Promising Protocol for In Vivo Experiments with Betulin.

: Betulin is a promising agent in many areas of medicine and is being investigated, particularly in the field of cancer. However, in in vivo experiments, its water insolubility becomes a significant obstacle. This study describes a promising method for the administration of betulin in in vivo experiments and the determination of betulin levels in organ samples.

Impact of Parabacteroides distasonis colonization on host microbiome, metabolome, immunity, and diabetes onset.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells. The insulin B-chain 9-23 (insB9-23) peptide is a critical epitope in triggering T1D. In our previous study, we showed that Parabacteroides distasonis, a human gut commensal, contains an insB9-23 mimic in its hprt protein (residues 4-18).

Microbiota modulate immune cell populations and drive dynamic structural changes in gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

Inbred mouse strains provide phenotypic homogeneity between individual mice. However, stochastic morphogenetic events combined with epigenetic changes due to exposure to environmental factors and ontogenic experience result in variability among mice with virtually identical genotypes, reducing the reproducibility of experimental mouse models. Here we used microscopic and cytometric techniques to identify individual patterns in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) that are induced by exposure to microbiota.

Modeling dynamic oxygen permeability as a mechanism to mitigate oxygen-induced stresses on photosynthesis and N fixation in marine .

, the predominant marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium, concurrently performs nitrogen (N) fixation and photosynthesis, the latter of which produces oxygen (O) that inhibits N fixation. Hopanoid lipids in may play a role in dynamically regulating membrane permeability to O, potentially alleviating O stress on N fixation. However, the physiological impacts of this dynamic permeability are not well understood.

Soil Moisture and Its Interaction With Temperature Determine Root Metabolomes of a Himalayan Alpine Shrub.

Climate change profoundly impacts plants. However, our understanding of plant responses to climate largely relies on plant morphology and physiology, while plant metabolomic responses, especially those within plant roots, have received much less attention. Understanding root metabolomic variation is key to understanding cellular-level plant responses to changing climatic conditions.

Temporal optimization of CD25-biased IL-2 agonists and immune checkpoint blockade leads to synergistic anticancer activity despite robust regulatory T cell expansion.

Background: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy can induce durable tumor remissions, but its clinical performance has been limited by significant drawbacks such as short serum half-life and high toxicity. Administration of IL-2 in complex with certain anti-IL-2 antibodies (IL-2cx) enhances circulation half-life while also selectivity directing the cytokine to particular immune cell subsets. In particular, IL-2cx has been developed that targets either cells expressing the CD25-containing high-affinity IL-2 receptor (ie, CD25-biased IL-2cx) or cells expressing the CD25-lacking intermediate-affinity IL-2 receptor (ie, CD25-blocking IL-2cx).

Interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and native soil microbiome on early stage restoration of a coal-mine soil.

The recovery of the soil ecosystem after severe disturbances, such as coal-mining activities, depends on both abiotic and biotic improvements. This study assessed the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal consortia on microbial community dynamics across two stages of soil recovery - 2 years (2Y) and 15 years (15Y) post-disturbance - using a secondary succession forest (SSR) as a reference. We analyzed bacterial community composition via 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and evaluated key soil quality indicators.

Development of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B-deficient tumor models for preclinical immunotherapy testing.

Immunotherapy has advanced the treatment landscape for many challenging cancers by harnessing the immune system to eliminate tumor cells. However, its efficacy in rare tumors such as pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCC/PGL), particularly those with succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) mutations, remains underexplored. These tumors often exhibit complex tumor microenvironments and immune evasion mechanisms, and their low incidence hinders clinical trials development.

Fragile foundations: succession patterns of bacterial communities in fine woody debris and soil under long-term microclimate influence.

Background: Fine woody debris (FWD; deadwood < 10 cm diameter) is a crucial but often overlooked component of forest ecosystems. It provides habitat for microbial communities and enhances soil fertility through nutrient cycling. This role is especially important in managed forests, which typically have limited deadwood stocks.

Limited response of primary nasal epithelial cells to infection.

is a Gram-negative coccobacillus that causes whooping cough or pertussis, a respiratory disease that has recently experienced a resurgence. Upon entering the respiratory tract, colonizes the airway epithelium and attaches to ciliated cells. Here, we used primary human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs) cultured at the air-liquid interface and investigated their interaction with B1917, focusing on the role of the type III secretion system effector protein BteA.

Spatial structure of yeast biofilms and the role of cell adhesion across different media.

The ability of yeast cells to adhere to solid surfaces or even penetrate semi-solid surfaces and form multicellular biofilms are critical factors in infection. This study examines the relationship between cell adhesion capability and the ability to create spatially organized biofilms in selected strains, including clinical isolates, and five species (, , , , and ). We assessed cell adhesion to polystyrene surface in four media varying in source of carbon and other nutrients.

Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are poorly protected.

Mycorrhizal fungi are ecosystem engineers that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's biogeochemical cycles. However, in contrast to plants and animals, the global distribution of mycorrhizal fungal biodiversity is largely unknown, which limits our ability to monitor and protect key underground ecosystems. Here we trained machine-learning algorithms on a global dataset of 25,000 geolocated soil samples comprising >2.

Updating the distribution of sand flies in Hungary with implications on their biology and ecology.

In Europe, sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are characteristic Mediterranean fauna, though some species expand their range further north. However, the sand fly fauna of Central Europe remains underreported, particularly in Hungary where recent data is lacking due to limited and outdated entomological surveys. To address this gap, a series of sand fly surveys were conducted in Hungary, with significant findings from two trapping efforts in 2017 and 2024.

Genomic and phenotypic insights into the expanding phylogenetic landscape of the genus.

The fungal genus includes several life-threatening human pathogens as well as diverse saprobic species whose genome architecture, ecology, and evolutionary history remain less well characterized. Understanding how some lineages evolved into major pathogens remains a central challenge and may be advanced by comparisons with their nonpathogenic counterparts. Integrative approaches have become essential for delimiting species and reconstructing evolutionary relationships, particularly in lineages with cryptic diversity or extensive chromosomal rearrangements.

cytotoxin RtxA induces an innate immune response in oral epithelial cells.

The genus comprises four common species: the commensals and , the emerging paediatric pathogen and the novel species . Improved diagnostic methods have led to the recognition of as a major cause of septic arthritis in young children. The key virulence factor responsible for the pathogenesis of is its cytotoxin RtxA, which is thought to facilitate host invasion.

Molecular mechanism of exchange coupling in CLC chloride/proton antiporters.

The ubiquitous CLC membrane transporters are unique in their ability to exchange anions for cations. Despite extensive study, there is no mechanistic model that fully explains their 2:1 Cl/H stoichiometric exchange mechanism. Here, we provide such a model.

Global analysis of the Hfq-mediated RNA interactome discovers a MicA homolog that affects the cytotoxicity, biofilm formation, and resistance to complement of Bordetella pertussis.

Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative, strictly human re-emerging respiratory pathogen and the causative agent of whooping cough. The requirement of the RNA chaperone Hfq for the virulence of B. pertussis suggests that Hfq-dependent small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are involved in the virulence of this pathogen.

A somatic multiple myeloma mutation unravels a mechanism of oligomerization-mediated product inhibition in GGPPS.

Protein prenylation plays a critical role in regulating the cellular localization of small GTPases and is essential for multiple myeloma (MM) pathology. Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS), producing a key prenylation moiety, exists in a dimeric or hexameric form, depending on the species. However, the functional significance of this oligomerization remains unclear.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Multivalently Presented on Defined Synthetic Neo-Glycoproteins Are Nanomolar Ligands of Tandem-Repeat Galectins.

Galectins are small human proteins participating in inflammation processes, immune response, and cancerogenesis. Tandem-repeat galectins comprising Gal-4, Gal-8, and Gal-9 are a vital yet less studied part of the galectin fingerprint in cancer-related processes. The present work studies a library of prepared multivalent neo-glycoproteins decorated with poly--acetyllactosamine and human-milk-type oligosaccharides as ligands of this underexplored family of tandem-repeat galectins.

A P5-ATPase, TgFLP12, diverging from plant chloroplast lipid transporters mediates apicoplast fatty export in Toxoplasma.

Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite and agent of the human disease toxoplasmosis, possesses a non-photosynthetic relic plastid, named the apicoplast. Thought to be evolved from a red algal plastid, the apicoplast houses major metabolic pathways, such as heme, isoprenoid and lipid synthesis, crucial for parasite survival, and thus considered attractive drug targets. However, despite similarities with plant chloroplast lipid synthesis pathways, the apicoplast lacks canonical plant/chloroplast lipid transporters and so metabolite import/export is at present, poorly characterised.

Elucidation of new sulfamethoxazole catabolic pathways in whole-cell catalyst of bacterium Kocuria rhizophila SA117.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and its residues exhibit high environmental persistence due to their resistance to conventional degradation processes. The bacterial strain Kocuria rhizophila SA117, isolated from polluted soils, was characterized biochemically, phylogenetically, and -omically. Herein, we describe a complete degradation pathway for SMX and determine two putative pathways: cleavage of the benzene ring and the degradation of the substituted isoxazole, leading to the formation of non-toxic Krebs cycle metabolites.