Profiling SARS-CoV-2 HLA-I peptidome reveals T cell epitopes from out-of-frame ORFs

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Genetic control of hexokinase variation in insects

Hexokinase variation in insects appears to be under the control of a single locus in some species and under multiple-locus control in others. It is often difficult to distinguish the number of loci controlling hexokinase expression. Analysis of hexokinase electrophoretic patterns in six species of mosquitoes and five species of crickets, as well as a review of hexokinase variation in other insect species, is used to emphasize the importance of interspecific comparisons when making genetic inferences. Evidence is provided which adds support for multiple hexokinase loci in dipterans. Hexokinase control by multiple loci may be difficult to determine in some species because of tight linkage, disequilibrium, and/or posttranslational modification.This work was supported by NIH Grant AI 11132-09, NSF Grant DEB-7811188, and Yale Sesil Anonymous Funds.     

Thyroxine-protein interactions. Binding constants for interaction of thyroxine analogues with the thyroxine binding site on human thyroxine-binding globulin.

The binding constants for interaction of various thryoxine analogues with the thyroxine binding site on human thyroxine-binding globulin have been determined. Equilibrium dialysis, at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C, was used to measure the competitive effects of different iodothyronine compounds on the binding of 125I-labeled thyroxine to highly purified thyroxine-binding globulin. Relative to L-thyroxine, K = 6 . 10(9) M-1, the association constants of some important analogues were D-thyroxine, 1.04 . 10(9) M-1, 3,5-diiodo-3'-isopropyl-L-thyronine, 4.9 . 10(8) M-1; L-triiodothyronine, 3.3 . 10(8) M-1, 3,3',5'-DL-triiodothyronine (reverse triiodothyronine), 3.1. 10(8) M-1; tetraiodothyropropionic acid, 2.7 . 10(8) M-1; tetraiodothyroacetic acid, 2.6 . 10(8) M-1; 3', 5'- diiodo-DL-thyronine, 8.3 . 10(7) M-1; and 3,5-diiodo-DL-thyronine, 7.1 . 10(7) M-1. Calculation of the deltaG0 values for binding of the analogues indicates that a major contribution to the free energy favoring binding is made by the alanine side chain of thyroxine. A change in configuration of the alpha-amino group from the L to D form causes an unfavorable change of 1 kcal/mol in the free energy of binding. Removal of the alpha-amino group as in tetraiodothyropropionic acid causes an unfavorable change of 1.9 kcal/mol in the free energy of binding. With regard to ring substituents, the results indicate that the two inner 3,5-iodines make about the same contribution to binding as the two outer 3', 5'-iodines.     

Phenology and polyploidy in annual Brachypodium species (Poaceae) along the aridity gradient in Israel

Local adaptation of plants along environmental gradients provides strong evidence for clinal evolution mediated by natural selection. Plants have developed diverse strategies to mitigate stress, for example, drought escape is a phenological strategy to avoid drought stress, while polyploidy was proposed as a genomic adaptation to stress. Polyploidy as an adaptation to aridity (an environmental parameter integrating temperature and precipitation) was previously documented in annual Brachypodium spp. (Poaceae) in the Western Mediterranean. Here, we examined whether polyploidy or phenology are associated with aridity in annual Brachypodium spp. along the aridity gradient in the Eastern Mediterranean. Using flow cytometry, we determined ploidy levels of plants from natural populations along the Israeli gradient, spanning ∼424 km from mesic Mediterranean to extreme desert climates. In a common garden we recorded time of seedling emergence, flowering and senescence. We tested whether the proportion of allotetraploids in the populations and phenological traits were associated with aridity. Contrary to a previous study in the Western Mediterranean, we found no effect of aridity on the proportion of allotetraploids and diploids within populations. Interestingly, phenology was associated with aridity: time of emergence was later, while flowering and senescence were earlier in desert plants. Our results indicate that in the Eastern Mediterranean, adaptation of Brachypodium to aridity is mediated mainly by phenology, rather than ploidy level. Therefore, we suggest that genome duplication is not the main driver of adaptation to environmental stress; rather, phenological change as a drought escape mechanism may be the major adaptation.     

Characterization of PfiT/PfiA toxin–antitoxin system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that affects cell elongation and prophage induction

Toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic modules usually consisting of two elements—a toxin and an antitoxin. The abundance of TA systems among various bacterial strains may indicate an important evolutionary role. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can be found in a variety of niches in nature, is an opportunistic pathogen for various hosts. While P. aeruginosa strains are very versatile and diverse, only a few TA systems were characterized in this species. Here, we describe a newly characterized TA system in P. aeruginosa that is encoded within the filamentous Pf4 prophage. This system, named PfiT/PfiA, is a homologue of the ParE/YefM TA system. It is a type II TA system, in which the antitoxin is a protein that binds the toxic protein and eliminates the toxic effect. PfiT/PfiA carries several typical type II characteristics. Specifically, it constitutes two small genes expressed in a single operon, PfiT inhibits growth and PfiA eliminates this effect, PfiA binds PfiT, and PfiT expression results in elongated cells. Finally, we assigned a novel function to this TA system, where an imbalance between PfiT and PfiA, favouring the toxin, resulted in cell elongation and an increase in virion production.