Comptes Rendus Biologies最新文献

{"title":"Use and dual use of synthetic biology.","authors":"Antoine Danchin","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.173","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.173","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A brief history of the field shows that the impression of novelty we have today when we talk about synthetic biology is merely the sign of a rapid loss of memory of the events surrounding its creation. The dangers of misuse were identified even before the first experiments, but this has not led to a shared awareness. Building a cell ab initio involves combining a machine (called a chassis by specialists in the field) and a program in the form of synthetic DNA. Only the latter—the program—is the subject of the vast majority of work in the field, and it is there that the risks of misuse appear. Combined with knowledge of the genomic sequence of pathogens, DNA synthesis makes it possible to reconstitute dangerous organisms or even to develop new ways of propagating malicious software. Finally, the lack of thought given to the risk of accidents when laboratories develop gain-of-function experiments that increase the virulence of a pathogen makes a world where this type of experiments is developed particularly dangerous.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"71-88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143574729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Socio-ecological restoration, a concrete transposition of the normative concept of nature-based solutions?]","authors":"Nathalie Frascaria-Lacoste, Pierre-Antoine Versini, Chloé Duffaut, Juan Fernández-Manjarrés","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.175","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.175","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>“Nature-based solutions” (NBS) are now widely referred to as a way of making anthropized ecosystems more sustainable. NBS stems from the principles of ecological engineering as conceptualized by H. T. Odum. Odum (1962), based on an approach centered on energy flows and ecosystem self-regulation. Despite their growing popularity, the implementation of these NBS remains complex and often focused solely on societal benefits, with little benefit to biodiversity.\u0000\u0000The current climate and ecological crisis calls for a reconsideration of our relationship with nature, integrating both social and ecological objectives in a new mobilization of societies and ecosystems in crisis. This is what is advocated by socio-ecological restoration, a recent concept developed during the reconstruction of coastal cities after the 2011 tsunami in Japan. This concept proposes the joint repair of ecosystems and human social cohesion, using elements of the ecosystem taken as historical landmarks before disturbance, enabling a local anchoring to regain a viable social and ecological trajectory. Socio-ecological restoration is not a classic program activity, but a social process in which several actors get involved by relying on each other, without using the expression itself.\u0000\u0000We propose to generalize this socio-ecological restoration, beyond post-disaster or post-conflict situations, to modify development practices and create real synergies between living humans and non-humans. In this respect, we use the reopening of the Bièvre River in the Paris region as an example of relevant socio-ecological restoration, because it involves the local community and responds to ecological issues. In conclusion, we make five recommendations for adapting the principles of socio-ecological restoration to the implementation of NBS, with a view to making not only our environments more resilient in the face of global change, but also those environments that concern the entire non-human living world and are often overlooked in field practices. By opting for a more eco-centric approach, NBSs could be in line with the IUCN’s initial definition, ultimately becoming Solutions Based For and By Nature, in line with the challenges of an effective ecological transition in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"55-69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143558880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A possible role for epigenetics in cancer initiation.","authors":"Anne-Marie Martinez, Giacomo Cavalli","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.171","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.171","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Known since antiquity, its understanding has evolved over time and has significantly advanced with new technologies over the past four decades. Cancer initiation is currently admitted to be explainable by the somatic mutation theory, which postulates that DNA mutations altering the function of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes initiate cancer. In addition to these mutations, epigenetic alterations, which heritably change gene expression without altering the DNA sequence, also play a key role. Recent data suggests that epigenetic components regulate all aspects of tumor progression, including cancer initiation. These discoveries prompt a reevaluation of the somatic mutation theory, of cancer prevention and treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"43-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143494933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[The diversification of the protein kinase R contributes to the specificity of bat-virus interactions].","authors":"Stéphanie Jacquet, Dominique Pontier, Lucie Etienne","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.170","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.170","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several bat species asymptomatically harbor certain viruses that are highly pathogenic in other mammals. The underlying mechanisms involve an evolutionary balance between tolerance and immune resistance to viral infections. However, how bats innate immunity has evolved in response to viruses remains to be elucidated. Here, we review the evolution of the protein kinase R (PKR) in bats, a major antiviral protein of vertebrate innate antiviral defense. Our recent results indicate that PKR has evolved under selective pressure and has undergone genomic duplications in bats, in contrast to all mammals studied, which possess only a single copy of the gene. The genetic changes in bat PKR are probably partly the result of genetic conflicts with ancient pathogenic poxviruses, shaping a bat-specific host–virus interface. Furthermore, the duplicated PKRs in Myotis species enable them to collectively escape viruses and enhance their viral control. These results suggest that viral adaptations of PKR contribute to the specificity of modern interactions between viruses and bats, and may explain unique antiviral mechanisms in bats.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"35-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143494932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Parkinson's disease: from genetics to targeted therapies].","authors":"Guillaume Cogan, Alexis Brice","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.174","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifactorial disorder involving various biological pathways. However, it is more accurate not to define PD as a unique entity, but rather as a mixture of several diseases with similar phenotypes. Attempts to classify subtypes of PD based on the clinical phenotype or biomarkers were tried. Nonetheless, for a subset of individuals, the classification based on the implied gene appears to be the most practical. Although the SNCA gene was the first identified in rare patients, pathogenic variants in GBA1 and LRRK2 are the most common genetic causes or risk factors of PD, and PRKN is the most frequent gene of autosomal recessive PD. Patients with pathogenic variants in SNCA, GBA1, LRRK2 or PRKN show various clinical, anatomopathological and biochemical aspects. Therefore, these four genes associated to PD are of particular interest for the development of targeted therapies. This fact is reinforced by the reality that current approaches are only symptomatic, and no curative treatment is available today. A number of clinical trials aiming to slow or stop disease progression are running, based on the gene involved. In this review, we will discuss the therapeutic approaches targeting SNCA, GBA1, LRRK2 and PRKN.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"21-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143411652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Anthropocene and the biodiversity crisis: an eco-evolutionary perspective.","authors":"Philippe Jarne","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.172","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.172","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A major facet of the Anthropocene is global change, such as climate change, caused by human activities, which drastically affect biodiversity with all-scale declines and homogenization of biotas. This crisis does not only affect the ecological dynamics of biodiversity, but also its evolutionary dynamics, including genetic diversity, an aspect that is generally neglected. My tenet is therefore to consider biodiversity dynamics from an eco-evolutionary perspective, i.e. explicitly accounting for the possibility of rapid evolution and its feedback on ecological processes and the environment. I represent the impact of the various avatars of global change in a temporal perspective, from pre-industrial time to the near future, allowing to visualize their dynamics and to set desired values that should not be trespassed for a given time (e.g., +2 °C for 50 years from now). After presenting the impact of various stressors (e.g., climate change) on biodiversity, this representation is used to heuristically show the relevance of an eco-evolutionary perspective: (i) to analyze how biodiversity will respond to the stressors, for example by seeking out more suitable conditions or adapting to new conditions; (ii) to serve in predictive exercises to envision future dynamics (decades to centuries) under stressor impact; (iii) to propose nature-based solutions to the crisis. Significant obstacles stand in the way of the development of such an approach, in particular the general lack of interest in intraspecific diversity, and perhaps more generally a lack of understanding that, we, humans, are only a modest part of biodiversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"348 ","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Axon regeneration: an issue of translation.","authors":"Julia Schaeffer, Stephane Belin","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.169","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.169","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), adult neurons fail to regenerate spontaneously upon axon injury, which leads to a permanent and irreversible loss of neuronal functions. For more than 15 years, much effort was invested to unlock axon regrowth programs based on extensive transcriptomic characterization. However, it is now well described that mRNA and protein levels correlate only partially in cells, and that the transcription process (from DNA to mRNA) may not directly reflect protein expression. Conversely, the translation process (from mRNA to protein) provides an additional layer of gene regulation. This aspect has been overlooked in CNS regeneration. In this review, we discuss the limitations of transcriptomic approaches to promote CNS regeneration and we provide the rationale to investigate translational regulation in this context, and notably the regulatory role of the translational complex. Finally, we summarize our and others’ recent findings showing how variations in the translational complex composition regulate selective (mRNA-specific) translation, thereby controlling CNS axon regrowth.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"347 ","pages":"249-258"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142815035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ORCHAMP: an observation network for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across space and time in mountainous regions.","authors":"Wilfried Thuiller, Amélie Saillard, Sylvain Abdulhak, Vincent Augé, Carole Birck, Richard Bonet, Philippe Choler, Anne Delestrade, Georges Kunstler, Marie-France Leccia, Bertrand Lienard, Jérome Poulenard, Jean-Gabriel Valay, Arthur Bayle, Nicolas Bonfanti, Lenka Brousset, Léa Bizard, Irene Calderón-Sanou, Cédric Dentant, Camille Desjonquères, Ludovic Gielly, Maya Guéguen, Frédéric Guiter, Mickael Hedde, Eric Hustache, Norine Kedhim, Pierre Lapenu, Nicolas Le Guillarme, Lise Marchal, Chloé Mahieu, Gabrielle Martin, Camille Martinez-Almoyna, Vincent Miele, Jérôme Murienne, Yoan Paillet, Maxime Rome, Julien Renaud","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.165","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent climate and land use change, and pollution have led to concerning alterations in biodiversity and ecosystem functions, jeopardizing nature’s contributions to people. Mountainous regions are not immune to these threats, experiencing the impacts of global warming, increased recreational activities, and changes in agricultural practices. Leveraging the natural elevational gradients of mountain environments, the ORCHAMP program was established in 2016 as a comprehensive initiative to monitor, understand, and predict the repercussions of environmental changes on biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions in the French Alps and Pyrenees.\u0000\u0000Beyond its monitoring role, ORCHAMP has catalyzed the development of tools for data integration, statistical analyses, visualization, and AI-based automated data processing and predictions. Through a combination of traditional sampling methods (e.g., botanical surveys) and cutting-edge technologies (remote-sensing, environmental DNA, video, and acoustic sensors), the program offers a holistic approach to understanding how biodiversity faces environmental changes. By showcasing examples and key results, this paper provides an overview of ORCHAMP’s advancements and outlines potential future directions. The broad inclusion of diverse monitoring techniques and data treatments positions ORCHAMP as a pioneering effort, paving the way for long-term insights into biodiversity dynamics—a crucial step toward effective conservation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"347 ","pages":"223-247"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Biosecurity and epidemiological surveillance].","authors":"Alain-Jacques Valleron","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.166","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.166","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biosecurity is a word including, in French, two concepts which are differently expressed in the English literature: the biosafety (to prevent accidental releases of infectious agents, for example, in research laboratories) and the biosecurity (to prevent the voluntary dispersion of infectious agents by bioterrorists, for example). Up to now, bioterrorism using a biological weapon has been very rare. Epidemiological surveillance is frequently seen as an efficient tool to achieve a better biosafety, and increase biosecurity. However, biosecurity requires an alert system. Traditional surveillance, which was developed to help to design the health policies, lacks the sensitivity and rapid response delay necessary for alert. Biology brings new opportunities for alert and surveillance. Examples are the monitoring of sewer systems and the development of CRISPR tools for detection of biological agents. A new problem is that these tools can be used out of the research laboratories, because they are relatively cheap and easy to develop. Finally, whatever the method used to identify quickly a new hazard, the key problem is the “preparedness” to identify and connect quickly the biomedical experts able to provide the best response to this hazard.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"347 ","pages":"181-186"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142632974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Generating neurons in the embryonic and adult brain: compared principles and mechanisms.","authors":"Mathilde Chouly, Laure Bally-Cuif","doi":"10.5802/crbiol.167","DOIUrl":"10.5802/crbiol.167","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurogenesis is a lifelong process, generating neurons in the right amount, time and place and with the correct identity to permit the growth, function, plasticity and repair of the nervous system, notably the brain. Neurogenesis originates from neural progenitor cells (NPs), endowed with the capacity to divide, renew to maintain the progenitor population, or commit to engage in the neurogenesis process. In the adult brain, these progenitors are classically called neural stem cells (NSCs). We review here the commonalities and differences between NPs and NSCs, in their cellular and molecular attributes but also in their potential, regulators and lineage, in the embryonic and adult brains. Our comparison is based on the two most studied model systems, namely the telencephalon of the zebrafish and mouse. We also discuss how the population of embryonic NPs gives rise to adult NSCs, and outstanding questions pertaining to this transition.</p>","PeriodicalId":55231,"journal":{"name":"Comptes Rendus Biologies","volume":"347 ","pages":"199-221"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142632979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}