Biology subjects

Lovell, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Lovell, S..

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Structure of a dominant negative mutant reveals a stalled intermediate in anthrax protective antigen pore maturation

Anthrax is a severe bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthracis, which produces a tripartite toxin that includes protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). A series of dominant-negative mutations have been previously identified that prevent the heptameric PA prepore from forming the pH-induced, membrane spanning beta-barrel pore that is required for translocation of EF and LF to the cytoplasm of the infected cell. Here we show that the dominant negative D425A mutation stalls the formation of the pore at a reversible intermediate maturation state, which exhibits many of the structural aspects of the pore but fails to form the phi({phi})-clamp and beta-barrel structure needed for full pore maturation. Overall, this structure reveals that {phi}-clamp and beta-barrel pore formation are later steps in the pathway to pore formation, thereby providing a regulatory mechanism to prevent premature translocation of EF and LF.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

Targeting STAT3 signalling using stabilised sulforaphane (SFX-01) inhibits endocrine resistant stem-like cells in ER-positive breast cancer

PURPOSEEstrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer is frequently sensitive to endocrine therapy. Multiple mechanisms of endocrine therapy resistance have been identified, including cancer stem-like cell (CSC) activity. Sulforaphane (SFN) has previously been shown to target CSCs but its mechanism of action is unclear. Here we investigate SFX-01, a stabilised formulation of SFN, for its effects on breast CSC activity in ER+ preclinical models and to study its mechanism. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNCSC activity was measured by mammosphere formation efficiency (MFE), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, and tumor formation using patient samples and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors treated with SFX-01 alone or in combination with tamoxifen or fulvestrant. Gene expression and SFN target proteins in treated samples were assessed. RESULTSSFX-01 reduced MFE of both ER+ primary and metastatic patient samples. Both tamoxifen and fulvestrant increased MFE and ALDH activity of PDX tumors, which was reversed by combination with SFX-01. SFX-01 significantly reduced tumor initiating cell frequency in secondary transplants at limiting dilution and reduced the formation of spontaneous lung micrometastases by PDX tumors in mice. Mechanistically, we establish that both tamoxifen and fulvestrant induce STAT3 phosphorylation. SFX-01 suppressed phospho-STAT3 and SFN directly bound STAT3 in patient and PDX samples. Analysis of ALDH+ cells from endocrine-resistant patient samples revealed activation of STAT3 target genes MUC1 and OSMR, which were inhibited by SFX-01 in patient samples. Increased expression of these genes after 3 months endocrine treatment of ER+ patients (n=68) predicted poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONSOur data establish the importance of STAT3 signaling in CSC-mediated resistance to endocrine therapy and the potential of SFX-01 for improving clinical outcomes in ER+ breast cancer.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2018

FDA-ARGOS: A Public Quality-Controlled Genome Database Resource for Infectious Disease Sequencing Diagnostics and Regulatory Science Research

Infectious disease next generation sequencing (ID-NGS) diagnostics are on the cusp of revolutionizing the clinical market. To facilitate this transition, FDA proactively invested in tools to support innovation of emerging technologies. FDA and collaborators established a publicly available database, FDA dAtabase for Regulatory-Grade micrObial Sequences (FDA-ARGOS), as a tool to fill reference database gaps with quality-controlled genomes. This manuscript discusses quality control metrics for the proposed FDA-ARGOS genomic resource and outlines the need for quality-controlled genome gap filling in the public domain. Here, we also present three case studies showcasing potential applications for FDA-ARGOS in infectious disease diagnostics, specifically: assay design, reference database and in silico sequence comparison in combination with representative microbial organism wet lab testing; a novel composite validation strategy for ID-NGS diagnostics. The use of FDA-ARGOS as an in silico comparator tool could reduce the burden for completing ID-NGS clinical trials. In addition, use cases identifying Enterococcus avium and Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus variant Makona) demonstrate the utility of FDA-ARGOS as a reference database for independent performance validation of new tests and for documenting how one would use this database as an in silico sequence target comparator tool for ID-NGS validation, respectively.

microbiology↗