RESUMEN

We compared the neutralization sensitivity of early/transmitted HIV-1 variants from patients infected by subtype B viruses at 3 periods of the epidemic (1987-1991, 1996-2000, 2006-2010). Infectious pseudotyped viruses expressing envelope glycoproteins representative of the viral quasi-species infecting each patient were tested for sensitivity to neutralization by pools of sera from HIV-1 chronically infected patients and by an updated panel of 13 human monoclonal neutralizing antibodies (HuMoNAbs). A progressive significantly enhanced resistance to neutralization was observed over calendar time, by both human sera and most of the HuMoNAbs tested (b12, VRC01, VRC03, NIH45-46(G54W), PG9, PG16, PGT121, PGT128, PGT145). Despite this evolution, a combination of two HuMoNAbs (NIH45-46(G54W) and PGT128) still would efficiently neutralize the most contemporary transmitted variants. In addition, we observed a significant reduction of the heterologous neutralizing activity of sera from individuals infected most recently (2003-2007) compared to patients infected earlier (1987-1991), suggesting that the increasing resistance of the HIV species to neutralization over time coincided with a decreased immunogenicity. These data provide evidence for an ongoing adaptation of the HIV-1 species to the humoral immunity of the human population, which may add an additional obstacle to the design of an efficient HIV-1 vaccine.

Asunto(s)

Anticuerpos Neutralizantes/metabolismo , Epidemias , Flujo Genético , Infecciones por VIH/inmunología , Infecciones por VIH/virología , VIH-1/inmunología , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/metabolismo , Especificidad de Anticuerpos , Antígenos Virales/biosíntesis , Antígenos Virales/genética , Antígenos Virales/metabolismo , Estudios de Cohortes , Monitoreo Epidemiológico , Epítopos/genética , Francia/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/transmisión , VIH-1/genética , VIH-1/metabolismo , Humanos , Inmunidad Humoral , Fenómenos Inmunogenéticos , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/antagonistas & inhibidores , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/genética , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Filogenia , ARN Viral/sangre , ARN Viral/metabolismo , Proteínas del Envoltorio Viral/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas del Envoltorio Viral/genética , Proteínas del Envoltorio Viral/metabolismo

RESUMEN

Studies of the kinetics of biochemical reactions, especially of folding of proteins and RNA, are important for understanding the function of biomolecules and processes in live cells. Many biochemical reactions occur rapidly and thus need to be triggered on very short time scales for their kinetics to be studied, which is often accomplished by mixing in a turbulent flow. More rapid and sample-efficient mixing is achieved in laminar flow in a microfluidic device, in which the sample is two-dimensionally (2D) focused to a thin sheet. Here we describe the design and operation of an ultrafast microfluidic mixer with three-dimensional (3D) flow focusing. The confinement of a 3D-focused sample to a narrow stream near the middle of a microchannel renders its velocity nearly uniform and makes it possible to monitor the reaction kinetics without exclusion of any parts of the sample. Hence, the sample consumption is substantially reduced and the fluorescence of the sample can be monitored without a confocal setup. Moreover, the 3D-focusing allows facile measurements of velocity of the sample with a high spatial resolution using a specially developed technique based on epi-fluorescence imaging. The data on the velocity vs. position are used to precisely calibrate the conversion between position and the reaction time, which is essential for accurate kinetic measurements. The device performs mixing on a 10 micros scale, which is comparable to that of the laminar mixers with 2D focusing. Unlike previous ultrafast laminar mixers, which were machined in hard materials, the present microfluidic device is made of a single cast of poly(dimethylsiloxane), PDMS, and is thus simpler and less expensive to manufacture.

Asunto(s)

Biopolímeros/química , Mezclas Complejas/análisis , Mezclas Complejas/química , Microquímica/instrumentación , Microfluídica/instrumentación , Diseño de Equipo , Análisis de Falla de Equipo , Cinética

RESUMEN

In this video, we show the use of a pneumatic capillary gun for the accurate biolistic delivery of reagents into live tissue. We use the procedure to perturb gene expression patterns in selected segments of leech embryos, leaving the untreated segments as internal controls. The pneumatic capillary gun can be used to reach internal layers of cells at early stages of development without opening the specimen. As a method for localized introduction of substances into living tissues, the biolistic delivery with the gun has several advantages: it is fast, contact-free and non-destructive. In addition, a single capillary gun can be used for independent delivery of different substances. The delivery region can have lateral dimensions of approximately 50-150 microm and extends over approximately 15 microm around the mean penetration depth, which is adjustable between 0 and 50 microm. This delivery has the advantage of being able to target a limited number of cells in a selected location intermediate between single cell knock down by microinjection and systemic knockdown through extracellular injections or by means of genetic approaches. For knocking down or knocking in the expression of the axon guidance molecule Netrin, which is naturally expressed by some central neurons and in the ventral body wall, but not the dorsal domain, we deliver molecules of dsRNA or plasmid-DNA into the body wall and central ganglia. This procedure includes the following steps: (i) preparation of the experimental setup for a specific assay (adjusting the accelerating pressure), (ii) coating the particles with molecules of dsRNA or DNA, (iii) loading the coated particles into the gun, up to two reagents in one assay, (iv) preparing the animals for the particle delivery, (v) delivery of coated particles into the target tissue (body wall or ganglia), and (vi) processing the embryos (immunostaining, immunohistochemistry and neuronal labeling) to visualize the results, usually 2 to 3 days after the delivery. When the particles were coated with netrin dsRNA, they caused clearly visible knock-down of netrin expression that only occurred in cells containing particles (usually, 1-2 particles per cell). Particles coated with a plasmid encoding EGFP induced fluorescence in neuronal cells when they stopped in their nuclei.

Asunto(s)

Embrión no Mamífero/metabolismo , Expresión Génica , Técnicas Genéticas/instrumentación , Sanguijuelas/genética , Interferencia de ARN , ARN/genética , Animales , Embrión no Mamífero/embriología , Sanguijuelas/embriología , Sanguijuelas/metabolismo , ARN/análisis

RESUMEN

We describe the design, fabrication, and operation of two types of flow cytometers based on microfluidic devices made of a single cast of poly(dimethylsiloxane). The stream of particles or cells injected into the devices is hydrodynamically focused in both transverse and lateral directions, has a uniform velocity, and has adjustable diameter and shape. The cytometry system built around the first microfluidic device has fluorescence detection accuracy comparable with that of a commercial flow cytometer and can analyze as many as 17 000 particles/s. This high-throughput microfluidic device could be used in inexpensive stand-alone cytometers or as a part of integrated microanalysis systems. In the second device, a stream of particles is focused to a flow layer of a submicrometer thickness that allows imaging the particles with a high numerical aperture microscope objective. To take long-exposure, low-light fluorescence images of live cells, the device is placed on a moving stage, which accurately balances the translational motion of particles in the flow. The achieved resolution is comparable to that of still micrographs. This high-resolution device could be used for analysis of morphology and fluorescence distribution in cells in continuous flow.

Asunto(s)

Citometría de Flujo/instrumentación , Técnicas Analíticas Microfluídicas/instrumentación , Citometría de Flujo/métodos , Fluorescencia , Técnicas Analíticas Microfluídicas/métodos

Asunto(s)

Biolística , Embrión no Mamífero/fisiología , Silenciador del Gen , Actinas/genética , Animales , Biolística/instrumentación , Células Cultivadas , Diseño de Equipo , Colorantes Fluorescentes , Expresión Génica , Hirudo medicinalis/embriología , Factores de Crecimiento Nervioso/genética , Interferencia de ARN , Coloración y Etiquetado , Transfección

RESUMEN

We report experiments on mixing of a passively advected fluorescent dye in a low Reynolds number flow in a microscopic channel. The channel is a chain of repeating segments with a custom designed profile that generates a steady three-dimensional flow with stretching and folding, and chaotic mixing. A few statistical characteristics of mixing in the flow are studied and are all found to agree with theoretical and experimental results for the flows in the Batchelor regime of mixing that are chaotic in time. The proposed microchannel provides fast and efficient mixing and is simple to fabricate.