Summary 1.One of the most exciting recent discoveries in the field of ecological immunology has been that insects employ the help of heritable symbionts as a defence against parasitoids and pathogens. Aphids commonly harbour the facultative bacterial endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa, which is known to increase their resistance to parasitoids. It is unknown how this resistance develops during the aphids' ontogeny, following the transmission bottleneck between mother and offspring, and how specific symbiont-conferred defences are. 2. We addressed these issues in the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, by exposing aphids of different age classes to the parasitoid Lysiphlebus fabarum. The susceptibility of aphids that were either naturally or experimentally infected with H. defensa was compared with that of uninfected aphids. 3. Susceptibility to parasitoids decreased with aphid age, but aphids harbouring H. defensa showed an earlier and ⁄ or steeper decline to lower levels of susceptibility than aphids without this symbiont. This is consistent with the hypothesis that during aphid development, symbiontconferred resistance builds up with bacterial population growth, which we documented using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). 4. Parasitoids that successfully overcame the symbiont-conferred resistance still suffered from sublethal effects of H. defensa. They exhibited lower emergence, delayed development and reduced size compared with parasitoids developing in aphids without H. defensa. 5. The most striking result was a strong interaction on the rates of parasitism between aphid sublines infected with different isolates of H. defensa and the parasitoid lines they were exposed to, suggesting a high specificity of symbiont-conferred resistance. 6. Based on these results, we conclude that when faced with hosts possessing H. defensa, aphid parasitoids are under selection to preferentially attack the youngest host stages and ⁄ or to discriminate against symbiont-protected aphids. Furthermore, the specificity induced by H. defensa in the interaction between host and parasitoid is likely to have important consequences for coevolution. It may result in negative frequency-dependent selection and thus promote genotypic variation.

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE), biobanked tissue samples offer an invaluable resource for clinical and biomarker research. Here, we developed a pressure cycling technology (PCT)-SWATH mass spectrometry workflow to analyze FFPE tissue proteomes and applied it to the stratification of prostate cancer (PCa) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) samples. We show that the proteome patterns of FFPE PCa tissue samples and their analogous fresh-frozen (FF) counterparts have a high degree of similarity and we confirmed multiple proteins consistently regulated in PCa tissues in an independent sample cohort. We further demonstrate temporal stability of proteome patterns from FFPE samples that were stored Abbreviations BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia; CRYAB, crystallin alpha Bbetween 1 and 15 years in a biobank and show a high degree of the proteome pattern similarity between two types of histological regions in small FFPE samples, that is, punched tissue biopsies and thin tissue sections of micrometer thickness, despite the existence of a certain degree of biological variations. Applying the method to two independent DLBCL cohorts, we identified myeloperoxidase, a peroxidase enzyme, as a novel prognostic marker. In summary, this study presents a robust proteomic method to analyze bulk and biopsy FFPE tissues and reports the first systematic comparison of proteome maps generated from FFPE and FF samples. Our data demonstrate the practicality and superiority of FFPE over FF samples for proteome in biomarker discovery. Promising biomarker candidates for PCa and DLBCL have been discovered.

No abstract

A total of 7364 ticks belonging to 13 species was collected from 64 game animals (belonging to 11 species) and from 64 livestock animals (cattle and sheep) living in close vicinity at 6 localities in 3 South African Provinces (Free State, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo). The geographic distribution of all tick species was congruent with the literature except for Haemaphysalis silacea. From each infested host, a maximum of 10 males and 10 females of each tick species were dissected to isolate the salivary glands. Salivary glands were screened for tick-borne pathogens using polymerase chain reaction followed by reverse line blotting and sequencing. This approach allowed us to evaluate the exposure of wild and domestic hosts to tick-borne pathogens in their respective environments. Among the 2117 examined ticks, 329 (15.5%), belonging to 8 species, were infected and harboured 397 infections. Among those, 57.7% were identified to species level and were assigned to 23 pathogen species of the genera Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia. In 3 out of 6 localities, salivary glands from ticks infesting wild ruminants displayed significantly higher infection prevalence and pathogen mean density than salivary glands from ticks infesting livestock animals. Four piroplasm species [Theileria bicornis, Babesia sp. (sable), Theileria sp. (giraffe), and Theileria sp. (kudu)] were detected for the first time in ticks. The tick species Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Hyalomma rufipes, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and Amblyomma hebraeum were associated with a broader pathogen range than previously known, and thus new vector-pathogen combinations are described. In addition, previously unknown coinfection patterns in tick salivary glands are reported.

87Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE), biobanked tissue samples offer an invaluable 88 resource for clinical and biomarker research. Here we developed a pressure cycling technology 89 (PCT)-SWATH mass spectrometry workflow to analyze FFPE tissue proteomes and applied it to 90 the stratification of prostate cancer (PCa) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) samples. 91We show that the proteome patterns of FFPE PCa tissue samples and their analogous fresh 92 frozen (FF) counterparts have a high degree of similarity and we confirmed multiple proteins 93 consistently regulated in PCa tissues in an independent sample cohort. We further demonstrate 94 temporal stability of proteome patterns from FFPE samples that were stored between one to 15 95 years in a biobank and show a high degree of the proteome pattern similarity between two types 96 histological region of small FFPE samples, i.e. punched tissue biopsies and thin tissue sections of 97 micrometer thickness, despite the existence of certain degree of biological variations. Applying 98 the method to two independent DLBCL cohorts we identified myeloperoxidase (MPO), a 99 peroxidase enzyme, as a novel prognostic marker. In summary, this study presents a robust 100 proteomic method to analyze bulk and biopsy FFPE tissues and reports the first systematic 101 comparison of proteome maps generated from FFPE and FF samples. Our data demonstrate the 102 practicality and superiority of FFPE over FF samples for proteome in biomarker discovery. 103 Promising biomarker candidates for PCa and DLBCL have been discovered. 104 105 Zhu, Guo, Weiss, et al. Proteomics of FFPE samples for tumor stratification Page 5 / 42 106 Quantitative molecular profiling of phenotypically well annotated clinical sample cohorts 107 using genomic, transcriptomic or metabolomic techniques, followed by the statistical association 108 of molecular and phenotypic data has been a powerful approach for the development of 109 biomarkers, guiding classification, stratification and therapy, particularly with regard to cancer 110 patients 1,2 . With the increasing robustness, accuracy and throughput of molecular profiling 111 techniques, the need for large, well-annotated sample cohorts has been accentuated over the last 112 few years. 113 The history of FFPE samples dates back to 1893 3 . Most human tissue specimens 114 archived in hospitals for diagnostic purposes are FFPE blocks which have been shown to be 115 stable over time and are usually associated with rich clinical and phenotypic data, including 116 histology, diagnosis, treatment history and response, and outcome. For fresh or rapidly frozen 117 tissue samples such meta data are less frequently available and concerns about molecular 118 stability over time have been raised 4,5 . FFPE samples have been globally used for DNA, RNA, 119 protein and morphological measurements, and preanalytical factors affecting each type of 120 measurement have been identified 6 . Besides, various techniques and evaluation studies have 121 been reported for ge...

No abstract

No abstract

We describe a dramatic clinical presentation of extramedullary multiple myeloma (MM) in an elderly patient with known monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS). Gastrointestinal symptoms and a gastric mass on imaging studies suggested an advanced solid gastric malignancy. Pathological workup of gastric biopsies first suspected a lymphoma, a second opinion finally confirmed an extramedullary MM. Treatment with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone induced rapid relief of symptoms and normalisation of renal function as well as serum MM markers. Our case highlights the diagnostic difficulties when MM presents with signs and symptoms of respective end-organ involvement rather than typical 'CRAB' criteria. It underlines the importance of actively considering MM in a patient with MGUS, regardless of the clinical presentation of a specific medical problem. Our report also impressively illustrates the rapid response of MM and its gastric extramedullary manifestation to guideline-adherent chemotherapy.