Earth's oldest mantle fabrics indicate Eoarchaean subduction

The extension of subduction processes into the Eoarchaean era (4.0-3.6 Ga) is controversial. The oldest reported terrestrial olivine, from two dunite lenses within the ~3,720 Ma Isua supracrustal belt in Greenland, record a shape-preferred orientation of olivine crystals defining a weak foliation and a well-defined lattice-preferred orientation (LPO). [001] parallel to the maximum finite elongation direction and (010) perpendicular to the foliation plane define a B-type LPO. In the modern Earth such fabrics are associated with deformation of mantle rocks in the hanging wall of subduction systems; an interpretation supported by experiments. Here we show that the presence of B-type fabrics in the studied Isua dunites is consistent with a mantle origin and a supra-subduction mantle wedge setting, the latter supported by compositional data from nearby mafic rocks. Our results provide independent microstructural data consistent with the operation of Eoarchaean subduction and indicate that microstructural analyses of ancient ultramafic rocks provide a valuable record of Archaean geodynamics

New U-Pb SHRIMP zircon ages for pre-variscan orthogneisses from Portugal and their bearing on the evolution of the Ossa-morena tectonic zone

New SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages for the Portalegre and Alcáçovas orthogneisses document a complex pre-Variscan history for the Iberian basement in Portugal. The available geochemical and geochronological data for the Alcáçovas orthogneiss (ca. 540 Ma) tend to favor its involvement in a Cadomian orogenic event. This is consistent with the development of an active continental margin setting at the end of the Proterozoic and supports a Gondwanan provenance for the Iberian crust. On the other hand, the Ordovician emplacement age obtained for the magmatic precursors of the Portalegre orthogneisses (497 ± 10 Ma) provides additional evidence for the occurrence of rift-related magmatic activity during the Lower Paleozoic

U-Pb zircon dating of ash fall deposits from the paleozoic paran? basin of Brazil and Uruguay: A reevaluation of the stratigraphic correlations

Ash fall layers and vitroclastic-carrying sediments distributed throughout the entire Permian stratigraphic range of the Paraná Basin (Brazil and Uruguay) occur in the Tubarão Supergroup (Rio Bonito Formation) and the Passa Dois Group (Irati, Estrada Nova/Teresina, Corumbataí, and Rio do Rasto Formations), which constitute the Gondwana 1 Supersequence. U-Pb zircon ages, acquired by SHRIMP and isotope-dissolution thermal ionization mass spectrometer (IDTIMS) from tuffs within the Mangrullo and Yaguari Formations of Uruguay, are compatible with a correlation with the Irati and parts of the Teresina and Rio do Rasto Formations, respectively, of Brazil. U-Pb zircon ages suggest maximum depositional ages for the samples: (1) Rio Bonito Formation: ages ranging from 295:8 5 3:1 to 304:0 5 5:6 Ma (Asselian, lowermost Permian), consistent with the age range of the Protohaploxypinus goraiensis subzone; (2) Irati Formation: ages ranging from 279:9 5 4:8 to 280:0 5 3:0 Ma (Artinskian, middle Permian), consistent with the occurrence of species of the Lueckisporites virkkiae zone; (3) Rio do Rasto Formation: ages ranging from 266:7 5 5:4 to 274:6 5 6:3Ma (Wordian to Roadian, middle Permian). All the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages are consistent with their superimposition order in the stratigraphy, the latest revisions to the Permian timescale (International Commission of Stratigraphy, 2018 version), and the most recent appraisals of biostratigraphic data. The ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages from the Corumbataí Formation suggest that U-Pb ages may be 110% younger than interpreted biostratigraphic ages

Toll-Like Receptor- and Filarial Antigen-Mediated, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase- and NF-κB-Dependent Regulation of Angiogenic Growth Factors in Filarial Lymphatic Pathology

Filarial lymphatic pathology is of multifactorial origin, with inflammation, lymphangiogenesis, and innate immune responses all playing important roles. The role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the development of filarial pathology is well characterized. Similarly, the association of pathology with elevated levels of plasma angiogenic factors has also been documented. To examine the association between TLR function and the development of lymphangiogenesis in filarial infections, we examined TLR- and filarial antigen-induced expression and production of various angiogenic growth factors. We demonstrate that TLR ligands (specifically TLR2, -3, and -5 ligands) induce significantly increased expression/production of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals with lymphatic pathology (CP individuals) compared to that in cells of asymptomatic infected (INF) individuals. Similarly, filarial antigens induce significantly enhanced production of VEGF-C in CP compared with INF individuals. TLR2-mediated enhancement of angiogenic growth factor production in CP individuals was shown to be dependent on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB signaling, as pharmacologic inhibition of either extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 MAPK, or NF-κB signaling resulted in significantly diminished production of VEGF-A and Ang-1. Our data therefore strongly suggest an important association between TLR signaling and lymphangiogenesis in the development of pathology in human lymphatic filariasis

Nodding syndrome may be an autoimmune reaction to the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus

Nodding Syndrome (NS) is an epileptic disorder of unknown etiology that occurs in children in East Africa. There is an epidemiological association with Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite that causes onchocerciasis, but there is limited evidence that the parasite itself is neuroinvasive. We hypothesized that NS was an autoimmune-mediated disease, and using protein chip methodology, we detected autoantibodies to leiomodin-1 from patients with NS as compared to unaffected village controls. Leiomodin-1 autoantibodies were found in both the sera and cerebral spinal fluid from patients. Leiomodin-1 was found to be expressed in mature and developing human neurons in vitro and localized to the murine CA3 region of the hippocampus, Purkinje cells in the cerebellum and cortical neurons, structures that also appear to be affected in patients with NS. Antibodies targeting leiomodin-1 were neurotoxic in vitro and leiomodin-1 antibodies purified from patients with NS were cross-reactive to O. volvulus antigens. This study provides initial evidence supporting the hypothesis that NS is an autoimmune epileptic disorder caused by molecular mimicry with O. volvulus and suggests that patients may benefit from immune-modulatory therapie

Lack of Evidence for the Direct Activation of Endothelial Cells by Adult Female and Microfilarial Excretory-Secretory Products

Lymphangiectasia (dilation of the lymphatic vessel (LV)) is pathognomonic for lymphatic filariasis. In both infected humans and animal models of infection, lymphangiectasia is not restricted to the site of the worm nest, but is found along the infected vessel. These observations argue that soluble products secreted by the worm could be mediating this effect by activating the lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) lining the vessel. We tested the ability of filarial Excretory-Secretory products to activate LECs, but were unable to detect a direct effect of the Excretory-Secretory products on the activation of LEC as assessed by a variety of approaches including cellular proliferation, cell surface molecule expression and cytokine and growth factor production (although other mediators used as positive controls did induce these effects). Collectively, these results do not support the hypothesis that Excretory-Secretory products directly activate LECs

Macrophage-derived human resistin is induced in multiple helminth infections and promotes inflammatory monocytes and increased parasite burden.

Parasitic helminth infections can be associated with lifelong morbidity such as immune-mediated organ failure. A better understanding of the host immune response to helminths could provide new avenues to promote parasite clearance and/or alleviate infection-associated morbidity. Murine resistin-like molecules (RELM) exhibit pleiotropic functions following helminth infection including modulating the host immune response; however, the relevance of human RELM proteins in helminth infection is unknown. To examine the function of human resistin (hResistin), we utilized transgenic mice expressing the human resistin gene (hRetnTg+). Following infection with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), hResistin expression was significantly upregulated in infected tissue. Compared to control hRetnTg- mice, hRetnTg+ mice suffered from exacerbated Nb-induced inflammation characterized by weight loss and increased infiltration of inflammatory monocytes in the lung, along with elevated Nb egg burdens and delayed parasite expulsion. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the infected tissue revealed that hResistin promoted expression of proinflammatory cytokines and genes downstream of toll-like receptor signaling. Moreover, hResistin preferentially bound lung monocytes, and exogenous treatment of mice with recombinant hResistin promoted monocyte recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine expression. In human studies, increased serum resistin was associated with higher parasite load in individuals infected with soil-transmitted helminths or filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, and was positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokines. Together, these studies identify human resistin as a detrimental factor induced by multiple helminth infections, where it promotes proinflammatory cytokines and impedes parasite clearance. Targeting the resistin/proinflammatory cytokine immune axis may provide new diagnostic or treatment strategies for helminth infection and associated immune-mediated pathology

Dynamics of antigenemia and transmission intensity of Wuchereria bancrofti following cessation of mass drug administration in a formerly highly endemic region of Mali

Background After seven annual rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) in six Malian villages highly endemic for Wuchereria bancrofti (overall prevalence rate of 42.7%), treatment was discontinued in 2008. Surveillance was performed over the ensuing 5 years to detect recrudescence. Methods Circulating filarial antigen (CFA) was measured using immunochromatographic card tests (ICT) and Og4C3 ELISA in 6–7 year-olds. Antibody to the W. bancrofti infective larval stage (L3) antigen, Wb123, was tested in the same population in 2012. Microfilaraemia was assessed in ICT-positive subjects. Anopheles gambiae complex specimens were collected monthly using human landing catch (HLC) and pyrethrum spray catch (PSC). Anopheles gambiae complex infection with W. bancrofti was determined by dissection and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of mosquito pools. Results Annual CFA prevalence rates using ICT in children increased over time from 0% (0/289) in 2009 to 2.7% (8/301) in 2011, 3.9% (11/285) in 2012 and 4.5% (14/309) in 2013 (trend χ 2  = 11.85, df =3, P = 0.0006). Wb123 antibody positivity rates in 2013 were similar to the CFA prevalence by ELISA (5/285). Although two W. bancrofti-infected Anopheles were observed by dissection among 12,951 mosquitoes collected by HLC, none had L3 larvae when tested by L3-specific RT-PCR. No positive pools were detected among the mosquitoes collected by pyrethrum spray catch. Whereas ICT in 6–7 year-olds was the major surveillance tool, ICT positivity was also assessed in older children and adults (8–65 years old). CFA prevalence decreased in this group from 4.9% (39/800) to 3.5% (28/795) and 2.8% (50/1,812) in 2009, 2011 and 2012, respectively (trend χ 2  = 7.361, df =2, P = 0.0067). Some ICT-positive individuals were microfilaraemic in 2009 [2.6% (1/39)] and 2011 [8.3% (3/36)], but none were positive in 2012 or 2013. Conclusion Although ICT rates in children increased over the 5-year surveillance period, the decrease in ICT prevalence in the older group suggests a reduction in transmission intensity. This was consistent with the failure to detect infective mosquitoes or microfilaraemia. The threshold of ICT positivity in children may need to be re-assessed and other adjunct surveillance tools considered

Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Remodeling Induced by Filarial Parasites: Implications for Pathogenesis

Even in the absence of an adaptive immune system in murine models, lymphatic dilatation and dysfunction occur in filarial infections, although severe irreversible lymphedema and elephantiasis appears to require an intact adaptive immune response in human infections. To address how filarial parasites and their antigens influence the lymphatics directly, human lymphatic endothelial cells were exposed to filarial antigens, live parasites, or infected patient serum. Live filarial parasites or filarial antigens induced both significant LEC proliferation and differentiation into tube-like structures in vitro. Moreover, serum from patently infected (microfilaria positive) patients and those with longstanding chronic lymphatic obstruction induced significantly increased LEC proliferation compared to sera from uninfected individuals. Differentiation of LEC into tube-like networks was found to be associated with significantly increased levels of matrix metalloproteases and inhibition of their TIMP inhibitors (Tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases). Comparison of global gene expression induced by live parasites in LEC to parasite-unexposed LEC demonstrated that filarial parasites altered the expression of those genes involved in cellular organization and development as well as those associated with junction adherence pathways that in turn decreased trans-endothelial transport as assessed by FITC-Dextran. The data suggest that filarial parasites directly induce lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic differentiation and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the pathology seen in lymphatic filariasis

Transcriptomic evidence for modulation of host inflammatory responses during febrile Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Identifying molecular predictors and mechanisms of malaria disease is important for understanding how Plasmodium falciparum malaria is controlled. Transcriptomic studies in humans have so far been limited to retrospective analysis of blood samples from clinical cases. In this prospective, proof-of-principle study, we compared whole-blood RNA-seq profiles at pre-and post-infection time points from Malian adults who were either asymptomatic (n = 5) or febrile (n = 3) during their first seasonal PCR-positive P. falciparum infection with those from malaria-naïve Dutch adults after a single controlled human malaria infection (n = 5). Our data show a graded activation of pathways downstream of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with the highest activation in malaria-naïve Dutch individuals and significantly reduced activation in malaria-experienced Malians. Newly febrile and asymptomatic infections in Malians were statistically indistinguishable except for genes activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines. The combined data provide a molecular basis for the development of a pyrogenic threshold as individuals acquire immunity to clinical malaria