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The emergence of COVID-19 has led to significant morbidity and mortality, with around seven million deaths worldwide as of February 2023. There are several risk factors such as age and sex that are associated with the development of severe symptoms due to COVID-19. There have been limited studies that have explored the role of sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection. As a result, there is an urgent need to identify molecular features associated with sex and COVID-19 pathogenesis to develop more effective interventions to combat the ongoing pandemic. To address this gap, we explored sex-specific molecular factors in both mouse and human datasets. The host immune targets such as TLR7, IRF7, IRF5, and IL6, which are involved in the immune response against viral infections, and the sex-specific targets such as AR and ESSR were taken to investigate any possible link with the SARS-CoV-2 host receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2. For the mouse analysis, a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset was used, while bulk RNA-Seq datasets were used to analyze the human clinical data. Additional databases such as the Database of Transcription Start Sites (DBTS), STRING-DB, and the Swiss Regulon Portal were used for further analysis. We identified a 6-gene signature that showed differential expression in males and females. Additionally, this gene signature showed potential prognostic utility by differentiating ICU patients from non-ICU patients due to COVID-19. Our study highlights the importance of assessing sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can assist in the optimal treatment and better vaccination strategies.

The non-coding genome has been extensively studied for its role in human development and diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which can regulate the expression of hundreds of genes at the post-transcriptional level. Therefore, any defects in miRNA biogenesis or processing can affect the genes and have been linked to several diseases. Male infertility is a clinical disorder with a significant number of cases being idiopathic. Problems in spermatogenesis and epididymal maturation, testicular development, sperm maturation or migration contribute to male infertility, and many of these idiopathic cases are related to issues with the miRNAs which tightly regulate these processes. This review summarizes the recent research on various such miRNAs and puts together the candidate miRNAs that may be used as biomarkers for diagnosis. The development of strategies for male infertility treatment using anti-miRs or miRNA mimics is also discussed. Although promising, the development of miRNA diagnostics and therapeutics is challenging, and ways to overcome some of these challenges are also reviewed.

Structural heterogeneity in the native-state ensemble of dSmt3, the only small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) in Drosophila melanogaster, was investigated and compared with its human homologue SUMO1. Temperature dependence of amide proton's chemical shift was studied to identify amino acids possessing alternative structural conformations in the native state. Effect of small concentration of denaturant (1M urea) on this population was also monitored to assess the ruggedness of near-native energy landscape. Owing to presence of many such amino acids, especially in the β2 -loop-α region, the native state of dSmt3 seems more flexible in comparison to SUMO1. Information about backbone dynamics in ns-ps timescale was quantified from the measurement of 15 N-relaxation experiments. Furthermore, the noncovalent interaction of dSmt3 and SUMO1 with Daxx12 (Daxx729 DPEEIIVLSDSD740 ), a [V/I]-X-[V/I]-[V/I]-based SUMO interaction motif, was characterized using Bio-layer Interferometery and NMR spectroscopy. Daxx12 fits itself in the groove formed by β2 -loop-α structural region in both dSmt3 and SUMO1, but the binding is stronger with the former. Flexibility of β2 -loop-α region in dSmt3 is suspected to assist its interaction with Daxx12. Our results highlight the role of native-state flexibility in assisting noncovalent interactions of SUMO proteins especially in organisms where a single SUMO isoform has to tackle multiple substrates single handedly.

e19061 Background: The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 has elicited an equally rapid development of effective vaccines, leading to a reduction of COVID-19 severity and deaths. There is limited data on COVID-19-related immunity in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Methods: SPARTA (SARS2 SeroPrevalence And Respiratory Tract Assessment) is an ongoing observational study for participants age ≥18 years to investigate immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and/or vaccination. We included patients with CML and compared them with a non-cancer group. We collected saliva and peripheral blood to measure antigen levels by RT-PCR and antibodies (secretory IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies). Results: From October 1, 2021, to February 4, 2022, we prospectively enrolled 49 participants (23 CML, 26 non-cancer). Most were male (56.5%) in the CML group and female in the control group (61.5%), mean age 56.39 y vs. 51.96 y, respectively, and self-identified as white (87% vs. 76.9%). In the CML group, 11 (47.8%) had ≥1 comorbidities, vs 13 (50%) in the control group. Twenty-one (91.3%) CML patients were receiving tyrosine-kinase inhibitors; 4 (18.2%) non-cancer subjects reported taking any medication. Most participants in both groups had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine (73.9% vs. 73.1%); 100% of CML patients received two doses vs. 84.2% of controls; the CML group had a higher percentage of subjects fully vaccinated (66.7% vs. 25%). The CML group had a lower percentage of patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 (8.8% vs. 57.7%). However, there was no difference in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen at the time of enrollment (0% vs. 4%). SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were detected in most of the participants regardless of cancer status (78.3% in the CML cohort and 88% in the non-cancer cohort), and neutralizing antibodies were detected in 82.6% and 95.6%, respectively. The two groups had comparable IgG (mean 146.3 Ru/ml vs. 148.9 Ru/ml) and neutralizing (mean 1329.1 ng/ml vs. 1112 ng/ml) antibody levels. Conclusions: Our preliminary data comparing concomitant cohorts with similar socio-demographic characteristics and medical history indicate that a diagnosis of CML did not impact the development of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. We are conducting continuous analysis of antibodies levels over time to assess the evolution of antibody immunity and functional studies including cellular immunity assessments.[Table: see text]