Genomic comparison of two strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis with contrasting pathogenic phenotype

In a previous study, we evaluated the degree of virulence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) strains isolated from cattle in Argentina in a murine model. This assay allowed us to differentiate between high-virulent MapARG1347 and low-virulent MapARG1543 strains. To corroborate whether the differences in virulence could be attributed to genetic differences between the strains, we performed Whole Genome Sequencing and compared the genomes and gene content between them and determined the differences related to the reference strain MapK10. We found 233 SNPs/INDELS in one or both strains relative to Map K10. The two strains share most of the variations, but we found 15 mutations present in only one of the strains. Considering NS-SNP/INDELS that produced a severe effect in the coding sequence, we focus the analysis on four predicted proteins, putatively related to virulence. Survival of MapARG1347 strain in bMDM was higher than MapARG1543 and was more resistant to acidic pH and H2O2 stresses than MapK10. The genomic differences between the two strains found in genes MAP1203 (a putative peptidoglycan hydrolase), MAP0403 (a putative serine protease) MAP1003c (a member of the PE-PPE family) and MAP4152 (a putative mycofactocin binding protein) could contribute to explain the contrasting phenotype previously observed in mice models.Fil: Colombatti Olivieri, María Alejandra. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Fresia, P.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Graña, M.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Cuerda, Maria Ximena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Nagel, Ariel Gastón. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Alvarado Pinedo, María Fiorella. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Clínica. Centro de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Romano, Maria Isabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Caimi, Karina Cynthia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Berná, L.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Santangelo, María de la Paz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentin

5G Radio Access above 6 GHz

Designing and developing a millimetre-wave(mmWave) based mobile Radio Access Technology (RAT) in the 6-100 GHz frequency range is a fundamental component in the standardization of the new 5G radio interface, recently kicked off by 3GPP. Such component, herein called the new mmWave RAT, will not only enable extreme mobile broadband (eMBB) services,but also support UHD/3D streaming, offer immersive applications and ultra-responsive cloud services to provide an outstanding Quality of Experience (QoE) to the mobile users. The main objective of this paper is to develop the network architectural elements and functions that will enable tight integration of mmWave technology into the overall 5G radio access network (RAN). A broad range of topics addressing mobile architecture and network functionalities will be covered-starting with the architectural facets of network slicing, multiconnectivity and cells clustering, to more functional elements of initial access, mobility, radio resource management (RRM) and self-backhauling. The intention of the concepts presented here is to lay foundation for future studies towards the first commercial implementation of the mmWave RAT above 6 GHz.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Immunohistochemical Assessment of HRAS Q61R Mutations in Breast Adenomyoepitheliomas

AIMS Breast adenomyoepitheliomas (AMEs) are uncommon tumors. Most estrogen receptor (ER)-positive AMEs have mutations in PI3K pathway genes, whereas ER-negative AMEs usually harbor concurrent mutations affecting the HRAS Q61 hotspot and PI3K pathway genes. Here, we sought to determine the sensitivity and specificity of RAS Q61R immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis for detection of HRAS Q61R mutations in AMEs. METHODS AND RESULTS 26 AME (14 ER-positive, 12 ER-negative) previously subjected to massively parallel sequencing (n=21) or Sanger sequencing (n=5) of the HRAS Q61 hotspot locus were included in this study. All AMEs were subjected to IHC using a monoclonal (SP174) RAS Q61R-specific antibody, in addition to detailed histopathologic analysis. Nine ER-negative AMEs harbored HRAS mutations, including Q61R (n=7) and Q61K (n=2) mutations. 5/7 (71%) AMEs with HRAS Q61R mutations were positive by IHC, whereas none of the AMEs lacking HRAS Q61R mutations (n=17) were immunoreactive. RAS Q61R immunoreactivity was restricted to the myoepithelium in 80% (4/5) of cases, whereas one case displayed immunoreactivity in both the epithelial and myoepithelial components. RAS Q61R IHC-positive AMEs were associated with infiltrative borders (P<0.001), necrosis (P<0.01) and mitotic index in the epithelial (P<0.05) and myoepithelial (P<0.01) components. RAS Q61R IHC assessment did not detect Q61K mutations (0/2). CONCLUSIONS IHC analysis of RAS Q61R displays a high specificity (100%) and moderate sensitivity (71%) for detection of HRAS Q61R mutations in breast AMEs, and appears not to detect HRAS Q61K mutations. IHC analysis of RAS Q61R may constitute a useful marker in the diagnostic workup of ER-negative AMEs

Initial multi-node and antenna transmitter and receiver architectures and schemes; Deliverable D5.1

This deliverable provides the initial concepts and solutions from the technical work related to multi-antenna and multi-node transceiver schemes in millimetre wave (denoted as 6-100GHz) spectrum. It also briefly presents the use cases on which the work will be based and categorises the solutions in terms of their applicability to access, backhaul and relay deployments. Another important contribution from this report is the modelling of the hardware impairments in millimetre wave transceivers and the analysis of their impact on system performance

5G champion:rolling out 5G in 2018

Abstract The 5G CHAMPION Consortium will provide the first fully integrated and operational 5G prototype in 2018 — this effort is a major leap ahead compared to existing punctual technology trials, such as, e.g., Proof-of-Concept platforms focusing on mmWave communication in specific bands, etc. This paper describes the overall set-up including a synergetic combination of technologies such as beamforming based mmWave &amp; Satellite service provisioning, virtualized infrastructure, software reconfiguration across the entire stack, accurate positioning and high-speed solutions. The key enablers are described in detail and related efforts in standards and regulation organizations are discussed

Immunohistochemical assessment of HRAS

AIMS Breast adenomyoepitheliomas (AMEs) are uncommon tumors. Most estrogen receptor (ER)-positive AMEs have mutations in PI3K pathway genes, whereas ER-negative AMEs usually harbor concurrent mutations affecting the HRAS Q61 hotspot and PI3K pathway genes. Here, we sought to determine the sensitivity and specificity of RAS Q61R immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis for detection of HRAS Q61R mutations in AMEs. METHODS AND RESULTS 26 AME (14 ER-positive, 12 ER-negative) previously subjected to massively parallel sequencing (n=21) or Sanger sequencing (n=5) of the HRAS Q61 hotspot locus were included in this study. All AMEs were subjected to IHC using a monoclonal (SP174) RAS Q61R-specific antibody, in addition to detailed histopathologic analysis. Nine ER-negative AMEs harbored HRAS mutations, including Q61R (n=7) and Q61K (n=2) mutations. 5/7 (71%) AMEs with HRAS Q61R mutations were positive by IHC, whereas none of the AMEs lacking HRAS Q61R mutations (n=17) were immunoreactive. RAS Q61R immunoreactivity was restricted to the myoepithelium in 80% (4/5) of cases, whereas one case displayed immunoreactivity in both the epithelial and myoepithelial components. RAS Q61R IHC-positive AMEs were associated with infiltrative borders (P<0.001), necrosis (P<0.01) and mitotic index in the epithelial (P<0.05) and myoepithelial (P<0.01) components. RAS Q61R IHC assessment did not detect Q61K mutations (0/2). CONCLUSIONS IHC analysis of RAS Q61R displays a high specificity (100%) and moderate sensitivity (71%) for detection of HRAS Q61R mutations in breast AMEs, and appears not to detect HRAS Q61K mutations. IHC analysis of RAS Q61R may constitute a useful marker in the diagnostic workup of ER-negative AMEs

Converging and evolving immuno-genomic routes toward immune escape in breast cancer

Abstract The interactions between tumor and immune cells along the course of breast cancer progression remain largely unknown. Here, we extensively characterize multiple sequential and parallel multiregion tumor and blood specimens of an index patient and a cohort of metastatic triple-negative breast cancers. We demonstrate that a continuous increase in tumor genomic heterogeneity and distinct molecular clocks correlated with resistance to treatment, eventually allowing tumors to escape from immune control. TCR repertoire loses diversity over time, leading to convergent evolution as breast cancer progresses. Although mixed populations of effector memory and cytotoxic single T cells coexist in the peripheral blood, defects in the antigen presentation machinery coupled with subdued T cell recruitment into metastases are observed, indicating a potent immune avoidance microenvironment not compatible with an effective antitumor response in lethal metastatic disease. Our results demonstrate that the immune responses against cancer are not static, but rather follow dynamic processes that match cancer genomic progression, illustrating the complex nature of tumor and immune cell interactions