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Resistance to chemotherapy remains a major hurdle to the cure of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients. Recent studies indicate a minority of malignant cells, termed drug-tolerant persisters (DTPs), stochastically upregulate stress pathways to evade cell death upon acute exposure to chemotherapy without acquiring new genetic mutations. This chemoresistant state is transient and the cells return to baseline after removal of chemotherapy. Yet, the mechanisms employed by DTPs to resist chemotherapy are not well understood and it is largely unknown whether these mechanisms are also seen in patients receiving chemotherapy. Here, we used leukemia cell lines, primary AML patient samples and samples from patients with AML receiving systemic chemotherapy to study the DTP state. We demonstrated that a subset of AML cells transiently increases membrane rigidity to resist killing due to acute exposure to Daunorubicin and Ara-C. Upon removal of the chemotherapy, membrane rigidity returned to baseline and the cells regained chemosensitivity. Although resistant to chemotherapy, the increased membrane rigidity, rendered AML cells more susceptible to T-cell mediated killing. Thus, we identified a novel mechanism by which DTP leukemic cells evade chemotherapy and a strategy to eradicate these persistent cells.

Summary: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics and lipidomics have recently been used to show that MYC-amplified group 3 medulloblastoma tumors are driven by metabolic reprogramming. Here, we present a protocol to extract metabolites and lipids from human medulloblastoma brain tumor-initiating cells and normal neural stem cells. We describe untargeted LC-MS methods that can be used to achieve extensive coverage of the polar metabolome and lipidome. Finally, we detail strategies for metabolite identification and data analysis.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Gwynne et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

This is a material culture-based case study of two bandolier bags dated to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in the Agnes Etherington Art Center collection in Kingston, Canada. The floral motifs that decorate these two bags are not made from porcupine quills, nor are all of them bilaterally symmetrical as in "traditional" Indigenous art. Instead, they are made from glass beads, and most of the floral designs are asymmetrical. The bags' surface patterns and materials were made possible through international trade, which facilitated the merging of European and other global designs, materials, and forms with Indigenous visual and material culture. Contemporary Western anthropological discourse framed these Indigenous objects as "hybrids" and alleged that they distorted the original meaning of such styles in a European context while simultaneously "corrupting" traditional Indigenous art and culture. Such art forms were denied a place in modernity due to their supposed inauthenticity. Ironically, "authentic" Indigenous art and material culture was likewise barred from being considered "modern" due to its hand-made, "preindustrial" nature. Connecting North American historical developments with discourse on Indigenous modernisms, I argue that on the contrary, these bags evince their makers' conscientious engagement with modernity and can be considered modern Indigenous art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The galectin family of secreted lectins are important regulators of immune cell function; however, their role in B cell responses is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify IgM-BCR as a ligand for galectin-9. In resting naive cells, they show that galectin-9 mediates a close association between IgM and CD22.

Summary: Legionella pneumophila translocates the largest known arsenal of over 330 pathogenic factors, called “effectors,” into host cells during infection, enabling L. pneumophila to establish a replicative niche inside diverse amebas and human macrophages. Here, we reveal that the L. pneumophila effectors MavC (Lpg2147) and MvcA (Lpg2148) are structural homologs of cycle inhibiting factor (Cif) effectors and that the adjacent gene, lpg2149, produces a protein that directly inhibits their activity. In contrast to canonical Cifs, both MavC and MvcA contain an insertion domain and deamidate the residue Gln40 of ubiquitin but not Gln40 of NEDD8. MavC and MvcA are functionally diverse, with only MavC interacting with the human E2-conjugating enzyme UBE2N (Ubc13). MavC deamidates the UBE2N∼Ub conjugate, disrupting Lys63 ubiquitination and dampening NF-κB signaling. Combined, our data reveal a molecular mechanism of host manipulation by pathogenic bacteria and highlight the complex regulatory mechanisms integral to L. pneumophila’s pathogenic strategy. : Legionella pneumophila, possessing the largest known arsenal of effectors, continues to reveal unique approaches to host cell control. Valleau et al. decrypt the functions of a trio of effectors, discovering a pair of ubiquitin-specific deamidases, their regulation by a neighboring dual-specificity protein inhibitor, and a mechanism of NF-κB suppression. Keywords: pathogen-host interaction, ubiquitination, Legionella, UBE2N/Ubc13, NF-κB signaling, Type IV secretion system, effectors, metaeffector, cycle inhibiting factor