Human mitochondrial degradosome prevents harmful mitochondrial R loops and mitochondrial genome instability

R loops are nucleic acid structures comprising an DNA-RNA hybrid and a displaced single-stranded DNA. These structures may occur transiently during transcription, playing essential biological functions. However, persistent R loops may become pathological as they are important drivers of genome instability and have been associated with human diseases. The mitochondrial degradosome is a functionally conserved complex from bacteria to human mitochondria. It is composed of the ATP-dependent RNA and DNA helicase SUV3 and the PNPase ribonuclease, playing a central role in mitochondrial RNA surveillance and degradation. Here we describe a new role for the mitochondrial degradosome in preventing the accumulation of pathological R loops in the mitochondrial DNA, in addition to preventing dsRNA accumulation. Our data indicate that, similar to the molecular mechanisms acting in the nucleus, RNA surveillance mechanisms in the mitochondria are crucial to maintain its genome integrity by counteracting pathological R-loop accumulation.European Research Council ERC2014 AdG669898 TARLOOPMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad BFU2013-42918-P, BFU2016-75058-

Detection of DNA-RNA hybrids in vivo

DNA-RNA hybrids form naturally during essential cellular functions such as transcription and replication. However, they may be an important source of genome instability, a hallmark of cancer and genetic diseases. Detection of DNA-RNA hybrids in cells is becoming crucial to understand an increasing number of molecular biology processes in genome dynamics and function and to identify new factors and mechanisms responsible for disease in biomedical research. Here, we describe two different procedures for the reliable detection of DNA-RNA hybrids in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in human cells: DNA-RNA Immunoprecipitation (DRIP) and Immunofluorescence

The THO complex as a key mRNP biogenesis factor in development and cell differentiation

The THO complex is a key component in the co-transcriptional formation of messenger ribonucleoparticles that are competent to be exported from the nucleus, yet its precise function is unknown. A recent study in BMC Biology on the role of the THOC5 subunit in cell physiology and mouse development provides new clues to the role of the THO complex in cell differentiation

Informe de pasantía de extensión: Desarrollo de las prácticas docentes en LEBEM en el periodo 2005(I) – 2012 (I) (sistematización de unidades didácticas de practica intermedia V)

En la licenciatura en Educación Básica con Énfasis en Matemáticas se concibe la práctica como eje articulador del conocimiento profesional del profesor, dichas prácticas han sufrido cambios conforme a las necesidades que surgen con el desarrollo de la formación ciudadana y los objetos matemáticos, invitando a los EPM a la reflexión en torno a los cinco énfasis definidos para cada espacio de formación; para mirar el desarrollo de la práctica intermedia V con énfasis en diseño curricular, se parte de la recolección y sistematización de las unidades didácticas realizadas por los EPM durante los periodos dispuestos, logrando hacer el análisis preliminar de la información puesta en las guías del profesor y protocolos y su relación con los demás elementos constitutivos

Detection of DNA Double-Strand Breaks byγ-H2AX Immunodetection

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious type of DNA damage and a cause of geneticinstability as they can lead to mutations, genome rearrangements, or loss of genetic material when notproperly repaired. Eukaryotes from budding yeast to mammalian cells respond to the formation of DSBswith the immediate phosphorylation of a histone H2A isoform. The modified histone, phosphorylated inserine 139 in mammals (S129 in yeast), is namedγ-H2AX. Detection of DSBs is of high relevance inresearch on DNA repair, aging, tumorigenesis, and cancer drug development, given the tight association ofDSBs with different diseases and its potential to kill cells. DSB levels can be obtained by measuring levels ofγ-H2AX in extracts of cell populations or by counting foci in individual nuclei. In this chapter sometechniques to detectγ-H2AX are described

Effects of Brief Daily Kundalini Yoga Meditation on Self-Esteem, Mood and Emotional Self-Efficacy: A Randomized Comparison Study

This randomized comparison study measured the impact of brief daily use of two types of kundalini yoga meditation from the Yogi Bhajan lineage on self-esteem, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and positive and negative affect in a non-clinical sample of 46 Spanish-speaking adults residing in Spain. Results of the two meditation types—Kirtan Kriya and Internal Conflict Resolution—are compared. Results showed that both types of meditation had positive impacts on all study variables, though the degree of change and effect size depended on the type of meditation used. Results point to these relevant forms of brief daily meditation as simple and inexpensive tools to improve welfare and support positive personality development in populations without psychological pathologies

Whatsapp and Formulating Guidelines on Network Interaction during the Learning Process in the University Classroom

This paper exhibits the preliminary results of a study, which aims to formulate theoretical and methodological guidelines for the configuration of network learning environments in university classrooms. Particularly, results about interaction levels and the correlation with the academic performance, at the postgraduate course of the Cooperative University of Colombia, integrated by 27 participants. The study has a varied approach, applied type, and descriptive scope. A face-to-face learning environment was designed that encourages interaction; One of the activities was in groups of 4 or 5 people, in which roles were assigned and WhatsApp was used as a communication platform . Through categories, an analysis of the content of the messages issued in WhatsApp groups was carried out, which allowed one to measure the interaction frequency and quality in a learning environment, and correlate it with academic performance. The results point towards two important considerations: i ) although there is an important correlation between interaction and academic performance, there is nothing conclusive about it, and  ii) the correlation between academic performance and interaction is higher when it is calculated based on the participation frequency, than strictly the quality

Proyecto de diseño y desarrollo de procesos para una empresa de investigación de mercado

In today’s changing markets, information is of upmost importance because it allows us to foresee, assume and understand the behavior rand reactions of consumers, rivals and suppliers. This information is obtained through a series of methods and procedures that are known as market research, but these procedures are not always structured and fulfilled in the best possible way resulting in ambiguous and incomplete information. This project will focus in the design and development of the necessary procedures to carry out market research in a correct and accurate way, differentiating the type of research according to each necessity, carrying out appropriate controls in order to assure the correct development of the research. Having structured guidelines and well defined procedures will help the market research to be successful by giving reliable and accurate results. It is also important to have the right hierarchical structure because this would help to define the chain of command and controls for each step of the procedure of the research, according to the area and department of the company

The DNA damage response acts as a safeguardagainst harmful DNA–RNA hybrids ofdifferent origins

Despite playing physiological roles in specific situations, DNA–RNA hybrids threat genome integrity. To investigate how cells do counteract spontaneous DNA–RNA hybrids, here we screen an siRNA library covering 240 human DNA damage response (DDR) genes and select siRNAs causing DNA–RNA hybrid accumulation and a significant increase in hybrid‐dependent DNA breakage. We identify post‐replicative repair and DNA damage checkpoint factors, including those of the ATM/CHK2 and ATR/CHK1 pathways. Thus, spontaneous DNA–RNA hybrids are likely a major source of replication stress, but they can also accumulate and menace genome integrity as a consequence of unrepaired DSBs and post‐replicative ssDNA gaps in normal cells. We show that DNA–RNA hybrid accumulation correlates with increased DNA damage and chromatin compaction marks. Our results suggest that different mechanisms can lead to DNA–RNA hybrids with distinct consequences for replication and DNA dynamics at each cell cycle stage and support the conclusion that DNA–RNA hybrids are a common source of spontaneous DNA damage that remains unsolved under a deficient DDR.European Research Council (ERC2014AdG669898TARLOOP)Worldwide Cancer Research (WCR15-00098

Intensive use of lexicon and Corpus for WSD

[spa] El artículo trata sobre el uso de información lingüística en la Desambiguación Semántica Automática (DSA). Proponemos un método de DSA basado en conocimiento y no supervisado, que requiere sólo un corpus amplio, previamente etiquetado a nivel morfológico, y muy poco conocimiento gramatical. El proceso de DSA se realiza a través de los patrones sintácticos en los que una ocurrencia ambigua aparece, en base a la hipótesis de 'almost one sense per syntactic pattern'. Esta integración nos permite extraer información paradigmática y sintagmática del corpus relacionada con la ocurrencia ambigua. Usamos variantes de la información de EuroWordNet asociada a los sentidos y dos algoritmos de DSA. Presentamos los resultados obtenidos en la aplicación del método sobre la tarea Spanish lexical sample de Senseval-2. La metodología es fácilmente transferible a otras lenguas. [eng] The paper addresses the issue of how to use linguistic information in Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD). We introduce a knowledge-driven and unsupervised WSD method that requires only a large corpus previously tagged with POS and very little grammatical knowledge. The WSD process is performed taking into account the syntactic patterns in which the ambiguous occurrence appears, relaying in the hypothesis of "almost one sense per syntactic pattern". This integration allows us to obtain, from corpora, paradigmatic and syntagmatic information related to the ambiguous occurrence. We also use variants of EWN information for word senses and different WSD algorithms. We report the results obtained when applying the method on the Spanish lexical sample task in Senseval-2. This methodology is easily transportable to other languages