The rockefeller university

Bicomponent pore-forming leukocidins are a family of potent toxins secreted by Staphylococcus aureus, which target white blood cells preferentially and consist of an S-and an F-component. The S-component recognizes a receptor on the host cell, enabling high-affinity binding to the cell surface, after which the toxins form a pore that penetrates the cell lipid bilayer. Until now, six different leukocidins have been described, some of which are host and cell specific. Here, we identify and characterise a novel S. aureus leukocidin; LukPQ. LukPQ is encoded on a 45 kb prophage (Phi Saeq1) found in six different clonal lineages, almost exclusively in strains cultured from equids. We show that LukPQ is a potent and specific killer of equine neutrophils and identify equine-CXCRA and CXCR2 as its target receptors. Although the S-component (LukP) is highly similar to the S-component of LukED, the species specificity of LukPQ and LukED differs. By forming non-canonical toxin pairs, we identify that the F-component contributes to the observed host tropism of LukPQ, thereby challenging the current paradigm that leukocidin specificity is driven solely by the S-component.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes significant medical burdens worldwide. Diagnosis, especially in the early stages, is still challenging. Therapeutic options are limited and often ineffective. Although several risk factors have been known important for development of HCC, the molecular basis of the process is rather complex and has not been fully understood. We have found that a subpopulation of HCC cells which are resistant to oncolytic parvovirus H1 superinfection highly express serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type 6 (SPINK6). This protein is specifically reduced in all HCC cell lines and tissues we analyzed. When upregulated, SPINK6 could suppress the malignant phenotypes of the HCC cells in several in vitro models. The putative tumor suppression role of SPINK6 is, however, independent of its protease inhibitory activity. To suppress the malignancy of HCC cells, SPINK6 has to be secreted to trigger signals which regulate an intracellular signaling molecule, ERK1/2, as well as a series of downstream factors involved in cell cycle progression, apoptosis and migration. Our study supports that SPINK6 is an important tumor suppressor in liver, and further investigations may help develop more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Malaria is a severe infectious disease with relatively high mortality, thus having been a scourge of humanity. There are a few candidate malaria vaccines that have shown a protective efficacy in humans against malaria. One of the candidate human malaria vaccines, which is based on human malaria sporozoites and called PfSPZ Vaccine, has been shown to protect a significant proportion of vaccine recipients from getting malaria. PfSPZ Vaccine elicits a potent response of hepatic CD8+ T cells that are specific for malaria antigens in non-human primates. To further characterize hepatic CD8+ T cells induced by the sporozoite-based malaria vaccine in a mouse model, we have used a cutting-edge Single-cell Barcode (SCBC) assay, a recently emerged approach/method for investigating the nature of T-cells responses during infection or cancer. Using the SCBC technology, we have identified a population of hepatic CD8+ T cells that are polyfunctional at a single cell level only in a group of vaccinated mice upon malaria challenge. The cytokines/chemokines secreted by these polyfunctional CD8+ T-cell subsets include MIP-1 alpha, RANTES, IFN-gamma, and/or IL-17A, which have shown to be associated with protective T-cell responses against certain pathogens. Therefore, a successful induction of such polyfunctional hepatic CD8+ T cells may be a key to the development of effective human malaria vaccine. In addition, the SCBC technology could provide a new level of diagnostic that will allow for a more accurate determination of vaccine efficacy.

The multiprotein Mediator coactivator complex functions in large part by controlling the formation and function of the promoter-bound preinitiation complex (PIC), which consists of RNA polymerase II and general transcription factors. However, precisely how Mediator impacts the PIC, especially post-recruitment, has remained unclear. Here, we have studied Mediator effects on basal transcription in an in vitro transcription system reconstituted from purified components. Our results reveal a close functional interplay between Mediator and TFIIH in the early stages of PIC development. We find that under conditions when TFIIH is not normally required for transcription, Mediator actually represses transcription. TFIIH, whose recruitment to the PIC is known to be facilitated by the Mediator, then acts to relieve Mediator-induced repression to generate an active form of the PIC. Gel mobility shift analyses of PICs and characterization of TFIIH preparations carrying mutant XPB translocase subunit further indicate that this relief of repression is achieved through expending energy via ATP hydrolysis, suggesting that it is coupled to TFIIH's established promoter melting activity. Our interpretation of these results is that Mediator functions as an assembly factor that facilitates PIC maturation through its various stages. Whereas the overall effect of the Mediator is to stimulate basal transcription, its initial engagement with the PIC generates a transcriptionally inert PIC intermediate, which necessitates energy expenditure to complete the process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background/Aims: The role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation during exacerbations of ulcerative colitis (UC) is yet a matter of debate, and assessment of CMV infection in UC patients remains an ongoing challenge. We aimed to identify associated parameters and compare detection methods for CMV infection during UC exacerbation. Methods: Clinical, pathological and virological parameters were retrospectively analyzed in all patients hospitalized in our institution for UC exacerbation between January 2009 and April 2015, who underwent full evaluation for CMV infection in colonic tissue by histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and CMV-PCR. Results: Of 28 patients who underwent full examination for tissue CMV-infection, 13 (46.4%) were found to be positive for CMV. Tissue CMV-PCR was more sensitive for the detection of CMV infection than histopathology and IHC. CMV-positive patients had a statistically higher frequency of recent steroid treatment and fever, with higher mean partial Mayo scores and lower mean albumin levels. There were no significant differences between CMV-positive and CMV-negative patients in terms of age, severity of colitis and disease duration. In a multivariable model, only recent steroid treatment and fever were independently associated with colonic CMV infection. Conclusions: This study provides a clinical model to detect the presence of CMV infection in patients hospitalized with UC exacerbation, which could direct proper investigation and facilitate timely empirical therapy (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel

Futility disputes are more likely to be resolved and relational breaches repaired by engaging in a process that fosters communication between clinicians, patients, and families. This essay calls for mediative fluency. The preemptive use of a futility definition can stifle conversation when it is needed most, exacerbating the very power imbalances and associated health disparities that often precipitate futility disputes. When clinicians, patients, and families engage in dialogue, clinicians can appreciate what motivates requests for what is thought to be futile care, and patients and families can better understand the limits of available therapies. This sharing of knowledge, values, and attitudes cannot be achieved through the unilateral invocation of a futility definition. Furthermore, futility definitions are prone to interpretative judgment by clinicians and can be informed by the norms and attitudes attendant to a practitioner's medical specialty. They also need to be interpreted in the context of emerging trends in medical therapeutics and in relation to the clinical details of each case. In the aggregate, these challenges make the application of a futility definition futile.

Local mRNA translation in growing axons allows for rapid and precise regulation of protein expression in response to extrinsic stimuli. However, the role of local translation in mature CNS axons is unknown. Such a mechanism requires the presence of translational machinery and associated mRNAs in circuit-integrated brain axons. Here we use a combination of genetic, quantitative imaging and super-resolution microscopy approaches to show that mature axons in the mammalian brain contain ribosomes, the translational regulator FMRP and a subset of FMRP mRNA targets. This axonal translational machinery is associated with Fragile X granules (FXGs), which are restricted to axons in a stereotyped subset of brain circuits. FXGs and associated axonal translational machinery are present in hippocampus in humans as old as 57 years. This FXG-associated axonal translational machinery is present in adult rats, even when adult neurogenesis is blocked. In contrast, in mouse this machinery is only observed in juvenile hippocampal axons. This differential developmental expression was specific to the hippocampus, as both mice and rats exhibit FXGs in mature axons in the adult olfactory system. Experiments in Fmr1 null mice show that FMRP regulates axonal protein expression but is not required for axonal transport of ribosomes or its target mRNAs. Axonal translational machinery is thus a feature of adult CNS neurons. Regulation of this machinery by FMRP could support complex behaviours in humans throughout life.

Recurrent missense mutations in histone H3 were recently reported in pediatric gliomas and soft tissue tumors. Strikingly, these mutations only affected a minority of the total cellular H3 proteins and occurred at or near lysine residues at positions 27 and 36 on the amino-terminal tail of H3 that are subject to well-characterized posttranslational modifications. Here we review recent progress in elucidating the mechanisms by which these mutations perturb the chromatin landscape in cells through their effects on chromatin-modifying machinery, particularly through inhibition of specific histone lysine methyltransferases. One common feature of histone mutations is their ability to arrest cells in a primitive state refractory to differentiation induction, highlighting the importance of studying these mutations in their proper developmental context.