Get BusActive!: Protocol of a single-blinded randomised controlled trial incentivising public transport use for physical activity gain among young people and adults.

Background: Population level physical activity generally does not meet recommended targets. Compared with private motor vehicle users, public transport users tend to be more physically active and financial incentives may encourage more public transport use, but these relationships are under-investigated. This paper describes the protocol of a randomised controlled trial that aimed to determine the effect of financially incentivising public transport use on physical activity in a regional Australian setting. Methods: Get BusActive! is a 9.5-month single-blinded randomised controlled trial. A convenience sample of Tasmanians aged ≥15 years will be randomised to a 14-week incentive-based intervention (bus trip target attainment rewarded by bus trip credits and weekly supportive text messages) or an active control following baseline measures and will be followed up ∼24 weeks later (maintenance phase). Both groups will receive written physical activity guidelines. The primary outcome is change in accelerometer-measured steps/day from baseline to immediately post intervention phase and maintenance phase. Secondary outcomes are change in: smartcard-measured bus trips/week; measured and self-reported minutes/week of physical activity and sitting; transport-related behaviour (using one-week travel diary), perspectives (e.g. enablers/barriers) and costs; health. Linear mixed model regression will determine group differences. Participant-level process evaluation will be conducted and intervention cost to the public transport provider determined. Conclusion: Get BusActive! will fill an important knowledge gap about the causal relationship between financially incentivised public transport use and physical activity-the findings will benefit health and transport-related decision makers. Trial registration: ACTRN12623000613606. Universal trial number: U1111-1292-3414.

Cystic fibrosis and fat malabsorption: Pathophysiology of the cystic fibrosis gastrointestinal tract and the impact of highly effective CFTR modulator therapy.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive, genetic, multi-organ disease affecting the respiratory, digestive, endocrine, and reproductive systems. CF can affect any aspect of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder. GI pathophysiology associated with CF results from CF membrane conductance regulator (CFTR) dysfunction. The majority of people with CF (pwCF) experience exocrine pancreatic insufficiency resulting in malabsorption of nutrients and malnutrition. Additionally, other factors can cause or worsen fat malabsorption, including the potential for short gut syndrome with a history of meconium ileus, hepatobiliary diseases, and disrupted intraluminal factors, such as inadequate bile salts, abnormal pH, intestinal microbiome changes, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Signs and symptoms associated with fat malabsorption, such as abdominal pain, bloating, malodorous flatus, gastroesophageal reflux, nausea, anorexia, steatorrhea, constipation, and distal intestinal obstruction syndrome, are seen in pwCF despite the use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Given the association of poor nutrition status with lung function decline and increased mortality, aggressive nutrition support is essential in CF care to optimize growth in children and to achieve and maintain a healthy body mass index in adults. The introduction of highly effective CFTR modulator therapy and other advances in CF care have profoundly changed the course of CF management. However, GI symptoms in some pwCF may persist. The use of current knowledge of the pathophysiology of the CF GI tract as well as appropriate, individualized management of GI symptoms continue to be integral components of care for pwCF.

Nutritional considerations for a new era: A CF foundation position paper.

OBJECTIVE: To provide interim advice and considerations to the CF Community around CF nutrition in the current era. METHODS: The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation organized a multidisciplinary committee to develop a Nutrition Position Paper based on the rapidly changing nutrition landscape in CF, due in part to widespread use of cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT). Four workgroups were formed: Weight Management, Eating Behavior/Food Insecurity, Salt Homeostasis and Pancreatic Enzyme use. Each workgroup conducted their own focused review of the literature. RESULTS: The committee summarized current understanding of issues pertaining to the four workgroup topics and provided 6 key take-aways around CF Nutrition in the new era. CONCLUSION: People with CF (pwCF) are living longer, particularly with the advent of HEMT. The traditional high fat, high calorie CF diet may have negative nutritional and cardiovascular consequences as pwCF age. Individuals with CF may have poor diet quality, food insecurity, distorted body image, and an higher incidence of eating disorders. An increase in overweight and obesity may lead to new considerations for nutritional management, given potential effects of overnutrition on pulmonary and cardiometabolic parameters.

Success of blinding a procedural intervention in a randomised controlled trial in preterm infants receiving respiratory support.

BACKGROUND: Blinding of treatment allocation from treating clinicians in neonatal randomised controlled trials can minimise performance bias, but its effectiveness is rarely assessed. METHODS: To examine the effectiveness of blinding a procedural intervention from treating clinicians in a multicentre randomised controlled trial of minimally invasive surfactant therapy versus sham treatment in preterm infants of gestation 25-28 weeks with respiratory distress syndrome. The intervention (minimally invasive surfactant therapy or sham) was performed behind a screen within the first 6 h of life by a 'study team' uninvolved in clinical care including decision-making. Procedure duration and the study team's words and actions during the sham treatment mimicked those of the minimally invasive surfactant therapy procedure. Post-intervention, three clinicians completed a questionnaire regarding perceived group allocation, with the responses matched against actual intervention and categorised as correct, incorrect, or unsure. Success of blinding was calculated using validated blinding indices applied to the data overall (James index, successful blinding defined as > 0.50), or to the two treatment allocation groups (Bang index, successful blinding: -0.30 to 0.30). Blinding success was measured within staff role, and the associations between blinding success and procedural duration and oxygenation improvement post-procedure were estimated. RESULTS: From 1345 questionnaires in relation to a procedural intervention in 485 participants, responses were categorised as correct in 441 (33%), incorrect in 142 (11%), and unsure in 762 (57%), with similar proportions for each of the response categories in the two treatment arms. The James index indicated successful blinding overall 0.67 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65-0.70). The Bang index was 0.28 (95% CI 0.23-0.32) in the minimally invasive surfactant therapy group and 0.17 (95% CI 0.12-0.21) in the sham arm. Neonatologists more frequently guessed the correct intervention (47%) than bedside nurses (36%), neonatal trainees (31%), and other nurses (24%). For the minimally invasive surfactant therapy intervention, the Bang index was linearly related to procedural duration and oxygenation improvement post-procedure. No evidence of such relationships was seen in the sham arm. CONCLUSION: Blinding of a procedural intervention from clinicians is both achievable and measurable in neonatal randomised controlled trials.

Increased Clinical Signs and Mortality in IFNAR(-/-) Mice Immunised with the Bluetongue Virus Outer-Capsid Proteins VP2 or VP5, after Challenge with an Attenuated Heterologous Serotype.

Bluetongue is an economically important disease of domesticated and wild ruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV). There are at least 36 different serotypes of BTV (the identity of which is determined by its outer-capsid protein VP2), most of which are transmitted by Culicoides biting midges. IFNAR(-/-) mice immunised with plant-expressed outer-capsid protein VP2 (rVP2) of BTV serotypes -1, -4 or -8, or the smaller outer-capsid protein rVP5 of BTV-10, or mock-immunised with PBS, were subsequently challenged with virulent strains of BTV-4 or BTV-8, or with an attenuated clone of BTV-1 (BTV-1RGC7). The mice that had received rVP2 generated a protective immune response against the homologous BTV serotype, reducing viraemia (as detected by qRT-PCR), the severity of clinical signs and mortality levels. No cross-serotype protection was observed after challenge with the heterologous BTV serotypes. However, the severity of clinical signs, viraemia and fatality levels after challenge with the attenuated strain of BTV-1 were all increased in mice immunised with rVP2 of BTV-4 and BTV-8, or with rVP5 of BTV10. The possibility is discussed that non-neutralising antibodies, reflecting serological relationships between the outer-capsid proteins of these different BTV serotypes, could lead to 'antibody-dependent enhancement of infection' (ADE). Such interactions could affect the epidemiology and emergence of different BTV strains in the field and would therefore be relevant to the design and implementation of vaccination campaigns.

Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Cystic Fibrosis.

While typically considered a pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis patients develop significant nutritional complications and comorbidities, especially those who are pancreatic insufficient. Clinicians must have a high suspicion for cystic fibrosis among patients with clinical symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency, and pancreatic enzymatic replacement therapy (PERT) must be urgently initiated. PERT presents a myriad of considerations for patients and their supporting dieticians and clinicians, including types of administration, therapy failures, and complications.

Serological Cross-Reactions between Expressed VP2 Proteins from Different Bluetongue Virus Serotypes.

Bluetongue (BT) is a severe and economically important disease of ruminants that is widely distributed around the world, caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV). More than 28 different BTV serotypes have been identified in serum neutralisation tests (SNT), which, along with geographic variants (topotypes) within each serotype, reflect differences in BTV outer-capsid protein VP2. VP2 is the primary target for neutralising antibodies, although the basis for cross-reactions and serological variations between and within BTV serotypes is poorly understood. Recombinant BTV VP2 proteins (rVP2) were expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana, based on sequence data for isolates of thirteen BTV serotypes (primarily from Europe), including three 'novel' serotypes (BTV-25, -26 and -27) and alternative topotypes of four serotypes. Cross-reactions within and between these viruses were explored using rabbit anti-rVP2 sera and post BTV-infection sheep reference-antisera, in I-ELISA (with rVP2 target antigens) and SNT (with reference strains of BTV-1 to -24, -26 and -27). Strong reactions were generally detected with homologous rVP2 proteins or virus strains/serotypes. The sheep antisera were largely serotype-specific in SNT, but more cross-reactive by ELISA. Rabbit antisera were more cross-reactive in SNT, and showed widespread, high titre cross-reactions against homologous and heterologous rVP2 proteins in ELISA. Results were analysed and visualised by antigenic cartography, showing closer relationships in some, but not all cases, between VP2 topotypes within the same serotype, and between serotypes belonging to the same 'VP2 nucleotype'.

Remote Assessment of Depression Using Digital Biomarkers From Cognitive Tasks.

We describe the design and evaluation of a sub-clinical digital assessment tool that integrates digital biomarkers of depression. Based on three standard cognitive tasks (D2 Test of Attention, Delayed Matching to Sample Task, Spatial Working Memory Task) on which people with depression have been known to perform differently than a control group, we iteratively designed a digital assessment tool that could be deployed outside of laboratory contexts, in uncontrolled home environments on computer systems with widely varying system characteristics (e.g., displays resolution, input devices). We conducted two online studies, in which participants used the assessment tool in their own homes, and completed subjective questionnaires including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)-a standard self-report tool for assessing depression in clinical contexts. In a first study (n = 269), we demonstrate that each task can be used in isolation to significantly predict PHQ-9 scores. In a second study (n = 90), we replicate these results and further demonstrate that when used in combination, behavioral metrics from the three tasks significantly predicted PHQ-9 scores, even when taking into account demographic factors known to influence depression such as age and gender. A multiple regression model explained 34.4% of variance in PHQ-9 scores with behavioral metrics from each task providing unique and significant contributions to the prediction.

Identification of a Newly Conserved SLA-II Epitope in a Structural Protein of Swine Influenza Virus.

Despite the role of pigs as a source of new Influenza A Virus viruses (IAV) potentially capable of initiating human pandemics, immune responses to swine influenza virus (SwIV) in pigs are not fully understood. Several SwIV epitopes presented by swine MHC (SLA) class I have been identified using different approaches either in outbred pigs or in Babraham large white inbred pigs, which are 85% identical by genome wide SNP analysis. On the other hand, some class II SLA epitopes were recently described in outbred pigs. In this work, Babraham large white inbred pigs were selected to identify SLA II epitopes from SwIV H1N1. PBMCs were screened for recognition of overlapping peptides covering the NP and M1 proteins from heterologous IAV H1N1 in IFNγ ELISPOT. A novel SLA class II restricted epitope was identified in NP from swine H1N1. This conserved novel epitope could be the base for further vaccine approaches against H1N1 in pigs.

Sangivamycin and its derivatives inhibit Haspin-Histone H3-survivin signaling and induce pancreatic cancer cell death.

Current treatment options for patients with pancreatic cancer are suboptimal, resulting in a five year survival rate of about 9%. Difficulties with treatment are due to an immunosuppressive, fibrotic tumor microenvironment that prevents drugs from reaching tumor cells, but also to the limited efficacy of existing FDA-approved chemotherapeutic compounds. We here show that the nucleoside analog Sangivamycin and its closely-related compound Toyocamycin target PDA cell lines, and are significantly more efficient than Gemcitabine. Using KINOMEscan screening, we identified the kinase Haspin, which is overexpressed in PDA cell lines and human PDA samples, as a main target for both compounds. Inhibition of Haspin leads to a decrease in Histone H3 phosphorylation and prevents Histone H3 binding to survivin, thus providing mechanistic insight of how Sangivamycin targets cell proliferation, mitosis and induces apoptotic cell death. In orthotopically implanted tumors in mice, Sangivamycin was efficient in decreasing the growth of established tumors. In summary, we show that Sangivamycin and derivatives can be an efficient new option for treatment of PDA.

Use of an In-line Digestive Cartridge With Enteral Nutrition Improves the Weight Trajectory of 2 Children With Cystic Fibrosis Complicated by Another Medical Diagnosis.

This clinical observation describes the enteral nutrition (EN) management of 2 toddlers at high nutrition risk due to cystic fibrosis (CF), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and comorbid medical conditions. The first case report describes a boy with severe malabsorption after intestinal resection. The second case report reviews a boy with CF and neuroblastoma. When pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy with EN was not effective or appropriate, use of an in-line digestive cartridge was initiated. While using the digestive cartridge, both children showed improvements in their anthropometric measures. This observation reviews the nutrition management throughout their clinical course and describes the use of a digestive cartridge with EN.

Precision engineering for PRRSV resistance in pigs: Macrophages from genome edited pigs lacking CD163 SRCR5 domain are fully resistant to both PRRSV genotypes while maintaining biological function.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is a panzootic infectious disease of pigs, causing major economic losses to the world-wide pig industry. PRRS manifests differently in pigs of all ages but primarily causes late-term abortions and stillbirths in sows and respiratory disease in piglets. The causative agent of the disease is the positive-strand RNA PRRS virus (PRRSV). PRRSV has a narrow host cell tropism, limited to cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. CD163 has been described as a fusion receptor for PRRSV, whereby the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain 5 (SRCR5) region was shown to be an interaction site for the virus in vitro. CD163 is expressed at high levels on the surface of macrophages, particularly in the respiratory system. Here we describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 to pig zygotes, resulting in the generation of pigs with a deletion of Exon 7 of the CD163 gene, encoding SRCR5. Deletion of SRCR5 showed no adverse effects in pigs maintained under standard husbandry conditions with normal growth rates and complete blood counts observed. Pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) were isolated from the animals and assessed in vitro. Both PAMs and macrophages obtained from PBMCs by CSF1 stimulation (PMMs) show the characteristic differentiation and cell surface marker expression of macrophages of the respective origin. Expression and correct folding of the SRCR5 deletion CD163 on the surface of macrophages and biological activity of the protein as hemoglobin-haptoglobin scavenger was confirmed. Challenge of both PAMs and PMMs with PRRSV genotype 1, subtypes 1, 2, and 3 and PMMs with PRRSV genotype 2 showed complete resistance to viral infections assessed by replication. Confocal microscopy revealed the absence of replication structures in the SRCR5 CD163 deletion macrophages, indicating an inhibition of infection prior to gene expression, i.e. at entry/fusion or unpacking stages.

Characteristics of Resting Metabolic Rate in Critically Ill, Mechanically Ventilated Adults With Cystic Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with cystic fibrosis may be especially sensitive to the negative consequences of overfeeding and underfeeding, yet there is almost no information available about the energy needs of these patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize the metabolic rate of critically ill adult patients with cystic fibrosis requiring mechanical ventilation. METHODS: This was an observational study in which the resting metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, and carbon dioxide production of adult patients with cystic fibrosis requiring critical care, sedation, and mechanical ventilation were measured with indirect calorimetry. This group was compared with a cohort of adult critical care patients without cystic fibrosis. RESULTS: Twelve patients with cystic fibrosis were identified and measured. These were compared with a control group of 25 critically ill patients. Both groups were underweight (body mass index, 17.4 ± 4.0 kg/m2 in cystic fibrosis and 18.4 ± 2.3 kg/m2 in control). Adjusting for differences in age, sex, height, and weight, there was no difference in resting metabolic rate between the cystic fibrosis and control groups (1702 ± 193 vs 1642 ± 194 kcal/d, P = .388). Measured resting metabolic rate matched predicted values 58% of the time in cystic fibrosis and 60% of the time in control. CONCLUSIONS: The resting metabolic rate of sedated adult patients with cystic fibrosis being assisted with mechanical ventilation is not different from that of adult critical care patients without cystic fibrosis. In both these underweight groups, accurate prediction of resting metabolic rate is difficult to obtain.

The PRKD1 promoter is a target of the KRas-NF-κB pathway in pancreatic cancer.

Increased expression of PRKD1 and its gene product protein kinase D1 (PKD1) are linked to oncogenic signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, but a direct functional relationship to oncogenic KRas has not been established so far. We here describe the PRKD1 gene promoter as a target for oncogenic KRas signaling. We demonstrate that KRas-induced activation of the canonical NF-κB pathway is one mechanism of how PRKD1 expression is increased and identify the binding sites for NF-κB in the PRKD1 promoter. Altogether, these results describe a novel mechanism governing PRKD1 gene expression in PDA and provide a functional link between oncogenic KRas, NF-κB and expression of PRKD1.

Type I and III IFNs Produced by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Response to a Member of the Flaviviridae Suppress Cellular Immune Responses.

The pestivirus noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) can suppress IFN production in the majority of cell types in vitro. However, IFN is detectable in serum during acute infection in vivo for ∼5-7 d, which correlates with a period of leucopoenia and immunosuppression. In this study, we demonstrate that a highly enriched population of bovine plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) produced IFN in response to BVDV in vitro. We further show that the majority of the IFN produced in response to infection both in vitro and in vivo is type III IFN and acid labile. Further, we show IL-28B (IFN-λ3) mRNA is induced in this cell population in vitro. Supernatant from plasmacytoid DCs harvested postinfection with BVDV or recombinant bovine IFN-α or human IL-28B significantly reduced CD4(+) T cell proliferation induced by tubercle bacillus Ag 85-stimulated monocyte-derived DCs. Furthermore, these IFNs induced IFN-stimulated gene expression predominantly in monocyte-derived DCs. IFN-treated immature DCs derived from murine bone marrow also had a reduced capacity to stimulate T cell proliferative responses to tubercle bacillus Ag 85. Immature DCs derived from either source had a reduced capacity for Ag uptake following IFN treatment that is dose dependent. Immunosuppression is a feature of a number of pestivirus infections; our studies suggest type III IFN production plays a key role in the pathogenesis of this family of viruses. Overall, in a natural host, we have demonstrated a link between the induction of type I and III IFN after acute viral infection and transient immunosuppression.

Type I and III interferon production in response to RNA viruses.

The biology of RNA viruses is closely linked to the type I and type III interferon (IFN) response of the host. These viruses display a range of molecular patterns that may be detected by host cells resulting in the induction of IFNs. Consequently, there are many examples of mechanisms employed by RNA viruses to block or delay IFN induction and reduce the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), a necessary step in the virus lifecycle because of the capacity of IFNs to block virus replication. Efficient transmission of viruses depends, in part, on maintaining a balance between virus replication and host survival; specialized host cells, such as plasmacytoid dendritic cells, can sense viral molecular patterns and produce IFNs to help maintain this balance. There are now many examples of RNA viruses inducing type I and type III IFNs, and although these IFNs act through different receptors, in many systems studied, they induce a similar spectrum of genes. However, there may be a difference in the temporal expression pattern, with more prolonged expression of ISGs in response to type III IFN compared with type I IFN. There are also examples of synergy between type I and type III IFNs to induce antiviral responses. Clearly, it is important to understand the different roles of these IFNs in the antiviral response in vivo. One of the most striking differences between these 2 IFN systems is the distribution of the receptors: type I IFN receptors are expressed on most cells, yet type III receptor expression is restricted primarily to epithelial cells but has also been demonstrated on other cells, including dendritic cells. There is increasing evidence that type III IFNs are a key control mechanism against RNA viruses that infect respiratory and enteric epithelia.

Understanding foot-and-mouth disease virus transmission biology: identification of the indicators of infectiousness.

The control of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) outbreaks in non-endemic countries relies on the rapid detection and removal of infected animals. In this paper we use the observed relationship between the onset of clinical signs and direct contact transmission of FMDV to identify predictors for the onset of clinical signs and identify possible approaches to preclinical screening in the field. Threshold levels for various virological and immunological variables were determined using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and then tested using generalized linear mixed models to determine their ability to predict the onset of clinical signs. In addition, concordance statistics between qualitative real time PCR test results and virus isolation results were evaluated. For the majority of animals (71%), the onset of clinical signs occurred 3-4 days post infection. The onset of clinical signs was associated with high levels of virus in the blood, oropharyngeal fluid and nasal fluid. Virus is first detectable in the oropharyngeal fluid, but detection of virus in the blood and nasal fluid may also be good candidates for preclinical indicators. Detection of virus in the air was also significantly associated with transmission. This study is the first to identify statistically significant indicators of infectiousness for FMDV at defined time periods during disease progression in a natural host species. Identifying factors associated with infectiousness will advance our understanding of transmission mechanisms and refine intra-herd and inter-herd disease transmission models.

Cattle remain immunocompetent during the acute phase of foot-and-mouth disease virus infection.

Infection of cattle with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) results in the development of long-term protective antibody responses. In contrast, inactivated antigen vaccines fail to induce long-term protective immunity. Differences between susceptible species have also been observed during infection with FMDV, with cattle often developing persistent infections whilst pigs develop more severe symptoms and excrete higher levels of virus. This study examined the early immune response to FMDV in naïve cattle after in-contact challenge. Cattle exposed to FMDV were found to be viraemic and produced neutralising antibody, consistent with previous reports. In contrast to previous studies in pigs these cattle did not develop leucopenia, and the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to either mitogen or third party antigen were not suppressed. Low levels of type 1 interferon and IL-10 were detected in the circulation. Taken together, these results suggest that there was no generalised immunosuppression during the acute phase of FMDV infection in cattle.

Bovine plasmacytoid dendritic cells are the major source of type I interferon in response to foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro and in vivo.

Type I interferons (alpha/beta interferons [IFN-α/ß]) are the main innate cytokines that are able to induce a cellular antiviral state, thereby limiting viral replication and disease pathology. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play a crucial role in the control of viral infections, especially in response to viruses that have evolved mechanisms to block the type I IFN signal transduction pathway. Using density gradient separation and cell sorting, we have highly enriched a population of bovine cells capable of producing high levels of biologically active type I IFN. These cells represented less than 0.1% of the total lymphocyte population in blood, pseudoafferent lymph, and lymph nodes. Phenotypic analysis identified these cells as bovine pDCs (CD3(-) CD14(-) CD21(-) CD11c(-) NK(-) TCRδ(-) CD4(+) MHC II(+) CD45RB(+) CD172a(+) CD32(+)). High levels of type I IFN were generated by these cells in vitro in response to Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) agonist CpG and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) immune complexes. In contrast, immune complexes formed with UV-inactivated FMDV or FMDV empty capsids failed to elicit a type I IFN response. Depletion of CD4 cells in vivo resulted in levels of type I IFN in serum early during FMDV infection that were significantly lower than those for control animals. In conclusion, pDCs interacting with immune-complexed virus are the major source of type I interferon production during acute FMDV infection in cattle.

MAP4K3 modulates cell death via the post-transcriptional regulation of BH3-only proteins.

Intracellular signal transduction networks involving protein kinases are important modulators of cell survival and cell death in multicellular organisms. Functional compromise of these networks has been linked to aberrant apoptosis in diseases such as cancer. To identify novel kinase regulators of cell death, we conducted an RNAi-based screen to identify modulators of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Using this approach, we identified MAP4K3 as a novel apoptosis inducer. Here, we present evidence that this pro-apoptotic kinase orchestrates activation of BAX via the concerted posttranscriptional modulation of PUMA, BAD, and BIM. Additionally, we found decreased levels of this kinase in pancreatic cancer samples, suggesting a tumor suppressor role for MAP4K3 in pancreatic tumorigenesis.