Article
Infectious Diseases
Sara A. Taleb, Khalid Al-Ansari, Gheyath K. Nasrallah, Mohamed A. Elrayess, Asmaa A. Al-Thani, Alexandrine Derrien-Colemyn, Tracy J. Ruckwardt, Barney S. Graham, Hadi M. Yassine
Summary: This study investigated the levels of RSV-directed maternal antibodies in hospitalized children with RSV infection, finding that infants had neutralizing activity from maternal antibodies upon hospitalization, mostly pre-F antibodies. The maintenance of neutralizing activity in infants was greater than the maintenance of antibody binding based on ELISA, suggesting a longer half-life of high-potency antibodies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Susanna Esposito, Bahaa Abu-Raya, Paolo Bonanni, Fabianne Cahn-Sellem, Katie L. Flanagan, Federico Martinon Torres, Asuncion Mejias, Simon Nadel, Marco A. P. Safadi, Arne Simon
Summary: Routine childhood vaccinations are vital for protecting children from serious diseases, and active vaccinations in infants are highly effective. However, some important viral pathogens, such as RSV, do not yet have approved vaccines. The introduction of anti-viral monoclonal antibodies, like nirsevimab, into pediatric vaccine schedules could potentially offer additional protection for infants against RSV.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Javier Diez-Domingo, Xavier Saez-Llorens, Miguel A. Rodriguez-Weber, Cristina Epalza, Archana Chatterjee, Cheng-Hsun Chiu, Chien-Yu Lin, Andrea A. Berry, Federico Martinon-Torres, Fernando Baquero-Artigao, Joanne M. Langley, Jose T. Ramos Amador, Joseph B. Domachowske, Li-Min Huang, Nan-Chang Chiu, Susanna Esposito, Philippe Moris, Thi Lien-Anh Nguyen, Vanja Nikic, Wayne Woo, Yingjun Zhou, Ilse Dieussaert, Amanda Leach, Antonio Gonzalez Lopez, Nicolas Vanhoutte
Summary: This study tested a new candidate RSV vaccine in toddlers who had a previous RSV infection. The vaccine was effective in preventing RSV-related illnesses and triggered an antibody response that could neutralize the virus. No vaccine-related serious adverse events or RSV-related hospitalizations were reported during the study.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jeehyun Lee, Youri Lee, Laura Klenow, Elizabeth M. Coyle, Juanjie Tang, Supriya Ravichandran, Hana Golding, Surender Khurana
Summary: The study found that multiple antigenic sites on the RSV-F protein can provide partial protection for mice against RSV disease. Specifically, peptides spanning the F-p27 sequence showed control of viral loads and reduced pathology. This suggests that the p27-mediated immune response may play a crucial role in controlling RSV disease.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Virology
Harrison C. Bergeron, Jackelyn Murray, Ana M. Nunez Castrejon, Rebecca M. DuBois, Ralph A. Tripp
Summary: This study showed that the G protein immunogens induced a significant anti-G protein antibody response, and the antibodies produced were capable of blocking the binding of RSV G protein CX3C-CX3CR1. These antibodies did not interfere with CX3CL1, fractalkine.
Editorial Material
Infectious Diseases
Antonio Piralla, Zhengrong Chen, Hassan Zaraket
Summary: RSV is a major cause of acute respiratory infections worldwide, especially in children and older adults. This collection aims to gather original research papers that advance our understanding of the epidemiology, evolution, diagnosis, clinical management, and prevention of RSV infections.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Simon D. van Haren, Gabriel K. Pedersen, Azad Kumar, Tracy J. Ruckwardt, Syed Moin, Ian N. Moore, Mahnaz Minai, Mark Liu, Jensen Pak, Francesco Borriello, Simon Doss-Gollin, Elisabeth M. S. Beijnen, Saima Ahmed, Michaela Helmel, Peter Andersen, Barney S. Graham, Hanno Steen, Dennis Christensen, Ofer Levy
Summary: This study develops a pediatric adjuvant formulation for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and demonstrates that a single immunization can provide protection in a murine neonate model of RSV infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Dvir Gatt, Isaac Martin, Rawan AlFouzan, Theo J. J. Moraes
Summary: RSV is a common cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease, particularly in young children, but there is currently no approved vaccine for prevention. In the past two decades, significant advancements have been made in understanding RSV's pathogenesis and immunopathology, leading to the development of potential vaccines and successful implementation of passive immunization. This review provides an update on current treatment options for acute RSV disease and different therapeutic approaches for RSV prevention.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mathieu Claireaux, Tom G. Caniels, Marlon de Gast, Julianna Han, Denise Guerra, Gius Kerster, Barbera D. C. van Schaik, Aldo Jongejan, Angela Schriek, Marloes Grobben, Philip J. M. Brouwer, Karlijn van der Straten, Yoann Aldon, Joan Capella-Pujol, Jonne L. Snitselaar, Wouter Olijhoek, Aafke Aartse, Mitch Brinkkemper, Ilja Bontjer, Judith A. Burger, Meliawati Poniman, Tom P. L. Bijl, Jonathan L. Torres, Jeffrey Copps, Isabel Cuella Martin, Steven W. de Taeye, Godelieve J. de Bree, Andrew B. Ward, Kwinten Sliepen, Antoine H. C. van Kampen, Perry D. Moerland, Rogier W. Sanders, Marit J. van Gils
Summary: Through the investigation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike-reactive B cell repertoire, a subset of B cells enriched and almost exclusively targeting a non-neutralizing S2 epitope present in aberrant forms is identified following infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Emanuele Andreano, Ida Paciello, Monia Bardelli, Simona Tavarini, Chiara Sammicheli, Elisabetta Frigimelica, Silvia Guidotti, Giulia Torricelli, Marco Biancucci, Ugo D'Oro, Sumana Chandramouli, Matthew J. Bottomley, Rino Rappuoli, Oretta Finco, Francesca Buricchi
Summary: RSV is a major cause of death from lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children, with vaccines targeting individuals with pre-existing immunity being in phase III clinical studies. Investigating the background immunity impacted by vaccination, researchers looked into functional and genetic features of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection using human memory B cells. The study found that most nAbs recognized both prefusion and postfusion conformations of the RSV F-protein, with a smaller fraction binding exclusively to the prefusion conformation.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jiachen Huang, Rose J. J. Miller, Jarrod J. J. Mousa
Summary: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are major causes of severe respiratory infections. A chimeric fusion protein containing immunodominant epitopes of both RSV F and hMPV F has been shown to generate neutralizing antibodies and provide protection against both viruses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Harrison C. Bergeron, Jackelyn Murray, Maria G. Juarez, Samuel J. Nangle, Rebecca M. DuBois, Ralph A. Tripp
Summary: RSV is a virus that can cause respiratory disease in infants and elderly people, but there is still no safe and approved vaccine for it. This study explored the development of nanoparticle vaccines with a mutated RSV G glycoprotein. The results showed that the nanoparticle vaccine with the mutation (NP-S177Q) induced a stronger immune response and better protection against RSV compared to the wild-type nanoparticle vaccine (NP-WT).
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Thomas J. Powell, Andrea Jacobs, Jie Tang, Edwin Cardenas, Naveen Palath, Jennifer Daniels, James G. Boyd, Harrison C. Bergeron, Patricia A. Jorquera, Ralph A. Tripp
Summary: Layer-by-layer microparticle fabrication can produce synthetic vaccines with specific antibody and cellular immune responses against RSV. Addition of a TLR2 agonist enhances the immune response, provides better protection, and reduces Th2/eosinophil responses.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hang Liu, Yeqiang Zhou, Yang Liu, Zuojie Wang, Yi Zheng, Chuan Peng, Meng Tian, Qin Zhang, Jianshu Li, Hong Tan, Qiang Fu, Mingming Ding
Summary: Metal ions can impact the biological activity of proteins by facilitating peptide folding and inducing conformational transitions. This study reveals a new method of conformational regulation in synthetic polymers using various metal ions. The metallopolymers can form hierarchical structures with high stability and membrane activity, which make them suitable for brain delivery and magnetic resonance imaging in vivo.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Alessandro Messina, Chiara Germano, Vincenzo Avellis, Elena Tavella, Valentina Dodaro, Alessandro Massaro, Raffaele Vitale, Bianca Masturzo, Paolo Manzoni
Summary: RSV is the main cause of lower respiratory tract infections in newborns. Factors such as prematurity, male gender, and certain medical conditions increase the severity of RSV infection. RSV infection leads to long-term negative respiratory outcomes and a burden on healthcare resources. Prevention is the most effective strategy, with hygiene, breastfeeding, and passive immunization being the main methods. Future prevention strategies may include more potent antibodies, maternal vaccination, and active immunization in children.
EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuewen Qin, Tao Liu
Summary: Protein phosphorylation is a crucial posttranslational modification involved in cell signaling. The use of genetic code expansion has advanced the study of protein phosphorylation.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hongting Tang, Pan Zhang, Xiaozhou Luo
Summary: Genetic code expansion (GCE) is a technique that allows for the site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids as building blocks in proteins. The development of genetic code expansion has been driven by advances in synthetic biology, and it also contributes to the creation of synthetic biology tools. In this review, we summarize recent progress in genetic code expansion through synthetic biology, including the engineering of translation machinery, genome-wide codon reassignment, and the biosynthesis of non-canonical amino acids. We highlight the emerging applications of this technology in the construction of new synthetic biology parts, circuits, chassis, and products.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chao Chen, Guiling Yu, Yujia Huang, Wenhui Cheng, Yuxuan Li, Yi Sun, Haifeng Ye, Tao Liu
Summary: The engineered NATS system allows for fast therapeutic protein expression triggered by noncanonical amino acids at the translational level, demonstrating potential for next-generation cell-based therapies with orally induced protein expression.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yangming Zhang, Linguang Zhou, Jialin Xia, Ce Dong, Xiaozhou Luo
Summary: The commensal microbiome plays an essential role in human health and is involved in the development of various diseases. Intervention on the microbiome has become a novel method for treating diseases, and synthetic biology enables the use of engineered microbes for clinical applications.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dan Wu, Yunfeng Zhang, Zhiheng Tang, Xiaoxu Chen, Xinyu Ling, Longtu Li, Wenbing Cao, Wei Zheng, Jiale Wu, Hongting Tang, Xiaoyun Liu, Xiaozhou Luo, Tao Liu
Summary: This study investigates the functions and regulations of structurally diverse acylations as post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histone lysine residues. It introduces the concept of a lysine acylation analog, pyrrolysine, as a co-translational modification (CTM) through genetic encoding. By creating a model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae with site-specific lysine CTMs at histone H3K56, the study demonstrates that acetylation of histone H3K56 provides a more favorable chromatin environment for DNA repair compared to crotonylation and crosstalk with other PTMs differently. This research provides a potentially universal approach to understanding the consequences of different histone lysine PTMs in eukaryotes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xinran Wang, Xiaozhou Luo
Summary: Food is crucial for human survival, but traditional agriculture faces challenges in meeting the sustainable environmental development and increasing population's food demand. Synthetic biology, particularly using engineered microbial cell factories, offers great advantages in producing food alternatives and additives, contributing to healthy and sustainable food supply. This review summarizes quantitation methods for cellular biosynthetic precursors, providing guidance for precise pathway engineering.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xinyu Ling, Tao Liu
Summary: Wang and his team provide an elegant selection platform to identify the targets of a nonproliferative drug by linking transcription activation to a suicide gene.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dan Wu, Tao Liu
Summary: Understanding post-translational modifications is crucial for manipulating physiological processes in eukaryotes. Genetic code expansion technology has been used to investigate the roles of these modifications, and can be combined with synthetic biology to create genetically modified organisms. This article discusses the applications, limitations, and future perspectives of genetic code expansion technology for studying post-translational modifications, as well as the implications for genetically modified organisms.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Feifei Li, Huaxiang Deng, Biming Zhong, Banlai Ruan, Xixi Zhao, Xiaozhou Luo
Summary: In this study, the selective production of Tyrian purple from sea snails by the bacterial strain GS-2 was observed. The strain was identified as Providencia rettgeri, and an indole degradation gene cluster in the strain was found to contribute to the biosynthesis of Tyrian purple. The study also identified the catechol pathway as the mechanism for indole biodegradation in Providencia rettgeri.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xixi Zhao, Yanling Wu, Tingye Feng, Junfeng Shen, Huan Lu, Yunfeng Zhang, Howard H. Chou, Xiaozhou Luo, Jay D. Keasling
Summary: In this study, a biosynthetic pathway for valerolactam production was established by engineering Corynebacterium glutamicum. L-lysine was converted into 5-aminovaleric acid, and then further converted into valerolactam through a dynamic upregulation system. The engineered system achieved efficient valerolactam production in glucose fed-batch culture.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nanzhu Chen, Shuo Yang, Dawei You, Junfeng Shen, Banlai Ruan, Mei Wu, Jianzhi Zhang, Xiaozhou Luo, Hongting Tang
Summary: This study systematically investigated the effect of engineering cell wall biosynthesis on the activity of cellulolytic enzymes and found that the inactivation of certain genes significantly improved the secretion and surface-display of β-glucosidase. Furthermore, combinatorial modifications of these genes, along with the use of rich medium, greatly increased the activity of the enzymes. Proteomic analysis also revealed the involvement of translation processes in improving enzyme activity through cell wall biosynthesis engineering.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Li-Juan Liu, Fahri Alkan, Shengli Zhuang, Dongyi Liu, Tehseen Nawaz, Jun Guo, Xiaozhou Luo, Jian He
Summary: This study reports a new type of gold nanoclusters, whose intrinsic chirality arises solely from the arrangement of the organic components on their surface. The highly dynamic behaviors of aromatic rings in the thiolates assembled via pi - pi stacking and C - H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions explain the non-asymmetrically induced inner structures of these nanoclusters. This work introduces an important class of nanoclusters with intrinsic chirality from surface layers and helps elucidate the transition of gold nanoclusters from their molecular to metallic states.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yanling Wu, Jiliang Deng, Zhaohui Zheng, Nanzhu Chen, Xiaozhou Luo, Hongting Tang
Summary: In this study, the activation effects of Gal4p activators from different yeasts or fungi on a variant of GAL promoters were comprehensively characterized. It was found that expression of KlLac9p from Kluyveromyces lactis increased the activity of P-ScGAL1 and P-SkGAL2 and evaded Gal80p inhibition. This optimized GAL expression system significantly enhanced the production of beta-carotene in S. cerevisiae.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xinyu Ling, Liying Chang, Heqi Chen, Tao Liu
Summary: A system utilizing conjugated Cas12a and its CRISPR RNA is developed to efficiently edit human cells and precisely integrate CAR genes into the T cell genome.
