Mage transposon: a novel gene delivery system for mammalian cells.

Transposons, as non-viral integration vectors, provide a secure and efficient method for stable gene delivery. In this study, we have discovered Mage (MG), a novel member of the piggyBac(PB) family, which exhibits strong transposability in a variety of mammalian cells and primary T cells. The wild-type MG showed a weaker insertion preference for near genes, transcription start sites (TSS), CpG islands, and DNaseI hypersensitive sites in comparison to PB, approaching the random insertion pattern. Utilizing in silico virtual screening and feasible combinatorial mutagenesis in vitro, we effectively produced the hyperactive MG transposase (hyMagease). This variant boasts a transposition rate 60% greater than its native counterpart without significantly altering its insertion pattern. Furthermore, we applied the hyMagease to efficiently deliver chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) into T cells, leading to stable high-level expression and inducing significant anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in xenograft mice models. These findings provide a compelling tool for gene transfer research, emphasizing its potential and prospects in the domains of genetic engineering and gene therapy.

Mutation in NPPA causes atrial fibrillation by activating inflammation and cardiac fibrosis in a knock-in rat model.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects >30 million individuals worldwide. However, no genetic mutation from human patients with AF has been linked to inflammation. Here, we show that AF-associated human variant p.Ile138Thr in natriuretic peptide A (NPPA) encoding the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) causes inflammation, fibroblast activation, atrial fibrosis, and AF in knock-in (KI) rats. Variant p.Ile138Thr inhibits the interaction between ANP and its receptor natriuretic peptide receptor A and reduces intracellular cGMP levels. RNA sequencing and follow-up analyses showed that mutant ANP (mANP) activates multiple innate immunity pathways, including TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-1ß signaling. mANP induces differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) to myofibroblasts and promotes CF proliferation and fibrosis. These results suggest that NPPA variant p.Ile138Thr causes AF by activating TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-1ß signaling, inflammation, and fibrosis. Multiple computational programs suggest that p.Ile138Thr is damaging or deleterious. Based on the 2015 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Standards and Guidelines, p.Ile138Thr can be classified as a likely pathogenic variant. Variant p.Ile138Thr was found only in Asian people in the Genome Aggregation Database and Exome Aggregation Consortium database at an averaged frequency of 0.026%. An estimated 1.15 million Asian people carry the variant and might be at risk of AF. The KI rats may provide an inflammation-based, genetic animal model for AF valuable for testing anti-inflammation or other therapies for AF.-Cheng, C., Liu, H., Tan, C., Tong, D., Zhao, Y., Liu, X., Si, W., Wang, L., Liang, L., Li, J., Wang, C., Chen, Q., Du, Y., Wang, Q. K., Ren, X. Mutation in NPPA causes atrial fibrillation by activating inflammation and cardiac fibrosis in a knock-in rat model.

[Identification and analysis of the NAC transcription factor family in Triticum urartu].

NAC transcription factors are one of plant-specific gene families with diverse functions, and they regulate plant development, organ formation and stress responses. Currently, the researches about NAC transcription factors mainly focus on model plants, Arabidopsis and rice, whereas such studies are hardly reported in wheat and other plants. In this study, the full-length coding sequences (CDS) of NAC transcription factors from Triticum urartu (TuNAC) were identified through bioinformatic analysis. Their biological function, evolutionary relationship, gene duplication and chromosomal locations were further predicted and analyzed. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was used to verify the expression pattern of abiotic-related TuNAC transcription factors. A total of 87 TuNAC transcription factors with full-length CDS were identified, which were divided into seven subgroups through phylogenetic analysis. Thirty-nine TuNAC transcription factors were located on seven chromosomes, and five pairs of TuNAC transcription factors were duplicated. The expression of four TuNAC transcription factors was consistently increased under diverse abiotic stress by qRT-PCR assay. Our study thus provides basis for further functional investigations of TuNAC transcription factors.

Proteomic profiling analysis reveals that glutathione system plays important roles responding to osmotic stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots.

Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world, and osmotic stress has become one of the main factors affecting wheat production. Understanding the mechanism of the response of wheat to osmotic stress would be greatly significant. In the present study, isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) was used to analyze the changes of protein expression in the wheat roots exposed to different osmotic stresses. A total of 2,228 expressed proteins, including 81 differentially expressed proteins, between osmotic stress and control, were found. The comprehensive analysis of these differentially expressed proteins revealed that osmotic stress increased the variety of expressed proteins and suppressed the quantity of expressed proteins in wheat roots. Furthermore, the proteins for detoxifying and reactive oxygen species scavenging, especially the glutathione system, played important roles in maintaining organism balance in response to osmotic stress in wheat roots. Thus, the present study comprehensively describes the protein expression changes in wheat roots in response to osmotic stress, providing firmer foundation to further study the mechanism of osmotic resistance in wheat.