Key Points
The presence of a mutation in SRSF2, SF3B1, U2AF1, ZRSR2, ASXL1, EZH2, BCOR, or STAG2 is highly specific for secondary AML. Secondary-type mutations define an s-AML–like disease within t-AML and elderly de novo AML that underlies clinical heterogeneity.
Hydrocarbon-stapled peptides are a class of bioactive alpha-helical ligands developed to dissect and target protein interactions. While there is consensus that stapled peptides can be effective chemical tools for investigating protein regulation, their broader utility for therapeutic modulation of intracellular interactions remains an active area of study. In particular, the design principles for generating cell-permeable stapled peptides are empiric, yet consistent intracellular access is essential to in vivo application. Here, we used an unbiased statistical approach to determine which biophysical parameters dictate the uptake of stapled peptide libraries. We found that staple placement at the amphipathic boundary combined with optimal hydrophobic and helical content are the key drivers of cellular uptake, whereas excess hydrophobicity and positive charge at isolated amino acid positions can trigger membrane lysis at elevated peptide dosing. Our results provide a design roadmap for maximizing the potential to generate cell-permeable stapled peptides with on-mechanism cellular activity.
Summary
Ependymoma is a heterogeneous entity of central nervous system tumors with well-established molecular groups. Here, we apply single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze ependymomas across molecular groups and anatomic locations to investigate their intratumoral heterogeneity and developmental origins. Ependymomas are composed of a cellular hierarchy initiating from undifferentiated populations, which undergo impaired differentiation toward three lineages of neuronal-glial fate specification. While prognostically favorable groups of ependymoma predominantly harbor differentiated cells, aggressive groups are enriched for undifferentiated cell populations. The delineated transcriptomic signatures correlate with patient survival and define molecular dependencies for targeted treatment approaches. Taken together, our analyses reveal a developmental hierarchy underlying ependymomas relevant to biological and clinical behavior.
A serum-based molecular predictor identifies asymptomatic pregnant women at risk of spontaneous preterm delivery, which may provide utility in identifying women at risk at an early stage of pregnancy to allow for clinical intervention. This early detection would guide enhanced levels of care and accelerate development of clinical strategies to prevent preterm delivery.
The mammalian neocortex is composed of two major neuronal cell types with distinct origins: excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory interneurons, generated in dorsal and ventral progenitor zones of the embryonic telencephalon respectively. Thus, inhibitory neurons migrate relatively long distances to reach their destination in the developing forebrain. The role of lineage in the organization and circuitry of interneurons is still not well understood. Utilizing a combination of genetics, retroviral fate mapping and lineage-specific retroviral barcode labeling, we find that clonally related interneurons can be widely dispersed while unrelated interneurons can be closely clustered. These data suggest that migratory mechanisms related to the clustering of interneurons occur largely independent of their clonal origin.
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