Deep Sequencing of HIV-1 near Full-Length Proviral Genomes Identifies High Rates of BF1 Recombinants Including Two Novel Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRF) 70_BF1 and a Disseminating 71_BF1 among Blood Donors in Pernambuco,Brazil

Background

The findings of frequent circulation of HIV-1 subclade F1 viruses and the scarcity of BF1 recombinant viruses based on pol subgenomic fragment sequencing among blood donors in Pernambuco (PE), Northeast of Brazil, were reported recently. Here, we aimed to determine whether the classification of these strains (n = 26) extends to the whole genome sequences.

Methods

Five overlapping amplicons spanning the HIV near full-length genomes (NFLGs) were PCR amplified from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 26 blood donors. The amplicons were molecularly bar-coded, pooled, and sequenced by Illumina paired-end protocol. The prevalence of viral variants containing drug resistant mutations (DRMs) was compared between plasma and PBMCs.

Results

Of the 26 samples studied, 20 NFLGs and 4 partial fragments were de novo assembled into contiguous sequences and successfully subtyped. Two distinct BF1 recombinant profiles designated CRF70_BF1 and CRF71_BF1, with 4 samples in profile I and 11 in profile II were detected and thus constitute two novel recombinant forms circulating in PE. Evidence of dual infections was detected in four patients co-infected with distinct HIV-1 subtypes. According to our estimate, the new CRF71_BF1 accounts for 10% of the HIV-1 circulating strains among blood donors in PE. Discordant data between the plasma and PBMCs-virus were found in 15 of 24 donors. Six of these strains displayed major DRMs only in PBMCs and four of which had detectable DRMs changes at prevalence between 1-20% of the sequenced population.

Conclusions

The high percentage of the new RF71_BF1 and other BF1 recombinants found among blood donors in Pernambuco, coupled with high rates of transmitted DRMs and dual infections confirm the need for effective surveillance to monitor the prevalence and distribution of HIV variants in a variety of settings in Brazil.     

赖氨酸特异性组蛋白去甲基化酶1与白血病的研究进展

表观遗传学是后基因组时代兴起的一门新学科,它使人们认识到包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑及非编码RNA调控在内的修饰也可以记载遗传信息;并且许多表观遗传改变是可逆的,对表观遗传修饰和调控的研究已成为生命科学的热点和发展前沿。2004年发现的赖氨酸特异性组蛋白去甲基化酶1(LSD1)是第一个真正意义上的组蛋白赖氨酸去甲基化酶,使人们认识到组蛋白甲基化是一个动态的过程,通过组蛋白甲基转移酶和去甲基化酶的相互作用,动态地调控基因转录的激活和抑制等生物学过程。这重新定义了组蛋白甲基化,同时也为进一步深入研究组蛋白修饰提供了新的途径。我们在此简要介绍LSD1的结构与功能、LSD1与白血病的关系,LSD1在白血病的发生和发展中发挥重要作用,是一个潜在的治疗白血病的靶基因。     

重组人睫状神经营养因子的聚乙二醇化修饰简

目的：研究重组人睫状神经营养因子（rhCNTF）突变体的聚乙二醇（PEG）化修饰,对rhCNTF的PEG化产物进行初步分离纯化及相关生物活性检测。方法：采用分子生物学技术经点突变得到rhCNTF的突变体cNm通过实验设计研究CN10的最佳PEG化条件;采用分子筛层析方式对偶联产物进行初步纯化,最后用ELISA和小鼠体重增长抑制法检测PEG化后的CN。。蛋白的生物活性。结果：能运用mPEG—MAL对CN,。进行定点修饰,PEG化后用Superdex200能够分离CN10;PEG化后的CN10每2d腹腔注射1次,对小鼠体重的增长抑制率可达50％,与rhCNTF每天注射2次的体重增长抑制作用相当。结论：CN10蛋白在PEG化修饰后,其减重效应持续时间明显延长。     

肝硬化小鼠肠道菌群结构及血清炎性因子的变化简

目的：观察肝硬化小鼠肠道菌群结构及血清炎性因子水平的变化。方法：通过CCL灌胃构建小鼠的肝硬化模型;采用酶联免疫吸附法检测肝硬化进程中血清内毒素及炎性因子IL-1、IL-6、TNF-α水平的变化;采集肝硬化小鼠新鲜粪便,通过荧光定量PCR实验检测肠道目的菌群的改变。结果：肝硬化小鼠肠道中拟杆菌属和梭菌属细菌显著减少,韦荣球菌属、肠杆菌属和肠球菌属细菌显著增加;随着肝硬化进程的加重,小鼠血液中内毒素及炎性因子水平显著提高。结论：肝硬化导致小鼠肠道菌群失调,促进了血液中内毒素及炎性因子水平的提高,形成恶性循环。     

A 3,000-year-old,basal S. enterica lineage from Bronze Age Xinjiang suggests spread along the Proto-Silk Road

Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) has infected humans for a long time, but its evolutionary history and geographic spread across Eurasia is still poorly understood. Here, we screened for pathogen DNA in 14 ancient individuals from the Bronze Age Quanergou cemetery (XBQ), Xinjiang, China. In 6 individuals we detected S. enterica. We reconstructed S. enterica genomes from those individuals, which form a previously undetected phylogenetic branch basal to Paratyphi C, Typhisuis and Choleraesuis–the so-called Para C lineage. Based on pseudogene frequency, our analysis suggests that the ancient S. enterica strains were not host adapted. One genome, however, harbors the Salmonella pathogenicity island 7 (SPI-7), which is thought to be involved in (para)typhoid disease in humans. This offers first evidence that SPI-7 was acquired prior to the emergence of human-adapted Paratyphi C around 1,000 years ago. Altogether, our results show that Salmonella enterica infected humans in Eastern Eurasia at least 3,000 years ago, and provide the first ancient DNA evidence for the spread of a pathogen along the Proto-Silk Road.     

Severe bacterial neonatal infections in Madagascar,Senegal, and Cambodia: A multicentric community-based cohort study

BackgroundSevere bacterial infections (SBIs) are a leading cause of neonatal deaths in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, most data came from hospitals, which do not include neonates who did not seek care or were treated outside the hospital. Studies from the community are scarce, and few among those available were conducted with high-quality microbiological techniques. The burden of SBI at the community level is therefore largely unknown. We aimed here to describe the incidence, etiology, risk factors, and antibiotic resistance profiles of community-acquired neonatal SBI in 3 LMICs.Methods and findingsThe BIRDY study is a prospective multicentric community-based mother and child cohort study and was conducted in both urban and rural areas in Madagascar (2012 to 2018), Cambodia (2014 to 2018), and Senegal (2014 to 2018). All pregnant women within a geographically defined population were identified and enrolled. Their neonates were actively followed from birth to 28 days to document all episodes of SBI. A total of 3,858 pregnant women (2,273 (58.9%) in Madagascar, 814 (21.1%) in Cambodia, and 771 (20.0%) in Senegal) were enrolled in the study, and, of these, 31.2% were primigravidae. Women enrolled in the urban sites represented 39.6% (900/2,273), 45.5% (370/814), and 61.9% (477/771), and those enrolled in the rural sites represented 60.4% (1,373/2,273), 54.5% (444/814), and 38.1% (294/771) of the total in Madagascar, Cambodia, and Senegal, respectively. Among the 3,688 recruited newborns, 49.6% were male and 8.7% were low birth weight (LBW). The incidence of possible severe bacterial infection (pSBI; clinical diagnosis based on WHO guidelines of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) was 196.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 176.5 to 218.2], 110.1 [88.3 to 137.3], and 78.3 [59.5 to 103] per 1,000 live births in Madagascar, Cambodia, and Senegal, respectively. The incidence of pSBI differed between urban and rural sites in all study countries. In Madagascar, we estimated an incidence of 161.0 pSBI per 1,000 live births [133.5 to 194] in the urban site and 219.0 [192.6 to 249.1] pSBI per 1,000 live births in the rural site (p = 0.008). In Cambodia, estimated incidences were 141.1 [105.4 to 189.0] and 85.3 [61.0 to 119.4] pSBI per 1,000 live births in urban and rural sites, respectively (p = 0.025), while in Senegal, we estimated 103.6 [76.0 to 141.2] pSBI and 41.5 [23.0 to 75.0] pSBI per 1,000 live births in urban and rural sites, respectively (p = 0.006). The incidences of culture-confirmed SBI were 15.2 [10.6 to 21.8], 6.5 [2.7 to 15.6], and 10.2 [4.8 to 21.3] per 1,000 live births in Madagascar, Cambodia, and Senegal, respectively, with no difference between urban and rural sites in each country. The great majority of early-onset infections occurred during the first 3 days of life (72.7%). The 3 main pathogens isolated were Klebsiella spp. (11/45, 24.4%), Escherichia coli (10/45, 22.2%), and Staphylococcus spp. (11/45, 24.4%). Among the 13 gram-positive isolates, 5 were resistant to gentamicin, and, among the 29 gram-negative isolates, 13 were resistant to gentamicin, with only 1 E. coli out of 10 sensitive to ampicillin. Almost one-third of the isolates were resistant to both first-line drugs recommended for the management of neonatal sepsis (ampicillin and gentamicin). Overall, 38 deaths occurred among neonates with SBI (possible and culture-confirmed SBI together). LBW and foul-smelling amniotic fluid at delivery were common risk factors for early pSBI in all 3 countries. A main limitation of the study was the lack of samples from a significant proportion of infants with pBSI including 35 neonatal deaths. Without these samples, bacterial infection and resistance profiles could not be confirmed.ConclusionsIn this study, we observed a high incidence of neonatal SBI, particularly in the first 3 days of life, in the community of 3 LMICs. The current treatment for the management of neonatal infection is hindered by antimicrobial resistance. Our findings suggest that microbiological diagnosis of SBI remains a challenge in these settings and support more research on causes of neonatal death and the implementation of early interventions (e.g., follow-up of at-risk newborns during the first days of life) to decrease the burden of neonatal SBI and associated mortality and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.

In a community-based, prospective cohort study, Bich-Tram Huynh and colleagues investigate the incidence and factors associated with several bacterial infections among neonates in rural and urban areas of three low-middle income countries.     

盐地碱蓬基因工程研究进展

盐地碱蓬(Suaeda salsa)是一种典型的抗逆性强的真盐生植物,且营养丰富、含有多种功能 成分,蕴涵着巨大的生态、经济和社会效益,特别是在植物耐盐基因工程的研究利用方面更显示 出了广阔的应用前景和巨大的利用价值,因而近年来日益为人们所重视。目前对盐地碱蓬抗逆 特别是抗盐机制的研究已从生理水平深入到了生化及分子水平,并由此带动了其耐盐基因工程 的研究;另一方面,对其保健和药用功效的研究也取得了一定进展。以盐地碱蓬抗盐机制及其基 因工程研究为重点对以上方面的成果进行了综述。     

微卫星标记的制备策略

微卫星标记作为一类重要的、成熟的分子遗传标记,凭借自身的高变异性、孟德尔遗传模 式、共显性遗传方式等优点,在遗传及其它相关领域发挥了十分重要的作用,而其主要的缺点是 必须知道所研究生物的微卫星序列及其旁侧序列。随着人类及模式生物基因组的深入研究,微 卫星标记的制备经历了从费时、费力、低效的传统法到周期短、效率高的富集法(选择性杂交法和 FIASCO法);从基因组构建文库筛选到公共数据库ESTs发掘;从实验室自制到花钱购买。总之, 随着方法与技术的不断改进,从目标生物中获得微卫星标记变得越来越简单、经济。     

海洋生物制药现状及展望

现代生物技术在制药产业中发挥了重要作用,海洋生物技术的出现和发展推动了海洋生 物药物的研究,是今后生物技术药物的发展方向。综述了生物技术在海洋药物开发中的应用,并 展望了新世纪海洋生物制药的前景。     

酪氨酸酶的应用研究进展

酪氨酸酶具有重要的生理生化特性,在医药、环境、食品、精细化工等领域具有广泛的用 途。酪氨酸酶可以氧化L-酪氨酸合成L-多巴和黑色素,L-多巴用于帕金森症的治疗,黑色素能够 杀死HIV病毒。酪氨酸酶可用于环境工程领域处理含苯酚及胺类废水,用于精细化工领域催化 有机合成反应。综述了酪氨酸酶在各个领域的应用概况,阐明了其在工业生产领域的应用前景。