Regional Centre for Biotechnology

Identification of plasma lipids as non-invasive signatures for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as the leading cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide, which may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To address this growing public health concern, non-invasive diagnostic approa...

DBCO/Azide-Appended Thioesters Enable Proximal-Dependent Cysteine to Lysine Labeling through S → N Acyl Shift

Abstract Thioester bonds are unique reactive functional groups with distinct reactivity profiles toward thiol and amine nucleophiles in aqueous solution. Here, we designed and synthesized thioester-appended clickable handles, including DBCO and azide tags, and investigated their...

Multicentre biobanking for rare diseases in India: Utility and challenges of lymphoblastoid cell line generation

Background and objectives For rare disease research, we aimed to establish immortalised lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from patient-derived blood samples. LCLs serve as a reliable substitute for accessing and studying the patient-specific disease biology, as patients may not al...

Dapagliflozin impairs renal epithelial innate immunity and facilitates uropathogenic E. coli infection in diabetes

Risk of pyelonephritis is very high among patients with diabetes. During diabetes, the oral antidiabetic drug, dapagliflozin (DAPA) is commonly prescribed for its well-recognized renoprotective effects. Although DAPA lowers renal glucose reabsorption, it significantly increases u...

Transcriptomic trajectory of hepatocyte ballooning reveals a lipotoxic point of no return and initiates oncogenic regulatory rewiring in MASLD

Background Hepatocyte ballooning is a defining histological marker of progressive steatohepatitis, but its molecular basis remains poorly defined. Objective To identify a molecular signature and mechanistic trajectory underlying hepatocyte ballooning across the MASLD-to-hepatocel...

A self-assembled peptide forms α-helical nanopores for ultrasensitive biomarker profiling

α-Helical nanopores are attractive molecular sensors, yet their rational design and assembly remain challenging. Here we show that the single peptide pPorA, derived from porin PorACj, self-assembles into flexible α-helical nanopores, inserts in lipid membranes and exists in disti...

Enhanced cell wall digestibility and immunity in Arabidopsis through targeted modification of xylan structure by heterologous expression of acetyl xylan esterase and xylanases

Abstract Background Xylan, a major component of the secondary cell wall in dicots, is often recalcitrant due to its acetylation and interaction with cellulose and lignin. To fine-tune the xylan structure and improve the processing of lignocellulosic biomass, overexpression of cel...