The polycomb group proteins, BMI-1 and EZH2, are tumour-associated antigens

We used SEREX technology to identify novel tumour-associated antigens in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma and found serological responses to the polycomb group (PcG) protein BMI-1, which is overexpressed in a range of different tumour types. Further studies identified T-cell responses to both BMI-1 and another PcG protein, EZH2, in cancer patients and at relatively lower levels in some normal donors. We next identified several CD8+ T-cell epitopes derived from BMI-1 and EZH2 and demonstrated that EZH2-derived peptides elicited more significant interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release than BMI-1-derived peptides. That CD8+ T cells were responsible for the observed responses was confirmed for EZH2 by both IFN-γ capture assays and tetramer staining using an HLA-A0201-restricted, EZH2-derived YMSCSFLFNL (aa 666–674) epitope. The ability of YMSCSFLFNL (aa 666–674) to stimulate the in vitro expansion of specific T cells from peripheral blood lymphocytes was greatly enhanced when the CD25+ T-cell population was depleted. EZH2-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte clones specific for two HLA-A0201 epitopes were generated and found to recognise endogenously processed EZH2 in both HLA-matched fibroblasts and tumour cell lines. Given the widespread overexpression of PcG proteins in cancer and their critical role in oncogenesis, these data suggest that they may be useful targets for cancer immunotherapy

The entrepreneurial ecosystem of cultural and creative industries in Porto: A sub-ecosystem approach

It is still a matter of dispute whether entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) frameworks can be confined to a single industry in isolation, let alone whether such a sub-ecosystem approach can be employed in a domain that is distinct from the highgrowth industries usually scrutinised in the literature. This article seeks to apply a systemic and dynamic EE perspective to the development of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) within an urban context, with a particular focus on how urban development interacts with the sub-ecosystem of this sector over time. An in-depth case study in the city of Porto (Portugal) revealed that existing EE frameworks are well-suited to research on creative sub-ecosystems. It also enabled us to flesh out associations with other entrepreneurial activities and policy domains within the city. We highlight the prominent roles of local culture and policies when the context is resource-constrained: policy led to an upward, positive spiral that moved Porto's EE in relation to CCIs into a growth stage, during which it began to interact with, and faced resource competition from, high-tech entrepreneurship. We argue that having an integrated view of the dynamics of entrepreneurial sub-ecosystems and urban affairs can improve what is understood of productivity and causality in entrepreneurship

Clinical features and management of individuals admitted to hospital with monkeypox and associated complications across the UK: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The scale of the 2022 global mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) outbreak has been unprecedented. In less than 6 months, non-endemic countries have reported more than 67 000 cases of a disease that had previously been rare outside of Africa. Mortality has been reported as rare but hospital admission has been relatively common. We aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcomes of individuals admitted to hospital with mpox and associated complications, including tecovirimat recipients. METHODS: In this cohort study, we undertook retrospective review of electronic clinical records and pathology data for all individuals admitted between May 6, and Aug 3, 2022, to 16 hospitals from the Specialist and High Consequence Infectious Diseases Network for Monkeypox. The hospitals were located in ten cities in England and Northern Ireland. Inclusion criteria were clinical signs consistent with mpox and MPXV DNA detected from at least one clinical sample by PCR testing. Patients admitted solely for isolation purposes were excluded from the study. Key outcomes included admission indication, complications (including pain, secondary infection, and mortality) and use of antibiotic and anti-viral treatments. Routine biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, and virology data were also collected. Outcomes were assessed in all patients with available data. FINDINGS: 156 individuals were admitted to hospital with complicated mpox during the study period. 153 (98%) were male and three (2%) were female, with a median age of 35 years (IQR 30-44). Gender data were collected from electronic patient records, which encompassed full formal review of clincian notes. The prespecified options for data collection for gender were male, female, trans, non-binary, or unknown. 105 (71%) of 148 participants with available ethnicity data were of White ethnicity and 47 (30%) of 155 were living with HIV with a median CD4 count of 510 cells per mm3 (IQR 349-828). Rectal or perianal pain (including proctitis) was the most common indication for hospital admission (44 [28%] of 156). Severe pain was reported in 89 (57%) of 156, and secondary bacterial infection in 82 (58%) of 142 individuals with available data. Median admission duration was 5 days (IQR 2-9). Ten individuals required surgery and two cases of encephalitis were reported. 38 (24%) of the 156 individuals received tecovirimat with early cessation in four cases (two owing to hepatic transaminitis, one to rapid treatment response, and one to patient choice). No deaths occurred during the study period. INTERPRETATION: Although life-threatening mpox appears rare in hospitalised populations during the current outbreak, severe mpox and associated complications can occur in immunocompetent individuals. Analgesia and management of superimposed bacterial infection are priorities for patients admitted to hospital. FUNDING: None

Tyrosine kinase signalling in breast cancer: Modulation of tyrosine kinase signalling in human breast cancer through altered expression of signalling intermediates

The past decade has seen the definition of key signalling pathways downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in terms of their components and the protein-protein interactions that facilitate signal transduction. Given the strong evidence that links signalling by certain families of RTKs to the progression of breast cancer, it is not surprising that the expression profile of key downstream signalling intermediates in this disease has also come under scrutiny, particularly because some exhibit transforming potential or amplify mitogenic signalling pathways when they are overexpressed. Reflecting the diverse cellular processes regulated by RTKs, it is now clear that altered expression of such signalling proteins in breast cancer may influence not only cellular proliferation (eg Grb2) but also the invasive properties of the cancer cells (eg EMS1/cortactin)

Temporal Proteome and Lipidome Profiles Reveal Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Reprogramming of Hepatocellular Metabolism and Bioenergetics

Proteomic and lipidomic profiling was performed over a time course of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in cultured Huh-7.5 cells to gain new insights into the intracellular processes influenced by this virus. Our proteomic data suggest that HCV induces early perturbations in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the citric acid cycle, which favor host biosynthetic activities supporting viral replication and propagation. This is followed by a compensatory shift in metabolism aimed at maintaining energy homeostasis and cell viability during elevated viral replication and increasing cellular stress. Complementary lipidomic analyses identified numerous temporal perturbations in select lipid species (e.g. phospholipids and sphingomyelins) predicted to play important roles in viral replication and downstream assembly and secretion events. The elevation of lipotoxic ceramide species suggests a potential link between HCV-associated biochemical alterations and the direct cytopathic effect observed in this in vitro system. Using innovative computational modeling approaches, we further identified mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation enzymes, which are comparably regulated during in vitro infection and in patients with histological evidence of fibrosis, as possible targets through which HCV regulates temporal alterations in cellular metabolic homeostasis

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Engineering the surface properties of a human monoclonal antibody prevents self-association and rapid clearance in vivo

Uncontrolled self-association is a major challenge in the exploitation of proteins as therapeutics. Here we describe the development of a structural proteomics approach to identify the amino acids responsible for aberrant self-association of monoclonal antibodies and the design of a variant with reduced aggregation and increased serum persistence in vivo. We show that the human monoclonal antibody, MEDI1912, selected against nerve growth factor binds with picomolar affinity, but undergoes reversible self-association and has a poor pharmacokinetic profile in both rat and cynomolgus monkeys. Using hydrogen/deuterium exchange and cross-linking-mass spectrometry we map the residues responsible for self-association of MEDI1912 and show that disruption of the self-interaction interface by three mutations enhances its biophysical properties and serum persistence, whilst maintaining high affinity and potency. Immunohistochemistry suggests that this is achieved via reduction of non-specific tissue binding. The strategy developed represents a powerful and generic approach to improve the properties of therapeutic proteins