Filamentation and inhibition of prokaryotic CTP synthase with ligands.

Cytidine triphosphate synthase (CTPS) plays a pivotal role in the de novo synthesis of cytidine triphosphate (CTP), a fundamental building block for RNA and DNA that is essential for life. CTPS is capable of directly binding to all four nucleotide triphosphates: adenine triphosphate, uridine triphosphate, CTP, and guanidine triphosphate. Furthermore, CTPS can form cytoophidia in vivo and metabolic filaments in vitro, undergoing regulation at multiple levels.

A potent and broad-spectrum neutralizing nanobody for SARS-CoV-2 viruses, including all major Omicron strains.

SARS-CoV-2 viruses are highly transmissible and immune evasive. It is critical to develop broad-spectrum prophylactic and therapeutic antibodies for potential future pandemics. Here, we used the phage display method to discover nanobodies (Nbs) for neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 viruses especially Omicron strains.

Prime editor-mediated functional reshaping of prevents the entry of multiple human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the host angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to meditate its entry and is the primary target for vaccine development. Nevertheless, SARS-CoV-2 keeps evolving and the latest Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and XBB have gained exceptional immune evasion potential through mutations in their spike proteins, leading to sharply reduced efficacy of current spike-focused vaccines and therapeutics.

Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) Characterization of Osteoblasts From Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Differentiation to Osteoblast Mineralization.

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), a technique capable of studying solid or semisolid biological samples, was first applied to study the cell differentiation and mineralization using the whole-cell sample. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) with multipotent differentiation capacity were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts. The whole differentiation process, osteoblast mineralization and the mineral maturation, was investigated using SSNMR, providing intact, atomic level information on the cellular mineral structural transformation.

Potent neutralizing RBD-specific antibody cocktail against SARS-CoV-2 and its mutant.

The ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants has posed a serious global public health emergency. Therapeutic interventions or vaccines are urgently needed to treat and prevent the further dissemination of this contagious virus. This study described the identification of neutralizing receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific antibodies from mice through vaccination with a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD.

Construction and optimization of a base editor based on the MS2 system.

Background: Catalytic defect Cas9-cytosine deaminase fusion is widely used in base editing. The Multiple copy numbers of the MS2 binding site (MBS) can recruit multiple MS2 coat proteins (MCPs), which are usually applied to amplify signals. Our study aimed to apply the MS2 signal amplification system to the base editing system in order to achieve simultaneous mutations of multiple bases at the target genome site.