R. Thompson

The amino acid composition of a protein influences its expression

This paper identifies two rules showing how amino acid composition affects protein expression levels across organisms and links these to biological functions and disease.

Inhibitors of the Small Membrane (M) Protein Viroporin Prevent Zika Virus Infection

This study identifies the ZIKV M protein as a therapeutic target, showing that inhibitors like rimantadine block viral infection in vitro and in vivo by targeting M-formed channels.

IL-8 Instructs Macrophage Identity in Lateral Ventricle Contacting Glioblastoma

This study identifies IL-8 as a key factor instructing macrophage identity in glioblastoma, showing IL-8 is necessary for generating CD32+ M_IL-8 macrophages in tumors contacting the lateral ventricle.

The nucleotide binding domain of NRC-dependent disease resistance proteins is sufficient to activate downstream helper NLR oligomerization and immune signaling

NRF2 activation in the heart induces glucose metabolic reprogramming and mediates cardioprotection via upregulation of the pentose phosphate pathway.

This study shows NRF2 activation in the heart increases the pentose phosphate pathway, protects against cardiac stress by reducing DNA damage and improving function.

Contact-number-driven virus evolution: a multi-level modeling framework for the evolution of acute or persistent RNA virus infection

This study models virus evolution under different contact histories, finding that high-contact environments favor acute infections while low-contact environments favor persistent infections.

Shift of lung macrophage composition is associated with COVID-19 disease severity and recovery

This study identifies shifts in lung macrophage composition linked to COVID-19 severity and recovery, suggesting therapeutic strategies targeting macrophage function.

Effect of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on protein stability, cleavage, and cell-cell fusion function

This study examines how mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein affect its stability, cleavage, and ability to mediate cell-cell fusion.

Endogenous Retroviral Elements Generate Pathologic Neutrophils and Elastase Rich Exosomes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The paper shows that endogenous retroviruses contribute to neutrophil dysfunction and exosome-mediated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

A High Content Screen for Mucin-1-Reducing Compounds Identifies Fostamatinib as a Candidate for Rapid Repurposing for Acute Lung Injury during the COVID-19 pandemic

The paper identifies Fostamatinib as a potential repurposing drug for acute lung injury by reducing MUC1 protein levels in preclinical models.

Will an outbreak exceed available resources for control? Estimating the risk from invading pathogens using practical definitions of a severe epidemic

The paper estimates the risk of an outbreak exceeding available control resources by defining severe epidemics through three criteria and comparing them to standard branching process estimates.

FOXA1/2 depletion drives global reprogramming of differentiation state and metabolism in a human liver cell line and inhibits differentiation of human stem cell-derived hepatic progenitor cells

This study shows that depletion of FOXA1/2 in human liver cells reprograms differentiation state and metabolism, promoting de-differentiation and pluripotency.

Pre-existing and de novo humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in humans

The paper identifies pre-existing and de novo humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in humans, showing that uninfected individuals have SARS-CoV-2 S-reactive antibodies, particularly in children, and that infection leads to higher antibody titres targeting multiple subunits.

Single cell analysis of the effects of developmental lead (Pb) exposure on the hippocampus.

This study uses single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze how perinatal lead exposure affects hippocampal cell types in mice, finding increased oligodendrocytes and altered gene expression in specific cell clusters.

Selection on non-antigenic gene segments of seasonal influenza A virus and its impact on adaptive evolution

This study develops a population genetic model to show that selection on non-antigenic gene segments influences the adaptive evolution and lineage turnover of seasonal influenza A/H3N2 virus.