Genome biogeography reveals the intraspecific spread of adaptive mutations for a complex trait

Physiological novelties are often studied at macro-evolutionary scales such that their micro-evolutionary origins remain poorly understood. Here, we test the hypothesis that key components of a complex trait can evolve in isolation and later be combined by gene flow. We use C4 photosynthesis as a study system, a derived physiology that increases plant productivity in warm, dry conditions. The grass Alloteropsis semialata includes C4 and non-C4 genotypes, with some populations using laterally-acquired C4 -adaptive loci, providing an outstanding system to track the spread of novel adaptive mutations. Using genome data from C4 and non-C4 A. semialata individuals spanning the species' range, we infer and date past migrations of different parts of the genome. Our results show that photosynthetic types initially diverged in isolated populations, where key C4 components were acquired. However, rare but recurrent subsequent gene flow allowed the spread of adaptive loci across genetic pools. Indeed, laterally-acquired genes for key C4 functions were rapidly passed between populations with otherwise distinct gene pools. Thus, our intraspecific study of C4 -related genomic variation indicates that components of adaptive traits can evolve separately and later be combined through secondary gene flow, leading to the assembly and optimization of evolutionary innovations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

CD8+ T Cells from Human Neonates Are Biased toward an Innate Immune Response

To better understand why human neonates show a poor response to intracellular pathogens, we compared gene expression and histone modification profiles of neonatal naive CD8+ T cells with that of their adult counterparts. We found that neonatal lymphocytes have a distinct epigenomic landscape associated with a lower expression of genes involved in T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and cytotoxicity and a higher expression of genes involved in the cell cycle and innate immunity. Functional studies corroborated that neonatal CD8+ T cells are less cytotoxic, transcribe antimicrobial peptides, and produce reactive oxygen species. Altogether, our results show that neonatal CD8+ T cells have a specific genetic program biased toward the innate immune response. These findings will contribute to better diagnosis and management of the neonatal immune response.This project was specifically supported by a joint EcosNord-Anuies-SEP-Con-acyt project (M11S01). Work in the M.A.S. laboratory is supported by grantsfrom Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologı ́a(CONACYT; CB-2011-01168182) and Programa de Mejoramiento del Profesorado (PROMEPSI-UAEM/13/342). Work in the S.S. laboratory is supported by recurrent fundingfrom the Inserm and Aix-Marseille University and by specific grants from theEuropean Union’s FP7 Program (agreement 282510-BLUEPRINT), the Associ-ation pour la Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC) (project SFI20111203756), andthe Aix-Marseille initiative d’excelence (A*MIDEX) project ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02. We thank Centro Estatal de la Transfusio ́n Sanguı ́nea in Cuernavaca for thedonation of leukocyte concentrates and the mothers and babies of HospitalGeneral Parres in Cuernavaca for the donation of cord blood. This study makesuse of data generated by the Blueprint and Roadmap consortia. A full list of theinvestigators who contributed to the generation of the data is availablefromwww.blueprint-epigenome.euandhttp://www.roadmapepigenomics.org/. Funding for the Blueprint project was provided by the European Union’sSeventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement282510 – BLUEPRINT. The Roadmap consortium is financed by the NIH. Weare grateful to Professor C.I. Pogson for critical reading of the manuscript.S

Фармакофорна модель для скринінгу протистафілококової активності серед тіазолідинон-споріднених структур

Aim. To develop a pharmacophore model suitable for the antistaphylococcal activity screening among thiazolidinone, thiopyrano[2,3-d]thiazole and thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridine derivatives.Results and discussion. The best pharmacophore model in the series of models developed has a planar structure and consists of an aromatic ring (or cycle with π-bonds), a hydrophobic region, a projection of a hydrogen bond donor and two projections of a hydrogen bond acceptor. Its classification accuracy is 72.4 %. The diameter line of the model is formed by the projection of the hydrogen bond donor and the projection of the hydrogen bond acceptor, and its length is 8.05 Å. The analysis of conformations of active compounds consistent with the pharmacophore mode revealed two different ways of spatial arrangement of active molecules, in which the conditions of the pharmacophore model are fully met.Experimental part. The antistaphylococcal activity was determined by the agar diffusion method against methicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and evaluated by measuring the diameter of the microbial growth inhibition zone. The plates were incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. Compounds with the growth inhibition diameter of more than 7.5 mm were considered to be active. Computer processing of the results of the microbiological experiment and modeling of the probable pharmacophore were performed in the MOE software environment version 2007.09. The geometry of the compounds was optimized by molecular mechanics using the MMFF94x force field. Accuracy of classification was used as the main quality criterion of the pharmacophore model.Conclusions. The pharmacophore model developed can be used for virtual screening of the antistaphylococcal activity for the compounds similar to the training sample. When applying it to the in-home database of compounds the enrichment factor is EF = 2.05.Received: 27.09.2020 Revised: 23.10.2020 Accepted: 03.11.2020Мета. Розробити фармакофорну модель, придатну для скринінгу протистафілококової активності серед похідних тіазолідинону, тіопірано[2,3-d]тіазолу, тіазоло[4,5-b]піридину.Результати та їх обговорення. Найкраща фармакофорна модель у серії розроблених має планарну структуру і складається з ароматичного кільця (або циклу з π-зв’язками), гідрофобної області, проєкції донора водневого зв’язку та двох проєкцій акцептора водневого зв’язку. Її точність класифікації становить 72,4 %. Лінія діаметра моделі утворена проєкцією донора та проєкцією акцептора водневого зв’язку, а її довжина дорівнює 8,05 Å. Під час аналізу узгоджених з фармакофорною моделлю конформацій активних сполук виявлено два різні способи просторового розміщення активних молекул, за яких повною мірою виконуються умови фармакофорної моделі.Експериментальна частина. Протистафілококову активність визначали методом дифузії в агар щодо резистентного до метициліну штаму Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) й оцінювали шляхом вимірювання діаметра зони інгібування мікробного зростання. Планшети інкубували протягом 24 год за 37 °С. Сполуки з діаметром затримки розмноження мікроорганізмів понад 7,5 мм вважали активними. Комп’ютерне оброблення результатів мікробіологічного експерименту та моделювання ймовірного фармакофора виконували в програмному середовищі MOE версії 2007.09. Геометрію сполук оптимізували методом молекулярної механіки з використанням силового поля MMFF94x. Точність класифікації використовували як основний критерій оцінювання якості фармакофорної моделі.Висновки. Розроблену фармакофорну модель можна використовувати для віртуального скринінгу протистафілококової активності споріднених із навчальною вибіркою сполук. Під час застосування цієї моделі до бази даних протестованих нами сполук з’ясували, що фактор збагачення складає EF = 2,05.Received: 27.09.2020 Revised: 23.10.2020 Accepted: 03.11.202

The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope: I. Overview of the instrument and its capabilities

We provide an overview of the design and capabilities of the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) onboard the James Webb Space Telescope. NIRSpec is designed to be capable of carrying out low-resolution ($R\!=30\!-330$) prism spectroscopy over the wavelength range $0.6-5.3\!~\mu$m and higher resolution ($R\!=500\!-1340$ or $R\!=1320\!-3600$) grating spectroscopy over $0.7-5.2\!~\mu$m, both in single-object mode employing any one of five fixed slits, or a 3.1$\times$3.2 arcsec$^2$ integral field unit, or in multiobject mode employing a novel programmable micro-shutter device covering a 3.6$\times$3.4~arcmin$^2$ field of view. The all-reflective optical chain of NIRSpec and the performance of its different components are described, and some of the trade-offs made in designing the instrument are touched upon. The faint-end spectrophotometric sensitivity expected of NIRSpec, as well as its dependency on the energetic particle environment that its two detector arrays are likely to be subjected to in orbit are also discussed

The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope: I. Overview of the instrument and its capabilities

We provide an overview of the design and capabilities of the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) onboard the James Webb Space Telescope. NIRSpec is designed to be capable of carrying out low-resolution ($R\!=30\!-330$) prism spectroscopy over the wavelength range $0.6-5.3\!~\mu$m and higher resolution ($R\!=500\!-1340$ or $R\!=1320\!-3600$) grating spectroscopy over $0.7-5.2\!~\mu$m, both in single-object mode employing any one of five fixed slits, or a 3.1$\times$3.2 arcsec$^2$ integral field unit, or in multiobject mode employing a novel programmable micro-shutter device covering a 3.6$\times$3.4~arcmin$^2$ field of view. The all-reflective optical chain of NIRSpec and the performance of its different components are described, and some of the trade-offs made in designing the instrument are touched upon. The faint-end spectrophotometric sensitivity expected of NIRSpec, as well as its dependency on the energetic particle environment that its two detector arrays are likely to be subjected to in orbit are also discussed

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Final Report

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s. For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable an affordable space-based telescope mission capable of discovering and characterizing Earthlike planets orbiting nearby bright sunlike stars in order to search for signs of habitability and biosignatures. Such a mission can also be equipped with instrumentation that will enable broad and exciting general astrophysics and planetary science not possible from current or planned facilities. HabEx is a space telescope with unique imaging and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to near-IR. These capabilities allow for a broad suite of compelling science that cuts across the entire NASA astrophysics portfolio. HabEx has three primary science goals: (1) Seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (2) Map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (3) Enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own solar system to external galaxies by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. This Great Observatory science will be selected through a competed GO program, and will account for about 50% of the HabEx primary mission. The preferred HabEx architecture is a 4m, monolithic, off-axis telescope that is diffraction-limited at 0.4 microns and is in an L2 orbit. HabEx employs two starlight suppression systems: a coronagraph and a starshade, each with their own dedicated instrument

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Final Report

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s. For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable an affordable space-based telescope mission capable of discovering and characterizing Earthlike planets orbiting nearby bright sunlike stars in order to search for signs of habitability and biosignatures. Such a mission can also be equipped with instrumentation that will enable broad and exciting general astrophysics and planetary science not possible from current or planned facilities. HabEx is a space telescope with unique imaging and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to near-IR. These capabilities allow for a broad suite of compelling science that cuts across the entire NASA astrophysics portfolio. HabEx has three primary science goals: (1) Seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (2) Map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (3) Enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own solar system to external galaxies by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. This Great Observatory science will be selected through a competed GO program, and will account for about 50% of the HabEx primary mission. The preferred HabEx architecture is a 4m, monolithic, off-axis telescope that is diffraction-limited at 0.4 microns and is in an L2 orbit. HabEx employs two starlight suppression systems: a coronagraph and a starshade, each with their own dedicated instrument.Comment: Full report: 498 pages. Executive Summary: 14 pages. More information about HabEx can be found here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/habex

Long-term exposure to volcanic ash deposits & health-related impacts

International audienc

Long-term exposure to volcanic ash deposits & health-related impacts

International audienc