Comparative Analysis of African Swine Fever Virus Genotypes and Serogroups

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes highly lethal hemorrhagic disease among pigs, and ASFV’s extreme antigenic diversity hinders vaccine development. We show that p72 ASFV phylogenetic analysis does not accurately define ASFV hemadsorption inhibition assay serogroups. Thus, conventional ASFV genotyping cannot discriminate between viruses of different virulence or predict efficacy of a specific ASFV vaccine.     

Kir6.2 is required for adaptation to stress

Reaction to stress requires feedback adaptation of cellular functions to secure a response without distress, but the molecular order of this process is only partially understood. Here, we report a previously unrecognized regulatory element in the general adaptation syndrome. Kir6.2, the ion-conducting subunit of the metabolically responsive ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel, was mandatory for optimal adaptation capacity under stress. Genetic deletion of Kir6.2 disrupted K(ATP) channel-dependent adjustment of membrane excitability and calcium handling, compromising the enhancement of cardiac performance driven by sympathetic stimulation, a key mediator of the adaptation response. In the absence of Kir6.2, vigorous sympathetic challenge caused arrhythmia and sudden death, preventable by calcium-channel blockade. Thus, this vital function identifies a physiological role for K(ATP) channels in the heart.     

Coagulation pathways in atherothrombosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease recognized as the main cause of death in industrial countries. The current paradigm establishes thrombosis to be the major reason for complications of atherosclerosis, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, and the major factor responsible for atherosclerosis-related mortality. Development of adequate treatment of patients with risk of atherothrombosis requires the comprehensive understanding of mechanisms underlying coagulation processes at the site of atherosclerotic lesion. The present review discusses contribution of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of blood coagulation in thrombogenicity of atherosclerotic plaque and factors determining the overall procoagulant/anticoagulant balance.     

Correction: Tantalum(v) 1,3-propanediolate β-diketonate solution as a precursor to sol–gel derived,metal oxide thin films

Correction for ‘Tantalum(v) 1,3-propanediolate β-diketonate solution as a precursor to sol–gel derived, metal oxide thin films’ by Christopher Beale et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 13737–13748, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02558E.

The authors regret that the plasma treatment and printing parameters were reported incorrectly in the subsection “Deposition on a-SiO₂ for UV/Vis spectrophotometry” in the Experimental section of the original article.Before printing, the substrate for both samples was subjected to an argon plasma treatment for 5 minutes (150 W, 0.6 mbar). The plasma power is now corrected to be the same as stated in the “Deposition on a-SiO₂ for Raman/XRD” subsection, where originally it was incorrectly stated that “the power was set slightly higher” for the Raman/XRD samples. For both the acetylacetone and benzoylacetone inks, the inks were printed on their respective substrates with a 75 μm drop pitch having dimensions of 400 × 220 drops to create a uniform layer.The correct section is as follows:     

Proteomic analysis of mantle-cell lymphoma by protein microarray

Mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that behaves aggressively and remains incurable. In order to understand the pathogenesis of MCL and design new therapies, it is important to accurately analyze molecular changes in pathways dysregulated in MCL. We used antibody microarrays to compare patterns of protein expression between CD19(+) purified B lymphocytes from normal tonsil and 7 cases of histologically confirmed MCL. Protein overexpression was defined as a higher than 1.3-fold or 2-fold increase in at least 67% of tumor samples compared with normal B-cell control. Of the polypeptides, 77 were overexpressed using the higher than 1.3-fold cutoff, and 13 were overexpressed using the 2-fold cutoff. These included cell cycle regulators (regulator of chromosome condensation 1 [RCC1], murine double minute 2 [MDM2]), a kinase (citron Rho-interacting kinase [CRIK]), chaperone proteins (heat shock 90-kDa protein [Hsp90], Hsp10), and phosphatase regulators (A-kinase anchor protein 1 [AKAP149], protein phosphatase 5 [PP5], and inhibitor 2). The elevated expression of some of these polypeptides was confirmed by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, whereas elevated expression of others could not be confirmed, illustrating the importance of confirmatory studies. This study describes a novel technique that identifies proteins dysregulated in MCL.