Conformational adaptation of Asian macaque TRIMCyp directs lineage specific antiviral activity

TRIMCyps are anti-retroviral proteins that have arisen independently in New World and Old World primates. All TRIMCyps comprise a CypA domain fused to the tripartite domains of TRIM5α but they have distinct lentiviral specificities, conferring HIV-1 restriction in New World owl monkeys and HIV-2 restriction in Old World rhesus macaques. Here we provide evidence that Asian macaque TRIMCyps have acquired changes that switch restriction specificity between different lentiviral lineages, resulting in species-specific alleles that target different viruses. Structural, thermodynamic and viral restriction analysis suggests that a single mutation in the Cyp domain, R69H, occurred early in macaque TRIMCyp evolution, expanding restriction specificity to the lentiviral lineages found in African green monkeys, sooty mangabeys and chimpanzees. Subsequent mutations have enhanced restriction to particular viruses but at the cost of broad specificity. We reveal how specificity is altered by a scaffold mutation, E143K, that modifies surface electrostatics and propagates conformational changes into the active site. Our results suggest that lentiviruses may have been important pathogens in Asian macaques despite the fact that there are no reported lentiviral infections in current macaque populations

The emergence of arboviruses changes the profile of viral meningitis in Salvador, Bahia: A case series

Background: Recently, different arboviruses became endemic in Brazil mostlycausing acute febrile illnesses, however, neurological manifestations have alsobeen reported. This study aimed to investigate which viruses were involved inthe meningitis etiology and the contribution of the circulating arboviruses inSalvador, Bahia, Brazil.Methods: From June 2014 to February 2016, 170 patients with suspected viralmeningitis were identified in Couto Maia Hospital, Salvador-BA, Brazil. TheirCSF samples were investigated for possible viral etiology by reversetranscription-PCR (RT-PCR) for different arboviruses: DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV;and for the EV; and by PCR for the HHV1-5 complex (HSV1-2, VZV, EBV andCMV). Also, ELISA was carried out in a subgroup of remaining samples fordetection of DENV IgM and NS1 antigen, CHIKV IgM and ZIKV IgM.Results: Thirty-seven patients were PCR or ELISA positive for at least one of thestudied viruses (overall positivity 21.8%). EV was the agent most frequentlydetected (10 cases; 27.0%), along with all four DENV serotypes (10 cases;27.0%); followed by CHIKV (6 cases; 16.2%), ZIKV (6 cases; 16.2%), and Varicellazoster virus (VZV) (1 case; 2.7%). Four cases (10.8%) presented viral co-infectiondetected: DENV1 + CHIKV, DENV1 + EV, DENV4 + ZIKV, and CHIKV + ZIKV.Arboviruses (DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV) accounted for the great majority of cases(26 cases; 70.3%) of all single and co-infections: DENV has been the mostfrequently detected arbovirus (13 cases; 35.1%). Among non-arboviralmeningitis,the most common etiology was the EV (11 cases; 29.7%).Conclusions: Arboviruses accounted for the majority of identified virusesamong patients with suspected viral meningitis. In areas where they areendemic it is crucial to increase viral surveillance and consider them in thedifferential diagnosis of meningitis.Fil: Dias, Tamiris T.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Tauro, Laura Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Macêdo, Lara E. N.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Brito, Liz O.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Victor H. O.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Santos, Cleiton S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Jacob-Nascimento, Leile C.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Vilas-Boas, Letícia S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Amado, Caio. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Barbosa, Paula S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Reis, Joice N.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Soares Campos, Gubio. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Guilherme S.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Siqueira, Isadora C.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Silva, Luciano K.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Reis, Mitermayer G.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasi

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of s√=7TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV

Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H →γ γ, H → Z Z∗ →4l and H →W W∗ →lνlν. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25 fb−1. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011

Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}=7\TeV

A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs(\ttbar) in $pp$ collisions at \sqrt{s}=7 \TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in two different topologies: single lepton (electron $e$ or muon $\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least four jets, and dilepton ($ee$, $\mu\mu$ or $e\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. In a data sample of 2.9 pb-1, 37 candidate events are observed in the single-lepton topology and 9 events in the dilepton topology. The corresponding expected backgrounds from non-\ttbar Standard Model processes are estimated using data-driven methods and determined to be $12.2 \pm 3.9$ events and $2.5 \pm 0.6$ events, respectively. The kinematic properties of the selected events are consistent with SM \ttbar production. The inclusive top quark pair production cross-section is measured to be \sigmattbar=145 \pm 31 ^{+42}_{-27} pb where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The measurement agrees with perturbative QCD calculations.Comment: 30 pages plus author list (50 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, CERN-PH number and final journal adde

Measurement of the top quark pair cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV using final states with an electron or a muon and a hadronically decaying τ lepton

A measurement of the cross section of top quark pair production in proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is reported. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.05 fb -1. Events with an isolated electron or muon and a τ lepton decaying hadronically are used. In addition, a large missing transverse momentum and two or more energetic jets are required. At least one of the jets must be identified as originating from a b quark. The measured cross section, σtt-=186±13(stat.)±20(syst.)±7(lumi.) pb, is in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of √s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV

Search for lepton flavour violation in the eμ continuum with the ATLAS detector in s√=7 TeV pp collisions at the LHC

This paper presents a search for the t-channel exchange of an R-parity violating scalar top quark ( t~ ) in the e ± μ ∓ continuum using 2.1 fb−1 of data collected by the ATLAS detector in s√=7 TeV pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Data are found to be consistent with the expectation from the Standard Model backgrounds. Limits on R-parity-violating couplings at 95 % C.L. are calculated as a function of the scalar top mass ( mt~ ). The upper limits on the production cross section for pp→eμX, through the t-channel exchange of a scalar top quark, ranges from 170 fb for mt~=95 GeV to 30 fb for mt~=1000 GeV