Isolation, Characterization, and Evolutionary Divergence of Mouse RNase 6: Evidence for Unusual Evolution in Rodents

The evolution of the ribonuclease A (RNase A) vertebrate-specific enzyme family is interesting in that specific gene lineages appear to be responding to unique selective pressures in wildly diverse manners to generate proteins that are capable of reducing the infectivity of viruses, killing systemic pathogens, and inducing the growth of blood vessels all while maintaining the signature motifs of a ribonuclease. In this paper, we present the DNA sequence and gene structure of Mus musculus RNase 6 and examine the expression pattern and enzymatic activity of the recombinant protein. M. musculus RNase 6 has a limited expression pattern compared to human RNase 6 and is an efficient ribonuclease, with a catalytic efficiency 17-fold higher than that of human protein. Evo- lutionary analysis reveals that RNase 6 was subject to unusual evolutionary forces ( d N / d S  = 1.2) in an ancestral rodent lineage before the separation of Mus and Rattus . However, more recent evolution of rodent RNase 6 has been relatively conserved, with an average d N / d S of 0.66. These data suggest that the ancestral rodent RNase 6 was subject to accelerated evolution, resulting in the conserved modern gene, which most likely plays an important role in mouse physiology.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48058/1/239_2004_Article_2657.pd

Towards a spatiality of wellbeing

Despite increasing attention to designing learning environments that are conducive to contemporary pedagogy, there is limited understanding about how physical spaces influence student learning in holistic and existential ways. In addition, while research shows an association between student wellbeing and learning, the inter-relationship between these concepts and the spatial and material implications are underexplored. Consequently, this chapter seeks to expand current thinking about learning spaces to support conceptually-informed school design. As a way forward, it brings together a capability approach to education with an existential understanding of wellbeing to propose spatiality of wellbeing as an overarching construct that points to the potential of the physical school environment to have an enduring and profound influence on student wellbeing and learning