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Metformin is used as a first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prescribed for numerous other diseases. However, its mechanism of action in the liver has yet to be characterized in a systematic manner. To comprehensively identify genes and regulatory elements associated with metformin treatment, we carried out RNA-seq and ChIP-seq (H3K27ac, H3K27me3) on primary human hepatocytes from the same donor treated with vehicle control, metformin or metformin and compound C, an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor (allowing to identify AMPK-independent pathways). We identified thousands of metformin responsive AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent differentially expressed genes and regulatory elements. We functionally validated several elements for metformin-induced promoter and enhancer activity. These include an enhancer in an ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) intron that has SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with a metformin treatment response GWAS lead SNP (rs11212617) that showed increased enhancer activity for the associated haplotype. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) liver analysis and CRISPR activation suggest that this enhancer could be regulating ATM, which has a known role in AMPK activation, and potentially also EXPH5 and DDX10, its neighboring genes. Using ChIP-seq and siRNA knockdown, we further show that activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), our top metformin upregulated AMPK-dependent gene, could have an important role in gluconeogenesis repression. Our findings provide a genome-wide representation of metformin hepatic response, highlight important sequences that could be associated with interindividual variability in glycemic response to metformin and identify novel T2D treatment candidates.

THE Tax protein of human T-lymphotrophic virus (HTLV)-l activates expression of the HTLV-1 long terminal repeat through a DNA element that resembles the cellular cyclic AMP-regulated enhancer (CRE) 1,2 . Tax contains a transcriptional activation domain 3 , but its ability to activate gene expression depends on interactions with cellular CRE-binding proteins such as CREB. Whether Tax can activate the expression of cellular CRE-contain-ing genes has been controversial. Here we show that Tax can activate both the HTLV-1 and consensus cellular CREs, and propose that this activation may occur through mechanisms that are differentially dependent on CREB phosphorylation. Tax not only increases the binding of CREB to the viral CRE but also recruits the transcriptional co-activator CBP 4,5 in a manner independent of CREB phosphorylation. In contrast, association of Tax with the cellular CRE occurs through CBP which, in turn, is recruited only in the presence of phosphorylated CREB.

THE 265K nuclear protein CBP was initially identified as a co-activator for the protein kinase A (PKA)-phosphorylated form of the transcription factor CREB 1 . The domains in CBP that are involved in CREB binding and transcriptional activation are highly related to the adenoviral ElA-associated cellular protein p300 (refs 2, 3), and to two hypothetical proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans , R10E11.1 and K03H1.10 (refs 4 and 5, respectively), whose functions are unknown. Here, we show that CBP and p300 have similar binding affinity for the PKA-phosphorylated form of CREB, and that p300 can substitute for CBP in potentiating CREB-activated gene expression. We find that E1A binds to CBP through a domain conserved with p300 and represses the CREB-dependent co-activator functions of both CBP and p300. Our results indicate that the gene repression and cell immortalization functions associated with El A involve the inactivation of a family of related proteins that normally participate in second-messenger-regulated gene expression.

The 265K nuclear protein CBP was initially identified as a co-activator for the protein kinase A (PKA)-phosphorylated form of the transcription factor CREB. The domains in CBP that are involved in CREB binding and transcriptional activation are highly related to the adenoviral E1A-associated cellular protein p300 (refs 2, 3), and to two hypothetical proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans, R10E11.1 and K03H1.10 (refs 4 and 5, respectively), whose functions are unknown. Here, we show that CBP and p300 have similar binding affinity for the PKA-phosphorylated form of CREB, and that p300 can substitute for CBP in potentiating CREB-activated gene expression. We find that E1A binds to CBP through a domain conserved with p300 and represses the CREB-dependent co-activator functions of both CBP and p300. Our results indicate that the gene repression and cell immortalization functions associated with E1A involve the inactivation of a family of related proteins that normally participate in second-messenger-regulated gene expression.

As part of public health preparedness for infectious disease threats, CDC collaborates with other U.S. public health officials to ensure that the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) has diagnostic tools to detect Orthopoxviruses, the genus that includes Variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox. LRN is a network of state and local public health, federal, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), veterinary, food, and environmental testing laboratories. CDC developed, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance* for the Non-variola Orthopoxvirus Real-time PCR Primer and Probe Set (non-variola Orthopoxvirus [NVO] assay), a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic test to detect NVO. On May 17, 2022, CDC was contacted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) regarding a suspected case of monkeypox, a disease caused by the Orthopoxvirus Monkeypox virus. Specimens were collected and tested by the Massachusetts DPH public health laboratory with LRN testing capability using the NVO assay. Nationwide, 68 LRN laboratories had capacity to test approximately 8,000 NVO tests per week during June. During May 17-June 30, LRN laboratories tested 2,009 specimens from suspected monkeypox cases. Among those, 730 (36.3%) specimens from 395 patients were positive for NVO. NVO-positive specimens from 159 persons were confirmed by CDC to be monkeypox; final characterization is pending for 236. Prompt identification of persons with infection allowed rapid response to the outbreak, including isolation and treatment of patients, administration of vaccines, and other public health action. To further facilitate access to testing and increase convenience for providers and patients by using existing provider-laboratory relationships, CDC and LRN are supporting five large commercial laboratories with a national footprint (Aegis Science, LabCorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics, and Sonic Healthcare) to establish NVO testing capacity of 10,000 specimens per week per laboratory. On July 6, 2022, the first commercial laboratory began accepting specimens for NVO testing based on clinician orders.

We present occurrence rates for rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZ) of main-sequence dwarf stars based on the Kepler DR25 planet candidate catalog and Gaia-based stellar properties. We provide the first analysis in terms of star-dependent instellation flux, which allows us to track HZ planets. We define \\(\\eta_\\oplus\\) as the HZ occurrence of planets with radius between 0.5 and 1.5 \\(R_\\oplus\\) orbiting stars with effective temperatures between 4800 K and 6300 K. We find that \\(\\eta_\\oplus\\) for the conservative HZ is between \\(0.37^{+0.48}_{-0.21}\\) (errors reflect 68\\% credible intervals) and \\(0.60^{+0.90}_{-0.36}\\) planets per star, while the optimistic HZ occurrence is between \\(0.58^{+0.73}_{-0.33}\\) and \\(0.88^{+1.28}_{-0.51}\\) planets per star. These bounds reflect two extreme assumptions about the extrapolation of completeness beyond orbital periods where DR25 completeness data are available. The large uncertainties are due to the small number of detected small HZ planets. We find similar occurrence rates using both a Poisson likelihood Bayesian analysis and Approximate Bayesian Computation. Our results are corrected for catalog completeness and reliability. Both completeness and the planet occurrence rate are dependent on stellar effective temperature. We also present occurrence rates for various stellar populations and planet size ranges. We estimate with \\(95\\%\\) confidence that, on average, the nearest HZ planet around G and K dwarfs is about 6 pc away, and there are about 4 HZ rocky planets around G and K dwarfs within 10 pc of the Sun.

We present the Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) catalog of transiting exoplanets based on searching four years of Kepler time series photometry (Data Release 25, Q1-Q17). The catalog contains 8054 KOIs of which 4034 are planet candidates with periods between 0.25 and 632 days. Of these candidates, 219 are new and include two in multi-planet systems (KOI-82.06 and KOI-2926.05), and ten high-reliability, terrestrial-size, habitable zone candidates. This catalog was created using a tool called the Robovetter which automatically vets the DR25 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs, Twicken et al. 2016). The Robovetter also vetted simulated data sets and measured how well it was able to separate TCEs caused by noise from those caused by low signal-to-noise transits. We discusses the Robovetter and the metrics it uses to sort TCEs. For orbital periods less than 100 days the Robovetter completeness (the fraction of simulated transits that are determined to be planet candidates) across all observed stars is greater than 85%. For the same period range, the catalog reliability (the fraction of candidates that are not due to instrumental or stellar noise) is greater than 98%. However, for low signal-to-noise candidates between 200 and 500 days around FGK dwarf stars, the Robovetter is 76.7% complete and the catalog is 50.5% reliable. The KOI catalog, the transit fits and all of the simulated data used to characterize this catalog are available at the NASA Exoplanet Archive.