ARA, a novel ABC transporter, is located at 16p13.1, is deleted in inv(16) leukemias, & is shown to be expressed in primitive hematopoietic precursors.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC), ATP-dependent transporters are a large superfamily of proteins that include the multidrug resistance proteins, P-glycoprotein and MRP (multidrug resistance protein). The ARA (anthracycline resistance-associated) gene that codes for a putative member of the ABC transporters has recently been cloned and shown to have high sequence homology to the gene for MRP. We have previously shown MRP to be deleted in a subset of inv(16) leukemic patients. The deletion of MRP was associated with an improved patient survival compared with inv(16) patients who did not have such a deletion. In this study, the ARA gene is mapped to 16p13.1, in the same physical interval as the inv(16) short-arm breakpoint. It is shown to be situated proximal to both MYH11, the gene involved in the primary breakpoint on the short arm of the inv(16), and MRP. A YAC clone has been isolated containing both MRP and ARA. FISH analysis of metaphase chromosomes from inv(16) patients has established the gene order as telomere-MYH11-MRP-ARA-centromere and demonstrated that both ARA and MRP are deleted in a subgroup of the inv(16) leukemias. ARA and MRP are both shown to be expressed in normal hematopoietic precursors including CD34(+) cells. The mapping of ARA to this region and its homology to MRP raises questions about its potential role in the biology of the inv(16) leukemias.B.J Kuss, G.M O'Neill, H Eyre, N.A Doggett, D.F Callen, R.A Dave

DarkSide: Latest results and future perspectives

International audienceDarkSide is direct-detection dark-matter experimental project based on radiopure argon. The main goal of the DarkSide program is the detection of rare nuclear elastic collisions with hypothetical dark-matter particles. The present detector, DarkSide-50, placed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), is a dualphase time projection chamber (TPC) filled with ultra-pure liquid argon, extracted from underground sources. Surrounding the TPC to suppress the background there are neutron and muon active vetoes. One of argon key features is the capability to distinguish between electron and nuclear recoils, exploiting the different shapes of the signals. DarkSide-50 new results, obtained using a live-days exposure of 532.4 days, are presented. This analysis sets a 90% C.L. upper limit on the dark matternucleon spin-independent cross-section of 1.1 × 10−44 cm2 for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV/c2. The next phase of the project, DarkSide-20k, will be a new detector with a fiducial mass of ∼ 20 tons, equipped with cryogenic silicon photomultipliers (SiPM)

New Physics Results from DarkSide-50

International audienceDarkSide-50 is dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber designed for WIMP search and installed at Gran Sasso underground laboratory. We present new constraints on dark matter particles scattering off nuclei and electrons from a 532.4 live-days exposure

Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger

International audienceOn 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of $\sim 1.7\,{\rm{s}}$ with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg(2) at a luminosity distance of ${40}_{-8}^{+8}$ Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 $\,{M}_{\odot }$. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at $\sim 40\,{\rm{Mpc}}$) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One-Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ∼10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position $\sim 9$ and $\sim 16$ days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC 4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta