Airborne pollen in Padua (NE-Italy): A comparison between two pollen samplers

During recent years a gradual decrease inallergenic airborne pollen concentration hasbeen observed in the monitoring station ofPadua (Italy). Because technical checks of thesampler were not able to explain this trend,the results obtained from two twinpollen-samplers (Lanzoni VPPS 2000), placed twometres apart, were compared.An eight-week sampling was carried out duringthe year 2000 from July to September.Subsequent analysis revealed no statisticallysignificant difference between the dataobtained with the two instruments. On the otherhand, both samplers captured high levels offungal spores. We conclude that the observednegative trend in pollen count is real and notrelated to technical biases.     

The determinants of stability in the human prion protein: insights into folding and misfolding from the analysis of the change in the stabilization energy distribution in different conditions

The dynamic evolution of the PrP(C) from its NMR-derived conformation to a beta-sheet-rich, aggregation-prone conformation is studied through all-atom, explicit solvent molecular dynamics in different temperature and pH conditions. The trajectories are analyzed by means of a recently introduced energy decomposition approach aimed at identifying the key residues for the stabilization and folding of the protein. It is shown that under native conditions the stabilization energy is concentrated in regions of the helices H1 and H3, whereas under misfolding conditions (low pH, high temperature, or mutations in selected sites) it is spread out over helix H2. Misfolding appears to be a rearrangement of the chain that disrupts most of the native secondary structure of the protein, producing some beta-rich conformations with an energy distribution similar to that of the native state.     

Ultra-deep whole genome bisulfite sequencing reveals a single methylation hotspot in human brain mitochondrial DNA

Open in a separate window     

SCRaPL: A Bayesian hierarchical framework for detecting technical associates in single cell multiomics data

Single-cell multi-omics assays offer unprecedented opportunities to explore epigenetic regulation at cellular level. However, high levels of technical noise and data sparsity frequently lead to a lack of statistical power in correlative analyses, identifying very few, if any, significant associations between different molecular layers. Here we propose SCRaPL, a novel computational tool that increases power by carefully modelling noise in the experimental systems. We show on real and simulated multi-omics single-cell data sets that SCRaPL achieves higher sensitivity and better robustness in identifying correlations, while maintaining a similar level of false positives as standard analyses based on Pearson and Spearman correlation.     

Autoradiography of Tracks from Beta-Particle Emitters in Tissues

Mounted paraffin sections, 2-4μ thick, ˙were stained, dehydrated, allowed to air dry, and given a thin coating of 1 % Plexi-glas solution in chloroform. The chloroform was allowed to evaporate completely in a dry atmosphere. An emulsion whose dried thickness was 100-150μ, was prepared from Ilford G5 type in gel form and glued to the section by means of a 15% solution of shellac in absolute alcohol. The surface of the emulsion was then cleaned with absolute ethyl alcohol, to remove the impermeable shellac layer. The exposure for radiation reaction was made at about 2°C and required, in the conditions of our experiment, about 24 hrs. The emulsions were processed by the “temperature-development method.” With the described procedure, autoradiographs have been obtained of various organs of albino rats, labeled with P³², S³⁵ and other radioisotopes, and very precise localizations of the origin of electron tracks was attempted. This technic has allowed the fixing and staining of the tissues by means of all the reagents commonly employed in histology, without any damage to the emulsion and the obtaining of good adhesion and minimum separation between specimen and emulsion, thus permitting reliable extrapolations of electron tracks. Due to the fact that the emulsion is fully sensitized when placed in contact with the preparation the limits of the exposure times were well defined. The uniform development at all depths of the emulsion achieved by the temperature-development method facilitated the work with fast electron tracks.     

Molecular Co-occupancy Identifies Transcription Factor Binding Cooperativity In Vivo

1. Download : Download high-res image (261KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Accumulation of germanium (Ge) in plant tissues of grasses is not solely driven by its incorporation in phytoliths

Ge/Si ratios of plant phytoliths have been widely used to trace biogeochemical cycling of Si. However, until recently, information on how much of the Ge and Si transferred from soil to plants is actually stored in phytoliths was lacking. The aim of the present study is to (i) compare the uptake of Si and Ge in three grass species, (ii) localize Ge and Si stored in above-ground plant parts and (iii) evaluate the amounts of Ge and Si sequestrated in phytoliths and plant tissues. Mays (Zea mays), oat (Avena sativa) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) were cultivated in the greenhouse on soil and sand to control element supply. Leaf phytoliths were extracted by dry ashing. Total elemental composition of leaves, phytoliths, stems and roots were measured by ICP-MS. For the localization of phytoliths and the determination of Ge and Si within leaf tissues and phytoliths scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used. The amounts of Si and Ge taken up by the species corresponded with biomass formation and decreased in the order Z. mays > P. arundinacea, A. sativa. Results from LA-ICP-MS revealed that Si was mostly localized in phytoliths, while Ge was disorderly distributed within the leaf tissue. In fact, from the total amounts of Ge accumulated in leaves only 10% was present in phytoliths highlighting the role of organic matter on biogeochemical cycling of Ge and the necessity for using bulk Ge/Si instead of Ge/Si in phytoliths to trace biogeochemical cycling of Si.

     

Inhibition of bromodomain and extra‐terminal proteins increases sensitivity to venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

The development of drugs able to target BTK, PI3k‐delta and BCL2 has dramatically improved chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) therapies. However, drug resistance to these therapies has already been reported due to non‐recurrent changes in oncogenic pathways and genes expression signatures. In this study, we investigated the cooperative role of the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax and the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1. In particular, we found that JQ1 shows additional activity with venetoclax, in CLL cell lines and in ex vivo isolated primary CD19⁺ lymphocytes, arguing in favour of combination strategies. Lastly, JQ1 is also effective in venetoclax‐resistant CLL cell lines. Together, our findings indicated that the BET inhibitor JQ1 could be a promising therapy in CLL, both as first‐line therapy in combination with venetoclax and as second‐line therapy, after the emergence of venetoclax‐resistant clones.