Formation of hydroxyl radicals by irradiated 1-nitronaphthalene (1NN): oxidation of hydroxyl ions and water by the 1NN triplet state

International audienceThe excited triplet state of 1-nitronaphthalene (31NN*) reacts with OH- with a second-order reaction rate constant of (1.66 ± 0.8)¥107 M-1 s-1 (m ± s). The reaction yields the ∑OH radical and the radical anion 1NN-∑. In aerated solution, the radical 1NN-∑ would react with O2 to finally produce H2O2 upon hydroperoxide/superoxide disproportionation. The photolysis of H2O2 is another potential source of ∑OH, but such a pathway would be a minor one in circumneutral (pH 6.5) or in basic solution ([OH-] = 0.3-0.5 M). The oxidation of H2O by 31NN*, with rate constant 3.8 ± 0.3 M-1 s-1, could be the main ∑OH source at pH 6.5

How different husbandry conditions influence hind-gut microbiome, cortisol level and behaviour in lambs?

The gut microbiota\u2013brain axis is a bidirectional pathway through which the brain regulates the activity of the gut and vice versa. The intestinal microbiota was proven to influence and be influenced by stressrelated responses caused by management conditions. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether different husbandry conditions in lambs influenced gut microbiome (composition and diversity), cortisol level and behaviour. Fifteen Sarda breed lambs, aged 6 months, were randomly assigned to three groups of 5 animals each: Isolation (tactile and visual isolation; 3 h/day for 8 weeks); Enriched (in group in a outdoor grassy pen with a new enrichment each week; 3 h/day for 8 weeks); Control (habitual farm environment). Every week, 2 video-recordings of 1-hour each were collected respectively during and after each treatment, and analysed using a scan sampling technique (60 scans per video). Every two weeks hair was collected from the right shoulder using a shave and re-shave method. Cortisol concentration was measured by means of an ELISA test conducted on hair samples and expressed as pg/ml. At week 8 faecal material was collected directly from the rectal ampulla and immediately frozen at 1220\ub0C until DNA extraction was performed using a QIAmp DNA Stool kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). DNA quality and quantity were assessed using a NanoDrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (NanoDrop Technologies, Wilmington, DE, USA). The microbiota of enriched animals was clearly different from the other two groups and showed lower within group variability. During treatment, only isolated sheep showed escape attempts (23% of scans during the first week) and freezing (58% of scans during the first week). In the home pen, after treatment, lambs did not show any stress-related behaviour. After one month of treatment, hair cortisol increased only in the isolated group. In conclusion, differences in microbiome could be related to the different stimulating enrichment and addition of grass on the diet. Although, from a behavioural point of view, sheep apparently habituated to the isolation, increase in cortisol levels could be related to experiencing a stressful situation

Simple and Rapid In Vivo Generation of Chromosomal Rearrangements using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

Summary Generation of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) for chromosomal translocations in the endogenous loci by a knockin strategy is lengthy and costly. The CRISPR/Cas9 system provides an innovative and flexible approach for genome engineering of genomic loci in vitro and in vivo. Here, we report the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for engineering a specific chromosomal translocation in adult mice in vivo. We designed CRISPR/Cas9 lentiviral vectors to induce cleavage of the murine endogenous Eml4 and Alk loci in order to generate the Eml4-Alk gene rearrangement recurrently found in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Intratracheal or intrapulmonary inoculation of lentiviruses induced Eml4-Alk gene rearrangement in lung cells in vivo. Genomic and mRNA sequencing confirmed the genome editing and the production of the Eml4-Alk fusion transcript. All mice developed Eml4-Alk -rearranged lung tumors 2 months after the inoculation, demonstrating that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is a feasible and simple method for the generation of chromosomal rearrangements in vivo

U-Pb dating of Ordovician felsic volcanism in the Schistose Domain of the Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone near Cabo Ortegal (NW Spain)

The northern termination of the Schistose Domain of the Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone is a tectonic slice named the Rio Baio Thrust Sheet, which is sandwiched between the Cabo Ortegal Complex and the Ollo de Sapo Domain of the Central-Iberian Zone. The Rio Baio Thrust Sheet is formed by two volcanosedimentary series, the Loiba and the Queiroga Series. The Loiba Series contains calc-alkaline dacite and rhyolite, while the overlying Queiroga Series has alkaline rhyolite. These series were considered to be in stratigraphically upwards continuity and believed to be Silurian in age. U-Pb dating of an alkaline rhyolite in the Queiroga Series provides an Arenig age of 475 ± 2 Ma. This age makes the Queiroga Series the oldest known stratigraphic unit in the Schistose Domain of the Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone, impeding correlation between the lithostratigraphic sequences of Ortegal and Central Galicia. As well as providing evidence of an unforeseen structural complexity within the Rio Baio Sheet, the new data supports the notion that the Schistose Domain is not parautochtonous, but a separate lithotectonic unit in thrust contact with the underlying Central-Iberian Zone