Extensions of superalgebras of Krichever-Novikov type

An explicit construction of central extensions of Lie superalgebras of Krichever-Novikov type is given. In the case of Jordan superalgebras related to the superalgebras of Krichever-Novikov type we calculate a 1-cocycle with coefficients in the dual space

Extending the allelic spectrum at noncoding risk loci of orofacial clefting

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have generated unprecedented insights into the genetic etiology of orofacial clefting (OFC). The moderate effect sizes of associated noncoding risk variants and limited access to disease-relevant tissue represent considerable challenges for biological interpretation of genetic findings. As rare variants with stronger effect sizes are likely to also contribute to OFC, an alternative approach to delineate pathogenic mechanisms is to identify private mutations and/or an increased burden of rare variants in associated regions. This report describes a framework for targeted resequencing at selected noncoding risk loci contributing to nonsyndromic cleft lip with/without cleft palate (nsCL/P), the most frequent OFC subtype. Based on GWAS data, we selected three risk loci and identified candidate regulatory regions (CRRs) through the integration of credible SNP information, epigenetic data from relevant cells/tissues, and conservation scores. The CRRs (total 57 kb) were resequenced in a multiethnic study population (1061 patients; 1591 controls), using single-molecule molecular inversion probe technology. Combining evidence from in silico variant annotation, pedigree- and burden analyses, we identified 16 likely deleterious rare variants that represent new candidates for functional studies in nsCL/P. Our framework is scalable and represents a promising approach to the investigation of additional congenital malformations with multifactorial etiology

Regulatory Elements within the Prodomain of Falcipain-2, a Cysteine Protease of the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Falcipain-2, a papain family cysteine protease of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, plays a key role in parasite hydrolysis of hemoglobin and is a potential chemotherapeutic target. As with many proteases, falcipain-2 is synthesized as a zymogen, and the prodomain inhibits activity of the mature enzyme. To investigate the mechanism of regulation of falcipain-2 by its prodomain, we expressed constructs encoding different portions of the prodomain and tested their ability to inhibit recombinant mature falcipain-2. We identified a C-terminal segment (Leu155–Asp243) of the prodomain, including two motifs (ERFNIN and GNFD) that are conserved in cathepsin L sub-family papain family proteases, as the mediator of prodomain inhibitory activity. Circular dichroism analysis showed that the prodomain including the C-terminal segment, but not constructs lacking this segment, was rich in secondary structure, suggesting that the segment plays a crucial role in protein folding. The falcipain-2 prodomain also efficiently inhibited other papain family proteases, including cathepsin K, cathepsin L, cathepsin B, and cruzain, but it did not inhibit cathepsin C or tested proteases of other classes. A structural model of pro-falcipain-2 was constructed by homology modeling based on crystallographic structures of mature falcipain-2, procathepsin K, procathepsin L, and procaricain, offering insights into the nature of the interaction between the prodomain and mature domain of falcipain-2 as well as into the broad specificity of inhibitory activity of the falcipain-2 prodomain

Mutagenesis of the NaChBac sodium channel discloses a functional role for a conserved S6 asparagine

Asparagine is conserved in the S6 transmembrane segments of all voltage-gated sodium, calcium, and TRP channels identified to date. A broad spectrum of channelopathies including cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsy, muscle diseases, and pain disorders is associated with its mutation. To investigate its effects on sodium channel functional properties, we mutated the simple prokaryotic sodium channel NaChBac. Electrophysiological characterization of the N225D mutant reveals that this conservative substitution shifts the voltage-dependence of inactivation by 25 mV to more hyperpolarized potentials. The mutant also displays greater thermostability, as determined by synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy studies of purified channels. Based on our analyses of high-resolution structures of NaChBac homologues, we suggest that the side-chain amine group of asparagine 225 forms one or more hydrogen bonds with different channel elements and that these interactions are important for normal channel function. The N225D mutation eliminates these hydrogen bonds and the structural consequences involve an enhanced channel inactivation

Molecular mechanism for 3:1 subunit stoichiometry of rod cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels

Molecular determinants of ion channel tetramerization are well characterized, but those involved in heteromeric channel assembly are less clearly understood. The heteromeric composition of native channels is often precisely controlled. Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels from rod photoreceptors exhibit a 3:1 stoichiometry of CNGA1 and CNGB1 subunits that tunes the channels for their specialized role in phototransduction. Here we show, using electrophysiology, fluorescence, biochemistry, and X-ray crystallography, that the mechanism for this controlled assembly is the formation of a parallel 3-helix coiled-coil domain of the carboxy-terminal leucine zipper region of CNGA1 subunits, constraining the channel to contain three CNGA1 subunits, followed by preferential incorporation of a single CNGB1 subunit. Deletion of the carboxy-terminal leucine zipper domain relaxed the constraint and permitted multiple CNGB1 subunits in the channel. The X-ray crystal structures of the parallel 3-helix coiled-coil domains of CNGA1 and CNGA3 subunits were similar, suggesting that a similar mechanism controls the stoichiometry of cone CNG channels

Is (poly-) substance use associated with impaired inhibitory control? A mega-analysis controlling for confounders.

Many studies have reported that heavy substance use is associated with impaired response inhibition. Studies typically focused on associations with a single substance, while polysubstance use is common. Further, most studies compared heavy users with light/non-users, though substance use occurs along a continuum. The current mega-analysis accounted for these issues by aggregating individual data from 43 studies (3610 adult participants) that used the Go/No-Go (GNG) or Stop-signal task (SST) to assess inhibition among mostly "recreational" substance users (i.e., the rate of substance use disorders was low). Main and interaction effects of substance use, demographics, and task-characteristics were entered in a linear mixed model. Contrary to many studies and reviews in the field, we found that only lifetime cannabis use was associated with impaired response inhibition in the SST. An interaction effect was also observed: the relationship between tobacco use and response inhibition (in the SST) differed between cannabis users and non-users, with a negative association between tobacco use and inhibition in the cannabis non-users. In addition, participants' age, education level, and some task characteristics influenced inhibition outcomes. Overall, we found limited support for impaired inhibition among substance users when controlling for demographics and task-characteristics