Complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis K from a Korean high school outbreak, belonging to the Beijing family

Mycobacterium tuberculosis K, a member of the Beijing family, was first identified in 1999 as the most prevalent genotype in South Korea among clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis from high school outbreaks. M. tuberculosis K is an aerobic, non-motile, Gram-positive, and non-spore-forming rod-shaped bacillus. A transmission electron microscopy analysis displayed an abundance of lipid bodies in the cytosol. The genome of the M. tuberculosis K strain was sequenced using two independent sequencing methods (Sanger and Illumina). Here, we present the genomic features of the 4,385,518-bp-long complete genome sequence of M. tuberculosis K (one chromosome, no plasmid, and 65.59 % G + C content) and its annotation, which consists of 4194 genes (3447 genes with predicted functions), 48 RNA genes (3 rRNA and 45 tRNA) and 261 genes with peptide signals.

FULL COMMUNICATION Royal Jelly Protects Against Ultraviolet B-Induced Photoaging in Human Skin Fibroblasts via Enhancing Collagen Production

ABSTRACT Royal jelly (RJ) is a honeybee product containing proteins, carbohydrates, fats, free amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. As its principal unsaturated fatty acid, RJ contains 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), which may have antitumor and antibacterial activity and a capacity to stimulate collagen production. RJ has attracted interest in various parts of the world for its pharmacological properties. However, the effects of RJ on ultraviolet (UV)-induced photoaging of the skin have not been reported. In this study we measured the 10-HDA content of RJ by high-performance liquid chromatography and tested the effects of RJ on UVB-induced skin photoaging in normal human dermal fibroblasts. The effects of RJ and 10-HDA on UVB-induced photoaging were tested by measuring procollagen type I, transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 after UVB irradiation. The RJ contained about 0.211% 10-HDA. The UVB-irradiated human skin fibroblasts treated with RJ and 10-HDA had increased procollagen type I and TGF-b1 productions, but the level of MMP-1 was not changed. Thus RJ may potentially protect the skin from UVB-induced photoaging by enhancing collagen production. KEY WORDS: 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid matrix metalloproteinase-1 photoaging procollagen type I royal jelly transforming growth factor-b

Royal jelly enhances migration of human dermal fibroblasts and alters the levels of cholesterol and sphinganine in an in vitro wound healing model

Oral administration of royal jelly (RJ) promotes wound healing in diabetic mice. Concerns have arisen regarding the efficacy of RJ on the wound healing process of normal skin cells. In this study, a wound was created by scratching normal human dermal fibroblasts, one of the major cells involved in the wound healing process. The area was promptly treated with RJ at varying concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, or 5 mg/ml for up to 48 hrs and migration was analyzed by evaluating closure of the wound margins. Furthermore, altered levels of lipids, which were recently reported to participate in the wound healing process, were analyzed by HPTLC and HPLC. Migration of fibroblasts peaked at 24 hrs after wounding. RJ treatment significantly accelerated the migration of fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner at 8 hrs. Although RJ also accelerated the migration of fibroblasts at both 20 hrs and 24 hrs after wounding, the efficacy was less potent than at 8 hrs. Among various lipid classes within fibroblasts, the level of cholesterol was significantly decreased at 8 hrs following administration of both 0.1 ug/ml and 5 mg/ml RJ. Despite a dose-dependent increase in sphinganines, the levels of sphingosines, ceramides, and glucosylceramides were not altered with any concentration of RJ. We demonstrated that RJ enhances the migration of fibroblasts and alters the levels of various lipids involved in the wound healing process

ENSO Atmospheric Teleconnections and Their Response to Greenhouse Gas Forcing

This is the final version of the article. Available from AGU via the DOI in this record.El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most prominent year-to-year climate fluctuation on Earth, alternating between anomalously warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) sea surface temperature (SST) conditions in the tropical Pacific. ENSO exerts its impacts on remote regions of the globe through atmospheric teleconnections, affecting extreme weather events worldwide. However, these teleconnections are inherently nonlinear and sensitive to ENSO SST anomaly patterns and amplitudes. In addition, teleconnections are modulated by variability in the oceanic and atmopsheric mean state outside the tropics and by land and sea ice extent. The character of ENSO as well as the ocean mean state have changed since the 1990s, which might be due to either natural variability or anthropogenic forcing, or their combined influences. This has resulted in changes in ENSO atmospheric teleconnections in terms of precipitation and temperature in various parts of the globe. In addition, changes in ENSO teleconnection patterns have affected their predictability and the statistics of extreme events. However, the short observational record does not allow us to clearly distinguish which changes are robust and which are not. Climate models suggest that ENSO teleconnections will change because the mean atmospheric circulation will change due to anthropogenic forcing in the 21st century, which is independent of whether ENSO properties change or not. However, future ENSO teleconnection changes do not currently show strong intermodel agreement from region to region, highlighting the importance of identifying factors that affect uncertainty in future model projections.S. W. Y. is supported by the KoreaMeteorological Administration Researchand Development Program under grant KMIPA2015-2112. Wenju Cai is supported by Earth System and Climate Change Hub of the Australia National Environmental Science Programme, and Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research, an international collaboration between CSIRO and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Sciences and Technology. B. Dewitte acknowledges supports from FONDECYT(1151185) and from LEFE-GMMC. Dietmar Dommenget is supported by ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science (CE110001028)

Integrated genomic characterization of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

We performed integrated genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiling of 150 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) specimens, including samples with characteristic low neoplastic cellularity. Deep whole-exome sequencing revealed recurrent somatic mutations in KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A, SMAD4, RNF43, ARID1A, TGFβR2, GNAS, RREB1, and PBRM1. KRAS wild-type tumors harbored alterations in other oncogenic drivers, including GNAS, BRAF, CTNNB1, and additional RAS pathway genes. A subset of tumors harbored multiple KRAS mutations, with some showing evidence of biallelic mutations. Protein profiling identified a favorable prognosis subset with low epithelial-mesenchymal transition and high MTOR pathway scores. Associations of non-coding RNAs with tumor-specific mRNA subtypes were also identified. Our integrated multi-platform analysis reveals a complex molecular landscape of PDAC and provides a roadmap for precision medicine

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms