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Ebola virus (EBOV) continues to pose significant threats to global

Monocyte counts are increased during human tuberculosis (TB) but it has not been determined whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) directly regulates myeloid commitment. We demonstrated that exposure to Mtb directs primary human CD34(+) cells to differentiate into monocytes/macrophages. In vitro myeloid conversion did not require type I or type II IFN signaling. In contrast, Mtb enhanced IL-6 responses by CD34(+) cell cultures and IL-6R neutralization inhibited myeloid differentiation and decreased mycobacterial growth in vitro. Integrated systems biology analysis of transcriptomic, proteomic and genomic data of large data sets of healthy controls and TB patients established the existence of a myeloid IL-6/IL6R/CEBP gene module associated with disease severity. Furthermore, genetic and functional analysis revealed the IL6/IL6R/CEBP gene module has undergone recent evolutionary selection, including Neanderthal introgression and human pathogen adaptation, connected to systemic monocyte counts. These results suggest Mtb co-opts an evolutionary recent IFN-IL6-CEBP feed-forward loop, increasing myeloid differentiation linked to severe TB in humans.

RNA modifications are emerging as key determinants of gene expression.

As the capacity to isolate distinct neuronal cell types has advanced over the past several decades, new two- and three-dimensional in vitro models of the interactions between different brain regions have expanded our understanding of human neurobiology and the origins of disease. These cultures develop distinctive patterns of activity, but the extent that these patterns are determined by the molecular identity of individual cell types versus the specific pattern of network connectivity is unclear. To address the question of how individual cell types interact in vitro, we developed a simplified culture using two excitatory neuronal subtypes known to participate in the in vivo reticulospinal circuit: HB9(+) spinal motor neurons and Chx10(+) hindbrain V2a neurons. Here, we report the emergence of cell type-specific patterns of activity in culture; on their own, Chx10(+) neurons developed regular, synchronized bursts of activity that recruited neurons across the entire culture, whereas HB9(+) neuron activity consisted of an irregular pattern. When these two subtypes were cocultured, HB9(+) neurons developed synchronized network bursts that were precisely correlated with Chx10(+) neuron activity, thereby recreating an aspect of Chx10(+) neurons' role in driving motor activity. These bursts were dependent on AMPA receptors. Our results demonstrate that the molecular classification of the neurons comprising in vitro networks is a crucial determinant of their activity. It is therefore possible to improve both the reproducibility and the applicability of in vitro neurobiological and disease models by carefully controlling the constituent mixtures of neuronal subtypes.

Animal hepaciviruses represent promising surrogate models for hepatitis

The Warburg effect, which originally described increased production of lactate in cancer, is associated with diverse cellular processes such as angiogenesis, hypoxia, polarization of macrophages and activation of T cells. This phenomenon is intimately linked to several diseases including neoplasia, sepsis and autoimmune diseases(1,2). Lactate, which is converted from pyruvate in tumour cells, is widely known as an energy source and metabolic by-product. However, its non-metabolic functions in physiology and disease remain unknown. Here we show that lactate-derived lactylation of histone lysine residues serves as an epigenetic modification that directly stimulates gene transcription from chromatin. We identify 28 lactylation sites on core histones in human and mouse cells. Hypoxia and bacterial challenges induce the production of lactate by glycolysis, and this acts as a precursor that stimulates histone lactylation. Using M1 macrophages that have been exposed to bacteria as a model system, we show that histone lactylation has different temporal dynamics from acetylation. In the late phase of M1 macrophage polarization, increased histone lactylation induces homeostatic genes that are involved in wound healing, including Arg1. Collectively, our results suggest that an endogenous 'lactate clock' in bacterially challenged M1 macrophages turns on gene expression to promote homeostasis. Histone lactylation thus represents an opportunity to improve our understanding of the functions of lactate and its role in diverse pathophysiological conditions, including infection and cancer.

Introduction Mass spectrometric data analysis of complex biological

Cellular senescence is a mechanism used by mitotic cells to prevent