Colonization of the Mediterranean Basin by the vector biting midge species Culicoides imicola: an old story

Understanding the demographic history and genetic make-up of colonizing species is critical for inferring population sources and colonization routes. This is of main interest for designing accurate control measures in areas newly colonized by vector species of economically important pathogens. The biting midge Culicoides imicola is a major vector of Orbiviruses to livestock. Historically, the distribution of this species was limited to the Afrotropical region. Entomological surveys first revealed the presence of C. imicola in the south of the Mediterranean basin by the 1970's. Following recurrent reports of massive bluetongue outbreaks since the 1990s, the presence of the species was confirmed in northern areas. In this study, we addressed the chronology and processes of C. imicola colonization in the Mediterranean basin. We characterized the genetic structure of its populations across Mediterranean and African regions using both mitochondrial and nuclear markers, and combined phylogeographical analyses with population genetics and approximate Bayesian computation. We found a west/east genetic differentiation between populations, occurring both within Africa and within the Mediterranean basin. We demonstrated that three of these groups had experienced demographic expansions in the Pleistocene, probably because of climate changes during this period. Finally, we showed that C. imicola could have colonized the Mediterranean basin in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene through a single event of introduction; however we cannot exclude the hypothesis involving two routes of colonization. Thus, the recent bluetongue outbreaks are not linked to C. imicola colonization event, but rather to biological changes in the vector or the virus

Impact of chronic and moderate Cd exposure on glucose metabolism of rats at various stages of life

L’exposition à des polluants environnementaux est considérée comme l’un des facteurs pouvant expliquer l’augmentation exponentielle des maladies métaboliques dans le monde. Parmi ces polluants, plusieurs études épidémiologiques suggèrent une association entre exposition au cadmium (Cd) et incidence et sévérité des cas de diabète, mais le sujet reste controversé. Des travaux expérimentaux sur des modèles animaux montrent qu’une exposition au Cd induit des effets divers sur le métabolisme du glucose. Toutefois, ces études ont été réalisées avec des doses de Cd relativement fortes et avec des modèles d’exposition peu réalistes. De plus, très peu de données sont disponibles sur l’effet de l’exposition maternelle sur la descendance. L’objectif de ces travaux était donc d’étudier les possibles altérations du métabolisme du glucose après une exposition orale à des doses faibles de Cd, chez des rats adultes ainsi que sur des jeunes rats exposés via leur mère. Nos résultats montrent qu’à des niveaux de Cd proche des doses de références sans effets chez le rat, les femelles adultes présentent des perturbations du niveau d’insuline plasmatique ainsi qu’une légère diminution de la sensibilité à l’insuline. Ces effets diabétogènes ne sont pas retrouvés chez les mâles. Les résultats de notre seconde étude indiquent que l’exposition maternelle au Cd, pendant la gestation et la lactation, induit des modifications métaboliques précoces chez les descendance, 21, 26 et 60 jours après la naissance. A 21 jours, la tolérance au glucose est altérée. A 26 jours, la sensibilité périphérique à l’insuline est transitoirement restaurée mais la fonction pancréatique est impactée. Enfin, à 60 jours, le défaut de sensibilité à l’insuline est compensé par une sécrétion accrue. Ces travaux mettent en évidence les effets d’une exposition à doses faibles de Cd sur le métabolisme du glucose et renforcent l’idée que l’environnement périnatal, en particulier l’exposition aux polluants, impacte la santé de la descendance, à plus ou moins long terme. Au-delà de ces résultats, ces travaux portent une réflexion sur l’intérêt et la difficulté à mettre en place des modèles animaux d’exposition pertinents, pour répondre à l’enjeu de l’évaluation des risques de l’exposition chronique au Cd.The exposure to environmental pollutants is considered one of the factors that could explain the exponential increase in metabolic illnesses worldwide. Among these pollutants, many epidemiological studies suggest a link between Cadmium (Cd) exposure and the occurrence and severity of diabetes, although the subject remains controversial. Experimental work on animals shows that exposure to Cd induces various effects on glucose metabolism. However, these studies were performed with relatively high doses of Cd and with unrealistic exposure models. In addition, very little data are available on the effect of maternal exposure and effect on descendants. The aim of this work was to study possible alterations in glucose metabolism after oral exposure to low doses of Cd in adult rats as well as in young rats exposed via their mothers. Results show that when exposed to Cd levels close to no-observed-effect reference values in rats, female rats show disturbances in plasma insulin level and a slight decrease in insulin sensitivity. These diabetogenic effects are not found in male rats. The results of the second study indicate that maternal exposure to Cd during pregnancy and lactation induces early metabolic changes in the offspring, 21, 26 and 60 days after birth. At 21 days, glucose tolerance is altered. At 26 days, the peripheral insulin sensitivity is transiently restored but the pancreatic function is impacted. Finally, at 60 days, the lack of insulin sensitivity is compensated by increased secretion. This work demonstrates the effects of low doses of Cd on glucose metabolism and reinforces the idea that the perinatal environment, in particular exposure to pollutants, affects the health of offspring in the long term. Beyond these results, this work allows the reader to reflect on the interest and difficulty of setting up relevant experimental animal models, in order to tackle the issue of risk assessment of chronic Cd exposure

Conséquences d’une exposition chronique à des doses modérées de cadmium sur le métabolisme du glucose de rats à différents stades de la vie

The exposure to environmental pollutants is considered one of the factors that could explain the exponential increase in metabolic illnesses worldwide. Among these pollutants, many epidemiological studies suggest a link between Cadmium (Cd) exposure and the occurrence and severity of diabetes, although the subject remains controversial. Experimental work on animals shows that exposure to Cd induces various effects on glucose metabolism. However, these studies were performed with relatively high doses of Cd and with unrealistic exposure models. In addition, very little data are available on the effect of maternal exposure and effect on descendants. The aim of this work was to study possible alterations in glucose metabolism after oral exposure to low doses of Cd in adult rats as well as in young rats exposed via their mothers. Results show that when exposed to Cd levels close to no-observed-effect reference values in rats, female rats show disturbances in plasma insulin level and a slight decrease in insulin sensitivity. These diabetogenic effects are not found in male rats. The results of the second study indicate that maternal exposure to Cd during pregnancy and lactation induces early metabolic changes in the offspring, 21, 26 and 60 days after birth. At 21 days, glucose tolerance is altered. At 26 days, the peripheral insulin sensitivity is transiently restored but the pancreatic function is impacted. Finally, at 60 days, the lack of insulin sensitivity is compensated by increased secretion. This work demonstrates the effects of low doses of Cd on glucose metabolism and reinforces the idea that the perinatal environment, in particular exposure to pollutants, affects the health of offspring in the long term. Beyond these results, this work allows the reader to reflect on the interest and difficulty of setting up relevant experimental animal models, in order to tackle the issue of risk assessment of chronic Cd exposure.L’exposition à des polluants environnementaux est considérée comme l’un des facteurs pouvant expliquer l’augmentation exponentielle des maladies métaboliques dans le monde. Parmi ces polluants, plusieurs études épidémiologiques suggèrent une association entre exposition au cadmium (Cd) et incidence et sévérité des cas de diabète, mais le sujet reste controversé. Des travaux expérimentaux sur des modèles animaux montrent qu’une exposition au Cd induit des effets divers sur le métabolisme du glucose. Toutefois, ces études ont été réalisées avec des doses de Cd relativement fortes et avec des modèles d’exposition peu réalistes. De plus, très peu de données sont disponibles sur l’effet de l’exposition maternelle sur la descendance. L’objectif de ces travaux était donc d’étudier les possibles altérations du métabolisme du glucose après une exposition orale à des doses faibles de Cd, chez des rats adultes ainsi que sur des jeunes rats exposés via leur mère. Nos résultats montrent qu’à des niveaux de Cd proche des doses de références sans effets chez le rat, les femelles adultes présentent des perturbations du niveau d’insuline plasmatique ainsi qu’une légère diminution de la sensibilité à l’insuline. Ces effets diabétogènes ne sont pas retrouvés chez les mâles. Les résultats de notre seconde étude indiquent que l’exposition maternelle au Cd, pendant la gestation et la lactation, induit des modifications métaboliques précoces chez les descendance, 21, 26 et 60 jours après la naissance. A 21 jours, la tolérance au glucose est altérée. A 26 jours, la sensibilité périphérique à l’insuline est transitoirement restaurée mais la fonction pancréatique est impactée. Enfin, à 60 jours, le défaut de sensibilité à l’insuline est compensé par une sécrétion accrue. Ces travaux mettent en évidence les effets d’une exposition à doses faibles de Cd sur le métabolisme du glucose et renforcent l’idée que l’environnement périnatal, en particulier l’exposition aux polluants, impacte la santé de la descendance, à plus ou moins long terme. Au-delà de ces résultats, ces travaux portent une réflexion sur l’intérêt et la difficulté à mettre en place des modèles animaux d’exposition pertinents, pour répondre à l’enjeu de l’évaluation des risques de l’exposition chronique au Cd

An Executable Analytical Performance Evaluation Approach for Early Performance Prediction

Percolation has recently been proposed as a key component of an advanced program execution model for future generation high-end machines featuring adaptive data/code transformation and movement for effective latency tolerance. An early evaluation of the performance effect of percolation is very important in the design space exploration of future generations of supercomputers. In this paper, we develop an executable analytical performance model of a high performance multithreaded architecture that supports percolation. A novel feature of our approach is modeling interactions between software (program) and hardware (architecture) components. We solve the analytical model using a queuing simulation tool enriched with synchronization. The proposed approach is effective and facilitates obtaining performance trends quickly. Our results indicate that percolation brings in significant performance gains (by a factor of 2.7 to 11). Further, our results reveal that percolation and multithreading can complement each other. 1

Chronic Exposure to Low-Level Cadmium in Diabetes: Role of Oxidative Stress and Comparison with Polychlorinated Biphenyls

International audienceAmong the most important physiological functions, maintenance of the oxidation reduction equilibrium in cells stands out as a major homeostatic event. Many environmental contaminants efficiently trap cellular reducing compounds, but the actual importance of this mode of toxicity is far from being precisely known. This statement applies to cases of slowly developing chronic diseases, such as neurodegenerations, diabetes, and many others. The involvement of oxidative challenge in diabetes is considered in connection with chronic dietary exposure to low-level concentrations of cadmium. Comparison is made with polychlorobiphenyl molecules (PCB): they are structurally unrelated to cadmium, they preferentially distribute into different organs than cadmium, and they follow different metabolic pathways. Yet, they have also pro-oxidative properties, and they are associated with diabetes. Since neither cadmium nor PCB is a direct oxidant, they both follow indirect pathways to shift the redox equilibrium. Thus, a difference must be made between the adaptable response of the organism, i.e. the anti-oxidant response, and the irreversible damage generated by oxidizing species, i.e. oxidative damage, when exposure occurs at low concentrations. The approximate border between high and low levels of exposure is estimated in this review from the available relevant data, and the strengths and weaknesses of experimental models are delineated. Eventually, chronic low level exposure to these contaminants sparks cellular responses setting ground for dysfunction and disease, such as diabetes: oxidative damage is an accompanying phenomenon and not necessarily an early mechanism of toxicity

Mutation in lamin A/C sensitizes the myocardium to exercise-induced mechanical stress but has no effect on skeletal muscles in mouse

International audienceLMNA gene encodes lamin A/C, ubiquitous proteins of the nuclear envelope. They play crucial role in maintaining nuclear shape and stiffness. When mutated, they essentially lead to dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defects, associated or not with muscular diseases. Excessive mechanical stress sensitivity has been involved in the pathophysiology. We have previously reported the phenotype of LmnadelK32 mice, reproducing a mutation found in LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy patients. Heterozygous LmnadelK32/+ (Het) mice develop a progressive dilated cardiomyopathy leading to death between 35 and 70 weeks of age. To investigate the sensitivity of the skeletal muscles and myocardium to chronic exercise-induced stress, Het and wild-type (Wt) mice were subjected to strenuous running treadmill exercise for 5 weeks. Before exercise, the cardiac function of Het mice was similar to Wt-littermates. After the exercise-period, Het mice showed cardiac dysfunction and dilation without visible changes in cardiac morphology, molecular remodelling or nuclear structure compared to Wt exercised and Het sedentary mice. Contrary to myocardium, skeletal muscle ex vivo contractile function remained unaffected in Het exercised mice. In conclusion, the expression of the LmnadelK32 mutation increased the susceptibility of the myocardium to cardiac stress and led to an earlier onset of the cardiac phenotype in Het mice

The protooncogene Vav1 regulates murine leukemia virus-induced T-cell leukemogenesis.

International audienceVav1 is expressed exclusively in hematopoietic cells and is required for T cell development and activation. Vav1-deficient mice show thymic hypocellularity due to a partial block during thymocyte development at the DN3 stage and between the double positive (DP) and single positive (SP) transition. Vav1 has been shown to play a significant role in several non-hematopoietic tumors but its role in leukemogenesis is unknown. To address this question, we investigated the role of Vav1 in retrovirus-induced T cell leukemogenesis. Infection of Vav1-deficient mice with the Moloney strain of murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) significantly affected tumor phenotype without modulating tumor incidence or latency. M-MuLV-infected Vav1-deficient mice showed reduced splenomegaly, higher hematocrit levels and hypertrophic thymi. Notably, Vav1-deficient mice with M-MuLV leukemias presented with markedly lower TCRβ/CD3 levels, indicating that transformation occurred at an earlier stage of T cell development than in WT mice. Thus, impaired T cell development modulates the outcome of retrovirus-induced T cell leukemias, demonstrating a link between T cell development and T cell leukemogenesis

miR-424/322 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype and neointimal formation in the rat

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Mitochondrial Morphology and Function of the Pancreatic β-Cells INS-1 Model upon Chronic Exposure to Sub-Lethal Cadmium Doses

The impact of chronic cadmium exposure and slow accumulation on the occurrence and development of diabetes is controversial for human populations. Islets of Langerhans play a prominent role in the etiology of the disease, including by their ability to secrete insulin. Conversion of glucose increase into insulin secretion involves mitochondria. A rat model of pancreatic β-cells was exposed to largely sub-lethal levels of cadmium cations applied for the longest possible time. Cadmium entered cells at concentrations far below those inducing cell death and accumulated by factors reaching several hundred folds the basal level. The mitochondria reorganized in response to the challenge by favoring fission as measured by increased circularity at cadmium levels already ten-fold below the median lethal dose. However, the energy charge and respiratory flux devoted to adenosine triphosphate synthesis were only affected at the onset of cellular death. The present data indicate that mitochondria participate in the adaptation of β-cells to even a moderate cadmium burden without losing functionality, but their impairment in the long run may contribute to cellular dysfunction, when viability and β-cells mass are affected as observed in diabetes

Voluntary Physical Activity Protects from Susceptibility to Skeletal Muscle Contraction-Induced Injury But Worsens Heart Function in mdx Mice

International audienceIt is well known that inactivity/activity influences skeletal muscle physiological characteristics. However, the effects of inactivity/activity on muscle weakness and increased susceptibility to muscle contraction-induced injury have not been extensively studied in mdx mice, a murine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy with dystrophin deficiency. In the present study, we demonstrate that inactivity (ie, leg immobilization) worsened the muscle weakness and the susceptibility to contraction-induced injury in mdx mice. Inactivity also mimicked these two dystrophic features in wild-type mice. In contrast, we demonstrate that these parameters can be improved by activity (ie, voluntary wheel running) in mdx mice. Biochemical analyses indicate that the changes induced by inactivity/activity were not related to fiber-type transition but were associated with altered expression of different genes involved in fiber growth (GDF8), structure (Actg1), and calcium homeostasis (Stim1 and Jph1). However, activity reduced left ventricular function (ie, ejection and shortening fractions) in mdx, but not C57, mice. Altogether, our study suggests that muscle weakness and susceptibility to contraction-induced injury in dystrophic muscle could be attributable, at least in part, to inactivity. It also suggests that activity exerts a beneficial effect on dystrophic skeletal muscle but not on the heart