Overexpression of glycosylated proteins in cervical cancer recognized by the Machaerocereus eruca agglutinin

In cervical cancer, glycosylation has been suggested as being involved in both its carcinogenesis andinvasive capacity. In this work, we analyzed mucin type O-glycosylation in biopsies of invasive cervical cancer inFIGO stage II B through histochemistry using lectins specific for O-glycosidically linked glycans. Our resultsreveal that the lectin Machaerocereus eruca (MeA, specific for Gal in a Fuca1,2 (GalNAca1,3) Galb1,4) showedincreased recognition of tumoral cells and tumoral stroma tissue compared to other lectins with similar specificity;healthy cervical tissue was negative for MeA. Trypsin treatment of recognized tissues abolished MeA’s recognition;moreover, interaction of MeA was inhibited with oligosaccharides from mucin. As demonstrated byWestern blot of 2-D electrophoresis, MeA recognized ten glycoproteins in the range from 122 to 42 kDa incervical cancer lysates. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the MeAs’ recognized peptides revealed that the lattermatched mainly with the amino acid sequences of lamin A/C, vimentin, elongation factor 2, keratin 1, and betaactin. Our results suggest that MeA recognizes a complex of over-expressed O-glycosidically-linked proteins thatplay a relevant role in cervical cancer’s invasive capacity. O-glycosylation participates in the disassembly of intercellularjunctions favoring cancer progression.In cervical cancer, glycosylation has been suggested as being involved in both its carcinogenesis andinvasive capacity. In this work, we analyzed mucin type O-glycosylation in biopsies of invasive cervical cancer inFIGO stage II B through histochemistry using lectins specific for O-glycosidically linked glycans. Our resultsreveal that the lectin Machaerocereus eruca (MeA, specific for Gal in a Fuca1,2 (GalNAca1,3) Galb1,4) showedincreased recognition of tumoral cells and tumoral stroma tissue compared to other lectins with similar specificity;healthy cervical tissue was negative for MeA. Trypsin treatment of recognized tissues abolished MeA’s recognition;moreover, interaction of MeA was inhibited with oligosaccharides from mucin. As demonstrated byWestern blot of 2-D electrophoresis, MeA recognized ten glycoproteins in the range from 122 to 42 kDa incervical cancer lysates. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the MeAs’ recognized peptides revealed that the lattermatched mainly with the amino acid sequences of lamin A/C, vimentin, elongation factor 2, keratin 1, and betaactin. Our results suggest that MeA recognizes a complex of over-expressed O-glycosidically-linked proteins thatplay a relevant role in cervical cancer’s invasive capacity. O-glycosylation participates in the disassembly of intercellularjunctions favoring cancer progression

Genotyping, sequencing and analysis of 140,000 adults from Mexico City

The Mexico City Prospective Study is a prospective cohort of more than 150,000 adults recruited two decades ago from the urban districts of Coyoacán and Iztapalapa in Mexico City1. Here we generated genotype and exome-sequencing data for all individuals and whole-genome sequencing data for 9,950 selected individuals. We describe high levels of relatedness and substantial heterogeneity in ancestry composition across individuals. Most sequenced individuals had admixed Indigenous American, European and African ancestry, with extensive admixture from Indigenous populations in central, southern and southeastern Mexico. Indigenous Mexican segments of the genome had lower levels of coding variation but an excess of homozygous loss-of-function variants compared with segments of African and European origin. We estimated ancestry-specific allele frequencies at 142 million genomic variants, with an effective sample size of 91,856 for Indigenous Mexican ancestry at exome variants, all available through a public browser. Using whole-genome sequencing, we developed an imputation reference panel that outperforms existing panels at common variants in individuals with high proportions of central, southern and southeastern Indigenous Mexican ancestry. Our work illustrates the value of genetic studies in diverse populations and provides foundational imputation and allele frequency resources for future genetic studies in Mexico and in the United States, where the Hispanic/Latino population is predominantly of Mexican descent

Amplified Genes May Be Overexpressed, Unchanged, or Downregulated in Cervical Cancer Cell Lines

Several copy number-altered regions (CNAs) have been identified in the genome of cervical cancer, notably, amplifications of 3q and 5p. However, the contribution of copy-number alterations to cervical carcinogenesis is unresolved because genome-wide there exists a lack of correlation between copy-number alterations and gene expression. In this study, we investigated whether CNAs in the cell lines CaLo, CaSki, HeLa, and SiHa were associated with changes in gene expression. On average, 19.2% of the cell-line genomes had CNAs. However, only 2.4% comprised minimal recurrent regions (MRRs) common to all the cell lines. Whereas 3q had limited common gains (13%), 5p was entirely duplicated recurrently. Genome-wide, only 15.6% of genes located in CNAs changed gene expression; in contrast, the rate in MRRs was up to 3 times this. Chr 5p was confirmed entirely amplified by FISH; however, maximum 33.5% of the explored genes in 5p were deregulated. In 3q, this rate was 13.4%. Even in 3q26, which had 5 MRRs and 38.7% recurrently gained SNPs, the rate was only 15.1%. Interestingly, up to 19% of deregulated genes in 5p and 73% in 3q26 were downregulated, suggesting additional factors were involved in gene repression. The deregulated genes in 3q and 5p occurred in clusters, suggesting local chromatin factors may also influence gene expression. In regions amplified discontinuously, downregulated genes increased steadily as the number of amplified SNPs increased (p<0.01, Spearman's correlation). Therefore, partial gene amplification may function in silencing gene expression. Additional genes in 1q, 3q and 5p could be involved in cervical carcinogenesis, specifically in apoptosis. These include PARP1 in 1q, TNFSF10 and ECT2 in 3q and CLPTM1L, AHRR, PDCD6, and DAP in 5p. Overall, gene expression and copy-number profiles reveal factors other than gene dosage, like epigenetic or chromatin domains, may influence gene expression within the entirely amplified genome segments

Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Womersley, F. C., Humphries, N. E., Queiroz, N., Vedor, M., da Costa, I., Furtado, M., Tyminski, J. P., Abrantes, K., Araujo, G., Bach, S. S., Barnett, A., Berumen, M. L., Bessudo Lion, S., Braun, C. D., Clingham, E., Cochran, J. E. M., de la Parra, R., Diamant, S., Dove, A. D. M., Dudgeon, C. L., Erdmann, M. V., Espinoza, E., Fitzpatrick, R., González Cano, J., Green, J. R., Guzman, H. M., Hardenstine, R., Hasan, A., Hazin, F. H. V., Hearn, A. R., Hueter, R. E., Jaidah, M. Y., Labaja, J., Ladinol, F., Macena, B. C. L., Morris Jr., J. J., Norman, B. M., Peñaherrera-Palmav, C., Pierce, S. J., Quintero, L. M., Ramırez-Macías, D., Reynolds, S. D., Richardson, A. J., Robinson, D. P., Rohner, C. A., Rowat, D. R. L., Sheaves, M., Shivji, M. S., Sianipar, A. B., Skomal, G. B., Soler, G., Syakurachman, I., Thorrold, S. R., Webb, D. H., Wetherbee, B. M., White, T. D., Clavelle, T., Kroodsma, D. A., Thums, M., Ferreira, L. C., Meekan, M. G., Arrowsmith, L. M., Lester, E. K., Meyers, M. M., Peel, L. R., Sequeira, A. M. M., Eguıluz, V. M., Duarte, C. M., & Sims, D. W. Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(20), (2022): e2117440119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117440119.Marine traffic is increasing globally yet collisions with endangered megafauna such as whales, sea turtles, and planktivorous sharks go largely undetected or unreported. Collisions leading to mortality can have population-level consequences for endangered species. Hence, identifying simultaneous space use of megafauna and shipping throughout ranges may reveal as-yet-unknown spatial targets requiring conservation. However, global studies tracking megafauna and shipping occurrences are lacking. Here we combine satellite-tracked movements of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, and vessel activity to show that 92% of sharks’ horizontal space use and nearly 50% of vertical space use overlap with persistent large vessel (>300 gross tons) traffic. Collision-risk estimates correlated with reported whale shark mortality from ship strikes, indicating higher mortality in areas with greatest overlap. Hotspots of potential collision risk were evident in all major oceans, predominantly from overlap with cargo and tanker vessels, and were concentrated in gulf regions, where dense traffic co-occurred with seasonal shark movements. Nearly a third of whale shark hotspots overlapped with the highest collision-risk areas, with the last known locations of tracked sharks coinciding with busier shipping routes more often than expected. Depth-recording tags provided evidence for sinking, likely dead, whale sharks, suggesting substantial “cryptic” lethal ship strikes are possible, which could explain why whale shark population declines continue despite international protection and low fishing-induced mortality. Mitigation measures to reduce ship-strike risk should be considered to conserve this species and other ocean giants that are likely experiencing similar impacts from growing global vessel traffic.Funding for data analysis was provided by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through a University of Southampton INSPIRE DTP PhD Studentship to F.C.W. Additional funding for data analysis was provided by NERC Discovery Science (NE/R00997/X/1) and the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-2019 883583 OCEAN DEOXYFISH) to D.W.S., Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under PTDC/BIA/28855/2017 and COMPETE POCI-01–0145-FEDER-028855, and MARINFO–NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000031 (funded by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program [NORTE2020] under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund–ERDF) to N.Q. FCT also supported N.Q. (CEECIND/02857/2018) and M.V. (PTDC/BIA-COM/28855/2017). D.W.S. was supported by a Marine Biological Association Senior Research Fellowship. All tagging procedures were approved by institutional ethical review bodies and complied with all relevant ethical regulations in the jurisdictions in which they were performed. Details for individual research teams are given in SI Appendix, section 8. Full acknowledgments for tagging and field research are given in SI Appendix, section 7. This research is part of the Global Shark Movement Project (https://www.globalsharkmovement.org)

Global Spatial Risk Assessment of Sharks Under the Footprint of Fisheries

Effective ocean management and conservation of highly migratory species depends on resolving overlap between animal movements and distributions and fishing effort. Yet, this information is lacking at a global scale. Here we show, using a big-data approach combining satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and global fishing fleets, that 24% of the mean monthly space used by sharks falls under the footprint of pelagic longline fisheries. Space use hotspots of commercially valuable sharks and of internationally protected species had the highest overlap with longlines (up to 76% and 64%, respectively) and were also associated with significant increases in fishing effort. We conclude that pelagic sharks have limited spatial refuge from current levels of high-seas fishing effort. Results demonstrate an urgent need for conservation and management measures at high-seas shark hotspots and highlight the potential of simultaneous satellite surveillance of megafauna and fishers as a tool for near-real time, dynamic management

Actualidad y prospectiva de la investigación científica en el Centro Universitario Amecameca de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

Con responsabilidad, se organizó un programa cuya finalidad fuera publicitar con transparencia dichos avances, a través de un esfuerzo de rendición de cuentas a la comunidad inmediata, la universitaria, y a la comunidad abierta, la sociedad que la principal referencia para tal efecto. El programa se concretiza a través del presente libro, conformado con una inspiración de investigación multidisciplinaria; sin embargo, para llegar a tal fin, el reto es realizar el proceso de búsqueda y generación de conocimiento transitando hacia la colaboración de los cuerpos académicos, que puedan construir nuevos conocimientos fortalecidos por la convergencia de diferentes campos del saber. En consecuencia, la primera etapa de esta estrategia es la publicidad de los trabajos investigativos ejercidos, para hacer un balance al día, pero también proyectar el futuro de cada campo y área del conocimiento. La organización explicativa está organizada por tres bloques representativos del quehacer en la generación de conocimiento del Centro Universitario, un primer bloque centra el interés en las humanidades, educación y sustentabilidad; el segundo bloque lo integra la reflexión científica sobre la construcción democrática, derechos humanos y equidad de género; en el tercer segmento se destina a la seguridad alimentaria, salud pública y sistemas agropecuarios. La actualidad de la investigación eleva la producción lograda y lo que en el momento se encuentra en construcción y los alcances que produce para la docencia, la investigación misma, y para la sociedad en general. La prospectiva es un área que todos los capítulos desarrollan con el propósito de delinear los alcances innovadores por andar en teoría, metodología e incluso en los saberes mismo

Vacunas terapéuticas recombinantes contra el cáncer del cuello uterino Recombinant therapeutic vaccines against invasive cervical cancer

Durante el desarrollo del cáncer cervicouterino se inducen mecanismos para evadir el sistema inmune, como son la disminución de la expresión de moléculas de antígeno mayor de histocompatibilidad I y la secreción de citocinas por las células tumorales. Como consecuencia de ello, la estimulación de linfocitos T citotóxicos (LTC) y cooperadores (TC), de células asesinas naturales (AN) y macrófagos es muy deficiente. Para inducir una respuesta inmune efectiva contra el tumor, se requiere la estimulación simultánea de múltiples componentes del sistema inmune: por vía sistémica la estimulación de LTC y TC contra epítopos del virus del papiloma humano, y en un nivel local, la inducción de la secreción de citocinas por el tumor, para aumentar el procesamiento y la presentación de blancos tumorales, así como la estimulación de los linfocitos, AN y macrófagos que infiltran el tumor.<br>Several mechanisms to evade the immune system are induced during cervical cancer development, including the decrease of expression of class I HLA molecules and secretion of specific cytokines by tumoral cells. Consequently, the stimulation of cytotoxic (CTL) and helper (TH) T lymphocytes, as well as the natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages is very poor. The induction of immune response against tumors needs the stimulation of multiple components of the immune system: systemic stimulation of CTL and TH against Human Papilloma Virus epitopes and directly in the tumor the secretion of specific cytokines to increase the antigen processing and presentation of tumoral targets, and the stimulation of lymphocyte, NK cells and macrophages that infiltrate tumors

Vacunas terapéuticas recombinantes contra el cáncer del cuello uterino

Durante el desarrollo del cáncer cervicouterino se inducen mecanismos para evadir el sistema inmune, como son la disminución de la expresión de moléculas de antígeno mayor de histocompatibilidad I y la secreción de citocinas por las células tumorales. Como consecuencia de ello, la estimulación de linfocitos T citotóxicos (LTC) y cooperadores (TC), de células asesinas naturales (AN) y macrófagos es muy deficiente. Para inducir una respuesta inmune efectiva contra el tumor, se requiere la estimulación simultánea de múltiples componentes del sistema inmune: por vía sistémica la estimulación de LTC y TC contra epítopos del virus del papiloma humano, y en un nivel local, la inducción de la secreción de citocinas por el tumor, para aumentar el procesamiento y la presentación de blancos tumorales, así como la estimulación de los linfocitos, AN y macrófagos que infiltran el tumor