Increasing helminth infection burden depauperates the diversity of the gut microbiota and alters its composition in mice.

The gut microbiota constitutes a diverse community of organisms with pervasive effects on host homeostasis. The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota depend on both intrinsic (host genetics) and extrinsic (environmental) factors. Here, we investigated the reaction norms of fecal microbiota diversity and composition in three strains of mice infected with increasing doses of the gastrointestinal nematode .

Exploiting the unwanted: Sulphate reduction enables phosphate recovery from energy-rich sludge during anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion is shifting from a single-purpose technology for renewable energy recovery from organic waste streams to a process for integrated resource recovery. The valorisation of high-rate energy- and phosphorus-rich sludge creates the opportunity for their combined recovery. This phosphate is present in a precipitated form in the sludge, and its release into the liquid phase is an important issue before recovery can be achieved.

Early -induced inflammation does not accelerate aging in mice.

Aging is associated with a decline of performance leading to reduced reproductive output and survival. While the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging has attracted considerable attention, the molecular/physiological functions underlying the early-life benefits/late-life costs paradigm remain elusive. We tested the hypothesis that while early activation of the inflammatory response confers benefits in terms of protection against infection, it also incurs costs in terms of reduced reproductive output at old age and shortened longevity.

Extended Freeze-Dried BCG Instructed pDCs Induce Suppressive Tregs and Dampen EAE.

Several clinical observations have shown that Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has beneficial impact on patients suffering from different chronic inflammatory diseases. Here we evaluated whether BCG inactivated by Extended Freeze-Drying (EFD) which circumvents all the side effects linked to the live bacteria, could influence the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for Multiple Sclerosis. EFD BCG strongly attenuates inflammation, both systemically and at the central nervous system (CNS) level, alleviating EAE.

STIM1 promotes migration, phagosomal maturation and antigen cross-presentation in dendritic cells.

Antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells (DC) stimulates cytotoxic T cell activation to promote immunity to intracellular pathogens, viruses and cancer. Phagocytosed antigens generate potent T cell responses, but the signalling and trafficking pathways regulating their cross-presentation are unclear. Here, we show that ablation of the store-operated-Ca-entry regulator STIM1 in mouse myeloid cells impairs cross-presentation and DC migration in vivo and in vitro.