BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE 2 regulates salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis by promoting AGL16 activity

Salt stress is a negative environmental factors to affecting plants. Salinity inhibits seed germination and root growth, which reduces the biomass of agricultural plants. BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2) functions as a signalling hub to integrate the perception and transduction of plant growth and stress tolerance by the phosphorylation of target proteins. However, only a small number of target molecules have been discovered thus far. In this study, we present evidence that BIN2 controls the post-transcriptional activity of AGL16. BIN2 interacts and phosphorylates AGL16, which increases AGL16 stability and transcriptional activity. Genetic testing showed that the agl16 mutant can restore the reduction in the seed germination rate and primary root growth of the bin2-1 mutant, while the overexpression of AGL16 in the bin2-3bil1bil2 mutant reduced the salt tolerance compared with bin2-3bil1bil2 in response to salt stress. Taken together, our data identify a BIN2-AGL16 core protein module that is mediates the inhibition of seed germination and primary root growth under salt stress.

SETD1A drives stemness by reprogramming the epigenetic landscape in hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor progression and recurrence. However, the mechanisms regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stemness remain unclear. Applying a genome-scale CRISPR knockout screen, we identified that the H3K4 methyltransferase SETD1A and other members of Trithorax group proteins drive cancer stemness in HCC. SET domain containing 1A (SETD1A) was positively correlated with poor clinical outcome in patients with HCC. Combination of SETD1A and serum alpha fetoprotein substantially improved the accuracy of predicting HCC relapse. Mechanistically, SETD1A mediates transcriptional activation of various histone-modifying enzymes, facilitates deposition of trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me3) and H3K27me3, and activates oncogenic enhancers and super-enhancers, leading to activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes simultaneously in liver CSCs. In addition, SETD1A cooperates with polyadenylate-binding protein cytoplasmic 1 to regulate H3K4me3 modification on oncogenes. Our data pinpoint SETD1A as a key epigenetic regulator driving HCC stemness and progression, highlighting the potential of SETD1A as a candidate target for HCC intervention and therapy.

Liver retransplantation: Timing is equally important

BACKGROUND AND AIM

To evaluate the effect of transplantation interval on patient and graft survival in liver retransplantation (reLT) using meta-analytical techniques.

METHODS

Literature search was undertaken until January 2022 to identify comparative studies evaluating patient survival rates, graft survival rates, and the interval time. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) or risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated with either the fixed or random effect model.

RESULTS

The 12 articles were included in this meta-analysis. The late reLT survival rate is better than the early reLT in the 30 days group, and there is no statistical significance in other time groups. The patient survival was significantly higher in late reLT than early reLT at 1 and 5 years (respectively: RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.73-0.89]; RR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.46-0.88]). The graft survival was significantly higher in late reLT than early reLT at 1 year (RR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.63-0.89]). The risk of death after reLT in early group was 1.43 times higher than that in late group (HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.21-1.71]).

CONCLUSIONS

Late reLT had significantly better survival rates than early reLT, and the transplantation interval was more reasonable to divide the early or late groups by 30 days.

Design, preparation, and combustion performance of energetic catalysts based on transition metal ions (Cu2+, Co2+, Fe2+) and 3-aminofurazan-4-carboxylic acid

Development of energetic catalysts with high energy density and strong catalytic activity has become the focus and frontier of research, which is expected to improve the combustion performance and ballistic properties of solid propellants. In this work, three energetic catalysts, M(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O (AFCA = 3-aminofurazan-4-carboxylic acid, M = Cu, Co, Fe), are designed and synthesized based on the coordination reaction of transition metal ions and the energetic ligand. The target products are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results reveal that Cu(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O crystallizes in the monoclinic space group, Dc = 1.918 g cm-3. Co(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O, and Fe(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O belong to orthorhombic space groups, their density is 1.886 g cm-3 and 1.856 g cm-3, respectively. In addition, the designed catalysts show higher catalytic activity than some reported catalysts such as Co(en)(H2BTI)2]2·en (H3BTI = 4,5-bis(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-1H-imida-zole), Co-AzT (H2AzT = 5,5'-azotetrazole-1,1'-diol), and [Pb(BTF)(H2O)2]n (BTF = 4,4'-oxybis [3,3'-(1-hydroxy-tetrazolyl)]furazan) for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). The high-temperature decomposition peak temperatures of AP/Cu(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O, AP/Co(H2O)4(AFCA)2·H2O, and AP/Fe(H2O)4 (AFCA)2·H2O are decreased by 120.3 °C, 151.8 °C and 89.5 °C compared to the case of pure AP, while the heat release of them are increased by 768.8 J g-1, 780.5 J g-1, 750.9 J g-1, respectively. Moreover, the burning rates of solid propellants composed of AP/Cu(AFCA)2(H2O)4·H2O, AP/Co(AFCA)2(H2O)4·H2O and AP/Fe(AFCA)2(H2O)4·H2O are increased by 2.16 mm s-1, 2.53 mm s-1, and 1.57 mm s-1 compared with the case of pure AP. This research shows considerable application prospects in improving the combustion and energy performance of solid propellants, it is also a reference for the design and preparation of other novel energetic catalysts.

Small extrachromosomal circular DNAs as biomarkers for multi-cancer diagnosis and monitoring

BACKGROUND

Small extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have the potential to be cancer biomarkers. However, the formation mechanisms and functions of small eccDNAs selected in carcinogenesis are not clear, and whether the small eccDNA profile in the plasma of cancer patients represents that in cancer tissues remains to be elucidated.

METHODS

A novel sequencing workflow based on the nanopore sequencing platform was used to sequence naturally existing full-length small eccDNAs in tissues and plasma collected from 25 cancer patients (including prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer), and from an independent validation cohort (including 7 cancer plasma and 14 healthy plasma).

RESULTS

Compared with those in non-cancer tissues, small eccDNAs detected in cancer tissues had a significantly larger number and size (P = 0.040 and 2.2e-16, respectively), along with more even distribution and different formation mechanisms. Although small eccDNAs had different general characteristics and genomic annotation between cancer tissues and the paired plasma, they had similar formation mechanisms and cancer-related functions. Small eccDNAs originated from some specific genes had great multi-cancer diagnostic value in tissues (AUC ≥ 0.8) and plasma (AUC > 0.9), especially increasing the accuracy of multi-cancer prediction of CEA/CA19-9 levels. The high multi-cancer diagnostic value of small eccDNAs originated from ALK&ETV6 could be extrapolated from tissues (AUC = 0.804) to plasma and showed high positive predictive value (100%) and negative predictive value (82.35%) in a validation cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

As independent and stable circular DNA molecules, small eccDNAs in both tissues and plasma can be used as ideal biomarkers for cost-effective multi-cancer diagnosis and monitoring.

Unravelling the imbalanced Th17-like cell differentiation by single-cell RNA sequencing in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow resident hematological malignancy. T helper (Th) cells play an essential role in maladjustment of immune function and promotion of myeloma cell proliferation and survival, which has not been fully elucidated. Here, we compared transcriptome profiles of CD4+ T cells in bone marrow samples of 3 healthy individuals and 10 MM patients before and after treatment using single-cell RNA sequencing. CD4+ T cells were divided into 7 clusters. Imbalanced Th17-like cell differentiation was indicated in MM based on bioinformation analyses, which involved IL2-STAT5 pathways and transcription factors NKFB1, RELA, STAT3, and GTF2A2. Pseudotime trajectory analysis of CD4+ T cell clusters further uncovered the enhanced transition of Th17-like to regulatory T (Treg) cells in MM, which was featured by expression changes of PLAC8, NKFB1, RELA, STAT3, and STAT1 along with the developmental path. Reduced cell-cell interaction between MM cells and CD4+ naïve/recently activated naïve T cells via CD74-APP might lead to imbalanced Th17-like cell differentiation. Checkpoints via TIGIT-NECTIN3 and LGALS9-CD47 in Treg and MM cells were also identified. Our study reveals imbalanced differentiation pattern of Th17-like cells and the immunosuppressive profiles in connection with MM cells, which might help to shed light on CD4+ T cell function in MM.

Insights into plant salt stress signaling and tolerance

Soil salinization is an essential environmental stressor, threating agricultural yield and ecological security worldwide. Saline soils accumulate excessive soluble salts which are detrimental to most plants by limiting plant growth and productivity. It is of great necessity for plants to efficiently deal with the adverse effects caused by salt stress for survival and successful reproduction. Multiple determinants of salt tolerance have been identified in plants, and the cellular and physiological mechanisms of plant salt response and adaption have been intensely characterized. Plants respond to salt stress signals and rapidly initiate signaling pathways to re-establish cellular homeostasis with adjusted growth and cellular metabolism. This review summarizes the advances in salt stress perception, signaling and response in plants. A better understanding of plant salt resistance will contribute to improving crop performance under saline conditions using multiple engineering approaches. The rhizosphere microbiome-mediated plant salt tolerance as well as chemical priming for enhanced plant salt resistance are also discussed in this review.

Intestinal Villi-Inspired Mathematically Base-Layer Engineered Microneedles (IMBEMs) for Effective Molecular Exchange during Biomarker Enrichment and Drug Deposition in Diversified Mucosa

The mucosa-interfacing systems based on bioinspired engineering design for sampling/drug delivery have manifested crucial potential for the monitoring of infectious diseases and the treatment of mucosa-related diseases. However, their efficiency and validity are severely restricted by limited contact area for molecular transfer and dissatisfactory capture/detachment capability. Herein, inspired by the multilayer villus structure of the small intestine that enables high nutrient absorption, a trigonometric function-based periodic pattern was fabricated and integrated on the base layer of the microneedle patch, exhibiting a desirable synergistic effect with needle tips for deep sample enrichment and promising molecular transfer, significantly improving the device-mucosa bidirectional interaction. Moreover, mathematical modeling and finite element analysis were adopted to visualize and quantify the microcosmic molecular transmission process, guiding parameter optimization in actual situation. Encouragingly, these intestinal villi-inspired mathematically base-layer engineered microneedles (IMBEMs) have demonstrated distinguished applicability among mucosa tissue with varying surface curvatures, tissue toughness, and local environments, and simultaneously, have gained favorable support from healthy volunteers receiving preliminary test of IMBEMs patches. Overall, validated by numerous in vitro and in vivo tests, the IMBEMs were confirmed to act as a promising candidate to facilitate mucosa-based sampling and topical drug delivery, indicating highly clinical translation potential.

A precise and efficient circular RNA synthesis system based on a ribozyme derived from Tetrahymena thermophila

Classic strategies for circular RNA (circRNA) preparation always introduce large numbers of linear transcripts or extra nucleotides to the circularized product. In this study, we aimed to develop an efficient system for circRNA preparation based on a self-splicing ribozyme derived from an optimized Tetrahymena thermophila group Ⅰ intron. The target RNA sequence was inserted downstream of the ribozyme and a complementary antisense region was added upstream of the ribozyme to assist cyclization. Then, we compared the circularization efficiency of ribozyme or flanking intronic complementary sequence (ICS)-mediated methods through the DNMT1, CDR1as, FOXO3, and HIPK3 genes and found that the efficiency of our system was remarkably higher than that of flanking ICS-mediated method. Consequently, the circularized products mediated by ribozyme are not introduced with additional nucleotides. Meanwhile, the overexpressed circFOXO3 maintained its biological functions in regulating cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Finally, a ribozyme-based circular mRNA expression system was demonstrated with a split green fluorescent protein (GFP) using an optimized Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) internal ribosome entry site (IRES) sequence, and this system achieved successful translation of circularized mRNA. Therefore, this novel, convenient, and rapid engineering RNA circularization system can be applied for the functional study and large-scale preparation of circular RNA in the future.

A randomized double-blinded study assessing the dose-response of ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine for maintenance of labor with epidural analgesia in nulliparous parturients

Background: The combination of ropivacaine and dexmedetomidine has been used as an epidural analgesic for inducing labor. However, there is limited data regarding the administration of epidural analgesia for labor maintenance, hence, this study aimed to determine the optimum concentration through dose-response curves of ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine, which could be used along with the Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus (PIEB) technique. Methods: One hundred parturients were randomized into 4 groups who were administered four different doses of ropivacaine (dexmedetomidine at 0.4 μg mL-1): 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1%. The primary outcome that was determined included the proportion of patients experiencing breakthrough pain during their 1st stage of labor. Breakthrough pain was described as a visual analog scale [VAS] score of >30 mm, requiring supplemental epidural analgesia after the administration of at least one patient-controlled bolus. The effective concentration of analgesia that was used for labor maintenance in 50% (EC50) and 90% (EC90) of patients were calculated with the help of probit regression. Secondary outcomes included epidural block characteristics, side effects, neonatal outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Results: The results indicated that the proportion of patients without breakthrough pain was 45% (10/22), 55% (12/22), 67% (16/24), and 87% (20/23) for 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.10% doses of the analgesic that were administered, respectively. The EC50 value was 0.051% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.011%-0.065%) while the EC90 value was recorded to be 0.117% (95% CI, 0.094%-0.212%). Side effects were similar among groups. Conclusion: A ropivacaine dose of 0.117% can be used as epidural analgesia for maintaining the 1st stage of labor when it was combined with dexmedetomidine (0.4 μg mL-1) and the PIEB technique. Clinical Trial Register: https://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR2200059557.

Rapid detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by recombinase polymerase amplification combined with CRISPR-Cas12a biosensing system

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an important bacterial pathogen involved in a wide range of infections and antimicrobial resistance. Rapid and reliable diagnostic methods are of vital important for early identification, treatment, and stop of P. aeruginosa infections. In this study, we developed a simple, rapid, sensitive, and specific detection platform for P. aeruginosa infection diagnosis. The method integrated recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) technique with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 12a (Cas12a) biosensing system and was termed P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay. The P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay was subject to optimization of reaction conditions and evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, and clinical feasibility with the serial dilutions of P. aeruginosa genomic DNA, the non-P. aeruginosa strains, and the clinical samples. As a result, the P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay was able to complete P. aeruginosa detection within half an hour, including RPA reaction at 42°C for 20 min and CRISPR-Cas12a detection at 37°C for 10 min. The diagnostic method exhibited high sensitivity (60 fg per reaction, ~8 copies) and specificity (100%). The results of the clinical samples by P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay were consistent to that of the initial result by microfluidic chip method. These data demonstrated that the newly developed P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay was reliable for P. aeruginosa detection. In summary, the P. aeruginosa-CRISPR-RPA assay is a promising tool to early and rapid diagnose P. aeruginosa infection and stop its wide spread especially in the hospital settings.

Continuous On-Site H2O2 Electrosynthesis via Two-Electron Oxygen Reduction Enabled by an Oxygen-Doped Single-Cobalt Atom Catalyst with Nitrogen Coordination

Single-Co atom catalysts are suggested as an efficient platinum metal group-free catalyst for promoting the oxygen reduction into water or hydrogen peroxide, while the relevance of the catalyst structure and selectivity is still ambiguous. Here, we propose a thermal evaporation method for modulating the chemical environment of single-Co atom catalysts and unveil the effect on the selectivity and activity. It discloses that nitrogen functional groups prefer to proceed the oxygen reduction via a 4e- pathway and notably improve the intrinsic activity, especially when being coordinated with the Co center, while oxygen doping tempts the electron delocalization around cobalt sites and decreases the binding force toward HOO* intermediates, thereby increasing the 2e- selectivity. Consequently, the well-designed oxygen-doped single-Co atom catalysts with nitrogen coordination deliver an impressive 2e- oxygen reduction performance, approaching the onset potential of 0.78 V vs RHE and selectivity of >90%. As an impressive cathode catalyst of an electrochemical flow cell, it generates H2O2 at a rate of 880 mmol gcat-1 h-1 and faradaic efficiency of 95.2%, in combination with an efficient nickel-iron oxygen evolution anode.

EGFR-Induced and c-Src-Mediated CD47 Phosphorylation Inhibits TRIM21-Dependent Polyubiquitylation and Degradation of CD47 to Promote Tumor Immune Evasion

Tumor cells often overexpress immune checkpoint proteins, including CD47, for immune evasion. However, whether or how oncogenic activation of receptor tyrosine kinases, which are crucial drivers in tumor development, regulates CD47 expression is unknown. Here, it is demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation induces CD47 expression by increasing the binding of c-Src to CD47, leading to c-Src-mediated CD47 Y288 phosphorylation. This phosphorylation inhibits the interaction between the ubiquitin E3 ligase TRIM21 and CD47, thereby abrogating TRIM21-mediated CD47 K99/102 polyubiquitylation and CD47 degradation. Knock-in expression of CD47 Y288F reduces CD47 expression, increases macrophage phagocytosis of tumor cells, and inhibits brain tumor growth in mice. In contrast, knock-in expression of CD47 K99/102R elicits the opposite effects compared to CD47 Y288F expression. Importantly, CD47-SIRPα blockade with an anti-CD47 antibody treatment significantly enhances EGFR-targeted cancer therapy. In addition, CD47 expression levels in human glioblastoma (GBM) specimens correlate with EGFR and c-Src activation and aggravation of human GBM. These findings elucidate a novel mechanism underlying CD47 upregulation in EGFR-activated tumor cells and underscore the role of the EGFR-c-Src-TRIM21-CD47 signaling axis in tumor evasion and the potential to improve the current cancer therapy with a combination of CD47 blockade with EGFR-targeted remedy.

Performance prediction of polymer-fullerene organic solar cells and data mining-assisted designing of new polymers

CONTEXT

Selecting high performance polymer materials for organic solar cells (OSCs) remains a compelling goal to improve device morphology, stability, and efficiency. To achieve these goals, machine learning has been reported as a powerful set of algorithms/techniques to solve complex problems and help/guide exploratory researchers to screen, map, and develop high performance materials. In present work, we have applied machine learning tools to screen data from reported studies and designed new polymer acceptor materials, respectively. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models were generated using machine learning-assisted simulation techniques. For this purpose, 3000 molecular descriptors are generated. Consequently, molecular descriptors having key effect on power conversion efficiency (PCE) were identified. Moreover, numerous regression models (e.g., random forest and bagging regressor models) were developed to predict the PCE. In particular, new materials were designed based on the similarity analysis. The GDB17 chemical database consisting of 166 million organic molecules in an ordered form is used for performing similarity analysis. A similarity behavior between GDB17 materials and the materials reported in literature is studied using RDKit (a cheminformatics software). Noteworthily, 100 monomers proved to be unique and effective, and PCEs of these monomers are predicted. Among these monomers, four monomers exhibited PCE higher than 14%, which is better than various reported studies. Our methodology provides a unique, time- and cost-efficient approach to screening and designing new polymers for OSCs using similarity analysis without revisiting the reported studies.

METHODS

To perform machine learning analysis, data from reported studies and online databases was collected. Different molecular descriptors were generated for polymer materials utilizing Dragon software. 3D structures of studied molecules were applied as input (SDF; structure data file format). Importantly, about 3000 molecular descriptors were generated. Comma-separated value (.csv) file format was used to export these molecular descriptors. To shortlist best descriptors, univariate regression analysis was performed. These descriptors were further utilized for training machine learning models. Moreover, necessary packages of Python for data analysis and visualization were imported such as Matplotlib, Numpy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, Seaborn, and Scipy. Random forest and bagging regressor models were applied for performing machine learning analysis. A cheminformatics software, RDKit, was applied for similarity analysis.

A Spear and Shield-Inspired Ar Plasma Safeguard Few-Layer Black Phosphore with Firefighting of Epoxy Resin

Appearing as an innovative and efficient strategy, a facile strategy of a plasma ball mill is carried out to prepare few-layer black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNSs), for abating the fire risk of epoxy resin (EP). A spear and shield-inspired Ar plasma emergeed through a plasma ball mill to prevent Ar@BP nanosheets from oxidation compared with the preparation of BP nanosheets (MBPNSs) in a mechanical ball mill. The absorption coefficient in the synchrotron radiation spectrum is increased by 16.91%, indicating that BP is effectively protected by Ar proof. The Vienna ab initio simulation reveals that the combination of Ar@BP with oxygen cannot proceed spontaneously with the binding energy of 4.44 eV. With the introduction of 1.5 wt% Ar@BP, the total heat release (THR), total smoke release (TSR), total smoke production(TSP), CO, and CO2 yield, compared with that of EP, are descended by 30.40%, 24.41%, 24.10%, 33.23%, and 37.60%, respectively, indicating excellent flame retardancy property. It is attributed to the condensed and gas phase function. Meanwhile, the tensile strength and elongation at break increase by 27.92% and 56.04%, respectively, with the incorporation of 1.5 wt% Ar@BP.

Uniportal video-assisted anatomical segmentectomy: an analysis of the learning curve

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to demonstrate the learning curve of anatomical segmentectomy performed by uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS).

METHOD

We conducted a retrospective study of U-VATS segmentectomies performed by the same surgeon between September 2019 and August 2022. The learning curve was demonstrated using risk-adjusted cumulative sum (RA-CUSUM) analysis in terms of perioperative complications, which reflected surgical quality and technique proficiency. The surgical outcomes were also compared between different phases.

RESULT

The complication-based learning curve of U-VATS segmentectomy could be divided into two phases based on RA-CUSUM analysis: phase I, the initial learning phase (cases 1-50) and phase II, the proficiency phase (cases 51-141). Significantly higher complication rates (24.0 vs. 8.8%, p=0.013), longer surgical times (119.8±31.9 vs. 106.2±23.8 min, p=0.005), and more blood loss (20 [IQR, 20-30] vs. 20 [IQR, 10-20] ml, p=0.003) were observed in phase I than in phase II.

CONCLUSION

The learning curve of U-VATS segmentectomy consists of two phases, and at least 50 cases were required to gain technique proficiency and achieve high-quality surgical outcomes.

Rapid, ultrasensitive and highly specific diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae by a CRISPR-based detection platform

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is an important causative agent of morbidity and mortality among all age groups, especially among patients of extreme ages. Improved and readily available tests for accurate, sensitive and rapid diagnosis of MP infection is sorely needed. Here, we developed a CRISPR-Cas12b-based detection platform on the basis of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) for rapid, simple, and accurate diagnosis of MP infection, named MP-RPA-CRISPR. The RPA was employed for amplifying the community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin gene of MP strains at the optimal reaction temperature 37°C. The resulting amplicons were decoded by the CRISPR-Cas12b-based detection platform, which was interpreted by real-time PCR system and by naked eye under blue light. The MP-RPA-CRISPR can detected down to 5 fg of genomic DNA templates of MP strains and accurately distinguish MP strains from non-MP strains without any cross-reactivity. A total of 96 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)samples collected from patients suspected of respiratory infection were used to evaluate the clinical performance of the MP-RPA-CRISPR assay. As a result, our assay accurately diagnosed 45 MP-infected samples and 51 non-MP infected sample, and the results obtained from MP-RPA-CRISPR were consistent with microfluidic chip technology. In conclusion, our MP-RPA-CRISPR assay is a simple, rapid, portable and highly sensitive method to diagnose MP infection, which can be used as a promising tool in a variety of settings including clinical, field, and resource-limited aeras.

IGH rod-like tracer: An AlphaFold2 structural similarity extraction-based predictive biomarker for MRD monitoring in pre-B-ALL

Sequence variation resulting from the evolution of IGH clones and immunophenotypic drift makes it difficult to track abnormal B cells in children with precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B-ALL) by flow cytometry, qPCR, or next-generation sequencing (NGS). The V-(D)-J regions of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor of 47 pre-B-ALL samples were sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq platform. The IGH rod-like tracer consensus sequence was extracted based on its rod-like alpha-helices structural similarity predicted by AlphaFold2. Additional data from published 203 pre-B-ALL samples were applied for validation. NGS-IGH (+) patients with pre-B-ALL had a poor prognosis. Consistent CDR3-coded protein structures in NGS-IGH (+) samples could be extracted as a potential follow-up marker for pre-B-ALL children during treatment. IGH rod-like tracer from quantitative immune repertoire sequencing may serve as a class of biomarker with significant predictive values for the dynamic monitoring of MRD in pre-B-ALL children.