Diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus infection in a very low birth weight infant using metagenomic next-generation sequencing: A case report.

Rationale: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a DNA virus from the herpesvirus family that is widespread among humans. Very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) are particularly susceptible to postnatal CMV infection due to their compromised immune systems. The clinical manifestations of postnatal CMV infection are often nonspecific, which complicates early detection and may lead to multi-organ dysfunction and long-term sequelae.

A Bivalent mRNA Vaccine Efficiently Prevents Gammaherpesvirus Latent Infection.

: It is still challenging to develop effective vaccines against tumorigenic human gammaherpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). A major obstacle is the lack of a small animal model that reproduces the natural infection course of human gammaherpesviruses to allow for proper assessment of vaccine efficacy. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) is a natural pathogen of wild rodents and laboratory mice and therefore can be used as a surrogate for human gammaherpesviruses to evaluate vaccination strategies.

Wave succession in the pandemic clone of Vibrio parahaemolyticus driven by gene loss.

While spontaneous mutation and gene acquisition are well-established drivers of pathogen adaptation, the role of gene loss remains underexplored. Here we investigated the emergence and diversification of the pandemic clone of Vibrio parahaemolyticus through large-scale phylogenomic analysis of 8,684 global isolates. The pandemic clone rapidly acquired multiple marker genes and genomic islands, subsequently diverging into successive sublineages mediating independent waves of cross-country transmission, as also observed in Vibrio cholerae.

Coordinated regulation of pH alkalinization by two transcription factors promotes fungal commensalism and pathogenicity.

As a clinically relevant opportunistic human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans is able to rapidly sense and adapt to changing microenvironments within the host, a process that is essential for its successful invasion and survival. Although studies have shown that the transcription factor Stp2 is the master regulator of environmental alkalinization, accumulating evidence supports a clear involvement of other participants in this adaptation process. Here, following a large-scale genetic screen, we identify the transcription factor Dal81 as an uncharacterized positive regulator of pH alkalinization in C.

ER-resident CCDC134 safeguards TLR4 maturation by maintaining gp96 stability.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a pattern-recognition receptor located on the plasma membrane, senses extracellular danger signals to initiate inflammatory immune responses. It is initially synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), undergoes N-linked glycosylation, and is subsequently transported to the Golgi before ultimately reaching the plasma membrane. However, the mechanisms underlying the processing and maturation of TLR4 in the ER remain elusive.

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the evolution of virulence in the HIV-associated opportunistic human fungal pathogen .

The fungus is considered the leading cause of mortality in immunocompromised patients. While extensive research has unveiled the molecular epidemiology of , the influence of genetic and environmental factors on genotype-phenotype correlations remains poorly understood. Specifically, it remains unclear whether the genetic and environmental variability observed across isolates from diverse sources has significant implications for the pathogen's virulence.

Insights into intestinal barrier disruption during long-term gut colonization in mice: a single-cell transcriptomic approach.

Introduction: , a leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections in women, is increasingly recognized for its potential to colonize the gastrointestinal tract as a long-term reservoir. However, the mechanisms enabling its persistence in the gut remain poorly understood, hindering the development of effective treatments for chronic infections.

Methods: We employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze gene expression profiles and cellular heterogeneity in mouse colonic tissues during long-term colonization to characterize transcriptional changes and intercellular interactions critical for bacterial persistence.

Quantitative lipidomic analysis reveals distinct metabolic traits between stromal cell subpopulations in human orbital adipose tissue.

Adipose tissue, a pivotal metabolic regulator, houses diverse stromal cell populations influencing its dynamic functions. Recent omics studies, including transcriptomics and proteomics, have revealed intricate cellular heterogeneity, yet comprehensive metabolic profiling remains limited. Leveraging fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), we isolated PDGFRα+ DPP4+ and PDGFRα+ DPP4- adipose stromal cells (ASCs) from human orbital adipose tissue (OAT).

Insights into Yersinia pestis evolution through rearrangement analysis of 242 complete genomes.

Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, has a dynamic genome with highly conserved fragments prone to rearrangement, influencing gene function and evolution. However, understanding these patterns is limited by few complete genomes and analytical methods. We developed a dual-validation strategy to analyze 242 complete genomes of Y.

Macrophages form dendrite-like pseudopods to enhance bacterial ingestion.

Macrophages are critical innate immune cells that exhibit remarkable adaptability during pathogen infections. However, the relationship between their morphological plasticity and physiological functions remains largely elusive. Here, we discovered an unprecedented paradigm of macrophage adaptation within a few hours upon severe Gram-negative bacterial infections, characterized by the formation of dendrite-like pseudopods (DLPs).

Albumin: A Review of Market Trends, Purification Methods, and Biomedical Innovations.

Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein, accounting for approximately 50% of total serum protein in healthy individuals. In recent years, albumin has attracted significant attention due to its biocompatibility, non-toxicity (metabolizing in vivo into harmless degradation products), non-immunogenic properties, ease of purification, and water solubility. These characteristics render it an ideal candidate for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Osh2 mediates species resistance to miltefosine by regulating zymosterol accumulation.

Invasive candidiasis poses a growing threat to global public health, compounded by the scarcity of effective antifungal treatments. Miltefosine exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity, yet its mechanisms of antifungal action and the development of resistance remain poorly understood. Here, we first generated miltefosine-resistant strains of through stepwise exposure to increasing drug concentrations.

Single-Cell Sequencing Reveals Circadian Sensitivity of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Mediated by Macrophage-Driven NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Circadian sensitivity significantly influences the severity of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to 97,043 cochlear cells, identifying macrophages as the primary immune responders to acoustic trauma, with a notable increase in their proportion in the cochlea. Immunofluorescence confirmed significant recruitment and activation of cochlear macrophages following noise exposure, while in vivo macrophage depletion resulted in the recovery of hearing.

A phylogenetic approach uncovers cryptic endogenous retrovirus subfamilies in the primate lineage.

Current approaches for classifying and annotating endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and their long terminal repeats (LTRs) have limited resolution and are inaccurate. Here, we developed an annotation approach based on phylogenetic analysis and cross-species conservation. Focusing on the evolutionarily young LTR subfamilies known as MER11A/B/C, we revealed the presence of four "new subfamilies," suggesting a new annotation for 412 (19.

Vimentin intermediate filaments facilitate transportation of hepatitis C virus components.

Vimentin, an intermediate filament protein, primarily contributes to intracellular organization, cell migration, and signal transduction. In recent years, the role of intermediate filaments in viral infection has garnered increasing attention. During viral infection, vimentin can regulate viral propagation by forming a vimentin cage to enclose viral replication factories, and facilitating the intracellular transport of viral components.

A photoactivatable chemical lipidomics approach for local sphingolipid metabolic analysis.

In eukaryotic cells, lipid metabolism is tightly regulated depending on the subcellular localization, which is essential for maintaining lipid homeostasis. However, understanding compartmentalized lipid metabolism remains challenging due to limited availability of suitable techniques. In this study, we present a chemical lipidomics approach that combines photoactivatable probes with high resolution mass spectrometry and stable-isotope labelling to analyze lipid dynamics at subcellular resolution.

The disruption of COPII vesicles activates HSF-1 through SEC-23.

HSF-1 is a highly conserved transcription factor that plays a central role in protecting organisms from diverse cellular stresses. However, the mechanisms by which HSF-1 senses and responds to different types of stress remain incompletely understood. COPII-coated vesicles, responsible for transporting cargo from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, are essential for protein secretion and cellular homeostasis.

Mast cells boost anti-tumor potency of MAIT cells via inflammasome-dependent secretion of IL-18.

Mast cells (MC) serve as pivotal sentinels in the regulation of immune responses and inflammation, yet their function in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains largely neglected. To decode their heterogeneity, we perform single-cell transcriptomic analysis of LUAD-infiltrating MCs. Our study uncovers the complexity in MC composition and identifies 9 distinct states, including proinflammation, chemotaxis, and antigen presentation.

In situ structure of a bacterial flagellar motor at subnanometre resolution reveals adaptations for increased torque.

The bacterial flagellar motor, which spins a helical propeller for propulsion, has undergone evolutionary diversification across bacterial species, often involving the addition of structures associated with increasing torque for motility in viscous environments. Understanding how such structures function and have evolved is hampered by challenges in visualizing motors in situ. Here we developed a Campylobacter jejuni minicell system for in situ cryogenic electron microscopy imaging and single-particle analysis of its motor, one of the most complex flagellar motors known, to subnanometre resolution.

Radiotherapy enhances anticancer CD8 T cell responses by cGAMP transfer through LRRC8A/C volume-regulated anion channels.

The volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) transport osmolytes, neurotransmitters, and cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) across the cell membrane to regulate cell volume and host defense. We report that the leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A/C (LRRC8A/C) VRAC plays a crucial role in immune responses to radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer. VRACs transfer cGAMP from irradiated cancer cells to infiltrating CD4 and CD8 T cells, thus enhancing their effector functions.

Heterogeneous subpopulations in strains acquire adaptive resistance to imipenem treatment through rapid transcriptional regulation.

Introduction: Heteroresistance is a well-known phenomenon contributing to treatment failure in bacterial infections. Previous research has traditionally linked it to genetic mechanisms, emphasizing fixed subpopulations with specific resistance mutations. Recent studies appreciated that bacterial subpopulations may not be fixed and independent, but rather dynamically changing.

IL16 Promotes Plasma Cell Differentiation.

The regulation of terminal differentiation of B cells into plasma cells is influenced by transcription factors, epigenetics, and cytokines. Both human and murine B cells possess the capacity to produce interleukin 16 (IL16), a pleiotropic cytokine that serves as a chemoattractant. Despite its production, the precise role of IL16 in B cells has remained elusive.

Disruption of the Vagal TRPA1-Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Axis Reduces Asthma Severity.

Background: Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) are adjacent to the vagus nerve, which innervates the lungs, and have been implicated in asthma pathogenesis. However, the neuroimmunomodulatory role of vagal-PNEC signaling in asthma remains poorly understood.

Methods: We developed an asthma model of C-fiber photoactivation and vagotomy to investigate the changes in PNECs.