Retinal pigment epithelium degeneration caused by aggregation of PRPF31 and the role of HSP70 family of proteins

Background Mutations in pre-mRNA splicing factor PRPF31 can lead to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Although the exact disease mechanism remains unknown, it has been hypothesized that haploinsufficiency might be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. Methods In this study, we have analyzed a mouse model containing the p.A216P mutation in Prpf31 gene. Results We found that mutant Prpf31 protein produces cytoplasmic aggregates in the retinal pigment epithelium and decreasing the protein levels of this splicing factor in the nucleus. Additionally, normal protein was recruited in insoluble aggregates when the mutant protein was overexpressed in vitro. In response to protein aggregation, Hspa4l is overexpressed. This member of the HSP70 family of chaperones might contribute to the correct folding and solubilization of the mutant protein, allowing its translocation to the nucleus. Conclusions Our data suggests that a mechanism haploinsufficiency and dominant-negative is involved in retinal degeneration due to mutations in PRPF31. HSP70 over-expression might be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of retinal degeneration due to PRPF31 mutations.This project has been financed through a) The ISCIII (Miguel Servet-I, 2015), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), No CP15/00071. b) The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, under grant agreement No 634479. c) Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science of the Junta de Andalucía, No P09-CTS-04967.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combining data from primary and ancillary surveys to assess the association between neighborhood-level characteristics and health outcomes: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Artherosclerosis

There is increasing interest in understanding the role of neighborhood-level factors on the health of individuals. Many large-scale epidemiological studies that accurately measure health status of individuals and individual risk factors exist. Sometimes these studies are linked to area-level databases (e.g. census) to assess the association between crude area-level characteristics and health. However, information from such databases may not measure the neighborhood-level constructs of interest. More recently, large-scale epidemiological studies have begun collecting data to measure specific features of neighborhoods using ancillary surveys. The ancillary surveys are composed of a separate, typically larger, set of individuals. The challenge is then to combine information from these two surveys to assess the role of neighborhood-level factors. We propose a method for combining information from the two data sources using a likelihood-based framework. We compare it with currently used ad hoc approaches via a simulation study. The simulation study shows that the proposed approach yields estimates with better sampling properties (less bias and better coverage probabilities) compared with the other approaches. However, there are cases where some ad hoc approaches may provide adequate estimates. We also compare the methods by applying them to the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and its Neighborhood Ancillary Survey. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61232/1/3384_ftp.pd

Characterization of Campylobacter species in Spanish retail from different fresh chicken products and their antimicrobial resistance

Contaminated chicken products have been recognized as the primary vehicles of Campylobacter transmission to human. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter isolates from fresh chicken products at retail were studied. A total of 512 samples including: thigh, breast, marinated and minced chicken were purchased from different retail stores. Half of the samples were packed and the other half were unpacked. The 39.4% of the samples were Campylobacter positive; being unpacked chicken products (45.3%) more contaminated than packed chicken (33.6%). PFGE typing showed a high diversity among isolates; clustering 204 isolates into 76 PFGE types: 55 clusters of C. jejuni, 19 of C. coli and 2 of C. lari. C. coli genotypes showed higher resistance than other Campylobacter species. Although modified atmosphere packaging can reduce the prevalence of Campylobacter spp., it does not avoid their presence in at least 33.6% of packed chicken products analyzed. Some pulsotypes might persist in the processing plant or butcher shops environment for longer than previously thought. More stringent control measures are needed in previous steps of the chicken food chain, in order to avoid the presence of Campylobacter spp. strains at retail that can compromise consumer's safety.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” from the Spanish Government (AGL 2013–47694-R) and by “Junta de Castilla y Leon” (BU159U14

Biodegradation of Pine Processionary Caterpillar Silk Is Mediated by Elastase- and Subtilisin-like Proteases

This article belongs to the Section Biochemistry[EN] Pine processionary caterpillar nests are made from raw silk. Fibroin protein is the main component of silk which, in the case of pine processionary caterpillar, has some unusual properties such as a higher resistance to chemical hydrolysis. Isolation of microorganisms naturally present in silk nests led to identification of Bacillus licheniformis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that in a defined minimal medium were able to carry out extensive silk biodegradation. A LasB elastase-like protein from P. aeruginosa was shown to be involved in silk biodegradation. A recombinant form of this protein expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography was able to efficiently degrade silk in an in vitro assay. However, silk biodegradation by B. licheniformis strain was mediated by a SubC subtilisin-like protease. Homologous expression of a subtilisin Carlsberg encoding gene (subC) allowed faster degradation compared to the biodegradation kinetics of a wildtype B. licheniformis strain. This work led to the identification of new enzymes involved in biodegradation of silk materials, a finding which could lead to possible applications for controlling this pest and perhaps have importance from sanitary and biotechnological points of viewSIAlba Diez-Galán (EDU/556/2019), Ana Ibañez (EDU/529/2017) and Carla Calvo-Peña (EDU/601/2020) were supported by a predoctoral contract from the Junta de Castilla y León and the European Social Fun

No. 07: The Urban Food System of Mexico City, Mexico

This report provides an overview of Greater Mexico City and its food system. The city’s history, demographic characteristics, geography and economy are first discussed. The city’s urban food system and urban food security are then examined with a particular focus on formal and informal food retail, food expenditure patterns, and policies to combat hunger and food insecurity. Meeting the daily food demands of Mexico City’s over 20 million inhabitants requires the agricultural production of Mexico’s rural areas, its fishing industry and food imports. Food products arrive in the city from around the country in a combination of traditional and highly sophisticated modern systems of food supply and distribution. Structural changes in recent decades have led to modifications in the systems of supply, distribution and food consumption with vertically integrated companies now controlling aspects of the food chain. The system of supply and marketing of food products is also characterized by competition between public markets, large wholesale and retail companies, and neighbourhood convenience stores. While levels of household food insecurity (undernutrition) are lower than in other global cities of the South, Mexico City faces an epidemic of overnutrition, obesity and non-communicable diseases

Using Rhizosphere Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria to Improve Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Plant Productivity

[EN] On average less than 1% of the total phosphorous present in soils is available to plants, making phosphorous one of the most limiting macronutrients for crop productivity worldwide. The aim of this work was to isolate and select phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) from the barley rhizosphere, which has other growth promoting traits and can increase crop productivity. A total of 104 different bacterial isolates were extracted from the barley plant rhizosphere. In this case, 64 strains were able to solubilize phosphate in agar plates. The 24 strains exhibiting the highest solubilizing index belonged to 16 different species, of which 7 isolates were discarded since they were identified as putative phytopathogens. The remaining nine strains were tested for their ability to solubilize phosphate in liquid medium and in pot trials performed in a greenhouse. Several of the isolated strains (Advenella mimigardefordensis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium and Burkholderia fungorum) were able to significantly improve levels of assimilated phosphate, dry weight of ears and total starch accumulated on ears compared to non-inoculated plants. Since these strains were able to increase the growth and productivity of barley crops, they could be potentially used as microbial inoculants (biofertilizers).SIAna Ibañez and Alba Diez-Gala’n were supported by a predoctoral contract from the Junta de Castilla y León and the European Social Fund. Carla Calvo-Peña was supported by a technician contract co-financed by the Iniciativa de Empleo Juvenil (Junta de Castilla y León) and the European Social Fund.We thank the Instituto de Biotecnología de León (INBIOTEC) for their technical support in performing the HPLC analysis of organic acid production by PSB

Molecular Identification and Acid Stress Response of an Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans Strain Isolated from Rio Tinto (Spain)

[EN] Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans is of paramount importance in the development of biomining technologies. Being widely recognized as an extreme acidophile, extensive research has been dedicated to understanding its significant role in the extraction of several ores in recent years. However, there still exist significant molecular uncertainties surrounding this species. This study focuses on developing a taxonomic assignment method based on the sequencing of the 16S-5S rRNA cluster, along with a qPCR-based technology enabling precise growth determination. Additionally, an approach to understanding its response to acid stress is explored through RT-PCR and MALDITOF analysis. Our findings indicate that when subjected to pH levels below 1, the cell inhibits central (carbon fixation and metabolism) and energy (sulfur metabolism) metabolism, as well as chaperone synthesis, suggesting a potential cellular collapse. Nevertheless, the secretion of ammonia is enhanced to raise the environmental pH, while fatty acid synthesis is upregulated to reinforce the cell membrane.SIWe thank Instituto de Biotecnología de León (INBIOTEC) for their technical support in performing the A. thiooxidans proteome analysis. Special thanks to (i) the ESTELLA project (“DESign of bio-based Thermoset polymer with rEcycLing capabiLity by dynAmic bonds for bio-composite manufacturing”) (Project no.: 101058371) funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (call: HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01-11) and (ii) the BioPAC project (Development of bioactive and lifespan-controlled bioplastics) (Ref. TED2021-131864B-C21) funded by the MCIN (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación)/AEI (Agencia Estatal de Investigación)/10.13039/501100011033 (DOI) and the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR (Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia).Ana Ibañez was supported by a “Margarita Salas” modality postdoctoral grant (Reference no.: UP2021-025) through the University of León awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (Modernization and digitalization of the Educational System), which funding comes from the European Recovery Instrument European Union-NextGeneration EU. Alba Diez-Galán (EDU/556/2019), and Carla Calvo-Peña (EDU/601/2020) were supported by a predoctoral contract from the Junta de Castilla y León and the European Social Fund

Advances in the control of phytopathogenic fungi that infect crops through their root system

[EN] Productivity and economic sustainability of many herbaceous and woody crops are seriously threatened by numerous phytopathogenic fungi. While symptoms associated with phytopathogenic fungal infections of aerial parts (leaves, stems and fruits) are easily observable and therefore recognizable, allowing rapid or preventive action to control this type of infection, the effects produced by soil-borne fungi that infect plants through their root system are more difficult to detect. The fact that these fungi initiate infection and damage underground implies that the first symptoms are not as easily noticeable, and therefore both crop yield and plant survival are frequently severely compromised by the time the infection is found. In this paper we will review and discuss recent insights into plant-microbiota interactions in the root system crucial to understanding the beginning of the infectious process. We will also review different methods for diminishing and controlling the infection rate by phytopathogenic fungi penetrating through the root system including both the traditional use of biocontrol agents such as antifungal compounds as well as some new strategies that could be used because of their effective application, such as nanoparticles, virus-based nanopesticides, or inoculation of plant material with selected endophytes. We will also review the possibility of modeling and influencing the composition of the microbial population in the rhizosphere environment as a strategy for nudging the plant-microbiome interactions toward enhanced beneficial outcomes for the plant, such as controlling the infectious processSIS.G.-G. was supported by a FPU fellowship (Grant number FPU15/03475) from the Ministerio de Educacio´n, Cultura y Deporte (Madrid, Spain). A.M.I. and A.D.G. were supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Junta de Castilla y Leo´n. C.C.-P. was supported by a technician contract co-financed by the Iniciativa de Empleo Juvenil (Junta de Castilla y León) and the European Social Fun

Neighborhood Ethnic Composition, Spatial Assimilation, and Change in Body Mass Index Over Time Among Hispanic and Chinese Immigrants: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Objectives. We investigated relations between changes in neighborhood ethnic composition and changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference among Chinese and Hispanic immigrants in the United States

Polarization-tuneable excitonic spectral features in the optoelectronic response of atomically thin ReS2

The low crystal symmetry of rhenium disulphide (ReS2) leads to the emergence of dichroic optical and optoelectronic response, absent in other layered transition metal dichalcogenides, which could be exploited for device applications requiring polarization resolution. To date, spectroscopy studies on the optical response of ReS2 have relied almost exclusively in characterization techniques involving optical detection, such as photoluminescence, absorbance, or reflectance spectroscopy. However, to realize the full potential of this material, it is necessary to develop knowledge on its optoelectronic response with spectral resolution. In this work, we study the polarization-dependent photocurrent spectra of few-layer ReS2 photodetectors, both in room conditions and at cryogenic temperature. Our spectral measurements reveal two main exciton lines at energies matching those reported for optical spectroscopy measurements, as well as their excited states. Moreover, we also observe an additional exciton-like spectral feature with a photoresponse intensity comparable to the two main exciton lines. We attribute this feature, not observed in earlier photoluminescence measurements, to a non-radiative exciton transition. The intensities of the three main exciton features, as well as their excited states, modulate with linear polarization of light, each one acquiring maximal strength at a different polarization angle. We have performed first-principles exciton calculations employing the Bethe-Salpeter formalism, which corroborate our experimental findings. Our results bring new perspectives for the development of ReS2-based nanodevices