Article
Virology
Aurelie Drouin, Julie Migraine, Marie-Alice Durand, Alain Moreau, Julien Burlaud-Gaillard, Maxime Beretta, Philippe Roingeard, Melanie Bouvin-Pley, Martine Braibant
Summary: The cellular factor IFITM3 reduces HIV-1 infectivity through an unclear mechanism. IFITM3 interacts with Env of sensitive viruses, inducing conformational changes that decrease viral infectivity, but this antiviral action is modulated by the nature of Env, particularly the V1V2 and V3 loops, which may escape this interaction after processing in the Golgi apparatus.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Harry B. Gristick, Harald Hartweger, Maximilian Loewe, Jelle van Schooten, Victor Ramos, Thiago Y. Oliveira, Yoshiaki Nishimura, Nicholas S. Koranda, Abigail Wall, Kai -Hui Yao, Daniel Poston, Anna Gazumyan, Marie Wiatr, Marcel Horning, Jennifer R. Keeffe, Magnus A. G. Hoffmann, Zhi Yang, Morgan E. Abernathy, Kim-Marie A. Dam, Han Gao, Priyanthi N. P. Gnanapragasam, Leesa M. Kakutani, Ana Jimena Pavlovitch-Bedzyk, Michael S. Seaman, Mark Howarth, Andrew T. Mcguire, Leonidas Stamatatos, Malcolm A. Martin, Anthony P. West Jr, Michel C. Nussenzweig, Pamela J. Bjorkman
Summary: Passive transfer of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibodies is a strategy to protect against infection, but eliciting these antibodies through vaccination has been challenging. Researchers have successfully induced CD4 binding site (CD4bs) antibody responses using the antibody IOMA, which has potential as a vaccine strategy to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1.
SCIENCE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Myungjin Lee, Anita Changela, Jason Gorman, Reda Rawi, Tatsiana Bylund, Cara W. Chao, Bob C. Lin, Mark K. Louder, Adam S. Olia, Baoshan Zhang, Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Susan Zolla-Pazner, Lawrence Shapiro, Gwo-Yu Chuang, Peter D. Kwong
Summary: The study showed a high correlation between antibody-framework-to-antigen distance (AFAD) and glycan coverage in antibody-protein-antigen complexes, with particularly long AFADs observed for antibodies targeting the glycosylated trimer apex. The introduction of a glycan hole enabled closer recognition on densely glycosylated surfaces.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jeong Hyun Lee, Joyce K. Hu, Erik Georgeson, Catherine Nakao, Bettina Groschel, Thamotharampillai Dileepan, Marc K. Jenkins, Gregory Seumois, Pandurangan Vijayanand, William R. Schief, Shane Crotty
Summary: The quantity of CD4 T cell help has been found to influence recruitment and competition of broadly neutralizing antibody precursor B cells in response to Env trimer immunization. This finding is crucial for designing vaccines against diseases of high interest.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Weiwei Peng, Vamseedhar Rayaprolu, Amar D. Parvate, Matti F. Pronker, Sean Hui, Diptiben Parekh, Kelly Shaffer, Xiaoying Yu, Erica O. Saphire, Joost Snijder
Summary: This study utilized glycoproteomics to investigate the glycosylation patterns of the ebolavirus GP protein. The results revealed multiple forms of glycosylation at different sites of GP, which play crucial roles in host cell attachment, GP stability, fusion activity, and resistance against neutralizing antibodies. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the interactions between ebolavirus GP and antibodies.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jingjing Shu, Wenli Xiong, Ran Zhang, Shanyun Ma, Kaiqiang Zhou, Xuwei Wang, Fen Yan, Da Huang, Jianhua Li, Yuanzi Wu, Jian'an He
Summary: This study proposes a method for enriching N-glycosylated proteins based on the in-situ growth of thermoresponsive polymer brushes from the N-glycosylated site. The method demonstrates high efficiency in enrichment and separation, and verifies the presence of N-glycopeptides in the enriched samples through mass spectrometry.
Article
Microbiology
Wuxun Lu, Tai-Wei Li, Stacia Phillips, Li Wu
Summary: The polar region of HIV-1 Env plays a crucial role in viral infectivity. Mutations in the polar region can greatly decrease or eliminate viral infectivity, but compensatory Env mutations can restore infectivity. This study demonstrates that HIV-1 mutants with fusion-defective Env can regain replication competency in CD4(+) T-cells.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Amelia Escolano, Harry B. Gristick, Rajeev Gautam, Andrew T. DeLaitsch, Morgan E. Abernathy, Zhi Yang, Haoqing Wang, Magnus A. G. Hoffmann, Yoshiaki Nishimura, Zijun Wang, Nicholas Koranda, Leesa M. Kakutani, Han Gao, Priyanthi N. P. Gnanapragasam, Henna Raina, Ana Gazumyan, Melissa Cipolla, Thiago Y. Oliveira, Victor Ramos, Darrell J. Irvine, Murillo Silva, Anthony P. West, Jennifer R. Keeffe, Christopher O. Barnes, Michael S. Seaman, Michel C. Nussenzweig, Malcolm A. Martin, Pamela J. Bjorkman
Summary: Sequential immunization using VLPs and increasingly native-like Env-VLPs can elicit heterologous neutralizing antibodies in nonhuman primates, but more potent neutralization is necessary for protection in this animal model against HIV-1 infection. Improving prime-boost regimens to increase bNAb potency and stimulate other immune protection mechanisms is essential for developing anti-HIV-1 vaccines.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Di Wu, Carol Robinson
Summary: Oligomerization and glycosylation play important roles in the stability and efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins, but the interplay between these two attributes is often difficult to define. In this study, a native top-down mass spectrometry approach was used to assess the glycosylation status of therapeutic cytokine and hormone assemblies and to relate interfacial glycan occupancy to complex stability. The study found that interfacial O-glycan stabilizes tumor necrosis factor-alpha trimer, while interferon-beta 1a dimerization is independent of glycosylation. Furthermore, a unique distribution of N-glycans on the follicle-stimulating hormone alpha subunit was discovered, and the interfacial N-glycan was found to interact extensively with the beta subunit to regulate dimer assembly.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng-Ting Liu, Jian-Xin Shen, Xin-Wei Li, Li Yang, Yi Li, Peng Sang, Li-Quan Yang
Summary: In this study, structural models of gp120 from two different HIV-1 strains were constructed and molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to investigate the differences in their neutralization phenotypes. The results showed that the gp120 from the CD4-independent strain R2 had higher structural flexibility and conformational diversity, leading to a more open conformation compared to the CD4-dependent strain JR-FL. This difference in conformational states explained the CD4-dependent and -independent phenotypes of the two strains. The study provides important insights into the molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 gp120 and contributes to the understanding of HIV-1 immune evasion.
Article
Virology
Sachith Polpitiya Arachchige, Wyatt Henke, Maria Kalamvoki, Edward B. Stephens
Summary: The study demonstrates that the gD glycoprotein of HSV-1 restricts HIV-1 infectivity, with its cytoplasmic tail domain playing a significant role in restriction activity, while the transmembrane domain of gB influences its incorporation into HIV-1 particles. Swapping domains between gD and gB shed light on the importance of gD cell surface expression and its interaction with HIV-1 particles.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sushil K. Shakyawar, Sanjit Pandey, David J. Harvey, George Bousfield, Chittibabu Guda
Summary: Glycomics, focusing on the study of sugars in organisms, has gained attention due to advancements in mass spectrometry. Analyzing glycan structures associated with FSH has helped understand its biological roles, leading to the development of FSH Glycans DataBase (FGDB) for data storage and analysis to accelerate research in this field.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiping Shao, Gezhi Liu, Gang Lv
Summary: The mutation in the D1 domain of human CD4 receptor can enhance the binding affinity with HIV-1 gp120 and improve the interaction pattern of neighboring residues. The results contribute to a better understanding of the changes in the interaction between the gp120 protein and the human host CD4 receptor and provide a promising target for therapeutics development in HIV-1 vaccine and viral entry inhibitors.
Article
Cell Biology
Annemarie Laumaea, Lorie Marchitto, Shilei Ding, Guillaume Beaudoin-Bussieres, Jeremie Prevost, Romain Gasser, Debashree Chatterjee, Gabrielle Gendron-Lepage, Halima Medjahed, Hung-Ching Chen, Amos B. Smith III, Haitao Ding, John C. Kappes, Beatrice H. Hahn, Frank Kirchhoff, Jonathan Richard, Ralf Duerr, Andres Finzi
Summary: The conformation of HIV-1 envelope (Env) determines the susceptibility of infected CD4(+) T cells to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). The downregulation of CD4 on infected macrophages by Nef, Vpu, and Env has a lesser impact on Env conformation and ADCC sensitivity compared to CD4(+) T cells. However, treatment of infected macrophages with small CD4 mimetics exposes vulnerable CD4-induced Env epitopes and sensitizes them to ADCC.
Article
Cell Biology
Belinda L. Spillings, Christopher J. Day, Albert Garcia-Minambres, Anupriya Aggarwal, Nicholas D. Condon, Thomas Haselhorst, Damian F. J. Purcell, Stuart G. Turville, Jennifer L. Stow, Michael P. Jennings, Johnson Mak
Summary: This study reveals that HIV is captured near the lymphocyte surface in a virion-glycan-dependent manner. Removing certain glycans impairs virus-cell binding and interfering with glycan interactions reduces HIV infectivity. These findings provide new insights into the interaction between HIV and host cells.
Article
Virology
Dowbiss Meta Djomsi, Audrey Lacroix, Abdoul Karim Soumah, Eddy Kinganda Lusamaki, Asma Mesdour, Raisa Raulino, Amandine Esteban, Innocent Ndong Bass, Flaubert Auguste Mba Djonzo, Souana Goumou, Simon Pierre Ndimbo-Kimugu, Guy Lempu, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Daniel Mukadi Bamuleka, Jacques Likofata, Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Abdoulaye Toure, Eitel Mpoudi Ngole, Charles Kouanfack, Eric Delaporte, Alpha Kabinet Keita, Steve Ahuka-Mundeke, Ahidjo Ayouba, Martine Peeters
Summary: Bats, either directly or via an intermediate host, are the origin of human coronaviruses. Through PCR testing of 4597 bats from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Guinea, it was found that 19.6% of bats were infected with coronaviruses. Different species of bats had varying infection rates, with highest prevalence observed in Eidolon helvum and Rhinolophus sp. The study also showed that African Rhinolophus bats are highly infected with coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Respiratory System
Gina Hong, Scott G. Daniel, Jung-Jin Lee, Kyle Bittinger, Laurel Glaser, Lisa M. Mattei, Daniel J. Dorgan, Denis Hadjiliadis, Steven M. Kawut, Ronald G. Collman
Summary: The respiratory tract fungal microbiome in adults with cystic fibrosis is associated with lung function, exacerbation status, medication use, and CFTR modulator use. Further research is necessary to better understand fungal diversity in the CF airway and its impact on lung health.
JOURNAL OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Carter Merenstein, Ayannah S. Fitzgerald, Layla A. Khatib, Jevon Graham-Wooten, Frederic D. Bushman, Ronald G. Collman
Summary: Reusing disposable face masks for 7 days did not significantly affect the facial skin or oropharyngeal microbiome compared to using fresh masks daily, despite a higher level of bacterial contamination. The impact of mask reuse on the host is still understudied.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noemie Bonnin, Alex K. Piel, Richard P. Brown, Yingying Li, Andrew Jesse Connell, Alexa N. Avitto, Jean P. Boubli, Adrienne Chitayat, Jasmin Giles, Madhurima S. Gundlapally, Iddi Lipende, Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf, Deus Mjungu, Dismas Mwacha, Lilian Pintea, Anne E. Pusey, Jane Raphael, Serge A. Wich, Michael L. Wilson, Emily E. Wroblewski, Beatrice H. Hahn, Fiona A. Stewart
Summary: Populations on the edge of a species' distribution may be fragmented and geographically isolated, leading to lack of genetic exchanges and compromising adaptive potential. A study on chimpanzees in western Tanzania revealed two isolated populations, but with evidence of high gene flow within each cluster. The presence of barriers to gene flow, such as rivers and bare habitats, was confirmed by landscape genetic analyses. Advances in sequencing technologies and landscape genetics approaches can inform conservation efforts of endangered species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cody T. Ross, Paul L. Hooper, Jennifer E. Smith, Adrian V. Jaeggi, Eric Alden Smith, Sergey Gavrilets, Fatema tuz Zohora, John Ziker, Dimitris Xygalatas, Emily E. Wroblewski, Brian Wood, Bruce Winterhalder, Kai P. Willfuehr, Aiyana K. Willard, Kara Walker, Christopher von Rueden, Eckart Voland, Claudia Valeggia, Bapu Vaitla, Samuel Urlacher, Mary Towner, Chun-Yi Sum, Lawrence S. Sugiyama, Karen B. Strier, Kathrine Starkweather, Daniel Major-Smith, Mary Shenk, Rebecca Sear, Edmond Seabright, Ryan Schacht, Brooke Scelza, Shane Scaggs, Jonathan Salerno, Caissa Revilla-Minaya, Daniel Redhead, Anne Pusey, Benjamin Grant Purzycki, Eleanor A. Power, Anne Pisor, Jenni Pettay, Susan Perry, Abigail E. Page, Luis Pacheco-Cobos, Kathryn Oths, Seung-Yun Oh, David Nolin, Daniel Nettle, Cristina Moya, Andrea Bamberg Migliano, Karl J. Mertens, Rita A. McNamara, Richard McElreath, Siobhan Mattison, Eric Massengill, Frank Marlowe, Felicia Madimenos, Shane Macfarlan, Virpi Lummaa, Roberto Lizarralde, Ruizhe Liu, Melissa A. Liebert, Sheina Lew-Levy, Paul Leslie, Joseph Lanning, Karen Kramer, Jeremy Koster, Hillard S. Kaplan, Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav, A. Magdalena Hurtado, Kim Hill, Barry Hewlett, Samuli Helle, Thomas Headland, Janet Headland, Michael Gurven, Gianluca Grimalda, Russell Greaves, Christopher D. Golden, Irene Godoy, Mhairi Gibson, Claire El Mouden, Mark Dyble, Patricia Draper, Sean Downey, Angelina L. DeMarco, Helen Elizabeth Davis, Stefani Crabtree, Carmen Cortez, Heidi Colleran, Emma Cohen, Emma Cohen, Gregory Clark, Julia Clark, Mark A. Caudell, Chelsea E. Carminito, John Bunce, Adam Boyette, Samuel Bowles, Tami Blumenfield, Bret Beheim, Stephen Beckerman, Quentin Atkinson, Coren Apicella, Nurul Alam, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
Summary: To address the debate about human exceptionalism, this study examined the reproductive inequality of humans and their position among other mammalian species. The findings show that while humans exhibit lower reproductive skew among males and smaller sex differences compared to other mammals, they still fall within the mammalian range. The study also found that polygynous human populations have higher female reproductive skew compared to nonhuman mammals. These patterns of skew can be attributed to factors such as the prevalence of monogamy, limited degree of polygyny in human societies, and the importance of unequally held rival resources for women's fitness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Serge A. Wich, Noemie Bonnin, Anja Hutschenreiter, Alex K. Piel, Adrienne Chitayat, Fiona A. Stewart, Lilian Pintea, Jeffrey T. Kerby
Summary: Effective species conservation management relies on detailed species distribution data. For chimpanzees, ground surveys can be costly and time-consuming due to their low density. This study explores the use of drones to determine the absence of chimpanzee nests, covering a large area in western Tanzania. The results show the potential of drones in accurately determining the absence of chimpanzees, but further development of automated nest detection methods is needed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexander Weiss, Joseph T. Feldblum, Drew M. Altschul, David Anthony Collins, Shadrack Kamenya, Deus Mjungu, Steffen Foerster, Ian C. Gilby, Michael L. Wilson, Anne E. Pusey
Summary: Personality traits in many taxa relate to fitness, but few studies have tested trade-off models in long-lived species. Using behavioral and genetic data from male chimpanzees, we found that Dominance and Conscientiousness traits were consistently associated with rank and reproductive success across the life course. These findings suggest that the trade-off model may not hold in long-lived species and highlight the validity of personality ratings in studying animal behavior.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Simon Thomsen, Jacqueline Loos, Fiona A. Stewart, Alex K. Piel
Summary: The Greater Mahale Ecosystem in Tanzania has experienced habitat changes and declines for several mammal species, particularly elephants and buffalo. Factors such as slope, elevation, vegetation intensity, and distance to deforestation were found to be important predictors of habitat availability.
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Virology
Yanjie Yi, Urvi Zankharia, Joel A. Cassel, Fang Lu, Joseph M. Salvino, Paul M. Lieberman, Ronald G. Collman
Summary: Three drugs that can suppress HIV-1 expression in macrophages have been discovered through high-throughput screening. These drugs can reduce virus expression and alter the epigenetic profiles of the virus genome. The significance of this research lies in the potential to identify new drugs for treating HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders or preventing viral rebound without relying on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to achieve ART-free remission or cure.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biology
Maud Mouginot, Leveda Cheng, Michael L. Wilson, Joseph T. Feldblum, Veronika Staedele, Emily E. Wroblewski, Linda Vigilant, Beatrice H. Hahn, Yingying Li, Ian C. Gilby, Anne E. Pusey, Martin Surbeck
Summary: This study investigates reproductive skew in bonobos and chimpanzees, and finds that bonobos have higher male reproductive skew compared to chimpanzees.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Rhianna C. Drummond-Clarke, Caroline Fryns, Fiona A. Stewart, Alex K. Piel
Summary: This article reports the first instance of intercommunity lethal aggression observed in the Issa Valley, western Tanzania, which disproves previous hypotheses about reduced resource competition in savannah chimpanzee communities and has implications for early human evolution.
Article
Virology
Martine Peeters, Maeliss Champagne, Innocent Ndong Bass, Souana Goumou, Simon-Pierre Ndimbo Kumugo, Audrey Lacroix, Amandine Esteban, Dowbiss Meta Djomsi, Abdoul Karim Soumah, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Flaubert Auguste Mba Djonzo, Guy Lempu, Guillaume Thaurignac, Eitel Mpoudi Ngole, Charles Kouanfack, Daniel Mukadi Bamuleka, Jacques Likofata, Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Helene De Nys, Julien Capelle, Abdoulaye Toure, Eric Delaporte, Alpha Kabinet Keita, Steve Ahuka Mundeke, Ahidjo Ayouba
Summary: The seroprevalence of orthoebolaviruses was studied in bats from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea. The results showed that frugivorous bats had a higher seroprevalence compared to insectivorous bats. Gender and age had a minor impact on seroprevalence, but subadult bats had a higher seroprevalence. Further research is needed to determine the birthing pulses of bats and to detect viral RNA in order to understand the genetic diversity of filoviruses in bats and their potential pathogenicity to humans.
Article
Microbiology
Eddy Kinganda-Lusamaki, Lionel Kinzonzi Baketana, Etienne Ndomba-Mukanya, Julie Bouillin, Guillaume Thaurignac, Adrienne Amuri Aziza, Gradi Luakanda-Ndelemo, Nicolas Fernandez Nunez, Thierry Kalonji-Mukendi, Elisabeth Simbu Pukuta, Antoine Nkuba-Ndaye, Emmanuel Lokilo Lofiko, Emile Malembi Kibungu, Robert Shongo Lushima, Ahidjo Ayouba, Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, Eric Delaporte, Martine Peeters, Steve Ahuka-Mundeke
Summary: Human Mpox cases are increasing in Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study evaluated the use of antibody testing as a complementary method to confirm cases and identify transmission chains during outbreak investigations. By combining PCR and serology, a higher number of Mpox infections were identified, highlighting the need for rapid on-site diagnostics to control Mpox spread.
Article
Virology
Fetra Angelot Rakotomalala, Julie Bouillin, Santatriniaina Dauphin Randriarimanana, Guillaume Thaurignac, Luca Maharavo, Mihaja Raberahona, Lucien Razafindrakoto, Jasmina Rasoanarivo, Mala Rakoto-Andrianarivelo, Danielle Aurore Doll Rakoto, Francois Xavier Babin, Tahinamandranto Rasamoelina, Eric Delaporte, Luc Herve Samison, Martine Peeters, Eric Nerrienet, Ahidjo Ayouba
Summary: PLWHIV in Madagascar are highly exposed to various arboviruses, with the prevalence rates varying by province, age, and rainfall. There is a significant correlation between the prevalence of CHIKV and ONNV antibodies and HIV-1 RNA plasma viral load.