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Saca VR, Burdette C, Sakmar TP
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GPCR Biosensors to Study Conformational Dynamics and Signaling in Drug Discov...

ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY 2025; 65(?):7-28
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a superfamily of transmembrane signal transducers that facilitate the flow of chemical signals across membranes. GPCRs are a desirable class of drug targets, and the activation and deactivation dynamics of these receptors are widely studied. Multidisciplinary approaches for studying GPCRs, such as downstream biochemical signaling assays, cryo-electron microscopy structural determinations, and molecular dynamics simulations, have provided insights concerning conformational dynamics and signaling mechanisms. However, new approaches including biosensors that use luminescence- and fluorescence-based readouts have been developed to investigate GPCRrelated protein interactions and dynamics directly in cellular environments. Luminescence- and fluorescence-based readout approaches have also included the development of GPCR biosensor platforms that utilize enabling technologies to facilitate multiplexing and miniaturization. General principles underlying the biosensor platforms and technologies include scalability, orthogonality, and kinetic resolution. Further application and development of GPCR biosensors could facilitate hit identification in drug discovery campaigns. The goals of this review are to summarize developments in the field of GPCR-related biosensors and to discuss the current available technologies.
Brakta C, Tabet AC, Puel M, Pacault M, Stolzenberg MC, Goudet C, Merger M, Reumaux H, Lambert N, Alioua N, Malan V, Hanein S, Dupin-Deguine D, Treiner E, Lefevre G, Farhat MM, Luca LE, Hureaux M, Li H, Chelloug N, Dehak R, Boussion S, Ouachee-Chardin M, Schleinitz N, Abou Chahla W, Barlogis V, Vely F, Oksenhendler E, Quartier P, Pasquet M, Suarez F, Bustamante J, Neven B, Picard C, Rieux-Laucat F, Lévy J, Rosain J
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2q33 Deletions Underlying Syndromic and Non-syndromic CTLA4 Deficiency

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY 2025 DEC; 45(1):? Article 46
Purpose CTLA4 deficiency is an inborn error of immunity (IEI) due to heterozygosity for germline loss-of-function variants of the CTLA4 gene located on chromosome 2q33.2. CTLA4 deficiency underlies pleiotropic immune and lymphoproliferation-mediated features with incomplete penetrance. It has been identified in hundreds of patients but copy number variants (CNVs) have been reported in only 12 kindreds, including nine which displayed large 2q33.1-2q33.2 deletions encompassing CTLA4. Methods We conducted a nationwide study in France to identify patients with 2q33 deletions encompassing CTLA4. We investigated the clinical and immunological phenotypes and genotypes of these patients. Results We identified 12 patients across six unrelated kindreds with clinical immunodeficiency. Neurological features were recorded in three patients, including one with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder. Single- nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array analysis, and targeted high-throughput sequencing revealed five different heterozygous 2q33 deletions of 26 kilobases to 7.12 megabases in size and encompassing one to 41 genes. We identified a contiguous gene syndrome (CGS) due to associated KLF7 deficiency in a kindred with a neurodevelopmental phenotype. Conclusion Deletions within the 2q33 region encompassing CTLA4 are rare and not extensively explored, and are probably underdiagnosed in cytogenetic practice. A literature review identified 14 different CGS loci including at least one gene responsible for an IEI. The deletions involved in IEIs should be systematically delimited, to facilitate screening for CGS.
Fiore VF, Almagro J, Fuchs E
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Shaping epithelial tissues by stem cell mechanics in development and cancer

NATURE REVIEWS MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY 2025 2025 JAN 29; ?(?):?
Adult stem cells balance self-renewal and differentiation to build, maintain and repair tissues. The role of signalling pathways and transcriptional networks in controlling stem cell function has been extensively studied, but there is increasing appreciation that mechanical forces also have a crucial regulatory role. Mechanical forces, signalling pathways and transcriptional networks must be coordinated across diverse length and timescales to maintain tissue homeostasis and function. Such coordination between stem cells and neighbouring cells dictates when cells divide, migrate and differentiate. Recent advances in measuring and manipulating the mechanical forces that act upon and are produced by stem cells are providing new insights into development and disease. In this Review, we discuss the mechanical forces involved when epithelial stem cells construct their microenvironment and what happens in cancer when stem cell niche mechanics are disrupted or dysregulated. As the skin has evolved to withstand the harsh mechanical pressures from the outside environment, we often use the stem cells of mammalian skin epithelium as a paradigm for adult stem cells shaping their surrounding tissues.
Bruno J, Walker JM, Nasserifar S, Upadhyay D, Ronning A, Vanegas SM, Popp CJ,...
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Weight-neutral early time-restricted eating improves glycemic variation and t...

ISCIENCE 2024 DEC 20; 27(12):? Article 111501
Early time-restricted eating (eTRE) is a dietary strategy that restricts caloric intake to the first 6-8 h of the day and can effect metabolic benefits independent of weight loss. However, the extent of these benefits is unknown. We conducted a randomized crossover feeding study to investigate the weight-independent effects of eTRE on glycemic variation, multiple time-in-range metrics, and levels of inflammatory markers. Ten adults with prediabetes were randomized to eTRE (8-h feeding window, 80% of calories consumed before 14:00 h) or usual feeding (50% of calories consumed after 16:00 h) for 1 week followed by crossover to the other schedule. Using continuous glucose monitoring, we showed that eTRE decreased glycemic variation (mean amplitude of glycemic excursion) and time in hyperglycemia greater than 140 mg/dL without affecting inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein). These data implicate eTRE as a candidate dietary intervention for the weight-independent management of dysglycemia in high-risk individuals.
Ru S, Tang SS, Xu H, Yin JH, Guo Y, Song LP, Jin ZY, Lee DY, Chan YH, Chen XY...
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Human DBR1 deficiency impairs stress granule-dependent PKR antiviral immunity

JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE 2024 DEC 5; 222(1):? Article e20240010
The molecular mechanism by which inborn errors of the human RNA lariat-debranching enzyme 1 (DBR1) underlie brainstem viral encephalitis is unknown. We show here that the accumulation of RNA lariats in human DBR1-deficient cells interferes with stress granule (SG) assembly, promoting the proteasome degradation of at least G3BP1 and G3BP2, two key components of SGs. In turn, impaired assembly of SGs, which normally recruit PKR, impairs PKR activation and activity against viruses, including HSV-1. Remarkably, the genetic ablation of PKR abolishes the corresponding antiviral effect of DBR1 in vitro. We also show that Dbr1Y17H/Y17H mice are susceptible to similar viral infections in vivo. Moreover, cells and brain samples from Dbr1Y17H/Y17H mice exhibit decreased G3BP1/2 expression and PKR phosphorylation. Thus, the debranching of RNA lariats by DBR1 permits G3BP1/2- and SG assembly-mediated PKR activation and cell-intrinsic antiviral immunity in mice and humans. DBR1-deficient patients are prone to viral disease because of intracellular lariat accumulation, which impairs G3BP1/2- and SG assembly-dependent PKR activation.
Bohn JA, Meagher JL, Takata MA, Gonçalves-Carneiro D, Yeoh ZC, Ohi MD, Smith ...
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Functional anatomy of zinc finger antiviral protein complexes

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 2024 DEC 30; 15(1):? Article 10834
ZAP is an antiviral protein that binds to and depletes viral RNA, which is often distinguished from vertebrate host RNA by its elevated CpG content. Two ZAP cofactors, TRIM25 and KHNYN, have activities that are poorly understood. Here, we show that functional interactions between ZAP, TRIM25 and KHNYN involve multiple domains of each protein, and that the ability of TRIM25 to multimerize via its RING domain augments ZAP activity and specificity. We show that KHNYN is an active nuclease that acts in a partly redundant manner with its homolog N4BP1. The ZAP N-terminal RNA binding domain constitutes a minimal core that is essential for antiviral complex activity, and we present a crystal structure of this domain that reveals contacts with the functionally required KHNYN C-terminal domain. These contacts are remote from the ZAP CpG binding site and would not interfere with RNA binding. Based on our dissection of ZAP, TRIM25 and KHNYN functional anatomy, we could design artificial chimeric antiviral proteins that reconstitute the antiviral function of the intact authentic proteins, but in the absence of protein domains that are otherwise required for activity. Together, these results suggest a model for the RNA recognition and action of ZAP-containing antiviral protein complexes.
Glines MR, Amancio RCH, Andersen MR, Baulch H, Brighenti LS, Chmiel HE, Cohen...
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Coefficients in Taylor's law increase with the time scale of water clarity me...

ECOLOGY LETTERS 2024 DEC; 27(12):? Article e14451
Identifying the scaling rules describing ecological patterns across time and space is a central challenge in ecology. Taylor's law of fluctuation scaling, which states that the variance of a population's size or density is proportional to a positive power of the mean size or density, has been widely observed in population dynamics and characterizes variability in multiple scientific domains. However, it is unclear if this phenomenon accurately describes ecological patterns across many orders of magnitude in time, and therefore links otherwise disparate observations. Here, we use water clarity observations from 10,531 days of high-frequency measurements in 35 globally distributed lakes, and lower-frequency measurements over multiple decades from 6342 lakes to test this unknown. We focus on water clarity as an integrative ecological characteristic that responds to both biotic and abiotic drivers. We provide the first documentation that variations in ecological measurements across diverse sites and temporal scales exhibit variance patterns consistent with Taylor's law, and that model coefficients increase in a predictable yet non-linear manner with decreasing observation frequency. This discovery effectively links high-frequency sensor network observations with long-term historical monitoring records, thereby affording new opportunities to understand and predict ecological dynamics on time scales from days to decades.
Yeoh ZC, Meagher JL, Kang CY, Bieniasz PD, Smith JL, Ohi MD
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A minimal complex of KHNYN and zinc- finger antiviral protein binds and degra...

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2024 DEC 24; 121(52):? Article e2415048121
Detecting viral infection is a key role of the innate immune system. The genomes of some RNA viruses have a high CpG dinucleotide content relative to most vertebrate cell RNAs, making CpGs a molecular marker of infection. The human zinc- finger antiviral protein (ZAP) recognizes CpG, mediates clearance of the foreign CpG-rich RNA, and causes attenuation of CpG-rich RNA viruses. While ZAP binds RNA, it lacks enzymatic activity that might be responsible for RNA degradation and thus requires interacting cofactors for its function. One of these cofactors, KHNYN, has a predicted nuclease domain. Using biochemical approaches, we found that the KHNYN NYN domain is a single- stranded RNA ribonuclease that does not have sequence specificity and digests RNA with or without CpG dinucleotides equivalently in vitro. We show that unlike most KH domains, the KHNYN KH domain does not bind RNA. Indeed, a crystal structure of the KH region revealed a double-KH domain with a negatively charged surface that accounts for the lack of RNA binding. Rather, the KHNYN C- terminal domain (CTD) interacts with the ZAP RNA- binding domain (RBD) to provide target RNA specificity. We define a minimal complex composed of the ZAP RBD and the KHNYN NYN-CTD and use a fluorescence polarization assay to propose a model for how this complex interacts with a CpG dinucleotide- containing RNA. In the context of the cell, this module would represent the minimum ZAP and KHNYN domains required for CpG- recognition and ribonuclease activity essential for attenuation of viruses with clusters of CpG dinucleotides.
Abt I, Aggarwal R, Aushev V, Behnke O, Bertolin A, Bloch I, Brock I, Brook NH...
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The azimuthal correlation between the leading jet and the scattered lepton in...

EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL C 2024 DEC 29; 84(12):? Article 1334
The azimuthal correlation angle, Delta phi, between the scattered lepton and the leading jet in deep inelastic e(+/-) p scattering at HERA has been studied using data collvected with the ZEUS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 318 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 326 pb(-1). A measurement of jet cross sections in the laboratory frame was made in a fiducial region corresponding to photon virtuality 10 GeV2 < Q(2) < 350 GeV2, inelasticity 0.04 < y < 0.7, outgoing lepton energy Ee > 10 GeV, lepton polar angle 140 degrees pi for events with high jet multiplicity, due to limitations of the perturbative approach in describing soft phenomena in QCD. The data are equally well described by Monte Carlo predictions that supplement leading-order matrix elements with parton showering.
Ogishi M, Kitaoka K, Good-Jacobson KL, Rinchai D, Zhang BH, Wang J, Gies V, R...
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Impaired development of memory B cells and antibody responses in humans and m...

IMMUNITY 2024 DEC 10; 57(12):?
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells abundantly express the immunoreceptor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and the impact of PD-1 deficiency on antibody (Ab)-mediated immunity in mice is associated with compromised Tfh cell functions. Here, we revisited the role of the PD-1-PD-L1 axis on Ab-mediated immunity. Individuals with inherited PD-1 or PD-L1 deficiency had fewer memory B cells and impaired Ab responses, similar to Pdcd1(-/-) and Cd274(-/-)Pdcd1lg2(-/-) mice. PD-1, PD-L1, or both could be detected on the surface of human naive B cells following in vitro activation. PD-1- or PD-L1-deficient B cells had reduced expression of the transcriptional regulator c-Myc and c-Myc-target genes in vivo, and PD-1 deficiency or neutralization of PD-1 or PD-L1 impeded c-Myc expression and Ab production in human B cells isolated in vitro. Furthermore, B cell-specific deletion of Pdcd1 prevented the physiological accumulation of memory B cells in mice. Thus, PD-1 shapes optimal B cell memory and Ab-mediated immunity through B cell-intrinsic and B cell-extrinsic mechanisms, suggesting that B cell dysregulation contributes to infectious and autoimmune complications following anti-PD-1-PD-L1 immunotherapy.