Phenotypic engineering by reprogramming gene transcription using novel artificial transcription factors in Escherichia coli

Now that many genomes have been sequenced and the products of newly identified genes have been annotated, the next goal is to engineer the desired phenotypes in organisms of interest. For the phenotypic engineering of microorganisms, we have developed novel artificial transcription factors (ATFs) capable of reprogramming innate gene expression circuits in Escherichia coli. These ATFs are composed of zinc finger (ZF) DNA-binding proteins, with distinct specificities, fused to an E. coli cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP). By randomly assembling 40 different types of ZFs, we have constructed more than 6.4 × 104 ATFs that consist of 3 ZF DNA-binding domains and a CRP effector domain. Using these ATFs, we induced various phenotypic changes in E. coli and selected for industrially important traits, such as resistance to heat shock, osmotic pressure and cold shock. Genes associated with the heat-shock resistance phenotype were then characterized. These results and the general applicability of this platform clearly indicate that novel ATFs are powerful tools for the phenotypic engineering of microorganisms and can facilitate microbial functional genomic studies

A comparison of hydrostatic weighing methods used to determine the density of solid artefacts at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), UK and Institut National de Metrologie (BNM-INM), FR

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:6029.280782(3) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Intérêt du clou gamma long troisième génération dans le traitement des fractures trochantériennes (à propos de 53 cas)

Les fractures trochantériennes se définissent par un trait de fracture siégeant en totalité ou en partie dans la région trochantérienne, surviennent surtout chez Le sujet âgé à cause de l’ostéoporose et de l’atrophie musculaire. Le pronostic fonctionnel et vital est aussi engagé, ce qui justifie les indications chirurgicales urgentes pour permettre le lever précoce.Le clou gamma long troisième génération représente le dernier perfectionnement du traitement des fractures trochantériennes selon les principes de l’enclouage centromédullaire à foyer fermé.Nous avons procédé à l’étude rétrospective des dossiers de 53 patients traités pour fracture sous-trochantérienne ou trochantéro-diaphysaire par clou Gamma long troisième 3eme génération. L’objectif de notre étude a été d’évaluer la supériorité de ce matériel d’ostéosynthèse pour le traitement de ce type de fractures par rapport aux autres méthodes d’ostéosynthèse. Les patients ont été évalués sur le plan clinique, radiologique et fonctionnel avec un recul moyen de 06 mois.En adoptant la cotation de Postel et Merle d’Aubigné, les résultats fonctionnels étaient excellents et bons dans 81,2 % des cas. Le clou Gamma long troisième génération reste   de choix pour le traitement des fractures sous-trochantériennes et trochantéro-diaphysaires du a la stabilité de ce montage qui permet une réhabilitation rapide des patients, tout en réduisant les pertes sanguines et le risque infectieux

Evidence of okadaic acid production in a cultured strain of the marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum rhathymum from Malaysia

Protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PPIA), Neuroblastoma cell-based assay (Neuro-2a CBA)and LC-MS/MS analysis revealed for the first time the production of okadaic acid (OA) by a Prorocentrum rhathymum strain. Low amounts of OA were detected by LC-MS/MS analysis.Inhibition of PP2A activity and a weak toxicity to the Neuro-2a CBA were also observed

Cerebellar Atypicalities in Autism?

BACKGROUND: The cerebellum contains more than 50% of the brain's neurons and is involved in social cognition. Cerebellar anatomical atypicalities have repeatedly been reported in individuals with autism. However, studies have yielded inconsistent findings, likely because of a lack of statistical power, and did not capture the clinical and neuroanatomical diversity of autism. Our aim was to better understand cerebellar anatomy and its diversity in autism. METHODS: We studied cerebellar gray matter morphology in 274 individuals with autism and 219 control subjects of a multicenter European cohort, EU-AIMS LEAP (European Autism Interventions-A Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications; Longitudinal European Autism Project). To ensure the robustness of our results, we conducted lobular parcellation of the cerebellum with 2 different pipelines in addition to voxel-based morphometry. We performed statistical analyses with linear, multivariate (including normative modeling), and meta-analytic approaches to capture the diversity of cerebellar anatomy in individuals with autism and control subjects. Finally, we performed a dimensional analysis of cerebellar anatomy in an independent cohort of 352 individuals with autism-related symptoms. RESULTS: We did not find any significant difference in the cerebellum when comparing individuals with autism and control subjects using linear models. In addition, there were no significant deviations in our normative models in the cerebellum in individuals with autism. Finally, we found no evidence of cerebellar atypicalities related to age, IQ, sex, or social functioning in individuals with autism. CONCLUSIONS: Despite positive results published in the last decade from relatively small samples, our results suggest that there is no striking difference in cerebellar anatomy of individuals with autism