Host-virus interactions: HTLV antisense regulatory proteins play a role in the dysregulation of NF-\u3baB pathway

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), an aggressive form of T-cell malignancy with no cure. The HTLV-1 oncoprotein Tax plays a key role in CD4+ T-cell transformation, mainly through constitutive activation of both the canonical and the alternative NF-\u3baB pathways. The HTLV-1 basic zipper protein (HBZ), encoded by the antisense viral genome strand, plays an essential role in the oncogenic process in concert with Tax, mediating T-cell proliferation. Unlike HTLV-1, the genetically related retrovirus HTLV-2 is not associated with ATL diseases. Functional comparisons between HTLV-1 regulatory proteins, Tax-1 and HBZ, and the HTLV-2 homologs, Tax-2 and APH-2, may highlight different mechanisms of their oncogenic potential. The aim of this study is to investigate how the antisense proteins HBZ and APH-2 impaired the NF-\u3baB pathway activation. We found that both HBZ and APH-2 antagonized the NF-\u3baB promoter activity mediated by Tax, but not in the same extent. Analyzing the intracellular distribution of the antisense proteins, we found that APH-2 is retained in cytoplasm complexes, whereas HBZ is mainly distributed into the nucleus. We observed that in presence of APH-2 and Tax-2, the degradation of the I\u3baB-\u3b1 inhibitor was reduced. Moreover, we found that unlike HBZ, APH-2 formed complexes with an upstream inhibitor of the alternative NF-\u3baB pathway, the TNF receptor-associated factor 3, TRAF3. We generated a TRAF3 knock-out cell line applying the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing. By luciferase assays, we showed that TRAF3 is not required for Tax mediated NF\u3baB promoter activation. Analyses are in progress to test the inhibitory effect of the antisense HBZ and APH-2 proteins on NF-\u3baB promoter activity in absence of TRAF3. The results of this study may contribute to clarify the effect of the alternative NF-\u3baB viral deregulation pathway in the expression of proinflammatory genes

Orthogonalities and functional equations

In this survey we show how various notions of orthogonality appear in the theory of functional equations. After introducing some orthogonality relations, we give examples of functional equations postulated for orthogonal vectors only. We show their solutions as well as some applications. Then we discuss the problem of stability of some of them considering various aspects of the problem. In the sequel, we mention the orthogonality equation and the problem of preserving orthogonality. Last, but not least, in addition to presenting results, we state some open problems concerning these topics. Taking into account the big amount of results concerning functional equations postulated for orthogonal vectors which have appeared in the literature during the last decades, we restrict ourselves to the most classical equations

Mathematics, capitalism and biosocial research

In my previous work, I criticised studies within the sociopolitical turn for disavowing a comprehension of schools as places of capitalist production. Here, I extend this critique to what is being flagged as a new turn in educational research. I am referring to biosocial research, particularly in the way it is coupled with new materialist and more than human philosophies in the work of Elizabeth de Freitas. I use elements from Marxian theory and Lacanian psychoanalysis to explore the concomitances between mathematics and capitalism, showing how both mathematics and capital need to suture the subject in order to thrive. Biosocial research epitomises this drive towards automation and totality, and, notwithstanding de Freitas’ attempts to rescue it from the logic of control, I will argue that agent-centred intentions dismiss the underlying workings of capital as a real abstraction. I do so by engaging with elements of Deleuze’s philosophy, showing how the more than human frame in which de Freitas’ biosocial research rests contradicts her own perception of how biosocial research can be rescued for inclusive purposes

Sulfoxonium ylides: Simple compounds with chameleonic reactivity

Sulfur ylides first disclosed in 1930 started to gain more attention in the 1960s, thanks mainly to the studies by Corey and Chaykovsky on their use for the preparation of strained rings. More recently, the chemistry of these compounds has experienced important growth, in part due to the similarity of their reactivities with diazo compounds. This short review provides an overview on the great assortment of reactions of sulfoxonium ylides, outlining a comparison between the chemistry of these ylides and their congeners: sulfonium ylides and diazo compounds. Insertion reactions, cyclisation reactions and ring-opening reactions are highlighted, giving particular attention to catalytic asymmetric methodologies. This journal i

Fluoride-induced proto- and carbo-desilylation of S,S-, O,O- and O,S-silylated acetals: an insight into the chemical and stereochemical reaction outcome

A general overview on the chemical and stereochemical behavior of a wide range of stereodefined 2-silyl-1,3-dithianes, -1,3-dioxanes, -1,3-dioxolanes and -1,3-oxathiolanes is reported, when subjected to fluoride ion-induced proto- and carbo-desilylation. Retention of configuration or epimerization appears to depend not only on the kind of the substituents on the aromatic ring, but also on the nature of heteroatoms in the silyl acetals, leading to envisage the occurence of a free carbanion or of an hypervalent-silylated species