Solution structure of a repeated unit of the ABA-1 nematode polyprotein allergen of ascaris reveals a novel fold and two discrete lipid-binding sites

Parasitic nematode worms cause serious health problems in humans and other animals. They can induce allergic-type immune responses, which can be harmful but may at the same time protect against the infections. Allergens are proteins that trigger allergic reactions and these parasites produce a type that is confined to nematodes, the nematode polyprotein allergens (NPAs). These are synthesized as large precursor proteins comprising repeating units of similar amino acid sequence that are subsequently cleaved into multiple copies of the allergen protein. NPAs bind small lipids such as fatty acids and retinol (Vitamin A) and probably transport these sensitive and insoluble compounds between the tissues of the worms. Nematodes cannot synthesize these lipids, so NPAs may also be crucial for extracting nutrients from their hosts. They may also be involved in altering immune responses by controlling the lipids by which the immune and inflammatory cells communicate. We describe the molecular structure of one unit of an NPA, the well-known ABA-1 allergen of Ascaris and find its structure to be of a type not previously found for lipid-binding proteins, and we describe the unusual sites where lipids bind within this structur

Nuevos desafíos para la transición hacia la resiliencia y la adaptación a través del desarrollo comunitario

Ponència presentada a: Session 5: Del diseño a la obra / From design until the building processe

Data for wetlandscapes and their changes around the world

Geography and associated hydrological, hydroclimate and land-use conditions and their changes determine the states and dynamics of wetlands and their ecosystem services. The influences of these controls are not limited to just the local scale of each individual wetland but extend over larger landscape areas that integrate multiple wetlands and their total hydrological catchment – the wetlandscape. However, the data and knowledge of conditions and changes over entire wetlandscapes are still scarce, limiting the capacity to accurately understand and manage critical wetland ecosystems and their services under global change. We present a new Wetlandscape Change Information Database (WetCID), consisting of geographic, hydrological, hydroclimate and land-use information and data for 27 wetlandscapes around the world. This combines survey-based local information with geographic shapefiles and gridded datasets of large-scale hydroclimate and land-use conditions and their changes over whole wetlandscapes. Temporally, WetCID contains 30-year time series of data for mean monthly precipitation and temperature and annual land-use conditions. The survey-based site information includes local knowledge on the wetlands, hydrology, hydroclimate and land uses within each wetlandscape and on the availability and accessibility of associated local data. This novel database (available through PANGAEA https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.907398; Ghajarnia et al., 2019) can support site assessments; cross-regional comparisons; and scenario analyses of the roles and impacts of land use, hydroclimatic and wetland conditions, and changes in whole-wetlandscape functions and ecosystem services

Arqueolab-UBA : Un encuentro con la ciencia participativa

Este proyecto es una iniciativa desarrollada por un grupo de investigadores del Instituto de Arqueología(FFyL-UBA) con el propósito de investigar, conservar y difundir el conocimiento sobre el pasado humano a partir del estudio de los materiales culturales. Como proceso de vinculación entre Ciencia y Sociedad proponemos una nueva modalidad de trabajo a partir de la Visibilización del Pensamiento y de la Ciencia Participativa/Abierta y Ciudadana para recopilar diversas inquietudes y conocimientos sistematizados de parte de los integrantes de la comunidad como potenciales científicos ciudadanos y de nuestro equipo de investigación.Facultad de Informátic

Arqueolab-UBA : Un encuentro con la ciencia participativa

Este proyecto es una iniciativa desarrollada por un grupo de investigadores del Instituto de Arqueología(FFyL-UBA) con el propósito de investigar, conservar y difundir el conocimiento sobre el pasado humano a partir del estudio de los materiales culturales. Como proceso de vinculación entre Ciencia y Sociedad proponemos una nueva modalidad de trabajo a partir de la Visibilización del Pensamiento y de la Ciencia Participativa/Abierta y Ciudadana para recopilar diversas inquietudes y conocimientos sistematizados de parte de los integrantes de la comunidad como potenciales científicos ciudadanos y de nuestro equipo de investigación.Facultad de Informátic

Arqueolab-UBA : Un encuentro con la ciencia participativa

Este proyecto es una iniciativa desarrollada por un grupo de investigadores del Instituto de Arqueología(FFyL-UBA) con el propósito de investigar, conservar y difundir el conocimiento sobre el pasado humano a partir del estudio de los materiales culturales. Como proceso de vinculación entre Ciencia y Sociedad proponemos una nueva modalidad de trabajo a partir de la Visibilización del Pensamiento y de la Ciencia Participativa/Abierta y Ciudadana para recopilar diversas inquietudes y conocimientos sistematizados de parte de los integrantes de la comunidad como potenciales científicos ciudadanos y de nuestro equipo de investigación.Facultad de Informátic

Developing a gene panel for pharmacoresistant epilepsy : A review of epilepsy pharmacogenetics

Evaluating genes involved in the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of epilepsy drugs is critical to better understand pharmacoresistant epilepsy. We reviewed the pharmacogenetics literature on six antiseizure medicines (carbamazepine, perampanel, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, sodium valproate and zonisamide) and compared the genes found with those present on epilepsy gene panels using a functional annotation pathway analysis. Little overlap was found between the two gene lists; pharmacogenetic genes are mainly involved in detoxification processes, while epilepsy panel genes are involved in cell signaling and gene expression. Our work provides support for a specific pharmacoresistant epilepsy gene panel to assist antiseizure medicine selection, enabling personalized approaches to treatment. Future efforts will seek to include this panel in genomic analyses of pharmacoresistant patients, to determine clinical utility and patient treatment responses. </p

Interactive effects of music and prefrontal cortex stimulation in modulating response inhibition

Abstract Influential hypotheses propose that alterations in emotional state influence decision processes and executive control of behavior. Both music and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of prefrontal cortex affect emotional state, however interactive effects of music and tDCS on executive functions remain unknown. Learning to inhibit inappropriate responses is an important aspect of executive control which is guided by assessing the decision outcomes such as errors. We found that high-tempo music, but not low-tempo music or low-level noise, significantly influenced learning and implementation of inhibitory control. In addition, a brief period of tDCS over prefrontal cortex specifically interacted with high-tempo music and altered its effects on executive functions. Measuring event-related autonomic and arousal response of participants indicated that exposure to task demands and practice led to a decline in arousal response to the decision outcome and high-tempo music enhanced such practice-related processes. However, tDCS specifically moderated the high-tempo music effect on the arousal response to errors and concomitantly restored learning and improvement in executive functions. Here, we show that tDCS and music interactively influence the learning and implementation of inhibitory control. Our findings indicate that alterations in the arousal-emotional response to the decision outcome might underlie these interactive effects