Functional analysis of a genome requires accurate gene structure information and a complete gene inventory. A dual experimental strategy was used to verify and correct the initial genome sequence annotation of the reference plant Arabidopsis. Sequencing full-length cDNAs and hybridizations using RNA populations from various tissues to a set of high-density oligonucleotide arrays spanning the entire genome allowed the accurate annotation of thousands of gene structures. We identified 5817 novel transcription units, including a substantial amount of antisense gene transcription, and 40 genes within the genetically defined centromeres. This approach resulted in completion of approximately 30% of the Arabidopsis ORFeome as a resource for global functional experimentation of the plant proteome.

Multiple sclerosis patients who become pregnant experience a significant decrease in relapses that may be mediated by a shift in immune responses from T helper 1 to T helper 2. Animal models of multiple sclerosis have shown that the pregnancy hormone, estriol, can ameliorate disease and can cause an immune shift. We treated nonpregnant female multiple sclerosis patients with the pregnancy hormone estriol in an attempt to recapitulate the beneficial effect of pregnancy. As compared with pretreatment baseline, relapsing remitting patients treated with oral estriol (8 mg/day) demonstrated significant decreases in delayed type hypersensitivity responses to tetanus, interferon-gamma levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and gadolinium enhancing lesion numbers and volumes on monthly cerebral magnetic resonance images. When estriol treatment was stopped, enhancing lesions increased to pretreatment levels. When estriol treatment was reinstituted, enhancing lesions again were significantly decreased. Based on these results, a larger, placebo-controlled trial of estriol is warranted in women with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. This novel treatment strategy of using pregnancy doses of estriol in multiple sclerosis has relevance to other autoimmune diseases that also improve during pregnancy.

We demonstrate in situ 90° electric field-induced uniform magnetization rotation in single domain submicron ferromagnetic islands grown on a ferroelectric single crystal using x-ray photoemission electron microscopy. The experimental findings are well correlated with micromagnetic simulations, showing that the reorientation occurs by the strain-induced magnetoelectric interaction between the ferromagnetic nanostructures and the ferroelectric crystal. Specifically, the ferroelectric domain structure plays a key role in determining the response of the structure to the applied electric field, resulting in three strain-induced regimes of magnetization behavior for the single domain islands.

SummaryBackground Relapses of multiple sclerosis decrease during pregnancy, when the hormone estriol is increased. Estriol treatment is anti-infl ammatory and neuroprotective in preclinical studies. In a small single-arm study of people with multiple sclerosis estriol reduced gadolinium-enhancing lesions and was favourably immunomodulatory. We assessed whether estriol treatment reduces multiple sclerosis relapses in women.

In this work, we report on the demonstration of voltage-driven spin wave excitation, where spin waves are generated by multiferroic magnetoelectric (ME) cell transducers driven by an alternating voltage, rather than an electric current. A multiferroic element consisting of a magnetostrictive Ni film and a piezoelectric [Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 ] (1Àx) -[PbTiO 3 ] x substrate was used for this purpose. By applying an AC voltage to the piezoelectric, an oscillating electric field is created within the piezoelectric material, which results in an alternating strain-induced magnetic anisotropy in the magnetostrictive Ni layer. The resulting anisotropy-driven magnetization oscillations propagate in the form of spin waves along a 5 lm wide Ni/NiFe waveguide. Control experiments confirm the strain-mediated origin of the spin wave excitation. The voltage-driven spin wave excitation, demonstrated in this work, can potentially be used for low-dissipation spin wave-based logic and memory elements. V C 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen found as part of the normal oral flora. It can be coisolated with Fusobacterium nucleatum, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen, from oral disease sites, such as those involved in refractory periodontitis and pulp necrosis. The physical coadherence between these 2 clinically important microbes has been well documented and suggested to play a role in facilitating their oral colonization and colocalization and contributing to polymicrobial pathogenesis. Previous studies indicated that the physical interaction between C. albicans and F. nucleatum was mediated by the carbohydrate components on the surface of C. albicans and the protein components on the Fusobaterium cell surface. However, the identities of the components involved still remain elusive. This study was aimed at identifying the genetic determinants involved in coaggregation between the 2 species. By screening a C. albicans SN152 mutant library and a panel of F. nucleatum 23726 outer membrane protein mutants, we identified FLO9, which encodes a putative adhesin-like cell wall mannoprotein of C. albicans and radD, an arginine-inhibitable adhesin-encoding gene in F. nucleatum that is involved in interspecies coadherence. Consistent with these findings, we demonstrated that the strong coaggregation between wild-type F. nucleatum 23726 and C. albicans SN152 in an in vitro assay could be greatly inhibited by arginine and mannose. Our study also suggested a complex multifaceted mechanism underlying physical interaction between C. albicans and F. nucleatum and for the first time revealed the identity of major genetic components involved in mediating the coaggregation. These observations provide useful knowledge for developing new targeted treatments for disrupting interactions between these 2 clinically relevant pathogens.

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