R. Smith

Functional lung imaging identifies peripheral ventilation changes in mice with muco-obstructive lung disease

This study uses X-ray Velocimetry to identify peripheral ventilation changes in a mouse model of muco-obstructive lung disease.

Psilocybin increases optimistic engagement over time: computational modelling of behavior in rats

This study uses computational models to show that psilocybin increases reward acquisition in rats by enhancing task engagement through altered forgetting rates and reduced loss aversion.

Mild Hyperthermia Enhanced Liposomal Doxorubicin Delivery and CD8+ T cell Infiltration in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

This study shows that mild hyperthermia enhances liposomal doxorubicin uptake and CD8+ T cell infiltration in 4T1 tumors.

DNA damage-induced PARP/ALC1 activation leads to Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal transition stimulating homologous recombination.

This study shows DNA damage activates PARP and ALC1 to induce EMT, which enhances DNA repair via RAD51, and PARP inhibitors block this process.

A compendium of Amplification-Related Gain Of Sensitivity (ARGOS) genes in human cancer

The paper identifies ARGOS genes, which are amplified in cancer, have low expression relative to copy number, and are toxic when overexpressed, and validates several as pan-cancer targets.

Retroelement-Age Clocks: Epigenetic Age Captured by Human Endogenous Retrovirus and LINE-1 DNA methylation states

This study constructs epigenetic clocks using retroelement DNA methylation states to predict chronological age across human tissues and species, showing their reversibility and responsiveness to HIV treatment.

Preclinical Characterization of the Omicron XBB.1.5-Adapted BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine

The monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine elicits stronger neutralizing antibody responses against XBB.1.5 and related sublineages than the bivalent Wild Type + Omicron BA.4/5 vaccine.

Microfluidic antibody profiling after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination links antibody affinity and concentration to impaired immunity and variant escape in patients on anti-CD-20 therapy

Multifunction Fluorescence Open-Source In Vivo/In Vitro Imaging System (openIVIS)

The paper describes an open-source fluorescent imaging system (openIVIS) that can be used for in vivo and in vitro applications, demonstrating its versatility and low cost.

The loss of DNA polymerase epsilon accessory subunits POLE3-POLE4 leads to BRCA1-independent PARP inhibitor sensitivity

This study shows that loss of POLE4 leads to PARP inhibitor sensitivity independent of BRCA1, through replication stress and DNA-PK signaling changes.

The eIF4A2 negative regulator of mRNA translation promotes extracellular matrix deposition to accelerate hepatocellular carcinoma initiation

The paper shows that eIF4A2, a negative regulator of mRNA translation, promotes ECM deposition to accelerate HCC initiation by influencing integrin-mediated signaling and senescence exit.

Post-Transplant Administration of G-CSF Impedes Engraftment of Gene Edited Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells by Exacerbating the p53-Mediated DNA Damage Response

This study shows that post-transplant G-CSF administration impairs engraftment of CRISPR-edited HSPCs by worsening the p53 DNA damage response, but not unedited or lentiviral-transduced HSPCs.

PARP14 is a PARP with both ADP-ribosyl transferase and hydrolase activities

This study identifies PARP14 as a dual-function enzyme with ADP-ribosyl transferase and hydrolase activities, revealing its role in antiviral responses and substrate specificity.

Low-dose cytokine immunotherapy of solid cancers enabled by phagocytic-competent protein co-crystals

This study demonstrates that PODS-IL-2, a phagocytic-competent protein co-crystal, can deliver low-dose IL-2 effectively for treating melanoma and renal cell carcinoma with improved tolerability.

Inferring condition in wild mammals: body condition indices confer no benefit over measuring body mass across ecological contexts

The paper compares body condition indices (BCI) and body mass in predicting fat and lean mass in three mammal species, finding BCI no better than body mass alone.

Dietary- and host-derived metabolites are used by diverse gut bacteria for anaerobic respiration

The paper identifies gut bacteria that use dietary and host-derived metabolites as electron acceptors in anaerobic respiration, revealing new metabolic pathways and reductase evolution.

Identification of key residues of the DNA glycosylase OGG1 controlling efficient DNA scanning and recruitment to oxidized bases in living cells

Is shape in the eye of the beholder? Assessing landmarking error in geometric morphometric analyses on live fish

This study assesses landmarking error in geometric morphometric analyses of live fish, finding significant inter-operator differences but consistent between-river shape differences.

Robust eIF4B levels undermine invasive growth and immune evasion mechanisms in murine triple negative breast cancer models.

This study shows that higher eIF4B levels in murine triple negative breast cancer models are linked to less aggressive tumor growth and better patient outcomes.

Proteomic Dissection of a Giant Cell

The paper quantifies polarized protein localization in Stentor coeruleus by cutting cells along the anterior-posterior axis and analyzing proteomic enrichment, finding 30% of proteins show polarized localization.

HPF1-dependent histone ADP-ribosylation triggers chromatin relaxation to promote the recruitment of repair factors at sites of DNA damage

Environmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats

This study shows that Pseudogymnoascus destructans can infect and kill naive bats in contaminated hibernacula, demonstrating environmental transmission of WNS.

"How do we do this at a distance?!" A descriptive study of remote undergraduate research programs during COVID-19

This study describes and evaluates remote undergraduate research programs in life sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement.

Root meristem shaping via brassinosteroid-controlled cell geometry

This study shows brassinosteroid signaling modulates cell geometry and growth anisotropy in root meristems, shaping root form without affecting cell volume.

A molecular framework for control of oriented cell division in the Arabidopsis embryo

This study identifies auxin's role in controlling division plane orientation in Arabidopsis embryos through cytoskeleton remodeling and cell geometry.

Severe corrosion of carbon steel in oil field produced water can be linked to methanogenic archaea containing a special type of hydrogenase.

The paper links severe carbon steel corrosion in oil field produced water to methanogenic archaea with a specific [NiFe] hydrogenase gene, identifying a potential biomarker for microbial-induced corrosion.

eNOS-induced vascular barrier disruption in retinopathy by c-Src activation and tyrosine phosphorylation of VE-cadherin

The paper investigates eNOS's role in retinopathy by showing it disrupts vascular barriers via c-Src and VE-cadherin phosphorylation, and demonstrates that inhibiting NO formation reduces leakage.

Novel Cluster AZ Arthrobacter phages Powerpuff, Lego, and YesChef exhibit close functional relationships with Microbacterium phages

This study identifies three novel Arthrobacter phages that show close functional relationships with Microbacterium phages, highlighting the need for multiple metrics to assess phage relatedness.

Epistasis shapes the fitness landscape of an allosteric specificity switch

The paper investigates how epistasis influences the emergence of new inducer specificity in an allosteric transcription factor, revealing nonlinear relationships between local interactions and global function.

Efficacy of a novel iodine complex solution, CupriDyne, in inactivating SARS-CoV-2

This study evaluates the efficacy of CupriDyne, a novel iodine complex, in inactivating SARS-CoV-2, showing 99% reduction in virus titers after 30 minutes.