The tree of life: intertwining genomics and evolution

20 páginas.- 2 figuras.- 44 referencias,. CSIC Libro blanco 2Evolutionary biology seeks to understand how biological diversity originates and is maintained. High-throughput sequencing permits assembling chromosome-level genomes, characterizing single-cell transcriptomes, and determining epigenomic modifications. Once widely applied to the diversity of living organisms, the reconstruction of the Tree of Life and the identification of the genomic targets of natural selection will be achievedPeer reviewe

Coronavirus Gene 7 Counteracts Host Defenses and Modulates Virus Virulence

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) genome contains three accessory genes: 3a, 3b and 7. Gene 7 is only present in members of coronavirus genus a1, and encodes a hydrophobic protein of 78 aa. To study gene 7 function, a recombinant TGEV virus lacking gene 7 was engineered (rTGEV-Δ7). Both the mutant and the parental (rTGEV-wt) viruses showed the same growth and viral RNA accumulation kinetics in tissue cultures. Nevertheless, cells infected with rTGEV-Δ7 virus showed an increased cytopathic effect caused by an enhanced apoptosis mediated by caspase activation. Macromolecular synthesis analysis showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus infection led to host translational shut-off and increased cellular RNA degradation compared with rTGEV-wt infection. An increase of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) phosphorylation and an enhanced nuclease, most likely RNase L, activity were observed in rTGEV-Δ7 virus infected cells. These results suggested that the removal of gene 7 promoted an intensified dsRNA-activated host antiviral response. In protein 7 a conserved sequence motif that potentially mediates binding to protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c), a key regulator of the cell antiviral defenses, was identified. We postulated that TGEV protein 7 may counteract host antiviral response by its association with PP1c. In fact, pull-down assays demonstrated the interaction between TGEV protein 7, but not a protein 7 mutant lacking PP1c binding motif, with PP1. Moreover, the interaction between protein 7 and PP1 was required, during the infection, for eIF2α dephosphorylation and inhibition of cell RNA degradation. Inoculation of newborn piglets with rTGEV-Δ7 and rTGEV-wt viruses showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus presented accelerated growth kinetics and pathology compared with the parental virus. Overall, the results indicated that gene 7 counteracted host cell defenses, and modified TGEV persistence increasing TGEV survival. Therefore, the acquisition of gene 7 by the TGEV genome most likely has provided a selective advantage to the virus

Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES: The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers. RESULTS: Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies

Síntesis y caracterización de compuestos de cobre, plata y oro con posible actividad biológica

Trabajo presentado a la 6ª Jornada de Jóvenes Investigadores en Física y Química de Aragón celebrada en Zaragoza el 20 de noviembre de 2014.El interés de los ácidos α-aminofosfónicos y derivados, los cuales se consideran análogos de los α-amino ácidos, radica en la importante actividad biológica que presentan como antibióticos, herbicidas o agentes antivirales. Los ligandos que se van a utilizar en este trabajo se han preparado por adición de un fosfito a enlaces C=N y más concretamente, a hidrazonas. Estos hidrazido fosfonatos pueden poseer a priori interesantes propiedades biológicas y no han sido estudiados previamente como ligandos para su coordinación a centros metálicos. La reacción de estos ligandos hizadrizo fosfonatos con compuestos de cobre, plata y oro en distintas relaciones molares ha dado lugar a una serie de complejos con distintas geometrías. Según las medidas espectroscópicas utilizadas se han propuesto una serie de estructuras para los compuestos obtenidos. Se ha apreciado un cambio en la banda del carbonilo en los espectros de infrarrojo. También se ha observado en los espectros de HRMN un desplazamiento en las señales correspondientes al protón del carbono en alfa al grupo fosfonato y el grupo NH unido a éste. Todo ello nos ha permitido proponer la estructura más probable para cada uno de los complejos sintetizados. La realización de los espectros de masas (ESI+) ha permitido corroborar la formulación de los complejos propuesta, ya que en todos los casos aparece el pico asignado al catión molecular. La resolución de la estructura cristalina del compuesto 5 por difracción de rayos X nos ha permitido ver la coordinación del ligando al átomo de plata, y a su vez proponer otras estructuras para el resto de compuestos.Peer reviewe

First synthesis of group 11 metal complexes with α‐hydrazidophosphonate ligands and biological study

Resumen del póster presentado al 14th International Symposium on Applied Bioinorganic Chemistry (ISABC), celebrado en Toulouse (Francia) del 7 al 10 de junio de 2017.Peer reviewe

Highly active group 11 metal complexes with α-hydrazidophosphonate ligands

α-Hydrazidophosphonates are interesting scaffolds that could combine the biological properties of hydrazones and phosphonyl species, and their coordination properties remain unknown. The coordination chemistry of these ligands towards group 11 metals has been studied. A series of novel gold(I), silver(I) and copper(I) complexes with α-hydrazidophosphonate ligands have been prepared and characterised. The coordination geometries obtained vary from linear to trigonal planar for gold(I) to distorted trigonal planar or tetrahedral for silver(I) and copper(I). Structural characterisation of two silver derivatives shows the ligands in an O^N^O tridentate fashion, with dissimilar bond lengths. These compounds were screened for the in vitro cytotoxic activity against two tumour human cell lines such as HeLa (cervical carcinoma) and A549 (lung carcinoma). The IC50 values reveal an excellent cytotoxic activity of the metal complexes compared with the α-hydrazidophosphonate ligands alone and cisplatin.Authors thank the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO-FEDER CTQ2016-75816-C2-1-P and CTQ2015-70371-REDT) and Gobierno de Aragón-Fondo Social Europeo (E77 and E104) for financial support.Peer reviewe

Association of Functional Polymorphisms of KIR3DL1/DS1 With Behçet's Disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is an immune-mediated vasculitis related to imbalances between the innate and adaptive immune response. Infectious agents or environmental factors may trigger the disease in genetically predisposed individuals. HLA-B51 is the genetic factor stronger associated with the disease, although the bases of this association remain elusive. NK cells have also been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of BD. A family of NK receptors, Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR), with a very complex organization, is very important in the education and control of the NK cells by the union to their ligands, most of them, HLA class I molecules. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of certain KIR functional polymorphisms to the susceptibility to BD. A total of 466 BD patients and 444 healthy individuals were genotyped in HLA class I (A, B, and C). The set of KIR genes and the functional variants of KIR3DL1/DS1 and KIR2DS4 were also determined. Frequency of KIR3DL1*004 was lower in patients than in controls (0.15 vs. 0.20, P = 0.005, Pc = 0.015; OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.54–0.90) in both B51 positive and negative individuals. KIR3DL1*004, which encodes a misfolded protein, is included in a common telomeric haplotype with only one functional KIR gene, KIR3DL2. Both, KIR3DL1 and KIR3DL2 sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns but they have different capacities to eliminate them. The education of the NK cells depending on the HLA, the balance of KIR3DL1/KIR3DL2 licensed NK cells and the different capacities of these receptors to eliminate pathogens could be involved in the etiopathogenesis of BD.This work was supported by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII, 13/01118 and 16/01373), Fondos FEDER and Plan Andaluz de Investigación (CTS-0197

Association of Functional Polymorphisms of KIR3DL1/DS1 With Behcet's Disease

Behcet's disease (BD) is an immune-mediated vasculitis related to imbalances between the innate and adaptive immune response. Infectious agents or environmental factors may trigger the disease in genetically predisposed individuals. HLA-B51 is the genetic factor stronger associated with the disease, although the bases of this association remain elusive. NK cells have also been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of BD. A family of NK receptors, Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR), with a very complex organization, is very important in the education and control of the NK cells by the union to their ligands, most of them, HLA class I molecules. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of certain KIR functional polymorphisms to the susceptibility to BD. A total of 466 BD patients and 444 healthy individuals were genotyped in HLA class I (A, B, and C). The set of KIR genes and the functional variants of KIR3DL1/DS1 and KIR2DS4 were also determined. Frequency of KIR3DL1(*)004 was lower in patients than in controls (0.15 vs. 0.20, P = 0.005, Pc = 0.015; OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.54-0.90) in both B51 positive and negative individuals. KIR3DL1(*)004, which encodes a misfolded protein, is included in a common telomeric haplotype with only one functional KIR gene, KIR3DL2. Both, KIR3DL1 and KIR3DL2 sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns but they have different capacities to eliminate them. The education of the NK cells depending on the HLA, the balance of KIR3DL1/KIR3DL2 licensed NK cells and the different capacities of these receptors to eliminate pathogens could be involved in the etiopathogenesis of BD