bims-drudre 2021-05-09 papers

bims-drudre

Biomed News

on Targeted drug delivery and programmed release mechanisms

Issue of 2021–05–09
sixteen papers selected by
Ceren Kimna, Technical University of Munich

Insects defend against fungal infection by employing microRNAs to silence virulence-related genes.
Immune Checkpoint-Bioengineered Beta Cell Vaccine Reverses Early-Onset Type 1 Diabetes.
In situ cancer vaccination using lipidoid nanoparticles.
mRNA Delivery of a Bispecific Single-Domain Antibody to Polarize Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Synergize Immunotherapy against Liver Malignancies.
Multifunctional Graphdiyne-Cerium Oxide Nanozymes Facilitate MicroRNA Delivery and Attenuate Tumor Hypoxia for Highly Efficient Radiotherapy of Esophageal Cancer.
Membrane fusion and drug delivery with carbon nanotube porins.
Personalized combination nano-immunotherapy for robust induction and tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells.
Macrophage miR-210 induction and metabolic reprogramming in response to pathogen interaction boost life-threatening inflammation.
Dynamic Continuum of Nanoscale Peptide Assemblies Facilitates Endocytosis and Endosomal Escape.
DNA-inspired nanomaterials for enhanced endosomal escape.
A human-airway-on-a-chip for the rapid identification of candidate antiviral therapeutics and prophylactics.
Advances in Clustered, Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Based Diagnostic Assays Assisted by Micro/Nanotechnologies.
LIMIT is an immunogenic lncRNA in cancer immunity and immunotherapy.
Integrated microRNA and mRNA Expression Profiling Identifies Novel Targets and Networks Associated with Ebstein's Anomaly.
Introducing Bacteria and Synthetic Biomolecules along Engineered DNA Fibers.
Rapid One-Step Detection of Viral Particles Using an Aptamer-Based Thermophoretic Assay.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 May 11. pii: e2023802118. [Epub ahead of print]118(19):

Insects defend against fungal infection by employing microRNAs to silence virulence-related genes.

Yan Wang, Chunlai Cui, Guandong Wang, Yifei Li, Sibao Wang.

  Chemical insecticides remain the main strategy to combat mosquito-borne diseases, but the growing threat of insecticide resistance prompts the urgent need to develop alternative, ecofriendly, and sustainable vector control tools. Entomopathogenic fungi can overcome insecticide resistance and represent promising biocontrol tools for the control of mosquitoes. However, insects have evolved robust defense mechanisms against infection. Better understanding of mosquito defenses against fungal infection is critical for improvement of fungal efficacy. Here, we show that as the pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana penetrates into the host hemocoel, mosquitoes increase expression of the let-7 and miR-100 microRNAs (miRNAs). Both miRNAs translocate into fungal hyphae to specifically silence the virulence-related genes sec2p and C6TF, encoding a Rab guanine nucleotide exchange factor and a Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor, respectively. Inversely, expression of a let-7 sponge (anti-let-7) or a miR-100 sponge (anti-miR-100) in the fungus efficiently sequesters the corresponding translocated host miRNA. Notably, B. bassiana strains expressing anti-let-7 and anti-miR-100 are markedly more virulent to mosquitoes. Our findings reveal an insect defense strategy that employs miRNAs to induce cross-kingdom silencing of pathogen virulence-related genes, conferring resistance to infection.

Keywords:  cross-kingdom RNAi; entomopathogenic fungus; host–microbe interactions; insect immunity; microRNA

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023802118
Adv Mater. 2021 May 08. e2101253

Immune Checkpoint-Bioengineered Beta Cell Vaccine Reverses Early-Onset Type 1 Diabetes.

Kin Man Au, Yusra Medik, Qi Ke, Roland Tisch, Andrew Z Wang.

  Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune disease that results from autoreactive T cells destroying insulin-producing pancreatic beta (β) cells. The development of T1DM is associated with the deficiency of co-inhibitory immune checkpoint ligands (e.g., PD-L1, CD86, and Gal-9) in β cells. Here, a new translational approach based on metabolic glycoengineering and bioorthogonal click chemistry, which bioengineers β cells with co-inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules that induce antigen-specific immunotolerance and reverse early-onset hyperglycemia is reported. To achieve this goal, a subcutaneous injectable acellular pancreatic extracellular matrix platform for localizing the bioengineered β cells while creating a pancreas-like immunogenic microenvironment, in which the autoreactive T cells can interface with the β cells, is devised.

Keywords:  bioorthogonal click chemistry; dendrimers; extracellular matrix; immune checkpoint; metabolic glycoengineering; type 1 diabetes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202101253
Sci Adv. 2021 May;pii: eabf1244. [Epub ahead of print]7(19):

In situ cancer vaccination using lipidoid nanoparticles.

Jinjin Chen, Min Qiu, Zhongfeng Ye, Thomas Nyalile, Yamin Li, Zachary Glass, Xuewei Zhao, Liu Yang, Jianzhu Chen, Qiaobing Xu.

In situ vaccination is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy owing to its convenience and the ability to induce numerous tumor antigens. However, the advancement of in situ vaccination techniques has been hindered by low cross-presentation of tumor antigens and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To balance the safety and efficacy of in situ vaccination, we designed a lipidoid nanoparticle (LNP) to achieve simultaneously enhancing cross-presentation and STING activation. From combinatorial library screening, we identified 93-O17S-F, which promotes both the cross-presentation of tumor antigens and the intracellular delivery of cGAMP (STING agonist). Intratumor injection of 93-O17S-F/cGAMP in combination with pretreatment with doxorubicin exhibited excellent antitumor efficacy, with 35% of mice exhibiting total recovery from a primary B16F10 tumor and 71% of mice with a complete recovery from a subsequent challenge, indicating the induction of an immune memory against the tumor. This study provides a promising strategy for in situ cancer vaccination.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf1244
Adv Mater. 2021 May 04. e2007603

mRNA Delivery of a Bispecific Single-Domain Antibody to Polarize Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Synergize Immunotherapy against Liver Malignancies.

Ying Wang, Karthik Tiruthani, Sirui Li, Mengying Hu, Guojie Zhong, Yu Tang, Sourav Roy, Lillian Zhang, Jun Tan, Chengheng Liao, Rihe Liu.

  Liver malignancies are among the tumor types that are resistant to immune checkpoint inhibition therapy. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are highly enriched and play a major role in inducing immunosuppression in liver malignancies. Herein, CCL2 and CCL5 are screened as two major chemokines responsible for attracting TAM infiltration and inducing their polarization toward cancer-promoting M2-phenotype. To reverse this immunosuppressive process, an innovative single-domain antibody that bispecifically binds and neutralizes CCL2 and CCL5 (BisCCL2/5i) with high potency and specificity is directly evolved. mRNA encoding BisCCL2/5i is encapsulated in a clinically approved lipid nanoparticle platform, resulting in a liver-homing biomaterial that allows transient yet efficient expression of BisCCL2/5i in the diseased organ in a multiple dosage manner. This BisCCL2/5i mRNA nanoplatform significantly induces the polarization of TAMs toward the antitumoral M1 phenotype and reduces immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. The combination of BisCCL2/5i with PD-1 ligand inhibitor (PD-Li) achieves long-term survival in mouse models of primary liver cancer and liver metastasis of colorectal and pancreatic cancers. The work provides an effective bispecific targeting strategy that could broaden the PD-Li therapy to multiple types of malignancies in the human liver.

Keywords:  bispecific single-domain antibody; immunotherapy; liver malignancies; mRNA-lipid nanoparticles; tumor-associated macrophages

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202007603
Adv Mater. 2021 May 05. e2100556

Multifunctional Graphdiyne-Cerium Oxide Nanozymes Facilitate MicroRNA Delivery and Attenuate Tumor Hypoxia for Highly Efficient Radiotherapy of Esophageal Cancer.

Xuantong Zhou, Min You, Fuhui Wang, Zhenzhen Wang, Xingfa Gao, Chao Jing, Jiaming Liu, Mengyu Guo, Jiayang Li, Aiping Luo, Huibiao Liu, Zhihua Liu, Chunying Chen.

  Radioresistance is an important challenge for clinical treatments. The main causes of radioresistance include hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment, the antioxidant system within cancer cells, and the upregulation of DNA repair proteins. Here, a multiple radiosensitization strategy of high-Z-element-based radiation enhancement is designed, attenuating hypoxia and microRNA therapy. The novel 2D graphdiyne (GDY) can firmly anchor and disperse CeO2 nanoparticles to form GDY-CeO2 nanocomposites, which exhibit superior catalase-mimic activity in decomposing H2 O2 to O2 to significantly alleviate tumor hypoxia, promote radiation-induced DNA damage, and ultimately inhibit tumor growth in vivo. The miR181a-2-3p (miR181a) serum levels in patients are predictive of the response to preoperative radiotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and facilitate personalized treatment. Moreover, miR181a can act as a radiosensitizer by directly targeting RAD17 and regulating the Chk2 pathway. Subsequently, the GDY-CeO2 nanocomposites with miR181a are conjugated with the iRGD-grafted polyoxyethylene glycol (short for nano-miR181a), which can increase the stability, efficiently deliver miR181a to tumor, and exhibit low toxicity. Notably, nano-miR181a can overcome radioresistance and enhance therapeutic efficacy both in a subcutaneous tumor model and human-patient-derived xenograft models. Overall, this GDY-CeO2 nanozyme and miR181a-based multisensitized radiotherapy strategy provides a promising therapeutic approach for ESCC.

Keywords:  GDY-CeO 2 nanozymes; human sophageal squamous cell carcinoma; hypoxia alleviation; miR-181a-2-3p; radiosensitizers

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202100556
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 May 11. pii: e2016974118. [Epub ahead of print]118(19):

Membrane fusion and drug delivery with carbon nanotube porins.

Nga T Ho, Marc Siggel, Karen V Camacho, Ramachandra M Bhaskara, Jacqueline M Hicks, Yun-Chiao Yao, Yuliang Zhang, Jürgen Köfinger, Gerhard Hummer, Aleksandr Noy.

  Drug delivery mitigates toxic side effects and poor pharmacokinetics of life-saving therapeutics and enhances treatment efficacy. However, direct cytoplasmic delivery of drugs and vaccines into cells has remained out of reach. We find that liposomes studded with 0.8-nm-wide carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) function as efficient vehicles for direct cytoplasmic drug delivery by facilitating fusion of lipid membranes and complete mixing of the membrane material and vesicle interior content. Fusion kinetics data and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal an unusual mechanism where CNTP dimers tether the vesicles, pull the membranes into proximity, and then fuse their outer and inner leaflets. Liposomes containing CNTPs in their membranes and loaded with an anticancer drug, doxorubicin, were effective in delivering the drug to cancer cells, killing up to 90% of them. Our results open an avenue for designing efficient drug delivery carriers compatible with a wide range of therapeutics.

Keywords:  carbon nanotube porins; drug delivery; liposomes; membrane fusion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2016974118
Biomaterials. 2021 Apr 27. pii: S0142-9612(21)00200-3. [Epub ahead of print]274 120844

Personalized combination nano-immunotherapy for robust induction and tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells.

Kyung Soo Park, Jutaek Nam, Sejin Son, James J Moon.

  Identification of tumor-specific mutations, called neoantigens, offers new exciting opportunities for personalized cancer immunotherapy. However, it remains challenging to achieve robust induction of neoantigen-specific T cells and drive their infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we have developed a novel polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based personalized vaccine platform carrying neoantigen peptides and CpG adjuvants in a compact nanoparticle (NP) for their spatio-temporally concerted delivery. The NP vaccine significantly enhanced activation and antigen cross-presentation of dendritic cells, resulting in strong priming of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells with the frequency in the systemic circulation reaching as high as 23 ± 7% after a single subcutaneous administration. However, activated CD8+ T cells in circulation exhibited limited tumor infiltration, leading to poor anti-tumor efficacy. Notably, local administration of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist promoted tumor infiltration of vaccine-primed CD8+ T cells, thereby overcoming one of the major challenges in achieving strong anti-tumor efficacy with cancer vaccination. The NP vaccination combined with STING agonist therapy eliminated tumors in murine models of MC-38 colon carcinoma and B16F10 melanoma and established long-term immunological memory. Our approach provides a novel therapeutic strategy based on combination nano-immunotherapy for personalized cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords:  Cancer vaccine; Neoantigen; STING; Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120844
Sci Adv. 2021 May;pii: eabf0466. [Epub ahead of print]7(19):

Macrophage miR-210 induction and metabolic reprogramming in response to pathogen interaction boost life-threatening inflammation.

Federico Virga, Federica Cappellesso, Benoit Stijlemans, Anne-Theres Henze, Rosa Trotta, Jonas Van Audenaerde, Ananda S Mirchandani, Manuel A Sanchez-Garcia, Jolien Vandewalle, Francesca Orso, Carla Riera-Domingo, Alberto Griffa, Cristina Ivan, Evelien Smits, Damya Laoui, Fabio Martelli, Lies Langouche, Greet Van den Berghe, Olivier Feron, Bart Ghesquière, Hans Prenen, Claude Libert, Sarah R Walmsley, Cyril Corbet, Jo A Van Ginderachter, Mircea Ivan, Daniela Taverna, Massimiliano Mazzone.

Unbalanced immune responses to pathogens can be life-threatening although the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show a hypoxia-inducible factor 1α-dependent microRNA (miR)-210 up-regulation in monocytes and macrophages upon pathogen interaction. MiR-210 knockout in the hematopoietic lineage or in monocytes/macrophages mitigated the symptoms of endotoxemia, bacteremia, sepsis, and parasitosis, limiting the cytokine storm, organ damage/dysfunction, pathogen spreading, and lethality. Similarly, pharmacologic miR-210 inhibition improved the survival of septic mice. Mechanistically, miR-210 induction in activated macrophages supported a switch toward a proinflammatory state by lessening mitochondria respiration in favor of glycolysis, partly achieved by downmodulating the iron-sulfur cluster assembly enzyme ISCU. In humans, augmented miR-210 levels in circulating monocytes correlated with the incidence of sepsis, while serum levels of monocyte/macrophage-derived miR-210 were associated with sepsis mortality. Together, our data identify miR-210 as a fine-tuning regulator of macrophage metabolism and inflammatory responses, suggesting miR-210-based therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf0466
Nano Lett. 2021 May 03.

Dynamic Continuum of Nanoscale Peptide Assemblies Facilitates Endocytosis and Endosomal Escape.

Hongjian He, Jiaqi Guo, Jiashu Xu, Jiaqing Wang, Shuang Liu, Bing Xu.

  Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enables intracellular targeting by peptide assemblies, but how the ALP substrates enter cells remains elusive. Here we show that nanoscale phosphopeptide assemblies cluster ALP to enable caveolae-mediated endocytosis (CME) and endosomal escape. Specifically, fluorescent phosphopeptides undergo enzyme-catalyzed self-assembly to form nanofibers. Live cell imaging unveils that phosphopeptides nanoparticles, coincubated with HEK293 cells overexpressing red fluorescent protein-tagged tissue-nonspecific ALP (TNAP-RFP), cluster TNAP-RFP in lipid rafts to enable CME. Further dephosphorylation of the phosphopeptides produces peptidic nanofibers for endosomal escape. Inhibiting TNAP, cleaving the membrane anchored TNAP, or disrupting lipid rafts abolishes the endocytosis. Decreasing the transformation to nanofibers prevents the endosomal escape. As the first study establishing a dynamic continuum of nanoscale assemblies for cellular uptake, this work illustrates an effective design for enzyme-responsive supramolecular therapeutics and provides mechanism insights for understanding the dynamics of cellular uptake of proteins or exogenous peptide aggregates.

Keywords:  Endocytosis; Endosomal Escape; Self-Assembly; Tissue-Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01029
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 05 11. pii: e2104511118. [Epub ahead of print]118(19):

DNA-inspired nanomaterials for enhanced endosomal escape.

Jinhyung Lee, Ian Sands, Wuxia Zhang, Libo Zhou, Yupeng Chen.

  To realize RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, it is necessary to deliver therapeutic RNAs (such as small interfering RNA or siRNA) into cell cytoplasm. A major challenge of RNAi therapeutics is the endosomal entrapment of the delivered siRNA. In this study, we developed a family of delivery vehicles called Janus base nanopieces (NPs). They are rod-shaped nanoparticles formed by bundles of Janus base nanotubes (JBNTs) with RNA cargoes incorporated inside via charge interactions. JBNTs are formed by noncovalent interactions of small molecules consisting of a base component mimicking DNA bases and an amino acid side chain. NPs presented many advantages over conventional delivery materials. NPs efficiently entered cells via macropinocytosis similar to lipid nanoparticles while presenting much better endosomal escape ability than lipid nanoparticles; NPs escaped from endosomes via a "proton sponge" effect similar to cationic polymers while presenting significant lower cytotoxicity compared to polymers and lipids due to their noncovalent structures and DNA-mimicking chemistry. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we have shown that NPs are promising candidates for antiviral delivery applications, which may be used for conditions such as COVID-19 in the future.

Keywords:  DNA nanotechnology; Janus base nanopieces; Janus base nanotubes; RNA delivery; endosomal escape

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2104511118
Nat Biomed Eng. 2021 May 03.

A human-airway-on-a-chip for the rapid identification of candidate antiviral therapeutics and prophylactics.

Longlong Si, Haiqing Bai, Melissa Rodas, Wuji Cao, Crystal Yuri Oh, Amanda Jiang, Rasmus Moller, Daisy Hoagland, Kohei Oishi, Shu Horiuchi, Skyler Uhl, Daniel Blanco-Melo, Randy A Albrecht, Wen-Chun Liu, Tristan Jordan, Benjamin E Nilsson-Payant, Ilona Golynker, Justin Frere, James Logue, Robert Haupt, Marisa McGrath, Stuart Weston, Tian Zhang, Roberto Plebani, Mercy Soong, Atiq Nurani, Seong Min Kim, Danni Y Zhu, Kambez H Benam, Girija Goyal, Sarah E Gilpin, Rachelle Prantil-Baun, Steven P Gygi, Rani K Powers, Kenneth E Carlson, Matthew Frieman, Benjamin R tenOever, Donald E Ingber.

The rapid repurposing of antivirals is particularly pressing during pandemics. However, rapid assays for assessing candidate drugs typically involve in vitro screens and cell lines that do not recapitulate human physiology at the tissue and organ levels. Here we show that a microfluidic bronchial-airway-on-a-chip lined by highly differentiated human bronchial-airway epithelium and pulmonary endothelium can model viral infection, strain-dependent virulence, cytokine production and the recruitment of circulating immune cells. In airway chips infected with influenza A, the co-administration of nafamostat with oseltamivir doubled the treatment-time window for oseltamivir. In chips infected with pseudotyped severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), clinically relevant doses of the antimalarial drug amodiaquine inhibited infection but clinical doses of hydroxychloroquine and other antiviral drugs that inhibit the entry of pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 in cell lines under static conditions did not. We also show that amodiaquine showed substantial prophylactic and therapeutic activities in hamsters challenged with native SARS-CoV-2. The human airway-on-a-chip may accelerate the identification of therapeutics and prophylactics with repurposing potential.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00718-9
ACS Nano. 2021 May 07.

Advances in Clustered, Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Based Diagnostic Assays Assisted by Micro/Nanotechnologies.

Huahua Yue, Mengqi Huang, Tian Tian, Erhu Xiong, Xiaoming Zhou.

Clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based diagnoses, derived from gene-editing technology, have been exploited for less than 5 years and are now reaching the stage of precommercial use. CRISPR tools have some notable features, such as recognition at physiological temperature, excellent specificity, and high-efficiency signal amplification capabilities. These characteristics are promising for the development of next-generation diagnostic technologies. In this Perspective, we present a detailed summary of which micro/nanotechnologies play roles in the advancement of CRISPR diagnosis and how they are involved. The use of nanoprobes, nanochips, and nanodevices, microfluidic technology, lateral flow strips, etc. in CRISPR detection systems has led to new opportunities for CRISPR-based diagnosis assay development, such as achieving equipment-free detection, providing more compact detection systems, and improving sensitivity and quantitative capabilities. Although tremendous progress has been made, CRISPR diagnosis has not yet reached its full potential. We discuss upcoming opportunities and improvements and how micro/nanotechnologies will continue to play key roles.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c02372
Nat Cell Biol. 2021 May 06.

LIMIT is an immunogenic lncRNA in cancer immunity and immunotherapy.

Gaopeng Li, Ilona Kryczek, Jutaek Nam, Xiong Li, Shasha Li, Jing Li, Shuang Wei, Sara Grove, Linda Vatan, Jiajia Zhou, Wan Du, Heng Lin, Ton Wang, Chitra Subramanian, James J Moon, Marcin Cieslik, Mark Cohen, Weiping Zou.

Major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) presents tumour antigens to CD8+ T cells and triggers anti-tumour immunity. Humans may have 30,000-60,000 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, it remains poorly understood whether lncRNAs affect tumour immunity. Here, we identify a lncRNA, lncRNA inducing MHC-I and immunogenicity of tumour (LIMIT), in humans and mice. We found that IFNγ stimulated LIMIT, LIMIT cis-activated the guanylate-binding protein (GBP) gene cluster and GBPs disrupted the association between HSP90 and heat shock factor-1 (HSF1), thereby resulting in HSF1 activation and transcription of MHC-I machinery, but not PD-L1. RNA-guided CRISPR activation of LIMIT boosted GBPs and MHC-I, and potentiated tumour immunogenicity and checkpoint therapy. Silencing LIMIT, GBPs and/or HSF1 diminished MHC-I, impaired antitumour immunity and blunted immunotherapy efficacy. Clinically, LIMIT, GBP- and HSF1-signalling transcripts and proteins correlated with MHC-I, tumour-infiltrating T cells and checkpoint blockade response in patients with cancer. Together, we demonstrate that LIMIT is a cancer immunogenic lncRNA and the LIMIT-GBP-HSF1 axis may be targetable for cancer immunotherapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00672-3
Cells. 2021 Apr 30. pii: 1066. [Epub ahead of print]10(5):

Integrated microRNA and mRNA Expression Profiling Identifies Novel Targets and Networks Associated with Ebstein's Anomaly.

Masood Abu-Halima, Viktoria Wagner, Lea Simone Becker, Basim M Ayesh, Mohammed Abd El-Rahman, Ulrike Fischer, Eckart Meese, Hashim Abdul-Khaliq.

  Little is known about abundance level changes of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNA) in patients with Ebstein's anomaly (EA). Here, we performed an integrated analysis to identify the differentially abundant miRNAs and mRNA targets and to identify the potential therapeutic targets that might be involved in the mechanisms underlying EA. A large panel of human miRNA and mRNA microarrays were conducted to determine the genome-wide expression profiles in the blood of 16 EA patients and 16 age and gender-matched healthy control volunteers (HVs). Differential abundance level of single miRNA and mRNA was validated by Real-Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Enrichment analyses of altered miRNA and mRNA abundance levels were identified using bioinformatics tools. Altered miRNA and mRNA abundance levels were observed between EA patients and HVs. Among the deregulated miRNAs and mRNAs, 76 miRNAs (49 lower abundance and 27 higher abundance, fold-change of ≥2) and 29 mRNAs (25 higher abundance and 4 lower abundance, fold-change of ≥1.5) were identified in EA patients compared to HVs. Bioinformatics analysis identified 37 pairs of putative miRNA-mRNA interactions. The majority of the correlations were detected between the lower abundance level of miRNA and higher abundance level of mRNA, except for let-7b-5p, which showed a higher abundance level and their target gene, SCRN3, showed a lower abundance level. Pathway enrichment analysis of the deregulated mRNAs identified 35 significant pathways that are mostly involved in signal transduction and cellular interaction pathways. Our findings provide new insights into a potential molecular biomarker(s) for the EA that may guide the development of novel targeting therapies.

Keywords:  Ebstein’s anomaly; congenital heart defect; integration analysis; mRNA; microRNA

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10051066
Small. 2021 May 07. e2100136

Introducing Bacteria and Synthetic Biomolecules along Engineered DNA Fibers.

Jonathan R Burns.

  Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanotechnology enables user-defined structures to be built with unrivalled control. The approach is currently restricted across the nanoscale, yet the ability to generate macroscopic DNA structures has enormous potential with applications spanning material, physical, and biological science. To address this need, I employed DNA nanotechnology and developed a new macromolecular nanoarchitectonic assembly method to produce DNA fibers with customizable properties. The process involves coalescing DNA nanotubes under high salt conditions to yield filament superstructures. Using this strategy, fibers over 100 microns long, with stiffnesses 10 times greater than cytoskeletal actin filaments can be fabricated. The DNA framework enables fibers to be functionalized with advanced synthetic molecules, including, aptamers, origami, nanoparticles, and vesicles. In addition, the fibers can act as bacterial extracellular scaffolds and adhere Escherichia coli cells in a controllable fashion. These results showcase the opportunities offered from DNA nanotechnology across the macroscopic scale. The new biophysical approach should find widespread use, from the generation of hybrid-fabric materials, smart analytical devices in biomedicine, and platforms to study cell-cell interactions.

Keywords:  DNA nanotechnology; condensation; fibers; macromolecular nanoarchitectonics; nanotubes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202100136
J Am Chem Soc. 2021 May 04.

Rapid One-Step Detection of Viral Particles Using an Aptamer-Based Thermophoretic Assay.

Jinqi Deng, Fei Tian, Chao Liu, Yuan Liu, Shuai Zhao, Ting Fu, Jiashu Sun, Weihong Tan.

Rapid and sensitive identification of viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 is a critical step to control the pandemic disease. Viral antigen detection can compete with gold-standard PCR-based nucleic acid diagnostics in terms of better reflection of viral infectivity and reduced risk of contamination from enzymatic amplification. Here, we report the development of a one-step thermophoretic assay using an aptamer and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for direct quantitative detection of viral particles. The assay relies on aptamer binding to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and simultaneous accumulation of aptamer-bound viral particles in laser-induced gradients of temperature and PEG concentration. Using a pseudotyped lentivirus model, a limit of detection of ∼170 particles μL-1 (26 fM of the spike protein) is achieved in 15 min without the need of any pretreatment. As a proof of concept, the one-step thermophoretic assay is used to detect synthetic samples by spiking viral particles into oropharyngeal swabs with an accuracy of 100%. The simplicity, speed, and cost-effectiveness of this thermophoretic assay may expand the diagnostic tools for viral pathogens.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c02929