Biodiversity Informatics
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The hTERT N-terminal DNA binding is necessary but not sufficient for maintaining telomere and cellular immortalization
No full textTelomerase is a reverse transcriptase that adds telomeric DNA repeats at the end of chromosomes and prevents senescence, apoptosis and genome instability. The core components of TERT are a catalytic protein subunit, the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and an RNA subunit, the telomerase RNA (TR). The N-terminus of TERT has been implicated in processive DNA synthesis that is facilitated by telomere-binding domains in TERT called anchor sites. In this study, we characterized three evolutionarily conserved residues in human TERT, G145, Q169 and G172. We performed site-directed mutagenesis and created hTERT G145A, Q169A and G172A mutants. All three hTERT mutants were not able to immortalize human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) and maintain telomere length in cells. The G145A mutant did not abrogate hTERT enzymatic activity, while Q169 and G172 mutants exhibited severely reduced levels and enzymatic activity. When compared to wild type hTERT, the G145 mutant still could interact with telomeric DNA in cells. In contrast, substitutions of Q169 and G172 impaired the interaction between hTERT and telomeres in cells. Thus, characterization of these three conserved residue mutants in GQ motif suggested that the hTERT N-terminal DNA binding is necessary for telomerase function, but not sufficient for maintaining telomere length and immortalizing cells
Impact of Nanopore Flow Cell Types on DNA Methylation Detection
Get PDFThird-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized the study of epigenetic characteristics in human diseases, with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) at the forefront of long-read sequencing. ONT has made rapid improvements in flow cell designs, which greatly increased its sequencing accuracy but, at the same time, led to some projects utilizing different flow cell types, mainly R9 vs. R10, across samples. Whether and how the flow cell types affect genome-wide DNA methylation detection remains incompletely understood. Here, we used both flow cell types to analyze 6 human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) samples and compared the results. While there was a highly significant correlation between 5-methylcytosine (5mC) detected by R9 and R10 flow cells, we also observed substantial differences. R9 flow cells over-estimated 5mC levels at hypomethylated chromatin regions, mostly at promoters, while under-estimated 5mC at hypermethylated chromatin regions, enriched at intronic and intergenic regions. Such deviations in detection were likely caused by substantially lower sequencing accuracy of R9 flow cells, due to its mechanics, especially having problems sequencing homopolymeric DNA elements, such as CpG islands, leading to both higher false-positive and false-negative detections. Interestingly, such systematic errors were largely mitigated by batch-correction software, improving data comparability. In summary, our study reports superior performance of R10 flow cells, leading to much higher accuracy in base sequencing and DNA methylation detection
Use of Case Studies in Montessori Leadership Preparation Programs
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact and relevance of the use of case studies as a teaching and learning tool in Montessori leadership programs. Frequently used as learning tools in educational leadership preparation programs, selected case studies were limited to those in Montessori leadership and language. Surveys and interviews with graduate students and program faculty were conducted to understand the relevance of case studies in coursework and to provide implications for further refinement of their use. Results suggest certain elements of case studies can enhance learning theory and serve as springboards to practice. Maria Montessori advocated for reflective practice; therefore, we are extrapolating that case studies may be a powerful and effective connection of scholarly study of theory to classroom practice. However, these benefits may not be well-clarified or highly valued in Montessori leadership coursework. With use of case studies in Montessori leadership coursework, an opportunity exists for faculty to reflect on strategies for using case studies and best practices. Content specific to Montessori settings may further support the usefulness and effectiveness of case studies and their impacts on student learning in Montessori leadership programs
The Pursuit of Work-Life Balance by High School Sport Practitioners in the Athletic Director-Head Coach Dual Role
Get PDFWith wide-reaching benefits afforded student-athletes through their participation and communities investing time and resources into the promotion of meaningful athletic programs, leaders within a high school athletic department face substantial expectations within their role. For those who decide to embrace a dual role of athletic director and head coach, the increased responsibilities facilitate greater levels of role conflict and role overload that can negatively impact the ability to achieve work-life balance within one’s personal life if not properly addressed. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the strategies employed by these high school sport dual role practitioners for pursuing work-life balance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants represented across school classification (i.e., 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A) and sport coached, and a thematic analysis yielded three main themes (i.e., recognizing the challenge, setting boundaries, and incorporating family into work) that detail the efforts implemented for work-life balance. From a theoretical perspective, findings add further insight into the impact of role conflict and role overload on work-life balance, especially in the context of high school athletics, while practitioners in the athletic director-head coach dual role can use the perspectives shared by participants to ensure they are effectively balancing their professional and personal life amidst these role demands
A Content Analysis of Interscholastic Sport Management Research
Get PDFDespite nearly 8 million participants, and millions more stakeholders in the form of parents, administrators, and coaches, interscholastic sport research is scarce. To determine the scope of existing interscholastic sport research the current study investigated all sport management journals listed on the NSSM list of Journals Serving the Community of Sport Management Scholarship. results indicated that of the 37,107 journal articles on the NASSM list 931 focused on some aspect of interscholastic sport. When removing 505 medical studies and 78 law studies, the number of sport-specific studies totaled 348, which is less than 1% of all sport management publications. Although results demonstrate research growth from the 1970s to 2024, particularly in the amount of qualitative research, the scale of research is strikingly small. Fortunately, most existing research focuses on the participants at a developmentally impactful time of their lives, and newer journals appear to welcome interscholastic inquiry.
Eisenstein at the Movies, Spring 1945
Get PDFThe pioneering Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein kept a day planner in March-June 1945 listing titles of recent Hollywood films that at least partially correspond with screenings that he attended. Some of these titles re-appear in theoretical and personal writings from the final years of his life, 1946-48. This paper examines the historical circumstances of wartime American film screenings in Moscow and investigates a key subset of the films from Eisenstein’s planner for insight into the mature director’s ever-developing thoughts on contemporary cinema and American popular culture
