Artificial intelligence for graphs has achieved remarkable success in modeling complex systems, ranging from dynamic networks in biology to interacting particle systems in physics. However, the increasingly heterogene...
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Targeting inter-duplex junctions in catenated DNA with bidirectional bis-intercalators is a potential strategy for enhancing anticancer effects. In this study, we used d(CGTATACG)2, which forms a tetraplex base-pair j...
Targeting inter-duplex junctions in catenated DNA with bidirectional bis-intercalators is a potential strategy for enhancing anticancer effects. In this study, we used d(CGTATACG)2, which forms a tetraplex base-pair junction that resembles the DNA-DNA contact structure, as a model target for two alkyl-linked diaminoacridine bis-intercalators, DA4 and DA5. Cross-linking of the junction site by the bis-intercalators induced substantial structural changes in the DNA, transforming it from a B-form helical end-to-end junction to an over-wounded side-by-side inter-duplex conformation with A-DNA characteristics and curvature. These structural perturbations facilitated the angled intercalation of DA4 and DA5 with propeller geometry into two adjacent duplexes. The addition of a single carbon to the DA5 linker caused a bend that aligned its chromophores with CpG sites, enabling continuous stacking and specific water-mediated interactions at the inter-duplex contacts. Furthermore, we have shown that the different topological changes induced by DA4 and DA5 lead to the inhibition of topoisomerase 2 activities, which may account for their antitumor effects. Thus, this study lays the foundations for bis-intercalators targeting biologically relevant DNA-DNA contact structures for anticancer drug development.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing and highly fatal blood cancer, and recent research has shown that targeting metabolism may be a promising therapeutic approach for treating AML. One promising target is t...
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing and highly fatal blood cancer, and recent research has shown that targeting metabolism may be a promising therapeutic approach for treating AML. One promising target is the human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme (ME2), which is involved in the production of pyruvate and NAD(P)H and the regulation of the NAD+/NADH redox balance. Inhibition of ME2 via silencing ME2 or utilizing its allosteric inhibitor disodium embonate (Na2EA) causes a decrease in pyruvate and NADH, leading to a decrease in producing ATP via cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. ME2 inhibition also decreases NADPH levels, resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress, which ultimately leads to cellular apoptosis. Additionally, ME2 inhibition reduces pyruvate metabolism and the biosynthetic pathway. ME2 silencing inhibits the growth of xenotransplanted human AML cells, and the allosteric ME2 inhibitor Na2EA demonstrates antileukemic activity against immune-deficient mice with disseminated AML. Both of these effects are a result of impaired energy metabolism in mitochondria. These findings suggest that the targeting ME2 may be an effective strategy for treating AML. Overall, ME2 plays an essential role in energy metabolism of AML cells, and its inhibition may offer a promising approach for AML treatment.
Recent cases of avian influenza H5N1 and the swine-origin 2009 H1N1 have caused a great concern that a global disaster like the 1918 influenza pandemic may occur again. Viral transmission begins with a critical intera...
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Recent cases of avian influenza H5N1 and the swine-origin 2009 H1N1 have caused a great concern that a global disaster like the 1918 influenza pandemic may occur again. Viral transmission begins with a critical interaction between hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein, which is on the viral coat of influenza, and sialic acid (SA) containing glycans, which are on the host cell surface. To elucidate the role of HA glycosylation in this important interaction, various defined HA glycoforms were prepared, and their binding affinity and specificity were studied by using a synthetic SA microarray. Truncation of the N-glycan structures on HA increased SA binding affinities while decreasing specificity toward disparate SA ligands. The contribution of each monosaccharide and sulfate group within SA ligand structures to HA binding energy was quantitatively dissected. It was found that the sulfate group adds nearly 100-fold (2.04 kcal/mol) in binding energy to fully glycosylated HA, and so does the biantennary glycan to the monoglycosylated HA glycoform. Antibodies raised against HA protein bearing only a single N-linked GlcNAc at each glycosylation site showed better binding affinity and neutralization activity against influenza subtypes than the fully glycosylated HAs elicited. Thus, removal of structurally nonessential glycans on viral surface glycoproteins may be a very effective and general approach for vaccine design against influenza and other human viruses.
OBJECTIVES:The recent emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales poses a major and escalating threat to global public health. This study aimed to analyse the global distribution and antimicrobial resistance of...
OBJECTIVES:The recent emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales poses a major and escalating threat to global public health. This study aimed to analyse the global distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Enterobacterales harbouring variant OXA-48-like carbapenemase-related genes.
METHODS:Enterobacterales isolates were collected from the Antimicrobial Testing Leadership and Surveillance (ATLAS) programme during 2018-2021. Comprehensive antimicrobial susceptibility testing and β-lactamase gene detection were also conducted, along with statistical analysis of the collected data.
RESULTS:Among the 72 244 isolates, 1934 Enterobacterales isolates were identified to harbour blaOXA-48-like genes, predominantly Klebsiella spp. (86.9%). High rates of multidrug resistance were observed, with only ceftazidime/avibactam and tigecycline showing favourable susceptibility. A discrepancy between the genotype and phenotype of carbapenem resistance was evident: 16.8% (233 out of 1384) of the Enterobacterales isolates with blaOXA-48-like genes exhibited susceptibility to meropenem. Specifically, 37.4% (64/95) of Escherichia coli strains with blaOXA-48-like genes displayed meropenem susceptibility, while the corresponding percentages for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae complex were 25.2% (160/1184) and 0% (0/36), respectively (P < 0.05). Geographical analysis revealed that the highest prevalence of blaOXA-48-like genes occurred in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The proportion of K. pneumoniae isolates harbouring blaOXA-232 increased from 23.9% in 2018 to 56.0% in 2021. By contrast, the proportion of blaOXA-48 decreased among K. pneumoniae isolates during 2018-2021.
CONCLUSIONS:This study underscores the widespread and increasing prevalence of blaOXA-48-like genes in Enterobacterales and emphasizes the need for enhanced surveillance, improved diagnostic methods and tailored antibiotic stewardship to combat the spread of these resistant pathogens.
The formation of chimeric transcripts (chimeras) has been widely reported [1,2,3]. Some of them reflect underlying chromosomal rearrangements [4] or are the results of the propensity of reverse transcriptase to engage...
The formation of chimeric transcripts (chimeras) has been widely reported [1,2,3]. Some of them reflect underlying chromosomal rearrangements [4] or are the results of the propensity of reverse transcriptase to engage in template switching [5]. However, a proportion of cases genuinely appear to correspond to trans-splicing of RNAs, as has previously been described [6,7]. Here, we use ENCODE and mouse ENCODE deeply sequenced and bio-replicated RNaseq data from 18 human and 30 mouse samples, and the ChimPipe program to identify chimeras occurring in multiple biological samples (recurrent) and between the same pairs of genes in human and mouse, since they are more likely to be transcriptionally induced and functional. Recurrent common chimeras tend to connect gene pairs located on the same chromosome and relatively near each other (<100 kb), therefore pointing to polymerase read-through. However, interchromosomal chimeras are also observed, pointing to trans-splicing. Importantly, these recurrent chimeras tend to maintain an open reading frame and could therefore generate chimeric proteins. We also observed that not only the gene-to-gene connection is conserved, but strikingly so are specific junction sites. The genes connected in common chimeras tend to be involved in morphogenesis and body plan formation, and consistently tend to be detected in cell lines of embryonic origin. Validation of human chimeras by RT-PCR yielded a success rate of 50% and subsequent cloning and sequencing revealed novel transcript structures, of which some preserve the domains from the 2 parents’ genes. Applying this method to multiple animal species and breeds will help us understand chimera evolution, as well as reveal some links between genotype and phenotype.[1] Gingeras, T.R. Implications of chimeric non-co-linear transcripts. Nature, 2009[2] Kaessmann, H. Origins, evolution, and phenotypic impact of new genes. Genome Re, 2010[3] Djebali, S. et al. Evidence for transcript networks compo
Background Our group and others have shown that peripheral blood cells of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) display numerous transcriptional abnormalities. However, most of these studies have been perf...
Background Our group and others have shown that peripheral blood cells of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) display numerous transcriptional abnormalities. However, most of these studies have been performed on mixed cell types (peripheral blood mononuclear cells, whole blood). Little cell type specific data is available, making mechanistic inferences and links to disease pathogenesis difficult. Objectives To define transcriptional patterns in CD4+ T cells from children with polyarticular JIA and query mechanisms underlying transcriptional abnormalities. Methods We studied CD4+ T cells obtained from children with active polyarticular onset JIA and sought to identify epigenetic features associated with altered gene expression. We performed RNA-seq and ATAC-seq on a cohort of patients who had the active disease and were under treatment with methotrexate and etanercept (ADT), patients who fit criteria for clinical remission on medication (CRM), and healthy control children (HC). We used standard used the common dispersion protocol in EdgeR to identify differential gene expression. We used our recently developed and validated Hidden Markov ModeleR for ATAC-seq doftware to identify differentially accessible regions, comparing ADT, CRM, and HC samples. We integrated ATACseq and RNAseq data using the BETA software package. After preliminary analysis revealed a potential role for the transcriptional regulator, CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) in the observed transcriptional patterns, we performed ChIPseq and HiChIP studies on an independent group of JIA CD4+ T cell samples. Results We found widespread transcriptomic differences between ADT and either HC or CRM patients. We identified 4,062 genes that showed differential expression between ADT and HC samples. Gene expression patterns from CRM samples were nearly identical to healthy controls, suggesting that remission largely results in normalization of CD4+ T cell transcriptomes. We performed transcription factor
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