bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Worldwide survey reveals lower susceptibility of African Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to diverse strains of Zika virus
Authors: Aubry Fabien , Martynow Daria , Baidaliuk Artem , Merkling Sarah H. , Dickson Laura B. , Romero-Vivas Claudia M. , Vega-Rúa Anubis , Dusfour Isabelle , Jiolle Davy , Paupy Christophe , Mayanja Martin N. , Lutwama Julius J. , Kohl Alain , Duong Veasna , Ponlawat Alongkot , Cao-Lormeau Van-Mai , Jarman Richard G. , Diagne Cheikh T. , Faye Oumar , Faye Ousmane , Sall Amadou A. , Lambrechts Louis 
Published: June 2018

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus mainly transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. First isolated in Uganda in 1947, ZIKV was shown to circulate in enzootic sylvatic cycles in Africa and Asia for at least half a century before the first reported human epidemic occurred in 2007 on the Pacific island of Yap, Micronesia. Subsequently, larger ZIKV outbreaks were recorded in French Polynesia and other South Pacific islands during 2013-2014. In 2015, ZIKV reached Brazil from where it rapidly spread across the Americas and the Caribbean, causing hundreds of thousands of human cases. The factors that have fueled the explosiveness and magnitude of ZIKV emergence in the Pacific and the Americas are poorly understood. Reciprocally, the lack of major human epidemics of ZIKV in regions with seemingly favorable conditions, such as Africa or Asia, remains largely unexplained. To evaluate the potential contribution of vector population diversity to ZIKV epidemiological patterns, we established dose-response curves for eight field-derived Ae. aegypti populations representing the global range of the species, following experimental exposure to six low-passage ZIKV strains spanning the current viral genetic diversity. Our results reveal that African Ae. aegypti are significantly less susceptible than non-African Ae. aegypti across all ZIKV strains tested. We suggest that low susceptibility of vector populations may have contributed to prevent large-scale human transmission of ZIKV in Africa.
Choanoflagellate transfection illuminates their cell biology and the ancestry of animal septins
Authors: Booth David S. , Szmidt-Middleton Heather , King Nicole 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTAs the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer unique insights into animal origins and core mechanisms underlying animal cell biology. However, unlike traditional model organisms, such as yeast, flies and worms, choanoflagellates have been refractory to DNA delivery methods for expressing foreign genes. Here we report the establishment of a robust method for expressing transgenes in the choanoflagellateSalpingoeca rosetta, overcoming barriers that have previously hampered DNA delivery and expression. To demonstrate how this method accelerates the study ofS. rosettacell biology, we engineered a panel of fluorescent protein markers that illuminate key features of choanoflagellate cells. We then investigated the localization of choanoflagellate septins, a family of GTP-binding cytoskeletal proteins that are hypothesized to regulate the multicellular rosette development inS. rosetta.Fluorescently tagged septins localized to the basal pole ofS. rosettasingle cells and rosettes in a pattern resembling septin localization in animal epithelia. The establishment of transfection inS. rosettaand its application to the study of septins represent critical advances in the growth ofS. rosettaas an experimental model for investigating choanoflagellate cell biology, core mechanisms underlying animal cell biology, and the origin of animals.
Bigger and Better? Representativeness of the Influenza A surveillance using one consolidated clinical microbiology laboratory data set as compared to the Belgian Sentinel Network of Laboratories
Authors: Wijngaert Sigi Van den , Bossuyt Nathalie , Ferns Bridget , Busson Laurent , Serrano Gabriela , Wautier Magali , Thomas Isabelle , Byott Matthew , Dupont Yves , Nastouli Eleni , Hallin Marie , Kozlakidis Zisis , Vandenberg Olivier 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTInfectious diseases remain a serious public health concern globally, while the need for reliable and representative surveillance systems remains as acute as ever. The public health surveillance of infectious diseases uses reported positive results from sentinel clinical laboratories or laboratory networks, to survey the presence of specific microbial agents known to constitute a threat to public health in a given population. This monitoring activity is commonly based on a representative fraction of the microbiology laboratories nationally reporting to a single central reference point. However in recent years a number of clinical microbiology laboratories (CML) have undergone a process of consolidation involving a shift towards laboratory amalgamation and closer real-time informational linkage. This report aims to investigate whether such merging activities might have a potential impact on infectious diseases surveillance. Influenza data was used from Belgian public health surveillance 2014-2017, to evaluate whether national infection trends could be estimated equally as effectively from only just one centralised CML serving the wider Brussels area (LHUB-ULB). The overall comparison reveals that there is a close correlation and representativeness of the LHUB-ULB data to the national and international data for the same time periods, both on epidemiological and molecular grounds. Notably, the effectiveness of the LHUB-ULB surveillance remains partially subject to local regional variations. These results illustrate that centralised CML-derived data are not only credible but also advantageous to use for future surveillance and prediction purposes, especially for automatic detection systems that might include multiple layers of information and timely implementation of control strategies.
Effect of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine on Pneumococcal Carriage
Authors: Rylance Jamie , de Steenhuijsen Piters Wouter A. A. , Pojar Sherin , Nikolaou Elissavet , German Esther , Mitsi Elena , Jochems Simon P. , Carniel Beatriz , Solórzano Carla , Reiné Jesús , Gritzfeld Jenna F. , Chu Mei Ling J.N. , Arp Kayleigh , Hyder-Wright Angela D , Hill Helen , Hales Caz , Robinson Rachel , Lowe Cath , Adler Hugh , Zaidi Seher R. , Connor Victoria , Lazarova Lepa , Piddock Katherine , Wheeler India , Smith Emma , Morton Ben , Blakey John , Burhan Hassan , Koukounari Artemis , Wang Duolao , Mina Michael J. , Gordon Stephen B. , Bogaert Debby , French Neil , Ferreira Daniela M. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe widely used nasally-administered Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) alters the dynamics of naturally occurring nasopharyngeal carriage ofStreptococcus pneumoniaein animal models. Using a human experimental model (serotype 6B) we tested two hypotheses: 1) LAIV increased the density ofS. pneumoniaein those already colonised; 2) LAIV administration promoted colonisation. Randomised, blinded administration of LAIV or nasal placebo either preceded bacterial inoculation or followed it, separated by a 3-day interval. The presence and density ofS. pneumoniaewas determined from nasal washes by bacterial culture and PCR. Overall acquisition for bacterial carriage were not altered by prior LAIV administration vs. controls (25/55 [45.5%] vs 24/62 [38.7%] respectively, p=0.46). Transient increase in acquisition was detected in LAIV recipients at day 2 (33/55 [60.0%] vs 25/62 [40.3%] in controls, p=0.03). Bacterial carriage densities were increased approximately 10-fold by day 9 in the LAIV recipients (2.82 vs 1.81 log10titers, p=0.03). When immunisation followed bacterial acquisition (n=163), LAIV did not change area under the bacterial density-time curve (AUC) at day 14 by conventional microbiology (primary endpoint), but significantly reduced AUC to day 27 by PCR (p=0.03). These studies suggest that LAIV may transiently increase nasopharyngeal density ofS. pneumoniae.Transmission effects should therefore be considered in the timing design of vaccine schedules.Trial registrationThe study was registered on EudraCT (2014-004634-26)FundingThe study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council.
Intracellular delivery of mRNA to human primary T cells with microfluidic vortex shedding
Authors: Jarrell Justin A. , Twite Amy A. , Lau Katherine H. W. J. , Kashani Moein N. , Lievano Adrian A. , Acevedo Julyana , Priest Craig , Nieva Jorge , Gottlieb David , Pawell Ryan S. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIntracellular delivery of functional macromolecules, such as DNA and RNA, across the cell membrane and into the cytosol, is a critical process in both biology and medicine. Herein, we develop and use microfluidic chips containing post arrays to induce microfluidic vortex shedding, or μVS, for cell membrane poration that permits delivery of mRNA into primary human T lymphocytes. We demonstrate transfection with μVS by delivery of a 996-nucleotide mRNA construct encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and assessed transfection efficiencies by quantifying levels of EGFP protein expression. We achieved high transfection efficiency (63.6 ± 3.44% EGFP+ viable cells) with high cell viability (77.3 ± 0.58%) and recovery (88.7 ± 3.21%) in CD3+ T cells 19 hrs after μVS processing. Importantly, we show that processing cells via μVS does not negatively affect cell growth rates or alter cell states. We also demonstrate processing speeds of greater than 2.0 × 106 cells s−1 at volumes ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 milliliters. Altogether, these results highlight the use of μVS as a rapid and gentle delivery method with promising potential to engineer primary human cells for research and clinical applications.
Generation of a versatile BiFC ORFeome library for analyzing protein-protein interactions in liveDrosophila
Authors: Bischof J. , Duffraisse M. , Furger E. , Ajuria L. , Giraud G. , Vanderperre S. , Paul R. , Björklund M. , Ahr D. , Ahmed A.W. , Spinelli L. , Brun C. , Basler K. , Merabet S. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTranscription factors achieve specificity by establishing intricate interaction networks that will change depending on the cell context. Capturing these interactions in live condition is however a challenging issue that requires sensitive and non-invasive methods. We present a set of fly lines, called “multicolor BiFC library”, which covers most of theDrosophilatranscription factors for performing Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC). The multicolor BiFC library can be used to probe binary or tripartite interactions and is compatible for large-scale interaction screens. The library can also be coupled with establishedDrosophilagenetic resources to analyze interactions in the developmentally relevant expression domain of each protein partner. We provide proof of principle experiments of these various applications, using Hox proteins in the liveDrosophilaembryo as a case study. Overall this novel collection of ready-to-use fly lines constitutes an unprecedented genetic toolbox for the identification and analysis of protein-protein interactionsin vivo.
Zebrafish hhex null mutant develops an intrahepatic intestinal tube due to de-repression of cdx1b and pdx1
Authors: Gao Ce , Huang Weidong , Gao Yuqi , Lo Ji Jan , Luo Lingfei , Huang Honghui , Chen Jun , Peng Jinrong 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTThe hepatopancreatic duct (HPD) system links the liver and pancreas to the intestinal tube and is composed of the extrahepatic biliary duct, gallbladder and pancreatic duct. Haematopoietically-expressed-homeobox (Hhex) protein plays an essential role in the establishment of HPD, however, the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that zebrafish hhex-null mutants fail to develop the HPD system characterized by lacking the biliary marker Annexin A4 and the HPD marker sox9b. The mutant HPD system is replaced by an intrahepatic intestinal tube characterized by expressing the intestinal marker fatty-acid-binding–protein 2a (fabp2a). Cell lineage analysis showed that this intrahepatic intestinal tube is not originated from hepatocytes or cholangiocytes. Further analysis revealed that cdx1b and pdx1 were expressed ectopically in the intrahepatic intestinal tube and knockdown of cdx1b and pdx1 restored the expression of sox9b in the mutant. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation analysis shows that Hhex binds to the promoters of pdx1 and cdx1b genes to repress their expression. We therefore propose that Hhex, Cdx1b and Pdx1 form a genetic network governing the patterning and morphogenesis of the HPD and digestive tract systems in zebrafish.
Decreased green autofluorescence intensity of lung parenchyma is a potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer
Authors: Zhang Mingchao , Li Yujia , Zhang Jie , Teng Haohua , Zhang Qing , Xiang Zhenzhen , Chang Qing , Tao Yue , Chu Tianqing , Ying Weihai 
Published: June 2018

AbstractEarly and non-invasive diagnosis is critical for enhancing the survival rates of lung cancer. In current study we determined the green autoflorescence (AF) of the pulmonary parenchyma of lung cancer patients, using 488 nm and 500 - 550 nm as excitation wavelength and emission wavelength, respectively. Our study has suggested that decreased green AF intensity of pulmonary parenchyma may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer: First, the green AF intensity of the cancerous tissues is less than 40% of those of distant non-neoplastic tissues and peri-neoplastic tissues; second, the green AF intensity of both the distant non-neoplastic tissues and cancerous tissues of squamous carcinoma is significantly lower than that of adenocarcinoma; third, the AF intensity of the peri-neoplastic tissues of the lung cancer patients is negatively correlated with the stages of lung cancer; and fourth, our study on the AF spectrum of pulmonary parenchyma has suggested that the AF may result from the AF of the keratins or FAD of the pulmonary parenchyma. Collectively, our study has suggested that decreased green AF intensity of pulmonary parenchyma may become a novel biomarker for non-invasive diagnosis of lung cancer. The green AF intensity may also be used to non-invasively differentiate squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, as well as the stages of lung cancer. Moreover, our diagnostic approach for lung cancer may be used for image-guided surgery of lung cancer for lesions that have not been identified by CT.
Distinctive diffusive properties of swimming planktonic copepods in different environmental conditions
Authors: Pastore Raffaele , Uttieri Marco , Bianco Giuseppe , d’Alcalá Maurizio Ribera , Mazzocchi Maria Grazia 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSuspensions of small planktonic copepods represent a special category in the realm of active matter, as their size falls within the range of colloids, while their motion is so complex that it cannot be rationalized according to basic self-propelled particle models. Indeed, the wide range of individual variability and swimming patterns resemble the behaviour of much larger animals. By analysing hundreds of three dimensional trajectories of the planktonic copepod Clausocalanus furcatus we investigate the possibility of detecting how the motion of this species is affected by different external conditions, such as the presence of food and the effect of gravity. While this goal is hardly achievable by direct inspection of single organism trajectories, we show that this is possible by focussing on simple average metrics commonly used to characterize colloidal suspensions, such as the mean square displacement and the dynamic correlation functions. We find that the presence of food leads to the onset of a clear localization that separates a short-time ballistic from a long-time diffusive regime. Such a benchmark reflects the tendency of C. furcatus to remain temporally feeding in a limited space and disappears when food is absent. Localization is clearly evident in the horizontal plane, but is negligible in the vertical direction, due to the effect of gravity. Our results suggest that simple average descriptors may provide concise and useful information on the swimming properties of planktonic copepods, even though single organism behaviours are strongly heterogeneous.
Transiently depleting RNPS1 leads to perdurable changes in alternative splicing
Authors: Barbier Jérôme , Cloutier Alexandre , Toutant Johanne , Durand Mathieu , Lapointe Elvy , Thibault Philippe , Chabot Benoit 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTWhile robust regulatory mechanisms are expected to control the production of splice variants that confer distinct functions, a low level of stochasticity may be tolerated. To investigate stringency of regulation, we followed changes in the splicing of 192 alternative cassette exons after growth of cancer-derived HCT116 cells and embryonic colonocytes. In both cell lines approximately 15% of alternative splicing events changed by more than 10 percentage points over a 42-day period. We then carried out a cycle of transient depletions targeting RNPS1, a splicing regulator implicated in genomic stability. For alternative splicing units not regulated by RNPS1, the level of splicing changes was similar to the stochastic value obtained after normal growth. However, the frequency of perdurable changes was at least twice that value for splicing events regulated by RNPS1. A swap allele assay performed on four RNPS1-responsive units that underwent splicing changes indicated the presence of mutations mediating this effect. Specifically, a T to C mutation in a RNPS1-responsive exon of ADARB1 confered exon skipping. Our results suggest that fluctuations in the level of a splicing regulator preferentially impact the integrity of genes encoding transcripts that are regulated by this splicing factor to produce perdurable changes in alternative splicing. We discuss the potential implication of this process in human evolution.
Type III interferon signaling restricts Enterovirus 71 infection of goblet cells
Authors: Good Charles , Wells Alexandra I. , Coyne Carolyn B. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractRecent worldwide outbreaks of enterovirus (EV71) have caused major epidemics of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with severe neurological complications, including acute flaccid paralysis. EV71 is transmitted by the enteral route, but very little is known about the mechanisms it utilizes to cross the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Using primary human intestinal epithelial monolayers, we show that EV71 infects the GI epithelium from the apical surface, where it preferentially infects goblet cells. Unlike echovirus 11 (E11), an enterovirus that infects enterocytes, EV71 infection did not alter epithelial barrier function, but did reduce the expression of a goblet cell-derived mucin, suggesting it alters goblet cell function. We also show that the intestinal epithelium responds to EV71 infection through the selective induction of type III IFNs, which potently restrict EV71 replication. Collectively, these findings define the early events associated with EV71 infections of the human intestinal epithelium and show that host IFN signaling controls replication in an IFN-specific manner.
Cardioprotection by the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is mediated by activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5)
Authors: Wang Yves T. , Lim Yunki , McCall Matthew N. , Haynes Cole M. , Nehrke Keith , Brookes Paul S. 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTThe mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt)1is a cytoprotective signaling pathway triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction. Activation of the UPRmtupregulates nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes, including those for chaperones, proteases, and antioxidants, as well as glycolysis, to restore proteostasis and cell energetics. Activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5), a protein with both mitochondrial and nuclear targeting sequences, is proposed to mediate mammalian UPRmtsignaling. Since proteostasis and bioenergetics are important in the response of organs such as the heart to injury, we hypothesized that pharmacologic UPRmtactivation may be cardioprotective against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury and that such protection would require ATF5. Using a perfused heart IR injury model in wild-type and globalAtf5−/−mice, we found thatin-vivoadministration of the UPRmtinducers oligomycin or doxycycline 6 h prior toex-vivoIR injury was cardioprotective. Such protection was absent in hearts fromAtf5−/−mice, and no protection was observed with acuteex-vivocardiac administration of doxycycline. Loss of ATF5 also did not alter baseline IR injury (without UPRmtinduction). Cardiac gene expression analysis by RNA-Seq revealed mild induction of numerous genes in an ATF5-dependent manner, which may be important for cardioprotection. Analysis of hearts by qPCR showed that oligomycin at 6 h significantly induced genes encoding ATF5 and several known UPRmt-linked proteins. We conclude that ATF5 is required for cardioprotection induced by drugs that activate the UPRmt.
Conditions for optimal mechanical power generation by a bundle of growing actin filaments
Authors: Martiel Jean-Louis , Michelot Alphée , Boujema-Paterski Rajaa , Blanchoin Laurent , Berro Julien 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBundles of actin filaments are central to a large variety of cellular structures, such as filopodia, stress fibers, cytokinetic rings or focal adhesions. The mechanical properties of these bundles are critical for proper force transmission and force bearing. Previous mathematical modeling efforts have focused on bundles’ rigidity and shape. However, it remains unknown how bundle length and thickness are controlled by external physical factors, and how the attachment of the bundle to a load affects its ability to transmit forces. In this paper, we present a biophysical model for dynamic bundles of actin filaments that takes into account individual filaments, their interaction with each other and with an external load. In combination with in vitro motility assays of beads coated with formins, our model allowed us to characterize conditions for bead movement and bundle buckling. From the deformation profiles, we determined key biophysical properties of tethered actin bundles, such as their rigidity and filament density. Our model also demonstrated that filaments undulate under lateral constraints applied by external forces or by neighboring filaments of the bundle. Last, our model allowed us to identify optimum conditions in filament density and barbed end tethering to the load for a maximal yield of mechanical power by a dynamic actin bundle.
Competitive Tolerance And Yield Response Of Maize, Cowpea And Tomato In Mixed Culture And Pure Stand
Authors: Olowolaju Ezekiel Dare , Okunlola Gideon Olarewaju , Adelusi Adekunle AJayi 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the competitive effect and yield response of maize, cowpea and tomato in mixed and pure stand.The experiment was carried out under a screenhouse to minimize extraneous factors such as pests and rodents using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The treatments where T1 = sole maize (SM); T2 = Maize intercrop with cowpea (MC); T3 = Maize intercrop with tomato (MT); T4 = Sole tomato (ST); T5 = Tomato intercrop with Cowpea (TC); T6 = Sole cowpea (SC); T7 = Maize intercrop with cowpea and tomato (MCT). At harvest the yields parameters of maize, tomato and cowpea were taken. Some of the indices for intensity of competition were computed using standard formulas and statistical analysis was performed using statistical analytical software SAS version 9.12.The result showed that the yield of maize, cowpea and tomato were enhanced in the intercropped than the sole crops. Most of the intensity of competition indices of maize, tomato and cowpea in the mixed cultured were greater than 1, while that of the sole culture equals 1.The study concluded that competition for shared resources in the mixed culture of tomato, maize and cowpea enhanced their yield.