Proteiniclasticum sediminis sp. nov., an obligate anaerobic bacterium isolated from anaerobic sludge

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - An obligate anaerobic bacterial BAD-10 T was isolated from anaerobic acetochlor-degrading sludge. The strain was Gram-stain negative, curved rod-shaped,...     

The fitness costs and benefits of trisomy of each Candida albicans chromosome

Candida albicans is a prevalent human fungal pathogen. Rapid genomic change, due to aneuploidy, is a common mechanism that facilitates survival from multiple types of stresses including the few classes of available antifungal drugs. The stress survival of aneuploids occurs despite the fitness costs attributed to most aneuploids growing under idealized lab conditions. Systematic study of the aneuploid state in C. albicans has been hindered by the lack of a comprehensive collection of aneuploid strains. Here, we describe a collection of diploid C. albicans aneuploid strains, each carrying one extra copy of each chromosome, all from the same genetic background. We tested the fitness of this collection under several physiological conditions including shifts in pH, low glucose, oxidative stress, temperature, high osmolarity, membrane stress, and cell wall stress. We found that most aneuploids, under most conditions, were less fit than their euploid parent, yet there were specific conditions under which specific aneuploid isolates provided a fitness benefit relative to the euploid parent strain. Importantly, this fitness benefit was attributable to the change in the copy number of specific chromosomes. Thus, C. albicans can tolerate aneuploidy of each chromosome and some aneuploids confer improved growth under conditions that the yeast encounters in its host niches.     

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Single Domain Antibody Against Ebola Virus

Virologica Sinica - Ebola virus (EBOV) belongs to the Filoviridae family and causes severe illnesses such as hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate up to 90%. Now two antibody drugs termed...     

African Swine Fever Virus Protein E199L Promotes Cell Autophagy through the Interaction of PYCR2

African swine fever virus(ASFV), as a member of the large DNA viruses, may regulate autophagy and apoptosis by inhibiting programmed cell death. However, the function of ASFV proteins has not been fully elucidated, especially the role of autophagy in ASFV infection. One of three Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductases(PYCR), is primarily involved in conversion of glutamate to proline. Previous studies have shown that depletion of PYCR2 was related to the induction of autophagy. In the present study, we found for the first time that ASFV E199 L protein induced a complete autophagy process in Vero and HEK-293 T cells. Through co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry(CoIP-MS)analysis, we firstly identified that E199 L interact with PYCR2 in vitro. Importantly, our work provides evidence that E199 L down-regulated the expression of PYCR2, resulting in autophagy activation. Overall, our results demonstrate that ASFV E199 L protein induces complete autophagy through interaction with PYCR2 and down-regulate the expression level of PYCR2, which provide a valuable reference for the role of autophagy during ASFV infection and contribute to the functional clues of PYCR2.