A cellular microRNA mediates antiviral defense in human cells

In eukaryotes, 21- to 24-nucleotide-long RNAs engage in sequence-specific interactions that inhibit gene expression by RNA silencing. This process has regulatory roles involving microRNAs and, in plants and insects, it also forms the basis of a defense mechanism directed by small interfering RNAs that derive from replicative or integrated viral genomes. We show that a cellular microRNA effectively restricts the accumulation of the retrovirus primate foamy virus type 1 (PFV-1) in human cells. PFV-1 also encodes a protein, Tas, that suppresses microRNA-directed functions in mammalian cells and displays cross-kingdom antisilencing activities. Therefore, through fortuitous recognition of foreign nucleic acids, cellular microRNAs have direct antiviral effects in addition to their regulatory functions.     

Mast cells: a cellular link between autoantibodies and inflammatory arthritis

Previous studies have revealed that autoantibodies, complement components, and Fc receptors each participate in the pathogenesis of erosive arthritis in K/BxN mice. However, it is not known which cellular populations are responsive to these inflammatory signals. We find that two strains of mice deficient in mast cells, W/Wv and Sl/Sld, were resistant to development of joint inflammation and that susceptibility was restored in the W/Wv strain by mast cell engraftment. Thus, mast cells may function as a cellular link between autoantibodies, soluble mediators, and other effector populations in inflammatory arthritis.     

A 5-micron-bright spot on Titan: evidence for surface diversity

Observations from the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer show an anomalously bright spot on Titan located at 80 degrees W and 20 degrees S. This area is bright in reflected light at all observed wavelengths, but is most noticeable at 5 microns. The spot is associated with a surface albedo feature identified in images taken by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem. We discuss various hypotheses about the source of the spot, reaching the conclusion that the spot is probably due to variation in surface composition, perhaps associated with recent geophysical phenomena.     

Transmission dynamics of the etiological agent of SARS in Hong Kong: impact of public health interventions

We present an analysis of the first 10 weeks of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Hong Kong. The epidemic to date has been characterized by two large clusters-initiated by two separate "super-spread" events (SSEs)-and by ongoing community transmission. By fitting a stochastic model to data on 1512 cases, including these clusters, we show that the etiological agent of SARS is moderately transmissible. Excluding SSEs, we estimate that 2.7 secondary infections were generated per case on average at the start of the epidemic, with a substantial contribution from hospital transmission. Transmission rates fell during the epidemic, primarily as a result of reductions in population contact rates and improved hospital infection control, but also because of more rapid hospital attendance by symptomatic individuals. As a result, the epidemic is now in decline, although continued vigilance is necessary for this to be maintained. Restrictions on longer range population movement are shown to be a potentially useful additional control measure in some contexts. We estimate that most currently infected persons are now hospitalized, which highlights the importance of control of nosocomial transmission.     

Recognition dynamics up to microseconds revealed from an RDC-derived ubiquitin ensemble in solution

Protein dynamics are essential for protein function, and yet it has been challenging to access the underlying atomic motions in solution on nanosecond-to-microsecond time scales. We present a structural ensemble of ubiquitin, refined against residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), comprising solution dynamics up to microseconds. The ensemble covers the complete structural heterogeneity observed in 46 ubiquitin crystal structures, most of which are complexes with other proteins. Conformational selection, rather than induced-fit motion, thus suffices to explain the molecular recognition dynamics of ubiquitin. Marked correlations are seen between the flexibility of the ensemble and contacts formed in ubiquitin complexes. A large part of the solution dynamics is concentrated in one concerted mode, which accounts for most of ubiquitin's molecular recognition heterogeneity and ensures a low entropic complex formation cost.     

Investigation of volatiles in Charentais cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo Var. cantalupensis). Characterization of aroma constituents in some cultivars

Volatile compounds of 15 Charentais melon cultivars, known to exhibit differences in their ripening behaviors and in their storage lives (wild, mid, and long shelf life), were investigated. Twenty-eight volatiles (11 esters, 8 sulfur compounds, 6 alcohols, and 3 carbonyl compounds) were isolated by direct dichloromethane extraction and analyzed by means of GC-MS and GC-FID. A considerable reduction in the aroma profile was observed for the long shelf life cultivars, in which total volatiles were 49-87% lower than in the wild or mid shelf life melons. Most of the esters such as ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, hexyl acetate, and butyl acetate and sulfur compounds such as ethyl 2-(methylthio)acetate, 2-methylthioethanol, ethyl 3-(methylthio)propanoate, 3-(methylthio)propyl acetate, and 3-(methylthio)propanol with low odor values were 2-30-fold lower in long shelf life cultivars than in the others. Discrimination of long shelf life cultivars from wild and mid shelf life melons was achieved by statistical treatment of the data by principal component and variance analysis.     

Humus macro-morphology and soil microbial community changes along a 130-yr-old Fagus sylvatica chronosequence

We aimed to characterize humus macro-morphology and the associated soil microbial community within the unmodified litter (OL), the fragmented and humified layers (FH) and the organo-mineral (A) layer along a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest chronosequence with four stand age-classes (15-, 65-, 95-, 130-yr-old) in Normandy, France. Humus macro-morphology was described with 36 quantitative and semi-quantitative variables. We measured microbial biomass N (N_mic), microbial N quotient (N_mic-to-N_t), fungal ergosterol, bacterial and fungal DNA using 16S and 18S rDNA real-time qPCR and evaluated the potential metabolic profile of heterotrophic bacteria within each soil layer and stand age-class. The log-transform ergosterol/fungal DNA ratio (EFR index) was used as an indicator related to active fungal biomass and the fungal/bacterial (F/B) ratio was calculated from qPCR results. There was a shift from mull (mainly dysmull) to moder humus forms along the chronosequence. While the N_mic did not change significantly, the N_mic-to-N_t decreased along the chronosequence in the OL layer. Ergosterol content increased in FH and A layers and the F/B ratio increased in the FH layer with increasing beech forest age. The EFR index was significantly higher in the OL and A layers of the oldest stands, whereas the highest EFR index in the FH layer occurred in the 15-yr-old stands. The functional diversity of heterotrophic bacteria was greater within OL and FH layers of 130-yr-old stands, but highest in the A layer of 15-yr-old stands while the Average Well Color Development remained stable for all soil layers. We found significant correlations between macro-morphology and microbial variables, especially between FH-based morphology and fungal biomass. Our main results are that beech forest maturation is accompanied by (1) an increase in fungal biomass in the FH layers and, (2) an increase in heterotrophic bacteria functional diversity in the organic layers. We have identified key macro-morphology variables that are good predictors of the structural and functional profile of the soil microbial community during beech forest development.