Browse Articles

Prevalence of self reported photosensitivity and sunscreen use among people living with HIV in Thailand

Breaking shackles of molecular weight and emission for NIR-II fluorophores by regulating Columb attraction interaction

Open source Arabic research paper dataset for natural language processing

How tree shrews see the world

Upstream open reading frame translation enhances immunogenic peptide presentation in mitotically arrested cancer cells

Abstract Mitosis is a critical phase of the cell cycle and a vulnerable point where cancer cells can be disrupted, causing cell death and inhibiting tumor growth. Challenges such as drug resistance persist in clinical applications. During mitosis, mRNA translation is generally downregulated, while non-canonical translation of specific transcripts continues. Here, we show that mitotic cancer cells redistribute ribosomes toward the 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) and beginning of the coding sequence (CDS), enhancing translation of thousands of upstream open reading frames (uORFs) and upstream overlapping open reading frames (uoORFs). This mitotic induction of uORF/uoORF enriches human leukocyte antigen (HLA) presentation of non-canonical peptides on the surface of cancer cells after mitotic inhibitor treatment. Functional assays indicate these epitopes provoke cancer-cell killing by T cells. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting uORF/uoORF-derived epitopes with mitotic inhibitors to enhance immune recognition and tumor cell elimination.

Uncovering the protein aggregation process through effect of G41D mutant SOD1 charge variation in ALS disease

Abstract Neurodegenerative disorders are a group of hereditary and sporadic conditions that are characterized by progressive nervous system dysfunctions. Mutations in the gene encoding human superoxide dismutase 1 (hSOD1) were among the first to be proposed in line with the protein aggregation theory for ALS disease. This study aimed to characterize the (G41D) mutation/charge effects on the biochemical and biophysical properties of the SOD1 structure through computational and experimental methods. The computed average values of RMSD, RMSF, and Rg demonstrate that mutation results in a loss of conformational stability, increased flexibility, and greater compactness, all supporting the observed aggregation. The G41D mutant revealed distinct changes in β-sheet content compared to WT-SOD1 under amyloidogenic conditions, as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the formation of amyloid/amorphous species was identified using ThT/ANS fluorescence and confirmed by TEM analysis. Mutations that alter the net negative charge of the SOD1 protein are crucial in misfolding and shortening the lag phase in SOD1 aggregation. Our results provide supporting evidence that these charge alterations, alongside amyloid-inducing agents at near-physiological pH, significantly contribute to the formation of amyloid-like species. Therefore, studying the G41D mutation may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of fALS-associated aggregate formation, which holds promise for the development of highly effective inhibitors in reducing aggregates and therapeutic potential.

Shortwave Infrared Hemicyanine-6 for Cancer-Activated and Shaving-Free Preclinical Imaging of Lung Metastasis

Clonal diversity shapes the tumour microenvironment leading to distinct immunotherapy responses in metastatic urothelial carcinoma

Perceived social support mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression/anxiety in patients with cardiovascular disease

Viral spread: how rumours surged in revolutionary France

Tuning the Electrical Properties through Metal-Ion-Mediated Assembly in Au₂₅ Nanocluster-Based Frameworks

Universal symmetry-protected persistent spin textures in noncentrosymmetric crystals

Abstract The significance of Mendeleev’s periodic table extends beyond the classification of elements; it lies in its remarkable predictive power for discovering new elements and properties, revealing the underlying symmetrical patterns of nature that were only fully understood with the advent of quantum mechanics. Fundamental material properties, such as electron transport and magnetism, are also governed by crystal symmetry. In particular, spin transport depends on the spin polarization of electronic states, and recently discovered materials where the electron spin polarization is independent of momentum–a property known as persistent spin texture (PST)–promise extended spin lifetime and efficient spin accumulation. In this paper, we establish the general conditions for the existence of symmetry-protected PST in bulk crystals. By systematically analyzing all noncentrosymmetric crystallographic space groups, similar to elements in the periodic table, we demonstrate that PST is universally present in all nonmagnetic solids lacking inversion symmetry except those in the trivial space group P1. Using group theory, we identify the regions within the Brillouin zone that host PST and determine the corresponding directions of spin polarization. Our findings, supported by first-principles calculations of representative materials, open the route for discovering robust spintronic materials based on PST.

Pain modulation by self-generated expectations

Abstract Pain perception is an individual and complex process, influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors via top-down modulatory pathways. One factor which plays an important role in pain perception is expectations, which have been popularly examined in placebo and Hyperalgesia studies, showing that pain perception can be modulated by manipulating expectations of treatments, pain stimuli or outcome. This preregistered EEG study provides compelling evidence for the high efficacy of self-generated expectation in modulating pain perception in direct comparison to externally induced expectation in a typical placebo paradigm. 42 participants were asked to generate expectations based on visual cues towards a subsequent pain stimulus and either lighten, enhance, or not actively influence their pain expectation. The behavioural results showed that pain perception was significantly altered by self-generated expectations, and that all three conditions differed significantly from each other regarding the reported pain. Notably, self-regulation produced more pronounced effects than externally induced expectations in direct comparison to the results of a previous placebo interventions using the identical experimental layout, indicating that deception is unnecessary for effective pain modulation. EEG analyses revealed differential neural processing among conditions, particularly within gamma-band activity linked to pain perception, underscoring the influence of self-generated expectations on neural responses. These findings provide evidence that even expectations created on a voluntary basis directly influence pain perception, and that manipulating strategies used in placebo studies such as conditioning, verbal instructions and observational learning may not be necessary to evoke the described effects.

Air-Stable Ferrocene-Based Catholytes for Improved Performance in pH-Neutral Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Microglial replacement in a Sandhoff disease mouse model reveals myeloid-derived β-hexosaminidase is necessary for neuronal health

Abstract Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are a large disease class involving lysosomal dysfunction, often resulting in neurodegeneration. Sandhoff disease (SD) is an LSD caused by a deficiency in the β subunit of the β-hexosaminidase enzyme (Hexb). Although Hexb expression in the brain is specific to microglia, SD primarily affects neurons. To investigate how a microglial gene is involved in neuronal homeostasis, here we show that β-hexosaminidase is secreted by microglia and integrated into the lysosomal compartment of neurons. To assess therapeutic relevance, we treat the Hexb -/- SD mouse model with bone marrow transplant and colony stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibition, which broadly replaces Hexb -/- microglia with Hexb-sufficient cells. Microglial replacement reverses apoptotic gene signatures, improves behavior, restores β-hexosaminidase enzymatic activity and Hexb expression, prevents substrate buildup, and normalizes neuronal lysosomal phenotypes, underscoring the critical role of myeloid-derived β-hexosaminidase in maintaining neuronal health and establishing microglial replacement as a potential LSD therapy.

Hydrophobic silanes-modified nano-SiO₂ reinforced polyurethane nanocoatings with superior scratch resistance, gloss retention, and metal adhesion

Metastable Clusters and Competitive Solvation Tune Ion Pairing at Liquid Interfaces

Hypoxic stress incites HIF1α-driven ribosome biogenesis that can be exploited by targeting RNA Polymerase I

Superconductivity emerging from the Néel state in infinite-stage single-layer cuprate La$$_2$$CuO$$_{4+\delta }$$

Five single-celled species that dabble in multicellularity