A generalized cholera model and epidemic–endemic analysis

The transmission of cholera involves both human-to-human and environment-to-human pathways that complicate its dynamics. In this paper, we present a new and unified deterministic model that incorporates a general incidence rate and a general formulation of the pathogen concentration to analyse the dynamics of cholera. Particularly, this work unifies many existing cholera models proposed by different authors. We conduct equilibrium analysis to carefully study the complex epidemic and endemic behaviour of the disease. Our results show that despite the incorporation of the environmental component, there exists a forward transcritical bifurcation at R ₀=1 for the combined human–environment epidemiological model under biologically reasonable conditions.     

Kolmogorov-type competition model with finitely supported allocation profiles and its applications to plant competition for sunlight

A Kolmogorov-type competition model featuring allocation profiles, gain functions, and cost parameters is examined. For plant species that compete for sunlight according to the canopy partitioning model [R.R. Vance and A.L. Nevai, Plant population growth and competition in a light gradient: a mathematical model of canopy partitioning, J. Theor. Biol. 245 (2007), pp. 210–219] the allocation profiles describe vertical leaf placement, the gain functions represent rates of leaf photosynthesis at different heights, and the cost parameters signify the energetic expense of maintaining tall stems necessary for gaining a competitive advantage in the light gradient. The allocation profiles studied here, being supported on three alternating intervals, determine “interior” and “exterior” species. When the allocation profile of the interior species is a delta function (a big leaf) then either competitive exclusion or coexistence at a single globally attracting equilibrium point occurs. However, if the allocation profile of the interior species is piecewise continuous or a weighted sum of delta functions (multiple big leaves) then multiple coexistence states may also occur.     

Diversity of protists and bacteria determines predation performance and stability

Predation influences prey diversity and productivity while it effectuates the flux and reallocation of organic nutrients into biomass at higher trophic levels. However, it is unknown how bacterivorous protists are influenced by the diversity of their bacterial prey. Using 456 microcosms, in which different bacterial mixtures with equal initial cell numbers were exposed to single or multiple predators (Tetrahymena sp., Poterioochromonas sp. and Acanthamoeba sp.), we showed that increasing prey richness enhanced production of single predators. The extent of the response depended, however, on predator identity. Bacterial prey richness had a stabilizing effect on predator performance in that it reduced variability in predator production. Further, prey richness tended to enhance predator evenness in the predation experiment including all three protists predators (multiple predation experiment). However, we also observed a negative relationship between prey richness and predator production in multiple predation experiments. Mathematical analysis of potential ecological mechanisms of positive predator diversity—functioning relationships revealed predator complementarity as a factor responsible for both enhanced predator production and prey reduction. We suggest that the diversity at both trophic levels interactively determines protistan performance and might have implications in microbial ecosystem processes and services.     

Global marine bacterial diversity peaks at high latitudes in winter

Genomic approaches to characterizing bacterial communities are revealing significant differences in diversity and composition between environments. But bacterial distributions have not been mapped at a global scale. Although current community surveys are way too sparse to map global diversity patterns directly, there is now sufficient data to fit accurate models of how bacterial distributions vary across different environments and to make global scale maps from these models. We apply this approach to map the global distributions of bacteria in marine surface waters. Our spatially and temporally explicit predictions suggest that bacterial diversity peaks in temperate latitudes across the world''s oceans. These global peaks are seasonal, occurring 6 months apart in the two hemispheres, in the boreal and austral winters. This pattern is quite different from the tropical, seasonally consistent diversity patterns observed for most macroorganisms. However, like other marine organisms, surface water bacteria are particularly diverse in regions of high human environmental impacts on the oceans. Our maps provide the first picture of bacterial distributions at a global scale and suggest important differences between the diversity patterns of bacteria compared with other organisms.     

小鼠帕金森病模型的行为学及组织病理学改变的观察分析

目的:观察1-甲基4苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶(MPTP)诱导的帕金森病小鼠模型的行为学及组织学变化.方法:C57/BL小鼠腹腔注射MPTP 25 mg/kg,每周2次,连续5周.通过旷场实验和强迫游泳实验检测小鼠的行为变化,分别使用抗酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)单克隆抗体和抗诱生型一氧化氮合酶(iN0S)单克隆抗体、抗精氨酸酶Ⅰ(Arg1)多克隆抗体作为多巴胺能神经元和小胶质细胞M1、M2两种极化表型的分子标志进行免疫荧光染色.结果:旷场实验中,模型组小鼠的活动总路程较对照组小鼠有减少趋势,但无明显统计学差异(P＞0.05),而其中央活动时间较正常对照组明显缩短(P＜0.05);强迫游泳实验中,模型组小鼠在水中的不动时间较对照组显著延长(P＜0.05).与对照组相比,模型组小鼠中脑黑质致密部TH阳性神经细胞数目减少约87％,两组TH阳性神经细胞计数比较差异显著(P＜0.01).模型组iNOS所染M1型小胶质细胞数量较对照组增加约54％,有显著性差异(P＜0.05),而Arg1标志的M2型细胞数量,虽较对照组有减少趋势,但无明显统计学差异(P＞0.05).结论:MPTP所致的C57/BL小鼠行为学及神经病理学改变与临床PD患者类似,脑内黑质区小胶质细胞两种极化表型混合存在,但M1型极化较正常有所改变,M2型变化不明显.     

Organ-on-a-chip technology and microfluidic whole-body models for pharmacokinetic drug toxicity screening

Microscale cell culture platforms better mimic the in vivo cellular microenvironment than conventional, macroscale systems. Microscale cultures therefore elicit a more authentic response from cultured cells, enabling physiologically realistic in vitro tissue models to be constructed. The fabrication of interconnecting microchambers and microchannels allows drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination to be simulated, and enables precise manipulation of fluid flow to replicate blood circulation. Complex, multi-organ interactions can be investigated using “organ-on-a-chip” toxicology screens. By reproducing the dynamics of multi-organ interaction, the dynamics of various diseases and drug activities can be studied in mechanistic detail. In this review, we summarize the current status of technologies related to pharmacokinetic-based drug toxicity testing, and the use of microtechnology for reproducing the interaction between multiple organs.     

Deriving metabolic engineering strategies from genome-scale modeling with flux ratio constraints

Optimized production of bio-based fuels and chemicals from microbial cell factories is a central goal of systems metabolic engineering. To achieve this goal, a new computational method of using flux balance analysis with flux ratios (FBrAtio) was further developed in this research and applied to five case studies to evaluate and design metabolic engineering strategies. The approach was implemented using publicly available genome-scale metabolic flux models. Synthetic pathways were added to these models along with flux ratio constraints by FBrAtio to achieve increased (i) cellulose production from Arabidopsis thaliana; (ii) isobutanol production from Saccharomyces cerevisiae; (iii) acetone production from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803; (iv) H₂ production from Escherichia coli MG1655; and (v) isopropanol, butanol, and ethanol (IBE) production from engineered Clostridium acetobutylicum. The FBrAtio approach was applied to each case to simulate a metabolic engineering strategy already implemented experimentally, and flux ratios were continually adjusted to find (i) the end-limit of increased production using the existing strategy, (ii) new potential strategies to increase production, and (iii) the impact of these metabolic engineering strategies on product yield and culture growth. The FBrAtio approach has the potential to design “fine-tuned” metabolic engineering strategies in silico that can be implemented directly with available genomic tools.     

Inhibition of melanoma development in the Nras(Q61K)::Ink4a−/− mouse model by the small molecule BI‐69A11

To date, there are no effective therapies for tumors bearing NRAS mutations, which are present in 15–20% of human melanomas. Here we extend our earlier studies where we demonstrated that the small molecule BI‐69A11 inhibits the growth of melanoma cell lines. Gene expression analysis revealed the induction of interferon‐ and cell death‐related genes that were associated with responsiveness of melanoma cell lines to BI‐69A11. Strikingly, the administration of BI‐69A11 inhibited melanoma development in genetically modified mice bearing an inducible form of activated Nras and a deletion of the Ink4a gene (Nras^(Q61K)::Ink4a^?/?). Biweekly administration of BI‐69A11 starting at 10 weeks or as late as 24 weeks after the induction of mutant Nras expression inhibited melanoma development (100 and 36%, respectively). BI‐69A11 treatment did not inhibit the development of histiocytic sarcomas, which constitute about 50% of the tumors in this model. BI‐69A11‐resistant Nras^(Q61K)::Ink4a^?/? tumors exhibited increased CD45 expression, reflective of immune cell infiltration and upregulation of gene networks associated with the cytoskeleton, DNA damage response, and small molecule transport. The ability to attenuate the development of NRAS mutant melanomas supports further development of BI‐69A11 for clinical assessment.     

Epigenetic alteration of imprinted genes during neural differentiation of germline-derived pluripotent stem cells

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which are unipotent stem cells in the testes that give rise to sperm, can be converted into germline-derived pluripotent stem (gPS) by self-induction. The androgenetic imprinting pattern of SSCs is maintained even after their reprogramming into gPS cells. In this study, we used an in vitro neural differentiation model to investigate whether the imprinting patterns are maintained or altered during differentiation. The androgenetic patterns of H19, Snrpn, and Mest were maintained even after differentiation of gPS cells into NSCs (gPS-NSCs), whereas the fully unmethylated status of Ndn in SSCs was altered to somatic patterns in gPS cells and gPS-NSCs. Thus, our study demonstrates epigenetic alteration of genomic imprinting during the induction of pluripotency in SSCs and neural differentiation, suggesting that gPS-NSCs can be a useful model to study the roles of imprinted genes in brain development and human neurodevelopmental disorders.