Article
Biology
Ting Tang, Naili Zhang, Franca J. Bongers, Michael Staab, Andreas Schuldt, Felix Fornoff, Hong Lin, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Andrew L. Hipp, Shan Li, Yu Liang, Baocai Han, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Helge Bruelheide, Walter Durka, Bernhard Schmid, Keping Ma, Xiaojuan Liu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of plant genetic diversity on plant productivity, and finds that tree species diversity increases tree productivity through increased tree functional diversity and reduced soil fungal diversity. Additionally, in mixed tree species plantations, tree genetic diversity has a positive effect on productivity.
Article
Ecology
Nicholas M. A. Crouch, David Jablonski
Summary: Understanding the relationship between species richness and genetic diversity is a continuous challenge. This study uses avian functional traits and genetic sequences to investigate whether increasing species richness affects morphological space occupation or decreases genetic diversity. The results suggest that higher species richness does not necessarily lead to morphological space occupation or reduced genetic diversity.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jianfang Ning, Noah Gavil, Shaoping Wu, Sathi Wijeyesinghe, Eyob Weyu, Jun Ma, Ming Li, Florina-Nicoleta Grigore, Sanjay Dhawan, Alexander G. J. Skorput, Shawn C. Musial, Clark C. Chen, David Masopust, Pamela C. Rosato
Summary: This study reveals the presence of virus-specific memory T cells expressing tissue-resident markers in the immune microenvironment of glioblastoma. Reactivation of these cells through intratumoral delivery of virus-derived peptides leads to local immune activation and antineoplastic effects.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Luciano Galdieri, Arijita Jash, Olga Malkova, Diane D. Mao, Patrick A. DeSouza, Yunli E. Chu, Amber Salter, Jian L. Campian, Kristen M. Naegle, Cameron W. Brennan, Hiroaki Wakimoto, Stephen T. Oh, Albert H. Kim, Milan G. Chheda
Summary: The study identified 15 distinct GSC subpopulations in patients with GBM, showing differences in signaling pathways and functional capacity. GSCs highly expressing all 4 surface markers exhibited the greatest self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity in vivo. Additional research with larger patient samples and antibody panels is needed to validate these findings.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vid Mlakar, Patricia Huezo-Diaz Curtis, Marc Armengol, Victor Ythier, Isabelle Dupanloup, Khalil Ben Hassine, Laurence Lesne, Rabih Murr, Simona Jurkovic Mlakar, Tiago Nava, Marc Ansari
Summary: The study investigated the distribution of GSTA1 promoter haplotypes in different human populations, revealing new haplotypes in the African population. Pairwise FST analysis and LRA experiments confirmed the impact of different SNPs on GSTA1 expression, with the most significant effects observed at positions -52 and -69.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Wen-yuan Zhou, Hua Wen, Ya-jie Li, Lu Gao, Sheng-qi Rao, Zhen-quan Yang, Guo-qiang Zhu
Summary: This study analyzed the genetic diversity of 91 Salmonella bacteriophages at the genomic, structural, and gene content levels. Different phage clusters were found to harbor distinct genes associated with host cell lysis, DNA packaging, and DNA metabolism. This research provides a better understanding of the genetic diversity and functional modules of Salmonella phages.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Sonal Srivastava, Vandana Anand, Jasvinder Kaur, Manish Ranjan, Vidisha Bist, Mehar Hasan Asif, Suchi Srivastava
Summary: This study discovered the abundance of Pseudomonas genera as high phosphate accumulators in soil. The presence of functional genes (polyphosphate kinase [ppk] and exopolyphosphatase [ppx]) in all PAB indicates their importance in polyphosphate metabolism in bacteria. Genetic and functional diversity reveals conservation of the ppx gene at the species level. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between PAB and plant growth promotary traits, stress tolerance, and salinity stress alleviation in A. thaliana.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew Tegtmeyer, Ralda Nehme
Summary: Since the discovery of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) technologies, they have rapidly expanded beyond investigative research to drug discovery and development. However, there are still limitations to the utility of hPSC models. This review highlights the importance of diversifying hPSC collections, selecting therapeutically relevant models, increasing the scale of cell-based studies, and understanding genetic biases and the impact of sex and ancestry. The next decade of hPSC innovation is expected to provide vast insights into human disease and develop safe therapies for diverse populations.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Jon Gil-Ranedo, Carlos Gallego-Garcia, Jose M. Almendral
Summary: This study delves into the genetic and functional heterogeneity of human glioblastoma stem cells in response to non-pathogenic mouse parvoviruses. The study reveals that the viral NS1 protein triggers DNA damage response and cell cycle arrest in GSCs, potentially opening up new possibilities for viral therapies against glioblastoma.
Article
Cell Biology
Wanjing Huang, Qiang Xu, Jing Su, Lei Tang, Zhao-zhe Hao, Chuan Xu, Ruifeng Liu, Yuhui Shen, Xuan Sang, Nana Xu, Xiaoxiu Tie, Zhichao Miao, Xialin Liu, Ying Xu, Feng Liu, Yizhi Liu, Sheng Liu
Summary: In this study, we characterized the transcriptomic, morphological, and functional features of 472 high-quality RGCs using Patch-seq. The findings provide functional and morphological annotation for different transcriptomic-defined cell types in a previously established RGC atlas. The research highlights the convergence of different modalities in defining RGC identity and identifies differentially expressed genes among RGC subtypes, which could serve as candidate marker genes for functional studies.
Article
Microbiology
Xiao-Dong Dong, Yan Li, Ying Li, Cong Sun, Shang-Xin Liu, Hao Duan, Run Cui, Qian Zhong, Yong-Gao Mou, Le Wen, Bo Yang, Mu-Sheng Zeng, Min-Hua Luo, Hua Zhang
Summary: This study found that EphA2 is a crucial cell factor associated with human glioblastoma and correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, EphA2 was shown to mediate HCMV infection of glioblastoma cells through binding to HCMV gH/gL complex. Therefore, EphA2 could be a potential target for intervention in HCMV infection.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jason C. Hyun, Jonathan M. Monk, Bernhard O. Palsson
Summary: With the growth of publicly available genome sequences, comparative pangenomics methods have provided valuable insights into genetic diversity across multiple species. The study found that pangenome openness is associated with species' phylogenetic placement, gene function and frequency relationships are conserved across species, core genomes have high sequence diversity and functional diversity, and certain protein domains are consistently mutation enriched across multiple species.
Review
Oncology
Hyun Jung Kim, Jung Won Park, Jeong Ho Lee
Summary: This study explores the pathogenesis and cell-of-origin of glioblastoma (GBM). It is suggested that GBM may originate from somatic mutations in neural stem cells and glial precursor cells. Further research will aid in understanding the evolution of GBMs and developing effective targets for treatment.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Selva Rupa Christinal Immanuel, Avinash D. Ghanate, Dharmeshkumar S. Parmar, Ritu Yadav, Riya Uthup, Venkateswarlu Panchagnula, Anu Raghunathan
Summary: The study revealed differential metabolic responses to TMZ in resistant neurospheroidal and susceptible glioblastoma cell lines, with identified mutations in signaling pathway regulators of growth and energy metabolism. Using an integrated approach, rewiring in glycolysis, TCA cycle, malate aspartate shunt, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways were identified as key factors in shaping TMZ resistance. Differential killing of TMZ resistant NSP by Rotenone at low concentrations, with an IC50 value three orders of magnitude lower than in U87MG, highlights the effectiveness of the integrated systems-based approach.
NPJ SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
A. Macurkova, L. Maryska, B. Jindrichova, T. Drobnikova, B. Vrchotova, R. Pospichalova, K. Zaruba, T. Hubacek, J. Siegel, L. Burketova, P. Lovecka, O. Valentova
Summary: Silver and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used as antimicrobial agents, entering the soil ecosystem and affecting soil microbial communities. This study found that the effects of AgNPs on soil microbiota are dose-dependent, resulting in changes in genetic and functional diversity, particularly impacting certain microbial taxa. High concentrations of AgNPs led to reduced microbial community ability to utilize carbon substrates, altered enzyme activity, and potential negative effects on soil fertility. The presence of plants in experimental soil had both mitigating and exacerbating effects on AgNPs toxicity, possibly due to the influence of AgNPs on microbial community selection.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamad Hossein Pourhanifeh, Kazem Abbaszadeh-Goudarzi, Mohammad Goodarzi, Sara G. M. Piccirillo, Alimohammad Shafiee, Sarah Hajighadimi, Sanaz Moradizarmehri, Zatollah Asemi, Hamed Mirzaei
Summary: Melanoma, the most life-threatening skin malignancy, has steadily increasing incidence. Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes, exhibits anti-cancer properties but requires more clinical trials for efficacy validation.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Yuzhe Shi, Melanie C. Beckett, Helen J. Blair, Ricky Tirtakusuma, Sirintra Nakjang, Amir Enshaei, Christina Halsey, Josef Vormoor, Olaf Heidenreich, Anja Krippner-Heidenreich, Frederik W. van Delft
Summary: The study identified the critical role of LCK in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cell proliferation, with combination therapy of LCK inhibition with dasatinib (DAS) leading to cell death, which was enhanced by dexamethasone (DEX). These findings provide a strategy to improve the efficacy of current chemotherapy and overcome glucocorticoid resistance in high-risk T-ALL patients.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Vivek Tiwari, Tomoyuki Mashimo, Zhongxu An, Vamsidhara Vemireddy, Sara Piccirillo, Pegah Askari, Keith M. Hulsey, Shanrong Zhang, Robin A. de Graaf, Toral R. Patel, Edward Pan, Bruce E. Mickey, Elizabeth A. Maher, Robert M. Bachoo, Changho Choi
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Hematology
Ing S. Tiong, Richard Dillon, Adam Ivey, Tse-Chieh Teh, Phillip Nguyen, Nicholas Cummings, David C. Taussig, Annie-Louise Latif, Nicola E. Potter, Manohursingh Runglall, Nigel H. Russell, Kavita Raj, Anthony P. Schwarer, Chun Yew Fong, Andrew P. Grigg, Andrew H. Wei
Summary: This study demonstrates the significant efficacy of venetoclax-based therapy in reducing the risk of relapse in patients with persistent or rising NPM1(mut) MRD.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Hematology
Richard Dillon, Nicola Potter, Sylvie Freeman, Nigel Russell
Summary: Recent years have seen significant advances in the use of molecular diagnostic and monitoring techniques for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), coupled with the development of new therapeutic agents. This has led to potential improvements in treatment algorithms. The article highlights the importance of molecular monitoring in refining clinical decision-making and personalizing treatment for AML patients, with practical recommendations provided for cases where evidence is lacking or conflicting. Additionally, important technical considerations for clinicians to safely utilize these technologies are reviewed as they become more widely implemented.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2021)
Letter
Oncology
Richard Dillon, Matthew J. Ahearne, Lynn Quek, Nicola Potter, Jelena Jovanovic, Nicola Foot, Mikel Valganon, Sandrine Jayne, Mike Dennis, Kavita Raj, Sudhir Tauro, Martin J. S. Dyer, Nigel Russell, Ellen Solomon, David Grimwade
Article
Hematology
Ing S. Tiong, Richard Dillon, Adam Ivey, James A. Kuzich, Nisha Thiagarajah, Kirsty M. Sharplin, Chung Hoow Kok, Aditya Tedjaseputra, James P. Rowland, Carolyn S. Grove, Emad Abro, Jake Shortt, Devendra K. Hiwase, Ashish Bajel, Nicola E. Potter, Matthew L. Smith, Claire J. Hemmaway, Abin Thomas, Amanda F. Gilkes, Nigel H. Russell, Andrew H. Wei
Summary: Monitoring of NPM1 mutant measurable residual disease in AML patients treated with intensive chemotherapy is crucial. Persistence of low copy number MRD post-treatment is associated with disease progression, with preemptive salvage therapy showing significant benefits. Risk factors for disease progression include FLT3-internal tandem duplication at diagnosis and suboptimal MRD response at EOT.
Letter
Hematology
Sun Loo, Richard Dillon, Adam Ivey, Natasha S. Anstee, Jad Othman, Ing Soo Tiong, Nicola Potter, Jelena Jovanovic, Manohursingh Runglall, Chyn Chua Chong, Ashish Bajel, David Ritchie, Kelli Gray, Zhi Han Yeoh, Michelle McBean, Amanda Gilkes, Ian Thomas, Sean Johnson, Nigel H. Russell, Andrew H. Wei
Article
Oncology
Richard Dillon, Shanna Maycock, Aimee Jackson, Sonia Fox, Sylvie Freeman, Charles Craddock, Catherine Thomas, Emma Homer, Jane Leahy, Anna Mamwell, Nicola Potter, Nigel Russell, Andrew Wei, Hans Beier Ommen, Claire Hemmaway, Steve Knapper, Lucinda Billingham
Summary: The VICTOR trial is evaluating the non-inferiority of intensive chemotherapy and Venetoclax with low-dose cytarabine in older patients with AML. The trial employs an innovative Bayesian design and will expand to include younger patients if there is sufficient evidence of non-inferiority.
Review
Oncology
Leopoldo A. Garcia-Montano, Yamhilette Licon-Munoz, Frank J. Martinez, Yasine R. Keddari, Michael K. Ziemke, Muhammad O. Chohan, Sara G. M. Piccirillo
Summary: The treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, is difficult due to its heterogeneous nature, invasive potential, and poor response to therapy. GBM is characterized by extensive phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity, which promote tumor growth and resistance to treatment. Dissecting this heterogeneity is challenging, and current research focuses on the use of fluorescence-guided multiple sampling to understand GBM microenvironment and identify potential therapeutic targets.
MOLECULAR CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Letter
Oncology
Frederik W. van Delft, Simon Bailey, Roderick Skinner, Geoff Shenton, Peter Carey, Quentin Campbell-Hewson, Juliet Hale, Leigh McDonald, Kate Pearce, Richard Martin, Katrina Robinson, Gavin Cuthbert
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2023)
Article
Hematology
Stuart Scott, Richard Dillon, Christian Thiede, Sadia Sadiq, Ashley Cartwright, Hazel J. Clouston, Debbie Travis, Katya Mokretar, Nicola Potter, Andrew Chantry, Liam Whitby
Summary: The European LeukaemiaNet (ELN) MRD working group has published guidelines for standardizing molecular genetic MRD testing of certain markers. A study involving 29 international laboratories showed that most participants were able to accurately detect and interpret MRD testing results, although some errors were identified. False-positive results were reported in the NPM1 marker-negative samples, emphasizing the need for ongoing quality assessment and proficiency testing. The study also highlighted the need for revising the guidelines to address interpretive issues and improve dissemination.
Article
Hematology
Jad Othman, Charlotte Wilhelm-Benartzi, Richard Dillon, Steve Knapper, Sylvie D. Freeman, Leona M. Batten, Joanna Canham, Emily L. Hinson, Julie Wych, Sophie Betteridge, William Villiers, Michelle Kleeman, Amanda Gilkes, Nicola Potter, Ulrik Malthe Overgaard, Priyanka Mehta, Panagiotis Kottaridis, Jamie Cavenagh, Claire Hemmaway, Claire Arnold, Mike Dennis, Nigel H. Russell
Summary: This study compared the efficacy of CPX-351 and FLAG-Ida in younger patients, and found no significant difference in overall survival between the two treatments. However, the use of CPX-351 significantly prolonged relapse-free survival, particularly in patients with MDS-related gene mutations.
Article
Oncology
Jad Othman, Nicola Potter, Katya Mokretar, David Taussig, Anjum Khan, Pramila Krishnamurthy, Anne-Louise Latif, Paul Cahalin, James Aries, Mariam Amer, Edward Belsham, Eibhlin Conneally, Charles Craddock, Dominic Culligan, Mike Dennis, Caroline Duncan, Sylvie D. Freeman, Caroline Furness, Amanda Gilkes, Paraskevi Gkreka, Katherine Hodgson, Wendy Ingram, Manish Jain, Andrew King, Steven Knapper, Panagiotis Kottaridis, Mary Frances McMullin, Unmesh Mohite, Loretta Ngu, Jenny O'Nions, Katharine Patrick, Tom Rider, Wing Roberts, Marianne Tang Severinsen, Neill Storrar, Tom Taylor, Nigel H. Russell, Richard Dillon
Summary: Patients with FLT3-mutated AML are at high risk of relapse and poor outcomes. Monitoring measurable residual disease (MRD) can help identify patients destined to relapse, providing an opportunity for pre-emptive intervention. In this study, 56 patients with molecular failure were treated with FLT3 inhibitors (FLT3i), resulting in a molecular response rate of 60% and an overall survival rate of 80% at 2 years. High-sensitivity next-generation sequencing identified patients more likely to benefit from FLT3i monotherapy. Further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate this promising treatment strategy.
Article
Oncology
Virginia A. Turati, Jose Afonso Guerra-Assuncao, Nicola E. Potter, Rajeev Gupta, Simone Ecker, Agne Daneviciute, Maxime Tarabichi, Amy P. Webster, Chuling Ding, Gillian May, Chela James, John Brown, Lucia Conde, Lisa J. Russell, Phil Ancliff, Sarah Inglott, Giovanni Cazzaniga, Andrea Biondi, Georgina W. Hall, Mark Lynch, Mike Hubank, Iain Macaulay, Stephan Beck, Peter Van Loo, Sten E. Jacobsen, Mel Greaves, Javier Herrero, Tariq Enver
Summary: Enver and colleagues found that epigenetic cell state, rather than genetic diversity, plays a key role in bottleneck selection of subclonal genotypes during induction chemotherapy in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The study also suggests that chemotherapy affects transcriptional and epigenetic heterogeneity in BCP-ALL, resulting in a phenotypically uniform population. Overall, the research highlights the importance of cell state canalization in bottleneck selection during induction chemotherapy.