Histone modifications across the cell cycle in undifferentiated and differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells

The role of post translational histone modifications in stem cells has been of increasing interest in recent years, however, the heritability of histone modifications has not yet been determined, and as such their status as epigenetic remains in question. Here we have taken the novel approach of comparing the enrichment of histone modifications, across specific genes and how they are modulated through various phases of the cell cycle: in doing so we address this question of heritability from a new perspective. Highly dynamic fluctuations in the enrichment of histone modifications were observed across the cell cycle in embryonic stem cells. In cell cycle regulated genes the patterns of modification enrichment revealed an increase in active marks either pre-emptive or at the point of expression, indicative of highly dynamic regulation, not a stable heritable transmission, perhaps reflective of the plasticity of these cells. Following on from this embryonic stem cells were differentiated for seven days, allowing the enforcement of canonical cell cycle regulation and a more lineage specific transcription profile. At this point histone modifications displayed a variety of patterns including what appeared to be the stable and presumably heritable transmission of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 across the cell cycle

Embryonic Cannabidiol Exposure Does Not Affect Adult Zebrafish Swimming Performance

Cannabis is used for a variety of reasons such as relieving pain, relieving stress, and reducing nausea during chemotherapy. While cannabis originates from central and south Asia, the drug has become extremely popular in North America. In July of 2001, medicinal use of cannabis was legalized in Canada, and on October 17 2018, recreational use of cannabis was legalized nationally. Many scientific studies have shown the negative effects of cannabis in consumers and of second hand smoke exposure, including lung cancer, respiratory issues, and reduced decision making and cognitive function. Because of the rapid increase in cannabis, high concentrations have filtered into the water treatment facilities and spread into lakes and ponds through pipelines that could potentially cause harm to the fish. While there are studies that have concluded that there are alterations to the fish’s neuronal patterns and cardiac systems in zebrafish, there were no reports of how the medical ingredient of cannabis (cannabidiol or CBD) may affect the ability of a fish to swim. Proper swim behaviour is an essential survival characteristic to fish and other marine animals, but when a novel potentially toxic compound is introduced into their environment, impacts to vital biological functions in the organism may occur. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of cannabidiol on zebrafish by evaluating their critical swimming speed (Ucrit value). Using a swim tunnel, we were able to control the environment and easily identify at what point the fish would be fatigued. Comparisons were made between three different fish tanks: one tank exposed to CBD, and the other two tanks contained a fresh water control and a solvent control. Using both our “p” and “F” stat values, we can conclude that there were no significant differences observed between the three fish tanks. In the future, we hope to analyse the neurology of the fish exposed and complete a fish respirometry measuring the oxygen consumption of CBD exposed fish.&nbsp

Characterization of the roles of Blt1p in fission yeast cytokinesis

Spatial and temporal regulation of cytokinesis is essential for cell division, yet the mechanisms that control the formation and constriction of the contractile ring are incompletely understood. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe proteins that contribute to the cytokinetic contractile ring accumulate during interphase in nodes—precursor structures around the equatorial cortex. During mitosis, additional proteins join these nodes, which condense to form the contractile ring. The cytokinesis protein Blt1p is unique in being present continuously in nodes from early interphase through to the contractile ring until cell separation. Blt1p was shown to stabilize interphase nodes, but its functions later in mitosis were unclear. We use analytical ultracentrifugation to show that purified Blt1p is a tetramer. We find that Blt1p interacts physically with Sid2p and Mob1p, a protein kinase complex of the septation initiation network, and confirm known interactions with F-BAR protein Cdc15p. Contractile rings assemble normally in blt1Δ cells, but the initiation of ring constriction and completion of cell division are delayed. We find three defects that likely contribute to this delay. Without Blt1p, contractile rings recruited and retained less Sid2p/Mob1p and Clp1p phosphatase, and β-glucan synthase Bgs1p accumulated slowly at the cleavage site

An Evaluation Of The Enjoyment Levels Of Participants Of LifeLab, A Health Literacy Intervention For Socially Disadvantaged Adolescents.

Aim: LifeLab is co-designed by and for Junior Cycle students from social disadvantage in Ireland, with the hope to improve health literacy and subsequent health outcomes in this cohort. The aim of this study was to evaluate the enjoyment levels of students participating in the pilot of LifeLab, with a view to informing future development of the intervention. Method: As part of the process evaluation of the pilot of LifeLab, a series of focus groups and purposively designed enjoyment scales were completed by 80 adolescents, from one disadvantaged school in Dublin, Ireland. Inductive thematic analysis was carried out to analyse focus group data, and descriptive analysis of the enjoyment scales was conducted. Findings of the focus groups and enjoyment scales were synthesised and integrated resulting in the generation of a series of higher order and lower order themes of enjoyment. Results: Results of the inductive thematic analysis identified barriers, facilitators and suggestions for increasing enjoyment. Adolescents\u27 enjoyment of the LifeLab intervention can be improved through the integration of fun activity-based learning, competition, variety, and challenge. Conclusions: Findings suggested specific areas of improvement within the intervention, and by using the participant voice, these factors can be incorporated within the LifeLab intervention. It is hoped these refinements, as part of ongoing intervention development, may increase levels of enjoyment, which will therefore enhance the usability and success of LifeLab

Health literacy in schools? A systematic review of health-related interventions aimed at disadvantaged adolescents

Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are at greater risk of adopting unhealthy behaviours and developing chronic diseases. Adolescence has been identified as a crucial life stage to develop lifelong healthy behaviours, with schools often suggested as the ideal environment to foster healthy habits. Health literacy (HL) provides a possible solution to promote such healthy behaviours. The aim of this study was to review school-based HL-related interventions targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents and to identify effective intervention strategies for this population. Searches were performed in six databases. Inclusion criteria included age: 12– 16; the implementation of a school-based intervention related to HL aimed at socioeconomically disadvantaged populations; an intervention focused on: physical activity (PA), diet, mental health, substance abuse or sleep. Forty-one articles were included, with the majority focusing on PA and diet (n = 13), PA (n = 9) or mental health (n = 7). Few interventions focused solely on substance abuse (n = 2) or sleep (n = 1), and none targeted or assessed HL as an outcome measure. There was huge heterogeneity in study design, outcomes measures and effectiveness reported. Effective intervention strategies were identified that can be used to guide future interventions, including practical learning activities, peer support and approaches targeting the school environment, the parents or that link the intervention to the community

The differential impact of screen time on children’s wellbeing

Increased screen time has been found to be associated with a number of negative health and wellbeing indicators in youth populations. An increasing number of studies have investigated the association between screen time and wellbeing in adolescents, but evidence in younger children is still emerging. This 2017 study explored the effect of leisure screen time and gender on dimensions of wellbeing (measured using KIDSCREEN-27) in a national sample of 897 Irish primary school children aged 8–12 years. Participants had a mean age of 10.9 ± 1.16 years and were 47.7% female. Just over 30% of the sample accumulated 2 h or more of leisure screen time daily. Results show that there was no significant interaction between screen time category (<2 h/2 h + daily) and gender on overall wellbeing, while controlling for BMI. Children who self-reported <2 h of leisure screen time scored significantly higher on four dimensions of wellbeing: physical, parental, peers, and school, but not psychological. This study supports the growing evidence of the impact that leisure screen time has on health. Further longitudinal research investigating the impact of sub-categories of leisure screen time behaviour on wellbeing is warranted

LifeLab: co-design of an interactive health literacy intervention for socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents’

Low socioeconomic populations, when compared to more affluent groups, are at greater risk of initiating risky behaviours and consequently developing health complications. Health literacy has been identified as a possible means to improve and sustain positive health behaviours, with adolescence being a time point when such behaviours can be embedded. To develop a meaningful health intervention, it has been recommended that relevant stakeholders be included in the design phase. This formative evaluation study was the second phase of co-design of an engaging health literacy intervention ‘LifeLab’ with, and for, socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents in Ireland. In Spring 2021, a series of co-design workshops (n = 17) were facilitated with a convenience sample of adolescents from socially disadvantaged areas (n = 22) to gather their perceptions, feedback, and suggested changes on the LifeLab learning activities that had emerged from Phase 1 of the work. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in the development of three themes: (i) preferred learning engagement strategies, (ii) practical and logistical considerations and Citation: Smith, C.; Goss, H.R.; Issartel, J.; Meegan, S.; Belton, S. LifeLab: Co-Design of an Interactive Health Literacy Intervention for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adolescents’. Children 2022, 9, 1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/ children9081230 Academic Editor: Charles N. Oberg Received: 1 July 2022 Accepted: 10 August 2022 Published: 15 August 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). (iii) ideas for LifeLab content. The results highlight the value in adopting a participatory approach, as participants offered an array of suggestions and details to maximise the potential for LifeLab to be contextually relevant and engaging; suggestions which will directly inform the development and implementation of the intervention

The Identification and Heterologous Expression of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Encoding the Antibiotic and Anticancer Agent Marinomycin

With the rise in antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for new classes of antibiotic with which to treat infectious disease. Marinomycin, a polyene antibiotic from a marine microbe, has been shown capable of killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF), as well as having promising activity against melanoma. An attractive solution to the photoprotection of this antibiotic has been demonstrated. Here, we report the identification and analysis of the marinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC), and the biosynthetic assembly of the macrolide. The marinomycin BGC presents a challenge in heterologous expression due to its large size and high GC content, rendering the cluster prone to rearrangement. We demonstrate the transformation of Streptomyces lividans using a construct containing the cluster, and the heterologous expression of the encoded biosynthetic machinery and production of marinomycin B

The Identification and Heterologous Expression of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Encoding the Antibiotic and Anticancer Agent Marinomycin

With the rise in antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for new classes of antibiotic with which to treat infectious disease. Marinomycin, a polyene antibiotic from a marine microbe, has been shown capable of killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF), as well as having promising activity against melanoma. An attractive solution to the photoprotection of this antibiotic has been demonstrated. Here, we report the identification and analysis of the marinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC), and the biosynthetic assembly of the macrolide. The marinomycin BGC presents a challenge in heterologous expression due to its large size and high GC content, rendering the cluster prone to rearrangement. We demonstrate the transformation of Streptomyces lividans using a construct containing the cluster, and the heterologous expression of the encoded biosynthetic machinery and production of marinomycin B