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naun-lobo.bsky.social
@naun-lobo.bsky.social
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Reposted
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: Circulating H5N1 strains have a longer neuraminidase (NA) stalk than most strains over the past 20+ years. The longer version may boost transmission in mammals—potentially raising concerns about human-to-human transmission. #mBio: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Percentage of NA sequences from H5N1 viruses per year that contain the long stalk N1 (as defined in the "Methods" section in the Supplemental Material). (c) Percentage of NA sequences from H5N1 viruses from clade 2.3.4.4b that contain the above long stalk N1, per host. Numbers at the base of the bars indicate the total number of sequences, and numbers on top indicate the percentage having the long stalk. For avian species, the search was limited to samples collected from 1 January 2024, and for cattle sequences, from 1 January 2023 (downloaded on 15 July 2024 or 19 July 2024). Poultry was defined as any sequences containing the words “chicken,” “turkey,” “domestic duck,” “domestic goose,” “domestic,” or “poultry” in their header. All other avian samples were classified as wild birds.
March 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted
science.org
A new Science study in mice identifies cross-talk between muscle and the reproductive system and raises questions about interventions to increase muscle mass that might affect fertility.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective:
Myostatin's flex on the reproductive hormone axis
A muscle hormone controls the mammalian reproductive system
scim.ag
January 24, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted
asm.org
The immune system creates fibrin clots to trap Group A Streptococcus (GAS) and prevent spread. For the first time, scientists show that GAS can delay their escape from fibrin clots to access deeper tissue and cause more invasive disease. #JournalSpectrum: asm.social/2gc
WT GASAP53 triggers fibrin clot dissolution when enmeshed in fibrin clots in the presence of hPg. Fluorescently labeled fibrinogen was combined with thrombin to form fibrin clots, which entrapped GASAP53 cells prior to initiation of live imaging. (A) hPg is added to the solution after fibrin clots are formed. (B) hPg is pre-incubated with GAS for 5 min prior to fibrin clot formation.
January 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted
scinews.bsky.social
How one brain circuit encodes memories of both places and events

"A new model developed by MIT researchers explains how those place cells can be recruited to form episodic memories, even when there’s no spatial component."

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reposted
science.org
This week in Science, researchers present a library of 3D polycatenated architected materials with intriguing deformation behaviors that encompass both solid-like and liquid-like characteristics.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/42fsQTP
Interwoven granular building blocks form crystallographic networks that are interlinked but not rigidly connected. A range of designs, based on rings or cages, can be made using additive manufacturing. Under stress, the networks show responses that are only partially like a liquid or a solid. This motif has similarities to chain mail used by medieval soldiers and has more recently inspired artist and creator communities.
January 16, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted
asm.org
Betacoronaviruses express a small internal (I) protein that is encoded by the same subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) as the nucleocapsid (N) protein. In #JVirology, researchers summarize knowledge on these I proteins, with emphasis on their role and function. asm.social/2fA #microsky
Expression strategy of betacoronavirus internal protein. (A) Schematic diagram depicting the genome organization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is used as an example to illustrate the expression of the I protein (9b). (B) Schematic diagram showing the expression of the N and I proteins. Subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) expressing the N protein is depicted.
January 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted
profriggins.bsky.social
Congratulations to @zmadake2.bsky.social and her lab on a beautiful new publication showing the effectiveness of anti-ER treatment combined with a ketogenic diet in reducing breast cancer liver metastasis in mice. #bcsm 1/2 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Co-targeting of metabolism using dietary and pharmacologic approaches reduces breast cancer metastatic burden - npj Breast Cancer
npj Breast Cancer - Co-targeting of metabolism using dietary and pharmacologic approaches reduces breast cancer metastatic burden
www.nature.com
January 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted
scinews.bsky.social
Counteracting the negative effect of HFCD by simultaneous physical exercise might be detrimental.

"Moderate-intensity interval exercise exacerbates cardiac lipotoxicity in high-fat, high-calories diet-fed mice."

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted
asm.org
Enterobacterales with OXA-48-like carbapenemases are undermining the efficiency of carbapenem therapy. This review in @JClinMicro describes the genomic aspects underlying the rapid global spread of these organisms, and why they have become so successful. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #microsky
(A) The origin and evolution of cluster A_OXA-48 (OXA-48 and OXA-244). (B) The origin and evolution of cluster B_OXA-181 (OXA-181 and OXA-232).
January 15, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted
asm.org
In Salmonella, penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2 is required for proper function of the pathogenicity island-1 (SPI-1) T3SS but is dispensable for motility, whereas the lack of any of the morphogenetic PBPs increases SPI-2 T3SS activity. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2fr
The morphogenetic PBP2 is required for SPI-1 T3SS activity. (A) Coomassie staining of whole cell-associated proteins and secreted proteins of the indicated strains grown in LB pH 5.8 to stationary phase. The position of the SPI-1 proteins SipA, SipB, SipC, and SipD is indicated, as well as flagellins FliC and FljB. Positions and size (in kDa) of molecular weight markers are shown. (B) Levels of SipC detected by Western blotting in whole cell-associated and secreted protein extracts of the indicated isogenic mutants. The volumes loaded of whole cell and supernatant extracts in panels (A) and (B) correspond to 2.75 × 107 and 2.75 × 109 bacteria, respectively. Coomassie staining of the PVDF membrane used in the Western blot is shown as loading control; (C) Levels of the SPI-1 structural protein PrgK in mutants lacking PBP2 or PBP2SAL grown overnight in LB pH 5.8. A null prgK mutant was run in parallel as negative control. Asterisks denote non-specific bands; (D) Secretion of SipC is not altered in the absence of the major PG synthases PBP1A or PBP1B. The Coomassie staining of the same samples run on a gel is shown as loading control; (E) Motility assay of S. Typhimurium mutants lacking morphogenetic PBPs. Shown are the motility halos observed after 6 h of growth in semi-solid motility medium pH 4.6 (see Materials and Methods). Data are representative of two biological replicates.
January 13, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reposted
science.org
Scientists have identified functional differences between human and mouse PD-1, which could impact preclinical research on cancer immunotherapies.

Read more in #ScienceImmunology:
Functional differences between rodent and human PD-1 linked to evolutionary divergence
A highly conserved motif in human PD-1 but absent in rodent PD-1 is linked to differential inhibitory activity.
scim.ag
January 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM