How fungi see the world: fungal photoreceptors and their role in the regulation of fungal biology.

SUMMARYFungi use light as a signal for the regulation of development, to guide the growth of reproductive structures, and to protect the fungal cell from DNA damage produced by light and UV radiation. Light perception requires the activity of photoreceptors that relay the light signal through transduction pathways into the cellular response. Fungi can see and react to a wide range of colors, but most fungi use blue light as their primary signal to regulate its photobiology.

Epigenetic control of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) and fumarate nitrate reductase (FNR) master regulatory proteins contributes to survival during lung infection.

Unlabelled: DNA regulatory elements that dictate how the bacterial pathobiont infects and adapts to the airways of immunocompromised patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are poorly understood. This is in part due to the scarcity of research integrating genetic and epigenetic perspectives to shed light on the role of distinct bacterial adaptive strategies within the human airways. In this work, global fitness profiling of mutants by high-throughput transposon mutant sequencing within the mouse lung identified Dam methyltransferase as an requirement for respiratory infection.

Phytoplasma DNA Enrichment from Sugarcane White Leaves for Shotgun Sequencing Improvement.

Sugarcane white leaf (SCWL) disease, caused by Phytoplasma sacchari, poses a significant threat to sugarcane cultivation. An obligate parasite, phytoplasma is difficult to culture in laboratory conditions, making the isolation of its DNA from the massive amount of plant host DNA extremely challenging. Yet, the appropriate amount and quality of plant microbiome-derived DNA are key for high-quality DNA sequencing data.

VE-1 regulation of MAPK signaling controls sexual development in .

Unlabelled: Sexual reproduction in fungi allows genetic recombination and increases genetic diversity, allowing adaptation and survival. The velvet complex is a fungal-specific protein assembly that regulates development, pathogenesis, and secondary metabolism in response to environmental cues, such as light. In , this complex comprises VE-1, VE-2, and LAE-1.

Symmetric and asymmetric DNA N6-adenine methylation regulates different biological responses in Mucorales.

DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) has recently gained importance as an epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Its function in lineages with high levels, such as early-diverging fungi (EDF), is of particular interest. Here, we investigated the biological significance and evolutionary implications of 6mA in EDF, which exhibit divergent evolutionary patterns in 6mA usage.

The association of the RSC remodeler complex with chromatin is influenced by the prefoldin-like Bud27 and determines nucleosome positioning and polyadenylation sites usage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The tripartite interaction between the chromatin remodeler complex RSC, RNA polymerase subunit Rpb5 and prefoldin-like Bud27 is necessary for proper RNA pol II elongation. Indeed lack of Bud27 alters this association and affects transcription elongation. This work investigates the consequences of lack of Bud27 on the chromatin association of RSC and RNA pol II, and on nucleosome positioning.

Viral delivery of a peptide-based immunomodulator enhances T cell priming during vaccination.

Modern, subunit-based vaccines have so far failed to induce significant T cell responses, contributing to ineffective vaccination against many pathogens. Importantly, while today's adjuvants are designed to trigger innate and non-specific immune responses, they fail to directly stimulate the adaptive immune compartment. Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) partly regulates naïve-to-antigen-specific effector T cell transition and differentiation by suppressing the magnitude of activation.

Calmodulin in : Focus on Genomic Data.

Calcium (Ca) is a universal second messenger that plays a key role in cellular signaling. However, Ca signals are transduced with the help of Ca-binding proteins, which serve as sensors, transducers, and elicitors. Among the collection of these Ca-binding proteins, calmodulin (CaM) emerged as the prototypical model in eukaryotic cells.

Clinical presentation and outcomes of hospitalized children with COVID-19 in Mexico City.

We describe the demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings relating them also to the severity and clinical outcome of 129 children (0-18 years) who were admitted to a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico City due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. The infection was confirmed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction Fever (82.2%), tachypnea (72.

Transcriptional Regulation by the Velvet Protein VE-1 during Asexual Development in the Fungus Neurospora crassa.

Asexual reproduction in fungi facilitates the dispersal and colonization of new substrates and, in pathogenic fungi, allows infection of plants and animals. The velvet complex is a fungus-specific protein complex that participates in the regulation of gene expression in response to environmental signals like light, as well as developmental processes, pathogenesis, and secondary metabolism. The velvet complex in the fungus Neurospora crassa is composed of three proteins, VE-1, VE-2, and LAE-1.

Identification of an acetyl esterase in the supernatant of the environmental strain Bacillus sp. HR21-6.

Bacillus sp. HR21-6 is capable of the chemo- and regioselective synthesis of lipophilic partially acetylated phenolic compounds derived from olive polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants important in the formulation of functional foods. In this work, an acetyl esterase was identified in the secretome of this strain by non-targeted proteomics, and classified in the GDSL family (superfamily SGNH).

An Evolutionary Perspective of the Lipocalin Protein Family.

The protein family of Lipocalins is ubiquitously present throughout the tree of life, with the exception of the phylum Archaea. Phylogenetic relationships of chordate Lipocalins have been proposed in the past based on protein sequence similarities, but their highly divergent primary structures and a shortage of experimental annotations in genome projects have precluded a well-supported hypothesis for their evolution. In this work we propose a novel topology for the phylogenetic tree of chordate Lipocalins, inferred from multiple amino acid sequence alignments.

The lncRNA Is a -Related Regulatory Element with Broad Effects on the Transcriptome.

Carotenoid biosynthesis in the fungus is regulated by environmental factors, with light being the main stimulating signal. The CarS RING-finger protein plays an important role in the downregulation of structural genes of the carotenoid pathway. A recent transcriptomic analysis on the effect of mutation identified a gene for a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) upstream of , called , the deletion of which results in increased mRNA levels and lack of carotenoid production.

Identification and Immune Assessment of T Cell Epitopes in Five Blood Stage Antigens to Facilitate Vaccine Candidate Selection and Optimization.

The hurdles to effective blood stage malaria vaccine design include immune evasion tactics used by the parasite such as redundant invasion pathways and antigen variation among circulating parasite strains. While blood stage malaria vaccine development primarily focuses on eliciting optimal humoral responses capable of blocking erythrocyte invasion, clinically-tested (Pf) vaccines have not elicited sterile protection, in part due to the dramatically high levels of antibody needed. Recent development efforts with non-redundant, conserved blood stage antigens suggest both high antibody titer and rapid antibody binding kinetics are important efficacy factors.

A Content Analysis Of US Sanctuary Immigration Policies: Implications For Research In Social Determinants Of Health.

Restrictive immigration policies are important social determinants of health, but less is known about the health implications and health-related content of protective immigration policies, which may also represent critical determinants of health. We conducted a content analysis of types, themes, and health-related language in 328 "sanctuary" policies enacted between 2009 and 2017 in the United States. Sanctuary policies were introduced in thirty-two states and Washington, D.

Bridging Computational Vaccinology and Vaccine Development Through Systematic Identification, Characterization, and Downselection of Conserved and Variable Circumsporozoite Protein CD4 T Cell Epitopes From Diverse Strains.

An effective malaria vaccine must prevent disease in a range of populations living in regions with vastly different transmission rates and protect against genetically-diverse (Pf) strains. The protective efficacy afforded by the currently licensed malaria vaccine, Mosquirix™, promotes strong humoral responses to Pf circumsporozoite protein (CSP) 3D7 but protection is limited in duration and by strain variation. Helper CD4 T cells are central to development of protective immune responses, playing roles in B cell activation and maturation processes, cytokine production, and stimulation of effector T cells.

Identification, Selection and Immune Assessment of Liver Stage CD8 T Cell Epitopes From .

Immunization with radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS) has been shown to protect against malaria infection, primarily through CD8 T cell responses, but protection is limited based on parasite strain. Therefore, while CD8 T cells are an ideal effector population target for liver stage malaria vaccine development strategies, such strategies must incorporate conserved epitopes that cover a large range of class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) supertypes to elicit cross-strain immunity across the target population. This approach requires identifying and characterizing a wide range of CD8 T cell epitopes for incorporation into a vaccine such that coverage across a large range of class I HLA alleles is attained.

Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-Like Proteins and Domains in Ribosome Production and Function: Chance or Necessity?

Ubiquitin is a small protein that is highly conserved throughout eukaryotes. It operates as a reversible post-translational modifier through a process known as ubiquitination, which involves the addition of one or several ubiquitin moieties to a substrate protein. These modifications mark proteins for proteasome-dependent degradation or alter their localization or activity in a variety of cellular processes.

Biocontrol Potential of Neoseiulus californicus (Mesostigmata : Phytoseiidae) Against Oligonychus punicae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Avocado.

Oligonychus punicae (Hirst) (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) is a common pest in Mexican avocado orchards. Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) is frequently found associated with avocado orchards in Mexico and may be an important aid for controlling O. punicae.

Impact of the White Collar Photoreceptor WcoA on the Transcriptome.

The proteins of the White Collar 1 family (WC) constitute a major class of flavin photoreceptors, widely distributed in fungi, that work in cooperation with a WC 2 protein forming a regulatory complex. The WC complex was investigated in great detail in , a model fungus in photobiology studies, where it controls all its major photoresponses. The fungus , a model system in the production of secondary metabolites, contains a single WC-1 gene called .

An arsRB resistance operon confers tolerance to arsenite in the environmental isolate Terribacillus sp. AE2B 122.

Terribacillus sp. AE2B 122 is an environmental strain isolated from olive-oil agroindustry wastes. This strain displays resistance to arsenic, one of the most ubiquitous carcinogens found in nature.

Xrn1 influence on gene transcription results from the combination of general effects on elongating RNA pol II and gene-specific chromatin configuration.

mRNA homoeostasis is favoured by crosstalk between transcription and degradation machineries. Both the Ccr4-Not and the Xrn1-decaysome complexes have been described to influence transcription. While Ccr4-Not has been shown to directly stimulate transcription elongation, the information available on how Xrn1 influences transcription is scarce and contradictory.

A Peptide-Based Checkpoint Immunomodulator Alleviates Immune Dysfunction in Murine Polymicrobial Sepsis.

Sepsis-induced immunosuppression involves both innate and adaptive immunity and is associated with the increased expression of checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell-death protein 1 (PD-1). The expression of PD-1 is associated with poor outcomes in septic patients, and in models of sepsis, blocking PD-1 or its ligands with antibodies increased survival and alleviated immune suppression. While inhibitory antibodies are effective, they can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), in part due to continual blockade of the PD-1 pathway, resulting in hyperactivation of the immune response.

Contribution of DNA adenine methylation to gene expression heterogeneity in Salmonella enterica.

Expression of Salmonella enterica loci harboring undermethylated GATC sites at promoters or regulatory regions was monitored by single cell analysis. Cell-to-cell differences in expression were detected in ten such loci (carA, dgoR, holA, nanA, ssaN, STM1290, STM3276, STM5308, gtr and opvAB), with concomitant formation of ON and OFF subpopulations. The ON and OFF subpopulation sizes varied depending on the growth conditions, suggesting that the population structure can be modulated by environmental control.

The DASH-type Cryptochrome from the Fungus Mucor circinelloides Is a Canonical CPD-Photolyase.

Cryptochromes and photolyases are blue-light photoreceptors and DNA-repair enzymes, respectively, with conserved domains and a common ancestry [1-3]. Photolyases use UV-A and blue light to repair lesions in DNA caused by UV radiation, photoreactivation, although cryptochromes have specialized roles ranging from the regulation of photomorphogenesis in plants, to clock function in animals [4-7]. A group of cryptochromes (cry-DASH) [8] from bacteria, plants, and animals has been shown to repair in vitro cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) in single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), but not in double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) [9].