IL-15 enhances HIV-1 infection by promoting survival and proliferation of CCR5+CD4+ T cells

HIV-1 usually utilizes CCR5 as its coreceptor and rarely switches to a CXCR4-tropic virus until the late stage of infection. CCR5+CD4+ T cells are the major virus-producing cells in viremic individuals as well as SIV-infected nonhuman primates. The differentiation of CCR5+CD4+ T cells is associated with the availability of IL-15, which increases during acute HIV-1 infection. Here, we report that CCR5 was expressed by CD4+ T cells exhibiting effector or effector memory phenotypes with high expression levels of the IL-2/IL-15 receptor common β and γ chains. IL-15, but not IL-7, improved the survival of CCR5+CD4+ T cells, drove their expansion, and facilitated HIV-1 infection in vitro and in humanized mice. Our study suggests that IL-15 plays confounding roles in HIV-1 infection, and future studies on the IL-15-based boosting of anti-HIV-1 immunity should carefully examine the potential effects on the expansion of HIV-1 reservoirs in CCR5+CD4+ T cells

FAssem : FPGA based Acceleration of De Novo Genome Assembly

International audienceNext generation sequencing technologies produce large amounts of data at very low cost. They produce short reads of DNA fragments. These fragments have many overlaps, lots of repeats and may also include sequencing errors. The assembly process involves merging these sequences to form the original sequences. In recent years many software programs have been developed for this purpose. All of them take significant amount of time to execute. Velvet is a commonly used de novo assembly program. We propose a method to reduce the overall time for assembly by using pre-processing of the short read data on FPGAs and processing its output using Velvet. We show significant speed-ups with slight or no compromise on the quality of the assembled output

Identification of a Small Molecule Inhibitor of Bacterial AraC Family Activators

Protein members of the AraC family of bacterial transcriptional activators have great promise as targets for the development of novel antibacterial agents. Here, we describe an in vivo high throughput screen to identify inhibitors of the AraC family activator protein RhaS. The screen used two E. coli reporter fusions; one to identify potential RhaS inhibitors, and a second to eliminate non-specific inhibitors from consideration. One compound with excellent selectivity, OSSL_051168, was chosen for further study. OSSL_051168 inhibited in vivo transcription activation by the RhaS DNA-binding domain to the same extent as the full-length protein, indicating that this domain was the target of its inhibition. Growth curves showed that OSSL_051168 did not impact bacterial cell growth at the concentrations used in this study. In vitro DNA binding assays with purified protein suggest that OSSL_051168 inhibits DNA binding by RhaS. In addition, we found that it inhibits DNA binding by a second AraC family protein, RhaR, which shares 30% amino acid identity with RhaS. OSSL_051168 did not have a significant impact on DNA binding by the non-AraC family proteins CRP and LacI, suggesting that the inhibition is likely specific for RhaS, RhaR, and possibly additional AraC family activator proteins

On the electronic properties of GaSb irradiated with reactor neutrons and its charge neutrality level

The electronic properties and the limiting position of the Fermi level in p-GaSb crystals irradiated with full-spectrum reactor neutrons at up to a fluence of 8.6 × 1018 cm−2 are studied. It is shown that the irradiation of GaSb with reactor neutrons results in an increase in the concentration of free holes to p lim = (5−6) × 1018 cm−3 and in pinning of the Fermi level at the limiting position F lim close to E V + 0.02 eV at 300 K. The effect of the annealing of radiation defects in the temperature range 100–550°C is explored

Sexual Knowledge and Sexual Attitudes towards Premarital Sexual Intentions of High School Adolescents

Abstract: Adolescence is a transition period between childhood and adulthood. Young people are usually very curious. This study aims to determine whether sexual knowledge and attitudes are related to premarital sexual intentions among teenagers in Kupang City. This study uses a type of quantitative sample research using probability sampling methods. This study was conducted on high school youth in Kupang City with a total population of 3351 people with a sample of 283 subjects. The measurement used a modified knowledge scale from Reinisch, J (1990), attitude to behavior scale using the adaptation scale from Adhikara (2017), and the sexual intention scale using the adaptation scale from planned behavior theory tested by YSI-Q (2017). Data analysis using the Spearman correlation technique. Based on the results of the research data analysis, it was found that sexual intentions are not related to sexual knowledge but that sexual intentions are related to attitudes towards behavior. Abstrak: Masa remaja merupakan masa transisi antara masa kanak-kanak dan masa dewasa. Remaja umumnya memiliki rasa ingin tahu yang tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah pengetahuan seksual dan sikap seksual berhubungan terhadap niat seksual pranikah pada remaja SMA di Kota Kupang. Penelitian ini menggunakan jenis penelitian kuantitatif dengan pemgambilan sampel menggunakan metode probability sampling. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada remaja SMA di Kota Kupang dengan populasi dengan total 3351 dengan sampel penelitian sebanyak 283 subjek. Pengukuran menggunakan skala pengetahuan  yang dimodifikasi dari Reinisch, J (1990), skala sikap terhadap perilaku menggunakan skala adaptasi dari Adhikara (2017) dan skala niat seksual menggunakan skala adaptasi dari theory planned behavior yang diuji coba oleh YSI-Q (2017). Analisis data menggunakan teknik korelasi spearman. Berdasarkan hasil analisi data penelitian, diperoleh bahwa niat seksual tidak berhubungan dengan pengetahuan seksual tetapi niat seksual berhubungan dengan sikap terhadap perilak

Epitaxial Self-Assembly of Interfaces of 2D Metal–Organic Frameworks for Electroanalytical Detection of Neurotransmitters

This paper identifies the electrochemical properties of individual facets of anisotropic layered conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on M3(2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene)2 (M3(HHTP)2) (M = Co, Ni). The electroanalytical advantages of each facet are then applied toward the electrochemical detection of neurochemicals. By employing epitaxially controlled deposition of M3(HHTP)2 MOFs on electrodes, the contribution of the basal plane ({001} facets) and edge sites ({100} facets) of these MOFs can be individually determined using electrochemical characterization techniques. Despite having a lower observed heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, the {001} facets of the M3(HHTP)2 systems prove more selective and sensitive for the detection of dopamine than the {100} facets of the same MOF, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 9.9 ± 2 nM in phosphate-buffered saline and 214 ± 48 nM in a simulated cerebrospinal fluid. Langmuir isotherm studies accompanied by all-atom MD simulations suggested that the observed improvement in performance and selectivity is related to the adsorption characteristics of analytes on the basal plane versus edge sites of the MOF interfaces. This work establishes that the distinct crystallographic facets of 2D MOFs can be used to control the fundamental interactions between analyte and electrode, leading to tunable electrochemical properties by controlling their preferential orientation through self-assembly

Molecular-genetic aspects of the endometrium state on the day of the tentative implantation window in women with recurrent miscarriage in the programs of assisted reproductive technologies

Golovatyuk K. P., Nosenko O. M., Makshayeva E. T., Trofimov D. Yu., Donnikov A. E., Kolin V. V. Molecular-genetic aspects of the endometrium state on the day of the tentative implantation window in women with recurrent miscarriage in the programs of assisted reproductive technologies. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(9):621-626. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1068361 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5076 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 15.08.2017. Revised: 20.09.2017. Accepted: 29.09.2017. MOLECULAR-GENETIC ASPECTS OF THE ENDOMETRIUM STATE ON THE DAY OF THE tentative IMPLANTATION WINDOW IN WOMEN WITH recurrent miscarriage IN THE PROGRAMS OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES 1K. P. Golovatyuk, 2O. M. Nosenko, 1E. T. Makshayeva, 3D. Yu. Trofimov, 4A. E. Donnikov, 3V. V. Kolin 1Limited Liability Company Medical Center for Reproductive Health "Gameta", Odessa, Ukraine; 2Odessa National Medical University, Ukraine; 3Limited Liability Company "NPF DNA-Technology", Moscow, Russia; 4FGBU Scientific Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology. named after acad. V.I. Kulakov Ministry of Health care and Social Development of Russia, Moscow, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract More than 50% of pregnant women after the programs of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) face the problem of recurrent miscarriage (RMC), especially in the first trimester. Significant role in the development of RMC has infectious factor and chronic inflammation in the endometrium. The aim: to reveal the peculiarities of immune response mRNA genes of the inflammatory component expression in the period of the tentative implantation window (TIW) in women with RMC in ART programs. Material and methods. The main group consisted of 240 patients with RMC in ART programs; the control group included 100 conditionally healthy fertile women. On the ground of PCR reverse transcription, the mRNA of the IL-1β, IL-2, IL-10, Foxp3, TLR9, IL-2Rα cytokine genes was examined in endometrial samples obtained with the help of biopsy on the TIW day. Results. Analysis of the transcriptional profile of the immune response genes in the endometrium on TIW day revealed that the relative level of mRNA expression of the IL-1β, IL-2, Foxp3, TLR9, IL-2Rα genes did not differ significantly in the main and control groups. Statistically significant decrease in mRNA expression of IL-10 gene was observed in women with RPL. Conclusions. A feature of mRNA expression of the inflammatory component of the immune response in TIW period in women with RMC in ART programs is a decrease in the expression level of the IL-10 gene mRNA, which may be one of the reasons for the unfavorable outcomes of the onset pregnancy. Key words: recurrent miscarriage, assisted reproductive technologies, immune response, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, tentative implantation window

No increase in radiation-induced chromosome aberration complexity detected by m-FISH after culture in the presence of 5’-bromodeoxyuridine

The thymidine analogue, 5’-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), is a known mutagen that is routinely introduced into culture media for subsequent Harlequin stain analysis and determination of cell cycle status. Previously, we examined the induction of chromosome aberrations in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) known to be in their 1st cell division following exposure to a low dose (0.5 Gy, average one -particle per cell) of high-LET α-particles. We found complex chromosome aberrations to be characteristic of exposure to high-LET radiation and suggested the features of complex exchange to reflect qualitatively the spatial deposition of this densely ionising radiation. To exclude the possibility that BrdU addition post-irradiation influenced the complexity of chromosomal damage observed by m-FISH, the effect of increasing BrdU concentration on aberration complexity was investigated. Comparisons between BrdU concentration (0, 10, and 40 M) and between sham- and α-particle irradiated PBL, were made both independently and in combination to enable discrimination between BrdU and high-LET radiation effects. Aberration type, size, complexity and completeness were assessed by m-FISH, and the relative progression through cell division was evaluated. We found no evidence of any qualitative difference in the complexity of damage as visualized by m-FISH but did observe an increase in the frequency of complex exchanges with increasing BrdU concentration indicative of altered cell cycle kinetics. The parameters measured here are consistent with findings from previous in vitro and in vivo work, indicating that each complex aberration visualised by m-FISH is characteristic of the structure of the high-LET α-particle track and the geometry of cell irradiated

Correlation functions quantify super-resolution images and estimate apparent clustering due to over-counting

We present an analytical method to quantify clustering in super-resolution localization images of static surfaces in two dimensions. The method also describes how over-counting of labeled molecules contributes to apparent self-clustering and how the effective lateral resolution of an image can be determined. This treatment applies to clustering of proteins and lipids in membranes, where there is significant interest in using super-resolution localization techniques to probe membrane heterogeneity. When images are quantified using pair correlation functions, the magnitude of apparent clustering due to over-counting will vary inversely with the surface density of labeled molecules and does not depend on the number of times an average molecule is counted. Over-counting does not yield apparent co-clustering in double label experiments when pair cross-correlation functions are measured. We apply our analytical method to quantify the distribution of the IgE receptor (Fc{\epsilon}RI) on the plasma membranes of chemically fixed RBL-2H3 mast cells from images acquired using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We find that apparent clustering of labeled IgE bound to Fc{\epsilon}RI detected with both methods arises from over-counting of individual complexes. Thus our results indicate that these receptors are randomly distributed within the resolution and sensitivity limits of these experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure