Analysis of genetic variation in human papillomavirus type 16 E1 and E2 in women with cervical infection in Xinjiang, China

Background Xinjiang is one of the regions with a high incidence of cervical cancer, and the genetic variation of human papillomavirus may increase its ability to infect the human body and enhance virus-mediated immune escape ability. Methods Sanger sequencing of the HPV16 genome from 165 samples positive for HPV16 infection and phylogenetic analysis of the E1 and E2 genes revealed the gene polymorphism of HPV16 in Xinjiang. Results The results showed that there were 109 samples with variations in HPV16 E1, 48 sites with nucleotide variations (19 missense variations and 29 synonymous variations), and 91 samples with variations in HPV16 E2, 25 sites with nucleotide variations (20 missense variations and five synonymous variations). Conclusions From the phylogenetic tree results, 149 samples were of the European variant and 16 samples were of the Asian variant. No African or North American/Asian variant types were found.

Towards Understanding Afghanistan Pea Symbiotic Phenotype Through the Molecular Modeling of the Interaction Between LykX-Sym10 Receptor Heterodimer and Nod Factors

The difference in symbiotic specificity between peas of Afghanistan and European phenotypes was investigated using molecular modeling. Considering segregating amino acid polymorphism, we examined interactions of pea LykX-Sym10 receptor heterodimers with four forms of Nodulation factor (NF) that varied in natural decorations (acetylation and length of the glucosamine chain). First, we showed the stability of the LykX-Sym10 dimer during molecular dynamics (MD) in solvent and in the presence of a membrane. Then, four NFs were separately docked to one European and two Afghanistan dimers, and the results of these interactions were in line with corresponding pea symbiotic phenotypes. The European variant of the LykX-Sym10 dimer effectively interacts with both acetylated and non-acetylated forms of NF, while the Afghanistan variants successfully interact with the acetylated form only. We additionally demonstrated that the length of the NF glucosamine chain contributes to controlling the effectiveness of the symbiotic interaction. The obtained results support a recent hypothesis that the LykX gene is a suitable candidate for the unidentified Sym2 allele, the determinant of pea specificity toward Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strains producing NFs with or without an acetylation decoration. The developed modeling methodology demonstrated its power in multiple searches for genetic determinants, when experimental detection of such determinants has proven extremely difficult.

An mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: Lyophilized, liposome-based vaccine candidate EG-COVID induces high levels of virus neutralizing antibodies

In addition to the traditional method of vaccine development, the mRNA coronavirus vaccine, which is attractive as a challenging vaccination, recently opened a new era in vaccinology. Here we describe the EG-COVID which is a novel liposome-based mRNA candidate vaccine that encodes the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 with 2P-3Q substitution in European variant. We developed the mRNA vaccine platform that can be lyophilized using liposome-based technology. Intramuscular injection of the EG-COVID elicited robust humoral and cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, sera obtained from mice successfully inhibited SARS-CoV-2 viral infection into Vero cells. We developed EG-COVID and found it to be effective based on in vitro data, and we plan to initiate a clinical trial soon. Since EG-COVID is a lyophilized mRNA vaccine that is convenient for transportation and storage, accessibility to vaccines will be significantly improved.

Towards understanding Afghanistan pea symbiotic phenotype through the molecular modeling of the interaction between LykX-Sym10 receptor heterodimer and Nod factors

The difference in symbiotic specificity between peas of Afghanistan and European phenotypes was interrogated using molecular modeling. Considering segregating amino acid polymorphism, we examined interactions of pea LykX-Sym10 receptor heterodimers with four forms of Nod factor (NF) that varied in natural decorations (acetylation and length of the glucosamine chain). First, we showed the stability of the LykX-Sym10 dimer during molecular dynamics (MD) in solvent and in the presence of a membrane. Then, four NFs were separately docked to one European and two Afghanistan dimers, and the results of these interactions were in line with corresponding pea symbiotic phenotypes. The European variant of the LykX-Sym10 dimer effectively interacts with both acetylated and non-acetylated forms of NF, while the Afghanistan variants successfully interact with the acetylated form only. We additionally demonstrated that the length of the NF glucosamine chain contributes to controlling the effectiveness of the symbiotic interaction. The obtained results support a recent hypothesis that the LykX gene is a suitable candidate for the unidentified Sym2 allele, the determinant of pea specificity towards Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strains producing NFs with or without an acetylation decoration. The developed modeling methodology demonstrated its power in multiple searches for genetic determinants, when experimental detection of such determinants has proven extremely difficult.

The affinities of Homo antecessor – a review of craniofacial features and their taxonomic validity

The phylogenetic affinities of Homo antecessor, a hominin dating from the early Middle Pleistocene of Europe, are still unclear. In this study we conducted a comprehensive review of the TD6 hypodigm within the context of the historical development of paleoanthropological issues concerning this species. H. antecessor, based on all available craniofacial features to date, displays a midfacial morphology very similar to specimens attributed to Classic Homo erectus, suggesting that H. antecessor is the geographical European variant of Classic H. erectus.

Suburbanisation and Suburbanisms – Making Sense of Continental European Developments

This paper provides a brief overview of recent developments and debates concerned with suburbanisation in continental Europe. While current discourses in urban research and practice still focus on processes of reurbanisation and the gentrification of inner-city areas, suburbia continues to exist and thrive. Depending on the definition applied, suburban areas still attract a large share of in-migration and employment growth in cities of the developed countries. Given that popular meta-narratives on suburbia and suburbanisation are often spurred by, or refer to, North American suburban studies, we take a different perspective here, one based on continental European trajectories of development in and across city-regional areas that are considered to be suburban, and on social processes that are associated with suburbanisation (suburbanisms). Thus, we aim to avoid a biased understanding of suburbia as a spatial category, which is often considered mono-functional, non-sustainable, or in generic decline. Instead, we observe that suburban variety is huge, and the distinction between urban core and fringe seems to be as ambiguous as ever. The paper, which also introduces the theme of this special issue of “Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning”, bundles our findings along four themes: on suburbia as a place of economic development, on the shifting dynamics of housing between core and fringe locales, on the life-cyclic nature of suburbanisation, and on strategies for redevelopment. Finally, we discuss certain topics that may deserve to be addressed by future research, particularly on the European variant of suburbanisation and suburbs.

Genetic survey of alveolar and cystic echinococcoses in Romania: first molecular evidence of Echinococcus multilocularis in humans in the country

Summary Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) are considered as one of the most important zoonotic diseases in Romania, where they are subject to mandatory reporting. To obtain more knowledge about the genetic diversity of Echinococcus causative agents of these diseases, 11 isolates from humans and ungulate intermediate hosts from the two regions of Romania were genotyped using mitochondrial markers. In clinical samples of five patients from north-eastern Romania (Iasi, Botosani, Vaslui counties), Echinococcus multilocularis was identified as causal agent by cox1 sequence analysis. To the best of our knowledge this finding presents the first molecular evidence of E. multilocularis in humans from Romania. Only two cases of AE in patients were previously documented in the country by serological methods. In our four patients the most widespread European variant E5 of E. multilocularis was recorded, whereas in isolate from Vaslui county three nucleotide substitutions were detected as compared to the most related E5 haplotype. One of these mutations (411T/G) matched N1 and N2 haplotypes described previously from North America. In six CE samples retrieved from western Romania (Caras-Severin and Timis counties), two human isolates were diagnosed as Echinococcus canadensis G7, one as E. granulosus s.s. G1 and one as E. granulosus s.s. G3 using atp6 and rrnS sequencing. In ungulates, the cattle isolate was allocated to E. granulosus s.s. G1 and pig isolate to E. canadensis G7. The two G7 findings in humans reinforced the recent view that G7 was underestimated as compared to the E. granulosus s.s. regarding human CE threat that can be further employed for identifying sources of infections and establishing suitable preventive measures.

Complete Genome Sequences of Eight Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Asian American and European Variant Isolates from Cervical Biopsies and Lesions in Indian Women: TABLE 1

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16), a member of thePapillomaviridaefamily, is the primary etiological agent of cervical cancer. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of four HPV16 Asian American variants and four European variants, isolated from cervical biopsies and scrapings in India.

Human Papillomavirus 16 Variants May Be Identified by E6 Gene Analysis

Aims: The aims of the study were (1) to characterize the genetic variability of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 in the E6 region when this genotype is present in multiple infection samples, (2) to assess the prevalence of variants in our region and (3) to analyze the relationship between variants, patients' ages and pathology. Methods: The Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Department analyzed samples which were positive for genotype 16 and other genotypes from 2007 to 2013. Variants were assigned to European, Euro-German, Asian, Asian-American or African lineage by sequence analysis. The relationship among variants, age and different types of lesion was studied. Results: In HPV-16 sequence analysis, the European variant was detected in 85.10% of samples, the Asian-American in 7.80%, the African in 4.25% and the Euro-German in 2.83% of specimens. Sequence genetic variability showed 16 nucleotide substitutions. Moreover, non-European variants were mainly found in old women and in isolates from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions since European variants were mainly detected in negative cytologies. Conclusion: Multiple infections may take effect on nucleotide substitution and the appearance of recombinant samples. Single gene analysis makes it impossible to detect recombination which has a great influence on drug response and vaccine strategies. Thus, E6 gene analysis would be enough to identify HPV-16 intratypic variants but not to confirm the results.