A 4-Base-Pair Core-Enclosing Helix in Telomerase RNA Is Essential for Activity and for Binding to the Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Catalytic Protein Subunit

The telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) counters the chromosome end replication problem, completing genome replication to prevent cellular senescence in yeast, humans, and most other eukaryotes. The telomerase RNP core enzyme is composed of a dedicated RNA subunit and a reverse transcriptase (telomerase reverse transcriptase [TERT]). Although the majority of the 1,157-nucleotide (nt) Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomerase RNA, TLC1, is rapidly evolving, the central catalytic core is largely conserved, containing the template, template-boundary helix, pseudoknot, and core-enclosing helix (CEH). Here, we show that 4 bp of core-enclosing helix is required for telomerase to be active in vitro and to maintain yeast telomeres in vivo, whereas the DeltaCEH and 1- and 2-bp alleles do not support telomerase function. Using the CRISPR/nuclease-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9)-based CARRY (CRISPR-assisted RNA-RNA-binding protein [RBP] yeast) two-hybrid assay to assess binding of our CEH mutant RNAs to TERT, we find that the 4-bp CEH RNA binds to TERT but the shorter-CEH constructs do not, consistent with the telomerase activity and in vivo complementation results. Thus, the CEH is essential in yeast telomerase RNA because it is needed to bind TERT to form the core RNP enzyme. Although the 8 nt that form this 4-bp stem at the base of the CEH are nearly invariant among Saccharomyces species, our results with sequence-randomized and truncated-CEH helices suggest that this binding interaction with TERT is dictated more by secondary than by primary structure. In summary, we have mapped an essential binding site in telomerase RNA for TERT that is crucial to form the catalytic core of this biomedically important RNP enzyme

Mobile AME: A Handheld Application to Support Decision Making for Ammunition Personnel

Wireless technology and the emergence of handheld devices provide new ways to deliver and present information. In the military setting, availability of needed information can be crucial during the decision-making process, especially in a war zone. This paper describes the extension of a Web-based ammunition encyclopedia system developed for the U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center (DAC) called the ammunition multimedia encyclopedia system (AME). The extension, known as Mobile AME, exploits handheld technology to provide Quality Assurance Specialist Ammunition Surveillance (QASAS) personnel with access to needed ammunition information via a personal digital assistant (PDA). The focus was on developing a highly usable system that supports QASAS decision making and training in choosing the best practices to properly handle an ammunition item including Discarded Military Munitions (DMM). This paper discusses the motivation behind Mobile AME, design and development of the system, and future directions

WELL-TO-WHEELS Report version 4.a : JEC WELL-TO-WHEELS ANALYSIS

The JEC research partners [Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, EUCAR and CONCAWE] have updated their joint evaluation of the well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for a wide range of potential future fuel and powertrain options. This document reports on the fourth release of this study replacing Version 3c published in July 2011. The original version was published in December 2003.JRC.F.8-Sustainable Transpor

Reflective Coating on Fibrous Insulation for Reduced Heat Transfer

Radiative heat transfer through fibrous insulation used in thermal protection systems (TPS) is significant at high temperatures (1200 C). Decreasing the radiative heat transfer through the fibrous insulation can thus have a major impact on the insulating ability of the TPS. Reflective coatings applied directly to the individual fibers in fibrous insulation should decrease the radiative heat transfer leading to an insulation with decreased effective thermal conductivity. Coatings with high infrared reflectance have been developed using sol-gel techniques. Using this technique, uniform coatings can be applied to fibrous insulation without an appreciable increase in insulation weight or density. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, and ellipsometry have been performed to evaluate coating performance

Biodiversity Gains? The Debate on Changes in Local- vs Global-Scale Species Richness

Editorial: Do changes in biodiversity at local scales reflect the declines seen at global scales? This debate dates back at least 15 years..

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals