A ganglioside-based immune checkpoint enables senescent cells to evade immunosurveillance during aging.

Although senescent cells can be eliminated by the immune system, they tend to accumulate with age in various tissues. Here we show that senescent cells can evade immune clearance by natural killer (NK) cells by upregulating the expression of the disialylated ganglioside GD3 at their surface. The increased level of GD3 expression on senescent cells that naturally occurs upon aging in liver, lung, kidney or bones leads to a strong suppression of NK-cell-mediated immunosurveillance.

Dosimetry and Monte Carlo modelling of the Papillon+ contact X-ray brachytherapy device.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a Monte Carlo (MC) model for the Papillon+ contact x-ray brachytherapy (CXB) device, producing 50 kilovolt (kV) X-rays, specifically focusing on its application with a 25 mm diameter rectal applicator for contact therapy.

Material And Methods: The validation process involved depth dose and transverse dose profile measurements using EBT3 gafchromic films positioned in a plastic water low energy range phantom. The half-value layer (HVL) was further measured and derived from the simulated X-ray spectra.

Creating a User-Friendly and Open-Access Gene Expression Database for Comparing Embryonic Development and Regeneration in Nematostella vectensis.

The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis has emerged as a powerful research model to understand at the gene regulatory network level, to what extend regeneration recapitulates embryonic development. Such comparison involves massive transcriptomic analysis, a routine approach for identifying differential gene expression. Here we present a workflow to build a user-friendly, mineable, and open-access database providing access to the scientific community to various RNAseq datasets.

Application and Challenge of 3rd Generation Sequencing for Clinical Bacterial Studies.

Over the past 25 years, the powerful combination of genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis has played a crucial role in interpreting information encoded in bacterial genomes. High-throughput sequencing technologies have paved the way towards understanding an increasingly wide range of biological questions. This revolution has enabled advances in areas ranging from genome composition to how proteins interact with nucleic acids.

Telomerase is required for glomerular renewal in kidneys of adult mice.

Homeostatic renal filtration relies on the integrity of podocytes, which function in glomerular filtration. These highly specialized cells are damaged in 90% of chronic kidney disease, representing the leading cause of end-stage renal failure. Although modest podocyte renewal has been documented in adult mice, the mechanisms regulating this process remain largely unknown and controversial.

Complete Circular Genome Sequences of Three Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Positive Blood Cultures from Preterm and Immunocompromised Infants Hospitalized in France.

We report here the complete genome sequences of three Bacillus cereus group strains isolated from blood cultures from premature and immunocompromised infants hospitalized in intensive care units in three French hospitals. These complete genome sequences were obtained from a combination of Illumina HiSeq X Ten short reads and Oxford Nanopore MinION long reads.

Mitochondrial function in skeletal myofibers is controlled by a TRF2-SIRT3 axis over lifetime.

Telomere shortening follows a developmentally regulated process that leads to replicative senescence of dividing cells. However, whether telomere changes are involved in postmitotic cell function and aging remains elusive. In this study, we discovered that the level of the TRF2 protein, a key telomere-capping protein, declines in human skeletal muscle over lifetime.

Cancer cells induce immune escape via glycocalyx changes controlled by the telomeric protein TRF2.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature myeloid cells with strong immunosuppressive activity that promote tumor growth. In this study, we describe a mechanism by which cancer cells control MDSCs in human cancers by upregulating TRF2, a protein required for telomere stability. Specifically, we showed that the TRF2 upregulation in cancer cells has extratelomeric roles in activating the expression of a network of genes involved in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate proteoglycan, leading to profound changes in glycocalyx length and stiffness, as revealed by atomic force microscopy.

Dermal Fibroblast SLC3A2 Deficiency Leads to Premature Aging and Loss of Epithelial Homeostasis.

Skin homeostasis relies on fine-tuning of epidermis-dermis interactions and is affected by aging. While extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, such as integrins, are involved in aging, the molecular basis of the skin changes needs to be investigated further. Here, we showed that integrin co-receptor, SLC3A2, required for cell proliferation, is expressed at the surface of resting dermal fibroblasts in young patients and is reduced drastically with aging.

Genome-wide Control of Heterochromatin Replication by the Telomere Capping Protein TRF2.

Hard-to-replicate regions of chromosomes (e.g., pericentromeres, centromeres, and telomeres) impede replication fork progression, eventually leading, in the event of replication stress, to chromosome fragility, aging, and cancer.

Draft Genome Sequence of CIP 107829.

is a rapidly growing mycobacterium isolated for the first time from a leg wound in the United States. Its 6,506,908-bp draft genome exhibits a 66.77% G+C content, 6,279 protein-coding genes, and 59 predicted RNA genes.

Dental pulp as a source of low-contaminated DNA.

The in-laboratory contamination of the ancient samples hinders the result interpretation of the investigations in the field of paleomicrobiology. We had promoted the dental pulp as a sample that limits the risks of in-laboratory contamination of the ancient material. In this work, we measured the contamination of the dental pulp manipulated according to paleomicrobiology protocol, used as a source of a total DNA for metagenomics.

Microbial Culturomics to Map Halophilic Bacterium in Human Gut: Genome Sequence and Description of Oceanobacillus jeddahense sp. nov.

Culturomics is a new omics subspecialty to map the microbial diversity of human gut, coupled with a taxono-genomic strategy. We report here the description of a new bacterial species using microbial culturomics: strain S5T, (= CSUR P1091=DSM 28586) isolated from a stool specimen of a 25-year-old obese patient from Saudi Arabia. The strain S5T was a Gram-positive, strictly aerobic rod, which was motile by a polar flagellum, spore-forming, and exhibited catalase and oxidase activities.

Developmental Cycle and Genome Analysis of "Rubidus massiliensis," a New Vermamoeba vermiformis Pathogen.

The study of amoeba-associated Chlamydiae is a dynamic field in which new species are increasingly reported. In the present work, we characterized the developmental cycle and analyzed the genome of a new member of this group associated with Vermamoeba vermiformis, we propose to name "Rubidus massiliensis." This bacterium is well-adapted to its amoeba host and do not reside inside of inclusion vacuoles after phagocytosis.

Genomic Insights into a New Citrobacter koseri Strain Revealed Gene Exchanges with the Virulence-Associated Yersinia pestis pPCP1 Plasmid.

The history of infectious diseases raised the plague as one of the most devastating for human beings. Far too often considered an ancient disease, the frequent resurgence of the plague has led to consider it as a reemerging disease in Madagascar, Algeria, Libya, and Congo. The genetic factors associated with the pathogenicity of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague, involve the acquisition of the pPCP1 plasmid that promotes host invasion through the expression of the virulence factor Pla.

Identification of Novel Zoonotic Activity of Bartonella spp., France.

Certain Bartonella species are known to cause afebrile bacteremia in humans and other mammals, including B. quintana, the agent of trench fever, and B. henselae, the agent of cat scratch disease.

Epigenetic switch drives the conversion of fibroblasts into proinvasive cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) mediate the onset of a proinvasive tumour microenvironment. The proinflammatory cytokine LIF reprograms fibroblasts into a proinvasive phenotype, which promotes extracellular matrix remodelling and collective invasion of cancer cells. Here we unveil that exposure to LIF initiates an epigenetic switch leading to the constitutive activation of JAK1/STAT3 signalling, which results in sustained proinvasive activity of CAF.

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium neworleansense Strain ATCC 49404T.

Mycobacterium neworleansense is a rapid growing nontuberculosis species belonging to the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex. The draft genome of M. neworleansense ATCC 49404(T) comprises 6,287,317 bp exhibiting a 66.

Genome sequence of Oceanobacillus picturae strain S1, an halophilic bacterium first isolated in human gut.

Oceanobacillus picturae is a strain of a moderately halophilic bacterium, first isolated from a mural painting. We demonstrate, for the first time, the culture of human Oceanobacillus picturae, strain S1(T), whose genome is described here, from a stool sample collected from a 25-year-old Saoudian healthy individual. We used a slightly modified standard culture medium adding 100 g/L of NaCl.

Pan-genomic analysis to redefine species and subspecies based on quantum discontinuous variation: the Klebsiella paradigm.

Background: Various methods are currently used to define species and are based on the phylogenetic marker 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence, DNA-DNA hybridization and DNA GC content. However, these are restricted genetic tools and showed significant limitations.

Results: In this work, we describe an alternative method to build taxonomy by analyzing the pan-genome composition of different species of the Klebsiella genus.

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium bohemicum Strain DSM 44277T.

The Mycobacterium bohemicum strain is a nontuberculosis species mainly responsible for pediatric cervical lymphadenitis. The draft genome of M. bohemicum DSM 44277(T) comprises 5,097,190 bp exhibiting a 68.

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium lentiflavum CSUR P1491.

We announce the draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium lentiflavum strain CSUR P1491, a nontuberculous mycobacterium responsible for opportunistic potentially life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. The genome described here comprises a 6,818,507-bp chromosome exhibiting a 65.75% G+C content, 6,354 protein-coding genes, and 75 RNA genes.

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium europaeum Strain CSUR P1344.

We report the draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium europaeum strain CSUR P1344, a slowly growing mycobacterium of the Mycobacterium simiae complex and opportunistic respiratory tract colonizer and pathogen. This genome of 6,152,523 bp exhibits a 68.18% G+C content, encoding 5,814 predicted proteins and 74 RNAs.

Clostridium butyricum Strains and Dysbiosis Linked to Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Neonates.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common and serious gastrointestinal disorder among preterm neonates. We aimed to assess a specific gut microbiota profile associated with NEC.

Methods: Stool samples and clinical data were collected from 4 geographically independent neonatal intensive care units, over a 48-month period.