Improved Limit on Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in ^{130} Te with CUORE

We report new results from the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in ^{130} Te with the CUORE detector. This search benefits from a fourfold increase in exposure, lower trigger thresholds, and analysis improvements relative to our previous results. We observe a background of (1.38±0.07)×10^{-2}  counts/(keV kg yr)) in the 0νββ decay region of interest and, with a total exposure of 372.5 kg yr, we attain a median exclusion sensitivity of 1.7×10^{25}  yr. We find no evidence for 0νββ decay and set a 90% credibility interval Bayesian lower limit of 3.2×10^{25}  yr on the ^{130} Te half-life for this process. In the hypothesis that 0νββ decay is mediated by light Majorana neutrinos, this results in an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass of 75-350 meV, depending on the nuclear matrix elements used.

The indirect antiangiogenic effect of IL-37 in the tumor microenvironment

IL-37, a newly identified IL-1 family cytokine, has been shown to play an important role in inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, and carcinogenesis. IL-37 has been suggested to suppress tumoral angiogenesis, whereas some publications showed that IL-37 promoted angiogenesis through TGF-β signaling in both physiologic and pathologic conditions. Therefore, the function of IL-37 in tumoral angiogenesis is not clear and the underlying mechanism is not known. In this current study, we investigated the direct role of IL-37 on endothelial cells, as well as its indirect effect on angiogenesis through functioning on tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. We found that IL-37 treatment directly promoted HUVEC migration and tubule formation, indicating IL-37 as a proangiogenic factor. Surprisingly, the supernatants from IL-37 overexpressing tumor cell line promoted HUVEC apoptosis and inhibited its migration and tubule formation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that IL-37 suppressed tumor angiogenesis in a murine orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma model, suggesting its dominant antiangiogenesis role in vivo. Moreover, microarray and qPCR analysis demonstrated that IL-37 reduced the expressions of proangiogenic factors and increased the expressions of antiangiogenic factors by tumor cells. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 expression was significantly decreased by IL-37 in both cell lines and murine tumor models. MMP9 and vascular endothelial growth factor expressions were also reduced in murine tumors overexpressing IL-37, as well as in cell lines overexpressing IL-37 under hypoxic conditions. In conclusion, although IL-37 could exert direct proangiogenic effects on endothelial cells, it plays an antiangiogenic role via modulating proangiogenic and antiangiogenic factor expressions by tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment.

lncRNA SLC7A11-AS1 Promotes Chemoresistance by Blocking SCFβ-TRCP-Mediated Degradation of NRF2 in Pancreatic Cancer

Drug resistance is the major obstacle of gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to play vital roles in cancer initiation and progression. Here, we report that lncRNA SLC7A11-AS1 is involved in gemcitabine resistance of PDAC. SLC7A11-AS1 is overexpressed in PDAC tissues and gemcitabine-resistant cell lines. Knockdown of SLC7A11-AS1 weakens the PDAC stemness and potentiates the sensitivity of resistant PDAC cells toward gemcitabine in vitro and in vivo. SLC7A11-AS1 promotes chemoresistance through reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by stabilizing nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2), the key regulator in antioxidant defense. Mechanically, SLC7A11-AS1 is co-localized with β-TRCP1 in the nucleus. The exon 3 of SLC7A11-AS1 interacts with the F-box motif of β-TRCP1, the critical domain that recruits β-TRCP1 to the SCF^β-TRCP E3 complex. This interaction prevents the consequent ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of NRF2 in the nucleus. Our results demonstrate that the overexpression of SLC7A11-AS1 in gemcitabine-resistant PDAC cells can scavenge ROS by blocking SCF^β-TRCP-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of NRF2, leading to a low level of intracellular ROS, which is required for the maintenance of cancer stemness. These findings suggest SLC7A11-AS1 as a therapeutic target to overcome gemcitabine resistance for PDAC treatment.

FA-97, a New Synthetic Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Derivative, Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis Against Oxidative Stress by Activating Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder of gastro-intestinal tract, lacking effective drug targets and medications. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a phenolic constituent derived from propolis, has been reported to be a potential therapeutic agent for IBD with low water solubility and poor bioavailability. In this study, we synthesized a new CAPE derivative (FA-97) and aimed to investigate the effect of FA-97 on DSS-induced colitis. Here, we found that FA-97 attenuated body weight loss, colon length shortening and colonic pathological damage in colitis mice, as well as inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in colons. In addition, FA-97 reduced ROS production and MDA generation, while total antioxidant capacity both in DSS-induced colitis mice and LPS-stimulated primary BMDMs and RAW 264.7 cells were enhanced. Mechanically, FA-97 activated Nrf2 followed by increased HO-1 and NQO-1 and down-regulated nuclear levels of p65 and c-Jun, to suppress DSS-induced colonic oxidative stress. Moreover, FA-97 decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and increased the antioxidant defenses in RAW 264.7 via Nrf2 activation. In general, this study reveals that FA-97 activates Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to eventually alleviate DSS-induced colitis against oxidative stress, which has potential activity and may serve as a candidate for IBD therapy.

Size-Controlled Growth of Silver Nanoparticles onto Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Polymers for Efficient CO2 Upgrading

Highly dispersed metallic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are promising heterogeneous catalysts for carboxylative coupling of terminal alkynes with CO₂ under mild conditions. Yet, their size-controlled synthesis is very challenging because of the high surface energy. Here, we prepared a series of amino-functionalized ordered mesoporous polymers as hosts for anchoring AgNPs. Control experiments and computations showed that electron-rich amines were confined in mesochannels with varying electron density and steric hindrance, creating "localized active zones (LAZ)" to control the growth of AgNPs. The particle size of AgNPs grows along with the increased volume of LAZ around nitrogen species. We also revealed that the catalytic activity of Ag-based catalysts is size-dependent and increases with decreasing particle size. Building on these findings, we report a facile one-pot synthesis strategy for preparing an amine-incorporated ordered mesoporous polymer (NOMP) with a high specific surface area, small LAZ volume, and uniform amine sites with controllable loading. These features result in the formation of ultrasmall and monodispersed Ag nanoparticles. Remarkably, Ag@NOMP gave a quantitative target yield under the conditions of 1 atm CO₂ pressure and 50 °C, showing superior catalytic activity in CO₂ carboxylation compared to other mesoporous analogues.

Alternative Splicing of Key Genes in LOX Pathway Involves Biosynthesis of Volatile Fatty Acid Derivatives in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

Volatile fatty acid derivatives (VFADs) produced in tea plants (Camellia sinensis) not only have been shown to function as defense compounds but also impart a "fresh green" odor to green tea products; however, little is known about alternative splicing (AS) of genes in regulating the production of VFADs in plants. In this study, the contents of VFADs and corresponding transcriptome profiles were obtained in five different months (April, June, August, September, and October). Correlation analysis identified seven unique transcripts of enzyme-coding genes (CsLOX2, CsLOX4, CsADH4, CsADH8, and CsADH10), which are responsible for regulating VFAD biosynthesis; four AS transcripts of these genes (CsLOX2, CsLOX4, CsADH4, and CsADH8) were validated by RT-PCR. By employing the gene-specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotide-mediated reduction method, we found the expression levels of alternatively spliced transcripts of CsLOX4-iso1, CsLOX4-iso2, and CsADH4-iso3 were lower, and the contents of cis-3-hexenol were correspondingly reduced in the leaves of tea plant; this result suggested that the AS play important roles in regulating biosynthesis of VFADs in C. sinensis. Our results provide new insights into the important contribution of AS events in regulating the VFAD biosynthesis in tea plant.

Protein expression and gene editing in monocots using foxtail mosaic virus vectors

Plant viruses can be engineered to carry sequences that direct silencing of target host genes, expression of heterologous proteins, or editing of host genes. A set of foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vectors was developed that can be used for transient gene expression and single guide RNA delivery for Cas9-mediated gene editing in maize, Setaria viridis, and Nicotiana benthamiana. This was accomplished by duplicating the FoMV capsid protein subgenomic promoter, abolishing the unnecessary open reading frame 5A, and inserting a cloning site containing unique restriction endonuclease cleavage sites immediately after the duplicated promoter. The modified FoMV vectors transiently expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) and bialaphos resistance (BAR) protein in leaves of systemically infected maize seedlings. GFP was detected in epidermal and mesophyll cells by epifluorescence microscopy, and expression was confirmed by Western blot analyses. Plants infected with FoMV carrying the bar gene were temporarily protected from a glufosinate herbicide, and expression was confirmed using a rapid antibody-based BAR strip test. Expression of these proteins was stabilized by nucleotide substitutions in the sequence of the duplicated promoter region. Single guide RNAs expressed from the duplicated promoter mediated edits in the N. benthamiana Phytoene desaturase gene, the S. viridis Carbonic anhydrase 2 gene, and the maize HKT1 gene encoding a potassium transporter. The efficiency of editing was enhanced in the presence of synergistic viruses and a viral silencing suppressor. This work expands the utility of FoMV for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), virus-mediated overexpression (VOX), and virus-enabled gene editing (VEdGE) in monocots.

Process Optimization of Electrochemical Oxidation of Ammonia to Nitrogen for Actual Dyeing Wastewater Treatment

To mitigate the potential environmental risks caused by nitrogen compounds from industrial wastewater, residual ammonia after conventional wastewater treatment should be further eliminated. In this work, an electrochemical oxidation process for converting ammonia to nitrogen in actual dyeing wastewater was investigated. The effects of the main operating parameters, including initial pH value, applied current density, NaCl concentration, and flow, were investigated on ammonia removal and products distribution. Experimental results indicated that, under optimal conditions of an initial pH value of 8.3, applied current density of 20 mA cm-2, NaCl concentration of 1.0 g L-1, and flow of 300 mL min-1, the ammonia could be completely removed with N2 selectivity of 88.3% in 60 min electrolysis. A kinetics investigation using a pseudo-first-order model provided a precise description of ammonia removal during the electro-oxidation process. Experimental functions for describing the relationships between kinetic constants of ammonia removal and main operating parameters were also discussed. Additionally, the mechanisms and economic evaluation of ammonia oxidation were conducted. All these results clearly proved that this electro-oxidation process could efficiently remove ammonia and achieve high N2 selectivity.

A sugarcane mosaic virus vector for gene expression in maize

Zea mays L. ssp. mays (maize) is an important crop plant as well as model system for genetics and plant biology. The ability to select among different virus-based platforms for transient gene silencing or protein expression experiments is expected to facilitate studies of gene function in maize and complement experiments with stable transgenes. Here, we describe the development of a sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) vector for the purpose of protein expression in maize. An infectious SCMV cDNA clone was constructed, and heterologous genetic elements were placed between the protein 1 (P1) and helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) cistrons in the SCMV genome. Recombinant SCMV clones engineered to express green fluorescent protein (GFP), β-glucuronidase (GUS), or bialaphos resistance (BAR) protein were introduced into sweet corn (Golden × Bantam) plants. Documentation of developmental time courses spanning maize growth from seedling to tasseling showed that the SCMV genome tolerates insertion of foreign sequences of at least 1,809 nucleotides at the P1/HC-Pro junction. Analysis of insert stability showed that the integrity of GFP and BAR coding sequences was maintained longer than that of the much larger GUS coding sequence. The SCMV isolate from which the expression vector is derived is able to infect several important maize inbred lines, suggesting that this SCMV vector has potential to be a valuable tool for gene functional analysis in a broad range of experimentally important maize genotypes.

BP-ANN Model Coupled with Particle Swarm Optimization for the Efficient Prediction of 2-Chlorophenol Removal in an Electro-Oxidation System

Electro-oxidation is an effective approach for the removal of 2-chlorophenol from wastewater. The modeling of the electrochemical process plays an important role in improving the efficiency of electrochemical treatment and increasing our understanding of electrochemical treatment without increasing the cost. The backpropagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model was applied to predict chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and total energy consumption (TEC). Current density, pH, supporting electrolyte concentration, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were used as input parameters in the 2-chlorophenol synthetic wastewater model. Prediction accuracy was increased by using particle swarm optimization coupled with BP-ANN to optimize weight and threshold values. The particle swarm optimization BP-ANN (PSO-BP-ANN) for the efficient prediction of COD removal efficiency and TEC for testing data showed high correlation coefficient of 0.99 and 0.9944 and a mean square error of 0.0015526 and 0.0023456. The weight matrix analysis indicated that the correlation of the five input parameters was a current density of 18.85%, an initial pH 21.11%, an electrolyte concentration 19.69%, an oxidation time of 21.30%, and an ORP of 19.05%. The analysis of removal kinetics indicated that oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) is closely correlated with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total energy consumption (TEC) of the electro-oxidation degradation of 2-chlorophenol in wastewater.

Toxic effects of tetracycline and its degradation products on freshwater green algae

Tetracycline antibiotics are the most widely used antibiotics in the world and the most common veterinary drugs and feed additives used in livestock, poultry and aquaculture operations. Because antibiotics cannot be completely removed by currently existing sewage treatment facilities, these materials enter the environment directly via sewage treatment plant discharge, where they degrade. Accordingly, the metabolism and the ecological toxicity of tetracycline degradation products are worthy of attention. Herein, we investigated the effects of tetracycline and its degradation products (anhydrotetracycline and epitetracycline hydrochloride) on the growth, cell structure and algal cell oxidative stress of common Chlorella vulgaris. The results showed that the 96h-EC₅₀ values of tetracycline (TC), anhydrotetracycline (ATC) and epitetracycline (ETC) on algal cells were 7.73, 5.96 and 8.42 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, the permeability of algal cells exposed to high concentrations of these three drugs was significantly enhanced. In addition, there were structural changes in the cells such as plasmolysis and starch granule deposition appeared, the thylakoid lamellae in the chloroplasts became blurred and deformed, and the vacuoles became larger. Exposure to higher concentrations (>5 mg/L) of TC and its degradation products ATC and ETC significantly upregulated the activity of ROS, as well as the antioxidants SOD and CAT. The levels of the lipid peroxidation product MDA also showed the same trend. Finally, ATC had the strongest toxicity toward algal cells, followed by TC and then ETC.

Albiflorin ameliorates memory deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice via ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction

Albiflorin, the main component of Radix Paeoniae Alba, has been shown to ameliorate injury in cell models of Alzheimer's disease induced by amyloid-β (Aβ), but the mechanism is unclear. We used 7-month-old APP/PS1 mice to determine whether albiflorin is capable of protecting against Alzheimer's disease. We found that four weeks of intragastric administration of albiflorin (20 mg/kg/d and 40 mg/kg/d) ameliorated memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. Albiflorin conferred synaptic protection by decreasing Aβ levels and increasing PSD-95, synaptophysin and synapsin 1 levels in the brains of APP/PS1 mice. Albiflorin played an antioxidative role by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and elevating Mn-SOD activity in the brain. Albiflorin also reduced the level of Drp1, increased the levels of Mfn1, Mfn2 and Opa1 and improved mitochondrial morphology in APP/PS1 mice. Albiflorin inhibited the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis by increasing the levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl and decreasing the levels of Bax, caspase-3 and cytochrome c in both the hippocampus and the cortex and by reducing the number of apoptotic cells in the anterior parietal cortex of the APP/PS1 mice. In conclusion, treatment with albiflorin improved mitochondrial function, reduced Aβ deposition in the brain and ameliorated memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. These findings indicate that albiflorin may serve as a potential antidementia drug.

NCR- group 3 innate lymphoid cells orchestrate IL-23/IL-17 axis to promote hepatocellular carcinoma development

Background

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a newly discovered family of immune cells that have similar cytokine-secreting profiles as T helper cell subsets. Although ILCs are critical for host defense against infections and tissue homeostasis, their roles in tumor development are not well established.

Methods

We studied the function of ILC3 cells in the liver for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in murine HCC models using flow cytometry, adoptive transfer, and in vitro functional assays.

Findings

We found that ILC3 lacking the natural cytotoxicity-triggering receptor (NCR⁻ILC3) promoted the development of HCC in response to interleukin 23 (IL-23). IL-23 serum level is elevated in HCC patients and its high expression is associated with poor clinical outcomes. We found that IL-23 could promote tumor development in murine HCC tumor models. IL-23 promoted the expansion of NCR⁻ILC3 and its differentiation from group 1 ILCs (ILC1s). Furthermore, NCR⁻ILC3 initiated IL-17 production upon IL-23 stimulation and directly inhibited CD8⁺ T cell immunity by promoting lymphocyte apoptosis and limiting their proliferation.

Interpretation

Together, our findings suggest that NCR⁻ILC3 initiates the IL-17-rich immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and promotes the development of HCC, thus may serve as a promising target for future cancer immunotherapy.

Fund

This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81471586, 81571556), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, the collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, start-up grant from National University of Singapore, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas CPRIT (RR180017), and the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Center Support (Core) Grant CA016672 (to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center).

Congenital internal carotid artery hypoplasia: Case report

RATIONALE

Congenital internal carotid artery hypoplasia (CICAH) is rarely reported. This study aimed to discuss the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestation, imaging and treatment of CICAH.

PATIENT CONCERNS

The case was male who showed barylalia and limited abilities of the left limbs as their main clinical manifestation. This patient was diagnosed CICAH by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and computed tomography (CT).

DIAGNOSIS

CICAH.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient underwent anti platelet aggregation, lipid-lowering, improving cerebral circulation.

OUTCOMES

The patient was in a stable condition after management of cerebrovascular risk.

LESSONS

Given the asymptomatic and congenital nature of carotid agenesis, no treatment is necessary or possible to re-establish the internal carotid artery (ICA). However, with the high risk of aneurysm and cerebrovascular insufficiency, management of cerebrovascular risk is important. Urgent radiological assessment is necessary for patients with suspicious neurological symptoms.

Candidate Effectors From Uromyces appendiculatus, the Causal Agent of Rust on Common Bean, Can Be Discriminated Based on Suppression of Immune Responses

Rust fungi are devastating pathogens for several important crop plants. The biotrophic lifestyle of rust fungi requires that they influence their host plants to create a favorable environment for growth and reproduction. Rust fungi secrete a variety of effector proteins that manipulate host target proteins to alter plant metabolism and suppress defense responses. Because of the obligate biotrophic lifestyle of rust fungi, direct evidence for effector function is difficult to obtain, and so suites of experiments utilizing expression in heterologous systems are necessary. Here, we present results from a yeast cell death suppression assay and assays for suppression of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector triggered immunity (ETI) based on delivery of effectors through the bacterial type III secretion system. In addition, subcellular localization was tested using transient expression of GFP fusion proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana through Agrobacterium infiltration. We tested 31 representative effector candidates from the devastating common bean rust pathogen Uromyces appendiculatus. These effector candidates were selected based on features of their gene families, most important lineage specificity. We show that several of our effector candidates suppress plant defense. Some of them also belong to families of effector candidates that are present in multiple rust species where their homologs probably also have effector functions. In our analysis of candidate effector mRNA expression, some of those effector candidates that gave positive results in the other assays were not up-regulated during plant infection, indicating that either these proteins have functions at multiple life stages or that strong up-regulation of RNA level in planta may not be as important a criterion for identifying effectors as previously thought. Overall, our pipeline for selecting effector candidates based on sequence features followed by screening assays using heterologous expression systems was successful in discriminating effector candidates. This work lays the foundation for functional characterization of U. appendiculatus effectors, the identification of effector targets, and identification of novel sources for resistance in common bean.

Highly tunable periodic imidazole-based mesoporous polymers as cooperative catalysts for efficient carbon dioxide fixation

We designed new periodic imidazole-based mesoporous polymers for cooperative catalysis, revealing the structure–activity relationships in CO₂ cycloaddition.

IL-17C Mitigates Murine Acute Graft-vs.-Host Disease by Promoting Intestinal Barrier Functions and Treg Differentiation

Acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD) is one of the major complications and results in high mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). IL-17C is involved in many inflammatory immune disorders. However, the role of IL-17C in aGVHD remains unknown. Here we demonstrated that IL-17C deficiency in the graft significantly promoted alloreactive T cell responses and induced aggravated aGVHD compared with wildtype donors in a fully MHC-mismatched allo-HSCT model. In contrast, IL-17C overexpression ameliorated aGVHD. IL-17C deficiency increased intestinal epithelial permeability and elevated inflammatory cytokine production, leading to an enhanced aGVHD progression. Tregs was reduced in recipients of IL-17C^−/− graft, whilst restored after IL-17C overexpression. Decreased Treg differentiation was abrogated after neutralizing IFN-γ, but not IL-6. Moreover, depletion of Tregs diminished the protective effect of IL-17C. Of note, patients with low IL-17C expression displayed higher aGVHD incidence together with poor overall survival, thereby IL-17C could be an independent risk factor for aGVHD development. Our results are the first demonstrating the protective role of IL-17C in aGVHD by promoting intestinal barrier functions and Treg differentiation in a MHC fully mismatched murine aGVHD model. IL-17C may serve as a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for aGVHD.

IL-37: An anti-inflammatory cytokine with antitumor functions

BACKGROUND

IL-37 is a newly identified IL-1 family cytokine. Unlike other members in IL-1 family, IL-37 has been demonstrated to be an anti-inflammatory cytokine in many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. IL-37 is regarded as a dual-function cytokine as both the extracellular and intracellular IL-37 are biologically functional. Extracellular IL-37 can bind to IL-18Rα and IL-1R8 to form a triple complex, regulating the downstream STAT3 and PTEN signaling. Intracellular IL-37 can interact with Smad3, translocate into nucleus, and regulate downstream target gene expressions. Recently, the role of IL-37 in tumor development has been extensively studied.

RECENT FINDINGS

IL-37 has been found to play an antitumor role in various types of tumors, such as non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. Many mechanism studies have been carried out to elaborate the possible effects of IL-37 on tumor growth, immune responses, and tumor angiogenesis. More importantly, the function of IL-37 may be dependent on its concentration and receptor expression. It can form dimers at high concentrations to be inactivated, thus inhibiting its anti-inflammatory function. We focused on the role of IL-37 in various tumor types and provided the hypothesis regarding the underlying mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

IL-37 may affect tumor development through multiple mechanisms: (1) IL-37 directly influences tumor cell viability; (2) IL-37 regulates the immune response to promote the antitumor immunity; and (3) IL-37 suppresses tumor angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment. Future studies are warranted to further investigate the mechanisms of these multifaceted functions of IL-37 in animal models and cancer patients.

IL-33 Released in the Liver Inhibits Tumor Growth via Promotion of CD4+ and CD8+ T Cell Responses in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

IL-33 released by epithelial cells and immune cells functions as an alarmin and can induce both type 1 and type 2 immune responses. However, the role of IL-33 release in tumor development is still not clear. In this study, we examined the function of released IL-33 in murine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) models by hydrodynamically injecting either IL-33-expressing tumor cells or IL-33-expressing plasmids into the liver of tumor-bearing mice. Tumor growth was greatly inhibited by IL-33 release. This antitumor effect of IL-33 was dependent on suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) because it was diminished in ST2^-/- mice. Moreover, HCC patients with high IL-33 expression have prolonged overall survival compared with the patients with low IL-33 expression. Further study showed that there were increased percentages and numbers of activated and effector CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in both spleen and liver in IL-33-expressing tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, IFN-γ production of the CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was upregulated in both spleen and liver by IL-33. The cytotoxicity of CTLs from IL-33-expressing mice was also enhanced. In vitro rIL-33 treatment could preferentially expand CD8⁺ T cells and promote CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell activation and IFN-γ production. Depletion of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells diminished the antitumor activity of IL-33, suggesting that the antitumor function of released IL-33 was mediated by both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Taken together, we demonstrated in murine HCC models that IL-33 release could inhibit tumor development through its interaction with ST2 to promote antitumor CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses.

The MAPK Kinase Kinase GmMEKK1 Regulates Cell Death and Defense Responses

MAPK signaling pathways play critical roles in plant immunity. Here, we silenced multiple genes encoding MAPKs using virus-induced gene silencing mediated by Bean pod mottle virus to identify MAPK genes involved in soybean (Glycine max) immunity. Surprisingly, a strong hypersensitive response (HR) cell death was observed when soybean MAPK KINASE KINASE1 (GmMEKK1), a homolog of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) MEKK1, was silenced. The HR was accompanied by the overaccumulation of defense signaling molecules, salicylic acid (SA) and hydrogen peroxide. Genes involved in primary metabolism, translation/transcription, photosynthesis, and growth/development were down-regulated in GmMEKK1-silenced plants, while the expression of defense-related genes was activated. Accordingly, GmMEKK1-silenced plants were more resistant to downy mildew (Peronospora manshurica) and Soybean mosaic virus compared with control plants. Silencing GmMEKK1 reduced the activation of GmMPK6 but enhanced the activation of GmMPK3 in response to flg22 peptide. Unlike Arabidopsis MPK4, GmMPK4 was not activated by either flg22 or SA. Interestingly, transient overexpression of GmMEKK1 in Nicotiana benthamiana also induced HR. Our results indicate that GmMEKK1 plays both positive and negative roles in immunity and appears to differentially activate downstream MPKs by promoting GmMPK6 activation but suppressing GmMPK3 activation in response to flg22. The involvement of GmMPK4 kinase activity in cell death and in flg22- or SA-triggered defense responses in soybean requires further investigation.

Isolation, Diversity, and Growth-Promoting Activities of Endophytic Bacteria From Tea Cultivars of Zijuan and Yunkang-10

Endophytes are rich in plant tissues and play important roles in plant-microbial interactions and plant-growth regulation. Here, endophytic bacteria from two closely related tea cultivars of Zijuan and Yunkang-10 were isolated, and the diversities were compared. Plant-growth promoting (PGP) activities were determined on the dominant groups or nitrogen-fixing genera from the two cultivars. Endophytic bacteria were isolated by using of different selective media and methods, and the PGP activities were investigated by analytical and molecular technologies. A total of 110 isolates of 18 genera belonging to three phylums (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes) were obtained from Zijuan, while 164 isolates of 22 genera belonging to two phylums (Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) were obtained from Yunkang-10. PGP screening indicated that Herbaspirillum spp., Methylobacterium spp., and Brevundimonas spp. showed different PGP abilities. The PGP ability decreased in order of Herbaspirillum spp., Brevundimonas spp. and Methylobacterium spp., and the majority of Methylobacterium spp. did not showed PGP activity of nitrogen-fixation, P-solubilization, siderophore, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production or 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. The study of bacterial community and PGP activities confirmed that endophytes in tea plants are constantly changing in different seasons and tea cultivars, and the PGP bacteria in Zijuan are much abundant than those of Yunkang-10.

Treatment of reverse-osmosis concentrate of printing and dyeing wastewater by electro-oxidation process with controlled oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) of printing and dyeing wastewater remains as a daunting environmental issue, which is characterized by high salinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), chroma and low biodegradability. In this study electro-oxidation process (PbO₂/Ti electrode) coupled with oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) online monitor was applied to treat such a ROC effluent. The results show that with the increase of specific electrical charge (Q_sp), the removal efficiencies of COD, TN and chroma increased significantly at the incipience and then reached a gentle stage; the optimal total current efficiency (12.04 kWh m^-3) was obtained with the current density of 10 mA cm^-2 (Q_sp, 3.0 Ah L^-1). Meanwhile, some inorganic ions can be simultaneously removed to varying degrees. FTIR analyses indicated that the macromolecular organics were decomposed into smaller molecules. A multi-parameter linear relationship between ORP and Q_sp, COD and Cl^- concentration was established, which can quantitatively reflect the effect of current density, chloride ion concentration, pollutants and reaction time on the performance of the electro-oxidation system. As compared to a traditional constant-current system, the constant-ORP system developed in this study (through the back-propagation neural network [BPN] model with ORP monitoring) approximately reduced the energy cost by 24-29%. The present work is expected to provide a potential alternative in optimizing the electro-oxidation process.

IL-37 mediates the anti-tumor activity in hepatocellular carcinoma via T cell activation and angiogenesis suppression

IL-37 has been shown to play an immunosuppressive role against inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the role of IL-37 in tumor development is still controversial. Recent studies demonstrated that IL-37 could recruit NK cells, stimulate CD4+ T cell activation, as well as inhibit tumor angiogenesis to suppress tumor progression in different tumor models. Other studies suggested that IL-37 could affect DC function to suppress adaptive immune response. In the current study, we found that IL-37 could directly inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell expansion and promote its apoptosis. The in vivo results showed that IL-37 could inhibit HCC development through enhancing the T cell cytokine production and killing capacity in murine orthotopic HCC model and DEN-induced HCC model. This anti-tumor effect was fully abrogated in NOD-SCID mice. Furthermore, we found that IL-37 could also inhibit tumor angiogenesis in peritumoral areas. The in vitro study showed that recombinant IL-37 protein could directly promote the migration, tube formation and IL-1R8, VEGF, MMP2 expression in HUVEC cells. However, the supernatant from IL-37 expressing HCC cells showed an inhibition on the HUVEC cell migration and tube formation, suggesting its secondary role on angiogenesis through tumor cells could be dominant in the tumor microenvironment. Overall, these results showed that IL-37 could suppress HCC development through T cell activation and angiogenesis suppression.

Sp1 Suppresses miR-3178 to Promote the Metastasis Invasion Cascade via Upregulation of TRIOBP

Specificity protein (Sp1) plays an important role in invasion-metastasis cascade. Sp1 regulation on protein coding genes has been extensively investigated; however, little is known about its regulation on protein non-coding genes. In this study, miR-3178 is reported as a novel target of Sp1 in multiple cancer cell models. Sp1 functions as its transcriptional suppressor as evidenced by luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. In line with the pro-metastatic role of Sp1, miR-3178 exerts anti-metastasis function. Overexpression of miR-3178 inhibits both migration and invasion of highly metastatic prostate, lung, and breast cancer cells whereas antagonizing miR-3178 promotes those events in their lowly metastatic counterparts. The in vivo study demonstrates that miR-3178 suppresses the tail vein inoculated prostate cancer cells to form colonies in lung, lymph node, and liver of BALB/c nude mice. miR-3178 directly targets the 3′ UTR of TRIOBP-1 and TRIOBP-5, two isoforms of TRIOBP expressed in prostate, lung, and breast cancer cells. Overexpression of TRIOBP-1 could rescue miR-3178 inhibition on cell migration and invasion. Collectively, our findings reveal the regulatory axis of Sp1/miR-3178/TRIOBP in metastasis cascade. Our results suggest miR-3178 as a promising application to suppress metastasis in Sp1-overexpressed cancers.

Investigation of glyphosate resistance levels and target-site based resistance (TSR) mechanisms in Conyza canadensis (L.) from apple orchards around areas of Bohai seas and Loess Plateau in China

The resistance levels to glyphosate and target-site based resistance mechanisms in susceptible (S) and resistant (R) Conyza canadensis (L.) populations, which were collected from apple orchards around areas of Bohai seas and Loess Plateau in China, were investigated. Among forty C. canadensis populations, eighteen populations (45%) were still susceptible; fourteen populations (35%) evolved low resistance levels resistance to glyphosate with resistance index (RI) of 2.02 to 3.90. In contrast, eight populations (20%) evolved medium resistance levels with RI of 4.35 to 8.38. The shikimic acid concentrations in R populations were highly negative relative with the glyphosate resistance levels in C. canadensis, the Pearson correlation coefficient was -0.82 treated by glyphosate at 1.8mg/L. Three 5-enoylpyruvylshikimate 3'-phosphate synthase genes (EPSPS1, EPSPS2 and EPSPS3) were cloned in all S and glyphosate-resistant C. canadensis populations. No amino acid substitution was identified at site of 102 and 106 in three EPSPS genes, which were reported to confer glyphosate resistance in other weed species. The relative expression level of EPSPS mRNA in R populations (SD07, LN05, SHX06 and SD09) was 4.5 to 13.2 times higher than in S biotype. The Pearson correlation coefficient between EPSPS expression levels and RI was 0.79, which indicated the over expression of EPSPS mRNA may cause these R populations evolve higher resistance level to glyphosate.

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via 0νββ Decay of ^{130}Te

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number-violating process: ^{130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO_{2} exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7±0.5)  keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014±0.002)  counts/(keV kg yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.3×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0×10^{24}  yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.5×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find m_{ββ}<(110-520)  meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Maize with a Foxtail mosaic virus Vector

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful technology for rapidly and transiently knocking down the expression of plant genes to study their functions. A VIGS vector for maize derived from Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV), a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, was recently developed. A cloning site created near the 3' end of the FoMV genome enables insertion of 200-400 nucleotide fragments of maize genes targeted for silencing. The recombinant FoMV clones are inoculated into leaves of maize seedlings by biolistic particle delivery, and silencing is typically observed within 2 weeks after inoculation. This chapter provides a protocol for constructing FoMV VIGS clones and inoculating them into maize seedlings.

IL-12/IL-18-preactivated donor NK cells enhance GVL effects and mitigate GvHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Adoptive transfer of donor NK cells has the potential of mediating graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect while suppressing acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, these beneficial effects are limited by the transient function of adoptively transferred NK cells. Previous studies demonstrate that cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells that are preactivated by IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 have enhanced effector functions and long life span in vivo. Here, we investigated the effects of IL-12/18-preactivated and IL-12/15/18-preactivated donor NK cells on GVL and aGVHD in a murine model of allo-HSCT. We found that both IL-12/18- and IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells mediated stronger GVL effect than control NK cells mainly due to their elevated activation/cytotoxicity and sustained proliferative potential. Interestingly, we observed that although both IL-12/18- and IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells significantly inhibited severe aGVHD, only the IL-12/18-preactivated NK cells maintained the beneficial effect of donor NK cells on mild aGVHD. The IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cell infusion accelerated aGVHD in the fully-mismatched mild aGVHD model. Our results demonstrated that IL-12/18-preactivated NK cells displayed sustained and enhanced GVL functions, and could mitigate aGVHD despite the severity of the disease. IL-12/18-preactivated donor NK cell infusion may be an effective and safe adoptive therapy after allo-HSCT.

Newcastle disease virus co-expressing interleukin 7 and interleukin 15 modified tumor cells as a vaccine for cancer immunotherapy

Interleukin 15 (IL15) and IL7 are two cytokines essential for T cell development and homeostasis. In order to improve the antitumor activity by Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-modified tumor vaccine, we generated a recombinant NDV co-expressing IL15 and IL7 (LX/IL(15+7)) through incorporation of a 2A self-processing peptide into IL15 and IL7 using reverse genetics. B16 cells infected with LX/IL(15+7) expressed both IL15 and IL7 stably. The cytotoxicity assay showed that murine melanoma cells modified with LX/IL(15+7) could significantly enhance the antitumor immune response in vitro. Then, the antitumor effects of tumor vaccine modified with recombinant virus were tested in the murine tumor models. We observed strong antitumor responses induced by LX/IL(15+7)-modified tumor cells both in prophylaxis and therapeutic models. Although the tumor-infiltrating CD4⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells were both increased, the antitumor activity of the tumor vaccine modified with LX/IL(15+7) was dependent on CD8⁺ T cells. Taken together, our data strongly indicated that tumor vaccine modified with NDV strain LX/IL(15+7) is a promising agent for cancer immunotherapy.

Characterizing virus-induced gene silencing at the cellular level with in situ multimodal imaging

BACKGROUND

Reverse genetic strategies, such as virus-induced gene silencing, are powerful techniques to study gene function. Currently, there are few tools to study the spatial dependence of the consequences of gene silencing at the cellular level.

RESULTS

We report the use of multimodal Raman and mass spectrometry imaging to study the cellular-level biochemical changes that occur from silencing the phytoene desaturase (pds) gene using a Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vector in maize leaves. The multimodal imaging method allows the localized carotenoid distribution to be measured and reveals differences lost in the spatial average when analyzing a carotenoid extraction of the whole leaf. The nature of the Raman and mass spectrometry signals are complementary: silencing pds reduces the downstream carotenoid Raman signal and increases the phytoene mass spectrometry signal.

CONCLUSIONS

Both Raman and mass spectrometry imaging show that the biochemical changes from FoMV-pds silencing occur with a mosaic spatial pattern at the cellular level, and the Raman images show carotenoid expression was reduced at discrete locations but not eliminated. The data indicate the multimodal imaging method has great utility to study the biochemical changes that result from gene silencing at the cellular spatial level of expression in many plant tissues including the stem and leaf. Our demonstrated method is the first to spatially characterize the biochemical changes as a result of VIGS at the cellular level using commonly available instrumentation.

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Maize with a Foxtail mosaic virus Vector

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful technology for rapidly and transiently knocking down the expression of plant genes to study their functions. A VIGS vector for maize derived from Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV), a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, was recently developed. A cloning site created near the 3' end of the FoMV genome enables insertion of 200-400 nucleotide fragments of maize genes targeted for silencing. The recombinant FoMV clones are inoculated into leaves of maize seedlings by biolistic particle delivery, and silencing is typically observed within 2 weeks after inoculation. This chapter provides a protocol for constructing FoMV VIGS clones and inoculating them into maize seedlings.

Backscatter spectra measurements of the two beams on the same cone on Shenguang-III laser facility

In laser driven hohlraums, laser beams on the same incident cone may have different beam and plasma conditions, causing beam-to-beam backscatter difference and subsequent azimuthal variations in the x-ray drive on the capsule. To elucidate the large variation of backscatter proportion from beam to beam in some gas-filled hohlraum shots on Shenguang-III, two 28.5° beams have been measured with the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) time-resolved spectra. A bifurcated fiber is used to sample two beams and then coupled to a spectrometer and streak camera combination to reduce the cost. The SRS spectra, characterized by a broad wavelength, were further corrected considering the temporal distortion and intensity modulation caused by components along the light path. This measurement will improve the understanding of the beam propagation inside the hohlraum and related laser plasma instabilities.

Age-related inflammatory bone marrow microenvironment induces ineffective erythropoiesis mimicking del(5q) MDS

Anemia is characteristic of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The mechanisms of anemia in MDS are unclear. Using a mouse genetic approach, here we show that dual deficiency of mDia1 and miR-146a, encoded on chromosome 5q and commonly deleted in MDS (del(5q) MDS), causes an age-related anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis mimicking human MDS. We demonstrate that the ageing bone marrow microenvironment is important for the development of ineffective erythropoiesis in these mice. Damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs), whose levels increase in ageing bone marrow, induced TNFα and IL-6 upregulation in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in mDia1/miR-146a double knockout mice. Mechanistically, we reveal that pathologic levels of TNFα and IL-6 inhibit erythroid colony formation and differentially affect terminal erythropoiesis through reactive oxygen species-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Treatment of the mDia1/miR-146a double knockout mice with all-trans retinoic acid, which promoted the differentiation of MDSCs and ameliorated the inflammatory bone marrow microenvironment, significantly rescued anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis. Our study underscores the dual roles of the ageing microenvironment and genetic abnormalities in the pathogenesis of ineffective erythropoiesis in del(5q) MDS.

Osteoglycin promotes meningioma development through downregulation of NF2 and activation of mTOR signaling

BACKGROUND

Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults. While a majority of meningiomas are slow growing neoplasms that may cured by surgical resection, a subset demonstrates more aggressive behavior and insidiously recurs despite surgery and radiation, without effective alternative treatment options. Elucidation of critical mitogenic pathways in meningioma oncogenesis may offer new therapeutic strategies. We performed an integrated genomic and molecular analysis to characterize the expression and function of osteoglycin (OGN) in meningiomas and explored possible therapeutic approaches for OGN-expressing meningiomas.

METHODS

OGN mRNA expression in human meningiomas was assessed by RNA microarray and RNAscope. The impact of OGN on cell proliferation, colony formation, and mitogenic signaling cascades was assessed in a human meningioma cell line (IOMM-Lee) with stable overexpression of OGN. Furthermore, the functional consequences of introducing an AKT inhibitor in OGN-overexpressing meningioma cells were assessed.

RESULTS

OGN mRNA expression was dramatically increased in meningiomas compared to a spectrum of other brain tumors and normal brain. OGN-overexpressing meningioma cells demonstrated an elevated rate of cell proliferation, cell cycle activation, and colony formation as compared with cells transfected with control vector. In addition, NF2 mRNA and protein expression were both attenuated in OGN-overexpressing cells. Conversely, mTOR pathway and AKT activation increased in OGN-overexpressing cells compared to control cells. Lastly, introduction of an AKT inhibitor reduced OGN expression in meningioma cells and resulted in increased cell death and autophagy, suggestive of a reciprocal relationship between OGN and AKT.

CONCLUSION

We identify OGN as a novel oncogene in meningioma proliferation. AKT inhibition reduces OGN protein levels in meningioma cells, with a concomitant increase in cell death, which provides a promising treatment option for meningiomas with OGN overexpression.

A Robotic Platform for Corn Seedling Morphological Traits Characterization

Crop breeding plays an important role in modern agriculture, improving plant performance, and increasing yield. Identifying the genes that are responsible for beneficial traits greatly facilitates plant breeding efforts for increasing crop production. However, associating genes and their functions with agronomic traits requires researchers to observe, measure, record, and analyze phenotypes of large numbers of plants, a repetitive and error-prone job if performed manually. An automated seedling phenotyping system aimed at replacing manual measurement, reducing sampling time, and increasing the allowable work time is thus highly valuable. Toward this goal, we developed an automated corn seedling phenotyping platform based on a time-of-flight of light (ToF) camera and an industrial robot arm. A ToF camera is mounted on the end effector of the robot arm. The arm positions the ToF camera at different viewpoints for acquiring 3D point cloud data. A camera-to-arm transformation matrix was calculated using a hand-eye calibration procedure and applied to transfer different viewpoints into an arm-based coordinate frame. Point cloud data filters were developed to remove the noise in the background and in the merged seedling point clouds. A 3D-to-2D projection and an x-axis pixel density distribution method were used to segment the stem and leaves. Finally, separated leaves were fitted with 3D curves for morphological traits characterization. This platform was tested on a sample of 60 corn plants at their early growth stages with between two to five leaves. The error ratios of the stem height and leave length measurements are 13.7% and 13.1%, respectively, demonstrating the feasibility of this robotic system for automated corn seedling phenotyping.

Investigation of resistance levels and mechanisms to nicosulfuron conferred by non-target-site mechanisms in large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L.) from China

Large crabgrass is a major grass weed widely distributed across China. This weed infests maize fields and has evolved resistance to the acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide nicosulfuron due to continuous and intensive use. In this study, a total of 25 out of 26 large crabgrass populations collected from maize field demonstrated resistance to nicosulfuron. Amino acid modifications in ALS known to confer resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in other weeds, were not found in the 9 tested resistant populations. The P450 inhibitor malathion significantly reversed resistance to nicosulfuron in 3 tested populations, indicating one or more P450s may be involved. Nicosulfuron was metabolized more rapidly in one resistant large crabgrass population than in a susceptible biotype. This demonstrates that the metabolic resistance mechanisms involving one or more P450s may be responsible for large crabgrass resistance to nicosulfuron in this biotype.

Propiece IL-1α facilitates the growth of acute T-lymphocytic leukemia cells through the activation of NF-κB and SP1

Interleukin 1α (IL-1α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that possesses multiple immune-regulatory functions. It is mainly expressed as the cell-associated form and not actively secreted in healthy tissues. The intracellular IL-1α has been shown to be a chromatin-associated cytokine and can affect transcription. There are spontaneous expressions of IL-1α in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) blasts. However, the role of nuclear-localized IL-1α in ALL is not clear. Here we showed that overexpression of the nuclear form of IL-1α (propiece IL-1α) could promote proliferation and reduce apoptosis of T-ALL cells. It also increased the ALL cells’ resistance to low serum concentration and cisplatin treatment. In vivo growth of the T-ALL cells overexpressing the propiece IL-1α were also enhanced compared to the control cells. Microarray analysis revealed many changes in gene expressions related to cell growth and stress, including a group of metallothionein genes. Moreover, the expressions of transcription factors, NFκB and specific protein 1 (SP1), were up-regulated by propiece IL-1α. Propiece IL-1α could bind to the promoter of SP1 and a binding sequence logo was identified. Therefore, nuclear expression of propiece IL-1α can facilitate the growth of T-ALL cells possibly through the activation of NFκB and SP1.

Three MYB genes co-regulate the phloem-based defence against English grain aphid in wheat

Plant phloem-based defence (PBD) against phloem-feeding insects is characteristic of the sieve occlusion by phloem lectins and β-1,3-glucan callose, both of which are produced under regulation by ethylene and MYB transcription factors. Wheat PBD requires β-1,3-glucan synthase-like proteins GSL2, GSL10, and GSL12, and may also require insect-resistant mannose-binding lectins Hfr-1 and Wci-1, which can accumulate in the phloem upon aphid feeding. This study elucidates whether any of the 73 MYB genes identified previously in the common wheat Triticum aestivum genome plays a role in wheat PBD activation with regard to the GSLs and lectins. Wheat MYB genes TaMYB19, TaMYB29, and TaMYB44 are highly activated in response to infestation of English grain aphid, and their silencing facilitates aphid feeding on wheat phloem and represses wheat PBD responses. Repressed PBD is shown to decrease aphid-induced callose deposition in wheat leaf epidermis and decrease aphid-induced expression of genes GSL2, GSL10, GSL12, Hfr-1, and Wci-1 in wheat leaf tissues. Based on single gene silencing effects, TaMYB19, TaMYB29, and TaMYB44 contribute 55-82% of PBD responses. However, the contributions of TaMYB genes to PBD are eliminated by ethylene signalling inhibitors, while simultaneous silencing of the three TaMYB genes cancels the tested PBD responses. Therefore, TaMYB19, TaMYB29, and TaMYB44 are co-regulators of wheat PBD and execute this function through crosstalk with the ethylene signalling pathway.

Clinical Identification of Oncogenic Drivers and Copy-Number Alterations in Pituitary Tumors

Pituitary tumors are the second most common adult primary brain tumor, with a variable clinical course. Recent work has identified a number of genetic determinants of pituitary tumor subtypes, which may augment traditional histopathologic classification schemes. We sought to determine whether pituitary tumors could be stratified based on objective molecular characteristics using a clinical genomics assay. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients operated on at the Brigham and Women's Hospital from 2012 to 2016 whose pituitary tumors were profiled using multiplexed next-generation sequencing. We analyzed 127 pituitary tumors, including 114 adenomas, 5 craniopharyngiomas, and 8 tumors of other histologies. We observed recurrent BRAFV600E mutations in papillary craniopharyngiomas, CTNNB1 mutations in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, and activating GNAS mutations in growth hormone-secreting adenomas. Furthermore, we validated the presence of two distinct genomic subclasses in adenomas (i.e., those with disrupted or quiet copy-number profiles) and the significant association of disruption with functional hormone status (P < 0.05). We report the clinical implementation of next-generation sequencing of pituitary tumors. We confirmed previously identified molecular subclasses for these tumors and show that routine screening as part of clinical practice is both feasible and informative. This large-scale proof-of-principle study may help to guide future institutional efforts for pituitary tumor classification as well as the incorporation of such techniques into prospective analysis as part of clinical trials.

Combining DNA Vaccine and AIDA-1 in Attenuated Salmonella Activates Tumor-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell Responses

Stimulation of tumor-specific responses in both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells has been a challenge for effective tumor vaccines. We designed a vaccine vector containing the AIDA-1 autotransporter and DNA vaccine elements, generating a murine melanoma vaccine that was delivered by the attenuated Salmonella strain SL7207. Growth of murine subcutaneous melanoma was significantly inhibited by intranasal immunization with the Salmonella tumor vaccine. The vaccine activated tumor-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses, with increased T-cell proliferation, tumor antigen-specific Th1 cytokine production, increased percentages of tetramer positive cells, and cytotoxicity. CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T-cell depletion resulted in the loss of antitumor activity of the Salmonella tumor vaccine, suggesting that the efficacy of the vaccine was dependent on both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Lung metastasis of the tumor was also inhibited by vaccine treatment. Similarly, the percentages of tumor-specific Th1 cytokine production by CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen, tumor, and bronchoalveolar lavage were increased after vaccine treatment. Tumor-specific proliferation of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was also promoted by the vaccine. Tetramer staining and cytotoxicity assay showed enhanced tumor-specific CD8⁺ T-cell response after vaccine treatment. Therefore, the Salmonella tumor vaccine could activate both tumor-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses. This vaccine strategy may be widely applicable to the development of oral or nasal vaccines against tumors. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(6); 503-14. ©2017 AACR.