Arabidopsis accelerated cell death 11, ACD11, is a ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein and intermediary regulator of phytoceramide levels

The accelerated cell death 11 (acd11) mutant of Arabidopsis provides a genetic model for studying immune response activation and localized cellular suicide that halt pathogen spread during infection in plants. Here, we elucidate ACD11 structure and function and show that acd11 disruption dramatically alters the in vivo balance of sphingolipid mediators that regulate eukaryotic-programmed cell death. In acd11 mutants, normally low ceramide-1- phosphate (C1P) levels become elevated, but the relatively abundant cell death inducer phytoceramide rises acutely. ACD11 exhibits selective intermembrane transfer of C1P and phyto-C1P. Crystal structures establish C1P binding via a surface-localized, phosphate headgroup recognition center connected to an interior hydrophobic pocket that adaptively ensheaths lipid chains via a cleft-like gating mechanism. Point mutation mapping con- firms functional involvement of binding site residues. A p helix (p bulge) near the lipid binding cleft distinguishes apo-ACD11 from other GLTP folds. The global two-layer, a-helically dominated, ‘‘sandwich’’ topology displaying C1P-selective binding identifies ACD11 as the plant prototype of a GLTP fold subfamily

Autophagy in plants

Autophagy is a process of cellular self-eating, which allows organisms to eliminate and recycle unwanted components and damaged organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. It is an important process in the development of eukaryotic organisms. Autophagy plays a critical role in many physiological processes in plants such as nutrient remobilization, cell death, immunity, and abiotic stress responses. Autophagy thus represents an obvious target for generating resilient crops. During plant development, autophagy is also implicated in the differentiation and maturation of various cell types and plant organs, including root cap cells, tracheary elements, gametes, fruits and seeds. Here, we review our current understanding and recent advances of plant autophagy including insight into autophagy regulation and signaling as well as autophagosome membrane biogenesis. In addition, we describe how autophagy contributes to development, metabolism, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and where the autophagic field is heading in terms of applied research for crop improvement

European Union Communities of Practice

This book provides a practice-based analysis of European Union (EU) diplomacy and community-building. Unlike studies focusing on how EU community-building proceeds centrally in Brussels, this book turns to EU diplomacy in its bordering state of Ukraine. At a time when the EU’s internal cohesion is being put to the test, this book provides novel insights into how feelings of belonging are produced amongst its members in the absence of a homogenous ‘we’. Transcending the traditional dichotomy between macro-structures and micro-processes of interaction, the book demonstrates that the EU’s large-scale community depends for its existence on practical instantiations of community-building in distinct ‘communities of practice’. Using the case of an EU diplomatic ‘community of practice’ in Kyiv, Ukraine, takes these questions to the EU’s margins, highlighting that the boundaries of community are key sites in which community materialises. The in-depth case study identifies diplomats’ ‘boundary work’ as the constitutive rule that makes the local ‘community of practice’ cohere and create feelings of belonging to the large-scale polity of the EU. This book will be of interest to researchers of European studies, as well as to those working on global cooperation and international relations more broadly. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY) 4.0 license

A violência traumatiza? Contribuições da psicanálise para criança e para adolescentes violentados

Orientadora: Profª Drª Maria Virgínia Filomena CremascoDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Humanas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia. Defesa: Curitiba, 15/04/2015Inclui referências : f. 90-96Resumo: O objetivo desta dissertação foi compreender, por meio da análise de atendimentos clínicos prestados a crianças e adolescentes violentados, o que incide sobre a violência que a conduz para um trauma psíquico. Em uma sociedade em que a violência ocupa o segundo lugar no ranking das causalidades para a morte, refletir sobre as suas possíveis consequências no psiquismo do indivíduo é de importante valor. Adotou-se um método qualitativo, conceituado como construção do caso clínico, o qual se embasou nos atendimentos clínicos prestados, pela autora desta pesquisa, a duas pacientes. Destas, uma delas, de pseudônimo Sofia, as violências que sofreu se transformaram em um trauma psíquico, ao passo que na outra paciente, identificada como Olívia, as situações de violência foram simbolizadas, ou seja, ab-reagidas e o trauma psíquico não se constituiu. Com isso, concluiu-se que a violência sempre exigirá uma resposta do sujeito porque introduz uma excitação que causa um desequilíbrio interno, essa excitação deve ser descarregada para que o aparelho psíquico retorne à homeostase. O escoamento pode se realizar de diferentes maneiras, algumas que proporcionam certo equilíbrio e outras, que se constituem em formações traumáticas. A violência pode ser simbolizada e ser ab-reagida. Também pode representar uma ameaça excessiva, ser recalcada e produzir formações inconscientes, típicas da neurose. A violência pode também não ser simbolizada e nem representada psiquicamente deixando uma marca mnêmica que fica a mercê da pulsão de morte e constitui um trauma. Palavras-chave: Trauma psíquico; Psicanálise, Violência, Infanto-juvenil, Clínica psicanalítica.Abstract: The aim of this thesis was to understand, through the analysis of clinical care provided to children and adolescents who were abused, what makes the violence become a psychic trauma. In a society which violence occupies the second place in the ranking of causalities to death, the reflect on the possible psychic consequences of the individual has an important value. We adopted a qualitative method, conceptualized as construction of the case, which was grounded in the clinical care of two patients. Of those, one of them, pseudonym of Sophie, who had suffered the violence, which has become a psychic trauma. While the other patient, identified as Olivia, the violent situations were symbolized, ab-reacted and psychic trauma has not happened. Thus, it was concluded that violence will always require a response from the subject because it introduces an excitement that causes an internal imbalance. This excitement should be discharged to the psychic apparatus in order to return to homeostasis. The response can occur in different ways, some of those provide some balance and others allow the trauma. Violence can be symbolized and be ab-reacted, It also can pose as an unreasonable threat, and provids unconscious formations, typical of neurosis. The violence also cannot be symbolized and represented psychically or mnemic leaving a mark which is at the favor of the death instinct, which is a trauma. Keywords: Psychic Trauma, Psychoanalysis, Violence, Children and Youth, Clinical psychoanalysis

Retromer Contributes to Immunity-Associated Cell Death in Arabidopsis

Membrane trafficking is required during plant immune responses, but its contribution to the hypersensitive response (HR), a form of programmed cell death (PCD) associated with effector-triggered immunity, is not well understood. HR is induced by nucleotide binding-leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) immune receptors and can involve vacuole-mediated processes, including autophagy. We previously isolated lazarus (laz) suppressors of autoimmunity-triggered PCD in the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant accelerated cell death11 (acd11) and demonstrated that the cell death phenotype is due to ectopic activation of the LAZ5 NB-LRR. We report here that laz4 is mutated in one of three VACUOLAR PROTEIN SORTING35 (VPS35) genes. We verify that LAZ4/VPS35B is part of the retromer complex, which functions in endosomal protein sorting and vacuolar trafficking. We show that VPS35B acts in an endosomal trafficking pathway and plays a role in LAZ5-dependent acd11 cell death. Furthermore, we find that VPS35 homologs contribute to certain forms of NB-LRR protein-mediated autoimmunity as well as pathogen-triggered HR. Finally, we demonstrate that retromer deficiency causes defects in late endocytic/lytic compartments and impairs autophagy-associated vacuolar processes. Our findings indicate important roles of retromer-mediated trafficking during the HR; these may include endosomal sorting of immune components and targeting of vacuolar cargo

Autophagy as an emerging arena for plant-pathogen interactions

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaAutophagy is a highly conserved degradation and recycling process that controls cellular homeostasis, stress adaptation, and programmed cell death in eukaryotes. Emerging evidence indicates that autophagy is a key regulator of plant innate immunity and contributes with both pro-death and pro-survival functions to antimicrobial defences, depending on the pathogenic lifestyle. In turn, several pathogens have co-opted and evolved strategies to manipulate host autophagy pathways to the benefit of infection, while some eukaryotic microbes require their own autophagy machinery for successful pathogenesis. In this review, we present and discuss recent advances that exemplify the important role of pro- and antimicrobial autophagy in plant-pathogen interactions

The effect of bodyblade� exercise on postural stability in an elderly population

Background and Purpose. Falls present a serious risk to the elderly population. Impairments of the visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and musculoskeletal systems ability to maintain postural stability are often the cause of falls. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if an exercise program utilizing the Bodyblade� increased postural stability within an elderly population who had been evaluated to be at risk for falls as measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) (Appendix A). Subjects. Thirty-two residents from senior residential communities who demonstrated balance deficits, age 76 - 94 (85.44 � 4.28) participated in the study. Subjects were recruited independent of gender and were divided into exercise and control groups. Methods. Subjects were initially evaluated for balance deficits using the BBS (Appendix A). Those who scored less than 50 of 56 possible points were asked to participate in the investigation. Participants who agreed to enter in the study had their balance and postural control assessed on the Balance Master� using the Limits of Stability (LOS) protocol. Subjects participated in a six week exercise program using the Bodyblade�. Testing was performed a total of four times: at the beginning of the program, at three weeks, at the termination of the program, and a final one-month follow up test. The exercise program was implemented three times each week by the investigators and was progressive in nature in order to continually challenge the participants. A control group was assessed at intervals concurrent with the exercise group. The exercise group and control group were matched according to BBS scores. Data Analysis. The mean and standard deviation for age, for scores on the BBS, and for the assessment values of the five variables of the LOS testing were calculated using descriptive statistics. A three by two, mixed block, repeat measures analysis of variance (ANOV A) followed by a post hoc Sidak was performed to evaluate if significant differences occurred in postural stability as measured by the BBS scores and for the composite scores for the five variables of the LOS test throughout this investigation. The one-month follow up study was compared to the data collected during the six-week testing session. Results. Subjects within the exercise group demonstrated increased postural stability as evidenced by their significant increase in BBS scores. The exercise group showed a mean increase of seven points, while the control group increased their score by two points. LOS testing did not measure significant changes in postural stability. Discussion and Conclusion. Five out of 18 subjects were able to move from the 'at risk for falls' status to the 'not at risk for falls' status as evidenced by BBS scores, and four or these subjects were able maintain the 'not at risk for falls' status at the one-month follow up test. Although not all testing measures showed statistically significant increases, 8 of 9 people initially assessed as being at risk for falls at a level of near 100%, according to their BBS scores, were able to improve their postural stability and decrease their risk for falls. It cannot be determined exactly how much their fall risk decreased, but as their BBS scores improved their fall risk decreased to less than 100%. The Bodyblade� exercise program was successful in increasing the subjects' ability to balance, but subjects must continue to exercise in order to maintain the beneficial effects that were achieved.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-47)California State University, Northridge. Department of Physical Therapy