1,045 research outputs found
Screening of the transcriptional regulatory regions of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Background
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has neurotrophic activity which is mediated by its main agonist receptor, VEGFR2. Dysregulation of VEGF causes motor neurone degeneration in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and expression of VEGFR2 is reduced in motor neurones and spinal cord of patients with ALS.
Methods
We have screened the promoter region and 4 exonic regions of functional significance of the VEGFR2 gene in a UK population of patients with ALS, for mutations and polymorphisms that may affect expression or function of this VEGF receptor.
Results
No mutations were identified in the VEGFR2 gene. We found no association between polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of the VEGFR2 gene and ALS.
Conclusion
Mechanisms other than genetic variation may downregulate expression or function of the VEGFR2 receptor in patients with ALS
Conservation and concealment in SpeciesBanking.com, USA: an analysis of neoliberal performance in the species offsetting industry
Market-based strategies are promoted as neoliberal
governance solutions to environmental problems, from
local to global scales. Tradable mitigation schemes
are proliferating. These include species banking, which
enables payments for the purchase of species credits
awarded to conserved areas to offset development
impacts on protected species elsewhere. An analysis of
species banks in the USA through a survey of data from
the website www.SpeciesBanking.com (established as
a ‘clearing house’ for species banking information)
was complemented by questionnaire material from
USA bank managers. The number of USA species
banks has increased rapidly, bank area ownership
and management is consolidated in a small number
of organizations, and public information on species
credit price is limited. In interrogating the case
material, the roles of specific economic policies
associated with neoliberalism are considered, focusing
on the extension of privatization, de- and re-regulation
and marketization into the arena of environmental
conservation, and commodification processes as
manifested in species banking. Problematic ecological
and distributive ‘concealments’ in species banking
include the ‘development-led’ nature of conservation
banking, tendencies towards net biodiversity loss,
and an emphasis on supporting conservation-related
wealth accumulation by larger landowners and
investors
Towards a synthesized critique of neoliberal biodiversity conservation
During the last three decades, the arena of biodiversity conservation has largely aligned itself with the globally dominant political ideology of neoliberalism and associated governmentalities. Schemes such as payments for ecological services are promoted to reach the multiple ‘wins’ so desired: improved biodiversity conservation, economic development, (international) cooperation and poverty alleviation, amongst others. While critical scholarship with respect to understanding the linkages between neoliberalism, capitalism and the environment has a long tradition, a synthesized critique of neoliberal conservation - the ideology (and related practices) that the salvation of nature requires capitalist expansion - remains lacking. This paper aims to provide such a critique. We commence with the assertion that there has been a conflation between ‘economics’ and neoliberal ideology in conservation thinking and implementation. As a result, we argue, it becomes easier to distinguish the main problems that neoliberal win-win models pose for biodiversity conservation. These are framed around three points: the stimulation of contradictions; appropriation and misrepresentation and the disciplining of dissent. Inspired by Bruno Latour’s recent ‘compositionist manifesto’, the conclusion outlines some ideas for moving beyond critique
Transcultural adaptation to the Brazilian Portuguese of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire for assessing the postpartum bond between mother and baby
The establishment of the bond between mother and baby in the postpartum period is important for ensuring the physical and psychological health of both. This short communication reports the first phase of the cross-cultural translation and adaptation to the Brazilian context of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Four aspects of equivalence between the original scale and the Portuguese version were evaluated: the conceptual, semantic, operational and item equivalences. Literature review, the study of PBQ history, translation, expert evaluation, back-translation and pretests involving 30 mothers with children aging up to 7 months using a primary healthcare unit were conducted. Each step demonstrated the need for adjustments, which were made during the adaptation process. At the end of the study, a version of PBQ in Brazilian Portuguese equivalent to the original one was obtained, offering promise for national studies on the mother-baby bond, and its influence on health, and for use in health services
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TTG1 proteins regulate circadian activity as well as epidermal cell fate and pigmentation.
The Arabidopsis genome contains three genes encoding proteins of the TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA 1 (TTG1) WD-repeat (WDR) subfamily. TTG1 is a known regulator of epidermal cell differentiation and pigment production, while LIGHT-REGULATED WD1 and LIGHT-REGULATED WD2 are known regulators of the circadian clock. Here, we discovered a new central role for TTG1 WDR proteins as regulators of the circadian system, as evidenced by the lack of detectable circadian rhythms in a triple lwd1 lwd2 ttg1 mutant. This shows that there has been subfunctionalization via protein changes within the angiosperms, with some TTG1 WDR proteins developing a stronger role in circadian clock regulation while losing the protein characteristics essential for pigment production and epidermal cell specification, and others weakening their ability to drive circadian clock regulation. Our work shows that even where proteins are very conserved, small changes can drive big functional differences.CAA acknowledges support from the Cambridge University Botanic Garden Research Fund. TJH was supported by BBSRC UK grant BB/M006212/1 awarded to AARW
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The land plant-specific MIXTA-MYB lineage is implicated in the early evolution of the plant cuticle and the colonization of land.
The evolution of a lipid-based cuticle on aerial plant surfaces that protects against dehydration is considered a fundamental innovation in the colonization of the land by the green plants. However, key evolutionary steps in the early regulation of cuticle synthesis are still poorly understood, owing to limited studies in early-diverging land plant lineages. Here, we characterize a land plant specific subgroup 9 R2R3 MYB transcription factor MpSBG9, in the early-diverging land plant model Marchantia polymorpha, that is homologous to MIXTA proteins in vascular plants. The MpSBG9 functions as a key regulator of cuticle biosynthesis by preferentially regulating expression of orthologous genes for cutin formation, but not wax biosynthesis genes. The MpSBG9 also promotes the formation of papillate cells on the adaxial surface of M. polymorpha, which is consisitent with its canonical role in vascular plants. Our observations imply conserved MYB transcriptional regulation in the control of the cutin biosynthesis pathway as a core genetic network in the common ancestor of all land plants, implicating the land plant-specific MIXTA MYB lineage in the early origin and evolution of the cuticle
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