Un Nouvel héroïsme: Théocrite (Idylle I) et la mort de Daphnis

In his first Idyll, Theocritus represents Daphnis’ death as an heroic feat. He describes it as an event the unique cause of which is love. As he dies by love, Daphnis appears as the embodiment of a new kind of heroism. Acccording to Theocritus, this heroism deserves to be sung as the heroism of the Greek warriors has been sung by Homer

Inside the Fault Lines of the Heart: The Poetics of Exile in the works of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, and Etel Adnan.

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College

Capping Protein Insulates Arp2/3-Assembled Actin Patches from Formins.

How actin structures of distinct identities and functions coexist within the same environment is a critical self-organization question. Fission yeast cells have a simple actin cytoskeleton made of four structures: Arp2/3 assembles actin patches around endocytic pits, and the formins For3, Cdc12, and Fus1 assemble actin cables, the cytokinetic ring during division, and the fusion focus during sexual reproduction, respectively. The focus concentrates the delivery of hydrolases by myosin V to digest the cell wall for cell fusion. We discovered that cells lacking capping protein (CP), a heterodimer that blocks barbed-end dynamics and associates with actin patches, exhibit a delay in fusion. Consistent with CP-formin competition for barbed-end binding, Fus1, F-actin, and the linear filament marker tropomyosin hyper-accumulate at the fusion focus in cells lacking CP. CP deletion also rescues the fusion defect of a mutation in the Fus1 knob region. However, myosin V and exocytic cargoes are reduced at the fusion focus and diverted to ectopic foci, which underlies the fusion defect. Remarkably, the ectopic foci coincide with Arp2/3-assembled actin patches, which now contain low levels of Fus1. We further show that CP localization to actin patches is required to prevent the formation of ectopic foci and promote efficient cell fusion. During mitotic growth, actin patches lacking CP similarly display a dual identity, as they accumulate the formins For3 and Cdc12, normally absent from patches, and are co-decorated by the linear filament-binding protein tropomyosin and the patch marker fimbrin. Thus, CP serves to protect Arp2/3-nucleated structures from formin activity

Bioinformatics Approaches for Predicting Kinase–Substrate Relationships

Protein phosphorylation, catalyzed by protein kinases, is the main posttranslational modification in eukaryotes, regulating essential aspects of cellular function. Using mass spectrometry techniques, a profound knowledge has been achieved in the localization of phosphorylated residues at proteomic scale. Although it is still largely unknown, the protein kinases are responsible for such modifications. To fill this gap, many computational algorithms have been developed, which are capable to predict kinase–substrate relationships. The greatest difficulty for these approaches is to model the complex nature that determines kinase–substrate specificity. The vast majority of predictors is based on the linear primary sequence pattern that surrounds phosphorylation sites. However, in the intracellular environment the protein kinase specificity is influenced by contextual factors, such as protein–protein interactions, substrates co-expression patterns, and subcellular localization. Only recently, the development of phosphorylation predictors has begun to incorporate these variables, significantly improving specificity of these methods. An accurate modeling of kinase–substrate relationships could be the greatest contribution of bioinformatics to understand physiological cell signaling and its pathological impairment

The Amyloid Precursor Protein Intracellular Domain-Fe65 Multiprotein Complexes: A Challenge to the Amyloid Hypothesis for Alzheimer's Disease?

Since its proposal in 1994, the amyloid cascade hypothesis has prevailed as the mainstream research subject on the molecular mechanisms leading to the Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most of the field had been historically based on the role of the different forms of aggregation of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ). However, a soluble intracellular fragment termed amyloid precursor protein (APP) intracellular domain (AICD) is produced in conjunction with Aβ fragments. This peptide had been shown to be highly toxic in both culture neurons and transgenic mice models. With the advent of this new toxic fragment, the centerpiece for the ethiology of the disease may be changed. This paper discusses the potential role of multiprotein complexes between the AICD and its adapter protein Fe65 and how this could be a potentially important new agent in the neurodegeneration observed in the AD

Entre rhétorique et esthétique : la poésie dans le traité Du Sublime

International audienceThe author of On the Sublime uses poetry as a fount of illustrations and arguments for his discussions of rhetoric, but also as a well-spring of beauty from which he derives aesthetical judgments and theories. This use of poetry reveals its situation as a bulk of textual data available for any intellectual project and as living literature. It also enables us to catch a sight of the two faces of Longinus, a theoretician of rhetoric and a literary critic.L’auteur de traité Du sublime utilise la poésie comme un gisement d’illustrations et de preuves pour ses démonstrations relatives à la rhétorique, mais aussi comme une source de beauté qui lui inspire des jugements et des théories esthétiques. Cette utilisation de la poésie révèle sa situation comme ensemble de données textuelles disponibles pour tout projet intellectuel et comme littérature vivante. Elle nous permet aussi d’apercevoir le double visage de Longin, théoricien de la rhétorique et critique littéraire

Lucien de Samosate et son œuvre

Dans un ouvrage récent, Yves Romand a défini l’histoire de Rome comme celle d’une « première mondialisation ». La vie et l’œuvre de Lucien s’inscrivent dans cette réalité historique. Né vers 115, mort vers 180, Lucien a connu le plein rayonnement de la souveraineté de l’Empire romain sur le monde. Cet empire s’étendait de la Germanie à l’Afrique du Nord et de la péninsule ibérique aux rives du Tigre. Il dominait donc une très grande partie du monde habité alors connu. Il gouvernait une grande..