TFAP2C regulates transcription in human naive pluripotency by opening enhancers.

Naive and primed pluripotent human embryonic stem cells bear transcriptional similarity to pre- and post-implantation epiblast and thus constitute a developmental model for understanding the pluripotent stages in human embryo development. To identify new transcription factors that differentially regulate the unique pluripotent stages, we mapped open chromatin using ATAC-seq and found enrichment of the activator protein-2 (AP2) transcription factor binding motif at naive-specific open chromatin. We determined that the AP2 family member TFAP2C is upregulated during primed to naive reversion and becomes widespread at naive-specific enhancers. TFAP2C functions to maintain pluripotency and repress neuroectodermal differentiation during the transition from primed to naive by facilitating the opening of enhancers proximal to pluripotency factors. Additionally, we identify a previously undiscovered naive-specific POU5F1 (OCT4) enhancer enriched for TFAP2C binding. Taken together, TFAP2C establishes and maintains naive human pluripotency and regulates OCT4 expression by mechanisms that are distinct from mouse

Computing Black Hole entropy in Loop Quantum Gravity from a Conformal Field Theory perspective

Motivated by the analogy proposed by Witten between Chern-Simons and Conformal Field Theories, we explore an alternative way of computing the entropy of a black hole starting from the isolated horizon framework in Loop Quantum Gravity. The consistency of the result opens a window for the interplay between Conformal Field Theory and the description of black holes in Loop Quantum Gravity.Comment: 9 page

Gluten-free diet and gut microbiome

As the only effective therapy against diagnosed celiac disease (CD), the gluten-free diet (GFD) has inevitable repercussion on the gut microbiome composition and functionality. Being the cause or the consequence of the disease, an altered homeostasis of the gut microbiome usually affects CD patients at diagnosis. After describing the main features of this altered physiological condition, this review defines the main nutritional aspects of the GFD and elucidates how this diet regimen does not fully restore the optimal gut microbiome composition and functionality. Unbalanced ratios between beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria are frequently present in fecal materials, biopsy specimens and saliva, used as ecological model systems to observe CD. Metabolome analyses also show how an altered microbiome synthesize different metabolite with respect to healthy conditions. The review concludes illustrating the current supplementations (biotics family), which fortify the GFD with the aim of restoring the homeostasis of the gut microbiome

Thirty years of knowledge on sourdough fermentation: A systematic review

Abstract Background Sourdough is one of the oldest examples of natural starters, mostly used for making fermented baked goods as an alternative to baker's yeast and chemical leavening. Almost 30 years of research have accumulated showing its performance. Time is mature to elaborate collectively these data and to draw conclusions, which would represent milestones for scientists, industries and consumers. Scope and approach With the scope of highlighting its microbiological, biochemical, technological and nutritional potential, we used "sourdough" as the only keyword and the PRISMA flow diagram to retrieve, select and systematically review 1230 peer reviewed research articles from four databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed and ScienceDirect). Key findings and conclusions The literature states that sourdough baked goods underwent characterization in almost 50 countries and all continents, mainly dealing with salty (breads and substitutes) and sweet products. Converging data defined optimal use conditions, most common microbiological and biochemical characteristics, criteria for selecting and re-using starters, and versatility of sourdough for making baked goods with a relevant number of flour species/varieties and agro-food by-products. Because of the unique microbial composition and functionality, sourdough has claimed as an irreplaceable starter for improving the sensory, rheology and shelf life attributes of baked goods. The most recent literature showed how the sourdough fermentation mainly increased mineral bioavailability, enabled fortification with dietary fibers, lowered glycemic index, improved protein digestibility and decreased the content of anti-nutritional factors. This knowledge is solid for delivering to industries and consumers, and to face new research challenges starting from a consolidated state of the art

Do UN peace operations lead to more terrorism? Repertoires of rebel violence and third-party interventions

Recent research suggests that UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) reduce conventional violence. However, rebel groups have been increasingly using a combination of conventional and non-conventional violence, e.g. terrorism. Little is known about whether and under which conditions PKOs shape rebels’ incentives to resort to more terrorism. At the same time, existing research on the use of terrorism in civil wars primarily focuses on domestic factors, thus overlooking the impact of external shocks such as the deployment of PKOs. We argue that PKOs can have critical unintended consequences and induce tactical adaptation in rebel violence as they alter the government-rebels balance of power. Particularly, rebel groups that are militarily strong prior to the UN arrival are incentivised to escalate terrorist violence to overcome the physical barrier imposed by PKO forces and improve their bargaining position vis-à-vis the government. Weaker groups, which in the absence of PKOs are more likely to use terrorism, have not only limited capacity but also fewer incentives to escalate terrorism when PKOs deploy. Leveraging new disaggregated data on rebel terrorist attacks during civil wars, we provide the first global actor-level analysis of the relationship between PKO deployments and changes in rebels’ tactical preferences for terrorist violence. We find that, conditional on government-rebels power relations, PKOs can make terrorism the weapon of the strong. Our study sheds light on the unintended effects of peacekeeping, the causes of terrorism, and offers important policy implications for several current PKOs deployed in the midst of violence

Nutrients Bioaccessibility and Anti-inflammatory Features of Fermented Bee Pollen: A Comprehensive Investigation

We compared raw bee-collected pollen (Raw-BCP), spontaneously fermented BCP (Unstarted-BCP), and BCP fermented with selected microbial starters (Started-BCP) to deepen whether fermentation may favorably affect the nutrients bioaccessibility and functional features of BCP. Under in vitro gastrointestinal batches, the highest serum-availability of phenolic compounds was found in Started-BCP, highlighting the positive effect exerted by selected microbial starters. The same effect was not found in spontaneously fermented BCP. In colon adenocarcinoma cell line-2 (Caco-2) cells stressed by a pro-inflammatory stimulus, the treatment with Started-BCP halted the increase of pro-inflammatory mediator’s level. Started-BCP counteracted efficiently the deleterious effects of inflammatory stimuli on the integrity of the Caco-2 cells monolayer and its barrier function. Started-BCP successfully counteracted the H2O2-induced intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Caco-2 cells. A protective role against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation was exerted by Started-BCP in human keratinocytes. The same protective effects on Caco-2 and keratinocyte cell lines were negligible after treatments with Raw-BCP or Unstarted-BCP

Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Endocytic Proteins

Many cellular processes rely on the ordered assembly of macromolecular structures. Here, we uncover an unexpected link between two such processes, endocytosis and transcription. Many endocytic proteins, including eps15, epsin1, the clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid leukemia (CALM), and α-adaptin, accumulate in the nucleus when nuclear export is inhibited. Endocytosis and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of endocytic proteins are apparently independent processes, since inhibition of endocytosis did not appreciably alter nuclear translocation of endocytic proteins, and blockade of nuclear export did not change the initial rate of endocytosis. In the nucleus, eps15 and CALM acted as positive modulators of transcription in a GAL4-based transactivation assay, thus raising the intriguing possibility that some endocytic proteins play a direct or indirect role in transcriptional regulation