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Lay summary: Malignant ureteric obstruction (MUO) is frequently encountered in patients with advanced cancers. In the largest study to date, assessing 852 patients from across Scotland, the authors demonstrated the presence of MUO as a marker of advanced disease across cancer types, with poor survival for many patients, even with intervention. There is uncertainty in optimal management of this condition, with marked differences in management between hospitals. Treatment to relieve the obstruction does not guarantee either improvement in kidney function or progression to further oncological treatment. The authors have developed a prognostic tool to estimate outcomes after intervention for MUO, and advocate its use for clinicians along with other data presented for patient counselling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core framework of the gene regulatory network (GRN) governing neural crest (NC) cell development has been generated by integrating separate inputs from diverse model organisms rather than direct comparison. This has limited insights into the diversity of genes in the NC cell GRN and extent of conservation of newly identified transcriptional signatures in cell differentiation and invasion. Here, we address this by leveraging the strengths and accessibility of the avian embryo to precise developmental staging by egg incubation and use an integrated analysis of chick (HH13) and mouse (E9.5) embryo tissue samples collected during NC cell migration into pharyngeal arches 1-2 (PA1 and PA2). We successfully identify a cluster of NC cells containing both mouse and chick cells that share expression of Lmo4 , Tfap2B , Sox10 , and Twist1 , and distinct genes that lack known conserved roles in NC. Importantly, we discovered a cluster of cells exhibiting a conserved transcriptional signature associated with the NC cell migratory wavefront in both mouse and chick, including KAZALD1, BAMBI, DES, and GPC3. We confirm their expression is restricted to leader mouse NCs by multiplexed FISH. Together, these data offer novel insights into the transcriptional programs that underlie NC cell migration and establish the foundation for future comparative functional analyses.

Mutations in the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) protein are highly prevalent in cancer. However, small-molecule concepts that address oncogenic KRAS alleles remain elusive beyond replacing glycine at position 12 with cysteine (G12C), which is clinically drugged through covalent inhibitors. Guided by biophysical and structural studies of ternary complexes, we designed a heterobifunctional small molecule that potently degrades 13 out of 17 of the most prevalent oncogenic KRAS alleles. Compared with inhibition, KRAS degradation results in more profound and sustained pathway modulation across a broad range of KRAS mutant cell lines, killing cancer cells while sparing models without genetic KRAS aberrations. Pharmacological degradation of oncogenic KRAS was tolerated and led to tumor regression in vivo. Together, these findings unveil a new path toward addressing KRAS-driven cancers with small-molecule degraders.

Severe COVID-19 often leads to secondary infections and sepsis that contribute to long hospital stays and mortality. However, our understanding of the precise immune mechanisms driving severe complications after SARS-CoV-2 infection remains incompletely understood. Here, we provide evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein initiates innate immune inflammation, via toll-like receptor 2 signaling, and establishes a sustained state of innate immune tolerance following initial activation. Monocytes in this tolerant state exhibit reduced responsiveness to secondary stimuli, releasing lower levels of cytokines and chemokines. Mice exposed to E protein before secondary lipopolysaccharide challenge show diminished pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the lung, indicating that E protein drives this tolerant state  in vivo . These findings highlight the potential of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein to induce innate immune tolerance, contributing to long-term immune dysfunction that could lead to susceptibility to subsequent infections, and uncovers therapeutic targets aimed at restoring immune function following SARS-CoV-2 infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background: Increased inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long-term disease manifestations. The mechanisms of this variable long-term immune activation are poorly defined. One feature of this increased inflammation is elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Autoantibodies targeting immune factors such as cytokines, as well as the viral host cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), have been observed after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Autoantibodies to immune factors and ACE2 could interfere with normal immune regulation and lead to increased inflammation, severe COVID-19, and long-term complications., Methods: Here, we deeply profiled the features of ACE2, cytokine, and chemokine autoantibodies in samples from patients recovering from severe COVID-19. We measured the levels of immunoglobulin subclasses (IgG, IgA, IgM) in the peripheral blood against ACE2 and 23 cytokines and other immune molecules. We then utilized an ACE2 peptide microarray to map the linear epitopes targeted by ACE2 autoantibodies., Results: We demonstrate that ACE2 autoantibody levels are increased in individuals with severe COVID-19 compared with those with mild infection or no prior infection. We identify epitopes near the catalytic domain of ACE2 targeted by these antibodies. Levels of autoantibodies targeting ACE2 and other immune factors could serve as determinants of COVID-19 disease severity, and represent a natural immunoregulatory mechanism in response to viral infection., Conclusions: These results demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infection can increase autoantibody levels to ACE2 and other immune factors. The levels of these autoantibodies are associated with COVID-19 disease severity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The molecular identification of neural progenitor cell populations that connect to establish the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) remains unclear. This is due to technical limitations in the acquisition and spatial mapping of molecular information to tissue architecture., Results: To address this, we applied Slide-seq spatial transcriptomics to intact fresh frozen chick trunk tissue transversely cryo-sectioned at the developmental stage prior to SNS formation. In parallel, we performed age- and location-matched single cell (sc) RNA-seq and 10× Genomics Visium to inform our analysis. Downstream bioinformatic analyses led to the unique molecular identification of neural progenitor cells within the peripheral sympathetic ganglia (SG) and spinal cord preganglionic neurons (PGNs). We then successfully applied the HiPlex RNAscope fluorescence in situ hybridization and multispectral confocal microscopy to visualize 12 gene targets in stage-, age- and location-matched chick trunk tissue sections., Conclusions: Together, these data demonstrate a robust strategy to acquire and integrate single cell and spatial transcriptomic information, resulting in improved resolution of molecular heterogeneities in complex neural tissue architectures. Successful application of this strategy to the developing SNS provides a roadmap for functional studies of neural connectivity and platform to address complex questions in neural development and regeneration., (© 2023 American Association for Anatomy.)

Human milk is essential for infant nutrition and immunity, providing protection against infections and other immune-mediated diseases during the lactation period and beyond in later childhood. Milk contains a broad range of bioactive factors such as nutrients, hormones, enzymes, immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines, and antimicrobial factors, as well as heterogeneous populations of maternal cells. The soluble and cellular components of milk are dynamic over time to meet the needs of the growing infant. In this study, we utilize systems-approaches to define and characterize 62 analytes of the soluble component, including immunoglobulin isotypes, as well as the cellular component of human milk during the first two weeks postpartum from 36 mothers. We identify soluble immune and growth factors that are dynamic over time and could be utilized to classify milk into different phenotypic groups. We identify 24 distinct populations of both epithelial and immune cells by single-cell transcriptome analysis of 128,016 human milk cells. We found that macrophage populations have shifting inflammatory profiles during the first two weeks of lactation. This analysis provides key insights into the soluble and cellular components of human milk and serves as a substantial resource for future studies of human milk., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Collective and discrete neural crest cell (NCC) migratory streams are crucial to vertebrate head patterning. However, the factors that confine NCC trajectories and promote collective cell migration remain unclear., Results: Computational simulations predicted that confinement is required only along the initial one-third of the cranial NCC migratory pathway. This guided our study of Colec12 (Collectin-12, a transmembrane scavenger receptor C-type lectin) and Trail (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, CD253) which we show expressed in chick cranial NCC-free zones. NCC trajectories are confined by Colec12 or Trail protein stripes in vitro and show significant and distinct changes in cell morphology and dynamic migratory characteristics when cocultured with either protein. Gain- or loss-of-function of either factor or in combination enhanced NCC confinement or diverted cell trajectories as observed in vivo with three-dimensional confocal microscopy, respectively, resulting in disrupted collective migration., Conclusions: These data provide evidence for Colec12 and Trail as novel NCC microenvironmental factors playing a role to confine cranial NCC trajectories and promote collective cell migration., (© 2023 American Association for Anatomy.)

Collective cell migration plays an essential role in vertebrate development, yet the extent to which dynamically changing microenvironments influence this phenomenon remains unclear. Observations of the distribution of the extracellular matrix (ECM) component fibronectin during the migration of loosely connected neural crest cells (NCCs) lead us to hypothesize that NCC remodeling of an initially punctate ECM creates a scaffold for trailing cells, enabling them to form robust and coherent stream patterns. We evaluate this idea in a theoretical setting by developing an individual-based computational model that incorporates reciprocal interactions between NCCs and their ECM. ECM remodeling, haptotaxis, contact guidance, and cell-cell repulsion are sufficient for cells to establish streams in silico, however, additional mechanisms, such as chemotaxis, are required to consistently guide cells along the correct target corridor. Further model investigations imply that contact guidance and differential cell-cell repulsion between leader and follower cells are key contributors to robust collective cell migration by preventing stream breakage. Global sensitivity analysis and simulated gain- and loss-of-function experiments suggest that long-distance migration without jamming is most likely to occur when leading cells specialize in creating ECM fibers, and trailing cells specialize in responding to environmental cues by upregulating mechanisms such as contact guidance., Competing Interests: WM, RM, JT, MM, LD, RB, HB, PK, PM No competing interests declared, (© 2023, Martinson et al.)

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of lymphoma, is typically treated with chemotherapy combined with the immunotherapy rituximab, an antibody targeting the B cell receptor, CD20. Despite the success of this treatment regimen, approximately a third of DLBCL patients experience either relapse or have refractory disease that is resistant to rituximab, indicating the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Here, we identified that CD74 and IL4R are expressed on the cell surface of both CD20 positive and CD20 negative B cell populations. Moreover, genes encoding CD74 and IL4R are expressed in lymphoma biopsies isolated from all stages of disease. We engineered bispecific antibodies targeting CD74 or IL4R in combination with rituximab anti-CD20 (anti-CD74/anti-CD20 and anti-IL4R/anti-CD20). Bispecific antibody function was evaluated by measuring direct induction of apoptosis, antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in both rituximab-sensitive and rituximab-resistant DLBCL cell lines. Both anti-CD74/anti-CD20 and anti-IL4R/anti-CD20 were able to mediate ADCC and ADCP, but CD74-targeting therapeutic antibodies could also mediate direct cytotoxicity. Overall, this study strongly indicates that development of bispecific antibodies that target multiple B cell receptors expressed by lymphoma could provide improved defense against relapse and rituximab resistance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Geanes, Krepel, McLennan, Pierce, Khanal and Bradley.)

Targeted protein degradation offers an alternative modality to classical inhibition and holds the promise of addressing previously undruggable targets to provide novel therapeutic options for patients. Heterobifunctional molecules co-recruit a target protein and an E3 ligase, resulting in ubiquitylation and proteosome-dependent degradation of the target. In the clinic, the oral route of administration is the option of choice but has only been achieved so far by CRBN- recruiting bifunctional degrader molecules. We aimed to achieve orally bioavailable molecules that selectively degrade the BAF Chromatin Remodelling complex ATPase SMARCA2 over its closely related paralogue SMARCA4, to allow in vivo evaluation of the synthetic lethality concept of SMARCA2 dependency in SMARCA4-deficient cancers. Here we outline structure- and property-guided approaches that led to orally bioavailable VHL-recruiting degraders. Our tool compound, ACBI2, shows selective degradation of SMARCA2 over SMARCA4 in ex vivo human whole blood assays and in vivo efficacy in SMARCA4-deficient cancer models. This study demonstrates the feasibility for broadening the E3 ligase and physicochemical space that can be utilised for achieving oral efficacy with bifunctional molecules., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Understanding the B cell response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is a high priority. High-throughput sequencing of the B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire allows for dynamic characterization of B cell response. Here, we sequenced the BCR repertoire of individuals vaccinated by the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. We compared BCR repertoires of individuals with previous COVID-19 infection (seropositive) to individuals without previous infection (seronegative). We discovered that vaccine-induced expanded IgG clonotypes had shorter heavy-chain complementarity determining region 3 (HCDR3), and for seropositive individuals, these expanded clonotypes had higher somatic hypermutation (SHM) than seronegative individuals. We uncovered shared clonotypes present in multiple individuals, including 28 clonotypes present across all individuals. These 28 shared clonotypes had higher SHM and shorter HCDR3 lengths compared to the rest of the BCR repertoire. Shared clonotypes were present across both serotypes, indicating convergent evolution due to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination independent of prior viral exposure.

The roles that natural killer (NK) cells play in liver disease and transplantation remain ill-defined. Reports on the matter are often contradictory, and the mechanisms elucidated are complex and dependent on the context of the model tested. Moreover, NK cell attributes, such as receptor protein expression and function differ among species, make study of primate or rodent transplant models challenging. Recent insights into NK function and NK-mediated therapy in the context of cancer therapy may prove applicable to transplantation. Of specific interest are immune checkpoint molecules and the mechanisms by which they modulate NK cells in the tumor micro-environment. In this review, we summarize NK cell populations in the peripheral blood and liver, and we explore the data regarding the expression and function of immune checkpoint molecules on NK cells. We also hypothesize about the roles they could play in liver transplantation and discuss how they might be harnessed therapeutically in transplant sciences., (© 2021 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel betacoronavirus that caused coronavirus disease 2019 and has resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. Novel coronavirus infections in humans have steadily become more common. Understanding antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, and identifying conserved, cross-reactive epitopes among coronavirus strains could inform the design of vaccines and therapeutics with broad application. Here, we determined that individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine produced antibody responses that cross-reacted with related betacoronaviruses. Moreover, we designed a peptide-conjugate vaccine with a conserved SARS-CoV-2 S2 spike epitope, immunized mice and determined cross-reactive antibody binding to SARS-CoV-2 and other related coronaviruses. This conserved spike epitope also shared sequence homology to proteins in commensal gut microbiota and could prime immune responses in humans. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 conserved epitopes elicit cross-reactive immune responses to both related coronaviruses and host bacteria that could serve as future targets for broad coronavirus therapeutics and vaccines., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The dynamics of multipotent neural crest cell differentiation and invasion as cells travel throughout the vertebrate embryo remain unclear. Here, we preserve spatial information to derive the transcriptional states of migrating neural crest cells and the cellular landscape of the first four chick cranial to cardiac branchial arches (BA1-4) using label-free, unsorted single-cell RNA sequencing. The faithful capture of branchial arch-specific genes led to identification of novel markers of migrating neural crest cells and 266 invasion genes common to all BA1-4 streams. Perturbation analysis of a small subset of invasion genes and time-lapse imaging identified their functional role to regulate neural crest cell behaviors. Comparison of the neural crest invasion signature to other cell invasion phenomena revealed a shared set of 45 genes, a subset of which showed direct relevance to human neuroblastoma cell lines analyzed after exposure to the in vivo chick embryonic neural crest microenvironment. Our data define an important spatio-temporal reference resource to address patterning of the vertebrate head and neck, and previously unidentified cell invasion genes with the potential for broad impact., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2021. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Cell invasion and cell plasticity are critical to human development but are also striking features of cancer metastasis. By distributing a multipotent cell type from a place of birth to distal locations, the vertebrate embryo builds organs. In comparison, metastatic tumor cells often acquire a de-differentiated phenotype and migrate away from a primary site to inhabit new microenvironments, disrupting normal organ function. Countless observations of both embryonic cell migration and tumor metastasis have demonstrated complex cell signaling and interactive behaviors that have long confounded scientist and clinician alike. James D. Murray realized the important role of mathematics in biology and developed a unique strategy to address complex biological questions such as these. His work offers a practical template for constructing clear, logical, direct and verifiable models that help to explain complex cell behaviors and direct new experiments. His pioneering work at the interface of development and cancer made significant contributions to glioblastoma cancer and embryonic pattern formation using often simple models with tremendous predictive potential. Here, we provide a brief overview of advances in cell invasion and cell plasticity using the embryonic neural crest and its ancestral relationship to aggressive cancers that put into current context the timeless aspects of his work.

Vertebrate head morphogenesis involves carefully-orchestrated tissue growth and cell movements of the mesoderm and neural crest to form the distinct craniofacial pattern. To better understand structural birth defects, it is important that we characterize the dynamics of these processes and learn how they rely on each other. Here we examine this question during chick head morphogenesis using time-lapse imaging, computational modeling, and experiments. We find that head mesodermal cells in culture move in random directions as individuals and move faster in the presence of neural crest cells. In vivo, mesodermal cells migrate in a directed manner and maintain neighbor relationships; neural crest cells travel through the mesoderm at a faster speed. The mesoderm grows with a non-uniform spatio-temporal profile determined by BrdU labeling during the period of faster and more-directed neural crest collective migration through this domain. We use computer simulations to probe the robustness of neural crest stream formation by varying the spatio-temporal growth profile of the mesoderm. We follow this with experimental manipulations that either stop mesoderm growth or prevent neural crest migration and observe changes in the non-manipulated cell population, implying a dynamic feedback between tissue growth and neural crest cell signaling to confer robustness to the system. Overall, we present a novel descriptive analysis of mesoderm and neural crest cell dynamics that reveals the coordination and co-dependence of these two cell populations during head morphogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No competing interests declared., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The neural crest serves as a powerful and tractable model paradigm for understanding collective cell migration. The neural crest cell populations are well-known for their long-distance collective migration and contribution to diverse cell lineages during vertebrate development. If neural crest cells fail to reach a target or populate an incorrect location, then improper cell differentiation or uncontrolled cell proliferation can result. A wide range of interdisciplinary studies has been carried out to understand the response of neural crest cells to different stimuli and their ability to migrate to distant targets. In this critical commentary, we illustrate how an interdisciplinary collaboration involving experimental and mathematical modeling has led to a deeper understanding of cranial neural crest cell migration. We identify open questions and propose possible ways to start answering some of the challenges arising., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Neural crest migration requires cells to move through an environment filled with dense extracellular matrix and mesoderm to reach targets throughout the vertebrate embryo. Here, we use high-resolution microscopy, computational modeling, and in vitro and in vivo cell invasion assays to investigate the function of Aquaporin 1 (AQP-1) signaling. We find that migrating lead cranial neural crest cells express AQP-1 mRNA and protein, implicating a biological role for water channel protein function during invasion. Differential AQP-1 levels affect neural crest cell speed and direction, as well as the length and stability of cell filopodia. Furthermore, AQP-1 enhances matrix metalloprotease activity and colocalizes with phosphorylated focal adhesion kinases. Colocalization of AQP-1 with EphB guidance receptors in the same migrating neural crest cells has novel implications for the concept of guided bulldozing by lead cells during migration., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

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