Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today issued the following statement in response to the release of the Senate Republican tax plan:
“Senate Republicans are attempting to jam through a tax bill that will affect every American without so much as a hearing. This is a terrible disservice to the people we represent. The rushed product of this closed-door process is likely to be an attempt to lavish tax cuts on the wealthy at the expense of the middle class—leading to higher deficits and deep cuts in Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid. It’s past time for Republicans to put the brakes on this approach and work with us on meaningful and fiscally-responsible tax reform that invests in our families, our kids, and our future.”
University of Colorado Boulder Announces Breakthrough In Flu Research
Just as flu season swings into full gear, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Texas at Austin have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which the human immune system tries to battle the influenza A virus. The discovery sheds new light on how the virus — which kills 12,000 to 56,000 people in the United States annually — often wins, and it could ultimately lead to new treatments.
“We’ve solved a mystery, revealing a new aspect of our innate immune system and what flu has to do to get around it,” says Nicholas Meyerson, a postdoctoral researcher in the BioFrontiers Institute and lead author of a paper published in the Nov. 8 issue of Cell Host and Microbe.
The findings, several years in the making, could lead to a better understanding of how the seasonal flu virus, which typically originates in birds, makes its way to humans. They could also inform development of next-generation antivirals able to combat a broad spectrum of influenza strains, says co-senior author Robert Krug, a leading influenza researcher and professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
The x-ray structure of the effector domain of influenza virus NS1 protein. Each monomer subunit of the dimeric structure is depicted in rainbow colors from blue (N-terminus) to red (C-terminus).
The paper focuses on two key molecular players in the story of influenza infection: a human protein called TRIM25, which was recently discovered to play an important role in the human immune response to flu infection; and a protein called NS1 present in all strains of the influenza A virus and shown to bind TRIM25 to keep it from doing its job.
“We were basically trying to find out what TRIM25 was doing that flu did not want it to be doing and the role NS1 was playing in blocking that function,” Krug said.
Through a series of laboratory tests, the team revealed two main findings:
TRIM25 acts earlier than previously believed, latching on to a critical and unique flu virus structure like a “molecular clamp” to keep the virus from replicating as soon as TRIM25 detects this unique structure.
NS1 produced by the flu virus can block this function of TRIM25, enabling flu to circumvent the immune response and cause infection.
Previous research had suggested that TRIM25 fought off flu by switching on what is known as the “interferon response” — a complex signaling pathway that arms cells through the body to fight off pathogens. But not all strains of influenza block this interferon signaling pathway, which led Meyerson to suspect another mechanism was at play in helping TRIM25 fight flu.
The paper reveals that TRIM25 is also a “restriction factor,” a special protein present in the fastest-acting arm of the immune system, before spreading infection occurs.
“Restriction factors lie in wait, and should a virus be detected in one of your cells, they have immediate destructive ability,” explains co-senior author Sara Sawyer, an associate professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) at CU Boulder.
Flu uses its NS1 protein to evade TRIM25’s early flu-fighting response, the researchers found.
To do the study, the researchers first infected transgenic cell lines loaded with nonhuman primate versions of TRIM25 with the human influenza A virus. They found that the cells fought off the virus far better than human versions of the TRIM25 protein.
“This told us that TRIM25 has the capacity to crush influenza, but that its human form was less active,” Meyerson said.
To find out how it crushes influenza, the researchers combined purified TRIM25 with purified viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) — eight-piece protein chains that house the influenza genome — and used state-of-the-art electron microscopy to take pictures of what happened.
They found that TRIM25 appears to swiftly recognize the unique structure of vRNPs and clamps down on them to keep them from replicating inside the cell.
Other experiments confirmed that the NS1 protein in flu virus inhibits this function.
They also found that TRIM25 (previously believed to be present only in the cell cytoplasm) is also present in the cell nucleus, which is the same cellular location where flu replication occurs.
Sawyer and Meyerson are now looking to further investigate the role TRIM25 plays in cross-species transmission of influenza.
More studies are needed, but Krug believes new therapeutics could be designed to block the NS1 protein produced by the flu virus, hobbling its ability to evade the human immune system.
“If you could somehow block NS1 from acting, you could block all strains of the virus,” he says.
Emergency Management – Future Legislation – Market Outlook – And More
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Nov 14
Colorado Livestock Association (CLA) is hosting its annual producer educational symposium in Sterling, CO on November 14, 2017. The Northeast Livestock Symposium will feature a full day of informative speakers covering a multitude of important topics affecting the livestock industry.
The symposium will kick off at 8:30 with a discussion about current water issues by Jim Yahn, North Sterling and Prewitt Reservoirs manager. Following, Jim Robb, Chief Executive Officer of the Livestock Marketing and Information Center (LMIC) will provide a market outlook. The LMIC has provided economic analysis and market projections concerning the livestock industry, since 1955.
Emergency management during disaster situations is a priority to many in the Northeastern part of the state following the destructive grass fire earlier this year. Officials from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Department of Agriculture will discuss emergency protocols and the future collaboration between emergency responders and agriculture producers to aid in effective disaster response.
Colorado State Senator Jerry Sonnenberg will give an outlook on the upcoming legislative session and discuss issues related to rural Coloradoans and livestock agriculture industry. Greg Bloom, CEO of the Colorado Beef Council, will discuss the recent legal activities occurring in other states related to the beef checkoff. Michael Turner, Colorado State Energy Office, will present on the grant programs available for producers to aid them in making their operations more energy efficient. John Crawmer, Safety Consultant, Pinnacol Assurance, will discuss safety leadership and building a safety culture on operations to reduce injuries in the workplace.
CSU Live Performance Stadium Sessions at the Colorado State University campus will feature Dubskin, Porlolo and Stella Luce before the home football game against Boise State on Nov. 11.
DubskinStella Luce
Stadium Sessions is a series of free live performances by top Colorado bands launched this fall as part of the 2017 football season.
On Friday, Nov. 10, during “Football Friday” at the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center, Porlolo performs at 4:15 p.m., followed by Stella Luce at 5:15 p.m.
The Other Black and Def Knock are scheduled to play Saturday, Nov. 11, at The MOB, which opens at 4:30 p.m. in the Ramskeller at the Lory Student Center. Def Knock starts at 5:10 p.m. and The Other Black starts at 6:50 p.m. The event will also feature free food, video games, a trivia competition and Ram swag.
At the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center, Eli Slocumb & Grace Kuch perform at 6 p.m., followed by Dubskin at 6:30 p.m.
Stadium Sessions, made possible by CSU’s partnerships with The Music District and Bohemian Foundation, is open to the public and features more than 30 bands on three on-campus stages during weekends when the Rams are playing at home.
This is the Denver Metro Air Pollution Forecast effective 4PM on Tuesday, November 7, 2017:
An Action Day for Visibility is now in effect for the seven-county Denver-Boulder metropolitan area . Indoor Burning Restrictions and requests to limit driving are now in effect until at least 4 PM Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Poor visibility and an exceedance of the state visibility standard are expected on Wednesday. Otherwise, good or moderate air quality conditions are expected. No other air quality advisories are in effect.
Limited mixing and ventilation will allow visibility to be Poor on Wednesday.
A poorly maintained vehicle pollutes more than a well maintained one. If you must drive, properly maintain your vehicle. We’ll all breathe easier!
At 2PM (MST), Tuesday, 11/7/2017 the highest AQI value was 40 for Particulate less than 2.5 micrometers which indicates Good air quality.
Front Range Air Quality Forecast & Colorado Smoke Outlook
FRONT RANGE AIR QUALITY FORECAST: Tuesday, November 7, 2017, 2:15 PM MST
Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Fine Particulate Matter concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moderate concentrations of fine particulates are most likely in the Denver Metro area. Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion in the Denver Metro area on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Carbon Monoxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Visibility is expected to be Moderate to Poor on Wednesday.
The Bennett Lady Tigers were the last of 12 teams to stamp their ticket to this weekend’s 3A State Volleyball Championships at the Denver Coliseum after outlasting Cedaredge and Eagle Ridge in Region 9 Nov. 4. The orange-and-black needed an extra game to 25 points against Eagle Ridge to garner their berth.
The seventh-seeded Tigers are in Pool II at the state tournament with No. 2 Lutheran and 11th-seeded Sterling and won’t be on the court until the seventh match on Friday against Lutheran. Eight matches are scheduled for Friday with the first one to start at 8 a.m. The Colorado High School Activities Association has scheduled matches to start 8 minutes after the previous one has concluded. There are no set start times after the first match.
On Saturday, Bennett and Sterling are slated to play the third match with the first match again slated to begin at 8 a.m. The winner of Pool II will play the champion of Pool III in the semifinals later Saturday afternoon. The other semifinal pits the winners of Pools I and IV against each other. The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.
Homicide Suspect Arrested in Aurora after Fleeing in Car and on Foot
Jacqueline Lucero, the suspect in the murder of 30-year-old Adolph Arellano Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, has been taken into custody in Denver. Arellano was shot in a parking lot in the 300 block of E. Highline Circle in Centennial.
Early in the morning of November 6, 2017, members of the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Fugitive Task Force developed information about Lucero’s location near W. 72nd Avenue and S. Federal Boulevard. As law enforcement resources were being put in place, Lucero left the location in a car, eluding officers.
Shortly thereafter, Lucero was spotted driving in the area of Quebec Street and E. 56th Avenue. She led Denver Police Department officers in marked patrol cars on a pursuit throughout parts of Denver, unincorporated Arapahoe County, and Aurora until the car she was driving crashed in the area of E. Alameda Avenue and S. Potomac Street. She was taken into custody after a brief chase on foot.
Lucero is being held on the warrant for Murder in the First Degree, a class 1 felony. Additional charges related to the incident today are pending.
You know the experience: You slice into a red, juicy, store-bought tomato, take a bite and…nothing. Perhaps you want some tomato with that salt?
This familiar, flavorless experience might someday be less common thanks to the work of Harry Klee, professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida and featured speaker at this year’s Thornton-Massa Lecture, 3:30 p.m. Nov. 12, at the Lory Student Center Theater at Colorado State University.
Klee hasn’t always been in the flavor game.
After receiving his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Washington focusing on the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a vital organism for gene transfer and genetic engineering of plants. He then spent 11 years working on a Monsanto team developing herbicide-resistant crops.
In 1995, he moved to the University of Florida to take an endowed chair in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. There, he created a program that uses biochemistry and genetics to better understand the flavor of fruit crops. His work has uncovered the plant-created compounds that produce truly tasty tomatoes. Then, using large-scale genomics, he and his team have created a genetic blueprint for restoring these compounds in commercially grown tomatoes. The goal is to bring heirloom flavor back to tomatoes that aren’t grown in your backyard – while not decreasing yield.
He and his lab are also extending their work to strawberries, melons and even lettuce.
Klee is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and president of the American Society of Plant Biologists.
Public lecture
Klee’s lecture, “Why Don’t My Tomatoes Have Any Flavor? A Case Study in Industrial Agriculture,” is free and open to the public.
The 18th annual Thornton-Massa Lecture is co-hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Natural SciencesDepartment of Biology. The series is made possible by a gift that honors the late Dr. Emil Massa and the late Bruce and Mildred Thornton, who shared a passion for biodiversity, plant genetics, agriculture and horticulture.
Dr. Emil Massa was an orthopedic surgeon who, beginning in 1960, practiced for more than 30 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver. Massa had an abiding sense of appreciation and wonder for the phenomena of the natural world. He endowed this lecture series to engage the public in a vital conversation to honor, preserve and investigate nature’s rich vocabulary of organisms.
Massa’s legacy endures in other ways: the grounds of St. Joseph’s Hospital are graced with trees he raised from seed; after he retired from medical practice, he restored rare books, including those in the Western History Room of the Denver Public Library and at the Denver Botanic Garden.
Bruce and Mildred Thornton shared a life-long interest in and commitment to the study, identification and preservation of seeds. Mildred attended what was then called Colorado State College, and after receiving her master’s degree in botany, she went to work as a junior botanist at the Federal Seed Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Bruce served on the Colorado State College faculty and the Agricultural Experiment Station staff from 1927-1962, and he headed the Colorado State Seed Laboratory from 1940-1961.
Bruce and Mildred married in 1930. When Bruce retired in 1961, Mildred took over the directorship of the State Seed Laboratory, where she had worked intermittently for 20 years.
GREELEY, CO — Veterans and active service members can enjoy FREE ADMISSION to the Greeley History Museum, 714 8th St., on Friday, Nov. 10, in honor of Veteran’s Day. While most city facilities will be closed to the public on Friday, the museum will remain open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and close on Saturday. There is no coupon needed, but proof of service must be provided.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
There’s another patriotic event happening in Greeley that weekend and you don’t need to be a veteran to appreciate it. The 101st Army Concert Band performs a free public concert at the Union Colony Civic Center, 710 10th Ave., at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 11.
Tickets for this free patriotic-themed concert are restricted to 4 per person while supplies last, and are only available by visiting the UCCC ticket office in person. This show is expected to fill quickly.
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) received the prestigious National Land Trust Excellence Award, presented by the Land Trust Alliance during their 2017 national conference which is being held right here in Denver this week.
The Land Trust Alliance, a national conservation organization that works to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America, awards the National Land Trust Excellence Award annually to an accredited land trust that has achieved significant impact on the conservation community. The award recognizes a land trust that has excelled in innovation, collaboration, communication, and initiation of broader support for land conservation.
I am thrilled to accept this honor on behalf of CCALT, our landowners and supporters. Ranching heritage and natural beauty have always defined Colorado. CCALT is privileged to have the opportunity to work with the landowning families that steward Colorado’s productive agricultural lands to conserve what makes Colorado such a unique and special place to live. CCALT’s work benefits all Coloradans in a profoundly positive yet largely unrecognized way. Thank you to the Land Trust Alliance for the recognition of our work and commitment to helping ensure that Colorado will forever be defined by its natural beauty and western heritage. — Erik Glenn, Executive Director
CCALT is the first land trust in Colorado to receive the National Land Trust Excellence Award.
Stacked Lazy Three Ranch Photo credit: DJ Glisson, II
As recognized for this award, CCALT has worked with multiple partners, landowners, and supporters to conserve more than 513,000 acres over the last 22 years. Founded by members of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, CCALT was designed to help Colorado ranchers and farmers conserve their property and transition their operations to the next generation. To date, CCALT has worked with more than 265 ranching families across the state.
