Publications

2026

• Comparative Study of the Impacts Resulting from Failures in the Municipal Solid Waste Management System in the Sudano-Sahelian Cities of Cameroon and Associated Environmental Impacts
  
  • Dzokom Alexis
  • Zogoi Berved
  Sahel Nature Consulting Revue, Sahel Nature Consulting Revue (March 2025), 2026, 01 (01), pp.01-31. <div><p>The study analyzes the failures of municipal solid waste management systems in the Sudano-Sahelian cities of Cameroon (Maroua, Garoua, and Kousséri) and assesses their environmental impacts. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, we demonstrate that the lack of adequate infrastructure, insufficient community awareness, and the inadequacy of effective public policies contribute to adverse consequences for public health, as well as for soil quality, air quality, and water resources. The findings reveal a strong correlation between systemic management dysfunctions and the uncontrolled accumulation of waste, thereby promoting pollution, the spread of diseases, and ecosystem degradation. Based on a comparative diagnostic assessment, practical recommendations are proposed to strengthen local waste management structures, promote circular economy principles, and implement integrated waste management policies.</p></div>
• Pentanucleotide guanine-rich WGGGW repeats, including CANVAS AGGGA repeats, form a variety of noncanonical structures
  
  • Wang Jiawei
  • Qiu Dehui
  • Zhou Jun
  • Mergny Jean-Louis
  • Alberti Patrizia
  Nucleic Acids Research, Oxford University Press, 2026, 54 (3). Abstract Short tandem repeats (STRs) are an important component of the human genome as they contribute to genetic diversity and can influence gene expression and disease susceptibility. STRs are important in the context of CANVAS (Cerebellar Ataxia, Neuropathy, Vestibular Areflexia Syndrome) genetic disease as expansions of AGGGA repeats within the RFC1 gene are associated with the development of this neurodegenerative disorder. Interestingly, the RFC1 expanded motifs are pentanucleotides that differ from the nonpathogenic AGAAA pentanucleotide motif present in reference genomes. The molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of the mutated pentanucleotide expansion in CANVAS are still unknown. Several groups have shown that DNA and RNA containing AGGGA repeats fold into G-quadruplexes (G4s) under physiological K⁺ conditions. In this study, we reveal a more complex than expected behavior, in which DNA WGGGW motifs (where W is A or T) may adopt different G4 and non-G4 structures depending on sequence, repeat number and ionic conditions. These findings are relevant as they may help explain the genomic instability and pathogenicity specifically associated with AGGGA repeats among the WGGGW motifs. (10.1093/nar/gkag051)
  DOI : 10.1093/nar/gkag051
• Collagen microarchitecture from polarized light imaging: a biomechanics perspective
  
  • Kunz Miriam Bohlmann
  • Lee Po-Yi
  • Latour Gaël
  • Yang Bin
  • Schanne-Klein Marie-Claire
  • Kurokawa Kazuhiro
  • Sigal Ian A
  Journal of Biomedical Optics, Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, 2026, 31 (1), pp.010902. Significance: Collagen, the main load-bearing component in tissue, is present in all animals and forms a variety of networks from the fibrils, fibers, bundles, and lamellae into which it self-assembles. The collagen microstructure is different among tissue types, and the different microstructures give rise to tissue-specific mechanical properties. Therefore, methods for visualizing collagen fibers and their orientation are essential for understanding the biomechanical properties of tissue. Aim: Our aim in this review is to provide the basis for understanding the methodology of polarized light imaging methods and how they can be used to characterize collagen microstructure. Approach: We begin with a description of collagen microstructure and its relationship to tissue biomechanics, a basic formalism of polarized light, and how collagen interacts with polarized light. We then describe polarized light microscopy and its various forms, particularly instant polarized light microscopy, then polarizationsensitive optical coherence tomography, and last, polarization-resolved secondharmonic generation microscopy. Results: We describe methods for imaging collagen microstructure with polarized light from in vivo methods to high-resolution volumetric imaging of tissue sections. Conclusions: We intend to help those interested in using polarized light to image and understand the relationship between collagen microstructure and biomechanics. (10.1117/1.jbo.31.1.010902)
  DOI : 10.1117/1.jbo.31.1.010902
• Selective Disruption of Plasmodium falciparum mitochondrial DNA via G-Quadruplex-Binding Ligand RHPS4 Provides a Novel Antimalarial Strategy
  
  • Salim Mariam
  • Paloque Lucie
  • Reyser Thibaud
  • Nardella Flore
  • Augereau Jean-Michel
  • Luo Yu
  • Britton Sébastien
  • Mergny Jean-Louis
  • Gervais Virginie
  • Benoit-Vical Françoise
  • Gomez Dennis
  BioRxiv, BioRxiv, 2026. ABSTRACT Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum remains a major health threat, killing over 600,000 people annually. The spread of resistance to all major antimalarials, including artemisinins, highlights the urgent need for new drugs with distinct mechanisms of action. Here we show that the G-quadruplex ligand RHPS4, an acridine derivative, displays strong antiplasmodial activity against both drug-sensitive and -resistant P. falciparum strains and clinical isolates. RHPS4 primarily targets the trophozoite stage and induces major mitochondrial alterations, including reduction of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and transcriptional dysfunctions. Bioinformatic analyses identified at least eight putative G4-forming sequences within the parasite’s mtDNA. Biophysical studies confirmed G4 folding of at least one sequence and its interaction with RHPS4. These findings indicate that RHPS4 disrupts P. falciparum mitochondrial metabolism through G4 stabilization, leading to parasite death, and establish mtDNA G4 structures as novel therapeutic targets for antimalarial development. (10.64898/2026.01.07.698092)
  DOI : 10.64898/2026.01.07.698092
• On the origins and variation of nucleotide skews of archaeal genomes
  
  • Paravel Adrien
  • Mottez Clémence
  • Puech Romain
  • Flament Didier
  • Becker Hubert F
  • Myllykallio Hannu
  Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers Media, 2026, 17, pp.1727296. We have used nucleotide skews as the proxy to understand the evolution of archaeal genomes. Our genome-wide studies using substantial datasets suggest that translational selection and the nature of the genetic code are universally conserved determinants of asymmetric guanine and cytosine distributions. We propose that in the case of the majority of bacterial chromosomes, mutational processes and/or DNA repair also result in the strand-specific nucleotide skews. This is in stark contrast to what we observe for archaeal chromosomes and plasmids, and reveals that archaea have a greatly reduced ability to create mutations and/or repair DNA damage in a strand-specific manner. We suggest that in the future, the described computational and statistical approach will help to understand the evolutionary dynamics of the archaeal chromosomes through the tree of life. (10.3389/fmicb.2026.1727296)
  DOI : 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1727296