Functional conservation in human and Drosophila of Metazoan ADAR2 involved in RNA editing: loss of ADAR1 in insects

Flies with mutations in the single Drosophila Adar gene encoding an RNA editing enzyme involved in editing 4% of all transcripts have severe locomotion defects and develop age-dependent neurodegeneration. Vertebrates have two ADAR-editing enzymes that are catalytically active; ADAR1 and ADAR2. We show that human ADAR2 rescues Drosophila Adar mutant phenotypes. Neither the short nuclear ADAR1p110 isoform nor the longer interferon-inducible cytoplasmic ADAR1p150 isoform rescue walking defects efficiently, nor do they correctly edit specific sites in Drosophila transcripts. Surprisingly, human ADAR1p110 does suppress age-dependent neurodegeneration in Drosophila Adar mutants whereas ADAR1p150 does not. The single Drosophila Adar gene was previously assumed to represent an evolutionary ancestor of the multiple vertebrate ADARs. The strong functional similarity of human ADAR2 and Drosophila Adar suggests rather that these are true orthologs. By a combination of direct cloning and searching new invertebrate genome sequences we show that distinct ADAR1 and ADAR2 genes were present very early in the Metazoan lineage, both occurring before the split between the Bilateria and Cnidarians. The ADAR1 gene has been lost several times, including during the evolution of insects and crustacea. These data complement our rescue results, supporting the idea that ADAR1 and ADAR2 have evolved highly conserved, distinct functions

Regulation of Na+/K+ ATPase Transport Velocity by RNA Editing

Editing of Na+/K+ ATPase mRNAs modulates the Na+/K+ pump's turnover rate by selectively targeting the release of the final sodium to the outside

Expanding Capabilities for Epistemic Justice Through Social Innovation: The Case of Business and Management Courses in UNIMINUTO, Colombia

The chapter addresses the consideration and development of students’ competencies for social innovation in higher education by generating spaces of engagement with local communities. We combine concepts from the capability approach and epistemic injustice to address this topic and ask these specific questions: which epistemic capabilities can be generated in students when engaging with local communities in fostering social innovation processes, and how? And, how are these processes contributing to challenging epistemic injustice? To address these questions, we propose an original framework connecting ideas from Sen and Fricker and address the specific case of six pilot courses in UNIMINUTO University (Colombia), by using a qualitative methodology and information from interviews, workshops, and secondary sources. Results suggest that (1) fostering social innovation competencies by connecting teaching processes with local communities may expand epistemic capabilities; (2) very different factors, internal and external, are at play in these processes; and (3) they are also full of potential tensions and contradictions regarding their contribution to epistemic justice