Reemergence of Dengue Virus Type 4, French Antilles and French Guiana, 2004–2005

After 10 years of absence, dengue virus type 4 (DENV-4) has recently reemerged in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana. Phylogenetic analyses of strains isolated from 2004 to 2005 showed that they belong to DENV-4 genotype II, but to a different cluster than strains isolated from 1993 to 1995

The recent evolution of management strategies of invasive plants on Réunion Island

The important issue of plant invasions on Réunion Island necessitates a rapid upskilling of relevant institutional actors and land users. There is a need to balance diverse viewpoints and interests in order to open the way for broad-based, multi-stakeholder actions against invasive plants. A consensus is emerging in favour of preventive actions that regulate introduction pressures, and in favour of rapid intervention in new invasion sites. At the same time, people are taking more of a landscape level view of the invasion process. It is at this scale that agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry are being called upon to reduce their environmental externalities, notably by better controlling invasive plants upon which these industries rely. In the wake of the creation in 2007 of the new National Park "Parc National des Hauts de La Réunion", there is an increasing effort at finding reciprocally beneficial approaches that solve the numerous conflicts of interest over invasive species. On the other hand, the private sector remains insufficiently implicated as a partner in such management programsLe caractère préoccupant des invasions de plantes à l'île de La Réunion exige un apprentissage rapide et concerté de la part de l'ensemble des acteurs institutionnels et des usagers. La diversité de regards et d'intérêts enjeu nécessite d'être conciliée pour dégager des compromis d'actions et des programmes de lutte s'appuyant sur des dynamiques partenariales. Un consensus émerge en faveur d'actions préventives régulant la pression d'introduction ou permettant d'intervenir rapidement sur les nouveaux foyers d'invasion. Parallèlement, les processus d'invasion sont de plus en plus envisagés à l'échelle des paysages. C'est à cette même échelle que l'agriculture, l'élevage et la production sylvicole sont appelés à réduire leurs externalités environnementales, notamment par le jeu d'un meilleur contrôle des invasions de plantes dans lesquelles ils sont impliqués. Une forte mutualisation des actions de lutte contre les invasions végétales est en cours, dans le sillage immédiat de la constitution du Parc National des Hauts de La Réunion en 2007, et dans la perspective d'une meilleure résolution des nombreux conflits d'intérêts. En revanche, il est manifeste que le secteur privé reste insuffisamment impliqué en tant que partenaire privilégié, de tels programmes d'intervention

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, French Guiana

A systematic serological survey of patients suffering from symptoms suggestive of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome allowed us to identify a native case in French Guiana. Partial molecular characterization of the implicated hantavirus revealed its close relationship with the Bolivian Rio Mamore virus. We tentatively named it Maripa virus

The dynamics of gene expression changes in a mouse model of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies in patients with oral cancer.

A better understanding of the dynamics of molecular changes occurring during the early stages of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies. We generated genome-wide expression profiles of microdissected normal mucosa, hyperplasia, dysplasia and tumors derived from the 4-NQO mouse model of oral tumorigenesis. Genes differentially expressed between tumor and normal mucosa defined the "tumor gene set" (TGS), including 4 non-overlapping gene subsets that characterize the dynamics of gene expression changes through different stages of disease progression. The majority of gene expression changes occurred early or progressively. The relevance of these mouse gene sets to human disease was tested in multiple datasets including the TCGA and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer project. The TGS was able to discriminate oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) from normal oral mucosa in 3 independent datasets. The OSCC samples enriched in the mouse TGS displayed high frequency of CASP8 mutations, 11q13.3 amplifications and low frequency of PIK3CA mutations. Early changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with a trend toward a shorter oral cancer-free survival in patients with oral preneoplasia that was not seen in multivariate analysis. Progressive changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with an increased sensitivity to 4 different MEK inhibitors in a panel of 51 squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the areodigestive tract. In conclusion, the dynamics of molecular changes in the 4-NQO model reveal that MEK inhibition may be relevant to prevention and treatment of a specific molecularly-defined subgroup of OSCC

Correlation of Aqueous, Vitreous, and Serum Protein Levels in Patients With Retinal Diseases.

PURPOSE To further establish aqueous humor (AH) as a clinically suitable source of protein biomarkers in retinal diseases by evaluating the correlation of a large panel of proteins between AH, vitreous humor (VH), and serum (SE). METHODS We enrolled 60 subjects (eyes) with various non-infectious retinal diseases. AH, VH, and SE proteins were analyzed using the Olink Target 96 platform (1196 protein assays in total). We compared these three matrices in terms of quantification overlap, principal component analysis, and correlation. RESULTS In the AH, VH, and SE samples, 841, 917, and 1133 proteins, respectively, were consistently quantified above the limit of detection in more than 30% of patients. AH and VH shared 812 of these proteins. AH and VH samples overlapped along principal component 1, but SE samples were distinct. We identified 490 proteins with significant (false discovery rate [FDR]-adjusted P 0.5) between AH and VH, compared to only 33 and 40 proteins for VH and SE and for AH and SE, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Due to a close correlation between protein concentrations in the AH and VH and a clear difference from the SE, AH has the potential to serve as a substitute for VH and may hold significance in identifying protein biomarkers and novel targets related to retinal diseases. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE This study further supports AH as a clinically suitable source of protein biomarkers in retinal diseases. In addition, the identified AH and VH correlations can inform the selection of protein biomarker candidates in future translational research

Systematic interrogation of the Conus marmoreus venom duct transcriptome with ConoSorter reveals 158 novel conotoxins and 13 new gene superfamilies

International audienceConopeptides, often generically referred to as conotoxins, are small neurotoxins found in the venom of predatory marine cone snails. These molecules are highly stable and are able to efficiently and selectively interact with a wide variety of heterologous receptors and channels, making them valuable pharmacological probes and potential drug leads. Recent advances in next-generation RNA sequencing and high-throughput proteomics have led to the generation of large data sets that require purpose-built and dedicated bioinformatics tools for efficient data mining

Bilan des connaissances sur les conséquences écologiques des invasions de plantes a l'île de la réunion (archipel des mascareignes, océan indien)

Assessment of ecological consequences of plant invasions on Réunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean). In western Indian Ocean, Reunion Island remains a hotspot for biological conservation. Such a biological value is mainly threatened by invasion of alien species. Knowledge of ecological consequences of exotic plant invasions has been assessed, in order to suggest guidelines withstanding a regional strategy for invasive plant management. Despite a strong variability of used methods, studies agree on a general impoverishment of species communities and a decrease of natural regeneration. They plead for prioritizing invasive plants. Ecological impact mainly consists in competition between exotic and native plants, and in alteration of primary and secondary successions. Some introduced species act as refuges for some native animal species but the impact of invasive plants on animal communities remains poorly documented. Additionally, the role of human activities in plant invasions (e.g., fluxes of plant species between landscape units) is scarcely studied. A regional strategy developed at the South-eastern Indian Ocean level is recommended, based on both prevention programmes (e.g., control of species introduction, early detecting) and public informationL'île de la Réunion présente un intérêt majeur pour la conservation des ressources biologiques dans l'ouest de l'océan Indien. Ce patrimoine biologique reste menacé au premier rang par les invasions d'espèces introduites. Un bilan des méthodes et des résultats relatifs aux études traitant de la connaissance des conséquences écologiques des invasions de plantes exotiques y a été entrepris, afin de dégager des éléments généraux de stratégie relatifs au contrôle de ces espèces. Malgré une forte variabilité méthodologique, les études convergent vers un appauvrissement des communautés d'espèces et une diminution de la régénération naturelle, et invitent à une réactualisation de la hiérarchisation des priorités d'intervention. Les modes d'impact révélés mettent principalement en évidence une compétition entre les espèces exotiques et indigènes ainsi qu'une altération des successions primaires et secondaires. Certaines espèces introduites assurent un rôle de refuge à l'égard d'espèces animales indigènes mais l'impact général des plantes invasives sur les communautés animales reste sous-étudié. De même, la place des activités humaines, notamment dans le cadre de flux d'espèces entre différents compartiments du paysage, reste peu envisagée. Les méthodes de lutte préventive, basées sur le contrôle des introductions et la détection précoce, en relais avec des actions de sensibilisation, apparaissent comme les éléments centraux d'une stratégie de contrôle des plantes invasives qui pourrait être mise en oeuvre à l'échelle du sud-est de l'océan Indien