Search results for " Biochemistry"

2018

Tetraspanins (Tspans) are a family of four-span transmembrane proteins, known as plasma membrane “master organizers.” They form Tspan-enriched microdomains (TEMs or TERMs) through lateral association with one another and other membrane proteins. If multiple microdomains associate with each other, larger platforms can form. For infection, viruses interact with multiple cell surface components, including receptors, activating proteases, and signaling molecules. It appears that Tspans, such as CD151, CD82, CD81, CD63, CD9, Tspan9, and Tspan7, coordinate these associations by concentrating the interacting partners into Tspan platforms. In addition to mediating viral attachment and entry, these …

Report from the second cytomegalovirus and immunosenescence workshop

2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.; International audience; The Second International Workshop on CMV & Immunosenescence was held in Cambridge, UK, 2-4th December, 2010. The presentations covered four separate sessions: cytomegalovirus and T cell phenotypes; T cell memory frequency, inflation and immunosenescence; cytomegalovirus in aging, mortality and disease states; and the immunobiology of cytomegalovirus-specific T cells and effects of the virus on vacc…

eIF2α confers cellular tolerance to S. aureus α-toxin

2015

We report on the role of conserved stress-response pathways for cellular tolerance to a pore forming toxin. First, we observed that small molecular weight inhibitors including of eIF2α-phosphatase, jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK), and PI3-kinase sensitized normal mouse embryonal fibroblasts (MEFs) to the small pore forming S. aureus α-toxin. Sensitization depended on expression of mADAM10, the murine ortholog of a proposed high-affinity receptor for α-toxin in human cells. Similarly, eIF2α (S51A/S51A) MEFs, which harbor an Ala knock-in mutation at the regulated Ser51 phosphorylation site of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α, were hyper-sensitive to α-toxin. Inhibition of translation w…

Metabarcoding Analysis of Fungal Diversity in the Phyllosphere and Carposphere of Olive (Olea europaea)

2015

The fungal diversity associated with leaves, flowers and fruits of olive (Olea europaea) was investigated in different phenological stages (May, June, October and December) using an implemented metabarcoding approach. It consisted of the 454 pyrosequencing of the fungal ITS2 region and the subsequent phylogenetic analysis of relevant genera along with validated reference sequences. Most sequences were identified up to the species level or were associated with a restricted number of related taxa enabling supported speculations regarding their biological role. Analyses revealed a rich fungal community with 195 different OTUs. Ascomycota was the dominating phyla representing 93.6% of the total…

Progenitor death drives retinal dysplasia and neuronal degeneration in a mouse model of Atrip-Seckel syndrome

2020

ABSTRACT Seckel syndrome is a type of microcephalic primordial dwarfism (MPD) that is characterized by growth retardation and neurodevelopmental defects, including reports of retinopathy. Mutations in key mediators of the replication stress response, the mutually dependent partners ATR and ATRIP, are among the known causes of Seckel syndrome. However, it remains unclear how their deficiency disrupts the development and function of the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we investigated the cellular and molecular consequences of ATRIP deficiency in different cell populations of the developing murine neural retina. We discovered that conditional inactivation of Atrip in photoreceptor neurons …

Increased autophagy and apoptosis contribute to muscle atrophy in a myotonic dystrophy type 1 Drosophila model

2015

ABSTRACT Muscle mass wasting is one of the most debilitating symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) disease, ultimately leading to immobility, respiratory defects, dysarthria, dysphagia and death in advanced stages of the disease. In order to study the molecular mechanisms leading to the degenerative loss of adult muscle tissue in DM1, we generated an inducible Drosophila model of expanded CTG trinucleotide repeat toxicity that resembles an adult-onset form of the disease. Heat-shock induced expression of 480 CUG repeats in adult flies resulted in a reduction in the area of the indirect flight muscles. In these model flies, reduction of muscle area was concomitant with increased apopto…

Transgenic Killer Commensal Bacteria as Mucosal Protectants

2001

As first line of defense against the majority of infections and primary site for their transmission, mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity and genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts represent the most suitable sites to deliver protective agents for the prevention of infectious diseases. Mucosal protection is important not only for life threatening diseases but also for opportunistic infections which currently represent a serious burden in terms of morbidity, mortality, and cost of cures. Candida albicans is among the most prevalent causes of mucosal infections not only in immuno- compromised patients, such as HIV-infected subjects who are frequently affected by oral and esoph…

Might as well jump: Sound affects muscle activation in skateboarding

2014

The aim of the study is to reveal the role of sound in action anticipation and performance, and to test whether the level of precision in action planning and execution is related to the level of sensorimotor skills and experience that listeners possess about a specific action. Individuals ranging from 18 to 75 years of age - some of them without any skills in skateboarding and others experts in this sport - were compared in their ability to anticipate and simulate a skateboarding jump by listening to the sound it produces. Only skaters were able to modulate the forces underfoot and to apply muscle synergies that closely resembled the ones that a skater would use if actually jumping on a ska…

Blueprint for a minimal photoautotrophic cell: conserved and variable genes in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942.

2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.

The cell nucleus. A study in Burgundy

2019

ABSTRACT Wilhelm Bernhard’s revolutionary microscopy techniques helped him put forward the hypothesis of specialized compartmentalization of the nucleus. He also described for the first time the nuclear bodies and peri-chromatin fibrils, and demonstrated that these granules contain an RNA component. The tradition of biennial workshops, named after this great scientist, continues, and this year it took place in the heart of Burgundy, in Dijon, France (May 20–24, 2019, organized by INSERM UMR1231, UBFC), where well-fed participants emphasized the importance of viewing the cell nucleus as a hub of specialized colloidal compartments that orchestrate replication, transcription and nuclear transp…