Engineered packaging cell line for the enhanced production of baboon-enveloped retroviral vectors.

The baboon endogenous retrovirus (BaEV) glycoprotein is superior to the commonly used vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVg) for retroviral gene transfer into resting hematopoietic stem cells and lymphocyte populations. The derivative BaEVRLess (lacking the R domain) produces higher viral titers compared with wild-type BaEV, but vector production is impaired by syncytia formation and cell death of the HEK293T cells due to the high fusogenic activity of the glycoprotein. This lowers viral titers, leads to increased batch-to-batch variability, and impedes the establishment of stable packaging cell lines essential for the economical production of viral supernatants.

Is soil contamination a missing driver of soil heterotrophic respiration in land surface models? A study case with copper.

Land Surface Models (LSMs) are crucial elements of Earth System Models used to estimate the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on Earth's climate. Nevertheless, as well as land use change and direct GHG emissions, anthropogenic activities are also associated with contaminant emissions and depositions. Although contamination has a recognized impact on soil processes such as GHG emissions, soil contamination is currently not considered as an important process to consider into LSMs.

Emissions and transport of urban biocides from facades to topsoil at the district-scale.

Urban biocides used in facade paints and renders to prevent algae and fungal growth are released into the environment during rainfall, subsequently contaminating groundwater. However, quantitative data on the emission, transport and infiltration of urban biocides at the district scale are generally lacking. In this study, we quantified the fluxes of the urban biocide terbutryn and its major transformation product, terbutryn-sulfoxide, from building facades into stormwater, sediment, soil, and vegetation within a seven-year-old district employing sustainable stormwater management such as infiltration trenches and ponds.

Partial correction of immunodeficiency by lentiviral vector gene therapy in mouse models carrying hypomorphic mutations.

Introduction: Recombination activating genes () 1 and 2 defects are the most frequent form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Patients with residual RAG activity have a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from Omenn syndrome to delayed-onset combined immunodeficiency, often associated with granulomas and/or autoimmunity (CID-G/AI). Lentiviral vector (LV) gene therapy (GT) has been proposed as an alternative treatment to the standard hematopoietic stem cell transplant and a clinical trial for RAG1 SCID patients recently started.

Mapping risks associated with soil copper contamination using availability and bio-availability proxies at the European scale.

Soil contamination by trace elements like copper (Cu) can affect soil functioning. Environmental policies with guidelines and soil survey measurements still refer to the total content of Cu in soils. However, Cu content in soil solution or free Cu content have been shown to be better proxies of risks of Cu mobility or (bio-)availability for soil organisms.