3,418 research outputs found
Identification of a Delta 4 fatty acid desaturase from Thraustochytrium sp. involved in the biosynthesis of docosahexanoic acid by heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brassica juncea.
The existence of Delta 4 fatty acid desaturation in the biosynthesis of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) has been questioned over the years. In this report we describe the identification from Thraustochytrium sp. of two cDNAs, Fad4 and Fad5, coding for Delta 4 and Delta 5 fatty acid desaturases, respectively. The Delta 4 desaturase, when expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, introduced a double bond at position 4 of 22:5(n-3) and 22:4(n-6) resulting in the production of DHA and docosapentanoic acid. The enzyme, when expressed in Brassica juncea under the control of a constitutive promoter, desaturated the exogenously supplied substrate 22:5(n-3), resulting in the production of DHA in vegetative tissues. These results support the notion that DHA can be synthesized via Delta 4 desaturation and suggest the possibility that DHA can be produced in oilseed crops on a large scale
Variant-specific introduction and dispersal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in New York City â from Alpha to Omicron
Since the latter part of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 evolution has been characterised by the emergence of viral variants associated with distinct biological characteristics. While the main
research focus has centred on the ability of new variants to increase in frequency and impact
the effective reproductive number of the virus, less attention has been placed on their relative ability to establish transmission chains and to spread through a geographic area. Here,
we describe a phylogeographic approach to estimate and compare the introduction and dispersal dynamics of the main SARS-CoV-2 variants â Alpha, Iota, Delta, and Omicron â that
circulated in the New York City area between 2020 and 2022. Notably, our results indicate
that Delta had a lower ability to establish sustained transmission chains in the NYC area and
that Omicron (BA.1) was the variant fastest to disseminate across the study area. The analytical approach presented here complements non-spatially-explicit analytical approaches
that seek a better understanding of the epidemiological differences that exist among successive SARS-CoV-2 variants of concer
Dispersal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineages during the first epidemic wave in New York City
During the first phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, New York City rapidly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. While molecular phylogenetic analyses have previously highlighted multiple introductions and a period of cryptic community transmission
within New York City, little is known about the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 within and among
its boroughs. We here perform phylogeographic investigations to gain insights into the circulation of viral lineages during the first months of the New York City outbreak. Our analyses
describe the dispersal dynamics of viral lineages at the state and city levels, illustrating that
peripheral samples likely correspond to distinct dispersal events originating from the main
metropolitan city areas. In line with the high prevalence recorded in this area, our results
highlight the relatively important role of the borough of Queens as a transmission hub associated with higher local circulation and dispersal of viral lineages toward the surrounding
boroughs
N-String Vertices in String Field Theory
We give the general form of the vertex corresponding to the interaction of an
arbitrary number of strings. The technique employed relies on the ``comma"
representation of String Field Theory where string fields and interactions are
represented as matrices and operations between them such as multiplication and
trace. The general formulation presented here shows that the interaction vertex
of N strings, for any arbitrary N, is given as a function of particular
combinations of matrices corresponding to the change of representation between
the full string and the half string degrees of freedom.Comment: 22 pages, A4-Latex (latex twice), FTUV IFI
Normal-mode analysis of infrared and Raman spectra of poly(vinyl fluoride)
Infrared and Raman spectra of samples of poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF) have been recorded. The vibrational spectra have been analyzed by means of normal-mode calculations. A force field was derived by using 2-fluorobutane as a model compound. Crowder's force field for hydrofluorocarbons was employed as a starting point and subsequently refined in application to secondary fluorides. A planar zigzag, syndiotactic single-chain model of crystalline PVF was submitted to be analyzed by this scheme. A comparison of observed infrared and Raman bands with frequencies calculated for syndiotactic PVF shows that PVF produced by conventional free radical polymerization has an atactic structure, supporting the 19F-NMR results and conclusions reached by Koenig and Boerio. Band assignments in terms of atactic structure are proposed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30156/1/0000533.pd
Towards a Gravitational Analog to S-duality in Non-abelian Gauge Theories
For non-abelian non-supersymmetric gauge theories, generic dual theories have
been constructed. In these theories the couplings appear inverted. However,
they do not possess a Yang-Mills structure but rather are a kind of non-linear
sigma model. It is shown that for a topological gravitational model an analog
to this duality exists.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, no figures, minor correction
Src Inhibition Blocks c-Myc Translation and Glucose Metabolism to Prevent the Development of Breast Cancer
Preventing breast cancer will require the development of targeted strategies that can effectively block disease progression. Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are effective in addressing estrogen receptorâpositive (ER+) breast cancer development, but estrogen receptorânegative (ERâ) breast cancer remains an unmet challenge due to gaps in pathobiologic understanding. In this study, we used reverse-phase protein array to identify activation of Src kinase as an early signaling alteration in premalignant breast lesions of women who did not respond to tamoxifen, a widely used ER antagonist for hormonal therapy of breast cancer. Src kinase blockade with the small-molecule inhibitor saracatinib prevented the disorganized three-dimensional growth of ERâ mammary epithelial cells in vitro and delayed the development of premalignant lesions and tumors in vivo in mouse models developing HER2+ and ERâ mammary tumors, extending tumor-free and overall survival. Mechanistic investigations revealed that Src blockade reduced glucose metabolism as a result of an inhibition in ERK1/2âMNK1âeIF4Eâmediated cap-dependent translation of c-Myc and transcription of the glucose transporter GLUT1, thereby limiting energy available for cell growth. Taken together, our results provide a sound rationale to target Src pathways in premalignant breast lesions to limit the development of breast cancers
Investigation of an international water polo tournament in Czechia as a potential source for early introduction of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant into Belgium, Switzerland and Germany, November 2021
Background: The earliest recognised infections by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (Pango lineage B.1.1.529) in Belgium and Switzerland suggested a connection to an international water polo tournament, held 12-14 November 2021 in Brno, Czechia.AimTo study the arrival and subsequent spread of the Omicron variant in Belgium and Switzerland, and understand the overall importance of this international sporting event on the number of infections in the two countries.
Methods: We performed intensive forward and backward contact tracing in both countries, supplemented by phylogenetic investigations using virus sequences of the suspected infection chain archived in public databases.
Results: Through contact tracing, we identified two and one infected athletes of the Belgian and Swiss water polo teams, respectively, and subsequently also three athletes from Germany. In Belgium and Switzerland, four and three secondary infections, and three and one confirmed tertiary infections were identified. Phylogenetic investigation demonstrated that this sporting event played a role as the source of infection, but without a direct link with infections from South Africa and not as a superspreading event; the virus was found to already be circulating at that time in the countries involved.
Conclusion: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant started to circulate in Europe several weeks before its identification in South Africa on 24 November 2021. Accordingly, it can be assumed that travel restrictions are usually implemented too late to prevent the spread of newly detected SARS-CoV-2 variants to other regions. Phylogenetic analysis may modify the perception of an apparently clear result of intensive contact tracing
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