Extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, are regularly released by allogeneic cells after transplantation. Recipient antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) capture these vesicles and subsequently display ...donor MHC molecules on their surface. Recent evidence suggests that activation of alloreactive T cells by the so‐called cross‐dressed APCs plays an important role in initiating the alloresponse associated with allograft rejection. On the other hand, whether allogeneic exosomes can bind to T cells on their own and activate them remains unclear. In this study, we showed that allogeneic exosomes can bind to T cells but do not stimulate them in vitro unless they are cultured with APCs. On the other hand, allogeneic exosomes activate T cells in vivo and sensitize mice to alloantigens but only when delivered in an inflammatory environment.
Allogeneic exosomes activate T cells only when presented by antigen‐presenting cells in an inflammatory environment.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Disruption of the functional protein balance in living cells activates protective quality control systems to repair damaged proteins or sequester potentially cytotoxic misfolded proteins into ...aggregates. The established model based on Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicates that aggregating proteins in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells partition between cytosolic juxtanuclear (JUNQ) and peripheral deposits. Substrate ubiquitination acts as the sorting principle determining JUNQ deposition and subsequent degradation. Here, we show that JUNQ unexpectedly resides inside the nucleus, defining a new intranuclear quality control compartment, INQ, for the deposition of both nuclear and cytosolic misfolded proteins, irrespective of ubiquitination. Deposition of misfolded cytosolic proteins at INQ involves chaperone‐assisted nuclear import via nuclear pores. The compartment‐specific aggregases, Btn2 (nuclear) and Hsp42 (cytosolic), direct protein deposition to nuclear INQ and cytosolic (CytoQ) sites, respectively. Intriguingly, Btn2 is transiently induced by both protein folding stress and DNA replication stress, with DNA surveillance proteins accumulating at INQ. Our data therefore reveal a bipartite, inter‐compartmental protein quality control system linked to DNA surveillance via INQ and Btn2.
Synopsis
‘Juxtanuclear’ deposits of misfolded protein in fact reside in a new intranuclear quality control compartment (INQ). INQ formation is dependent on Btn2, while cytosolic protein deposition is mediated by the Hsp42 aggregase.
Proteotoxic stress in yeast results in organized sequestration of misfolded proteins at cytosolic CytoQ and nuclear INQ (former JUNQ) deposition sites.
INQ deposition does not rely on substrate ubiquitination and does not target sequestered proteins for degradation.
CytoQ and INQ formation relies on compartment‐specific aggregases, the cytosolic Hsp42 and the nuclear Btn2.
DNA replication stress triggers Btn2‐dependent protein sequestration, linking cellular mechanisms coping with protein and DNA stress.
‘Juxtanuclear’ deposits of misfolded protein in fact reside in a new intranuclear quality control compartment (INQ). INQ formation is dependent on Btn2, while cytosolic protein deposition is mediated by the Hsp42 aggregase.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The herbal products proved to be more promising antimicrobials even though their antimicrobial activity is milder than commercially available antibiotics. Moreover, herbal drugs may act ...synergistically with antibiotics to kill microbes. In this study, we aimed to enhance the activity of penicillin against MRSA through combination with the active saponin fraction isolated from the Zygophyllum album plant. Three different types of metabolites (saponins, sterols, and phenolics) have been extracted from Zygophyllum album with ethanol and purified using different chromatographic techniques. The antibacterial activity of crude extract and the separated metabolites were checked against MRSA isolates, Saponin fraction (ZA-S) was only the active one followed by the crude extract. Therefore, the compounds in this fraction were identified using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography connected to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/QTOF-MS) operated in positive and negative ionization modes. UHPLC/QTOF-MS revealed the presence of major six ursane-type tritepenoidal saponins (Quinovic acid, Quinovic acid 3β-O-β-D-quinovopyranoside, Zygophylloside C, Zygophylloside G, Zygophylloside K and Ursolic acid), in addition to Oleanolic acid. Interaction studies between saponin fraction and penicillin against MRSA were performed through the checkerboard method and time-kill assay. According to checkerboard results, only three combinations showed a fractional inhibitory concentration index less than 0.5 at concentrations of (62.5 + 312.5, 62.5 + 156.25, and 62.5 + 78.125 of penicillin and ZA-S, respectively). Time kill assay results showed that the highest reduction in log10 colony-forming unit (CFU)/ml of initial inoculum of MRSA after 24 h occurred by 3.7 at concentrations of 62.5 + 312.5 (µg/µg)/ml of penicillin and ZA-S, respectively. Thus, the combination between saponin fraction of Zygophyllum album and penicillin with these concentrations could be a potential agent against MRSA that can serve as possible model for new antibacterial drug.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
A study in Qatar assessed the effectiveness of previous infection, vaccination, and both against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 caused by omicron BA.1 and BA.2 and against severe, critical, or fatal Covid-19.
Lead sulfide (PbS) and polyaniline (PANI) nano/microparticles were prepared. Then, PANI/PbS core-shell nano/microcomposites (I, II, and III) were prepared by oxidative polymerization of different ...aniline concentrations (0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 M), respectively, in the presence of 0.05 M PbS. FT-IR, XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, and UV-Vis analyses were carried out to characterize the samples. From the FT-IR data, there are redshifts in PbS and PANI nano/microparticles bands in comparison with PANI/PbS nano/microcomposites. The average crystallite sizes of PANI/PbS core-shell nano/microcomposites (I, II, and III) from XRD analyses were 46.5, 55, and 42.16 nm, respectively. From the optical analyses, nano/microcomposite (II) has the optimum optical properties with two band gaps values of 1.41 and 2.79 eV. Then, the nano/microcomposite (II) membrane electrode supported on ITO glass was prepared and applied on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) H2 generation from H2O. The characteristics current-voltage and current-time behaviors were measured at different wavelengths from 390 to 636 nm. Also, the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) under monochromatic illumination condition was calculated. The optimum values for IPCE were 36.5 and 35.2% at 390 and 405 nm, respectively. Finally, a simple mechanism for PEC H2 generation from H2O using the nano/microcomposite (II) membrane electrode was mentioned.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study was carried out using 22 promising restorer lines of rice and their parental lines to study genetic variability and genetic advance for yield and yield-associated grain quality traits and ...floral traits. These genotypes are evaluated in a replicated trial using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt, during the seasons from 2012 to 2020. Analysis of variance revealed that highly significant variations were observed among the genotypes for all the studied characters. Both GCV% and PCV% were high for the number of spikelets per panicle, the number of filled grains per panicle, and panicle weight. The genetic advance in the percentage of mean was high for days to plant height, panicle length, number of spikelets per panicle, number of filled grains per panicle, panicle weight, grain yield per plant, anther length, anther breadth, duration of floret opening, and head rice percentage. Mean performance of the rice genotypes indicated that the genotypes NRL 59, NRL 55, NRL 62, NRL 63, NRL 66, and NRL 54-2 were promising for grain yield and associated desirable traits. Thus, some of these promising lines can be promoted as a new rice variety and could be used as a source for developing new hybrid combinations in hybrid rice breeding programs. The percentage of advantage over better parent and Giza 178 as the commercial variety was significant and there were highly significant desirable values among the genotypes for all the studied traits in the two years, indicating that the selection is effective in the genetic improvements for these traits.
Allergen immunotherapy is effective in patients with IgE-dependent allergic rhinitis and asthma. When immunotherapy is given continuously for 3 years, there is persistent clinical benefit for several ...years after its discontinuation. This disease-modifying effect is both antigen-specific and antigen-driven. Clinical improvement is accompanied by decreases in numbers of effector cells in target organs, including mast cells, basophils, eosinophils, and type 2 innate lymphoid cells. Immunotherapy results in the production of blocking IgG/IgG4 antibodies that can inhibit IgE-dependent activation mediated through both high-affinity IgE receptors (FcεRI) on mast cells and basophils and low-affinity IgE receptors (FcεRII) on B cells. Suppression of TH2 immunity can occur as a consequence of either deletion or anergy of antigen-specific T cells; induction of antigen-specific regulatory T cells; or immune deviation in favor of TH1 responses. It is not clear whether the altered long-term memory resides within the T-cell or the B-cell compartment. Recent data highlight the role of IL-10–producing regulatory B cells and “protective” antibodies that likely contribute to long-term tolerance. Understanding mechanisms underlying induction and persistence of tolerance should identify predictive biomarkers of clinical response and discover novel and more effective strategies for immunotherapy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
We present a novel approach to produce a composite of the HKUST-1 metal–organic framework (MOF) and graphene, which is suited for the fabrication of monolithic coatings of solid substrates. In order ...to avoid the degradation of graphene electrical properties resulting from chemical functionalization (e.g., oxidation yielding graphene oxide, GO), commercial, nonmodified graphene was utilized. The one-pot synthesis of the moldable composite material allows for a controllable loading of graphene and the tuning of porosity. Potentially, this facile synthesis can be transferred to other MOF systems. The monolithic coatings reported here exhibit high surface areas (1156–1078 m2/g). The electrical conductivity was high (a range of 7.6 × 10–6 S m–1to 6.4 × 10–1 S m–1) and was found to be proportional to the graphene content. The ability to readily attain different forms and shapes of the conductive, microporous composites indicates that the MOF@G system can provide a compelling approach to access various applications of MOFs, specifically in electrochemical catalysis, supercapacitors, and sensors.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
The current thinking concerning computations required by Internet of Things (IoT) applications is shifting toward fog computing instead of cloud computing, thereby achieving most of the required ...computations at the network edge of the IoT devices. Fog computing can thus improve the quality of service of delay-sensitive applications by allowing such applications to take advantage of the low latency provided by fog computing rather than the high latency of the cloud. Therefore, tasks in various IoT applications must be effectively distributed over the fog nodes to improve the quality of service, specifically the task response time. In this paper, two nature-inspired meta-heuristic schedulers, namely ant colony optimization (ACO) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), are used to propose two different scheduling algorithms to effectively load balance IoT tasks over the fog nodes under communication cost and response time considerations. The experimental results of the proposed algorithms are compared with those of the round robin (RR) algorithm. The evaluations show that the proposed ACO-based scheduler achieves an improvement in the response times of IoT applications compared to the proposed PSO-based and RR algorithms and effectively load balances the fog nodes.
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