Presence of Blastocystis in gut microbiota is associated with cognitive traits and decreased executive function

Growing evidence implicates the gut microbiome in cognition. Blastocystis is a common gut single-cell eukaryote parasite frequently detected in humans but its potential involvement in human pathophysiology has been poorly characterized. Here we describe how the presence of Blastocystis in the gut microbiome was associated with deficits in executive function and altered gut bacterial composition in a discovery (n = 114) and replication cohorts (n = 942). We also found that Blastocystis was linked to bacterial functions related to aromatic amino acids metabolism and folate-mediated pyrimidine and one-carbon metabolism. Blastocystis-associated shifts in bacterial functionality translated into the circulating metabolome. Finally, we evaluated the effects of microbiota transplantation. Donor’s Blastocystis subtypes led to altered recipient’s mice cognitive function and prefrontal cortex gene expression. In summary, Blastocystis warrant further consideration as a novel actor in the gut microbiome-brain axis.Subject terms: Biomarkers, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis     

TGFβ Governs the Pleiotropic Activity of NDRG1 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression

In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the pleiotropic NDRG1 (N-Myc downstream regulated gene 1) promotes progression and worse survival, yet contradictory results were documented, and the mechanisms remain unknown. Phosphorylation and localization could drive NDRG1 pleiotropy, nonetheless, their role in TNBC progression and clinical outcome was not investigated. We found enhanced p-NDRG1 (Thr346) by TGFβ1 and explored whether it drives NDRG1 pleiotropy and TNBC progression. In tissue microarrays of 81 TNBC patients, we identified that staining and localization of NDRG1 and p-NDRG1 (Thr346) are biomarkers and risk factors associated with shorter overall survival. We found that TGFβ1 leads NDRG1, downstream of GSK3β, and upstream of NF-κB, to differentially regulate migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor initiation, and maintenance of different populations of cancer stem cells (CSCs), depending on the progression stage of tumor cells, and the combination of TGFβ and GSK3β inhibitors impaired CSCs. The present study revealed the striking importance to assess both total NDRG1 and p-NDRG1 (Thr346) positiveness and subcellular localization to evaluate patient prognosis and their stratification. NDRG1 pleiotropy is driven by TGFβ to differentially promote metastasis and/or maintenance of CSCs at different stages of tumor progression, which could be abrogated by the inhibition of TGFβ and GSK3β.     

Characterizing the Interaction between Root-knot Nematodes and Soil-borne Fungi which are Pathogenic to Passion Fruit (Passiflora Edulis)

For decades there have been anecdotal claims of synergistic interactions between plant-parasitic nematodes and soil-borne fungi causing decline of productivity of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) orchards. An empirical confirmation of these disease complexes would impact disease management and plant breeding for resistance. To test those claims, we subjected passion fruit plants to single or concomitant parasitism by Meloidogyne javanica or M. incognita and Fusarium nirenbergiae or Neocosmospora sp. under controlled conditions. Non-inoculated plants served as control for the assays. The severity of shoot symptoms and variables related to plant growth, the extent of fungal lesions, and nematode reproduction were assessed to characterize the interactions. The shoot symptoms and effect on plant growth induced by the pathogens varied, but no synergy between the pathogens was observed. Moreover, the volume of tissue lesioned by the fungi was not affected by co-parasitism of the nematodes. Conversely, plant resistance to the nematodes was not affected by co-parasitism of the fungi. The interactions M. incognita-F. nirenbergiae, M. incognita-Neocosmospora sp., M. javanica-F. nirenbergiae, and M. javanica-Neocosmospora sp. were not synergistic as previously claimed, but instead neutral.     

Gefrierversuche mit der Torsomethode und einem Spezial-Thermostaten

Zusammenfassung Die Benutzung der Torsomethode und eines mit technischen Einzelheiten hier erstmalig beschriebenen Kältethermostaten ermöglichte den Nachweis dafür, daß die Frostschädigung jungen Weizens durch –10°C schon während der ersten Stunde der Belastung zunehmen kann und dann während weiterer acht Stunden kontinuierlich gesteigert wird.Mit 6 Abbildungen     

Resultados comparativos de la reaccion intradermica a la tuberculina - histoplasmina- coccidioidina en Tuberculosos

Mycopathologia - Se estudiaron los resultados comparativos de las reacciones intradérmicas a la Tuberculina, Histoplasmina y Coccidioidina, practicadas simultáneamente a 644 enfermos...     

ACE16k: a 128x128 focal plane analog processor with digital I/O

This paper presents a new generation 128x128 Focal-Plane Analog Programmable Array Processor -FPAPAP, from a system level perspective. It has been manufactured in a 0.35 microm standard digital 1P-5M CMOS technology. It has been designed to achieve the high-speed and moderate-accuracy -8b- requirements of most real time -early-vision applications. External data interchange and control are completely digital. The chip contains close to four million transistors, 90% of them working in analog mode. It achieves peak computing values of 0.33TeraOPS while keeping power consumption at reasonable limits -82.5GOPS/W. Preliminary experimental results are also provided in the paper.     

Export,purification, and activities of affinity tagged <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus reuteri</Emphasis> levansucrase produced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis>

Fructosyltransferases, like the Lactobacillus reteri levansucrase, are important for the production of new fructosyloligosaccharides. Various His₆- and Strep-tagged variants of this enzyme were recombinantly produced and exported into the growth medium using the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium. Nutrient-rich growth medium significantly enhanced levansucrase production and export. The B. megaterium signal peptide of the extracellular esterase LipA mediated better levansucrase export compared to the one of the penicillin amidase Pac. The combination of protein export via the LipA signal peptide with the coexpression of the signal peptidase gene sipM further increased the levansucrase secretion. Fused affinity tags allowed the efficient one-step purification of the recombinant proteins from the growth medium. However, fused peptide tags led to slightly decreased secretion of tested fusion proteins. After upscaling 2 to 3 mg affinity tagged levansucrase per liter culture medium was produced and exported. Up to 1 mg of His₆-tagged and 0.7 mg of Strep-tagged levansucrase per liter were recovered by affinity chromatography. Finally, the purified levansucrase was shown to synthesize new fructosyloligosaccharides from the novel donor substrates d-Gal-Fru, d-Xyl-Fru, d-Man-Fru, and d-Fuc-Fru. R. Biedendieck and R. Beine contributed equally to this work.     

Assessing the generality of global leaf trait relationships

Global-scale quantification of relationships between plant traits gives insight into the evolution of the world's vegetation, and is crucial for parameterizing vegetation-climate models. A database was compiled, comprising data for hundreds to thousands of species for the core 'leaf economics' traits leaf lifespan, leaf mass per area, photosynthetic capacity, dark respiration, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, as well as leaf potassium, photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), and leaf N : P ratio. While mean trait values differed between plant functional types, the range found within groups was often larger than differences among them. Future vegetation-climate models could incorporate this knowledge. The core leaf traits were intercorrelated, both globally and within plant functional types, forming a 'leaf economics spectrum'. While these relationships are very general, they are not universal, as significant heterogeneity exists between relationships fitted to individual sites. Much, but not all, heterogeneity can be explained by variation in sample size alone. PNUE can also be considered as part of this trait spectrum, whereas leaf K and N : P ratios are only loosely related.