Research, Research Articles

A complex remodeling of cellular homeostasis distinguishes RSV/SARS-CoV-2 co-infected A549-hACE2 expressing cell lines

A complex remodeling of cellular homeostasis distinguishes RSV/SARS-CoV-2 co-infected A549-hACE2 expressing cell lines

Claudia Vanetti1, Irma Saulle1,2, Valentina Artusa1,2, Claudia Moscheni1, Gioia Cappelletti1, Silvia Zecchini1, Sergio Strizzi1, Micaela Garziano1,2, Claudio Fenizia1,2, Antonella Tosoni1, Martina Broggiato1, Pasquale Ogno1, Manuela Nebuloni1, Mario Clerici2,3, Daria Trabattoni1, Fiona Limanaqi1 and Mara Biasin1

Given the common tropism of SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, and the unclear consequences of their mutual influence, we developed an in vitro lung epithelial cell model to study the molecular mechanisms and cellular pathways modulated in viral co-infection.

RidA proteins contribute to fitness of S. enterica and E. coli by reducing 2AA stress and moderating flux to isoleucine biosynthesis

RidA proteins contribute to fitness of S. enterica and E. coli by reducing 2AA stress and moderating flux to isoleucine biosynthesis

Ronnie L. Fulton, Bryce R. Sawyer and Diana M Downs

This study solidifies the established role of RidA in removing 2AA, while also presenting evidence for a role of RidA in enhancing flux towards isoleucine biosynthesis in E. coli. Overall, these data emphasize that metabolic networks can generate distinct responses to perturbation, even when the individual components are conserved.

Fecal gelatinase does not predict mortality in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis

Fecal gelatinase does not predict mortality in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis

Yongqiang Yang1,a, Philipp Hartmann2,3,a and Bernd Schnabl1,4

This study aimed to investigate the significance of fecal gelatinase on clinical outcomes in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis. In conclusion, in our cohort, fecal gelatinase does not predict mortality and does not indicate higher disease severity in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis.

Direct detection of stringent alarmones (pp)pGpp using malachite green

Direct detection of stringent alarmones (pp)pGpp using malachite green

Muriel Schicketanz1, Magdalena Petrová2, Dominik Rejman2, Margherita Sosio3, Stefano Donadio3 and Yong Everett Zhang1

In this study, we demonstrate the surprising discovery of a commercially available, low-cost malachite green (MG) detection kit, originally designed for orthophosphate (Pi) detection, for detecting (p)ppGpp and its analogues, especially pGpp

Promoter methylation and increased expression of PD-L1 in patients with active tuberculosis

Promoter methylation and increased expression of PD-L1 in patients with active tuberculosis

Yen-Han Tseng1,2, Sheng-Wei Pan1,2,3, Jhong-Ru Huang2,4, Chang-Ching Lee1, Jung-Jyh Hung2,5, Po-Kuei Hsu2,5, Nien-Jung Chen6, Wei-Juin Su2,7, Yuh-Min Chen1,2 and Jia-Yih Feng1,2,8

The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays a pivotal role in T cell activity and is involved in the pathophysiology of tuberculosis. Here we show that PD-L1 expression is increased in patients with active tuberculosis and is correlated with treatment outcomes.

Quantification methods of Candida albicans are independent irrespective of fungal morphology

Quantification methods of Candida albicans are independent irrespective of fungal morphology

Amanda B Soares1, Maria C de Albuquerque1, Leticia M Rosa1, Marlise I Klein 2, Ana C Paravina1, Paula A Barbugli1, Livia N Dovigo3 and Ewerton G de O Mima1

Our study demonstrated that the quantification methods of C. albicans (cells/mL, CFU/mL, and vPCR) did not agree, regardless of the fungal morphology/growth, even though a significant and strong correlation is observed.

Pathogenic Escherichia coli change the adhesion between neutrophils and endotheliocytes in the experimental bacteremia model

Pathogenic Escherichia coli change the adhesion between neutrophils and endotheliocytes in the experimental bacteremia model

Svetlana N Pleskova1,2,*, Nikolay A Bezrukov1, Sergey Z Bobyk1, Ekaterina N Gorshkova1 and Dimitri V Novikov3

In this work, we have demonstrated that in the model of experimental septicemia there is a disruption of adhesion contacts between neutrophils and endothelial cells, manifested by a decrease in adhesion force and work upon exposure to E. coli.

Arsenite treatment induces Hsp90 aggregates distinct from conventional stress granules in fission yeast

Arsenite treatment induces Hsp90 aggregates distinct from conventional stress granules in fission yeast

Naofumi Tomimotoa, Teruaki Takasakia and Reiko Sugiura

Given the conserved role of Hsp90 as a molecular chaperone protein, our findings presented in this study may suggest a novel type of arsenite-induced biological condensates, wherein Hsp90 plays a key role in maintaining its integrity.

Unresolved mystery of cyclic nucleotide second messengers, periplasmic acid phosphatases and bacterial natural competence

Unresolved mystery of cyclic nucleotide second messengers, periplasmic acid phosphatases and bacterial natural competence

Kristina Kronborg and Yong Everett Zhang

In this study we aimed to identify the promotors responsible for the expression of the non-specific acid phosphatase AphA during different starvation conditions, to confirm the requirement of the cAMP-dependent CRP regulon for aphA expression, and to finally identify regulators of its expression.

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Measurement of apoptosis by SCAN©, a system for counting and analysis of fluorescently labelled nuclei

November 26, 2014

This work reports on a system for analyses of apoptosis-like programmed cell death in fungal hyphae that is composed of several modules, which enable automatic quantification of nuclei with chromatin condensation and DNA strand break in large datasets according to nuclei-associated fluorescent markers.

Rewiring yeast acetate metabolism through MPC1 loss of function leads to mitochondrial damage and decreases chronological lifespan

November 18, 2014

This work shows that MPC1-deficient cells make up for their impairment in mitochondrial pyruvate with a metabolic rewiring which involves several intermediates of the mitochondrially localized TCA cycle and the cytosolic glyoxylate shunt but ultimately results in a pro-aging process.

Overexpression of the transcription factor Yap1 modifies intracellular redox conditions and enhances recombinant protein secretion

October 31, 2014

This article investigates the role of Yap1 during the production of recombinant secretory proteins in glucose based growth conditions in Pichia pastoris, and reports a novel role of Yap1 during ER-resident oxidative protein folding.

Functional analysis of lipid metabolism genes in wine yeasts during alcoholic fermentation at low temperature

October 29, 2014

This study confirms the importance of specific genes in growth and fermentation activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at low temperature.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers increase tolerance of cells to copper and cisplatin

October 24, 2014

This study reports the identification of the drug class of Angiotensin II Type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) and shows that specific ARBs increase yeast tolerance to Cu and Cp, and affect markers of Cu-induced apoptosis. Likewise, this study finds that specific ARBs increase human cell line tolerance to Cu and decrease the prevalence of apoptotic markers.

An extensive endoplasmic reticulum-localised glycoprotein family in trypanosomatids

October 1, 2014

This work describes a novel family of type I membrane proteins ("invariant glycoproteins") and proposes them as trypanosomatid-specific ER-localised glycoproteins, with potential contributions to life cycle progression and immunity, that utilise oligomerisation as an ER retention mechanism.

Time resolved DNA occupancy dynamics during the respiratory oscillation uncover a global reset point in the yeast growth program

September 1, 2014

Using multiple approaches, this work implies a nucleosome focusing event as a key step that resets transcription during the respiratory oscillation.

Cell wall dynamics modulate acetic acid-induced apoptotic cell death of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

August 27, 2014

This work characterizes the involvement of MAPK signaling pathways in cell death induced by acetic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Extracellular calcium triggers unique transcriptional programs and modulates staurosporine-induced cell death in Neurospora crassa

August 9, 2014

The results presented here reveal that in Neurospora crassa, extracellular Ca2+ modulates cell death and the transcriptional alterations induced by staurosporine, and lead to the identification of two novel putative Ca2+-binding proteins, encoded by the NCU08524 and NCU06607 genes.

Multiple metabolic requirements for size homeostasis and initiation of division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

August 1, 2014

This article reveals an unexpected diversity in the G1 cell cycle phenotypes of metabolic and biosynthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, suggesting that growth requirements for cell division are multiple, distinct and imposed throughout the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

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