196,159 research outputs found
A new allele uncovers the role of echinus in the control of ommatidial rotation in the Drosophila eye
No full textThe precise orientation of the ommatidia in the Drosophila eye is achieved through a specialized process of cell migration taking place in the third-instar eye imaginal disc when ommatidial clusters rotate by 90
degrees. This process is strictly coordinated with the establishment of planar cell polarity (PCP), but it relies on a specific set of genes that control its mechanism independently from PCP signaling. Recently, the
epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway has been implicated in determining ommatidial
rotation. We have isolated a new allele of echinus, a gene known to control the patterning and number of
interommatidial cells. We show that echinus displays defects in the rotation of ommatidia that are not
evident until mid-pupal stages, and we propose that echinus action is that of opposing EGFR by an unknown
mechanism and that this can explain both its influence in ommatidial rotation and lattice programmed cell
death (PCD
Transcriptional regulation by Atrophin in development and neurodegeneration
No full textAtrophin (Atro) is the only Drosophila homolog of human Atrophin-1, the DRPLA disease gene. DRPLA (Dentatorubralpallidoluysian Atrophy) is a polyglutamine disease, caused by an expansion (over 48 repeats) of a polyQ tract in Atrophin-1, and characterized by brain specific neurons degeneration, together with psychiatric and motor symptoms. Atrophins are ubiquitous transcriptional cofactors involved in neuronal development and survival. Drosophila Atrophin itself contains two polyQ tracts, Q11 and Q14, of 11 and 14 glutamines respectively.
To find what is the Atro function in gene expression regulation, what are the genes whose expression is regulated by Atro, and possibly misregulated by DRPLA-modeling Atro mutations, we are coupling gene expression with chromatin profiling in flies overexpressing wild-type or polyQ-expanded Atro.
We have generated transgenic flies carrying wild-type Atro and two DRPLA fly models carrying polyQ-expanded Atro forms, which show retinal neurodegeneration. Taking advantage of the TARGET (Temporal And Regional Gene Expression Targeting) system, we have induced the transgenes expression in the adult retina, performing microarrays based genome-wide expression profiling at time points preceding neurodegeneration, and we are carrying on data mining and validation. We are also generating a cell culture model based on Drosophila neurons inducibly overexpressing wt and polyQ-expanded Atro forms to verify their effects on gene expression in neuronal cells, by quantitative RT-PCR.
Finally we have generated an in vivo system based on flies which inducibly express Atro fused with Dam (DNA adenine-methyltransferase), to perform genome-wide chromatin analysis by the DamID (Dam Identification) method. This technique will allow us to find out DNA-protein interaction sites by methylation profiling and to identify the Atro direct transcriptional targets
Effects of vaccination against COVID-19 in chronic spontaneous and inducible urticaria (CSU/CIU) patients.a monocentric study
No full textBackground: Patients affected by pre-existing chronic spontaneous/Inducible urticaria (CSU/CIU) still feel unsafe due to the potential risk of an Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) and Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (CARs) of COVID-19 vaccines. The appropriate management in this field remains debated and evidence is still lacking. Methods: We considered 160 CSU/CIU patients in Omalizumab/antihistamine therapy who received two doses of Comir-naty/Moderna mRNA vaccines; 20 of them also received a booster dose. Urticaria Activity Score-7 (UAS7) was used to assess the severity of the disease. Demographics, medical history, AEFI and CARs outcome after vaccination were collected by administering a web-based questionnaire completed by phone interview. Results: In total, 147 patients did not show urticaria relapse (91.88%). Worsening cutaneous symptoms were experienced by 13 of our patients (8.12%). Exacerbation had a mean duration of 2 days and 11 h and mostly occurred after the first dose (69.23%). Systemic mild side effects were experienced by 9 patients (5.62%). No severe reactions were observed. Conclusions: Omalizumab can potentially prevent CARs and AEFI; however, major problems were registered during the 2-month stop period scheduled in the treatment. We suggest patients should not undergo vaccination during this period. CSU/CIU exacerbations appear to be transient and can be managed by antihistamines
Dr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
The nucleosome remodeling factor ISWI functionally interacts with an evolutionarily conserved network of cellular factors
No full textISWI is an evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factor playing central roles in DNA replication, RNA transcription, and chromosome organization. The variety of biological functions dependent on ISWI suggests that its activity could be highly regulated. Our group has previously isolated and characterized new cellular activities that positively regulate ISWI in Drosophila melanogaster. To identify factors that antagonize ISWI activity we developed a novel in vivo eye-based assay to screen for genetic suppressors of ISWI. Our screen revealed that ISWI interacts with an evolutionarily conserved network of cellular and nuclear factors that escaped previous genetic and biochemical analyses
"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States" By M. Carey.
No full text"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States: containing bried sketches of the moral and political character of those states.
By M. Carey, member of the American philosophical, and of the American Antiquarian Society, and author of The Olive Branch, Cindiciae Hibernicae, essays on banking, on political economy, and on internal improvement.
To which are now added the English editor's comments on the subject; together with Important Advice to Emigrants, and Cautions Against Impositions Practiced in the Outports
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Dr. Glendon Swarthout
No full textHosted by Roger M. Busfield, MSU Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, Meet the Author is designed to introduce a general audience to a contemporary author and their work through in-depth interviews. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Glendon Swarthout, prolific author and English professor at MSU, and assistant professors Sam S. Baskett and Theodore B. Strandness
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