Summary Paragraph Long-lasting, latently-infected, resting CD4 + T cells are the greatest obstacle to cure HIV infection, as they persist despite decades of treatment with ART. Estimates indicate the need for >70 years of continuous, fully suppressive, antiretroviral therapy (ART) to eliminate the HIV reservoir 1 . Alternatively, induction of HIV from its latent state could accelerate decline of the reservoir, thereby shortening time to eradication. Previous attempts to reactivate latent HIV in preclinical animal models and in clinical trials have measured HIV induction in peripheral blood with minimal focus on tissue reservoirs and had limited effect 2 - 9 . Here we show that activation of the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway via AZD5582 results in induction of HIV- and SIV-RNA expression in the blood and tissues of ART-suppressed bone marrow/liver/thymus (BLT) humanized mice and rhesus macaques. Analysis of resting CD4 + T cells from tissues after AZD5582 treatment revealed increased SIV-RNA in lymph nodes in macaques and robust induction of HIV in virtually all tissues analyzed in humanized mice including lymph nodes, thymus, bone marrow, liver, and lung. This promising new approach to latency reversal, in combination with appropriate tools for systemic clearance of persistent HIV infection, greatly increases opportunities for HIV eradication.

The human genome encodes thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), the majority of which are poorly conserved and uncharacterized. Here we identify a primate-specific lncRNA ( CHROME ), elevated in the plasma and atherosclerotic plaques of individuals with coronary artery disease, that regulates cellular and systemic cholesterol homeostasis. LncRNA CHROME expression is influenced by dietary and cellular cholesterol via the sterol-activated liver X receptor transcription factors, which control genes mediating responses to cholesterol overload. Using gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we show that CHROME promotes cholesterol efflux and HDL biogenesis by curbing the actions of a set of functionally related microRNAs that repress genes in those pathways. CHROME knockdown in human hepatocytes and macrophages increases levels of miR-27b, miR-33a, miR-33b and miR-128, thereby reducing expression of their overlapping target gene networks and associated biologic functions. In particular, cells lacking CHROME show reduced expression of ABCA1, which regulates cholesterol efflux and nascent HDL particle formation. Collectively, our findings identify CHROME as a central component of the non-coding RNA circuitry controlling cholesterol homeostasis in humans.

BACKGROUND. Crohn's disease (CD) is highly heterogeneous, due in large part to variability in cellular processes that underlie the natural history of CD, thereby confounding effective therapy. There is a critical need to advance understanding of the cellular mechanisms that drive CD heterogeneity. METHODS. We performed small RNA sequencing of adult colon tissue from CD and NIBD controls. Colonic epithelial cells and immune cells were isolated from colonic tissues, and microRNA-31 (miR-31) expression was measured. miR-31 expression was measured in colonoid cultures generated from controls and patients with CD. We performed small RNA-sequencing of formalinfixed paraffin-embedded colon and ileum biopsies from treatment-naive pediatric patients with CD and controls and collected data on disease features and outcomes. RESULTS. Small RNA-sequencing and microRNA profiling in the colon revealed 2 distinct molecular subtypes, each with different clinical associations. Notably, we found that miR-31 expression was a driver of these 2 subtypes and, further, that miR-31 expression was particularly pronounced in epithelial cells. Colonoids revealed that miR-31 expression differences are preserved in this ex vivo system. In adult patients, low colonic miR-31 expression levels at the time of surgery were associated with worse disease outcome as measured by need for an end ileostomy and recurrence of disease in the neoterminal ileum. In pediatric patients, lower miR-31 expression at the time of diagnosis was associated with future development of fibrostenotic ileal CD requiring surgery CONCLUSIONS. These findings represent an important step forward in designing more effective clinical trials and developing personalized CD therapies.

SummarySmall non-coding RNAs, in particular microRNAs, are critical for normal physiology and are candidate biomarkers, regulators, and therapeutic targets for a wide variety of diseases. There is an ever-growing interest in the comprehensive and accurate annotation of microRNAs across diverse cell types, conditions, species, and disease states. Highthroughput sequencing technology has emerged as the method of choice for profiling microRNAs. Specialized bioinformatic strategies are required to mine as much meaningful information as possible from the sequencing data to provide a comprehensive view of the microRNA landscape. Here we present miRquant 2.0, an expanded bioinformatics tool for accurate annotation and quantification of microRNAs and their isoforms (termed isomiRs) from small RNA-sequencing data. We anticipate that miRquant 2.0 will be useful for researchers interested not only in quantifying known microRNAs but also mining the rich well of additional information embedded in small RNA-sequencing data.

17Many broadly-dispersing corals acquire their algal symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) from their 18 environment upon recruitment. This horizontal transmission strategy has the potential to promote 19 coral fitness across diverse environments provided that corals can associate with diverse algae 20 across their range and that these symbionts exhibit reduced dispersal potential. Here we quantified 21 genetic structure of algal symbionts in symbiosis with two hosts (Acropora hyacinthus, Acropora 22 digitifera) across two spatial scales (across islands, within islands) in Micronesia using 23 microsatellites. We contrast these symbiont genetic structures to previously published coral host 24 structures across the same spatial gradient. We find that both hosts associated with two genetically 25distinct Cladocopium lineages (C3, C40), confirming that Acropora coral hosts associate with 26 diverse algae across this range. In addition, each Cladocopium lineage exhibited signatures of 27 moderate host specialization. Across locations, algal populations were significantly more 28genetically structured compared to their hosts: they demonstrated higher FST among islands and 29 often exhibited significant divergence among reefs on the same island, which was never observed 30 in coral hosts. While Cladocopium C3, like their hosts, broadly followed an isolation-by-distance 31 pattern across islands, there was one notable case of no genetic structure across more than 2,000 32 km (between Yap and Pohnpei), demonstrating that Cladocopium genetic structure can be more 33 complex than their hosts. Overall, our results support the view that horizontal transmission -34 establishing novel symbioses with local symbionts -has the potential to facilitate local fitness for 35 broadly dispersing coral species, and highlight the complexity of factors affecting the population 36 biology of Cladocopium. 37 38