ligand binding by plant lipid transfer proteins: A case study of the lentil Lc-LTP2.

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are an important class of plant proteins containing an internal cavity and binding hydrophobic ligands. Although LTP structures and functions are well studied, mechanisms of ligand binding remain unclear. Earlier, we discovered the lentil lipid transfer protein Lc-LTP2 capable of binding and transfer various ligands.

Defense Peptides From the α-Hairpinin Family Are Components of Plant Innate Immunity.

Plant immunity represents a sophisticated system, including both basal and inducible mechanisms, to prevent pathogen infection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are among the innate immunity components playing a key role in effective and rapid response against various pathogens. This review is devoted to a small family of defense peptides called α-hairpinins.

Transmembrane Peptides as Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions: An Efficient Strategy to Target Cancer Cells?

Cellular functions are regulated by extracellular signals such as hormones, neurotransmitters, matrix ligands, and other chemical or physical stimuli. Ligand binding on its transmembrane receptor induced cell signaling and the recruitment of several interacting partners to the plasma membrane. Nowadays, it is well-established that the transmembrane domain is not only an anchor of these receptors to the membrane, but it also plays a key role in receptor dimerization and activation.

FGCaMP7, an Improved Version of Fungi-Based Ratiometric Calcium Indicator for In Vivo Visualization of Neuronal Activity.

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) have become a widespread tool for the visualization of neuronal activity. As compared to popular GCaMP GECIs, the FGCaMP indicator benefits from calmodulin and M13-peptide from the fungi and , which prevent its interaction with the intracellular environment. However, FGCaMP exhibits a two-phase fluorescence behavior with the variation of calcium ion concentration, has moderate sensitivity in neurons (as compared to the GCaMP6s indicator), and has not been fully characterized in vitro and in vivo.

Novel Genetically Encoded Bright Positive Calcium Indicator NCaMP7 Based on the mNeonGreen Fluorescent Protein.

Green fluorescent genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are the most popular tool for visualization of calcium dynamics in vivo. However, most of them are based on the EGFP protein and have similar molecular brightnesses. The NTnC indicator, which is composed of the mNeonGreen fluorescent protein with the insertion of troponin C, has higher brightness as compared to EGFP-based GECIs, but shows a limited inverted response with an ΔF/F of 1.

The Role of Tumor-Derived Vesicles in the Regulation of Antitumor Immunity.

In this article, we present a comprehensive, updated, and elucidative review of the current knowledge on the function played by tumor-derived vesicles (TDVs) in the crosstalk between tumor and immune cells. Characterization of the structure, biogenesis, and the major functions of TDVs is reported. The review focuses on particular ways of suppression or activation of CD4/CD8 T cells by tumor-derived vesicles.

Quality of Preovulatory (GV) Oocytes in Mice after Injection of eCG at Various Stages of the Estrous Cycle.

We studied the influence of the estrous cycle on the morphology of preovulatory (germinal vesicle, GV) oocytes in mice and their capacity to meiotic maturation in vitro. After standard injections of eCG gonadotropin (PMSG, Follimag) to females at different stages of the estrous cycle, the maximum levels of GV oocytes (26±1/mouse) were isolated from the ovaries of animals injected with the hormone during estrus. The capacity of isolated GV oocytes to meiotic maturation in vitro decreased in the following order: estrus (75.

MitoCLox: A Novel Mitochondria-Targeted Fluorescent Probe for Tracing Lipid Peroxidation.

Peroxidation of cardiolipin (CL) in the inner mitochondrial membrane plays a key role in the development of various pathologies and, probably, aging. The four fatty acid tails of CL are usually polyunsaturated, which makes CL particularly sensitive to peroxidation. Peroxidation of CL is involved in the initiation of apoptosis, as well as in some other important cellular signaling chains.

Comparative Analysis of Number and Competence in Meiotic Maturation of Preovulatory Oocytes of C57Bl/6J Mice and Their F1 Hybrids after Stimulation with Gonadotropin.

The study examined maturation of preovulatory germinal vesicles oocytes (GV oocytes) induced by gonadotropic hormone PMSG in the inbred C57Bl/6J mice (viewed as a gold standard for diverse biomedical studies) as well as in the first generation hybrid C57Bl/6J×СВА/lac and СВА/lac×C57Bl/6J mice at various ages. The most effective donors of GV oocytes were СВА/lac×C57Bl/6J mice (F1 hybrids) yielding 25±2 oocyte/mouse. In contrast, a significantly smaller number of GV oocytes can be isolated from the ovaries of female C57Bl/6J or C57Bl/6J×СВА/lac mice under the same conditions.

Two- and three-photon absorption cross-section characterization for high-brightness, cell-specific multiphoton fluorescence brain imaging.

We demonstrate an accurate quantitative characterization of absolute two- and three-photon absorption (2PA and 3PA) action cross sections of a genetically encodable fluorescent marker Sypher3s. Both 2PA and 3PA action cross sections of this marker are found to be remarkably high, enabling high-brightness, cell-specific two- and three-photon fluorescence brain imaging. Brain imaging experiments on sliced samples of rat's cortical areas are presented to demonstrate these imaging modalities.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) condensation by thermal cycling with metal cations: yield of nanoparticles and their applicability for transfection.

To the present, different efficient but expensive, multistage, and time-consuming technologies have been developed to deliver ribonucleic acids (RNA) into eukaryotic cells. Here, we report a simple and feasible solution to design RNA nanocarriers based on nucleic acid condensation by bi- and trivalent metal ions during thermal cycling. Efficient RNA conversion to nanoparticles with small size (10-50 nm) suitable for transfection was achieved using cations Ni, Co or Cu alone or in combination with Ca at the specially selected concentrations (2.

High-Throughput Platform for B-Cell Screening Based on Fluorescent Phage-Display Technology.

A system for detection of malignantly transformed cells, including follicular lymphoma Bcells, was developed and experimentally validated. The system is based on the use of bacteriophages carrying exposed ligands for pathogenic B-cell receptors. The efficiency of binding to target cells is several times higher than in systems with chemically synthesized biotinylated peptides.

Targeted Drug Delivery in Lipid-like Nanocages and Extracellular Vesicles.

The possibility of targeted drug delivery to a specific tissue, organ, or cell has opened new promising avenues in treatment development. The technology of targeted delivery aims to create multifunctional carriers that are capable of long circulation in the patient's organism and possess low toxicity at the same time. The surface of modern synthetic carriers has high structural similarity to the cell membrane, which, when combined with additional modifications, also promotes the transfer of biological properties in order to penetrate physiological barriers effectively.

Medicinal leech antimicrobial peptides lacking toxicity represent a promising alternative strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

The rise of antibiotic resistance has necessitated the development of alternative strategies for the treatment of infectious diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), components of the innate immune response in various organisms, are promising next-generation drugs against bacterial infections. The ability of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis to store blood for months with little change has attracted interest regarding the identification of novel AMPs in this organism.

T-cell receptor and B-cell receptor repertoire profiling in adaptive immunity.

B-cell receptors and T-cell receptors are the key molecules responsible for specific antigen recognition in adaptive immunity. The huge diversity of immune receptor repertoires constrained their comprehensive studies in the past. More recently, however, high-throughput sequencing based techniques have revolutionized the field of immune receptor repertoire profiling enabling new insights into the development and function of the adaptive immune system.

Elastic fibers and elastin receptor complex: Neuraminidase-1 takes the center stage.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) has for a long time being considered as a simple architectural support for cells. It is now clear that ECM presents a fundamental influence on cells driving their phenotype and fate. This complex network is highly specialized and the different classes of macromolecules that comprise the ECM determine its biological functions.

A genetically encoded fluorescent temperature sensor derived from the photoactive Orange Carotenoid Protein.

The heterogeneity of metabolic reactions leads to a non-uniform distribution of temperature in different parts of the living cell. The demand to study normal functioning and pathological abnormalities of cellular processes requires the development of new visualization methods. Previously, we have shown that the 35-kDa photoswitchable Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) has a strong temperature dependency of photoconversion rates, and its tertiary structure undergoes significant structural rearrangements upon photoactivation, which makes this protein a nano-sized temperature sensor.

Isolation of IgG Associated with Human Placenta.

We optimized the method of isolation of antibodies from placental tissue of a conventionally healthy patient. Four protocols of antibody isolation were evaluated and a protocol with tissue grinding (without homogenization) and successive elution of the antibodies with acidic and alkaline buffers was recommended for use. The repertoire of the isolated antibodies was characterized using a glycan array.

Selective Action of N-Arachidonoyl Dopamine on Viability and Proliferation of Stromal Cells from Eutopic and Ectopic Endometrium.

We performed a comparative study of the cytotoxic effect of endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl dopamine (AA-DA) on cultured stromal cells of ectopic and eutopic endometrium. It was found that AA-DA in the concentration range of 1-20 μM produces more selective cytotoxic effect on the stromal cells of the ectopic endometrium due to interaction with cannabinoid type 1 receptor. In concentrations below 1 μM, AA-DA stimulated the proliferation of stromal cells of the eutopic endometrium and did not affect the division of ectopic endometrium cells.

Expression dynamics of family genes during self-renewal and differentiation of mouse pluripotent stem and teratocarcinoma cells.

The biological roles of cancer-testis antigens of the Melanoma antigen (Mage) family in mammalian development, stem cell differentiation and carcinogenesis are largely unknown. In order to understand the involvement of the family genes in maintenance of normal and cancer stem cells, the expression patterns of and gene subfamilies were analyzed during the self-renewal and differentiation of mouse pluripotent stem and teratocarcinoma cells. Clustering analysis based on the gene expression profiles of undifferentiated and differentiating cell populations revealed strong correlations between expression patterns and differentiation and malignant states.

Correction: Unique CDR3 epitope targeting by CAR-T cells is a viable approach for treating T-cell malignancies.

In the original version of this article the author name Xiaolei Chen was published incorrectly. This has been corrected to Xiao Lei Chen.