Cocirculation of Two env Molecular Variants, of Possible Recombinant Origin, in Gorilla and Chimpanzee Simian Foamy Virus Strains from Central Africa.

Unlabelled: Simian foamy virus (SFV) is a ubiquitous retrovirus in nonhuman primates (NHPs) that can be transmitted to humans, mostly through severe bites. In the past few years, our laboratory has identified more than 50 hunters from central Africa infected with zoonotic SFVs. Analysis of the complete sequences of five SFVs obtained from these individuals revealed that env was the most variable gene.

Evolution of Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis Genes and Their Regulation during Starvation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Unlabelled: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis, is a Gram-positive bacterium with a unique cell envelope composed of an essential outer membrane. Mycolic acids, which are very-long-chain (up to C100) fatty acids, are the major components of this mycomembrane. The enzymatic pathways involved in the biosynthesis and transport of mycolates are fairly well documented and are the targets of the major antituberculous drugs.

Genome-scale phylogenetic analysis finds extensive gene transfer among fungi.

Although the role of lateral gene transfer is well recognized in the evolution of bacteria, it is generally assumed that it has had less influence among eukaryotes. To explore this hypothesis, we compare the dynamics of genome evolution in two groups of organisms: cyanobacteria and fungi. Ancestral genomes are inferred in both clades using two types of methods: first, Count, a gene tree unaware method that models gene duplications, gains and losses to explain the observed numbers of genes present in a genome; second, ALE, a more recent gene tree-aware method that reconciles gene trees with a species tree using a model of gene duplication, loss and transfer.

Susceptibility Vessel Sign on MRI Predicts Favorable Clinical Outcome in Patients with Anterior Circulation Acute Stroke Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Background And Purpose: The susceptibility vessel sign on MR imaging has been reported to indicate acute occlusion from erythrocyte-rich thrombus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the susceptibility vessel sign seen on MR imaging before treatment on the clinical outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation acute stroke.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively included 73 consecutive patients who were treated for anterior circulation acute stroke by mechanical thrombectomy from December 2009 to September 2013.

The cellular prion protein PrPc is a partner of the Wnt pathway in intestinal epithelial cells.

We reported previously that the cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) is a component of desmosomes and contributes to the intestinal barrier function. We demonstrated also the presence of PrP(c) in the nucleus of proliferating intestinal epithelial cells. Here we sought to decipher the function of this nuclear pool.

A Toll-Like Receptor 5 Agonist Improves the Efficacy of Antibiotics in Treatment of Primary and Influenza Virus-Associated Pneumococcal Mouse Infections.

Prophylactic intranasal administration of the Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist flagellin protects mice against respiratory pathogenic bacteria. We hypothesized that TLR5-mediated stimulation of lung immunity might improve the therapeutic index of antibiotics for the treatment of Streptococcus pneumoniae respiratory infections in mice. Intranasal administration of flagellin was combined with either oral administration of amoxicillin or intraperitoneal injection of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to treat S.

Hypogonadism Associated with Cyp19a1 (Aromatase) Posttranscriptional Upregulation in Celf1 Knockout Mice.

CELF1 is a multifunctional RNA-binding protein that controls several aspects of RNA fate. The targeted disruption of the Celf1 gene in mice causes male infertility due to impaired spermiogenesis, the postmeiotic differentiation of male gametes. Here, we investigated the molecular reasons that underlie this testicular phenotype.

Phosphoantigen Burst upon Plasmodium falciparum Schizont Rupture Can Distantly Activate Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells.

Malaria induces potent activation and expansion of the Vγ9Vδ2 subpopulation of γδT cells, which inhibit the Plasmodium falciparum blood cycle through soluble cytotoxic mediators, abrogating merozoite invasion capacity. Intraerythrocytic stages efficiently trigger Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell activation and degranulation through poorly understood mechanisms. P.

Efficient CRISPR-mediated gene targeting and transgene replacement in the beetle Tribolium castaneum.

Gene-editing techniques are revolutionizing the way we conduct genetics in many organisms. The CRISPR/Cas nuclease has emerged as a highly versatile, efficient and affordable tool for targeting chosen sites in the genome. Beyond its applications in established model organisms, CRISPR technology provides a platform for genetic intervention in a wide range of species, limited only by our ability to deliver it to cells and to select mutations efficiently.

Evaluation of the Role of the opgGH Operon in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Its Deletion during the Emergence of Yersinia pestis.

The opgGH operon encodes glucosyltransferases that synthesize osmoregulated periplasmic glucans (OPGs) from UDP-glucose, using acyl carrier protein (ACP) as a cofactor. OPGs are required for motility, biofilm formation, and virulence in various bacteria. OpgH also sequesters FtsZ in order to regulate cell size according to nutrient availability.

Serotonin, but not dopamine, controls the stress response and anxiety-like behavior in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

In the animal kingdom, biogenic amines are widespread modulators of the nervous system that frequently interact to control mood. Our previous investigations in crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) have established that stress induces changes in brain serotonin (5-HT) concentrations that are responsible for the appearance of anxiety-like behavior (ALB). Here, we further analyze the roles of 5-HT and another biogenic amine, dopamine (DA), on the crayfish response to stress.

A stable microtubule array drives fission yeast polarity reestablishment upon quiescence exit.

Cells perpetually face the decision to proliferate or to stay quiescent. Here we show that upon quiescence establishment, Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells drastically rearrange both their actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeletons and lose their polarity. Indeed, while polarity markers are lost from cell extremities, actin patches and cables are reorganized into actin bodies, which are stable actin filament-containing structures.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS. A 12 Å carotenoid translocation in a photoswitch associated with cyanobacterial photoprotection.

Pigment-protein and pigment-pigment interactions are of fundamental importance to the light-harvesting and photoprotective functions essential to oxygenic photosynthesis. The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) functions as both a sensor of light and effector of photoprotective energy dissipation in cyanobacteria. We report the atomic-resolution structure of an active form of the OCP consisting of the N-terminal domain and a single noncovalently bound carotenoid pigment.

Membrane tension and cytoskeleton organization in cell motility.

Cell membrane shape changes are important for many aspects of normal biological function, such as tissue development, wound healing and cell division and motility. Various disease states are associated with deregulation of how cells move and change shape, including notably tumor initiation and cancer cell metastasis. Cell motility is powered, in large part, by the controlled assembly and disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton.

Erbin is a novel substrate of the Sag-βTrCP E3 ligase that regulates KrasG12D-induced skin tumorigenesis.

SAG/RBX2 is the RING (really interesting new gene) component of Cullin-RING ligase, which is required for its activity. An organ-specific role of SAG in tumorigenesis is unknown. We recently showed that Sag/Rbx2, upon lung-targeted deletion, suppressed Kras(G12D)-induced tumorigenesis via inactivating NF-κB and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways.

Chaos of Rearrangements in the Mating-Type Chromosomes of the Anther-Smut Fungus Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae.

Sex chromosomes in plants and animals and fungal mating-type chromosomes often show exceptional genome features, with extensive suppression of homologous recombination and cytological differentiation between members of the diploid chromosome pair. Despite strong interest in the genetics of these chromosomes, their large regions of suppressed recombination often are enriched in transposable elements and therefore can be challenging to assemble. Here we show that the latest improvements of the PacBio sequencing yield assembly of the whole genome of the anther-smut fungus, Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae (the pathogenic fungus causing anther-smut disease of Silene latifolia), into finished chromosomes or chromosome arms, even for the repeat-rich mating-type chromosomes and centromeres.

Deletion of the App-Runx1 region in mice models human partial monosomy 21.

Partial monosomy 21 (PM21) is a rare chromosomal abnormality that is characterized by the loss of a variable segment along human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). The clinical phenotypes of this loss are heterogeneous and range from mild alterations to lethal consequences, depending on the affected region of Hsa21. The most common features include intellectual disabilities, craniofacial dysmorphology, short stature, and muscular and cardiac defects.

The Drosophila fragile X mental retardation protein participates in the piRNA pathway.

RNA metabolism controls multiple biological processes, and a specific class of small RNAs, called piRNAs, act as genome guardians by silencing the expression of transposons and repetitive sequences in the gonads. Defects in the piRNA pathway affect genome integrity and fertility. The possible implications in physiopathological mechanisms of human diseases have made the piRNA pathway the object of intense investigation, and recent work suggests that there is a role for this pathway in somatic processes including synaptic plasticity.

Mitosis. Microtubule detyrosination guides chromosomes during mitosis.

Before chromosomes segregate into daughter cells, they align at the mitotic spindle equator, a process known as chromosome congression. Centromere-associated protein E (CENP-E)/Kinesin-7 is a microtubule plus-end-directed kinetochore motor required for congression of pole-proximal chromosomes. Because the plus-ends of many astral microtubules in the spindle point to the cell cortex, it remains unknown how CENP-E guides pole-proximal chromosomes specifically toward the equator.

RSAT 2015: Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools.

RSAT (Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools) is a modular software suite for the analysis of cis-regulatory elements in genome sequences. Its main applications are (i) motif discovery, appropriate to genome-wide data sets like ChIP-seq, (ii) transcription factor binding motif analysis (quality assessment, comparisons and clustering), (iii) comparative genomics and (iv) analysis of regulatory variations. Nine new programs have been added to the 43 described in the 2011 NAR Web Software Issue, including a tool to extract sequences from a list of coordinates (fetch-sequences from UCSC), novel programs dedicated to the analysis of regulatory variants from GWAS or population genomics (retrieve-variation-seq and variation-scan), a program to cluster motifs and visualize the similarities as trees (matrix-clustering).

Persistent visceral allodynia in rats exposed to colorectal irradiation is reversed by mesenchymal stromal cell treatment.

Each year, millions of people worldwide are treated for primary or recurrent pelvic malignancies, involving radiotherapy in almost 50% of cases. Delayed development of visceral complications after radiotherapy is recognized in cancer survivors. Therapeutic doses of radiation may lead to the damage of healthy tissue around the tumor and abdominal pain.

Microtubule minus end motors kinesin-14 and dynein drive nuclear congression in parallel pathways.

Microtubules (MTs) and associated motors play a central role in nuclear migration, which is crucial for diverse biological functions including cell division, polarity, and sexual reproduction. In this paper, we report a dual mechanism underlying nuclear congression during fission yeast karyogamy upon mating of haploid cells. Using microfluidic chambers for long-term imaging, we captured the precise timing of nuclear congression and identified two minus end-directed motors operating in parallel in this process.

Repetition priming results in sensitivity attenuation.

Repetition priming refers to the change in the ability to perform a task on a stimulus as a consequence of a former encounter with that very same item. Usually, repetition results in faster and more accurate performance. In the present study, we used a contrast discrimination protocol to assess perceptual sensitivity and response bias of Gabor gratings that are either repeated (same orientation) or alternated (different orientation).

Aurora B prevents chromosome arm separation defects by promoting telomere dispersion and disjunction.

The segregation of centromeres and telomeres at mitosis is coordinated at multiple levels to prevent the formation of aneuploid cells, a phenotype frequently observed in cancer. Mitotic instability arises from chromosome segregation defects, giving rise to chromatin bridges at anaphase. Most of these defects are corrected before anaphase onset by a mechanism involving Aurora B kinase, a key regulator of mitosis in a wide range of organisms.

Structural insight into the mechanism of stabilization of the 7SK small nuclear RNA by LARP7.

The non-coding RNA 7SK is the scaffold for a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (7SKsnRNP) which regulates the function of the positive transcription elongation factor P-TEFb in the control of RNA polymerase II elongation in metazoans. The La-related protein LARP7 is a component of the 7SKsnRNP required for stability and function of the RNA. To address the function of LARP7 we determined the crystal structure of its La module, which binds a stretch of uridines at the 3'-end of 7SK.