A host of factors regulating influenza virus replication.

A new series of genetic screens begins to illuminate the interaction between influenza virus and the infected cell

Unconventional miR-122 binding stabilizes the HCV genome by forming a trimolecular RNA structure.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) typically downregulate protein expression from target mRNAs through limited base-pairing interactions between the 5' 'seed' region of the miRNA and the mRNA 3' untranslated region (3'UTR). In contrast to this established mode of action, the liver-specific human miR-122 binds at two sites within the hepatitis C viral (HCV) 5'UTR, leading to increased production of infectious virions. We show here that two copies of miR-122 interact with the HCV 5'UTR at partially overlapping positions near the 5' end of the viral transcript to form a stable ternary complex. Both miR-122 binding sites involve extensive base pairing outside of the seed sequence; yet, they have substantially different interaction affinities. Structural probing reveals changes in the architecture of the HCV 5'UTR that occur on interaction with miR-122. In contrast to previous reports, however, results using both the recombinant cytoplasmic exonuclease Xrn1 and liver cell extracts show that miR-122-mediated protection of the HCV RNA from degradation does not correlate with stimulation of viral propagation in vivo. Thus, the miR-122:HCV ternary complex likely functions at other steps critical to the viral life cycle

Knocking out barriers to engineered cell activity.

CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited T cells show safety and long-term engraftment in human

Identifying RNA contacts from SHAPE-MaP by partial correlation analysis

In a recent paper Siegfried et al. published a new sequence-based structural RNA assay that utilizes mutational profiling to detect base pairing (MaP). Output from MaP provides information about both pairing (via reactivities) and contact (via correlations). Reactivities can be coupled to partition function folding models for structural inference, while correlations can reveal pairs of sites that may be in structural proximity. The possibility for inference of 3D contacts via MaP suggests a novel approach to structural prediction for RNA analogous to covariance structural prediction for proteins. We explore this approach and show that partial correlation analysis outperforms na\"ive correlation analysis. Our results should be applicable to a wide range of high-throughput sequencing based RNA structural assays that are under development

Hepatitis C virus 3'UTR regulates viral translation through direct interactions with the host translation machinery.

The 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) messenger RNA stimulates viral translation by an undetermined mechanism. We identified a high affinity interaction, conserved among different HCV genotypes, between the HCV 3'UTR and the host ribosome. The 3'UTR interacts with 40S ribosomal subunit proteins residing primarily in a localized region on the 40S solvent-accessible surface near the messenger RNA entry and exit sites. This region partially overlaps with the site where the HCV internal ribosome entry site was found to bind, with the internal ribosome entry site-40S subunit interaction being dominant. Despite its ability to bind to 40S subunits independently, the HCV 3'UTR only stimulates translation in cis, without affecting the first round translation rate. These observations support a model in which the HCV 3'UTR retains ribosome complexes during translation termination to facilitate efficient initiation of subsequent rounds of translation

Training Family Science Faculty in CORE Communication

As a whole and regardless of major, university graduates with interpersonal competence (also defined as soft skills) are viewed as more employable (Finch, Hamilton, Baldwin, & Zehner, 2013; Robles, 2012), yet interpersonal competence is not often recognized as a part of discipline specific knowledge (Chamorro-Premuzic, Arteche, Bremner, Greven, & Furnham, 2010). While important to employability in general, interpersonal competence is particularly crucial for those students in social science majors who intend to have a career serving individuals and families. The Family Science (FS) program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences directly addresses the need for interpersonal competence through the implementation of CORE COMMUNICATION (CC) training (Miller, 1971; Miller & Miller, 2011; Miller, Nunnally, & Wackman, 1976) in the FCS 3180 Intimate Relationships course

The pathway of hepatitis C virus mRNA recruitment to the human ribosome.

Eukaryotic protein synthesis begins with mRNA positioning in the ribosomal decoding channel in a process typically controlled by translation-initiation factors. Some viruses use an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in their mRNA to harness ribosomes independently of initiation factors. We show here that a ribosome conformational change that is induced upon hepatitis C viral IRES binding is necessary but not sufficient for correct mRNA positioning. Using directed hydroxyl radical probing to monitor the assembly of IRES-containing translation-initiation complexes, we have defined a crucial step in which mRNA is stabilized upon initiator tRNA binding. Unexpectedly, however, this stabilization occurs independently of the AUG codon, underscoring the importance of initiation factor-mediated interactions that influence the configuration of the decoding channel. These results reveal how an IRES RNA supplants some, but not all, of the functions normally carried out by protein factors during initiation of protein synthesis

Application of the family stress model in populations of rural Latina mothers

Guided by the Family Stress Model, the two studies in this dissertation examine relations between household food insecurity, maternal depressive symptoms and child outcomes among rural Latino families who have low household incomes. The studies used data from two different, yet related, multi-state research projects. Path analysis was conducted in both studies to determine the relations between variables, and to test for mediation effects. The first study examined relations among food insecurity and internalizing and externalizing behaviors of children, and the indirect effects of maternal depressive symptoms and alliance between parents. The second study examined relations ahousehold food insecurity, medical need, maternal depressive symptoms and child health problems. Data analyses revealed that more depressive symptoms among mothers were associated with less alliance among parents (Study 1), as well as more health issues among children (Study 2). Results may suggest that improving mothers\u27 mental health may lead to stronger alliance among parents, as well as fewer health problems among children. Additionally, it is important that professionals who work with rural Latino families that have low household incomes are aware of the link between maternal depression, parenting, child health and food insecurity, and are prepared to refer families to resources that can provide holistic support

“The Essential Ultimate Me”: Whitman’s Achievement in “Passage to India”

Defends "Passage to India" against previous critics by offering a reading emphasizing Whitman\u27s own identification with Columbus and his underlying goal in the poem to express "the essential ultimate me": a vision of the poet as threefold reconciler "between Western and Eastern halves of humankind, between humankind and Nature, and between humankind and God.