Investigation of VRK1 Point Variants

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a protein kinase that phosphorylates a variety of transcription factors and is associated with the regulation of cellular processing. The kinase activity of the VRK1 protein is largely controlled by the substitute folding of the C-terminal tail. Multiple point mutations in VRK1 are associated with degenerative neuromuscular disorders, including L195V, R89Q and Y213H. These mutations have been studied clinically in patients but have seldom been studied in vitro with purified proteins to determine changes in molecular activity and folding. Y213 is located in the functionally important region of the kinase called the activation loop; it is hypothesized that the Y213H mutation may reduce kinase stability and/or substrate binding. R89 is located in the functionally important C-helix, and the R89Q mutation is hypothesized to cause an unstable C-terminal tail conformation in the inactive form of VRK1, resulting in VRK1 being active at inappropriate times during cellular division. L195 is located in the core of the protein near the active site, and the mutant L195V may facilitate interactions with ATP; this mutant has been previously associated with increased phosphorylation of VRK1, p53, and histone H3. In vitro experiments are needed to examine the molecular-level reasons why these mutations cause these known physiological effects. VRK1 L195V, R89Q and Y213H mutations were made to plasmids containing a His-tagged construct of the VRK1 kinase domain. The point mutant proteins were purified and then analyzed by circular dichroism and thermal denaturation to determine their stability and nucleotide affinity. Protein modeling in PyMOL and other programs was used for the conceptual visualization of the kinase and its associated changes due to these mutations. Faculty Mentor: Emily Ruf

Animal Borne Ocean Sensors – AniBOS – An Essential Component of the Global Ocean Observing System

International audienceMarine animals equipped with biological and physical electronic sensors have produced long-term data streams on key marine environmental variables, hydrography, animal behavior and ecology. These data are an essential component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The Animal Borne Ocean Sensors (AniBOS) network aims to coordinate the long-term collection and delivery of marine data streams, providing a complementary capability to other GOOS networks that monitor Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), essential climate variables (ECVs) and essential biodiversity variables (EBVs). AniBOS augments observations of temperature and salinity within the upper ocean, in areas that are under-sampled, providing information that is urgently needed for an improved understanding of climate and ocean variability and for forecasting. Additionally, measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and dissolved oxygen concentrations are emerging. The observations AniBOS provides are used widely across the research, modeling and operational oceanographic communities. High latitude, shallow coastal shelves and tropical seas have historically been sampled poorly with traditional observing platforms for many reasons including sea ice presence, limited satellite coverage and logistical costs. Animal-borne sensors are helping to fill that gap by collecting and transmitting in near real time an average of 500 temperature-salinity-depth profiles per animal annually and, when instruments are recovered (∼30% of instruments deployed annually, n = 103 ± 34), up to 1,000 profiles per month in these regions. Increased observations from under-sampled regions greatly improve the accuracy and confidence in estimates of ocean state and improve studies of climate variability by delivering data that refine climate prediction estimates at regional and global scales. The GOOS Observations Coordination Group (OCG) reviews, advises on and coordinates activities across the global ocean observing networks to strengthen the effective implementation of the system. AniBOS was formally recognized in 2020 as a GOOS network. This improves our ability to observe the ocean’s structure and animals that live in them more comprehensively, concomitantly improving our understanding of global ocean and climate processes for societal benefit consistent with the UN Sustainability Goals 13 and 14: Climate and Life below Water. Working within the GOOS OCG framework ensures that AniBOS is an essential component of an integrated Global Ocean Observing System

Animal Borne Ocean Sensors – AniBOS – An Essential Component of the Global Ocean Observing System

International audienceMarine animals equipped with biological and physical electronic sensors have produced long-term data streams on key marine environmental variables, hydrography, animal behavior and ecology. These data are an essential component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The Animal Borne Ocean Sensors (AniBOS) network aims to coordinate the long-term collection and delivery of marine data streams, providing a complementary capability to other GOOS networks that monitor Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), essential climate variables (ECVs) and essential biodiversity variables (EBVs). AniBOS augments observations of temperature and salinity within the upper ocean, in areas that are under-sampled, providing information that is urgently needed for an improved understanding of climate and ocean variability and for forecasting. Additionally, measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and dissolved oxygen concentrations are emerging. The observations AniBOS provides are used widely across the research, modeling and operational oceanographic communities. High latitude, shallow coastal shelves and tropical seas have historically been sampled poorly with traditional observing platforms for many reasons including sea ice presence, limited satellite coverage and logistical costs. Animal-borne sensors are helping to fill that gap by collecting and transmitting in near real time an average of 500 temperature-salinity-depth profiles per animal annually and, when instruments are recovered (∼30% of instruments deployed annually, n = 103 ± 34), up to 1,000 profiles per month in these regions. Increased observations from under-sampled regions greatly improve the accuracy and confidence in estimates of ocean state and improve studies of climate variability by delivering data that refine climate prediction estimates at regional and global scales. The GOOS Observations Coordination Group (OCG) reviews, advises on and coordinates activities across the global ocean observing networks to strengthen the effective implementation of the system. AniBOS was formally recognized in 2020 as a GOOS network. This improves our ability to observe the ocean’s structure and animals that live in them more comprehensively, concomitantly improving our understanding of global ocean and climate processes for societal benefit consistent with the UN Sustainability Goals 13 and 14: Climate and Life below Water. Working within the GOOS OCG framework ensures that AniBOS is an essential component of an integrated Global Ocean Observing System