The STRING database in 2025: protein networks with directionality of regulation

Proteins cooperate, regulate and bind each other to achieve their functions. Understanding the complex network of their interactions is essential for a systems-level description of cellular processes. The STRING database compiles, scores and integrates protein-protein association information drawn from experimental assays, computational predictions and prior knowledge. Its goal is to create comprehensive and objective global networks that encompass both physical and functional interactions. Additionally, STRING provides supplementary tools such as network clustering and pathway enrichment analysis. The latest version, STRING 12.5, introduces a new 'regulatory network', for which it gathers evidence on the type and directionality of interactions using curated pathway databases and a fine-tuned language model parsing the literature. This update enables users to visualize and access three distinct network types-functional, physical and regulatory-separately, each applicable to distinct research needs. In addition, the pathway enrichment detection functionality has been updated, with better false discovery rate corrections, redundancy filtering and improved visual displays. The resource now also offers improved annotations of clustered networks and provides users with downloadable network embeddings, which facilitate the use of STRING networks in machine learning and allow cross-species transfer of protein information. The STRING database is available online at https://string-db.org/

Transgenic rat with ubiquitous expression of angiotensin-(1-7)-producing fusion protein: a new tool to study the role of protective arm of the renin-angiotensin system in the pathophysiology of cardio-renal diseases

The aim of the present study was to assess systemic circulatory and tissue activities of both the classical arm and of the alternative arm of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in a new transgenic rat line (TG7371) that expresses angiotensin-(1-7) (ANG 1-7)-producing fusion protein; the results were compared with the activities measured in control transgene-negative Hannover Sprague-Dawley (HanSD) rats. Plasma and tissue concentrations of angiotensin II (ANG II) and ANG 1-7, and kidney mRNA expressions of receptors responsible for biological actions of ANG II and ANG 1-7 [i.e. ANG II type 1 and type 2 (AT(1) and AT(2)) and Mas receptors] were assessed in TG7371 transgene-positive and in HanSD rats. We found that male TG7371 transgene-positive rats exhibited significantly elevated plasma, kidney, heart and lung ANG 1-7 concentrations as compared with control male HanSD rats; by contrast, there was no significant difference in ANG II concentrations and no significant differences in mRNA expression of AT(1), AT(2) and Mas receptors. In addition, we found that in male TG7371 transgene-positive rats blood pressure was lower than in male HanSD rats. These data indicate that the balance between the classical arm and the alternative arm of the RAS was in male TGR7371 transgene-positive rats markedly shifted in favor of the latter. In conclusion, TG7371 transgene-positive rats represent a new powerful tool to study the long-term role of the alternative arm of the RAS in the pathophysiology and potentially in the treatment of cardio-renal diseases

Additional file 2 of Co-option of an endogenous retrovirus (LTR7-HERVH) in early human embryogenesis: becoming useful and going unnoticed

Supplementary Material 2: Table S2. Frequency of near-perfect TP53 sites (Two 10-mer (10 nucleotides (nt)) half-sites, linked by a short spacer region of 0–13 nt) in selected ERVs in the human genome (data source from [132])

An expanded reference catalog of translated open reading frames for biomedical research

Non-canonical (i.e., unannotated) open reading frames (ncORFs) have until recently been omitted from reference genome annotations, despite evidence of their translation, limiting their incorporation into biomedical research. To address this, in 2022, we initiated the TransCODE consortium and built the first community-driven consensus catalog of human ncORFs, which was openly distributed to the research community via Ensembl-GENCODE. While this catalog represented a starting point for reference ncORF annotation, major technical and scientific issues remained. In particular, this initial catalogue had no standardized framework to judge the evidence of translation for individual ncORFs. Here, we present an expanded and refined catalog of the human reference annotation of ncORFs. By incorporating more datasets and by lifting constraints on ORF length and start-codon, we define a comprehensive set of 28,359 ncORFs that is nearly four times the size of the previous catalog. Furthermore, to aid users who wish to work with ncORFs with the strongest and most reproducible signals of translation, we utilized a data-driven framework (i.e. translation signature scores) to assess the accumulated evidence for any individual ncORF. Using this approach, we derive a subset of 7,888 ncORFs with translation evidence on par with canonical protein-coding genes, which we refer to as the Primary set. This set can serve as a reliable reference for downstream analyses and validation, with a particular emphasis on high quality. Overall, this update reflects continual community-driven efforts to make ncORFs accessible and actionable to the broader research public and further iterations of the catalog will continue to expand and refine this resource

Understanding the variability of peanut-oral immunotherapy responses by multi-omics profiling of immune cells

BACKGROUND: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) induces desensitization in peanut allergy, yet 15%-30% of patients do not respond, and a significant risk of anaphylaxis due to treatment remains. In a placebo-controlled peanut OIT trial, this study identifies molecular drivers of OIT responsiveness through multi-omics profiling in immune cells. METHODS: Immunoglobulins, cytokines, transcriptome, and DNA methylome profiles were analyzed in peanut-stimulated and unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from peanut-allergic children before and after treatment. Multi-omics profiling focused on OIT responsiveness within the active treatment arm. Additional subgroup analyses were performed to further elucidate molecular mechanisms and potential biomarkers. RESULTS: Complete responders, tolerating 4500 mg of peanut protein, exhibited lower pre-treatment peanut-specific IgE and Th2 cytokine production (IL-4, IL-5) compared to incomplete responders who tolerated ≤ 1000 mg of peanut protein after treatment. Our primary analysis identified 184 differentially expressed genes and 1001 differentially methylated genes, enriched for innate (ILC3) and adaptive (CD8αα subset of CD8(+) T cells) immune cells, alongside γδ T cells and exosomes, highlighting gastrointestinal regulatory processes as central to OIT success. We found a marked downregulation of immunoglobulin genes in patients receiving peanut compared to placebo, suggesting OIT-induced modulation of B-cell activity. Functional networks revealed a marked imbalance contrasting regulatory T-cell responses and B-cell suppression in the complete responders with innate immune signaling and metabolic stress in the incomplete responders. CONCLUSION: This multi-omics approach underscores the importance of gastrointestinal immune mechanisms underlying the variation in peanut oral immunotherapy responses and offers potential biomarkers for improving treatment strategies

Effect of degeneration stage on non-viral tissue transfection of rd10 retina ex vivo

Gene therapy has great potential for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases, as evidenced by the progress and ongoing research. Using the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system, we developed a non-viral gene delivery system for electroporation-based transfection of rd10 retinas ex vivo. SB100X transposase and Venus transposon plasmids were transfected at a ratio of 1:16 into rd10 retinas of different ages and corresponding wild-type (wt) controls. Transfection efficiency was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and transfected cells were identified by immunohistochemistry. Retinal integrity and cell viability were assessed by FITC-dextran electroporation, histology and apoptosis assay. The highest transfection efficiency was observed in degenerated stages P61 and older, with Müller cells being the only transfected cell type. A 31% reduction in transposon plasmid size resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in transfection efficiency. Integrity and morphology of degenerated retinas were preserved after electroporation-based plasmid transfer; the number of apoptotic cells in the INL was reduced by half compared to wt controls. We demonstrated that electroporation-based delivery of the SB transposon system resulted in efficient transfection of degenerated retinas. Our results are an important first step towards the combined use of retinal prostheses and gene therapy to improve the treatment of inherited retinal dystrophies

Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors lack early genomic drivers, acquire DNA repair defects and harbor hallmarks of low REST expression

The tumorigenesis of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (siNETs) is not understood and comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic data sets are limited. Therefore, we performed whole genome and transcriptome analysis of 39 well differentiated siNET samples. Our genomic data revealed a lack of recurrent driver mutations and demonstrated that multifocal siNETs from individual patients can arise genetically independently. We detected germline mutations in Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway (FANC) genes, involved in homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair, in 9% of patients and found mutational signatures of defective HR DNA repair in late-stage tumor evolution. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed low expression of the transcriptional repressor REST. Summarizing, we identify a novel common transcriptomic signature of siNETs and demonstrate that genomic alterations alone do not explain initial tumor formation, while impaired DNA repair likely contributes to tumor evolution and represents a potential pharmaceutical target in a subset of patients

BEscreen: a versatile toolkit to design base editing libraries

Base editing enables the high-throughput screening of genetic variants for phenotypic effects. Base editing screens require the design of single guide RNA (sgRNA) libraries to enable either gene- or variant-centric approaches. While computational tools supporting the design of sgRNAs exist, no solution offers versatile and scalable library design enabling all major use cases. Here, we introduce BEscreen, a comprehensive base editing guide design tool provided as a web server (bescreen.ostendorflab.org) and as a command line tool. BEscreen provides variant-, gene-, and region-centric modes to accommodate various screening approaches. The variant mode accepts genomic coordinates, amino acid changes, or rsIDs as input. The gene mode designs near-saturation libraries covering the entire coding sequence of given genes or transcripts, and the region mode designs all possible guides for given genomic regions. BEscreen enables selection of guides by biological consequence, it features comprehensive customization of base editor characteristics, and it offers optional annotation using Ensembl’s Variant Effect Predictor. In sum, BEscreen is a highly versatile tool to design base editing screens for a wide range of use cases with seamless scalability from individual variants to large, near-saturation libraries

Gut-heart axis: the role of gut microbiota and metabolites in heart failure

Heart failure is a global health issue with significant mortality and morbidity. There is increasing evidence that alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiome, gut epithelial permeability, and gastrointestinal disorders contribute to heart failure progression through various pathways, including systemic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and modulation of cardiac function. Moreover, several medications used to treat heart failure directly impact the microbiome. The relationship between the gastrointestinal tract and the heart is bidirectional, termed the gut-heart axis. It is increasingly understood that diet-derived microbial metabolites are key mechanistic drivers of the gut-heart axis. This includes, for example, trimethylamine N-oxide and short-chain fatty acids. This review discusses current insights into the interplay between heart failure, its associated risk factors, and the gut microbiome, focusing on key metabolic pathways, the role of dietary interventions, and the potential for gut-targeted therapies. Understanding these complex interactions could pave the way for novel strategies to mitigate heart failure progression and improve patient outcomes

Cardiac regeneration: unraveling the complex network of intercellular crosstalk

The heart is composed of multiple cell types, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial/endocardial cells, fibroblasts, resident immune cells and epicardium and crosstalk between these cell types is crucial for proper cardiac function and homeostasis. In response to cardiac injury or disease, cell-cell interactions and intercellular crosstalk contribute to remodeling to compensate reduced heart function. In some vertebrates, the heart can regenerate following cardiac injury. While cardiomyocytes play a crucial role in this process, additional cell types are necessary to create a pro-regenerative microenvironment in the injured heart. Here, we review recent literature regarding the importance of cellular crosstalk in promoting cardiac regeneration and provide insight into emerging technologies to investigate cell-cell interactions in vivo. Lastly, we explore recent studies highlighting the importance of inter-organ communication in response to injury and promotion of cardiac regeneration. Importantly, understanding how intercellular and inter-organ crosstalk promote cardiac regeneration is essential for the development of therapeutic strategies to stimulate regeneration in the human heart