Anandamide Modulates Thermal Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans Through Vanilloid and Cannabinoid Receptor Interplay.

Understanding the endocannabinoid system in C. elegans may offer insights into basic biological processes and potential therapeutic targets for managing pain and inflammation in human. It is well established that anandamide modulates pain perception by binding to cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors, regulating neurotransmitter release and neuronal activity. One objective of this study was to demonstrate the suitability of C. elegans as a model organism for assessing the antinociceptive properties of bioactive compounds and learning about the role of endocannabinoid system in C. elegans. The evaluation of the compound anandamide (AEA) revealed antinociceptive activity by impeding C. elegans nocifensive response to noxious heat. Proteomic and bioinformatic investigations uncovered several pathways activated by AEA. Enrichment analysis unveiled significant involvement of ion homeostasis pathways, which are crucial for maintaining neuronal function and synaptic transmission, suggesting AEA's impact on neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. Additionally, pathways related to translation, protein synthesis, and mTORC1 signaling were enriched, highlighting potential mechanisms underlying AEA's antinociceptive effects. Thermal proteome profiling identified NPR-32 and NPR-19 as primary targets of AEA, along with OCR-2, Cathepsin B, Progranulin, Transthyretin, and ribosomal proteins. These findings suggest a complex interplay between AEA and various cellular processes implicated in nociceptive pathways and inflammation modulation. Further investigation into these interactions could provide valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of AEA and its targets for the management of pain-related conditions.

Unlocking the distinctive enzymatic functions of the early plant biomass deconstructive genes in a brown rot fungus by cell-free protein expression.

Saprotrophic fungi that cause brown rot of woody biomass evolved a distinctive mechanism that relies on reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kick-start lignocellulosic polymers' deconstruction. These ROS agents are generated at incipient decay stages through a series of redox relays that shuttle electrons from fungus's central metabolism to extracellular Fenton chemistry. A list of genes has been suggested encoding the enzyme catalysts of the redox processes involved in ROS's function. However, navigating the functions of the encoded enzymes has been challenging due to the lack of a rapid method for protein synthesis. Here, we employed cell-free expression system to synthesize four redox or degradative enzymes, which were identified, by transcriptomic data, as conserved players of the ROS oxidation phase across brown rot fungal species. All four enzymes were successfully expressed and showed activities that enable confident assignment of function, namely, benzoquinone reductase (BQR), ferric reductase, α-L-arabinofuranosidase (ABF), and heme-thiolate peroxidase (HTP). Detailed analysis of their catalytic features within the context of brown rot environments allowed us to interpret their roles during ROS-driven wood decomposition. Specifically, we validated the functions of BQR as the driver redox enzyme of Fenton cycles and reconstructed its interactions with the co-occurring HTP or laccase and ABF. Taken together, this research demonstrated that the cell-free expression platform is adequate for synthesizing functional fungal enzymes and provided an alternative route for the rapid characterization of fungal proteins, escalating our understanding of the distinctive biocatalyst system for plant biomass conversion.IMPORTANCEBrown rot fungi are efficient wood decomposers in nature, and their unique degradative systems harbor untapped catalysts pursued by the biorefinery and bioremediation industries. While the use of "omics" platforms has recently uncovered the key "oxidative-hydrolytic" mechanisms that allow these fungi to attack lignocellulose, individual protein characterization is lagging behind due to the lack of a robust method for rapid synthesis of crucial fungal enzymes. This work delves into the studies of biochemical functions of brown rot enzymes using a rapid, cell-free expression platform, which allowed the successful depictions of enzymes' catalytic features, their interactions with Fenton chemistry, and their roles played during the incipient stage of brown rot when fungus sets off the reactive oxygen species for oxidative degradation. We expect this research could illuminate cell-free protein expression system's use to fulfill the increasing need for functional studies of fungal enzymes, advancing the discoveries of novel biomass-converting catalysts.

Solving Missing Heritability in Patients With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis With DNA-RNA Paired Testing.

PURPOSE: Patients with germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in APC develop tens (attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis [AFAP]) to innumerable (classic FAP) adenomatous polyps in their colon and are at significantly increased lifetime risk of colorectal cancer. Up to 10% of FAP and up to 50% of patients with AFAP who have undergone DNA-only multigene panel testing (MGPT) do not have an identified PV in APC. We seek to demonstrate how the addition of RNA sequencing run concurrently with DNA can improve detection of germline PVs in individuals with a clinical presentation of AFAP/FAP. METHODS: We performed a retrospective query of individuals tested with paired DNA-RNA MGPT from 2021 to 2022 at a single laboratory and included those with a novel APC PV located in intronic regions infrequently covered by MGPT, a personal history of polyposis, and family medical history provided. All clinical data were deidentified in this institutional review board-exempt study. RESULTS: Three novel APC variants were identified in six families and were shown to cause aberrant splicing because of the creation of a deep intronic cryptic splice site that leads to an RNA transcript subject nonsense-mediated decay. Several carriers had previously undergone DNA-only genetic testing and had received a negative result. CONCLUSION: Here, we describe how paired DNA-RNA MGPT can be used to solve missing heritability in FAP families, which can have important implications in family planning and treatment decisions for patients and their families.

A Fungal Secretome Adapted for Stress Enabled a Radical Wood Decay Mechanism.

Brown rot fungi release massive amounts of carbon from forest deadwood, particularly at high latitudes. These fungi degrade wood by generating small reactive oxygen species (ROS) to loosen lignocellulose, to then selectively remove carbohydrates. The ROS mechanism has long been considered the key adaptation defining brown rot wood decomposition, but recently, we found preliminary evidence that fungal glycoside hydrolases (GHs) implicated in early cell wall loosening might have been adapted to tolerate ROS stress and to synergize with ROS to loosen woody lignocellulose. In the current study, we found more specifically that side chain hemicellulases that help in the early deconstruction of the lignocellulosic complex are significantly more tolerant of ROS in the brown rot fungus Rhodonia placenta than in a white rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) and a soft rot fungus (Trichoderma reesei). Using proteomics to understand the extent of tolerance, we found that significant oxidation of secreted R. placenta proteins exposed to ROS was less than half of the oxidation observed for T. versicolor or T. reesei. The principal oxidative modifications observed in all cases were monooxidation and dioxidation/trioxidation (mainly in methionine and tryptophan residues), some of which were critical for enzyme activity. At the peptide level, we found that GHs in R. placenta were the least ROS affected among our tested fungi. These results confirm and describe underlying mechanisms of tolerance in early-secreted brown rot fungal hemicellulases. These enzymatic adaptations may have been as important as nonenzymatic ROS pathway adaptations in brown rot fungal evolution. IMPORTANCE Brown rot fungi play a critical role in carbon recycling and are of industrial interest. These fungi typically use reactive oxygen species (ROS) to indiscriminately "loosen" wood cell walls at the outset of decay. Brown rot fungi avoid oxidative stress associated with this ROS step by delaying the expression/secretion of many carbohydrate-active enzymes, but there are exceptions, notably some side chain hemicellulases, implicated in loosening lignocellulose. In this study, we provide enzyme activity and secretomic evidence that these enzymes in the brown rot model Rhodonia placenta are more ROS tolerant than the white and soft rot isolates tested. For R. placenta, and perhaps all brown rot lineages, these ROS tolerance adaptions may have played a long-overshadowed role in enabling brown rot.

Towards an Understanding of Oxidative Damage in an α-L-Arabinofuranosidase of Trichoderma reesei: a Molecular Dynamics Approach.

Trichoderma reesei is a "workhorse" fungus that produces glycosyl hydrolases (e.g., cellulases) at high titers for use in industrial bioprocessing. In this study, we focused on α-L-arabinofuranosidase, an enzyme important for the treatment of lignocellulosic biomass, but susceptible to oxidative damage that can occur during industrial processing. The molecular details that render this enzyme inactive have not yet been identified. To approach this issue, we used proteomics to identify amino acid residues that were oxidized after a relevant oxidative treatment (Fenton reaction). These oxidative modifications were included in the 3D protein structures, and using molecular dynamics simulations, we then studied the behaviors of non-modified and oxidized enzymes. These simulations showed significant alterations of the conformational stability of the protein when oxidized, as evidenced by changes in root mean square deviation (RMSD) and principal component analyses (PCA) trajectories. Likewise, enzyme-ligand interactions such as hydrogen bonds were greatly reduced in quantity and quality in the oxidized protein. Finally, free energy landscape plots showed that there was a more rugged energy surface in the oxidized protein, implying a less favorable reaction pathway. These results reveal the basis for loss of function in this carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZY) in the commercially relevant fungus T. reesei.

An Update of the Virion Proteome of Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus.

The virion proteins of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) were initially characterized in 2005 in two separate studies that combined the detection of 24 viral proteins and a few cellular components via LC-MS/MS or MALDI-TOF. Despite considerable advances in the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry instrumentation in recent years, leading to significantly higher yields in detections, the KSHV virion proteome has not been revisited. In this study, we have re-examined the protein composition of purified KSHV virions via ultra-high resolution Qq time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHR-QqTOF). Our results confirm the detection of all previously reported virion proteins, in addition to 17 other viral proteins, some of which have been characterized as virion-associated using other methods, and 10 novel proteins identified as virion-associated for the first time in this study. These results add KSHV ORF9, ORF23, ORF35, ORF48, ORF58, ORF72/vCyclin, K3, K9/vIRF1, K10/vIRF4, and K10.5/vIRF3 to the list of KSHV proteins that can be incorporated into virions. The addition of these proteins to the KSHV virion proteome provides novel and important insight into early events in KSHV infection mediated by virion-associated proteins. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022626.

Analysis of KSHV B lymphocyte lineage tropism in human tonsil reveals efficient infection of CD138+ plasma cells.

Despite 25 years of research, the basic virology of Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesviruses (KSHV) in B lymphocytes remains poorly understood. This study seeks to fill critical gaps in our understanding by characterizing the B lymphocyte lineage-specific tropism of KSHV. Here, we use lymphocytes derived from 40 human tonsil specimens to determine the B lymphocyte lineages targeted by KSHV early during de novo infection in our ex vivo model system. We characterize the immunological diversity of our tonsil specimens and determine that overall susceptibility of tonsil lymphocytes to KSHV infection varies substantially between donors. We demonstrate that a variety of B lymphocyte subtypes are susceptible to KSHV infection and identify CD138+ plasma cells as a highly targeted cell type for de novo KSHV infection. We determine that infection of tonsil B cell lineages is primarily latent with few lineages contributing to lytic replication. We explore the use of CD138 and heparin sulfate proteoglycans as attachment factors for the infection of B lymphocytes and conclude that they do not play a substantial role. Finally, we determine that the host T cell microenvironment influences the course of de novo infection in B lymphocytes. These results improve our understanding of KSHV transmission and the biology of early KSHV infection in a naïve human host, and lay a foundation for further characterization of KSHV molecular virology in B lymphocyte lineages.

Gene Regulation Shifts Shed Light on Fungal Adaption in Plant Biomass Decomposers.

Fungi dominate the recycling of carbon sequestered in woody biomass. This process of organic turnover was first evolved among "white rot" fungi that degrade lignin to access carbohydrates and later evolved multiple times toward more efficient strategies to selectively target carbohydrates-"brown rot." The brown rot adaption was often explained by mechanisms to deploy reactive oxygen species (ROS) to oxidatively attack wood structures. However, its genetic basis remains unclear, especially in the context of gene contractions of conventional carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZYs) relative to white rot ancestors. Here, we hypothesized that these apparent gains in brown rot efficiency despite gene losses were due, in part, to upregulation of the retained genes. We applied comparative transcriptomics to multiple species of both rot types grown across a wood wafer to create a gradient of progressive decay and to enable tracking temporal gene expression. Dozens of "decay-stage-dependent" ortho-genes were isolated, narrowing a pool of candidate genes with time-dependent regulation unique to brown rot fungi. A broad comparison of the expression timing of CAZY families indicated a temporal regulatory shift of lignocellulose-oxidizing genes toward early stages in brown rot compared to white rot, enabling the segregation of oxidative treatment ahead of hydrolysis. These key brown rot ROS-generating genes with iron ion binding functions were isolated. Moreover, transcription energy was shifted to be invested on the retained GHs in brown rot fungi to strengthen carbohydrate conversion. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that gene regulation shifts played a pivotal role in brown rot adaptation.IMPORTANCE Fungi dominate the turnover of wood, Earth's largest pool of aboveground terrestrial carbon. Fungi first evolved this capacity by degrading lignin to access and hydrolyze embedded carbohydrates (white rot). Multiple lineages, however, adapted faster reactive oxygen species (ROS) pretreatments to loosen lignocellulose and selectively extract sugars (brown rot). This brown rot "shortcut" often coincided with losses (>60%) of conventional lignocellulolytic genes, implying that ROS adaptations supplanted conventional pathways. We used comparative transcriptomics to further pursue brown rot adaptations, which illuminated the clear temporal expression shift of ROS genes, as well as the shift toward synthesizing more GHs in brown rot relative to white rot. These imply that gene regulatory shifts, not simply ROS innovations, were key to brown rot fungal evolution. These results not only reveal an important biological shift among these unique fungi, but they may also illuminate a trait that restricts brown rot fungi to certain ecological niches.

Oxidative Damage Control during Decay of Wood by Brown Rot Fungus Using Oxygen Radicals.

Brown rot wood-degrading fungi deploy reactive oxygen species (ROS) to loosen plant cell walls and enable selective polysaccharide extraction. These ROS, including Fenton-generated hydroxyl radicals (HO˙), react with little specificity and risk damaging hyphae and secreted enzymes. Recently, it was shown that brown rot fungi reduce this risk, in part, by differentially expressing genes involved in HO˙ generation ahead of those coding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZYs). However, there are notable exceptions to this pattern, and we hypothesized that brown rot fungi would require additional extracellular mechanisms to limit ROS damage. To assess this, we grew Postia placenta directionally on wood wafers to spatially segregate early from later decay stages. Extracellular HO˙ production (avoidance) and quenching (suppression) capacities among the stages were analyzed, along with the ability of secreted CAZYs to maintain activity postoxidation (tolerance). First, we found that H2O2 and Fe2+ concentrations in the extracellular environment were conducive to HO˙ production in early (H2O2:Fe2+ ratio 2:1) but not later (ratio 1:131) stages of decay. Second, we found that ABTS radical cation quenching (antioxidant capacity) was higher in later decay stages, coincident with higher fungal phenolic concentrations. Third, by surveying enzyme activities before/after exposure to Fenton-generated HO˙, we found that CAZYs secreted early, amid HO˙, were more tolerant of oxidative stress than those expressed later and were more tolerant than homologs in the model CAZY producer Trichoderma reesei Collectively, this indicates that P. placenta uses avoidance, suppression, and tolerance mechanisms, extracellularly, to complement intracellular differential expression, enabling this brown rot fungus to use ROS to degrade wood.IMPORTANCE Wood is one of the largest pools of carbon on Earth, and its decomposition is dominated in most systems by fungi. Wood-degrading fungi specialize in extracting sugars bound within lignin, either by removing lignin first (white rot) or by using Fenton-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) to "loosen" wood cell walls, enabling selective sugar extraction (brown rot). Although white rot lignin-degrading pathways are well characterized, there are many uncertainties in brown rot fungal mechanisms. Our study addressed a key uncertainty in how brown rot fungi deploy ROS without damaging themselves or the enzymes they secrete. In addition to revealing differentially expressed genes to promote ROS generation only in early decay, our study revealed three spatial control mechanisms to avoid/tolerate ROS: (i) constraining Fenton reactant concentrations (H2O2, Fe2+), (ii) quenching ROS via antioxidants, and (iii) secreting ROS-tolerant enzymes. These results not only offer insight into natural decomposition pathways but also generate targets for biotechnological development.

Evaluation of colorimetric assays for determination of H2O2in planta during fungal wood decomposition.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays a critical role in generating oxygen radicals as fungi attack and deconstruct plant cell walls. Its concentrations in planta, however, are often low during decomposition and evade detection by traditional methods. Here, we compared relevant methods and selected the best based on detection limits and selectivity.

Eficacia y seguridad de la atorvastatina en dosis altas en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5 en terapia de diálisis peritoneal / Efficacy and safety of high-dose atorvastatin in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease on peritoneal dialysis therapy

Objetivo: Determinar cambios en el perfil lipídico y seguridad del tratamiento con atorvastatina en dosis altas (mayor o igual a 40 mg/día) en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5. Pacientes, materiales y métodos: Pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5 en terapia de diálisis peritoneal e hipercolesterolemia, refractarios a terapia con lovastatina en dosis de 40 mg al día y atorvastatina (menos de 40 mg/día), a quienes se les asignó terapia con atorvastatina en dosis altas. Análisis estadístico: Estudio longitudinal, retroprospectivo, correlacional, unicéntrico con análisis univariado y bivariado. Resultados Veinte pacientes cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. El tiempo con atorvastatina en dosis altas fue en promedio de 27 meses. La dosis promedio utilizada fue 60,4 mg/día. La tendencia beneficiosa a lograr metas terapéuticas con las variables en el tiempo se logró en el 65% de los pacientes para colesterol total, 50% para colesterol LDL, 40% para colesterol no-HDL y 45% para triglicéridos. Para las variables colesterol LDL y colesterol HDL se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los valores iniciales y finales (p < 0,05). Se documentaron 26 complicaciones, ninguna de ellas considerada un evento adverso relacionado con la administración de la atorvastatina en dosis altas. Conclusiones En pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica estadio 5, mayores de 50 años, en terapia de diálisis peritoneal e hipercolesterolemia, la atorvastatina en dosis altas logra obtener niveles de LDL en metas en el 50% de los pacientes tratados, sin que su administración dé lugar a eventos adversos importantes.

Objective: To determine changes in lipid profile and safety of treatment with atorvastatin at high doses (greater than or equal to 40 mg/day) in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Patients, materials and methods: Patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease in peritoneal dialysis therapy and hypercholesterolemia refractory to therapy with lovastatin at a dose of 40 mg daily and atorvastatin (less than 40 mg/day) that were assigned to atorvastatin therapy at high doses. Statistical analysis: A longitudinal study, retroprospective, correlational, single center with univariate and bivariate analysis. Results: Twenty met the inclusion criteria. Time with high-dose atorvastatin averaged 27 months. The average dose used 60.4 mg/day. The beneficial tendency to achieve therapeutic goals with time-varying was achieved in 65% of patients for total cholesterol, 50% LDL cholesterol, 40% non-HDL cholesterol and 45% for triglycerides. For variables LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference was found between the initial and final values. Twenty six complications were documented, none of them considered adverse events related to the administration of high-dose atorvastatin. Conclusions: In patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease over 50 years, peritoneal dialysis therapy and hypercholesterolemia, high-dose atorvastatin achieved LDL levels get goals in 50% of patients without significant adverse events.

DISEÑO Y PRODUCCIÓN DE UNA HERRAMIENTA MOLECULAR PARA EL ESTUDIO DEL N-TERMINAL DE LA NICOTINAMIDA MONONUCLEÓTIDO ADENILIL TRANSFERASA (NMNAT) EN Leishmania braziliensis / DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF A MOLECULAR TOOL TO STUDY OF N-TERMINAL NICOTINAMIDE MONONUCLEOTIDE ADENYLYL TRANSFERASE (NMNAT) IN Leishmania braziliensis / DESIGN E PRODUÇÃO DE UMA FERRAMENTA MOLECULAR PARA O ESTUDO DO TERMINALN DA NICOTINAMIDA CICLASE MONONUCLEÓTIDO TRANSFERASE (NMNAT) EM Leishmania braziliensis

Leishmania braziliensis es un parásito protozoario causante de la mayor parte de casos de leishmaniasis cutánea en al menos quince países del continente americano. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha reportado que cerca de doce millones de personas están infectadas en el mundo y que este número aumenta cada año. Debido al delicado problema de salud pública derivado de la prevalencia de esta enfermedad se hace necesario el estudio del metabolismo de este parásito. En tal sentido se ha estudiado la proteína NMNAT de este parásito, la cual es una enzima central del metabolismo de todos los organismos al estar encargada de la síntesis del NAD+, un importante cofactor en reacciones redox de procesos centrales del metabolismo celular. En la NMNAT de L. braziliensis se ha encontrado una secuencia de 44 aminoácidos en el extremo N-terminal carente de homología con la proteína del hospedero. En este estudio se produjeron anticuerpos IgG específicos contra esta secuencia, utilizando como antígenos péptidos que contuvieran la secuencia mencionada. Los anticuerpos obtenidos mostraron un reconocimiento de la NMNAT recombinante de L. braziliensis mediante ensayo por western blot.

Leishmania braziliensis is a protozoan which is cause of the most of the cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in at least 15 countries from America. World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that around 12 millions of people are infected in the world and this number increase every year. Because of the delicate problem of public health due to the prevalence of this disease, it is necessary the metabolism study in this parasite. In this way has been studied NMNAT protein of the parasite, which is a central enzyme of the metabolism of all organisms, since it is in charge of synthesizing NAD+, an important cofactor in oxidation-reduction reactions of central processes in the cellular metabolism. In The NMNAT of L. has been found a 43 amino acids sequence in the N terminal, which does not have homology with the protein in the human host. In this study were produced IgG antibodies against this sequence, using like antigens peptides that had the mentioned sequence. The produced antibodies recognized the recombinant NMNAT of L. braziliensis through western blot assay.

Leishmania braziliensis é um parasita protozoário que causa a maioria dos casos de leishmaniose cutânea em pelo menos 15 países das Américas. A Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) informou que cerca de 12 milhões de pessoas estão infectadas em todo o mundo e esse número aumenta a cada ano. Devido ao delicado problema de saúde pública decorrentes da prevalência desta doença é necessário estudar o metabolismo do parasita. A este respeito temos estudado a proteína NMNAT deste parasita, que é uma enzima central no metabolismo de todos os organismos de estar envolvido na produção de NAD+, um importante cofator em reações redox de processos centrais de celulares metabolismo. No L. braziliensis NMNAT encontrou uma seqüencia de 43 aminoácidos no terminal N homologia com a proteína faltando host. Este estudo produziu anticorpos IgG específicos para esta seqüência, usando como peptídeos de antígeno contendo a seqüência mencionada. Os anticorpos obtidos mostraram um reconhecimento da NMNAT L. braziliensis recombinantes por meio de julgamento por western blot.

El desarrollo y la generación de nuevos conocimientos son la base para la crea-ción de tecnología que agiliza los diferentes procesos en las cadenas producti-vas para en última instancia lograr para el ser humano una mejor calidad devida. [Editorial] / The development and generation of new knowledge are the basis for the creation of technology that streamlines the different processes in the product chains to ultimately achieve a better quality of life for human beings. [Editorial]

El desarrollo y la generación de nuevos conocimientos son la base para la creación de tecnología que agiliza los diferentes procesos en las cadenas productivas para en última instancia lograr para el ser humano una mejor calidad de vida...