Dynamic expression of Lrp2 pathway members reveals progressive epithelial differentiation of primitive endoderm in mouse blastocyst.

International audienceMesenchyme to epithelium transitions are crucial to embryonic development. The early mouse embryo offers an excellent model to study epithelium formation as during the first three days of development two epithelia are formed, the trophectoderm (TE) and the primitive endoderm (PrE). We have previously shown that PrE cells are determined within the blastocyst ICM long before epithelium formation. In this work, we isolated Lrp2 as a novel PrE precursor (pre-PrE) marker by using a microarray strategy that combines a transcriptome analysis of three stem cell lines and early embryos. A detailed expression analysis shows that Lrp2 expression is induced in late E3.5 embryos indicating that pre-PrE cells are progressively maturing prior to polarization into an epithelium. Furthermore, the subcellular location of Lrp2, Disabled-2 (Dab2) and Collagen-IV shows that the epithelial structure is acquired in individual cells through successive steps

Symptomatic Mixed Cryoglobulinemia during HIV Primary Infection: A Case Report

We report a patient who developed during HIV primary infection a symptomatic mixed cryoglobulinemia. The patient suffered from arthralgias, vascular purpura of the legs, and proteinuria. Cryoglobulinemia progressively disappeared in several months after HAART

Advanced Piezoelectric Transduction for Acoustic Sensing and Data Transmission

The work developed in this thesis targets two applications relative to piezoelectric transduction for sensing and data transmission purposes. The first project is based on a Surface Acoustic Wave device measuring strains in two directions along a plane. Such a device has been manufactured using microfabrication methods and tested on a loaded beam to determine its accuracy, while comparing the experimental output with the expected theoretical results. The second project involves data transmission across a metallic barrier through piezoelectric transduction. A theoretical model has been derived to describe the electric and mechanical behaviors of the channels before comparing it with numerical and experimental results. Different approaches modifying the mechanical structure and the connected electric circuits have been pursued with the objective of reducing the amplitude variations down to 2 dB over large bandwidths for low carrier frequencies (below 10MHz). Transducer designs in the shape of staircases have been proposed for channels with high carrier frequencies (above 100 MHz) in order to communicate over bandwidths larger than 100 MHz within which the amplitude variations are limited to 3 dB.Ph.D

Magma evolution of Quaternary minor volcanic centres in southern Peru, Central Andes

Minor centres in the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andes occur in different places and are essential indicators of magmatic processes leading to formation of composite volcano. The Andahua-Orcopampa and Huambo monogenetic fields are located in a unique tectonic setting, in and along the margins of a deep valley. This valley, oblique to the NW-SE-trend of the CVZ, is located between two composite volcanoes (Nevado Coropuna to the east and Nevado Sabancaya to the west). Structural analysis of these volcanic fields, based on SPOT satellite images, indicates four main groups of faults. These faults may have controlled magma ascent and the distribution of most centres in this deep valley shaped by en-echelon faulting. Morphometric criteria and 14C age dating attest to four main periods of activity: Late Pleistocene, Early to Middle Holocene, Late Holocene and Historic. The two most interesting features of the cones are the wide compositional range of their lavas (52.1 to 68.1wt.% SiO2) and the unusual occurrence of mafic lavas (olivine-rich basaltic andesites and basaltic andesites). Occurrence of such minor volcanic centres and mafic magmas in the CVZ may provide clues about the magma source in southern Peru. Such information is otherwise difficult to obtain because lavas produced by composite volcanoes are affected by shallow processes that strongly mask source signatures. Major, trace, and rare earth elements, as well as Sr-, Nd-, Pb- and O-isotope data obtained on high-K calc-alkaline lavas of the Andahua-Orcopampa and Huambo volcanic province characterise their source and their evolution. These lavas display a range comparable to those of the CVZ composite volcanoes for radiogenic and stable isotopes (87Sr/86Sr: 0.70591-0.70694, 143Nd/144Nd: 0.512317-0.512509, 206Pb/204Pb: 18.30-18.63, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.57-15.60, 208Pb/204Pb: 38.49-38.64, and δ 18O: 7.1-10.0‰ SMOW), attesting to involvement of a crustal component. Sediment is absent from the Peru-Chile trench, and hence cannot be the source of such enrichment. Partial melts of the lowermost part of the thick Andean continental crust with a granulitic garnet-bearing residue added to mantle-derived arc magmas in a high-pressure MASH [melting, assimilation, storage and homogenisation] zone may play a major role in magma genesis. This may also explain the chemical characteristics of the Andahua-Orcopampa and Huambo magmas. Fractional crystallisation processes are the main governors of magma evolution for the Andahua-Orcopampa and Huambo volcanic province. An open-system evolution is, however, required to explain some O-isotopes and some major and trace elements values. Modelling of AFC processes suggests the Charcani gneisses and the local Andahua-Orcopampa and Huambo basement may be plausible contaminant

Les cellules tuft intestinales : de la régulation de l'immunité de type-2 à la carcinogenèse digestive Intestinale

International audienceEpithelia are important surfaces of exchange between the host and its external environment. Their fundamental roles in regulating the physiology of living organisms, is particularly well illustrated by the intestinal epithelium. Related to its function in nutrients absorption, this epithelium represents the largest surface of contact with a complex luminal content, composed of billions of commensal bacteria, as well as potential pathogens or harmful compounds. Therefore, understanding the regulatory mechanisms involved in the permanent adaptation of the intestinal mucosa to external cues remains a critical question in digestive physiology. This communication will address this question, with a focus on recent results highlighting critical functions of the still poorly known tuft cells as mucosal sentinels. We will first introduce the minimal background on intestinal epithelial physiology for non-specialists readers, and then summarize important studies on the characterisation of these cells and their function in type-2 immunity. Finally, the role of tuft cells in cancer will be discussed in the light of recent reports.Les tissus épithéliaux agissent comme une interface d'échange privilégiée entre tissus de l'hôte et milieu extérieur, et jouent un rôle central dans la physiologie des êtres vivants. Le cas de l'épithélium intestinal en est le parfait exemple. Outre sa fonction dans l'absorption des nutriments, cet épithélium représente la plus grande surface de contact avec un environnement complexe dans lequel sont présents des milliards d'organismes commensaux, voire d'agents potentiellement pathogènes et de substances nocives. Une des questions clefs en physiologie digestive réside dans la compréhension des mécanismes fondamentaux permettant à la muqueuse intestinale de s'adapter de manière permanente à cet environnement. Cette communication écrite se place dans ce contexte et se propose de diffuser de la manière la plus didactique possible les données de recherches obtenues sur un type de cellules épithéliales encore méconnues à ce jour : les cellules tuft intestinales, dont la fonction de sentinelle mucosale vient d'être récemment découverte. Ne se voulant pas exhaustive, cette revue se focalisera sur les cellules tuft du tractus digestif. Après avoir rappelé aux lecteurs non avertis les bases de la physiologie de l'épithélium intestinal, nous dresserons l'historique de la caractérisation de ces cellules avant de détailler les travaux ayant conduits à la découverte de leur fonction dans l'immunité de type-2, ainsi que les données soutenant leur rôle dans les processus de carcinogenèse du tractus digestif

Primitive Endoderm Differentiates via a Three-Step Mechanism Involving Nanog and RTK Signaling

SummaryDuring preimplantation mouse development, the inner cell mass (ICM) differentiates into two cell lineages—the epiblast and the primitive endoderm (PrE)—whose precursors are identifiable by reciprocal expression of Nanog and Gata6, respectively. PrE formation depends on Nanog by a non-cell-autonomous mechanism. To decipher early cell- and non-cell-autonomous effects, we performed a mosaic knockdown of Nanog and found that this is sufficient to induce a PrE fate cell autonomously. Strikingly, in Nanog null embryos, Gata6 expression is maintained, showing that initiation of the PrE program is Nanog independent. Treatment of Nanog null embryos with pharmacological inhibitors revealed that RTK dependency of Gata6 expression is initially direct but later indirect via Nanog repression. Moreover, we found that subsequent expression of Sox17 and Gata4—later markers of the PrE—depends on the presence of Fgf4 produced by Nanog-expressing cells. Thus, our results reveal three distinct phases in the PrE differentiation program

Petrology of the 2006-2007 tephras from Ubinas volcano, southern Peru

[ESP] El volcán Ubinas (16º 22 'S, 70º 54' O) se encuentra en el rango volcánico cuaternario en el sur de Perú, ~ 60 km al este de la ciudad de Arequipa (Fig. 1). Ubinas es históricamente el volcán más activo en el sur del Perú con 24 eventos volcánicos (VEI 1-3) registrados desde 1550 AD (Hantke y Parodi, 1966; Simkin y Siebert 1994; Rivera et al. 1998). Estos eventos son episodios de desgasificación en gran parte intensos, con algunas caídas de cenizas y bloqueos balísticos (<10.106m3) producidos por actividad explosiva vulcaniana y freatomagmática (Thouret et al. 2005; Rivera et al. 1998). Los eventos causaron daños a los cultivos y al ganado y afectaron a aproximadamente 3,500 personas que viven en seis aldeas a 12 km del volcán (Fig. 1). La actividad explosiva más reciente comenzó el 27 de marzo de 2006 y duró dos años con eventos eruptivos intermitentes, mientras que la desgasificación aún continúa. Según las características de la actividad y los productos en erupción, el episodio eruptivo ha progresado en cuatro etapas: 1) actividad freática y freatomagmática inicial (del 27 de marzo al 19 de abril de 2006), incluidas las columnas de alta erupción que dispersaron la caída de cenizas a una distancia de hasta 7 km del cumbre; 2) las explosiones vulcanianas (~ 20 de abril al 11 de junio de 2006) formaron columnas de 3 a 4 km de altura que expulsaron bloques de hasta 40 cm de diámetro a distancias de 2 km del respiradero (Fig. 2). La lava fresca llegó al fondo del respiradero el 20 de abril; 3) fuerte desgasificación intercalada con al menos 12 eventos que produjeron columnas de 2 a 3 km de altura entre mediados de junio de 2006 y abril de 2007, dispersando cenizas hasta 40 km del respiradero; 4) la desgasificación suave produce un penacho permanente de 200 a 800 m de altura y ocasionalmente cenizas ligeras alrededor de la cumbre (mayo de 2007 hasta el presente). Las columnas de babosas duraderas y de corta duración, explosiones tipo cañón, pequeñas cantidades de material juvenil y la composición andesítica de las bombas de corteza de pan indican un estilo de comportamiento vulcaniano en Ubinas. El comportamiento es similar a la primera fase de la erupción del Nevado Sabancaya en 1990-1998 (Gerbe y Thouret, 2004) o al comportamiento de Sakurajima, Japón desde 1955 (Morrisey y Mastin, 2000), y a Ngauruhoe, Nueva Zelanda en 1974 -1975 (Hobden et al. 2002). Las características petrográficas y geoquímicas de los bloques juveniles y las escoria erupcionadas durante la actividad explosiva 2006-2007 permiten la descripción del magma recién erupcionado y, por lo tanto, conducen a una mejor comprensión del origen de la erupción