Irradiation is the standard therapy for glioblastoma multiforme. Glioblastoma are highly resistant to radiotherapy and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To better understand the biological effects of irradiation on glioblastoma cells, we tested whether nonlethal irradiation influences the invasiveness, cell stiffness, and actin cytoskeleton properties. Two different glioblastoma cell lines were irradiated with 2 Gy and changes in mechanical and migratory properties and alterations in the actin structure were measured. The invasiveness of cell lines was determined using a co-culture model with organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Irradiation led to changes in motility and a less invasive phenotype in both investigated cell lines that were associated with an increase in a ”generalized stiffness” and changes in the actin structure. In this study we demonstrate that irradiation can induce changes in the actin cytoskeleton and motility, which probably results in reduced invasiveness of glioblastoma cell lines. Furthermore, “generalized stiffness” was shown to be a profound marker of the invasiveness of a tumor cell population in our model.

The Euclid mission objective is to understand why the expansion of the Universe is accelerating by mapping the geometry of the dark Universe by investigating the distance-redshift relationship and tracing the evolution of cosmic structures. The Euclid project is part of ESA's Cosmic Vision program with its launch planned for 2020. The NISP (Near Infrared Spectro-Photometer) is one of the two Euclid instruments and is operating in the near-IR spectral region (0.9-2µm) as a photometer and spectrometer. The instrument is composed of: -a cold (135K) optomechanical subsystem consisting of a SiC structure, an optical assembly (corrector and camera lens), a filter wheel mechanism, a grism wheel mechanism, a calibration unit and a thermal control system -a detection subsystem based on a mosaic of 16 Teledyne HAWAII2RG cooled to 95K with their front-end readout electronic cooled to 140K, integrated on a mechanical focal plane structure made with Molybdenum and Aluminum. The detection subsystem is mounted on the optomechanical subsystem structure -a warm electronic subsystem (280K) composed of a data processing / detector control unit and of an instrument control unit that interfaces with the spacecraft via a 1553 bus for command and control and via Spacewire links for science data This presentation describes the architecture of the instrument at the end of the phase B (Preliminary Design Review), the expected performance, the technological key challenges and preliminary test results obtained on a detection system demonstration model.

Bacterial regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) have shown promise for gene knock‐down studies and metabolic engineering. However, some mRNAs might be difficult to target due to poor binding by the Hfq chaperone, individual synthetic sRNAs can have off‐target effects, potential sRNA toxicities have not been studied globally, and a consensus on optimal sRNA design has yet to emerge. Here, Spot 42 sRNA is validated as an excellent scaffold by showing that its over‐expression minimally affects the growth rate of Escherichia coli, and that inhibition is reliably achieved for all eight tested protein targets by designing antisense to target the first few codons. Two related sRNAs that could not be cloned, possibly due to lethality of the encoded sRNAs, became clonable when an eight‐nucleotide sequence was inserted directly upstream of the antisense region. Global fitness costs for E. coli of the designer sRNAs were measured and found to be variable but tolerable. Importantly for utility, there was no correlation between target inhibition and cellular toxicity. As a proof of concept for applications, suppression of the UAG stop codon was improved by knock down of translation release factor 1 (RF1).

The cover image is based on the Research Article Rationally designed Spot 42 RNAs with an inhibition/toxicity profile advantageous for engineering E. coli by Carolin Vogel, Arvid H. Gynnå et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12126.

Around 1900, a number of writers left big cities for small villages in the countryside in order to continue their literary work there. This essay illuminates the spatial and social conditions under which outstanding works of German literature of this time were created. The writers included are Wilhelm Bölsche, Bruno Wille, Laura Marholm, Rainer Maria Rilke, Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann, Richard Dehmel, Detlev von Liliencron, Hermann Hesse, Paul Heyse, and Franziska zu Reventlow. The places they chose over big cities like Berlin or Munich are Friedrichshagen, Schliersee, Worpswede, Schreiberhau, Agnetendorf, Blankenese, Alt-Rahlstedt, Gaienhofen, Gardone, and Ascona.