68 research outputs found
DAXX promotes centromeric stability independently of ATRX by preventing the accumulation of R-loop-induced DNA double-stranded breaks
Maintaining chromatin integrity at the repetitive non-coding DNA sequences underlying centromeres is crucial to prevent replicative stress, DNA breaks and genomic instability. The concerted action of transcriptional repressors, chromatin remodelling complexes and epigenetic factors controls transcription and chromatin structure in these regions. The histone chaperone complex ATRX/DAXX is involved in the establishment and maintenance of centromeric chromatin through the deposition of the histone variant H3.3. ATRX and DAXX have also evolved mutually-independent functions in transcription and chromatin dynamics. Here, using paediatric glioma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cell lines, we identify a novel ATRX-independent function for DAXX in promoting genome stability by preventing transcription-associated R-loop accumulation and DNA double-strand break formation at centromeres. This function of DAXX required its interaction with histone H3.3 but was independent of H3.3 deposition and did not reflect a role in the repression of centromeric transcription. DAXX depletion mobilized BRCA1 at centromeres, in line with BRCA1 role in counteracting centromeric R-loop accumulation. Our results provide novel insights into the mechanisms protecting the human genome from chromosomal instability, as well as potential perspectives in the treatment of cancers with DAXX alterations
Ryugu as seen close up by MASCOT
In October 2018, MASCOT landed on the surface of
Ryugu to start a campaign of in-situ measurements. Its
brief mission was successful, with the onboard camera
revealing the surface of this C-type asteroid in unpre-
cedented detail. The presence of abundant mm-sized,
multi-colored inclusions in one rock suggests a link
between Ryugu and carbonaceous chondrites
Commissioning of the vacuum system of the KATRIN Main Spectrometer
The KATRIN experiment will probe the neutrino mass by measuring the
beta-electron energy spectrum near the endpoint of tritium beta-decay. An
integral energy analysis will be performed by an electro-static spectrometer
(Main Spectrometer), an ultra-high vacuum vessel with a length of 23.2 m, a
volume of 1240 m^3, and a complex inner electrode system with about 120000
individual parts. The strong magnetic field that guides the beta-electrons is
provided by super-conducting solenoids at both ends of the spectrometer. Its
influence on turbo-molecular pumps and vacuum gauges had to be considered. A
system consisting of 6 turbo-molecular pumps and 3 km of non-evaporable getter
strips has been deployed and was tested during the commissioning of the
spectrometer. In this paper the configuration, the commissioning with bake-out
at 300{\deg}C, and the performance of this system are presented in detail. The
vacuum system has to maintain a pressure in the 10^{-11} mbar range. It is
demonstrated that the performance of the system is already close to these
stringent functional requirements for the KATRIN experiment, which will start
at the end of 2016.Comment: submitted for publication in JINST, 39 pages, 15 figure
Chemokine Transfer by Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells Contributes to the Recruitment of CD4+ T Cells into the Murine Liver
Leukocyte adhesion and transmigration are central features governing immune
surveillance and inflammatory reactions in body tissues. Within the liver
sinusoids, chemokines initiate the first crucial step of T-cell migration into
the hepatic tissue. We studied molecular mechanisms involved in endothelial
chemokine supply during hepatic immune surveillance and liver inflammation and
their impact on the recruitment of CD4+ T cells into the liver. In the murine
model of Concanavalin A-induced T cell-mediated hepatitis, we showed that
hepatic expression of the inflammatory CXC chemokine ligands (CXCL)9 and
CXCL10 strongly increased whereas homeostatic CXCL12 significantly decreased.
Consistently, CD4+ T cells expressing the CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)3
accumulated within the inflamed liver tissue. In histology, CXCL9 was
associated with liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) which represent the
first contact site for T-cell immigration into the liver. LSEC actively
transferred basolaterally internalized CXCL12, CXCL9 and CXCL10 via clathrin-
coated vesicles to CD4+ T cells leading to enhanced transmigration of CXCR4+
total CD4+ T cells and CXCR3+ effector/memory CD4+ T cells, respectively in
vitro. LSEC-expressed CXCR4 mediated CXCL12 transport and blockage of
endothelial CXCR4 inhibited CXCL12-dependent CD4+ T-cell transmigration. In
contrast, CXCR3 was not involved in the endothelial transport of its ligands
CXCL9 and CXCL10. The clathrin-specific inhibitor chlorpromazine blocked
endothelial chemokine internalization and CD4+ T-cell transmigration in vitro
as well as migration of CD4+ T cells into the inflamed liver in vivo.
Moreover, hepatic accumulation of CXCR3+ CD4+ T cells during T cell-mediated
hepatitis was strongly reduced after administration of chlorpromazine. These
data demonstrate that LSEC actively provide perivascularly expressed
homeostatic and inflammatory chemokines by CXCR4- and clathrin-dependent
intracellular transport mechanisms thereby contributing to the hepatic
recruitment of CD4+ T-cell populations during immune surveillance and liver
inflammation
Boldness Predicts Social Status in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
This study explored if boldness could be used to predict social status. First, boldness was assessed by monitoring individual zebrafish behaviour in (1) an unfamiliar barren environment with no shelter (open field), (2) the same environment when a roof was introduced as a shelter, and (3) when the roof was removed and an unfamiliar object (LegoÂź brick) was introduced. Next, after a resting period of minimum one week, social status of the fish was determined in a dyadic contest and dominant/subordinate individuals were determined as the winner/loser of two consecutive contests. Multivariate data analyses showed that males were bolder than females and that the behaviours expressed by the fish during the boldness tests could be used to predict which fish would later become dominant and subordinate in the ensuing dyadic contest. We conclude that bold behaviour is positively correlated to dominance in zebrafish and that boldness is not solely a consequence of social dominance
âSpontaneousâ late recovery from stuttering: Dimensions of reported techniques and causal attributions
Purpose: (1) To survey the employed techniques and the reasons/occasions which adults who had recovered from stuttering after age 11 without previous treatment reported as causal to overcome stuttering, (2) to investigate whether the techniques and causal attributions can be reduced to coherent (inherently consistent) dimensions, and (3) whether these dimensions reflect common therapy components. Methods: 124 recovered persons from 8 countries responded by SurveyMonkey or paper-and-pencil to rating scale questions about 49 possible techniques and 15 causal attributions. Results: A Principal Component Analysis of 110 questionnaires identified 6 components (dimensions) for self-assisted techniques (Speech Restructuring; Relaxed/Monitored Speech; Elocution; Stage Performance; Sought Speech Demands; Reassurance; 63.7% variance explained), and 3 components of perceived causal attributions of recovery (Life Change, Attitude Change, Social Support; 58.0% variance explained). Discussion: Two components for self-assisted techniques (Speech Restructuring; Elocution) reflect treatment methods. Another component (Relaxed/Monitored Speech) consists mainly of items that reflect a common, non-professional understanding of effective management of stuttering. The components of the various perceived reasons for recovery reflect differing implicit theories of causes for recovery from stuttering. These theories are considered susceptible to various biases. This identification of components of reported techniques and of causal attributions is novel compared to previous studies who just list techniques and attributions. Conclusion: The identified dimensions of self-assisted techniques and causal attributions to reduce stuttering as extracted from self-reports of a large, international sample of recovered formerly stuttering adults may guide the application of behavioral stuttering therapies
Improved eV-scale sterile-neutrino constraints from the second KATRIN measurement campaign
We present the results of the light sterile neutrino search from the second Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) measurement campaign in 2019. Approaching nominal activity, 3.76Ă106 tritium ÎČ-electrons are analyzed in an energy window extending down to 40 eV below the tritium end point at E0=18.57ââkeV. We consider the 3Îœ+1 framework with three active and one sterile neutrino flavors. The analysis is sensitive to a fourth mass eigenstate m24âČ1600ââeV2 and active-to-sterile mixing |Ue4|2âł6Ă10â3. As no sterile-neutrino signal was observed, we provide improved exclusion contours on m24 and |Ue4|2 at 95% C.L. Our results supersede the limits from the Mainz and Troitsk experiments. Furthermore, we are able to exclude the large Îm241 solutions of the reactor antineutrino and gallium anomalies to a great extent. The latter has recently been reaffirmed by the BEST Collaboration and could be explained by a sterile neutrino with large mixing. While the remaining solutions at small Îm241 are mostly excluded by short-baseline reactor experiments, KATRIN is the only ongoing laboratory experiment to be sensitive to relevant solutions at large Îm241 through a robust spectral shape analysis
New Constraint on the Local Relic Neutrino Background Overdensity with the First KATRIN Data Runs
We report on the direct search for cosmic relic neutrinos using data acquired during the first two science campaigns of the KATRIN experiment in 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity molecular tritium gas source are analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter around the end point at 18.57 keV. The analysis is sensitive to a local relic neutrino overdensity ratio of η < 9.7 Ă 10/α (1.1 Ă 10/α) at a 90% (95%) confidence level with α = 1 (0.5) for Majorana (Dirac) neutrinos. A fit of the integrated electron spectrum over a narrow interval around the end point accounting for relic neutrino captures in the tritium source reveals no significant overdensity. This work improves the results obtained by the previous neutrino mass experiments at Los Alamos and Troitsk. We furthermore update the projected final sensitivity of the KATRIN experiment to η < 1Ă10/α at 90% confidence level, by relying on updated operational conditions
Reduction of stored-particle background by a magnetic pulse method at the KATRIN experiment
The KATRIN experiment aims to determine the effective electron neutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2 (%90 CL) by precision measurement of the shape of the tritium ÎČ-spectrum in the endpoint region. The energy analysis of the decay electrons is achieved by a MAC-E filter spectrometer. A common background source in this setup is the decay of short-lived isotopes, such as 219Rn and 220Rn, in the spectrometer volume. Active and passive countermeasures have been implemented and tested at the KATRIN main spectrometer. One of these is the magnetic pulse method, which employs the existing air coil system to reduce the magnetic guiding field in the spectrometer on a short timescale in order to remove low- and high-energy stored electrons. Here we describe the working principle of this method and present results from commissioning measurements at the main spectrometer. Simulations with the particle-tracking software Kassiopeia were carried out to gain a detailed understanding of the electron storage conditions and removal processes
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