Phospho-eIF4E stimulation regulates coronavirus entry by selective expression of cell membrane-residential factors.

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E can regulate cellular translation via phosphorylation on serine 209. In a recent study, by two rounds of TMT relative quantitative proteomics, we found that phosphorylated eIF4E (p-eIF4E) favors the translation of selected mRNAs, and the encoded proteins are mainly involved in ECM-receptor, focal adhesion, and PI3K-Akt signaling. The current paper is focused on the relationship between p-eIF4E and the downstream host cell proteins, and their presumed effect on efficient entry of PEDV. We found that the depletion of membrane-residential factor TSPAN3, CD63, and ITGB2 significantly inhibited viral invasion of PEDV, and reduced the entry of pseudotyped particles PEDV-pp, SARS-CoV-pp, and SARS-CoV-2-pp. The specific antibodies of TSPAN3, CD63, and ITGB2 blocked the adsorption of PEDV into host cells. Moreover, we detected that eIF4E phosphorylation was increased at 1 h after PEDV infection, in accordance with the expression of TSPAN3, CD63, and ITGB2. Similar trends appeared in the intestines of piglets in the early stage of PEDV challenge. Compared with Vero cells, S209A-Vero cells in which eIF4E cannot be phosphorylated showed a decrease of invading PEDV virions. MNK kinase inhibitor blocked PEDV invasion, as well as reduced the accumulation of TSPAN3, CD63, and ITGB2. Further study showed that the ERK-MNK pathway was responsible for the regulation of PEDV-induced early phosphorylation of eIF4E. This paper demonstrates for the first time the connections among p-eIF4E stimulation and membrane-residential host factors. Our findings also enrich the understanding of the biological function of phosphorylated eIF4E during the viral life cycle.IMPORTANCEThe eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E can regulate cellular translation via phosphorylation. In our previous study, several host factors susceptible to a high level of p-eIF4E were found to be conducive to viral infection by coronavirus PEDV. The current paper is focused on cell membrane-residential factors, which are involved in signal pathways that are sensitive to phosphorylated eIF4E. We found that the ERK-MNK pathway was activated, which resulted in the stimulation of phosphorylation of eIF4E in early PEDV infection. Phospho-eIF4E promoted the viral invasion of PEDV by upregulating the expression of host factors TSPAN3, CD63, and ITGB2 at the translation level rather than at the transcription level. Moreover, TSPAN3, CD63, or ITGB2 facilitates the efficient entry of coronavirus SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and HCoV-OC43. Our findings broaden our insights into the dynamic phosphorylation of eIF4E during the viral life cycle, and provide further evidence that phosphorylated eIF4E regulates selective translation of host mRNA.

[Risk factors for ketoacidosis in children/adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and establishment of a predictive model]. / 儿童青少年1åž‹ç³–å°¿ç— æ‚£å„¿å‘ç”Ÿé ®ç—‡é ¸ä¸­æ¯’çš„å±é™©å› ç´ åˆ†æžåŠé¢„æµ‹æ¨¡åž‹çš„å»ºç«‹.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children/adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and to establish a model for predicting the risk of DKA. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 217 children/adolescents with T1DM who were admitted to General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from January 2018 to December 2021. Among the 217 children/adolescents,169 cases with DKA were included as the DKA group and 48 cases without DKA were included as the non-DKA group. The risk factors for DKA in the children/adolescents with T1DM were analyzed, and a nomogram model was established for predicting the risk of DKA in children/adolescents with T1DM. RESULTS: For the 217 children/adolescents with T1DM, the incidence rate of DKA was 77.9% (169/217). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high levels of random blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood ketone body, and triglyceride on admission were closely associated with the development of DKA in the children/adolescents with T1DM (OR=1.156, 3.2031015, 20.131, and 9.519 respectively; P<0.05). The nomogram prediction model had a C-statistic of 0.95, with a mean absolute error of 0.004 between the risk of DKA predicted by the nomogram model and the actual risk of DKA, indicating that the model had a good overall prediction ability. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of random blood glucose, HbA1c, blood ketone body, and triglyceride on admission are closely associated with the development of DKA in children/adolescents with T1DM, and targeted intervention measures should be developed to reduce the risk of DKA.

Small molecule RAF265 as an antiviral therapy acts against HSV-1 by regulating cytoskeleton rearrangement and cellular translation machinery.

Host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) have received increasing attention for their potential as broad-spectrum antivirals that pose relatively low risk of developing drug resistance. The repurposing of pharmaceutical drugs for use as antivirals is emerging as a cost- and time- efficient approach to developing HTAs for the treatment of a variety of viral infections. In this study, we used a virus titer method to screen 30 small molecules for antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). We found that the small molecule RAF265, an anticancer drug that has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of B-RAF V600E, reduced viral loads of HSV-1 by 4 orders of magnitude in Vero cells and reduced virus proliferation in vivo. RAF265 mediated cytoskeleton rearrangement and targeted the host cell's translation machinery, which suggests that the antiviral activity of RAF265 may be attributed to a dual inhibition strategy. This study offers a starting point for further advances toward clinical development of antivirals against HSV-1.

Virus Dynamics and Decay in Evaporating Human Saliva Droplets on Fomites.

The transmission of most respiratory pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, occurs via virus-containing respiratory droplets, and thus, factors that affect virus viability in droplet residues on surfaces are of critical medical and public health importance. Relative humidity (RH) is known to play a role in virus survival, with a U-shaped relationship between RH and virus viability. The mechanisms affecting virus viability in droplet residues, however, are unclear. This study examines the structure and evaporation dynamics of virus-containing saliva droplets on fomites and their impact on virus viability using four model viruses: vesicular stomatitis virus, herpes simplex virus 1, Newcastle disease virus, and coronavirus HCoV-OC43. The results support the hypothesis that the direct contact of antiviral proteins and virions within the "coffee ring" region of the droplet residue gives rise to the observed U-shaped relationship between virus viability and RH. Viruses survive much better at low and high RH, and their viability is substantially reduced at intermediate RH. A phenomenological theory explaining this phenomenon and a quantitative model analyzing and correlating the experimentally measured virus survivability are developed on the basis of the observations. The mechanisms by which RH affects virus viability are explored. At intermediate RH, antiviral proteins have optimal influence on virions because of their largest contact time and overlap area, which leads to the lowest level of virus activity.

[Research Progress of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer].

Breast cancer,one of the common malignant tumors in women,has shown rising incidence in recent years,posing a serious threat to women's health.The advancement of molecular biology facilitates the revealing of the relationships between signaling pathways and breast cancer.Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling pathway plays an important role in the proliferation,survival,differentiation,migration,and apoptosis of breast cancer cells.Strategies targeting the FGFR signaling pathway thus exhibit a promising prospect in breast cancer treatment.

Profile and outcome of receptor conversion in breast cancer metastases: a nation-wide multicenter epidemiological study.

Although receptor status including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) of the primary breast tumors was related to the prognosis of breast cancer patients, little information is yet available on whether patient management and survival are impacted by receptor conversion in breast cancer metastases. Using data from the nation-wide multicenter clinical epidemiology study of advanced breast cancer in China (NCT03047889), we report the situation of retesting ER, PR and HER2 status for breast cancer metastases and evaluate the patient management and prognostic value of receptor conversion. In total, 3295 patients were analyzed and 1583 (48.0%) patients retesting receptor status for metastasis. Discordance in one or more receptors between the primary and the metastatic biopsy was found in 37.7% of women. Patients who remained hormone receptor (HR) positive in their metastases had similar progression-free survival of first-line and second-line treatment compared to patients with HR conversion (P > .05). In multivariate analysis, patients who showed ER conversion from negative to positive had longer disease-free survival (DFS) than patients who remained negative in their metastases (hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45-2.90; P < .001). Patients with PR remained positive and had longer DFS than patients with PR conversion from negative to positive (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.38-0.83; P = .004). Patients with PR conversion have shorter overall survival than patients with PR remained positive or negative (P = .016 and P = .041, respectively). Our findings showed that the receptors' conversions were common in metastatic breast cancer, and the conversion impacted the survival.

Selective regulation in ribosome biogenesis and protein production for efficient viral translation.

As intracellular parasites, viruses depend heavily on host cell structures and their functions to complete their life cycle and produce new viral particles. Viruses utilize or modulate cellular translational machinery to achieve efficient replication; the role of ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis in viral replication particularly highlights the importance of the ribosome quantity and/or quality in controlling viral protein synthesis. Recently reported studies have demonstrated that ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) and ribosomal proteins (RPs) act as multifaceted regulators in selective translation of viral transcripts. Here we summarize the recent literature on RBFs and RPs and their association with subcellular redistribution, post-translational modification, enzyme catalysis, and direct interaction with viral proteins. The advances described in this literature establish a rationale for targeting ribosome production and function in the design of the next generation of antiviral agents.

Application of portable real-time recombinase-aided amplification (rt-RAA) assay in the clinical diagnosis of ASFV and prospective DIVA diagnosis.

African swine fever, a serious infectious disease, has been found in many countries around the world over the last nearly 100 years, and causes untold damage to the economy wherever it occurs. Diagnosis is currently performed by real-time PCR, which is highly sensitive but can only be carried out in a diagnostic laboratory environment with sophisticated equipment and expertise. A sensitive, rapid diagnostic method that can be implemented in agricultural settings is thus urgently needed for the detection and control of African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection. In this study, we developed an isothermal amplification technology to achieve molecular diagnosis of ASFV in clinical samples, using recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay combined with a portable instrument. This assay method avoids the limitations of traditional real-time PCR and offers detection times within 20 min, enabling detection of as few as 10 copies of ASFV DNA molecules per reaction without cross-reaction with other common swine viruses. We evaluated clinical performance using 200 clinical blood samples. The coincidence rate of the detection results between rt-RAA and RT-qPCR was 96.94% positive, 100% negative, and 97.50% total. We have also developed an rt-RAA system for the detection of ASFV targeting the EP402R gene, with detection of as few as 10 copies of DNA per reaction; this offers the possibility of DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) diagnosis, because CD2V gene-deleted ASFV could soon be approved to be the leading candidate for live attenuated vaccine in China. The rt-RAA assay is a reliable, rapid, highly sensitive method, and it offers a reasonable alternative to RT-qPCR for point-of-care detection of ASFV. KEY POINTS: • The RT-RAA assay can detect as few as 10 copies of ASFV genome per reaction within 20 min. • The rt-RAA assay system targeting different genes can achieve differentiating infected from vaccinated diagnosis.

Potential mechanism of primary resistance to icotinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring uncommon mutant epidermal growth factor receptor: A multi-center study.

The incidence of epidermal growth factor receptor uncommon mutation (EGFRum) is relatively low and patients harboring EGFRum are resistant to the first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). However, the mechanism of primary resistance remains unclear. Medical records of 98 patients who had never been treated by TKI and who accepted icotinib treatment were collected and followed. The circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) were detected and analyzed using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform after progression on icotinib. The potential primary resistance mechanism of icotinib was explored. A total of 21 (21.4%) and 48 (49%) patients developed primary and acquired resistance to icotinib, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) of primary resistance patients was 1.8 months (0.5-2.3, 95% CI = 1.50-2.10). Before treatment, 52.4% (11/21) of patients carried S768I, 23.8% (5/21) L861Q, 14.3% (3/21) G719X and 14.3% (3/21) exon 20-ins mutations. Approximately 23.8% (5/21) of patients harbored the combined pattern mutations and 76.2% (16/21) of patients harbored the single pattern mutations. The combined pattern with EGFR classical mutation (EGFRcm) had worse PFS than the combined with EGFRum and single pattern (P < .05). There were 6 (28.57%) patients with acquired EGFR extracellular domain mutation, 5 (23.81%) with BCL2L11 loss (BIM deletion polymorphism), 3 (14.29%) with MET amplification, 1 (4.76%) with ERBB2 amplification, 1 (4.76%) with MYC amplification, 1 (4.76%) with PTEN mutation, 1 (4.76%) with PIK3CA mutation and 3 (14.29%) with unknown status. EGFR extracellular domain mutation, BCL2L11 loss, PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway (PTEN and PIK3CA mutations), MET amplification, ERBB2 amplification or MYC amplification might contribute to molecular mechanisms of primary resistance to icotinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring uncommon mutant epidermal growth factor receptor. Combined targeted therapy or chemotherapy should be considered in this population.

Three kinds of treatment with Homoharringtonine, Hydroxychloroquine or shRNA and their combination against coronavirus PEDV in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) of the family Coronaviridae has caused substantial economic losses in the swine husbandry industry. There's currently no specific drug available for treatment of coronaviruses or PEDV. METHOD: In the current study, we use coronavirus PEDV as a model to study antiviral agents. Briefly, a fusion inhibitor tHR2, recombinant lentivirus-delivered shRNAs targeted to conserved M and N sequences, homoharringtonine (HHT), and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were surveyed for their antiviral effects. RESULTS: Treatment with HCQ at 50 µM and HHT at 150 nM reduced virus titer in TCID50 by 30 and 3.5 fold respectively, and the combination reduced virus titer in TCID50 by 200 fold. CONCLUSION: Our report demonstrates that the combination of HHT and HCQ exhibited higher antiviral activity than either HHT or HCQ exhibited. The information may contribute to the development of antiviral strategies effective in controlling PEDV infection.

Plasma cell-free DNA chromosomal instability analysis by low-pass whole-genome sequencing to monitor breast cancer relapse.

BACKGROUND: Chromosomal instabilities (CIN) of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are common in breast cancer. We aimed to investigate the value of cfDNA CIN in monitoring the breast cancer relapse and additionally to compare it with the traditional biomarkers (CA15-3 and CEA). METHODS: Overall 62 recurrent breast cancer patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Low-pass whole-genome sequencing (LPWGS) was performed to detect cfDNA CIN. A CIN score was calculated. The performance of CA15-3, CEA, and CIN score in monitoring the recurrence was investigated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under curve (AUC). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was established to analyze the correlations between copy number gain/loss and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: cfDNA CIN achieved the positive rate of 77.6% [(95% confidence interval (CI) 73.4-95.3%)] among recurrent breast cancer patients, with an AUC value of 0.933, superior to CA15-3 (positive rate: 38.7%; AUC: 0.864) and CEA (positive rate: 41.93%; AUC: 0.878) (P < 0.01). The combination of cfDNA CIN with two biomarkers further increased the positive rate to 88.7% (95% confidence interval 77.5-95.0%). cfDNA CIN achieved better performance in patients with shorter DFS (≤ 41 months), with an AUC value of 0.975. CONCLUSIONS: cfDNA CIN yields a higher accuracy in monitoring breast cancer recurrence compared to traditional biomarkers (CA15-3 and CEA), especially for biomarker-negative patients. The combination of cfDNA CIN to traditional biomarkers further improved the detection rate of recurrence, which may provide a new method for monitoring the early relapse of breast cancer, though further investigations are warranted.

Targeting nuclear proteins for control of viral replication.

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that exploit host cell machineries for replication. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of host cell nuclear proteins whose translocation from the nucleus to cytoplasm is induced and utilized by viruses to support viral replication and infection. Utilization of nuclear proteins for viral replication and infection involves disruption of nuclear import, enhancement of nuclear export, removal of nuclear localization signal (NLS) from nuclear proteins and alteration of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) to cooperatively support viral replication. Understanding of nucleo-cytoplasmic transport system, and associated mechanisms, utilized by viruses will advance therapeutic development of strategies to produce optimal antiviral agents effective in control of viral diseases.

Comprehensive mutation detection of BRCA1/2 genes reveals large genomic rearrangements contribute to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: Mutated BRCA1/2 genes are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). So far most of the identified BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants are single nucleotide variants (SNVs) or insertions/deletions (Indels). However, large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) such as copy number variants (CNVs) are also playing an important role in HBOC predisposition. Their frequency and spectrum have been well studied in western populations but remain largely unknown for Chinese population. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 218 unrelated familial breast and/or ovarian cancer (FBOC) patients living in Eastern China. PCR-based Sanger sequencing and panel-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed to detect pathogenic SNVs and Indels in BRCA1/2 genes. For the patients lacking small pathogenic variants, multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay was conducted to screen for LGRs. RESULTS: In total, we identified 44 samples (20.1%) carrying small pathogenic variants (26 in BRCA1 and 18 in BRCA2, respectively). Among the rest of 174 samples, five were found carrying novel deleterious LGRs in BRCA1 which are exon5-7dup (1 patient), exon13-14dup (2 patients), and exon1-22del (2 patients). No LGR was found in BRCA2. Overall, LGRs accounted for 16.1% (5/31) of BRCA1 pathogenic variants, and were detected in 2.3% (5/218) of all FBOC patients. , CONCLUSIONS: LGR variants in BRCA1 gene play a significant role in Chinese HBOC patients. MLPA or other similar LGR-detecting methods should be recommended along with nucleotide sequencing as the initial screening approach for Chinese HBOC women.

Utidelone plus capecitabine versus capecitabine alone for heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer refractory to anthracyclines and taxanes: a multicentre, open-label, superiority, phase 3, randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Utidelone, a genetically engineered epothilone analogue, has shown promise as a potential treatment for breast cancer in phase 1 and 2 trials. The aim of this phase 3 trial was to compare the efficacy and safety of utidelone plus capecitabine versus capecitabine alone in patients with metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: We did a multicentre, open-label, superiority, phase 3, randomised controlled trial in 26 hospitals in China. Eligible participants were female patients with metastatic breast cancer refractory to anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy regimens. We randomly assigned participants (2:1) using computer based randomisation and block sizes of 6 to a 21-day cycle of either utidelone (30 mg/m2 intravenously once per day on days 1-5) plus capecitabine (1000 mg/m2 orally twice per day on days 1-14), or capecitabine alone (1250 mg/m2 orally twice per day on days 1-14), until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. Patients, physicians, and assessors were not masked to treatment allocation; however, an independent radiology review committee used to additionally assess response was masked to allocation. The primary endpoint was centrally assessed (by an independent radiology review committee) progression-free survival, and analysed using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed in all participants who received at least one dose of study drug. Follow-up is ongoing. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02253459. FINDINGS: Between Aug 8, 2014, and Dec 14, 2015, we enrolled and randomly assigned 270 patients to treatment with utidelone plus capecitabine, and 135 to capecitabine alone. Median follow-up for progression-free survival was 6·77 months (IQR 3·81-10·32) for the utidelone plus capecitabine group and 4·55 months (2·55-9·39) for the capecitabine alone group. Median progression-free survival by central review in the utidelone plus capecitabine group was 8·44 months (95% CI 7·95-9·92) compared with 4·27 months (3·22-5·68) in the capecitabine alone group; hazard ratio 0·46, 95% CI 0·36-0·59; p<0·0001. Peripheral neuropathy was the most common grade 3 adverse event in the utidelone plus capecitabine group (58 [22%] of 267 patients vs 1 [<1%] of 130 patients in the capecitabine alone group). Palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia was the most prominent grade 3 adverse event in the capacitabine alone group (in 10 [8%] of 130 patients) and was the next most frequent grade 3 event in the utidelone plus capecitabine group (in 18 [7%] of 267 patients). 16 serious adverse events were reported in the combination therapy group (diarrhoea was the most common, in three [1%] patients) and 14 serious adverse events were reported in the monotherapy group (the most common were diarrhoea, increased blood bilirubin, and anaemia, in two [2%] patients for each event). 155 patients died (99 in the combination therapy arm, 56 in the monotherapy arm). All deaths were related to disease progression except for one in each group (attributed to pericardial effusion in the combination therapy group and dyspnoea in the monotherapy group) that were considered possibly or probably treatment-related. INTERPRETATION: Despite disease progression with previous chemotherapies, utidelone plus capecitabine was more efficacious compared with capecitabine alone for the outcome of progression-free survival, with mild toxicity except for peripheral sensory neuropathy, which was manageable. The findings from this study support the use of utidelone plus capecitabine as an effective option for patients with metastatic breast cancer. FUNDING: Beijing Biostar Technologies, Beijing, China.

Novel germline mutations and unclassified variants of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in Chinese women with familial breast/ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes greatly increase a woman's risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. The prevalence and distribution of such mutations differ across races/ethnicities. Several studies have investigated Chinese women with high-risk breast cancer, but the full spectrum of the mutations in these two genes remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, 133 unrelated Chinese women with familial breast/ovarian cancer living in Zhejiang, eastern China, were enrolled between the years 2008 and 2014. The complete coding regions and exon-intron boundaries of BRCA1 and BRCA2 were screened by PCR-sequencing assay. Haplotype analysis was performed to confirm BRCA1 and BRCA2 founder mutations. In silico predictions were performed to identify the non-synonymous amino acid changes that were likely to disrupt the functions of BRCA1 and BRCA2. RESULTS: A total of 23 deleterious mutations were detected in the two genes in 31 familial breast/ovarian cancer patients with a total mutation frequency of 23.3% (31/133). The highest frequency of 50.0% (8/16) was found in breast cancer patients with a history of ovarian cancer. The frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations were 13.5 % (18/133) and 9.8% (13/133), respectively. We identified five novel deleterious mutations (c.3295delC, c.3780_3781delAG, c.4063_4066delAATC, c.5161 > T and c.5173insA) in BRCA1 and seven (c.1-40delGA, c.4487delC, c.469_473delAAGTC, c.5495delC, c.6141T > A, c.6359C > G and c.7588C > T) in BRCA2, which accounted for 52.2% (12/23) of the total mutations. Six recurrent mutations were found, including four (c.3780_3781delAG, c.5154G > A, c.5468-1del8 and c.5470_5477del8) in BRCA1 and two (c.3109C > T and c.5682C > G) in BRCA2. Two recurrent BRCA1 mutations (c.5154G > A and c.5468-1del8) were identified as putative founder mutations. We also found 11 unclassified variants, and nine of these are novel. The possibility was that each of the non-synonymous amino acid changes would disrupt the function of BRCA1 and BRCA2 varied according to the different algorithms used. CONCLUSIONS: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations accounted for a considerable proportion of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer patients from eastern China and the spectrum of the mutations of these two genes exhibited some unique features. The two BRCA1 putative founder mutations may provide a cost-effective option to screen Chinese population, while founder effects of the two mutations should be investigated in a lager sample size of patients.

Cisplatin plus gemcitabine versus paclitaxel plus gemcitabine as first-line therapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (CBCSG006): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Platinum chemotherapy has a role in the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer but its full potential has probably not yet been reached. We assessed whether a cisplatin plus gemcitabine regimen was non-inferior to or superior to paclitaxel plus gemcitabine as first-line therapy for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS: For this open-label, randomised, phase 3, hybrid-designed trial undertaken at 12 institutions or hospitals in China, we included Chinese patients aged 18-70 years with previously untreated, histologically confirmed metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, and an ECOG performance status of 0-1. These patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either cisplatin plus gemcitabine (cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1 and gemcitabine 1250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) or paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) on day 1 and gemcitabine 1250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) given intravenously every 3 weeks for a maximum of eight cycles. Randomisation was done centrally via an interactive web response system using block randomisation with a size of eight, with no stratification factors. Patients and investigator were aware of group assignments. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival and analyses were based on all patients who received at least one dose of assigned treatment. The margin used to establish non-inferiority was 1·2. If non-inferiority of cisplatin plus gemcitabine compared with paclitaxel plus gemcitabine was achieved, we would then test for superiority. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01287624. FINDINGS: From Jan 14, 2011, to Nov 14, 2013, 240 patients were assessed for eligibility and randomly assigned to treatment (120 in the cisplatin plus gemcitabine group and 120 in the paclitaxel plus gemcitabine group). 236 patients received at least one dose of assigned chemotherapy and were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis (118 per group). After a median follow-up of 16·3 months (IQR 14·4-26·8) in the cisplatin plus gemcitabine group and 15·9 months (10·7-25·4) in the paclitaxel plus gemcitabine group, the hazard ratio for progression-free survival was 0·692 (95% CI 0·523-0·915; pnon-inferiority<0·0001, psuperiority=0·009, thus cisplatin plus gemcitabine was both non-inferior to and superior to paclitaxel plus gemcitabine. Median progression-free survival was 7·73 months (95% CI 6·16-9·30) in the cisplatin plus gemcitabine group and 6·47 months (5·76-7·18) in the paclitaxel plus gemcitabine group. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events that differed significantly between the two groups included nausea (eight [7%] vs one [<1%]), vomiting (13 [11%] vs one [<1%]), musculoskeletal pain (none vs ten [8%]), anaemia (39 [33%] vs six [5%]), and thrombocytopenia (38 [32%] vs three [3%]), for the cisplatin plus gemcitabine compared with the paclitaxel plus gemcitabine groups, respectively. In addition, patients in the cisplatin plus gemcitabine group had significantly fewer events of grade 1-4 alopecia (12 [10%] vs 42 [36%]) and peripheral neuropathy (27 [23%] vs 60 [51%]), but more grade 1-4 anorexia (33 [28%] vs 10 [8%]), constipation (29 [25%] vs 11 [9%]), hypomagnesaemia (27 [23%] vs five [4%]), and hypokalaemia (10 [8%] vs two [2%]). Serious drug-related adverse events were seen in three patients in the paclitaxel plus gemcitabine group (interstitial pneumonia, anaphylaxis, and severe neutropenia) and four in the cisplatin plus gemcitabine group (pathological bone fracture, thrombocytopenia with subcutaneous haemorrhage, severe anaemia, and cardiogenic syncope). There were no treatment-related deaths. INTERPRETATION: Cisplatin plus gemcitabine could be an alternative or even the preferred first-line chemotherapy strategy for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. FUNDING: Shanghai Natural Science Foundation.

A cholesterol tag at the N terminus of the relatively broad-spectrum fusion inhibitory peptide targets an earlier stage of fusion glycoprotein activation and increases the peptide's antiviral potency in vivo.

In previous work, we designed peptides that showed potent inhibition of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infections in chicken embryos. In this study, we demonstrate that peptides modified with cholesterol or 3 U of polyethylene glycol (PEG3) conjugated to the peptides' N termini showed even more promising antiviral activities when tested in animal models. Both cholesterol- and cholesterol-PEG3-tagged peptides were able to protect chicken embryos from infection with different serotypes of NDV and IBV when administered 12 h prior to virus inoculation. In comparison, the untagged peptides required intervention closer to the time of viral inoculation to achieve a similar level of protection. Intramuscular injection of cholesterol-tagged peptide at 1.6 mg/kg 1 day before virus infection and then three times at 3-day intervals after viral inoculation protected 70% of the chickens from NDV infection. We further demonstrate that the cholesterol-tagged peptide has an in vivo half-life greater than that of untagged peptides. It also has the potential to cross the blood-brain barrier to enter the avian central nervous system (CNS). Finally, we show that the cholesterol-tagged peptide could play a role before the viral fusion peptide's insertion into the host cell and thereby target an earlier stage of fusion glycoprotein activation. Our findings are of importance for the further development of antivirals with broad-spectrum protective effects.

Case report: Emerging BRCA mutation confers benefit from olaparib after chemotherapy intolerance in advanced triple-negative breast cancer.

Key Clinical Message: In a patient with metastatic breast cancer, an acquired BRCA mutation in the BRCA gene was detected, resulting in benefits from olaparib treatment. This underscores the importance of ongoing genetic phenotype testing after paclitaxel chemotherapy. Abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with a poor prognosis and elevated mortality risk. BRCA mutations are commonly regarded as prevalent mutations in TNBC patients, strongly associated with congenital familial heredity. Dynamic changes in mutation sites, however, are rarely reported. In this case report, we report a 59-year-old TNBC patient who developed pulmonary metastases post-chemoradiotherapy. No BRCA mutations were detected through NGS. After 7.6 months of nab-paclitaxel treatment, the patient experienced progression of lung metastases, and BRCA mutations were detected through NGS testing. Subsequent administration of olaparib resulted in a reduction in lung metastasis, demonstrating significant therapeutic efficacy. This case underscores the infrequent occurrence of treatment-induced BRCA mutations and emphasizes the significance of dynamic NGS genetic testing for real-time assessment of a patient's mutational status.

Calmodulin-like 5 promotes PEDV replication by regulating late-endosome synthesis and innate immune response.

The infection caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is associated with high mortality in piglets worldwide. Host factors involved in the efficient replication of PEDV, however, remain largely unknown. Our recent proteomic study in the virus-host interaction network revealed a significant increase in the accumulation of CALML5 (EF-hand protein calmodulin-like 5) following PEDV infection. A further study unveiled a biphasic increase of CALML5 in 2 and 12 â€‹h after viral infection. Similar trends were observed in the intestines of piglets in the early and late stages of the PEDV challenge. Moreover, CALML5 depletion reduced PEDV mRNA and protein levels, leading to a one-order-of-magnitude decrease in virus titer. At the early stage of PEDV infection, CALML5 affected the endosomal trafficking pathway by regulating the expression of endosomal sorting complex related cellular proteins. CALML5 depletion also suppressed IFN-ß and IL-6 production in the PEDV-infected cells, thereby indicating its involvement in negatively regulating the innate immune response. Our study reveals the biological function of CALML5 in the virology field and offers new insights into the PEDV-host cell interaction.

Lineage-specific gene duplication and expansion of DUF1216 gene family in Brassicaceae.

Proteins containing domain of unknown function (DUF) are prevalent in eukaryotic genome. The DUF1216 proteins possess a conserved DUF1216 domain resembling to the mediator protein of Arabidopsis RNA polymerase II transcriptional subunit-like protein. The DUF1216 family are specifically existed in Brassicaceae, however, no comprehensive evolutionary analysis of DUF1216 genes have been performed. We performed a first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of DUF1216 proteins in Brassicaceae. Totally 284 DUF1216 genes were identified in 27 Brassicaceae species and classified into four subfamilies on the basis of phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of gene structure and conserved motifs revealed that DUF1216 genes within the same subfamily exhibited similar intron/exon patterns and motif composition. The majority members of DUF1216 genes contain a signal peptide in the N-terminal, and the ninth position of the signal peptide in most DUF1216 is cysteine. Synteny analysis revealed that segmental duplication is a major mechanism for expanding of DUF1216 genes in Brassica oleracea, Brassica juncea, Brassica napus, Lepidium meyneii, and Brassica carinata, while in Arabidopsis thaliana and Capsella rubella, tandem duplication plays a major role in the expansion of the DUF1216 gene family. The analysis of Ka/Ks (non-synonymous substitution rate/synonymous substitution rate) ratios for DUF1216 paralogous indicated that most of gene pairs underwent purifying selection. DUF1216 genes displayed a specifically high expression in reproductive tissues in most Brassicaceae species, while its expression in Brassica juncea was specifically high in root. Our studies offered new insights into the phylogenetic relationships, gene structures and expressional patterns of DUF1216 members in Brassicaceae, which provides a foundation for future functional analysis.