Guinness World Records has officially awarded Japan’s Masazo Nonaka the title of Oldest person living (male), at the incredible age of 112 years and 259 days. (Japan’s Masazo Nonaka confirmed as world’s oldest living man aged 112 (By Rachel SwatmanPublished 10 April 2018 guinnessworldrecords.com/news)
BREAKING NEWS
The 2018 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.” pic.twitter.com/gk69W1ZLNI
Cancer kills millions of people every year and is one of humanity’s greatest health challenges. By stimulating the ability of our immune system to attack tumour cells, this year’s #NobelPrize laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy. pic.twitter.com/6HJWsXw4bE
Tasuku Honjo, awarded the 2018 #NobelPrize, discovered a protein on immune cells and revealed that it also operates as a brake, but with a different mechanism of action. Therapies based on his discovery proved to be strikingly effective in the fight against cancer. pic.twitter.com/3yn2RCtr6W
2020年10月7日のノーベル財団の発表によりますと、2020年のノーベル化学賞が、Jennifer A. Doudna(ジェニファー・ダウドナ)、 Emmanuel Charpentier(エマニュエル・シャルパンティエ)の両氏に与えられることになりました。
Announcement of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Nobel Prize
祝☆ノーベル化学賞2020
ノーベル賞の枠は3人。CRISPR/Cas9の有用性は直ちに認識されて熾烈な特許戦争が勃発していたわけですが、Jennifer A. Doudna(ジェニファー・ダウドナ)、 Emmanuel Charpentier(エマニュエル・シャルパンティエ)の二人がノーベル賞3人枠の中に入ることは、誰の目にも明らかでした。ノーベル賞をもらって当然と言われてきましたが、それでも、実際に本当に授賞が決まるとこれほど嬉しいものなんだなあとこの映像を見ていて思いました。
First Day in a Nobel Life: Jennifer Doudna 2020/10/07 UC Berkeley
大阪大学微生物病研究所の研究グループが奇妙な繰り返し配列を大腸菌のゲノムで見つけ、石野 良純(いしの よしずみ)博士らが1987年に論文報告をしたのが、CRISPRが見出された最初の例です。この配列は、後の研究者によって、CRISPR、Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeatsと名付けられることになります。
Ishino Y, Shinagawa H, Makino K, Amemura M, Nakata A. (1987). Nucleotide sequence of the iap gene, responsible for alkaline phosphatase isozyme conversion in Escherichia coli, and identification of the gene product. J Bacteriol 169: 5429-5433. PDFリンク
FIG. 5. Comparison of direct-repeat sequences consisting of 61 base pairs in the 3′-end flanking region of iap. The 29 highly conserved nucleotides, which contain a dyad symmetry of 14 base pairs (underlined), are shown at the bottom. Homologous nucleotides found in at least two DNA segments are shown in boldface type. The second translational termination codon is boxed. The nucleotide numbers are in parentheses.
An unusual structure was found in the 3′-end flanking region of iap (Fig. 5). Five highly homologous sequences of 29 nucleotides were arranged as direct repeats with 32 nucleotides as spacing. The first sequence was included in the putative transcriptional termination site and had less homology than the others. Well-conserved nucleotide sequences containing a dyad symmetry, named REP sequences, have been found in E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium (28) and may act to stabilize mRNA (18). A dyad symmetry with 14 nucleotide pairs was also found in the middle of these sequences (underlining, Fig. 5), but no homology was found between these sequences and the REP sequence. So far, no sequence homologous to these has been found elsewhere in procaryotes, and the biological significance of these sequences is not known.
この論文では、「現在のところ、今回見つかった配列と相同性を示す配列は他の原核生物では見つかっていない。また、この配列の生物学的な意義は不明である(So far, no sequence homologous to these has been found elsewhere in procaryotes, and the biological significance of these sequences is not known)」と述べています。
Mojica, F.J.M., Dıez-Villasenor, C., Soria, E., and Juez, G. (2000). Biological significance of a family of regularly spaced repeats in the genomes of Archaea, Bacteria and mitochondria. Mol. Microbiol. 36, 244–246. HTMLリンク
The question emerges here as to whether the SRSRs have a common function in prokaryotes, or whether their presence is reminiscent of ancient sequences and their role diverged with evolution. The universality, phylogeny and biological significance of this peculiar family of repeats arises as an item to be elucidated. (Mojica eta l., 2000 結論のセクションより)
Identification of genes that are associated with DNA repeats in prokaryotes. Jansen R, Embden JD, Gaastra W, Schouls LM. Mol Microbiol. 2002 Mar;43(6):1565-75. PDF link
To appreciate their characteri-stic structure, we will refer to this family as the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR). In most species with two or more CRISPR loci, these loci were flanked on one side by a common leader sequence of 300-500 b. (中略)Four CRISPR-associated (cas) genes were identified in CRISPR-containing prokaryotes that were absent from CRISPR-negative prokaryotes. The cas genes were invariably located adjacent to a CRISPR locus, indicating that the cas genes and CRISPR loci have a functional relationship. The cas3 gene showed motifs characteristic for helicases of the superfamily 2, and the cas4 gene showed motifs of the RecB family of exonucleases, suggesting that these genes are involved in DNA metabolism or gene expression. (Jansen et al., Mol Microbiol. 2002 Mar;43(6):1565-75.の論文の要旨から一部抜粋)
The finding in this study that the CRISPR loci were strictly associated with a set of homologous genes, one of which has nucleic acid helicase motifs (the Cas3 homologues), one of which has exonuclease activity (the Cas4 homologues) and one of which has a high pI (the CasI homologues), as is often found for DNA-binding proteins, may be suggestive of a role for the Cas proteins in the genesis of CRISPR loci. (Jansen et al., Mol Microbiol. 2002 Mar;43(6):1565-75.の論文の議論のセクションから抜粋)
CRISPR elements in Yersinia pestis acquire new repeats by preferential uptake of bacteriophage DNA, and provide additional tools for evolutionary studies. C. Pourcel, G. Salvignol, G. Vergnaud. First Published Online: 01 March 2005, Microbiology 151: 653-663. HTML link
One possible explanation for that finding could be that CRISPRs are structures able to take up pieces of foreign DNA as part of a defence mechanism. In this view, it is tempting to further speculate that CRISPRs may represent a memory of past ‘genetic aggressions’. The fact that most of the spacers described in other bacteria have no homologue in the databases could still be explained by such a phage origin, as only a very small number of the existing bacteriophages have so far been sequenced. (Pourcel et al., Microbiology 151: 653-663. ディスカッションセクションより抜粋)
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindrome repeats (CRISPRs) have spacers of extrachromosomal origin. Bolotin A, Quinquis B, Sorokin A, Ehrlich SD. Microbiology. 2005 Aug;151(Pt 8):2551-61. HTML link
Here we report a correlation between the number of spacers in a locus and the resistance of S. thermophilus to phage infection, suggesting that CRISPRs can have a different biological role, protecting the bacteria against phage attack. (Bolotin et al., Microbiology 151(Pt 8):2551-61)
CRISPR provides acquired resistance against viruses in prokaryotes. Barrangou R, Fremaux C, Deveau H, Richards M, Boyaval P, Moineau S, Romero DA, Horvath P. Science 2007 Mar 23;315(5819):1709-12.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are a distinctive feature of the genomes of most Bacteria and Archaea and are thought to be involved in resistance to bacteriophages. We found that, after viral challenge, bacteria integrated new spacers derived from phage genomic sequences. Removal or addition of particular spacers modified the phage-resistance phenotype of the cell. Thus, CRISPR, together with associated cas genes, provided resistance against phages, and resistance specificity is determined by spacer-phage sequence similarity. (Barrangou et al., 2007 要旨)
Cas9–crRNA ribonucleoprotein complex mediates specific DNA cleavage for adaptive immunity in bacteria.Giedrius Gasiunas, Rodolphe Barrangou, Philippe Horvath, and Virginijus Siksnys. PNAS September 25, 2012 109 (39) E2579-E2586; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1208507109
Here, we demonstrate that the Cas9–crRNA complex of the Streptococcus thermophilusCRISPR3/Cas system introduces in vitro a double-strand break at a specific site in DNA containing a sequence complementary to crRNA. DNA cleavage is executed by Cas9, which uses two distinct active sites, RuvC and HNH, to generate site-specific nicks on opposite DNA strands. Results demonstrate that the Cas9–crRNA complex functions as an RNA-guided endonuclease with RNA-directed target sequence recognition and protein-mediated DNA cleavage. (要旨より一部抜粋)
A programmable dual-RNA-guided DNA endonuclease in adaptive bacterial immunity.
Jinek M, Chylinski K, Fonfara I, Hauer M, Doudna JA, Charpentier E. Science. 2012 Aug 17;337(6096):816-21.
We propose an alternative methodology based on RNA-programmed Cas9 that could offer considerable potential for gene-targeting and genome-editing applications. (Jinek et al., 2012)
George Church博士やFeng Zhang博士の研究グループにより、CRISPR/Cas9システムが真核生物においても働くことが示され、ゲノム編集ツールとして人間を含めた全ての真核生物に応用する道が開かれました。
RNA-Guided Human Genome Engineering via Cas9. Prashant Mali, Luhan Yang, Kevin M. Esvelt, John Aach, Marc Guell, James E. DiCarlo, Julie E. Norville, George M. Church. Science 15 Feb 2013; Vol. 339, Issue 6121, pp. 823-826
The fully defined nature of this two-component system suggested that it might function in the cells of eukaryotic organisms such as yeast, plants, and even mammals. By cleaving genomic sequences targeted by RNA sequences (4–6), such a system could greatly enhance the ease of genome engineering. (Mali et al., 2013 のイントロダクションより。太字強調は当サイト)
Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems. Le Cong, F. Ann Ran, David Cox, Shuailiang Lin, Robert Barretto, Naomi Habib, Patrick D. Hsu, Xuebing Wu, Wenyan Jiang, Luciano A. Marraffini, Feng Zhang.Science 15 Feb 2013:Vol. 339, Issue 6121, pp. 819-823
KS Community Lecture: Genome Editing Using CRISPR-Cas Systems
フェン・ジャン(Feng Zhang)博士による解説
Development and Applications of CRISPR-Cas9 for Genome Engineering. Patrick D.Hsu, Eric S.Lander, Feng Zhang. Cell Volume 157, Issue 6, 5 June 2014, Pages 1262-1278 HTML link
Zhang studied chemistry and physics at Harvard and graduated with the highest honors. He then headed to Stanford University for his doctoral work, where he joined the newly formed lab of Karl Deisseroth, who had just begun to develop optogenetics as a method for manipulating brain activity. Over the next five years, Zhang played a central role in making optogenetics a reality.
In 2009, after earning a PhD in chemistry, Zhang switched his focus to genome editing. That same year, he received a prestigious three-year Harvard Junior Fellowship, during which he worked in the laboratories of two Harvard Medical School professors, Paola Arlotta and George Church. There, he helped develop a new method of gene editing through the adaptation of TAL effectors (TALEs), sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins found in plant pathogens that alter gene expression in plants.
Biology and Applications of CRISPR Systems: Harnessing Nature’s Toolbox for Genome Engineering. Addison V.Wright, James K.Nuñez, Jennifer A.Doudna. Cell Volume 164, Issues 1–2, 14 January 2016, Pages 29-44. PDF link
Jennifer Doudna: CRISPR Basics (2017 CRISPR Workshop YOUTUBE動画 Innovative Genomics Institute – IGI 2017/11/04)
gRNA: guide RNA (sgRNA (single-strand guide RNA, single guide RNA, short guide RNA)とも表記) 自然界では複合体を形成して働くcrRNAとtracrRNAを、ゲノム編集ツールとして利用しやすいよう、人工的にひと続きのRNAにしたもの。
Cascade: CRISPR-Associated Complex for Antiviral Defense (Brouns et al., 2008 Science) タンパク質からなる巨大な複合体で内部にCRISPR配列のRNA転写物があり、これを使って感染によるウイルスDNAと適合するものがいないか監視している。(参考:PDBj)
Cas9: Cascade 9 (もしくはCRISPR associated protein 9)(参考: Roy et al., 2018 Front Genet.)2018 Cas9は、II型CRISPR系に分類される。監視タンパク質と切断を実行する部分の両方が1本のタンパク質鎖の中に収められている。(参考:PDBj) cas9 (formerly named “cas5” or “csn1”) is the signature gene for type II systems (8)(出典:Gasiunas et al., 2012;PNAS 109(39)E2579-E2586)
一般読者向けCRISPR解説記事
CRISPR Part 1: A Brief History of CRISPR (TWIST BIOSCIENCE Dec 12, 2017)
Annotation and Classification of CRISPR-Cas Systems. Kira S. Makarova and Eugene V. Koonin. Methods Mol Biol. 2015; 1311: 47–75. PDF link
Cpf1 Is a Single RNA-Guided Endonuclease of a Class 2 CRISPR-Cas System. BerndZetsche, Jonathan S.Gootenberg, Omar O.Abudayyeh, Ian M.Slaymaker, Kira S.Makarova, PatrickEssletzbichler, Sara E.Volz, JuliaJoung, Johnvan der Oost, AvivRegev, Eugene V.Koonin, Feng Zhang. Cell
Volume 163, Issue 3, 22 October 2015, Pages 759-771. Here, we report characterization of Cpf1, a putative class 2 CRISPR effector. We demonstrate that Cpf1 mediates robust DNA interference with features distinct from Cas9. Cpf1 is a single RNA-guided endonuclease lacking tracrRNA, and it utilizes a T-rich protospacer-adjacent motif. Moreover, Cpf1 cleaves DNA via a staggered DNA double-stranded break.
Expanding the catalog of cas genes with metagenomes. Quan Zhang, Thomas G. Doak, and Yuzhen Ye. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014 Feb; 42(4): 2448–2459.
Evolution and classification of the CRISPR–Cas systems. Makarova et al., 2011. Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 9, pages 467–477(無料Abstract)
CRISPR/Cascade 9-Mediated Genome Editing-Challenges and Opportunities. Bhaskar Roy, Jing Zhao, Chao Yang, Wen Luo, Teng Xiong, Yong Li, Xiaodong Fang, Guanjun Gao, Chabungbam O. Singh, Lise Madsen, Yong Zhou, and Karsten Kristiansen. Front Genet. 2018; 9: 240.
Genome editing: A breakthrough in life science and medicine. Izuho Hatada and Takuro Horii. Endocrine Journal 63(2):105-110. (2016) PDFリンク
総説 ゲノムから見た最近の進化ーCRISPによる生存戦略ー 中川一路 Dental Medicine Research 33(3):236-241. (2013). PDFリンク
原著論文
数が多いため主要な論文のみ挙げています。
CRISPRの発見
Nucleotide sequence of the iap gene, responsible for alkaline phosphatase isozyme conversion in Escherichia coli, and identification of the gene product. Ishino Y, Shinagawa H, Makino K, Amemura M, Nakata A. (1987). J Bacteriol 169: 5429-5433. PDFリンク
Unusual Nucleotide Arrangement with Repeated Sequences in the Escherichia coli K-12 Chromosome. ATSUO NAKATA,* MITSUKO AMEMURA, AND KOZO MAKINO. Department of Experimental Chemotherapy, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan 565. Received 19 December 1988/Accepted 13 March 1989 JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY, June 1989, Vol. 171, No. 6 p. 3553-3556 PDF link
Long stretches of short tandem repeats are present in the largest replicons of the Archaea Haloferax mediterranei and Haloferax volcanii and could be involved in replicon partitioning. F.J.M. Mojica C. Ferrer G. Juez F. Rodríguez‐Valera. molecular microbiology July 1995;17(1):85-93
Biological significance of a family of regularly spaced repeats in the genomes of Archaea, Bacteria and mitochondria. Mojica, F.J.M., Dıez-Villasenor, C., Soria, E., and Juez, G. (2000). Mol. Microbiol. 36, 244–246. PDFリンク
Casの発見
Identification of genes that are associated with DNA repeats in prokaryotes. Jansen R, Embden JD, Gaastra W, Schouls LM. Mol Microbiol. 2002 Mar;43(6):1565-75. PDF link
CRISPRが働くメカニズム と生物学的な意義(細菌に備わる防御機構)
CRISPR provides acquired resistance against viruses in prokaryotes. Barrangou R, Fremaux C, Deveau H, Richards M, Boyaval P, Moineau S, Romero DA, Horvath P. Science 2007 Mar 23;315(5819):1709-12.
Cas9–crRNA ribonucleoprotein complex mediates specific DNA cleavage for adaptive immunity in bacteria.Giedrius Gasiunas, Rodolphe Barrangou, Philippe Horvath, and Virginijus Siksnys. PNASSeptember 25, 2012; 109 (39) E2579-E2586
ゲノム編集技術としてのCRISPR
A programmable dual-RNA-guided DNA endonuclease in adaptive bacterial immunity. Jinek M, Chylinski K, Fonfara I, Hauer M, Doudna JA, Charpentier E. Science 2012 Aug 17;337(6096):816-21.
Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems. Le Cong, F. Ann Ran, David Cox, Shuailiang Lin, Robert Barretto, Naomi Habib, Patrick D. Hsu, Xuebing Wu, Wenyan Jiang, Luciano A. Marraffini, Feng Zhang.Science 15 Feb 2013; Vol. 339, Issue 6121, pp. 819-823
CRISPRに関する最近の論文
C2c2 is a single-component programmable RNA-guided RNA-targeting CRISPR effector.
Omar O. Abudayyeh, Jonathan S. Gootenberg, Silvana Konermann, Julia Joung, Ian M. Slaymaker, David B.T. Cox, Sergey Shmakov, Kira S. Makarova, Ekaterina Semenova, Leonid Minakhin, Konstantin Severinov, Aviv Regev, Eric S. Lander, Eugene V. Koonin, Feng Zhang. Science 02 Jun 2016.
Direct CRISPR spacer acquisition from RNA by a natural reverse transcriptase–Cas1 fusion protein. Sukrit Silas, Georg Mohr, David J. Sidote, Laura M. Markham, Antonio Sanchez-Amat, Devaki Bhaya, Alan M. Lambowitz, Andrew Z. Fire. Science 26 Feb 2016;Vol. 351, Issue 6276
その他のCRISPR-CASに関する論文
Protospacer adjacent motif (PAM)-distal sequences engage CRISPR Cas9 DNA target cleavage.
Cencic R, Miura H, Malina A, Robert F, Ethier S, Schmeing TM, Dostie J, Pelletier J. PLoS One. 2014 Oct 2;9(10):e109213.
参考
Genome damage from CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing higher than thought July 16, 2018, phys.org
(https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn4Lq97hMzm/ イタリア語→英語 グーグル翻訳)
My path to @missitalia ends with a beautiful third place and I could not be happier than that! To say it was a fantastic experience I think it was obvious, I did not expect all this satisfaction that, after all the effort, fatigue, fatigue I think is also normal behind yesterday’s live there is so much work and so many people and I feel like thanking each one of them. Hostesses, photographers, organizers, make-up artists, hairdressers, tailors, choreographers, (and so on and so forth) everyone who puts their own and everyone who undergo the stress that often this environment can bring but that, in the end, from many satisfactions. And then I can not but thank the other 32 finalists, I got to know characters, personalities, different stories that come from all parts of Italy and I am attached to each of them in a unique way. Despite everything there has always been a joyful atmosphere and, in the end, I can say that I really found myself in a second family. What can I say, I have waited so long to go home and now that it is approaching, now that is the time of greetings I grow a knot in my throat and yes, I will miss all this. I can say that I feel changed, I feel stronger, more confident. I have always said that “I hoped” that my message would reach as many people as possible, today, the day after the final, I feel really good about myself because I have really put it all, and all this is repaid by all the messages that I have received, from all the support (and I thank you so much because you have always given me one more reason not to throw me down), from all the people who greeted me saying “I will always carry you in the heart”. There is nothing that makes me happier, there is no more beautiful victory!
THANK YOU for letting me experience all this, it will always be one of the best memories to take with me.
Model who lost her leg in a moped accident when she was just 13 comes THIRD in Miss Italy finals – despite online trolls saying she was only in the competition because she’s ‘crippled’ (Mail Online By EMILY CHAN FOR MAIL ONLINE PUBLISHED: 15:44 BST, 18 September 2018 | UPDATED: 19:01 BST, 18 September 2018)
A Prosthetic Leg & Insults Didn’t Stop This Italian Teen From Being A Beauty Pageant Finalist ( KC Archana India Times Updated: September 19, 2018)
Handicap, Insults Don’t Deter This Italian Beauty From Being A Finalist Chiara Bordi, lost her leg in a bike accident when she was 13, was chosen as one of three finalists of Miss Italy 2018
(NDTV Updated: September 19, 2018 04:10 IST )
ミスイタリア2018の模様
Miss Italia 2018 La Finale 17-09-2018 19-20 Parte 1
Miss Italia 2018 – La Finale 17-09-2018 21-15 Parte 2. Vince Carlotta Maggiorana
Shiseido Opens Research Facility Dedicated to Hair Regeneration – Shiseido Cell-Processing and Expansion Center – (businesswire.com April 21, 2014 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time): “Shiseido Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:4911) announces plans to open the Shiseido Cell-Processing and Expansion Center (SPEC) on May 1, 2014. The center, located in the in the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster in Kobe, Japan, will centralize research and development on hair regenerative medicine with an aim toward commercialization.”
RepliCel Receives Japanese Patent Covering its Hair Regeneration Technology (replicel.com January 13, 2014): “RepliCel Life Sciences Inc. (OTCQB: REPCF) (TSXV: RP) today announced that it has been granted a patent by Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry for hair follicle mesenchymal stem cells and their use thereof. These cells are used in RepliCel’s RCH-01 treatment for androgenetic alopecia, also known as pattern hair loss. With the issuance of this patent, RepliCel now has patents issued in Japan, the United States, Australia and the European Union protecting its technology with other jurisdictions still pending. This patent approval is an important milestone as RepliCel’s licensing partner, Shiseido Company, prepares to conduct human clinical trials using RCH-01. Shiseido has an exclusive license to use RCH-01 in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and the ASEAN countries representing a population of approximately 2.1 billion people.”
Irving Kirsch. Antidepressants and the Placebo Effect. Z Psychol. 2014; 222(3): 128–134. Abstract: Antidepressants are supposed to work by fixing a chemical imbalance, specifically, a lack of serotonin in the brain. Indeed, their supposed effectiveness is the primary evidence for the chemical imbalance theory. But analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect. Some antidepressants increase serotonin levels, some decrease it, and some have no effect at all on serotonin. Nevertheless, they all show the same therapeutic benefit. Even the small statistical difference between antidepressants and placebos may be an enhanced placebo effect, due to the fact that most patients and doctors in clinical trials successfully break blind. The serotonin theory is as close as any theory in the history of science to having been proved wrong. Instead of curing depression, popular antidepressants may induce a biological vulnerability making people more likely to become depressed in the future.
“changes in microenvironmental factors, such as skeletal muscle with injuries, can partially reprogram terminally differentiated myogenic cells into a pluripotent-like state”(doi:10.1038/srep17355)
“the most remarkable discovery of this study was that iMuSCs fulfilled several in vitro and in vivo criteria for pluripotency; however, we could not obtain iMuSCs with germline transmission after blastocyst microinjection.” (doi:10.1038/srep17355)
Emergence of a novel GII.17 norovirus – End of the GII.4 era? In the winter of 2014/15 a novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus strain (GII.17 Kawasaki 2014) emerged, as a major cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in China and Japan. Since their emergence these novel GII.P17-GII.17 viruses have replaced the previously dominant GII.4 genotype Sydney 2012 variant in some areas in Asia but were only detected in a limited number of cases on other continents. This perspective provides an overview of the available information on GII.17 viruses in order to gain insight in the viral and host characteristics of this norovirus genotype. We further discuss the emergence of this novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus in context of current knowledge on the epidemiology of noroviruses. It remains to be seen if the currently dominant norovirus strain GII.4 Sydney 2012 will be replaced in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the public health community and surveillance systems need to be prepared in case of a potential increase of norovirus activity in the next seasons caused by this novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus. (de Graaf et al., Euro Surveill. 2015 Jul 2;20(26). pii: 21178.)
The gene encoding F-box protein FBXW7 is frequently mutated in many human cancers. Although most previous studies have focused on the tumor-suppressive capacity of FBXW7 in tumor cells themselves, we determined that FBXW7 in the host microenvironment also suppresses cancer metastasis. Deletion of Fbxw7 in murine BM-derived stromal cells induced accumulation of NOTCH and consequent transcriptional activation of Ccl2. FBXW7-deficient mice exhibited increased serum levels of the chemokine CCL2, which resulted in the recruitment of both monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells and macrophages, thereby promoting metastatic tumor growth. Administration of a CCL2 receptor antagonist blocked the enhancement of metastasis in FBXW7-deficient mice. Furthermore, in human breast cancer patients, FBXW7 expression in peripheral blood was associated with serum CCL2 concentration and disease prognosis. Together, these results suggest that FBXW7 antagonizes cancer development in not only a cell-autonomous manner, but also a non-cell-autonomous manner, and that modulation of the FBXW7/NOTCH/CCL2 axis may provide a potential approach to suppression of cancer metastasis. (http://www.jci.org/articles/view/78782)
Microenvironmental reprogramming by three-dimensional culture enables dermal papilla cells to induce de novo human hair-follicle growth. Claire A. Higgins, James C. Chen, Jane E. Cerise, Colin A. B. Jahoda,and Angela M. Christiano, Published online before print October 21, 2013, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1309970110 PNAS (米国科学アカデミー紀要)