Variation of terpene alkaloids in Daphniphyllum macropodum across plants and tissues.

Daphniphyllum macropodum produces alkaloids that are structurally complex with polycyclic, stereochemically rich carbon skeletons. Understanding how these compounds are formed by the plant may enable exploration of their biological function and bioactivities. We employed multiple metabolomics techniques, including a workflow to annotate compounds in the absence of standards, to compare alkaloid content across plants and tissues. Different alkaloid structural types were found to have distinct distributions between genotypes, between tissues and within tissues. Alkaloid structural types also showed different isotope labelling enrichments that matched their biosynthetic relationships. The work suggests that mevalonate derived 30-carbon alkaloids are formed in the phloem region before their conversion to 22-carbon alkaloids which accumulate in the epidermis. This sets the stage for further investigation into the biosynthetic pathway.

Effects of Azithromycin on Blood Inflammatory Gene Expression and Cytokine Production in Sarcoidosis.

INTRODUCTION: In sarcoidosis granulomas, monocyte-derived macrophages are activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF and IL-6. Current drug treatment for sarcoidosis aims to suppress inflammation but disabling side effects can ensue. The macrolide azithromycin may be anti-inflammatory. We aimed to determine whether treatment with azithromycin affects blood inflammatory gene expression and monocyte functions in sarcoidosis. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from patients with chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis enrolled in a single arm, open label clinical trial who received oral azithromycin 250 mg once daily for 3 months. Whole blood inflammatory gene expression with or without LPS stimulation was measured using a 770-mRNA panel. Phenotypic analysis and cytokine production were conducted by flow cytometry and ELISA after 24h stimulation with growth factors and TLR ligands. mTOR activity was assessed by measuring phosphorylated S6RP. RESULTS: Differential gene expression analysis indicated a state of heightened myeloid cell activation in sarcoidosis. Compared with controls, sarcoidosis patients showed increased LPS responses for several cytokines and chemokines. Treatment with azithromycin had minimal effect on blood gene expression overall, but supervised clustering analysis identified several chemokine genes that were upregulated. At the protein level, azithromycin treatment increased LPS-stimulated TNF and unstimulated IL-8 production. No other cytokines showed significant changes following azithromycin. Blood neutrophil counts fell during azithromycin treatment whereas mononuclear cells remained stable. Azithromycin had no detectable effects on mTOR activity or activation markers. CONCLUSION: Blood myeloid cells are activated in sarcoidosis, but azithromycin therapy did not suppress inflammatory gene expression or cytokine production in blood. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT 2019-000580-24 (17 May 2019).

Superoxide is promoted by sucrose and affects amplitude of circadian rhythms in the evening.

Plants must coordinate photosynthetic metabolism with the daily environment and adapt rhythmic physiology and development to match carbon availability. Circadian clocks drive biological rhythms which adjust to environmental cues. Products of photosynthetic metabolism, including sugars and reactive oxygen species (ROS), are closely associated with the plant circadian clock, and sugars have been shown to provide metabolic feedback to the circadian oscillator. Here, we report a comprehensive sugar-regulated transcriptome of Arabidopsis and identify genes associated with redox and ROS processes as a prominent feature of the transcriptional response. We show that sucrose increases levels of superoxide (O2-), which is required for transcriptional and growth responses to sugar. We identify circadian rhythms of O2--regulated transcripts which are phased around dusk and find that O2- is required for sucrose to promote expression of TIMING OF CAB1 (TOC1) in the evening. Our data reveal a role for O2- as a metabolic signal affecting transcriptional control of the circadian oscillator in Arabidopsis.

Development and spread of health literacy eLearning: A partnership across Scotland and England.

With international health challenges, there are opportunities for collaboration between nations on health issues, including developing and sharing resources for teaching and learning. This article outlines collaboration across Scotland and England to develop a core resource for eLearning on health literacy. It describes the development of the resource with case studies of the implementation in Scotland and England, demonstrating the balance between shared development and tailored implementation. The eLearning was developed to increase awareness of NHS workforce and community partners, supplemented by training for NHS librarians and public health specialists to enable them to provide more tailored training on health literacy techniques.

Abnormal fibre usage in UC in remission.

OBJECTIVE: Colonic fermentation in patients with UC in remission was compared with that in matched healthy subjects on habitual diets and when dietary fibre was increased. DESIGN: Fibre intake, faecal output of fibre (measured as non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)), starch, microbiota and fermentation products, and whole gut transit time (WGTT) were assessed in association with habitual diet and when dietary intake of wheat bran (WB)-associated fibre and high amylose-associated resistant starch (RS) was increased in an 8-week, randomised, single-blind, cross-over study. RESULTS: Despite a tendency to lower habitual fibre intake in UC patients, faecal NSP and starch concentrations were threefold higher than in controls, whereas concentrations of phenols and short-chain fatty acids, pH and WGTT were similar. Increasing RS/WB intake was well tolerated. In controls (n=10), it more than doubled faecal NSP and starch excretion (p=0.002 for both), had no effect on NSP usage and reduced WGTT (p=0.024). In UC patients (n=19), high intake of RS/WB tended to normalise gut transit, but did not increase the proportion of NSP fermented. Increasing intake of RS/WB had little effect on faecal fermentation patterns or the structure of the microbiota. However, faeces from the UC cohort had lower proportions of Akkermansia muciniphila and increased diversity within Clostridium cluster XIVa compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Gut fermentation of NSP and starch is diminished in patients with UC. This cannot be explained by abnormal gut transit and was not corrected by increasing RS/WB intake, and may be due to abnormal functioning of the gut microbiota. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12614000271606.

The inducible tissue-specific expression of the human IL-3/GM-CSF locus is controlled by a complex array of developmentally regulated enhancers.

The closely linked human IL-3 and GM-CSF genes are tightly regulated and are expressed in activated T cells and mast cells. In this study, we used transgenic mice to study the developmental regulation of this locus and to identify DNA elements required for its correct activity in vivo. Because these two genes are separated by a CTCF-dependent insulator, and the GM-CSF gene is regulated primarily by its own upstream enhancer, the main objective in this study was to identify regions of the locus required for correct IL-3 gene expression. We initially found that the previously identified proximal upstream IL-3 enhancers were insufficient to account for the in vivo activity of the IL-3 gene. However, an extended analysis of DNase I-hypersensitive sites (DHSs) spanning the entire upstream IL-3 intergenic region revealed the existence of a complex cluster of both constitutive and inducible DHSs spanning the -34- to -40-kb region. The tissue specificity of these DHSs mirrored the activity of the IL-3 gene, and included a highly inducible cyclosporin A-sensitive enhancer at -37 kb that increased IL-3 promoter activity 40-fold. Significantly, inclusion of this region enabled correct in vivo regulation of IL-3 gene expression in T cells, mast cells, and myeloid progenitor cells.

Pseudomolecule-scale genome assemblies of Drepanocaryum sewerzowii and Marmoritis complanata.

The Nepetoideae, a subfamily of Lamiaceae (mint family), is rich in aromatic plants, many of which are sought after for their use as flavors and fragrances or for their medicinal properties. Here, we present genome assemblies for two species in Nepetiodeae: Drepanocaruym sewerzowii and Marmoritis complanata. Both assemblies were generated using Oxford Nanopore Q20 + reads with contigs anchored to nine pseudomolecules that resulted in 335 Mb and 305 Mb assemblies, respectively, and BUSCO scores above 95% for both the assembly and annotation. We furthermore provide a species tree for the Lamiaceae using only genome-derived gene models, complementing existing transcriptome and marker-based phylogenies.

Antigenic epitope targets of rhesus macaques self-curing from Schistosoma mansoni infection.

The self-cure of rhesus macaques from a schistosome infection and their subsequent strong immunity to a cercarial challenge should provide novel insights into the way these parasites can be eliminated by immunological attack. High-density arrays comprising overlapping 15-mer peptides from target proteins printed on glass slides can be used to screen sera from host species to determine antibody reactivity at the single epitope level. Careful selection of proteins, based on compositional studies, is crucial to encompass only those exposed on or secreted from the intra-mammalian stages and is intended to focus the analysis solely on targets mediating protection. We report the results of this approach using two pools of sera from hi- and lo-responder macaques undergoing self-cure, to screen arrays comprising tegument, esophageal gland, and gastrodermis proteins. We show that, overall, the target epitopes are the same in both groups, but the intensity of response is twice as strong in the high responders. In addition, apart from Sm25, tegument proteins elicit much weaker responses than those originating in the alimentary tract, as was apparent in IFNγR KO mice. We also highlight the most reactive epitopes in key proteins. Armed with this knowledge, we intend to use multi-epitope constructs in vaccination experiments, which seek to emulate the self-cure process in experimental animals and potentially in humans.

Whole genome structural predictions reveal hidden diversity in putative oxidative enzymes of the lignocellulose-degrading ascomycete Parascedosporium putredinis NO1.

IMPORTANCE: An annotated reference genome has revealed P. putredinis NO1 as a useful resource for the identification of new lignocellulose-degrading enzymes for biorefining of woody plant biomass. Utilizing a "structure-omics"-based searching strategy, we identified new potentially lignocellulose-active sequences that would have been missed by traditional sequence searching methods. These new identifications, alongside the discovery of novel enzymatic functions from this underexplored lineage with the recent discovery of a new phenol oxidase that cleaves the main structural ß-O-4 linkage in lignin from P. putredinis NO1, highlight the underexplored and poorly represented family Microascaceae as a particularly interesting candidate worthy of further exploration toward the valorization of high value biorenewable products.

Identification of a protein expression signature distinguishing early from organising diffuse alveolar damage in COVID-19 patients.

Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) is the histological expression of acute respiratory distress syndrome and characterises lung pathology due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory pathogens of clinical significance. DAD reflects a time-dependent immunopathological process, progressing from an early/exudative stage through to an organising/fibrotic stage, yet within an individual these different stages of DAD may coexist. Understanding the progression of DAD is central to the development of new therapeutics to limit progressive lung damage. Here, we applied highly multiplexed spatial protein profiling to autopsy lung tissues derived from 27 patients who died from COVID-19 and identified a protein signature (ARG1, CD127, GZMB, IDO1, Ki67, phospho-PRAS40 (T246) and VISTA) that distinguishes early DAD from late DAD with good predictive accuracy. These proteins warrant further investigation as potential regulators of DAD progression.

The human IL-3/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor locus is epigenetically silent in immature thymocytes and is progressively activated during T cell development.

The closely linked IL-3 and GM-CSF genes are located within a cluster of cytokine genes co-expressed in activated T cells. Their activation in response to TCR signaling pathways is controlled by specific, inducible upstream enhancers. To study the developmental regulation of this locus in T lineage cells, we created a transgenic mouse model encompassing the human IL-3 and GM-CSF genes plus the known enhancers. We demonstrated that the IL-3/GM-CSF locus undergoes progressive stages of activation, with stepwise increases in active modifications and the proportion of cytokine-expressing cells, throughout the course of T cell differentiation. Looking first at immature cells, we found that the IL-3/GM-CSF locus was epigenetically silent in CD4/CD8 double positive thymocytes, thereby minimizing the potential for inappropriate activation during the course of TCR selection. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the locus did not reach its maximal transcriptional potential until after T cells had undergone blast cell transformation to become fully activated proliferating T cells. Inducible locus activation in mature T cells was accompanied by noncoding transcription initiating within the enhancer elements. Significantly, we also found that memory CD4 positive T cells, but not naive T cells, maintain a remodeled chromatin structure resembling that seen in T blast cells.

Endosomal cargo recycling mediated by Gpa1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is inhibited by glucose starvation.

Cell surface protein trafficking is regulated in response to nutrient availability, with multiple pathways directing surface membrane proteins to the lysosome for degradation in response to suboptimal extracellular nutrients. Internalized protein and lipid cargoes recycle back to the surface efficiently in glucose-replete conditions, but this trafficking is attenuated following glucose starvation. We find that cells with either reduced or hyperactive phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity are defective for endosome to surface recycling. Furthermore, we find that the yeast Gα subunit Gpa1, an endosomal PI3K effector, is required for surface recycling of cargoes. Following glucose starvation, mRNA and protein levels of a distinct Gα subunit Gpa2 are elevated following nuclear translocation of Mig1, which inhibits recycling of various cargoes. As Gpa1 and Gpa2 interact at the surface where Gpa2 concentrates during glucose starvation, we propose that this disrupts PI3K activity required for recycling, potentially diverting Gpa1 to the surface and interfering with its endosomal role in recycling. In support of this model, glucose starvation and overexpression of Gpa2 alter PI3K endosomal phosphoinositide production. Glucose deprivation therefore triggers a survival mechanism to increase retention of surface cargoes in endosomes and promote their lysosomal degradation.

Corrigendum: CD317-Positive Immune Stromal Cells in Human "Mesenchymal Stem Cell" Populations.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.903796.].

CD317-Positive Immune Stromal Cells in Human "Mesenchymal Stem Cell" Populations.

Heterogeneity of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs, frequently referred to as "mesenchymal stem cells") clouds biological understanding and hampers their clinical development. In MSC cultures most commonly used in research and therapy, we have identified an MSC subtype characterized by CD317 expression (CD317pos (29.77 ± 3.00% of the total MSC population), comprising CD317dim (28.10 ± 4.60%) and CD317bright (1.67 ± 0.58%) MSCs) and a constitutive interferon signature linked to human disease. We demonstrate that CD317pos MSCs induced cutaneous tissue damage when applied a skin explant model of inflammation, whereas CD317neg MSCs had no effect. Only CD317neg MSCs were able to suppress proliferative cycles of activated human T cells in vitro, whilst CD317pos MSCs increased polarization towards pro-inflammatory Th1 cells and CD317neg cell lines did not. Using an in vivo peritonitis model, we found that CD317neg and CD317pos MSCs suppressed leukocyte recruitment but only CD317neg MSCs suppressed macrophage numbers. Using MSC-loaded scaffolds implanted subcutaneously in immunocompromised mice we were able to observe tissue generation and blood vessel formation with CD317neg MSC lines, but not CD317pos MSC lines. Our evidence is consistent with the identification of an immune stromal cell, which is likely to contribute to specific physiological and pathological functions and influence clinical outcome of therapeutic MSCs.

Integrated miRNA/cytokine/chemokine profiling reveals severity-associated step changes and principal correlates of fatality in COVID-19.

Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (CC) drive COVID-19 pathology. Yet, patients with similar circulating CC levels present with different disease severity. Here, we determined 171 microRNAomes from 58 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (Cohort 1) and levels of 25 cytokines and chemokines (CC) in the same samples. Combining microRNA (miRNA) and CC measurements allowed for discrimination of severe cases with greater accuracy than using miRNA or CC levels alone. Severity group-specific associations between miRNAs and COVID-19-associated CC (e.g., IL6, CCL20) or clinical hallmarks of COVID-19 (e.g., neutrophilia, hypoalbuminemia) separated patients with similar CC levels but different disease severity. Analysis of an independent cohort of 108 patients from a different center (Cohort 2) demonstrated feasibility of CC/miRNA profiling in leftover hospital blood samples with similar severe disease CC and miRNA profiles, and revealed CCL20, IL6, IL10, and miR-451a as key correlates of fatal COVID-19. These findings highlight that systemic miRNA/CC networks underpin severe COVID-19.

A novel mechanism of sodium iodide symporter repression in differentiated thyroid cancer.

Differentiated thyroid cancers and their metastases frequently exhibit reduced iodide uptake, impacting on the efficacy of radioiodine ablation therapy. PTTG binding factor (PBF) is a proto-oncogene implicated in the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. We recently reported that PBF inhibits iodide uptake, and have now elucidated a mechanism by which PBF directly modulates sodium iodide symporter (NIS) activity in vitro. In subcellular localisation studies, PBF overexpression resulted in the redistribution of NIS from the plasma membrane into intracellular vesicles, where it colocalised with the tetraspanin CD63. Cell-surface biotinylation assays confirmed a reduction in plasma membrane NIS expression following PBF transfection compared with vector-only treatment. Coimmunoprecipitation and GST-pull-down experiments demonstrated a direct interaction between NIS and PBF, the functional consequence of which was assessed using iodide-uptake studies in rat thyroid FRTL-5 cells. PBF repressed iodide uptake, whereas three deletion mutants, which did not localise within intracellular vesicles, lost the ability to inhibit NIS activity. In summary, we present an entirely novel mechanism by which the proto-oncogene PBF binds NIS and alters its subcellular localisation, thereby regulating its ability to uptake iodide. Given that PBF is overexpressed in thyroid cancer, these findings have profound implications for thyroid cancer ablation using radioiodine.

Chromosomal assembly of the nuclear genome of the endosymbiont-bearing trypanosomatid Angomonas deanei.

Angomonas deanei is an endosymbiont-bearing trypanosomatid with several highly fragmented genome assemblies and unknown chromosome number. We present an assembly of the A. deanei nuclear genome based on Oxford Nanopore sequence that resolves into 29 complete or close-to-complete chromosomes. The assembly has several previously unknown special features; it has a supernumerary chromosome, a chromosome with a 340-kb inversion, and there is a translocation between two chromosomes. We also present an updated annotation of the chromosomal genome with 10,365 protein-coding genes, 59 transfer RNAs, 26 ribosomal RNAs, and 62 noncoding RNAs.

Candidates for Balancing Selection in Leishmania donovani Complex Parasites.

The Leishmania donovani species complex is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, which cause 20-40,000 fatalities a year. Here, we conduct a screen for balancing selection in this species complex. We used 384 publicly available L. donovani and L. infantum genomes, and sequence 93 isolates of L. infantum from Brazil to describe the global diversity of this species complex. We identify five genetically distinct populations that are sufficiently represented by genomic data to search for signatures of selection. We find that signals of balancing selection are generally not shared between populations, consistent with transient adaptive events, rather than long-term balancing selection. We then apply multiple diversity metrics to identify candidate genes with robust signatures of balancing selection, identifying a curated set of 24 genes with robust signatures. These include zeta toxin, nodulin-like, and flagellum attachment proteins. This study highlights the extent of genetic divergence between L. donovani complex parasites and provides genes for further study.

Epidermal growth factor can signal via ß-catenin to control proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells independently of canonical Wnt signalling.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) maintain bone homeostasis and repair through the ability to expand in response to mitotic stimuli and differentiate into skeletal lineages. Signalling mechanisms that enable precise control of MSC function remain unclear. Here we report that by initially examining differences in signalling pathway expression profiles of individual MSC clones, we identified a previously unrecognised signalling mechanism regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in primary human MSCs. We demonstrate that EGF is able to activate ß-catenin, a key component of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. EGF is able to induce nuclear translocation of ß-catenin in human MSCs but does not drive expression of Wnt target genes or T cell factor (TCF) activity in MSC reporter cell lines. Using an efficient Design of Experiments (DoE) statistical analysis, with different combinations and concentrations of EGF and Wnt ligands, we were able to confirm that EGF does not influence the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in MSCs. We show that the effects of EGF on MSCs are temporally regulated to initiate early "classical" EGF signalling mechanisms (e.g via mitogen activated protein kinase) with delayed activation of ß-catenin. By RNA-sequencing, we identified gene sets that were exclusively regulated by the EGF/ß-catenin pathway, which were distinct from classical EGF-regulated genes. However, subsets of classical EGF gene targets were significantly influenced by EGF/ß-catenin activation. These signalling pathways cooperate to enable EGF-mediated proliferation of MSCs by alleviating the suppression of cell cycle pathways induced by classical EGF signalling.

LIMPRINT in Australia.

Background and Study Objective: Australia was one of nine participating countries in the epidemiology Phase II Lymphoedema Impact and Prevalence - International (LIMPRINT) project to determine the number of people with chronic edema (CO) in local health services. Methods and Results: Data collection occurred through questionnaire-based interviews and clinical assessment with provided LIMPRINT tools. Four different types of services across three states in Australia participated. A total of 222 adults participated with an age range from 22 to 102 years, and 60% were female. Site 1 included three residential care facilities (54% of participants had swelling), site 2 was community-delivered aged care services (24% of participants had swelling), site 3 was a hospital setting (facility-based prevalence study; 28% of participants had swelling), and site 4 was a wound treatment center (specific patient population; 100% of participants had swelling). Of those with CO or secondary lymphedema, 93% were not related to cancer, the lower limbs were affected in 51% of cases, and 18% of participants with swelling reported one or more episodes of cellulitis in the previous year. Wounds were identified in 47% (n = 105) of all participants with more than half of those with wounds coming from the dedicated wound clinic. Leg/foot ulcer was the most common type of wound (65%, n = 68). Conclusions: Distances between services, lack of specialized services, and various state funding models contribute to inequities in CO treatment. Understanding the high number of noncancer-related CO presentations will assist health services to provide timely effective care and improve referral pathways.