Terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase activity in acute undifferentiated leukemia.

Guanosine, rather than its methylated derivative, was found to be the inverted nucleoside present in the 5′ terminal capping structure of insect oocyte messenger RNA. Since methylation of the terminal guanosine at the 7 position is necessary for the initiation of protein synthesis in eukaryotes, this evidence suggests that the translational inactivity of the mRNA prior to fertilization may be associated with the absence of methylation.     

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes: A Functional Genomics Tool for the Study of Positive-strand RNA Viruses

Reverse genetics, an approach to rescue infectious virus entirely from a cloned cDNA, has revolutionized the field of positive-strand RNA viruses, whose genomes have the same polarity as cellular mRNA. The cDNA-based reverse genetics system is a seminal method that enables direct manipulation of the viral genomic RNA, thereby generating recombinant viruses for molecular and genetic studies of both viral RNA elements and gene products in viral replication and pathogenesis. It also provides a valuable platform that allows the development of genetically defined vaccines and viral vectors for the delivery of foreign genes. For many positive-strand RNA viruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), however, the cloned cDNAs are unstable, posing a major obstacle to the construction and propagation of the functional cDNA. Here, the present report describes the strategic considerations in creating and amplifying a genetically stable full-length infectious JEV cDNA as a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) using the following general experimental procedures: viral RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, cDNA subcloning and modification, assembly of a full-length cDNA, cDNA linearization, in vitro RNA synthesis, and virus recovery. This protocol provides a general methodology applicable to cloning full-length cDNA for a range of positive-strand RNA viruses, particularly those with a genome of >10 kb in length, into a BAC vector, from which infectious RNAs can be transcribed in vitro with a bacteriophage RNA polymerase.     

Listeria monocytogenes induces host DNA damage and delays the host cell cycle to promote infection

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a human intracellular pathogen widely used to uncover the mechanisms evolved by pathogens to establish infection. However, its capacity to perturb the host cell cycle was never reported. We show that Lm infection affects the host cell cycle progression, increasing its overall duration but allowing consecutive rounds of division. A complete Lm infectious cycle induces a S-phase delay accompanied by a slower rate of DNA synthesis and increased levels of host DNA strand breaks. Additionally, DNA damage/replication checkpoint responses are triggered in an Lm dose-dependent manner through the phosphorylation of DNA-PK, H2A.X, and CDC25A and independently from ATM/ATR. While host DNA damage induced exogenously favors Lm dissemination, the override of checkpoint pathways limits infection. We propose that host DNA replication disturbed by Lm infection culminates in DNA strand breaks, triggering DNA damage/replication responses, and ensuring a cell cycle delay that favors Lm propagation.     

Solitonlike and nonsoliton modes of interaction of taxis waves (illustrated with an example of bacterial population waves)

It was shown earlier that during collisions bacterial population waves may either penetrate one another or stop. In this communication, the mechanism of these two interaction modes is considered in detail. It is shown on the basis of theoretical and experimental results that this interaction is a graphic example confirming one of the characteristic properties of waves in cross-diffusion systems.     

Studies on microbiologically influenced corrosion of SS304 by a novel manganese oxidizer,Bacillus flexus

A manganese oxidizing bacterium was isolated from the surface of steel scraps and biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequencing analysis confirmed the isolate as Bacillus flexus. Potentiodynamic polarization curves showed ennoblement of open circuit potential, increased passive current, a lowering of breakdown potential, active re-passivation potential and enhanced cathodic current in the presence of B. flexus. Adhesion studies with B. flexus on SS304 specimens with different surface treatments demonstrated decreased adhesion on passivated and FeCl₃ treated specimens due to the removal of MnS inclusions. The present study provides evidence that surface treatment of stainless steels can reduce adhesion of this manganese oxidizing bacterium and decrease the probability of microbiologically influenced corrosion.     

CRP、PCT、WBC联合检测对中老年社区获得性肺炎的诊断效果

目的:研究C反应蛋白(C-reactive protein,CRP)、降钙素原(Procalcitonin,PCT)以及白细胞(White blood cell,WBC)联合检测对中老年社区获得性肺炎患者的诊断效果。方法:选择2018年1月～2019年1月我院收治的76例中老年社区获得性肺炎患者为观察组,同期在我院体检中心选取30例健康体检者为对照组。检测两组研究对象的CRP、PCT及WBC水平。采取肺炎严重程度CURB-65评分将观察组的76例患者分为低危组(n=63例),CURB-65评分3分,以及高危组(n=13例),CURB-65评分≥3分;依照观察组的转归情况分为存活组(n=70例)以及死亡组(n=6例),比较观察组和对照组患者,低危组和高危组患者,存活组和死亡组患者的CRP、PCT及WBC水平的差异。结果:观察组患者的CRP、PCT及WBC水平明显高于对照组(P0.05);高危组患者的CRP、PCT水平明显高于低危组患者(P0.05),而WBC水平两组无明显差异(P0.05);死亡组患者的CRP、PCT水平明显高于存活组患者(P0.05),而WBC水平两组无明显差异(P0.05)。经Pearson相关分析发现,CURB-65评分与PCT、CRP均呈明显的正相关(t=0.532,0.497,P均0.05)。结论:CRP、PCT以及联合检测可以为中老年社区获得性肺炎的诊断提供有利的信息,且CRP、PCT与患者的病情严重程度有一定的相关性。