Draft Genome Sequence of the Carboxydotrophic Alphaproteobacterium Aminobacter carboxidus Type Strain DSM 1086

Aminobacter carboxidus is a soil Gram-negative alphaproteobacterium belonging to the physiological group of carboxydobacteria which aerobically oxidize CO to CO2 Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the A. carboxidus DSM 1086 type strain and the identification of both form I and form II CO dehydrogenase systems in this strain

Genomics of Acinetobacter baumannii iron uptake

Iron is essential for growth in most bacteria due to its redox activity and its role in essential metabolic reactions; it is a cofactor for many bacterial enzymes. The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. A. baumannii responds to low iron availability imposed by the host through the exploitation of multiple iron-acquisition strategies, which are likely to deliver iron to the cell under a variety of environmental conditions, including human and animal infection. To date, six different gene clusters for active iron uptake have been described in A. baumannii , encoding protein systems involved in (i) ferrous iron uptake (feo); (ii) haem uptake (hemT and hemO); and (iii) synthesis and transport of the baumannoferrin(s) (bfn), acinetobactin (bas/bau) and fimsbactin(s) (fbs) siderophores. Here we describe the structure, distribution and phylogeny of iron-uptake gene clusters among >1000 genotypically diverse A. baumannii isolates, showing that feo, hemT, bfn and bas/bau clusters are very prevalent across the dataset, whereas the additional haem-uptake system hemO is only present in a portion of the dataset and the fbs gene cluster is very rare. Since the expression of multiple iron-uptake clusters can be linked to virulence, the presence of the additional haem-uptake system hemO may have contributed to the success of some A. baumannii clones

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

Measurement of the ratios of branching fractions R(D∗)\mathcal{R}(D^{*}) and R(D0)\mathcal{R}(D^{0})

The ratios of branching fractions $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})\equiv\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})\equiv\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb${ }^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode $\tau^{-}\to\mu^{-}\nu_{\tau}\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$. The measured values are $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})=0.281\pm0.018\pm0.024$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})=0.441\pm0.060\pm0.066$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is $\rho=-0.43$. Results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-039.html (LHCb public pages

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Emergent agency in a time of Covid

The scale and nature of Covid has shocked the world into new responses, with government, organisations, and businesses adapting to challenging conditions. People have acted en masse at local levels by sharing, organizing, and protesting. This chapter takes stock of how individuals, groups and grassroots organizations have responded among low-income, excluded communities around the world. Drawing on literature reviews, in-country research, and thematic conversations on topics ranging from social movements to peace-building, we describe the patterns of emergent agency shown by these efforts. The creative disruption has shown new ways of working, new relationships and new organisations. But the research also highlighted the widespread exhaustion and stress among civil society. This chapter highlights the value of supporting civil society not only through emergencies but also in day-to-day operations, offering rare silver linings from the pandemic. The chapter suggest four research priorities to 'build back radically better'

Draft Genome Sequence and Polyhydroxyalkanoate Biosynthetic Potential of Jeongeupia naejangsanensis Type Strain DSM 24253

Jeongeupia naejangsanensis is a Gram-negative, cellulose-degrading betaproteobacterium. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the type strain J. naejangsanensis DSM 24253 and identify the genes implicated in the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate bioplastic polymers

Phylogenomic reconstruction and metabolic potential of the genus <i>aminobacter</i>

Bacteria belonging to the genus Aminobacter are metabolically versatile organisms thriving in both natural and anthropized terrestrial environments. To date, the taxonomy of this genus is poorly defined due to the unavailability of the genomic sequence of A. anthyllidis LMG 26462(T) and the presence of unclassified Aminobacter strains. Here, we determined the genome sequence of A. anthyllidis LMG 26462(T) and performed phylogenomic, average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization analyses of 17 members of genus Aminobacter. Our results indicate that 16S rRNA-based phylogeny does not provide sufficient species-level discrimination, since most of the unclassified Aminobacter strains belong to valid Aminobacter species or are putative new species. Since some members of the genus Aminobacter can utilize certain C1 compounds, such as methylamines and methyl halides, a comparative genomic analysis was performed to characterize the genetic basis of some degradative/assimilative pathways in the whole genus. Our findings suggest that all Aminobacter species are heterotrophic methylotrophs able to generate the methylene tetrahydrofolate intermediate through multiple oxidative pathways of C1 compounds and convey it in the serine cycle. Moreover, all Aminobacter species carry genes implicated in the degradation of phosphonates via the C-P lyase pathway, whereas only A. anthyllidis LMG 26462(T) contains a symbiosis island implicated in nodulation and nitrogen fixation

Genome diversity of domesticated Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606T strains

: Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important opportunistic pathogen worldwide, being responsible for large outbreaks for nosocomial infections, primarily in intensive care units. A. baumannii ATCC 19606T is the species type strain, and a reference organism in many laboratories due to its low virulence, amenability to genetic manipulation and extensive antibiotic susceptibility. We wondered if frequent propagation of A. baumannii ATCC 19606T in different laboratories may have driven micro- and macro-evolutionary events that could determine inter-laboratory differences of genome-based data. By combining Illumina MiSeq, MinION and Sanger technologies, we generated a high-quality whole-genome sequence of A. baumannii ATCC 19606T, then performed a comparative genome analysis between A. baumannii ATCC 19606T strains from several research laboratories and a reference collection. Differences between publicly available ATCC 19606T genome sequences were observed, including SNPs, macro- and micro-deletions, and the uneven presence of a 52 kb prophage belonging to genus Vieuvirus. Two plasmids, pMAC and p1ATCC19606, were invariably detected in all tested strains. The presence of a putative replicase, a replication origin containing four 22-mer direct repeats, and a toxin-antitoxin system implicated in plasmid stability were predicted by in silico analysis of p1ATCC19606, and experimentally confirmed. This work refines the sequence, structure and functional annotation of the A. baumannii ATCC 19606T genome, and highlights some remarkable differences between domesticated strains, likely resulting from genetic drift