Synergistic antitumour effects of rapamycin and oncolytic reovirus.

There are currently numerous oncolytic viruses undergoing clinical trial evaluation in cancer patients and one agent, Talimogene laherparepvec, has been approved for the treatment of malignant melanoma. This progress highlights the huge clinical potential of this treatment modality, and the focus is now combining these agents with conventional anticancer treatments or agents that enhance viral replication, and thereby oncolysis, in the tumour microenvironment. We evaluated the combination of reovirus with rapamycin in B16F10 cell, a murine model of malignant melanoma, based on potential mechanisms by which mTOR inhibitors might enhance viral oncolysis. Rapamycin was not immunomodulatory in that it had no effect on the generation of an antireovirus-neutralising antibody response in C57/black 6 mice. The cell cycle effects of reovirus (increase G0/G1 fraction) were unaffected by concomitant or sequential exposure of rapamycin. However, rapamycin attenuated viral replication if given prior or concomitantly with reovirus and similarly reduced reovirus-induced apoptotic cell death Annexin V/PI and caspase 3/7 activation studies. We found clear evidence of synergistic antitumour effects of the combination both in vitro and in vivo, which was sequence dependent only in the in vitro setting. In conclusion, we have demonstrated synergistic antitumour efficacy of reovirus and rapamycin combination

Covalent immobilization of a TiW₅ polyoxometalate on derivatized silicon surfaces

Covalent ties: The polyoxometalate (nBu4N)3[(MeO) TiW5O18] is easily anchored to alkanol-functionalized surfaces of porous and single-crystal silicon (see picture, polyhedra: polyoxometalate, dark blue: Si surface). Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals the growth of 35-50 nm diameter islands on functionalized Si(111), which suggests that the immobilized polyoxometalates act as nucleation sites for electrostatic aggregation. \ua9 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Role of cell cycle on the cellular uptake and dilution of nanoparticles in a cell population

Nanoparticles are considered a primary vehicle for targeted therapies because they can pass biological barriers, enter and distribute in cells by energy-dependent pathways1-3. Until now, most studies have shown that nanoparticle properties, such as size4-6 and surface7,8, can affect how cells internalise nanoparticles. Here we show that the different phases of cell growth, which constitute the cell cycle, can also influence nanoparticle uptake. Although cells in different cell cycle phases internalised nanoparticles with similar rates, after 24 hours of uptake the concentration of nanoparticles in the cells is ranked according to the different cell cycle phases: G2/M > S > G0/G1. Nanoparticles were not exported from cells but the internalised nanoparticle concentration is split when the cell divides. Our results suggest that future studies on nanoparticle uptake should consider the cell cycle because in a cell population, the internalised nanoparticle dose in each cell varies as the cell cycles.Science Foundation IrelandHigher Education AuthorityIrish Research Council for Science, Engineering and TechnologyEuropean Research Council6M embargo: release after 6/05/2012 - 24/01/2012 A

A mobile genetic element profoundly increases heat resistance of bacterial spores

Bacterial endospores are among the most resilient forms of life on earth and are intrinsically resistant to extreme environments and antimicrobial treatments. Their resilience is explained by unique cellular structures formed by a complex developmental process often initiated in response to nutrient deprivation. Although the macromolecular structures of spores from different bacterial species are similar, their resistance to environmental insults differs widely. It is not known which of the factors attributed to spore resistance confer very high-level heat resistance. Here, we provide conclusive evidence that in Bacillus subtilis, this is due to the presence of a mobile genetic element (Tn1546-like) carrying five predicted operons, one of which contains genes that encode homologs of SpoVAC, SpoVAD and SpoVAEb and four other genes encoding proteins with unknown functions. This operon, named spoVA(2mob), confers high-level heat resistance to spores. Deletion of spoVA(2mob) in a B. subtilis strain carrying Tn1546 renders heat-sensitive spores while transfer of spoVA(2mob) into B. subtilis 168 yields highly heat-resistant spores. On the basis of the genetic conservation of different spoVA operons among spore-forming species of Bacillaceae, we propose an evolutionary scenario for the emergence of extremely heat-resistant spores in B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and B. amyloliquefaciens. This discovery opens up avenues for improved detection and control of spore-forming bacteria able to produce highly heat-resistant spores.The ISME Journal advance online publication, 22 April 2016; doi:10.1038/ismej.2016.59