Murine cytomegalovirus is not restricted to the house mouse Mus musculus domesticus: prevalence and genetic diversity in the European house mouse hybrid zone.

Unlabelled: Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is a betaherpesvirus of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus. It is a common infectious agent of wild mice and a highly studied pathogen of the laboratory mouse. Betaherpesviruses are specific to their hosts, and it is not known if other Mus taxa carry MCMV or if it is restricted to M.

Draft Genome Sequence of Burkholderia pyrrocinia Lyc2, a Biological Control Strain That Can Suppress Multiple Plant Microbial Pathogens.

Burkholderia pyrrocinia strain Lyc2 was isolated from the tobacco rhizosphere in China. This bacterium exhibits a remarkable capacity to inhibit the growth of multiple pathogens and shows strong suppression of cotton seedling damping-off. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Burkholderia pyrrocinia strain Lyc2.

Growing partnerships: leveraging the power of collaboration through the Medical Education Partnership Initiative.

A major goal of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is to improve local health systems by strengthening medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa. A new approach to collaboration was intended to overcome the one-sided nature of many partnerships that often provide more rewards to institutions from wealthy countries than to their Sub-Saharan African counterparts. The benefits of this MEPI approach are reflected in at least five positive outcomes.

The heterogeneous effects of HIV testing.

An extensive multi-disciplinary literature examines the effects of learning one's HIV status on subsequent risky sexual behaviors. However, many of these studies rely on non-experimental designs; use self-reported outcome measures; or both. In this study, we investigate the effects of a randomly assigned home based HIV testing and counseling (HTC) intervention on risky sexual behaviors and schooling investments among school-age females in Malawi.

Mesenchymal stem cells inhibit breast cancer cell migration and invasion through secretion of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and -2.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) form part of tumor stroma, and are typically considered to be pro-tumorigenic, promoting continuing tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we describe a mechanism by which MSCs may be anti-tumorigenic, through inhibition of breast cancer cell migration and invasion, an important part of metastasis. MDA-MB-231 and T47D cells were co-cultured in a Transwell insert above MSCs or MSC conditioned media and their migration or invasion through Matrigel measured.

Physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa: current initiatives and opportunities.

Background: Physician tracking systems are critical for health workforce planning as well as for activities to ensure quality health care - such as physician regulation, education, and emergency response. However, information on current systems for physician tracking in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. The objective of this study is to provide information on the current state of physician tracking systems in the region, highlighting emerging themes and innovative practices.

The pqqC gene is essential for antifungal activity of Pseudomonas kilonensis JX22 against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.

Strain JX22, exhibiting a broad range of antimicrobial activities to fungal pathogens, was isolated and classified as representing Pseudomonas kilonensis. In this study, the mutant JX22MT1 was obtained by the EZ-Tn5 transposon mutation and showed no antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.

Role of the SIK2-p35-PJA2 complex in pancreatic β-cell functional compensation.

Energy sensing by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is of fundamental importance in cell biology. In the pancreatic β-cell, AMPK is a central regulator of insulin secretion. The capacity of the β-cell to increase insulin output is a critical compensatory mechanism in prediabetes, yet its molecular underpinnings are unclear.

Essential role of TID1 in maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential homogeneity and mitochondrial DNA integrity.

The tumorous imaginal disc 1 (TID1) protein localizes mainly to the mitochondrial compartment, wherein its function remains largely unknown. Here we report that TID1 regulates the steady-state homogeneity of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ) and maintains the integrity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Silencing of TID1 with RNA interference leads to changes in the distribution of Δψ along the mitochondrial network, characterized by an increase in Δψ in focal regions.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas chlororaphis YL-1, a Biocontrol Strain Suppressing Plant Microbial Pathogens.

Pseudomonas chlororaphis YL-1 was isolated from soybean root tips and showed a broad range of antagonistic activities to microbial plant pathogens. Here, we report the high-quality draft genome sequence of YL-1, which consists of a chromosome with an estimated size of 6.8 Mb with a G+C value of 63.

ROMO1 is an essential redox-dependent regulator of mitochondrial dynamics.

The dynamics of mitochondria undergoing fusion and fragmentation govern many mitochondrial functions, including the regulation of cell survival. Although the machinery that catalyzes fusion and fragmentation has been well described, less is known about the signaling components that regulate these phenomena. We performed a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen and identified reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (ROMO1) as a redox-regulated protein required for mitochondrial fusion and normal cristae morphology.

Larval green and white sturgeon swimming performance in relation to water-diversion flows.

Little is known of the swimming capacities of larval sturgeons, despite global population declines in many species due in part to fragmentation of their spawning and rearing habitats by man-made water-diversion structures. Larval green (Acipenser medirostris) and white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) inhabit the highly altered Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, making them logical species to examine vulnerability to entrainment by altered water flows. The risk of larval sturgeon entrainment is influenced by the ontogeny of swimming capacity and dispersal timing and their interactions with water-diversion structure operations.

Acute left main coronary occlusion caused by stent fracture, peri-stent aneurysm formation, and very-late stent thrombosis: revisiting the dark side of drug-eluting stents.

A patient presented with acute distal left main occlusion as a result of very late stent thrombosis of 2 drug-eluting stents. Intravascular ultrasound imaging confirmed the presence of a peri-stent aneurysm coupled with malapposition at the site of a stent fracture, reflecting an abnormal vascular response to drug-eluting stents.

Early human prostate adenocarcinomas harbor androgen-independent cancer cells.

Although blockade of androgen receptor (AR) signaling represents the main treatment for advanced prostate cancer (PrCa), many patients progress to a lethal phenotype of "Castration-Resistant" prostate cancer (CR-PrCa). With the hypothesis that early PrCa may harbor a population of androgen-unresponsive cancer cells as precursors to CR-recurrent disease, we undertook the propagation of androgen-independent cells from PrCa-prostatectomy samples of early, localized (Stage-I) cases. A collection of 120 surgical specimens from prostatectomy cases was established, among which 54 were adenocarcinomas.

Reproductive isolation in Caenorhabditis briggsae: Dysgenic interactions between maternal- and zygotic-effect loci result in a delayed development phenotype.

In sexual species, speciation occurs through the accumulation of genetic barriers to gene flow. In Caenorhabditis briggsae, one such barrier impedes gene flow between temperate strains and the tropical AF16 strain. Up to 20% of F2 progeny derived from crosses of AF16 to strains from the temperate clade exhibit a delayed development phenotype.

Genome-wide RNAi screen identifies ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1) as essential for PARK2 recruitment and mitophagy.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of aging and numerous human diseases, including Parkinson disease (PD). Multiple homeostatic mechanisms exist to ensure mitochondrial integrity, including the selective autophagic program mitophagy, that is activated during starvation or in response to mitochondrial dysfunction. Following prolonged loss of potential across the inner mitochondrial membrane (ΔΨ), PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and the E3-ubiquitin ligase PARK2 work in the same pathway to trigger mitophagy of dysfunctional mitochondria.

Gaps between Adolescent Risk Behaviors and Disclosure during Outpatient Visits.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the gaps between disclosed high-risk behaviors in low-income, mainly Hispanic youth and the identification of these risks by health care providers. Methods.

Steep clines within a highly permeable genome across a hybrid zone between two subspecies of the European rabbit.

Maintenance of genetic distinction in the face of gene flow is an important aspect of the speciation process. Here, we provide a detailed spatial and genetic characterization of a hybrid zone between two subspecies of the European rabbit. We examined patterns of allele frequency change for 22 markers located on the autosomes, X-chromosome, Y-chromosome and mtDNA in 1078 individuals sampled across the hybrid zone.

The Burkholderia contaminans MS14 ocfC gene encodes a xylosyltransferase for production of the antifungal occidiofungin.

Burkholderia contaminans strain MS14 produces the antifungal compound occidiofungin, which is responsible for significant antifungal activities against a broad range of plant and animal fungal pathogens. Occidiofungin is a cyclic glycolipopeptide made up of eight amino acids and one xylose. A 56-kb ocf gene cluster was determined to be essential for occidiofungin production.

Hybridization and speciation.

Hybridization has many and varied impacts on the process of speciation. Hybridization may slow or reverse differentiation by allowing gene flow and recombination. It may accelerate speciation via adaptive introgression or cause near-instantaneous speciation by allopolyploidization.

Barriers to gene flow in the marine environment: insights from two common intertidal limpet species of the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Knowledge of the scale of dispersal and the mechanisms governing gene flow in marine environments remains fragmentary despite being essential for understanding evolution of marine biota and to design management plans. We use the limpets Patella ulyssiponensis and Patella rustica as models for identifying factors affecting gene flow in marine organisms across the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. A set of allozyme loci and a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome C oxidase subunit I were screened for genetic variation through starch gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, respectively.

Nucleotide composition of cellular internal ribosome entry sites defines dependence on NF45 and predicts a posttranscriptional mitotic regulon.

The vast majority of cellular mRNAs initiate their translations through a well-defined mechanism of ribosome recruitment that occurs at the 5'-terminal 7-methylguanosine cap with the help of several canonical protein factors. A subset of cellular and viral mRNAs contain regulatory motifs in their 5' untranslated regions (UTRs), termed internal ribosome entry sites (IRES), that sidestep this canonical mode of initiation. On cellular mRNAs, this mechanism requires IRES trans-acting protein factors (ITAFs) that facilitate ribosome recruitment downstream of the cap.

Enantioselective toxicity and bioaccumulation of fipronil in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) following water and sediment exposures.

Fipronil is a widely used, broad-spectrum pesticide that is applied as an equal mixture of two enantiomers. As regulations on older pesticides become more stringent, production and application of fipronil is expected to grow, leading to increased inputs into aquatic environments and complex exposures to biota. To better understand the potential exposures introduced by fipronil contamination, we conducted subchronic toxicity tests with larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and waterborne fipronil and its enantiomers and exposed juvenile fathead minnows to fipronil-spiked sediment.