MX2 protein is a dynamin-like GTPase2 that has recently been identified as an interferon-induced restriction factor of HIV-1 and other primate lentiviruses. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs45430, in an intron of the MX2 gene, was previously reported as a novel melanoma susceptibility locus in genome-wide association studies. Functionally,...
Sexually dimorphic bone structure emerges largely during puberty. Sex steroids are critical for peak bone mass acquisition in both genders. In particular, the biphasic effects of estrogens mediate the skeletal sexual dimorphism. However, so far the stimulatory vs inhibitory actions of estrogens on bone mass are not fully explained by direct effects...
Published in Nature Immunology
van Loo and colleagues provide insights into the action of the anti-inflammatory protein A20. The ZnF7 and ZnF4 ubiquitin-binding domains of A20 are both required to suppress inflammatory signaling and cell death; however, these zinc fingers operate via distinct mechanisms.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small noncoding RNAs involved in the fine regulation of post-transcriptional processes in the cell. The physiological levels of these short (20&ndash / 22-mer) oligonucleotides are important for the homeostasis of the organism, and therefore dysregulation can lead to the onset of cancer and other pathologies. Their im...
Biological engineering has unprecedented potential to solve society's most pressing challenges. Engineering approaches must consider complex technical, economic, and social factors. This requires methods that confer gene/pathway-level functionality and organism-level robustness in rapid and cost-effective ways. This article compares foundational en...
After being ingested by a female Anopheles mosquito during a bloodmeal on an infected host, and before they can reach the mosquito salivary glands to be transmitted to a new host, Plasmodium parasites must establish an infection of the mosquito midgut in the form of oocysts. To achieve this, they must first survive a series of robust innate immune ...
Clusters of enhancers, referred as to super-enhancers (SEs), control the expression of cell identity genes. The organisation of these clusters, and how they are remodelled upon developmental transitions remain poorly understood. Here, we report the existence of two types of enhancer units within SEs typified by distinctive CpG methylation dynamics ...
OBJECTIVE: Evidence for a role of microglia in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is growing. We investigated association of microglial markers at time of diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) with different aspects of disease activity (relapses, disability, magnetic resonance imaging parameters) up to 6 years later in a cohort of 143 patients. ...
Published in Science Advances
Lysine acetyltransferase 6A (KAT6A) and its paralog KAT6B form stoichiometric complexes with bromodomain- and PHD finger-containing protein 1 (BRPF1) for acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 23 (H3K23). We report that these complexes also catalyze H3K23 propionylation in vitro and in vivo. Immunofluorescence microscopy and ATAC-See revealed the asso...
Identifying the underlying genetic drivers of the heritability of breast cancer prognosis remains elusive. We adapt a network-based approach to handle underpowered complex datasets to provide new insights into the potential function of germline variants in breast cancer prognosis. This network-based analysis studies ~7.3 million variants in 84,457 ...
