299 research outputs found
First person – Jamie Whitelaw
No full textFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Jamie Whitelaw is first author on ‘ CYRI-B loss promotes enlarged mature focal adhesions and restricts microtubule and ERC1 access to the cell leading edge’, published in JCS. Jamie conducted the research described in this article while a post-doctoral researcher in Prof. Laura Machesky's lab at CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, UK. He is now a Lecturer at University of the West of Scotland, Blantyre, investigating host–pathogen interactions with a focus on the role of the host cytoskeleton
Whitelaw Reid
No full textThis is Whitelaw Reid, the scholar in politics. Author, journalist, and diplomat, he was Greene County\u27s most distinguished citizen. He graduated from Miami University and was the recipient of honorary degrees from other universities at home and abroad. He was editor of the New York Tribune and ambassador to Great Britain. He was also republican vice presidential candidate in 1892. He was born at the Reid homestead in Cedarville township (at that time Xenia township), October 27, 1837. He died in London, England, December 15, 1912, while in the service of his country.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/wyland_collection/1121/thumbnail.jp
Designing vectors for the tissue-specific expression of genes in mammals
No full textDr Emma Whitelaw$AUD 180,352.29NHMRC Project GrantsStandard Project Gran
Spot the Difference: Same Genes but a Different Kink in the Tail
No full text<p>(Photograph courtesy of Emma Whitelaw, University of Sydney, Australia.)</p
Private transfers and graduate responsibilities: Evidence from the National Income Dynamics Study
No full textIn this paper, we re-examine private transfer behaviour in light of recent public and media discourse on black tax. In particular, we aim to better understand whether graduates of post-secondary education face disproportionate responsibilities to meet family needs through increased ability to offer financial support. Firstly, we reject a unitary model of household decision making for remittances, suggesting that a collective model of household behaviour is likely to govern remittance-sending behaviour. This means an individuals’ characteristics, preferences and responsibilities are likely to underpin remittance decisions. Indeed, we find that graduates are more likely to be remitters than other individuals, and that part of this responsibility arises from graduate status alone – that is, over and above labour market characteristics and living arrangements. We additionally observe a weaker relationship between remittance value and graduate remitters’ income, suggesting the amount sent by graduates is not as strongly determined by the income they earn – consistent with graduates facing a responsibility regardless of their income. Lastly, we consider a measure of intra-household sharing, and find that a sizeable share of children receive transfers towards their education expenses from co-resident family members who are not their parents. Thus intra-household transfers may form an integral part of the black tax narrative, although they are not typically observed in survey data.This work forms part of Emma Whitelaw's PhD thesis. The authors acknowledge support from the Kresge Foundation. Opinions expressed, and conclusions arrived at, are those of the authors and cannot necessarily be attributed to the Kresge Foundation
Heterochromatin Understanding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes in mammals
No full textFor the past 60 years, human genetic research has focused on DNA as the heritable molecule that carries information about phenotype from the parent to the offspring. Mutations in single genes or a small number of genes have been tightly linked to some phenotypes, but for most phenotypes the situation is more complex and, in many cases, environmental factors are involved. In these instances, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have enabled the identification of SNPs that are weakly associated with increased disease risk, but the odds ratios are generally small, and it remains impossible to predict phenotype at an individual level. In parallel, molecular biologists using animal models have realized that, in addition to DNA sequence, there are a number of other layers of information, termed epigenetic marks (BOX 1), that influence transcription. These epigenetic marks are fairly stable over the lifetime of an individual and have a role in determining phenotype. At some loci, the epigenetic marks are not tightly linked to the DNA sequence of the genome; both probabilistic and environmental events can influence the establishment of epigenetic states at these loci 1 . Considering the epigenome as well as the genome may allow us to develop better tools for predicting phenotype at an individual level. Moreover, there is evidence that epigenetic marks can sometimes be transmitted from parent to offspring via the gametes, and studies have been published in the past couple of years that support this idea. In this Review, we describe the evidence for this form of inheritance, focusing on mammals but also looking at informative examples from other species. The molecular nature of the epigenetic marks that are inherited is unknown in most cases, but the recent emergence of high-throughput sequencing technologies makes this problem tractable. An emerging theme in cases of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes (BOX 1) is the involvement of repeats and transposable elements, and recent progress in our understanding of the establishment of heterochromatin at repeats reveals the importance of RNA; this raises the possibility that RNA may have a role in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes. Evidence in mammals Reprogramming of the epigenome. The epigenetic marks that are established in most tissues during an organism's lifetime are irrelevant with respect to the next generation. Only those of the mature gametes have the potential to contribute to the phenotype of the offspring. Moreover, there is considerable reprogramming between generations -and, in particular, of the gametic epigenome immediately after fertilization -to endow the cells of the early pre-implantation embryo with the capacity to differentiate into all cell types of a fully developed organism. Studies carried out in mice more than 30 years ago found that global DNA methylation levels, which were analysed using methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, were much lower just after fertilization compared to those found in mature gametes and after implantation 2 . The idea that DNA methylation erasure and resetting is the basis of epigenetic reprogramming emerged from this finding 2 . However, our understanding of the function of DNA methylation Heterochromatin The portion of the genome that stays highly condensed throughout the cell cycle. It contains a high proportion of repetitive sequences, is gene-poor overall and is enriched for histone marks, such as histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and H4K20me3, as well as DNA methylation. Heterochromatin is generally associated with gene silencing. Understanding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes in mammals Lucia Daxinger and Emma Whitelaw Abstract | It is known that information that is not contained in the DNA sequenceepigenetic information -can be inherited from the parent to the offspring. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the extent and mechanisms of such inheritance. In this Review, we consider the evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes, including cases of environmentally induced epigenetic changes. The molecular basis of this inheritance remains unclear, but recent evidence points towards diffusible factors, in particular RNA, rather than DNA methylation or chromatin. Interestingly, many cases of epigenetic inheritance seem to involve repeat sequences
Heterochromatin Understanding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes in mammals
No full textFor the past 60 years, human genetic research has focused on DNA as the heritable molecule that carries information about phenotype from the parent to the offspring. Mutations in single genes or a small number of genes have been tightly linked to some phenotypes, but for most phenotypes the situation is more complex and, in many cases, environmental factors are involved. In these instances, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have enabled the identification of SNPs that are weakly associated with increased disease risk, but the odds ratios are generally small, and it remains impossible to predict phenotype at an individual level. In parallel, molecular biologists using animal models have realized that, in addition to DNA sequence, there are a number of other layers of information, termed epigenetic marks (BOX 1), that influence transcription. These epigenetic marks are fairly stable over the lifetime of an individual and have a role in determining phenotype. At some loci, the epigenetic marks are not tightly linked to the DNA sequence of the genome; both probabilistic and environmental events can influence the establishment of epigenetic states at these loci 1 . Considering the epigenome as well as the genome may allow us to develop better tools for predicting phenotype at an individual level. Moreover, there is evidence that epigenetic marks can sometimes be transmitted from parent to offspring via the gametes, and studies have been published in the past couple of years that support this idea. In this Review, we describe the evidence for this form of inheritance, focusing on mammals but also looking at informative examples from other species. The molecular nature of the epigenetic marks that are inherited is unknown in most cases, but the recent emergence of high-throughput sequencing technologies makes this problem tractable. An emerging theme in cases of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes (BOX 1) is the involvement of repeats and transposable elements, and recent progress in our understanding of the establishment of heterochromatin at repeats reveals the importance of RNA; this raises the possibility that RNA may have a role in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes. Evidence in mammals Reprogramming of the epigenome. The epigenetic marks that are established in most tissues during an organism's lifetime are irrelevant with respect to the next generation. Only those of the mature gametes have the potential to contribute to the phenotype of the offspring. Moreover, there is considerable reprogramming between generations -and, in particular, of the gametic epigenome immediately after fertilization -to endow the cells of the early pre-implantation embryo with the capacity to differentiate into all cell types of a fully developed organism. Studies carried out in mice more than 30 years ago found that global DNA methylation levels, which were analysed using methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, were much lower just after fertilization compared to those found in mature gametes and after implantation 2 . The idea that DNA methylation erasure and resetting is the basis of epigenetic reprogramming emerged from this finding 2 . However, our understanding of the function of DNA methylation Heterochromatin The portion of the genome that stays highly condensed throughout the cell cycle. It contains a high proportion of repetitive sequences, is gene-poor overall and is enriched for histone marks, such as histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and H4K20me3, as well as DNA methylation. Heterochromatin is generally associated with gene silencing. Understanding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes in mammals Lucia Daxinger and Emma Whitelaw Abstract | It is known that information that is not contained in the DNA sequenceepigenetic information -can be inherited from the parent to the offspring. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the extent and mechanisms of such inheritance. In this Review, we consider the evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via the gametes, including cases of environmentally induced epigenetic changes. The molecular basis of this inheritance remains unclear, but recent evidence points towards diffusible factors, in particular RNA, rather than DNA methylation or chromatin. Interestingly, many cases of epigenetic inheritance seem to involve repeat sequences. REVIEWS NATURE REVIEWS | GENETICS VOLUME 13 | MARCH 2012 | 15
Unravelling the X in Sex
No full textNew cytological techniques combined with genome-wide expression studies and ChIP-on-chip have revealed that random X-inactivation is not a simple one-step process that occurs uniformly across the entire chromosome, but a complex series of events with clear links to both the epigenetic silencing of autosomal genes and the imprinted X-inactivation that occurs in male meiosis. It appears to be less bizarre, as the French love to say, and as such an even better model of epigenetic gene silencing, than previously thought
Studies on the Control of Telomere Length and the Effects of Shorter Telomeres on Gene Expression in the Mouse
No full textTelomeres are structures located at the ends of our chromosomes that protect against DNA damage and chromosome end-to-end fusions. The length of a telomere is important, as telomeres that are too short can elicit a DNA damage response that can lead to replicative cell senescence. Many studies have been carried out looking at the factors that affect telomere length. Two examples of such factors include ageing and epigenetic state. Telomere shortening has been observed with ageing in human and mouse tissue. However, studies in the human population have been confounded by extensive genetic variation. In inbred mice, whether telomere length changes in somatic and germline tissue with age remains unclear. In this thesis, an ageing study was performed on inbred C57BL/6J mice and telomere length was measured using terminal restriction fragment analysis. Surprisingly, little change in telomere length was found in somatic and germline tissue from these mice. The pattern of telomere lengths in one individual is complex and differs among inbred mice. However, a similar pattern was observed in somatic and germline tissue from the same mouse, confirming previous reports that telomere length is already set early in development and is either occurring in the gametes of the parents or early in the zygote.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of Biomolecular and Physical SciencesScience, Environment, Engineering and TechnologyFull Tex
Catalysts for the production of sustainable biopolymers
No full textThe development of biodegradable plastics from sustainable sources is at the forefront of chemical research. One such example is the production of polylactide (PLA) via the ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of the cyclic ester lactide (LA). Current industrial metal initiators utilised for the ROP of LA do not allow control over the stereochemistry of the resulting product. This thesis will investigate various initiators containing a variety of ligand sets for the ROP of rac-LA. Chapter 1 introduces the ROP of rac-LA, the mechanisms utilised and the methods employed for characterisation of PLA. A review of the current literature of recent developments in the production of PLA via various metal initiators is also included. Chapter 2 reports the development of a series of group (IV) complexes containing various amine tris(phenolate) ligands, where the sterics and electronics have been varied. Such complexes were trialled for the ROP of rac-LA as well as the ROP of trimethylene carbonate (TMC). The ability of such initiators to produce copolymers of rac-LAlTMC and rac-LAlisosorbide was also investigated and discussed. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis of a range of group (IV) complexes containing Salalen ligands. The sterics of the ligands have been varied and the ability of the initiators to initiate the ROP of rac-LA in a stereocontrolled fashion has been investigated. Furthermore, the complexes have been trialled for the degradation of PLA into methyl lactate, an important starting material in the production of LA. Chapter 4 investigates the development of AI(III) Salalen complexes for the ROP of rac-LA, where the sterics and electronics of the ligand have been varied. Kinetic investigations have been carried out to aid the understanding of the polymerisation process. Chapter 5 provides details of the reaction procedures for the synthesis of ligands, complexes and polymers. Kinetic procedures are also reported together with details of the analytical techniques employed.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
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