Transplanting cells from old but not young donors causes physical dysfunction in older recipients.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADSC)-based regenerative therapies have shown potential for use in many chronic diseases. Aging diminishes stem cell regenerative potential, yet it is unknown whether stem cells from aged donors cause adverse effects in recipients. ADSCs can be obtained using minimally invasive approaches and possess low immunogenicity. Nevertheless, we found that transplanting ADSCs from old donors, but not those from young donors, induces physical dysfunction in older recipient mice. Using single-cell transcriptomic analysis, we identified a naturally occurring senescent cell-like population in ADSCs primarily from old donors that resembles in vitro-generated senescent cells with regard to a number of key pathways. Our study reveals a previously unrecognized health concern due to ADSCs from old donors and lays the foundation for a new avenue of research to devise interventions to reduce harmful effects of ADSCs from old donors

Ovine pedomics : the first study of the ovine foot 16S rRNA-based microbiome

We report the first study of the bacterial microbiome of ovine interdigital skin based on 16S rRNA by pyrosequencing and conventional cloning with Sanger-sequencing. Three flocks were selected, one a flock with no signs of footrot or interdigital dermatitis, a second flock with interdigital dermatitis alone and a third flock with both interdigital dermatitis and footrot. The sheep were classified as having either healthy interdigital skin (H), interdigital dermatitis (ID) or virulent footrot (VFR). The ovine interdigital skin bacterial community varied significantly by flock and clinical condition. The diversity and richness of operational taxonomic units was greater in tissue from sheep with ID than H or VFR affected sheep. Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant phyla comprising 25 genera. Peptostreptococcus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus were associated with H, ID and VFR respectively. Sequences of Dichelobacter nodosus, the causal agent of ovine footrot, were not amplified due to mismatches in the 16S rRNA universal forward primer (27F). A specific real time PCR assay was used to demonstrate the presence of D. nodosus which was detected in all samples including the flock with no signs of ID or VFR. Sheep with ID had significantly higher numbers of D. nodosus (104-109 cells/g tissue) than those with H or VFR feet

An IL1RL1 genetic variant lowers soluble ST2 levels and the risk effects of APOE-ε4 in female patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Changes in the levels of circulating proteins are associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), whereas their pathogenic roles in AD are unclear. Here, we identified soluble ST2 (sST2), a decoy receptor of interleukin-33–ST2 signaling, as a new disease-causing factor in AD. Increased circulating sST2 level is associated with more severe pathological changes in female individuals with AD. Genome-wide association analysis and CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing identified rs1921622, a genetic variant in an enhancer element of IL1RL1, which downregulates gene and protein levels of sST2. Mendelian randomization analysis using genetic variants, including rs1921622, demonstrated that decreased sST2 levels lower AD risk and related endophenotypes in females carrying the Apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ε4 genotype; the association is stronger in Chinese than in European-descent populations. Human and mouse transcriptome and immunohistochemical studies showed that rs1921622/sST2 regulates amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology through the modulation of microglial activation and Aβ clearance. These findings demonstrate how sST2 level is modulated by a genetic variation and plays a disease-causing role in females with AD

GC-Rich Sequence Elements Recruit PRC2 in Mammalian ES Cells

Polycomb proteins are epigenetic regulators that localize to developmental loci in the early embryo where they mediate lineage-specific gene repression. In Drosophila, these repressors are recruited to sequence elements by DNA binding proteins associated with Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). However, the sequences that recruit PRC2 in mammalian cells have remained obscure. To address this, we integrated a series of engineered bacterial artificial chromosomes into embryonic stem (ES) cells and examined their chromatin. We found that a 44 kb region corresponding to the Zfpm2 locus initiates de novo recruitment of PRC2. We then pinpointed a CpG island within this locus as both necessary and sufficient for PRC2 recruitment. Based on this causal demonstration and prior genomic analyses, we hypothesized that large GC-rich elements depleted of activating transcription factor motifs mediate PRC2 recruitment in mammals. We validated this model in two ways. First, we showed that a constitutively active CpG island is able to recruit PRC2 after excision of a cluster of activating motifs. Second, we showed that two 1 kb sequence intervals from the Escherichia coli genome with GC-contents comparable to a mammalian CpG island are both capable of recruiting PRC2 when integrated into the ES cell genome. Our findings demonstrate a causal role for GC-rich sequences in PRC2 recruitment and implicate a specific subset of CpG islands depleted of activating motifs as instrumental for the initial localization of this key regulator in mammalian genomes.Burroughs Wellcome FundCharles E. Culpeper FoundationMassachusetts General HospitalBroad Institute of MIT and Harvar

Large meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies five loci for lean body mass

Lean body mass, consisting mostly of skeletal muscle, is important for healthy aging. We performed a genome-wide association study for whole body (20 cohorts of European ancestry with n = 38,292) and appendicular (arms and legs) lean body mass (n = 28,330) measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry or bioelectrical impedance analysis, adjusted for sex, age, height, and fat mass. Twenty-one single-nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with lean body mass either genome wide (p < 5 x 10(-8)) or suggestively genome wide (p < 2.3 x 10(-6)). Replication in 63,475 (47,227 of European ancestry) individuals from 33 cohorts for whole body lean body mass and in 45,090 (42,360 of European ancestry) subjects from 25 cohorts for appendicular lean body mass was successful for five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/ near HSD17B11, VCAN, ADAMTSL3, IRS1, and FTO for total lean body mass and for three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/ near VCAN, ADAMTSL3, and IRS1 for appendicular lean body mass. Our findings provide new insight into the genetics of lean body mass

Distant cis-regulatory elements in human skeletal muscle differentiation

Identifying gene regulatory elements and their target genes in human cells remains a significant challenge. Despite increasing evidence of physical interactions between distant regulatory elements and gene promoters in mammalian cells, many studies consider only promoter-proximal regulatory regions. We identify putative cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in human skeletal muscle differentiation by combining myogenic TF binding data before and after differentiation with histone modification data in myoblasts. CRMs that are distant (> 20 kb) from muscle gene promoters are common and are more likely than proximal promoter regions to show differentiation-specific changes in myogenic TF binding. We find that two of these distant CRMs, known to activate transcription in differentiating myoblasts, interact physically with gene promoters (PDLIM3 and ACTA1) during differentiation. Our results highlight the importance of considering distal CRMs in investigations of mammalian gene regulation and support the hypothesis that distant CRM-promoter looping contacts are a general mechanism of gene regulation.National Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.) (Grant R21 HG005149

A hand hygiene intervention to decrease hand, foot and mouth disease and absence due to sickness among kindergarteners in China: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

Objectives: : To evaluate the effect of the “Clean Hands, Happy Life” intervention on the incidence of hand, food and mouth disease (HFMD) and on school absences due to sickness in kindergarten students. Methods: : The intervention consisted of four hand hygiene (HH) promotion components and was evaluated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial among 8275 children and 18 kindergartens from May to October, 2015 in Shenzhen, China. We compared two intervention arms – received the intervention in kindergartens only and in both kindergartens and families, respectively – to the control arm in multilevel analyses. Results: : During the follow-up, the incidence of HFMD in both intervention arms was significantly lower than in the control arm (IRR1: 0.39, 95%CI: 0.26–0.59; IRR2: 0.30, 95%CI: 0.19–0.49); the duration of absence due to sickness (in days

The L(2,1)-labelling problem for cubic Cayley graphs on dihedral groups

A k-L(2,1)-labelling of a graph G is a mapping f:V(G)&rarr;{0,1,2,&hellip;,k} such that |f(u)&minus;f(v)|&ge;2 if uv&isin;E(G) and f(u)&ne;f(v) if u,v are distance two apart. The smallest positive integer k such that G admits a k-L(2,1)-labelling is called the &lambda;-number of G. In this paper we study this quantity for cubic Cayley graphs (other than the prism graphs) on dihedral groups, which are called brick product graphs or honeycomb toroidal graphs. We prove that the &lambda;-number of such a graph is between 5 and 7, and moreover we give a characterisation of such graphs with &lambda;-number 5.<br /

Enhancing sales benefits of radical product innovation capability in internationalizing small and medium-sized firms: A multi-country empirical examination

This study draws on resource-based theory to examine the strategic orientation conditions under which radical product innovation capability is more or less beneficial. To test these relationships, this study conducts multiple survey studies among international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developed and developing economies. This study finds that, although a positive association exists between radical product innovativeness and sales performance in the context of a developed economy, the relationship is non-significant in a developing market context. In addition, across both the developed and developing economy contexts, when high levels of radical product innovativeness exist, as well as when entrepreneurial orientation increases in magnitude, a corresponding increase in sales performance occurs. Similarly, this study finds that, across both contexts, high market-orientation levels strengthen the effect of radical product innovativeness on sales performance