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Non-coding RNA expression has shown to have cell type-specificity. The regulatory characteristics of these molecules are impacted by changes in their expression levels. We performed next-generation sequencing and examined small RNA-seq data obtained from 6 different types of blood cells separated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting of severe COVID−19 patients and healthy control donors. In addition to examining the behavior of piRNA in the blood cells of severe SARS-CoV−2 infected patients, our aim was to present a distinct piRNA differential expression portrait for each separate cell type. We observed that depending on the type of cell, different sorted control cells (erythrocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and neutrophils) have altering piRNA expression patterns. After analyzing the expression of piRNAs in each set of sorted cells from patients with severe COVID−19, we observed 3 significantly elevated piRNAs - piR−33,123, piR−34,765, piR−43,768 and 9 downregulated piRNAs in erythrocytes. In lymphocytes, all 19 piRNAs were upregulated. Monocytes were presented with a larger amount of statistically significant piRNA, 5 upregulated (piR−49039 piR−31623, piR−37213, piR−44721, piR−44720) and 35 downregulated. It has been previously shown that piR−31,623 has been associated with respiratory syncytial virus infection, and taking in account the major role of piRNA in transposon silencing, we presume that the differential expression patterns which we observed could be a signal of indirect antiviral activity or a specific antiviral cell state. Additionally, in lymphocytes, all 19 piRNAs were upregulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state nanopore devices with plasmonic nanoantennas are powerful tools that allow for working with individual particles and molecules in solution as well as providing light-induced control of ionic current flow through them. However, the ionic current flow manipulation by light still requires high power densities and, thus, results in the optical heating of the nanopore. Here, we solve this problem by using a 5 nm nanopore in the gap of a plasmonic bow-tie nanoantenna on a SiNx membrane irradiated by a broadband spectrum of incident light. In this regime, photons are not only strongly localized around the nanopore but also efficiently excite and trap charge carriers on defect states in the band gap of the material of the nanopore walls. As a result, ionic current flow modulation is achieved with several orders of magnitude lower power densities (around 0.035 W/cm²) from a white-light lamp than in previous works employing spectrally narrow laser sources (100-105 W/cm²). The lamp irradiation causes a 21% increase in conductivity for a nanopore without a nanoantenna and a 35% increase in conductivity for a nanoantenna-decorated nanopore at the same power of irradiation. The revealed low-intensity approach for ionic current control is preferable for the study of biological objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-coding RNA expression has shown to have cell type-specificity. The regulatory characteristics of these molecules are impacted by changes in their expression levels. We performed next-generation sequencing and examined small RNA-seq data obtained from 6 different types of blood cells separated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting of severe COVID-19 patients and healthy control donors. In addition to examining the behavior of piRNA in the blood cells of severe SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, our aim was to present a distinct piRNA differential expression portrait for each separate cell type. We observed that depending on the type of cell, different sorted control cells (erythrocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and neutrophils) have altering piRNA expression patterns. After analyzing the expression of piRNAs in each set of sorted cells from patients with severe COVID-19, we observed 3 significantly elevated piRNAs - piR-33,123, piR-34,765, piR-43,768 and 9 downregulated piRNAs in erythrocytes. In lymphocytes, all 19 piRNAs were upregulated. Monocytes were presented with a larger amount of statistically significant piRNA, 5 upregulated (piR-49039 piR-31623, piR-37213, piR-44721, piR-44720) and 35 downregulated. It has been previously shown that piR-31,623 has been associated with respiratory syncytial virus infection, and taking in account the major role of piRNA in transposon silencing, we presume that the differential expression patterns which we observed could be a signal of indirect antiviral activity or a specific antiviral cell state. Additionally, in lymphocytes, all 19 piRNAs were upregulated., (© 2024. The Author(s).)