biobanking-human-aqueous-vitreous-liquid-biopsies-for-molecular

Biobanking of Human Aqueous and Vitreous Liquid Biopsies for Molecular Analyses

A critical challenge in translational research is establishing a viable and efficient interface between patient care in the operating room (OR) and the ...

Stanford University

Increased calpain activity is linked to neuroinflammation including a heritable retinal disease caused by hyper-activating mutations in the calcium-activated calpain-5 (CAPN5) protease. Although structures for classical calpains are known, the structure of CAPN5, a non-classical calpain, remains undetermined. Here we report the 2.8 Å crystal structure of the human CAPN5 protease core (CAPN5-PC). Compared to classical calpains, CAPN5-PC requires high calcium concentrations for maximal activity. Structure-based phylogenetic analysis and multiple sequence alignment reveal that CAPN5-PC contains three elongated flexible loops compared to its classical counterparts. The presence of a disease-causing mutation (c.799G>A, p.Gly267Ser) on the unique PC2L2 loop reveals a function in this region for regulating enzymatic activity. This mechanism could be transferred to distant calpains, using synthetic calpain hybrids, suggesting an evolutionary mechanism for fine-tuning calpain function by modifying flexible loops. Further, the open (inactive) conformation of CAPN5-PC provides structural insight into CAPN5-specific residues that can guide inhibitor design.

Structural Insights into the Unique Activation Mechanisms of a Non-classical Calpain and Its Disease-Causing Variants.

To characterize the phenotype of patients with mild calpain-5 Neovascular Inflammatory Vitreoretinopathy (ADNIV).

Phenotypic variance in Calpain-5 retinal degeneration.

To profile vitreous protein expression of intermediate uveitis (IU) patients.

Proteomic analysis of intermediate uveitis suggests myeloid cell recruitment and implicates IL-23 as a therapeutic target.

Despite abundant evidence for the benefits of physical activity on aging trajectories, older Americans remain largely inactive. The present study was designed to examine age differences in responsiveness to financial incentives to increase walking. Grounded in socioemotional selectivity theory, we examined the effectiveness of financial incentives that varied in prosociality. Three types of incentives were presented to community-residing adults 18-92 years of age ( = 450). Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 conditions: personal, loved one, charity, choice, or a no-incentive control group. Average daily step counts were measured using pedometers during a baseline week, during the incentivized period, and after the incentivized period ended. Overall, financial incentives significantly increased walking compared to a control group. Whereas personal incentives were effective regardless of age, incentives to earn for charities were starkly more effective in older adults than younger adults. Moreover, 1 week after the incentivized period ended, older participants were more likely to maintain increased step counts, whereas younger people reverted to baseline step counts. Findings suggest that financial incentives can increase walking in a wide age range and that charitable incentives may be especially effective in health interventions targeting older adults. The importance of aligning incentives with age-related goals is discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Leveraging goals to incentivize healthful behaviors across adulthood.

The purpose of this paper was to discuss manifestations of primary mitochondrial dysfunctions and whether the retinal pigment epithelium or the photoreceptors are preferentially affected.

Retinal Manifestations of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation Disorders.

Liquid biopsy proteomics of uveal melanoma reveals biomarkers associated with metastatic risk.

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are visually debilitating conditions that affect families worldwide. They require extensive clinical testing, examination, and patient and family counseling, which are frequently accomplished over single-day extended clinic visits. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of patients and staff allowed in clinics, leading to interruptions in care. We therefore developed telehealth management protocols for complete or hybrid virtual visits. The three main components of our telegenetics approach included reviewing the diagnostic tests results remotely, in-person or virtual video visits with a retina specialist, and virtual genetic testing using saliva kits. During the first 5 months of the program, telegenetic care was provided for 80 patients, including 3 international patients, and a spectrum of retinal dystrophies were diagnosed and managed. In conclusion, telegenetic virtual visits ensure continuity of care while reducing patient and provider exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and may continue and expand into other medical genetic conditions long after the pandemic.

Telegenetics for inherited retinal diseases in the COVID-19 environment.

Preexisting immunity against Cas9 proteins in humans represents a safety risk for CRISPR-Cas9 technologies. However, it is unclear to what extent preexisting Cas9 immunity is relevant to the eye as it is targeted for early in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 clinical trials. While the eye lacks T-cells, it contains antibodies, cytokines, and resident immune cells. Although precise mechanisms are unclear, intraocular inflammation remains a major cause of vision loss. Here, we used immunoglobulin isotyping and ELISA platforms to profile antibodies in serum and vitreous fluid biopsies from human adult subjects and Cas9-immunized mice. We observed high prevalence of preexisting Cas9-reactive antibodies in serum but not in the eye. However, we detected intraocular antibodies reactive to S. pyogenes-derived Cas9 after S. pyogenes intraocular infection. Our data suggest that serum antibody concentration may determine whether specific intraocular antibodies develop, but preexisting immunity to Cas9 may represent a lower risk in human eyes than systemically.

Teja Chemudupati

Molecular Surgery Laboratory,
Department of Ophthalmology,
Byers Eye Institute,
Department of Ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute

Stanford University

Biobanking of Human Aqueous and Vitreous Liquid Biopsies for Molecular Analyses

Teja Chemudupati

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Molecular Surgery Laboratory,Department of Ophthalmology,Byers Eye Institute,Department of Ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute

Stanford University

Biobanking of Human Aqueous and Vitreous Liquid Biopsies for Molecular Analyses

Molecular Surgery Laboratory,
Department of Ophthalmology,
Byers Eye Institute,
Department of Ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute