Network meta-analysis examining efficacy of components of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is recommended as first-line treatment for insomnia. CBT-I is a multi-component intervention comprising psychoeducation, sleep restriction, stimulus control, cognitive, and relaxation therapy. The relative efficacy of its components has yet to be investigated with state-of-the-art meta-analytic methods.

Structural variation of types IV-A1- and IV-A3-mediated CRISPR interference.

CRISPR-Cas mediated DNA-interference typically relies on sequence-specific binding and nucleolytic degradation of foreign genetic material. Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas systems diverge from this general mechanism, using a nuclease-independent interference pathway to suppress gene expression for gene regulation and plasmid competition. To understand how the type IV-A system associated effector complex achieves this interference, we determine cryo-EM structures of two evolutionarily distinct type IV-A complexes (types IV-A1 and IV-A3) bound to cognate DNA-targets in the presence and absence of the type IV-A signature DinG effector helicase.

Going viral: The role of mobile genetic elements in bacterial immunity.

Bacteriophages and other mobile genetic elements (MGEs) pose a significant threat to bacteria, subjecting them to constant attacks. In response, bacteria have evolved a sophisticated immune system that employs diverse defensive strategies and mechanisms. Remarkably, a growing body of evidence suggests that most of these defenses are encoded by MGEs themselves.