Microproteins unveiling new dimensions in cancer.

In the complex landscape of cancer biology, the discovery of microproteins has triggered a paradigm shift, thereby, challenging the conventional conceptions of gene regulation. Though overlooked for years, these entities encoded by the small open reading frames (100-150 codons), have a significant impact on various cellular processes. As precision medicine pioneers delve deeper into the genome and proteome, microproteins have come into the limelight. Typically characterized by a single protein domain that directly binds to the target protein complex and regulates their assembly, these microproteins have been shown to play a key role in fundamental biological processes such as RNA processing, DNA repair, and metabolism regulation. Techniques for identification and characterization, such as ribosome profiling and proteogenomic approaches, have unraveled unique mechanisms by which these microproteins regulate cell signaling or pathological processes in most diseases including cancer. However, the functional relevance of these microproteins in cancer remains unclear. In this context, the current review aims to "rethink the essence of these genes" and explore "how these hidden players-microproteins orchestrate the signaling cascades of cancer, both as accelerators and brakes.".

Increased serum levels of macrophage activation marker sCD163 in Dengue patients.

BACKGROUND: Dengue viruses are known to infect and replicate in macrophages. Thus studying the host responsive molecules that are specifically released by macrophages during the course of dengue infection may provide better understanding on dengue immunopathogenesis. Soluble CD163 (sCD163) is a scavenger receptor, highly expressed on macrophages reported to be involved in some viral disease. The participation of sCD163 in dengue is not known. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to explore the role of sCD163 as a potential biomarker for predicting dengue disease. STUDY DESIGN: Using a case-control design, 82 dengue subjects consisting of 69 non-severe dengue (NSD) and 13 severe dengue (SD) along with 32 non-dengue other febrile illness (OFI) subjects and 30 healthy subjects were involved in the study. The serum concentration of sCD163 was determined in the study subjects at admission and around defervescence using ELISA. Statistical analysis was done using Mann-Whitney U test andWilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: The study recorded a significant increase in the sCD163 serum level at defervescence phase specifically among dengue group compared to OFI. sCD163 was also found to be significantly higher in secondary cases compared to primary at both admission and defervescence. Furthermore,a higher level of sCD163 was also observed in SD compared to NSD cases, although no statistical significance was observed CONCLUSION: The study substantiates the role of macrophage activation in dengue pathogenesis and further study is needed to decipher the exact role of sCD163 in the disease pathogenesis and to explore its potential as a marker for the early prediction of dengue severity.

Ferritin levels predict severe dengue.

PURPOSE: Currently, no tests are available to monitor and predict severity and outcome of dengue. To find potential markers that predict dengue severity, the present study validated the serum level of three acute-phase proteins α-1 antitrypsin, ceruloplasmin and ferritin in a pool of severe dengue cases compared to non-severe forms and other febrile illness controls. METHODS: A total of 96 patients were divided into two equal groups with group 'A' comprising dengue-infected cases and group 'B' with other febrile illness cases negative for dengue. Out of 48 dengue-infected cases, 13 had severe dengue and the remaining 35 were classified as non-severe dengue. Immunoassays were performed to evaluate the serum levels of acute-phase proteins both on the day of admission and on the day of defervescence. The efficiency of individual proteins in predicting the disease severity was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: The study did not find any significant difference in the levels of α-1 antitrypsin between the clinical groups. A significant increase in the levels of ceruloplasmin around defervescence in severe cases compared to non-severe and other febrile controls was observed and this is the first report describing the potential association of ceruloplasmin and dengue severity. Interestingly, a steady increase in the level of serum ferritin was recorded throughout the course of illness. Among all the three proteins, the elevated ferritin level could predict the disease severity with highest sensitivity and specificity of 76.9 and 83.3 %, respectively, on the day of admission and the same was found to be 90 and 91.6 % around defervescence. CONCLUSION: On the basis of this diagnostic efficiency, we propose that ferritin may serve as a potential biomarker for an early prediction of disease severity.