| 1. |
- Liu, Lifang, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Balanced globin protein expression and heme biosynthesis improve production of human hemoglobin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 2014
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Ingår i: Metabolic Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1096-7176 .- 1096-7184. ; 21, s. 9-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to limitations associated with whole blood for transfusions (antigen compatibility, transmission of infections, supply and storage), the use of cell-free hemoglobin as an oxygen carrier substitute has been in the center of research interest for decades. Human hemoglobin has previously been synthesized in yeast, however the challenge is to balance the expression of the two different globin subunits, as well as the supply of the prosthetic heme required for obtaining the active hemoglobin (alpha(2)beta(2)). In this work we evaluated the expression of different combinations of alpha and beta peptides and combined this with metabolic engineering of the heme biosynthetic pathway. Through evaluation of several different strategies we showed that engineering the biosynthesis pathway can substantially increase the heme level in yeast cells, and this resulted in a significant enhancement of human hemoglobin production. Besides demonstration of improved hemoglobin production our work demonstrates a novel strategy for improving the production of complex proteins, especially multimers with a prosthetic group. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of International Metabolic Engineering Society. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Liu, Lifang, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Improving heterologous protein secretion at aerobic conditions by activating hypoxia-induced genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- 2015
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Ingår i: FEMS Yeast Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1567-1356 .- 1567-1364. ; 15:7, s. 10-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oxygen is important for normal aerobic metabolism, as well as for protein production where it is needed for oxidative protein folding. However, several studies have reported that anaerobic conditions seem to be more favorable in terms of recombinant protein production. We were interested in increasing recombinant protein production under aerobic conditions so we focused on Rox1p regulation. Rox1p is a transcriptional regulator, which in oxidative conditions represses genes induced in hypoxia. We deleted ROX1 and studied the effects on the production of recombinant proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Intriguingly, we found a 100% increase in the recombinant fungal alpha-amylase yield, as well as productivity. Varied levels of improvements were also observed for the productions of the human insulin precursor and the yeast endogenous enzyme invertase. Based on the genome-wide transcriptional response, we specifically focused on the effect of UPC2 upregulation on protein production and suggested a possible mechanistic explanation.
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| 3. |
- Liu, Zihe, et al.
(författare)
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Improved Production of a Heterologous Amylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Inverse Metabolic Engineering
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 80:17, s. 5542-5550
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing demand for industrial enzymes and biopharmaceutical proteins relies on robust production hosts with high protein yield and productivity. Being one of the best-studied model organisms and capable of performing posttranslational modifications, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a cell factory for recombinant protein production. However, many recombinant proteins are produced at only 1% (or less) of the theoretical capacity due to the complexity of the secretory pathway, which has not been fully exploited. In this study, we applied the concept of inverse metabolic engineering to identify novel targets for improving protein secretion. Screening that combined UV-random mutagenesis and selection for growth on starch was performed to find mutant strains producing heterologous amylase 5-fold above the level produced by the reference strain. Genomic mutations that could be associated with higher amylase secretion were identified through whole-genome sequencing. Several single-point mutations, including an S196I point mutation in the VTA1 gene coding for a protein involved in vacuolar sorting, were evaluated by introducing these to the starting strain. By applying this modification alone, the amylase secretion could be improved by 35%. As a complement to the identification of genomic variants, transcriptome analysis was also performed in order to understand on a global level the transcriptional changes associated with the improved amylase production caused by UV mutagenesis.
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| 4. |
- Liu, Zihe, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Improved Production of a Heterologous Amylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Inverse Metabolic Engineering
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 1098-5336 .- 0099-2240. ; 80:17, s. 5542-5550
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing demand for industrial enzymes and biopharmaceutical proteins relies on robust production hosts with high protein yield and productivity. Being one of the best-studied model organisms and capable of performing posttranslational modifications, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a cell factory for recombinant protein production. However, many recombinant proteins are produced at only 1% (or less) of the theoretical capacity due to the complexity of the secretory pathway, which has not been fully exploited. In this study, we applied the concept of inverse metabolic engineering to identify novel targets for improving protein secretion. Screening that combined UV-random mutagenesis and selection for growth on starch was performed to find mutant strains producing heterologous amylase 5-fold above the level produced by the reference strain. Genomic mutations that could be associated with higher amylase secretion were identified through whole-genome sequencing. Several single-point mutations, including an S196I point mutation in the VTA1 gene coding for a protein involved in vacuolar sorting, were evaluated by introducing these to the starting strain. By applying this modification alone, the amylase secretion could be improved by 35%. As a complement to the identification of genomic variants, transcriptome analysis was also performed in order to understand on a global level the transcriptional changes associated with the improved amylase production caused by UV mutagenesis.
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| 5. |
- Ma, Jiantao, et al.
(författare)
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A Peripheral Blood DNA Methylation Signature of Hepatic Fat Reveals a Potential Causal Pathway for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- 2019
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : AMER DIABETES ASSOC. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 68:5, s. 1073-1083
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to identify the peripheral blood DNA methylation signature of hepatic fat. We conducted epigenome-wide association studies of hepatic fat in 3,400 European ancestry (EA) participants and in 401 Hispanic ancestry and 724 African ancestry participants from four population-based cohort studies. Hepatic fat was measured using computed tomography or ultrasound imaging and DNA methylation was assessed at >400,000 cytosine-guanine dinucleotides (CpGs) in whole blood or CD14+ monocytes using a commercial array. We identified 22 CpGs associated with hepatic fat in EA participants at a false discovery rate <0.05 (corresponding P = 6.9 x 10(-6)) with replication at Bonferroni-corrected P < 8.6 x 10(-4). Mendelian randomization analyses supported the association of hypomethylation of cg08309687 (LINC00649) with NAFLD (P = 2.5 x 10(-4)). Hypomethylation of the same CpG was also associated with risk for new-onset T2D (P = 0.005). Our study demonstrates that a peripheral blood-derived DNA methylation signature is robustly associated with hepatic fat accumulation. The hepatic fat-associated CpGs may represent attractive biomarkers for T2D. Future studies are warranted to explore mechanisms and to examine DNA methylation signatures of NAFLD across racial/ethnic groups.
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| 6. |
- Meng, Qinglai, et al.
(författare)
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Rapid personalized AMR diagnostics using two-dimensional antibiotic resistance profiling strategy employing a thermometric NDM-1 biosensor
- 2021
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Ingår i: Biosensors and Bioelectronics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0956-5663. ; 193
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens global public health and modern surgical medicine. Expression of β-lactamase genes is the major mechanism by which pathogens become antibiotic resistant. Pathogens expressing extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases (CP) are especially difficult to treat and are associated with increased hospitalization and mortality rates. Despite considerable effort, identification of ESBLs and CPs in a clinically relevant timeframe remains challenging. In this study, a two-dimensional AMR profiling assay strategy was developed employing panels of antibiotics (penicillins, cephamycins, oximino-cephalosporins and carbapenems) and β-lactamases inhibitors (avibactam and EDTA). The assay required the development of a novel biosensor that employed New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) as the sensing element. Functionally probing β-lactamase activity using substrates and inhibitors combinatorically increased the informational content that enabled the development of assays capable of simultaneous, differential identification of multiple β-lactamases expressed in a single bacterial isolate. More specifically, the assay enabled the simultaneous identification of ESBL and CP in mock samples, as well as in an engineered construct which co-expressed these β-lactamases. The NDM-1 biosensor assay was 16 times and 8 times more sensitive than the ESBL Nordmann/Dortet/Poirel (NDP) and Carba Nordmann/Poirel (NP) assays, respectively. In a retrospective study, NDM-1 biosensor assays were able to differentially identify ESBLs, metallo-CPs and serine-CPs β-lactamases in 23 clinical isolates with 100% accuracy. An assay algorithm was developed which accelerated data analytics reducing turnaround to <1 h. The assay strategy integrated with AI-based data analytics has the potential to provide physicians with a comprehensive readout of patient AMR status.
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| 7. |
- Dittrich, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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ESMO / ASCO Recommendations for a Global Curriculum in Medical Oncology Edition 2016
- 2016
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Ingår i: ESMO Open. - : Elsevier BV. - 2059-7029. ; 1:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are publishing a new edition of the ESMO/ ASCO Global Curriculum (GC) thanks to contribution of 64 ESMOappointed and 32 ASCO-appointed authors. First published in 2004 and updated in 2010, the GC edition 2016 answers to the need for updated recommendations for the training of physicians in medical oncology by defining the standard to be fulfilled to qualify as medical oncologists. At times of internationalisation of healthcare and increased mobility of patients and physicians, the GC aims to provide state-of-the-art cancer care to all patients wherever they live. Recent progress in the field of cancer research has indeed resulted in diagnostic and therapeutic innovations such as targeted therapies as a standard therapeutic approach or personalised cancer medicine specialised training for medical oncology trainees. Thus, several new chapters on technical contents such as molecular pathology, translational research or molecular imaging and on conceptual attitudes towards human principles like genetic counselling or survivorship have been integrated in the GC. The GC edition 2016 consists of 12 sections with 17 subsections, 44 chapters and 35 subchapters, respectively. Besides renewal in its contents, the GC underwent a principal formal change taking into consideration modern didactic principles. It is presented in a template-based format that subcategorises the detailed outcome requirements into learning objectives, awareness, knowledge and skills. Consecutive steps will be those of harmonising and implementing teaching and assessment strategies.
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| 8. |
- Jang, Seon-Kyeong, et al.
(författare)
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Rare genetic variants explain missing heritability in smoking.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature human behaviour. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3374. ; 6:11, s. 1577-1586
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Common genetic variants explain less variation in complex phenotypes than inferred from family-based studies, and there is a debate on the source of this 'missing heritability'. We investigated the contribution of rare genetic variants to tobacco use with whole-genome sequences from up to 26,257 unrelated individuals of European ancestries and 11,743 individuals of African ancestries. Across four smoking traits, single-nucleotide-polymorphism-based heritability ([Formula: see text]) was estimated from 0.13 to 0.28 (s.e., 0.10-0.13) in European ancestries, with 35-74% of it attributable to rare variants with minor allele frequencies between 0.01% and 1%. These heritability estimates are 1.5-4 times higher than past estimates based on common variants alone and accounted for 60% to 100% of our pedigree-based estimates of narrow-sense heritability ([Formula: see text], 0.18-0.34). In the African ancestry samples, [Formula: see text] was estimated from 0.03 to 0.33 (s.e., 0.09-0.14) across the four smoking traits. These results suggest that rare variants are important contributors to the heritability of smoking.
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| 9. |
- Liu, Lifang, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-scale analysis of the high-efficient protein secretion system of Aspergillus oryzae
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Systems Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-0509. ; 8:73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae is widely used for the production of industrial enzymes due to its particularly high protein secretion capacity and ability to perform post-translational modifications. However, systemic analysis of its secretion system is lacking, generally due to the poorly annotated proteome. Results: Here we defined a functional protein secretory component list of A. oryzae using a previously reported secretory model of S. cerevisiae as scaffold. Additional secretory components were obtained by blast search with the functional components reported in other closely related fungal species such as Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus niger. To evaluate the defined component list, we performed transcriptome analysis on three a-amylase over-producing strains with varying levels of secretion capacities. Specifically, secretory components involved in the ER-associated processes (including components involved in the regulation of transport between ER and Golgi) were significantly up-regulated, with many of them never been identified for A. oryzae before. Furthermore, we defined a complete list of the putative A. oryzae secretome and monitored how it was affected by overproducing amylase. Conclusion: In combination with the transcriptome data, the most complete secretory component list and the putative secretome, we improved the systemic understanding of the secretory machinery of A. oryzae in response to high levels of protein secretion. The roles of many newly predicted secretory components were experimentally validated and the enriched component list provides a better platform for driving more mechanistic studies of the protein secretory pathway in this industrially important fungus.
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| 10. |
- Liu, Lifang, 1979
(författare)
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Systems Biology of Recombinant Protein Production by Fungi
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Systems biology has emerged as a highly potent tool for studying biological processes over the last decades. However, its application to complex metabolic processes such as protein secretion is still at the infant stage. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae are two important fungal cell factories which occupy significant proportions of recombinant protein productions, whereas various bottlenecks and undiscovered mechanisms limit their full potential as robust hosts.In this thesis, systems biology approaches were applied to explore these two organisms in respect of protein production. By utilizing and engineering the yeast endogenous heme synthesis, we demonstrated the possibility for efficient production of complex proteins (e.g. multimer with a prosthetic group) by yeast. Applying inverse metabolic engineering, we identified many genomic variants that may contribute to improve protein secretion in yeast. Specifically, we examined the effect of a single point mutation on VTA1 encoding a regulatory protein in the MVB pathway in endocytosis. Our result suggests that the VTA1S196I mutation might help to accelerate nutrient uptake via endocytosis, which subsequently enhanced protein synthesis and secretion. Oxygen is an important element associated with normal cellular metabolism as well as protein production. We studied how Rox1p, a heme-dependent transcription repressor of many hypoxia-induced genes, affect protein production in yeast, under aerobic conditions. By knocking out ROX1, we observed a 100% increase in the α-amylase production. Through genome wide transcriptome analysis we identified several Rox1p targets and based on this suggested their roles in improving protein productions. Lastly, applying comparative genomics study, we enriched the list of core protein components involved in the secretory machinery of A. oryzae. To verify the list, several high α-amylase producing strains were constructed. The transcriptional responses of these strains to α-amylase production were studied using microarray, through which several strategies including overexpressing the up-regulated cell wall proteins EglD and Cwp1 and knocking out the genes encoding extracellular proteins competing for the secretory pathway, were proposed.
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