Cis-Acting Relaxases Guarantee Independent Mobilization of MOBQ4 Plasmids

Plasmids are key vehicles of horizontal gene transfer and contribute greatly to bacterial genome plasticity. In this work, we studied a group of plasmids from enterobacteria that encode phylogenetically related mobilization functions that populate the previously non-described MOBQ4 relaxase family. These plasmids encode two transfer genes: mobA coding for the MOBQ4 relaxase; and mobC, which is non-essential but enhances the plasmid mobilization frequency. The origin of transfer is located between these two divergently transcribed mob genes. We found that MPFI conjugative plasmids were the most efficient helpers for MOBQ4 conjugative dissemination among clinically relevant enterobacteria. While highly similar in their mobilization module, two sub-groups with unrelated replicons (Rep_3 and ColE2) can be distinguished in this plasmid family. These subgroups can stably coexist (are compatible) and transfer independently, despite origin-of-transfer cross-recognition by their relaxases. Specific discrimination among their highly similar oriT sequences is guaranteed by the preferential cis activity of the MOBQ4 relaxases. Such a strategy would be biologically relevant in a scenario of co-residence of non-divergent elements to favor self-dissemination.Funding: This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BFU2017-86378-P, AEI/FEDER, UE, to FC) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (201820I143 to MG-B). We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

A decision support tool for planning biowaste management systems

ABSTRACT: Biowaste is one of the predominant fractions in municipal waste. Its easy degradation in the ground causes the emission of polluting gases and generates leachate, which pose a great environmental risk. Defining solutions for biowaste management may have a number of varied, sometimes opposing objectives, and involve several linked stages. This article presents a new tool for the planning of biowaste management systems. The tool distinguishes four stages within the waste management line: collection (defined by the separation model and the collection system), pre-treatment, treatment, and application. Several alternatives are considered for each stage. The different combinations of alternatives that define the management systems are evaluated in two phases. First, the compatibility matrix establishes the affinity between the alternatives selected for each stage and then each alternative is assessed using indicators associated with environmental, social, technical and economic criteria. Both management alternatives and criteria considered in the tool can be modified or extended according to the local circumstances. The paper describes a case study that shows the value of the tool as an aid in decision-making for alternative selection in waste management systems under different scenarios and priorities

Stability of Switched Linear Discrete-Time Descriptor Systems with Explicit Calculation of a Common Quadratic Lyapunov Sequence

Abstract-In this paper, the stability of a switched linear regular descriptor system is considered. It will be shown that if a certain simultaneous triangularization condition on the subsystems is fulfilled and all the subsystems are stable then the switched system is stable under arbitrary switching. The result involves different descriptor matrices and extends to the singular case well-known results from the standard one. Furthermore, an explicit construction of a common Lyapunov sequence for a set of discrete-time regular linear descriptor subsystems is performed. The main novelty of the proposed approach is that the common Lyapunov sequence can be easily computed in comparison with previous works which either presented computationally-demanding methods or did not construct the common Lyapunov sequence explicitly

Epigenetic loss of RNA‑methyltransferase NSUN5 in glioma targets ribosomes to drive stress adaptive translational program

Tumors have aberrant proteomes that often do not match their corresponding transcriptome profiles. One possible cause of this discrepancy is the existence of aberrant RNA modification landscapes in the so-called epitranscriptome. Here, we report that human glioma cells undergo DNA methylation-associated epigenetic silencing of NSUN5, a candidate RNA methyltransferase for 5-methylcytosine. In this setting, NSUN5 exhibits tumor-suppressor characteristics in vivo glioma models. We also found that NSUN5 loss generates an unmethylated status at the C3782 position of 28S rRNA that drives an overall depletion of protein synthesis, and leads to the emergence of an adaptive translational program for survival under conditions of cellular stress. Interestingly, NSUN5 epigenetic inactivation also renders these gliomas sensitive to bioactivatable substrates of the stress-related enzyme NQO1. Most importantly, NSUN5 epigenetic inactivation is a hallmark of glioma patients with long-term survival for this otherwise devastating disease

Epigenetic loss of RNA-methyltransferase NSUN5 in glioma targets ribosomes to drive a stress adaptive translational program

Altres ajuts: This work was supported by the Obra Social "La Caixa" (to M. Esteller).Tumors have aberrant proteomes that often do not match their corresponding transcriptome profiles. One possible cause of this discrepancy is the existence of aberrant RNA modification landscapes in the so-called epitranscriptome. Here, we report that human glioma cells undergo DNA methylation-associated epigenetic silencing of NSUN5, a candidate RNA methyltransferase for 5-methylcytosine. In this setting, NSUN5 exhibits tumor-suppressor characteristics in vivo glioma models. We also found that NSUN5 loss generates an unmethylated status at the C3782 position of 28S rRNA that drives an overall depletion of protein synthesis, and leads to the emergence of an adaptive translational program for survival under conditions of cellular stress. Interestingly, NSUN5 epigenetic inactivation also renders these gliomas sensitive to bioactivatable substrates of the stress-related enzyme NQO1. Most importantly, NSUN5 epigenetic inactivation is a hallmark of glioma patients with long-term survival for this otherwise devastating disease

Forage Consumption and Its Effects on the Performance of Growing Swine-Discussed in Relation to European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) in Semi-Extensive Systems: A Review

Due to its distinct properties, wild boar meat is considered a highly desirable consumer product, in a market that is expanding. Outdoor production is also favoured by consumers who value animal welfare and environmental sustainability when choosing meat products. There is evidence that farms that include pasture for grazing typically have reduced feeding costs. Such production systems can also be more environmentally sustainable as the input (pasture) is inedible to humans, compared to conventional indoor systems, which use human-edible feeds (e.g., soya). However, some wild boar farms have performed poorly compared to those rearing other swine such as hybrid wild boar and domestic pigs. Diet is central to all livestock production and is likely a significant influencing factor of wild boar performance, both in terms of forage consumption and nutritional composition. Other factors may also influence performance, such as weather, behaviour and grazing management. Wild boar production systems hold their own intrinsic value in a growing marketplace. However, information gathered through the study of wild boar has external applications in informing outdoor domestic pig production systems to encourage the use of pasture as part of the habitat of domestic pigs

Caracterización del cambio en la regulación hídrica y la oferta potencial de servicios ecosistémicos, asociado al establecimiento de infraestructura hidráulica. Caso de estudio: Complejo de Humedales de Ayapel

RESUMEN: A lo largo de los años, en su proceso de adaptación el ser humano ha desarrollado infraestructura hidráulica que le ha permitido el manejo y aprovechamiento de los recursos hídricos, sin embargo, a pesar de los beneficios, esta infraestructura genera transformaciones en los ecosistemas donde tienen lugar; en los humedales por ejemplo, pueden alterar la configuración y las dinámicas hídricas y a su vez tener repercusiones negativas e incluso producir cambios irreversibles en la estructura y funcionamiento del humedal. Teniendo en cuenta que éstos son los ecosistemas más productivos del mundo y son parte integrante del régimen hidrológico local se evidencia la necesidad de ampliar el entendimiento de cómo la infraestructura hidráulica afecta el funcionamiento hidrológico y de qué manera estos cambios condicionan los servicios ecosistémicos que se le asocian, para que esta información resulte útil en el manejo y gestión de estos ecosistemas. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo sintetizar los efectos que genera la inserción o existencia de infraestructura hidráulica sobre el funcionamiento hidrológico de los humedales y sus repercusiones en la oferta potencial de los servicios ecosistémicos de abastecimiento conexos, teniendo en cuenta las implicaciones que tienen estos ecosistemas estratégicos en los aspectos socioculturales y económicos; para lo cual se hizo una revisión sistemática de literatura que comprendió 159 ítems entre textos académicos y documentación oficial (de los cuales 67 de ellos ayudaron a cumplir los objetivos específicos), este proceso se dividió en tres fases; la primera buscó comprender el funcionamiento hidrológico de los humedales, posteriormente se describieron los cambios hidrológicos que resultan por la instauración o existencia de canales, terraplenes, diques y/o embalses y, en la tercera fase se identificó la incidencia de las transformaciones en las dinámicas hídricas y sus cambios sobre los servicios de abastecimiento. A partir de la revisión de literatura se pudo identificar que la instauración de al menos un tipo de infraestructura hidráulica en un humedal altera (directa o indirectamente) el régimen hidrológico local o regional, a través de los cambios inducidos en, por lo menos, una de las funciones hidrológicas, y esto a su vez genera cambios en las condiciones de la oferta potencial de diferentes servicios de abastecimiento -los cuales pueden ocurrir simultáneamente-; por ejemplo, se encontró que la alteración del funcionamiento hidrológico potencia la oferta el cultivo de plantas terrestres y la cría de animales acuáticos, ambos utilizados para la nutrición, la obtención de materiales o energía y, paralelamente representa un problema para otros servicios de abastecimiento como la oferta de animales acuáticos silvestres. De acuerdo a la literatura, es complejo establecer una tendencia de cambio general para la oferta potencial de servicios de abastecimiento ante los cambios hidrológicos -causados por la infraestructura hidráulica-, ya que la respuesta de esa oferta está condicionada a los contextos socio-ecológicos. Por último, se contrastó la información encontrada de la sistematización de literatura con el caso de estudio del Complejo de Humedales de Ayapel, identificando al Dique Marginal del río Cauca como una infraestructura hidráulica clave por su influencia sobre el área de estudio y, tomando como referencia al evento de inundación del año 2010, resultante del rompimiento del Dique Marginal, los resultados comprobaron la relación y el condicionamiento del funcionamiento hidrológico frente a los servicios de abastecimiento conexos. Estos resultados dan cuenta de la necesidad de ampliar la investigación en las sinergias e intercambios (trade-offs) entre funciones hidrológicas y los servicios ecosistémicos de abastecimiento. Asimismo, es esencial que el manejo y gestión de los ecosistemas de humedal se aborde desde una perspectiva sistémica y holística; por tanto, es necesario profundizar más en este tipo de estudios desde diferentes ramas de la ciencia y la tecnología que permitan integrar a la comunidad para conocer y proveer información más detallada de las implicaciones socio-ecológicas que tiene el desarrollo de este tipo de intervenciones a diferentes escalas y de esta manera tomar mejores decisiones, basados en un panorama que permita satisfacer las necesidades no solo de carácter económico sino también social, cultural y ambiental

Comparative analysis of MOBQ4 plasmids demonstrates that MOBQ is a cis-acting-enriched relaxase protein family

Resumen del trabajo presentado en el 41 Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular SEBBM, celebrado en Santander (España) del 10 al 13 de septiembre de 2018.A group of small putatively-mobilizable plasmids is increasingly being re- ported in epidemiology surveys of enterobacteria. Some of them encode colicins, while others are cryptic. All of them encode a relaxase belonging to a previously non-described MOB subfamily, MOBQ4. While highly simi- lar in their mobilization module, two subfamilies with unrelated replicons can be distinguished, MOBQ41 and MOBQ42. The members of two subfa- milies were compatible and stably maintained in E. coli. MOBQ4 plasmids were mobilized by conjugation. They contained two transfer genes, mobA coding for the MOBQ4 relaxase and mobC, which was non-essential but enhanced the plasmid mobilization frequency. The origin of transfer was located between these two divergently transcribed mob genes. MPFI con- jugative plasmids were the most efficient helpers for MOBQ4 conjugative transmission. No interference in mobilization was observed when both MOBQ41 and MOBQ42 were present in the same donor cell. Remarkably, MOBQ4 relaxases exhibited a cis-acting preference for their oriTs, a featu- re already observed for other MOBQ plasmids. These findings indicate that MOBQ4 plasmids can spread among enterobacteria aided by coresident IncI1, IncK and IncL/M plasmids, while ensuring their self-dissemination over highly-related elements