Anaplasma capra in sheep and goats on Corsica Island,France: A European lineage within A. capra clade II?

Anaplasmosis is a tick-transmitted disease due to several species of the genus Anaplasma. In 2019, we demonstrated the presence of Anaplasma capra in two deer species at a zoological park in mainland France. As we suspected its presence in Corsica, we surveyed 11 geographically distant sheep or goat farms. Using molecular tools such as nested PCR targeting 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), citrate synthase (gltA) and heat-shock protein (groEL) genes, we detected the presence of A. capra on 5/11 farms, in 26/108 blood samples (24%), in sheep as well as in goats. Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis of A. capra revealed that isolates from Corsica island grouped closely with A. capra isolates reported in red deer and swamp deer from a zoological reserve in mainland France, as well as in roe deer from Spain, in a separate and well supported clade within A. capra clade II. This third report of the tick-borne bacterium A. capra in Europe suggests a potentially larger presence of this pathogen on the European continent, on domestic, native as well as wild ruminants, a broad host range already described in Asian countries for this species.     

Zinc deficiency leads to reduced interleukin-2 production by active gene silencing due to enhanced CREMα expression in T cells

1. Download : Download high-res image (170KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Oocytes from stem cells

Folliculogenesis describes the process of activating an oocyte-containing primordial follicle from the ovarian reserve and its development to the mature ovulatory stage. This process is highly complex and is controlled by extra- and intra-ovarian signaling events. Oocyte competence and capacity for fertilization to support a viable pregnancy are acquired during folliculogenesis. Cancer and cancer-based therapies can negatively affect this process, compromising fertility. Currently, preservation of fertility in these patients remains limited to surrogacy, oocyte freezing, oocyte donation, or in vitro maturation (IVM). Recent reports of stem cells being used to produce fully competent oocytes and subsequently healthy offspring in mice have opened up a novel avenue for fertility preservation. However, translating these findings into human health first relies on enhancing our understanding of follicle growth and mimicking its intricacies in vitro. Indeed, the future of oocytes from stem cells in humans comes with many possibilities but currently faces several technical and ethical obstacles.     

The inflammatory event of birth: How oxytocin signaling may guide the development of the brain and gastrointestinal system

The role of oxytocin (OT) as a neuropeptide that modulates social behavior has been extensively studied and reviewed, but beyond these functions, OT’s adaptive functions at birth are quite numerous, as OT coordinates many physiological processes in the mother and fetus to ensure a successful delivery. In this review we explore in detail the potential adaptive roles of oxytocin as an anti-inflammatory, protective molecule at birth for the developing fetal brain and gastrointestinal system based on evidence that birth is a potent inflammatory/immune event. We discuss data with relevance for a number of neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as the emerging role of the gut-brain axis for health and disease. Finally, we discuss the potential relevance of sex differences in OT signaling present at birth in the increased male vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disabilities.     

布鲁氏菌A19疫苗株全基因组测序及比较基因组学分析

目的 探索布鲁氏杆菌A19疫苗株全基因组的结构、分子生物学的功能,并对其生物信息学进行研究。方法 采用Illumina Hiseq 4000和PacBio对A19进行全基因组测序,并与GenBank 上的8株菌进行比较基因组学解析。A19基因组3 286 167 bp, 预测3 371个基因,GC含量57.25%。通过注释COG库,对应基因有2 560个,将其归入22类COG中;根据比对KEGG库,得到2 544个基因,共参与33类代谢通路。结果 综合两个数据库结果发现,大多数A19预测基因中的基因功能主要与膜运输、氨基酸转运及碳水化合物代谢有关。结论 通过分析发现, A19和猪羊牛种布鲁氏菌之间存在一定差异,并找出牛种毒力基因。本实验通过测序A19全基因组,为布鲁菌疫苗的研究提供思路。