Sociologie et Sociétés, 2004, 36 (2). Présences de Marcel Mauss

Consacré à l’œuvre de Marcel Mauss, ce numéro de Sociologie et Sociétés pose la question de l’actualité d’une réflexion longtemps éclipsée par celle de l’oncle et du maître Émile Durkheim. Si le succès de Marcel Mauss en anthropologie est incontestable, qu’en est-il de l’impact de sa pensée sur la sociologie ? Les diverses contributions réunies dans ce numéro ont l’ambition de saisir cet impact à l’aune de l’originalité et de l’esprit du « maître incomparable » auquel Denise Paulme, qui fut s..

Sophie Chevalier & Jean-Marie Privat, eds, Norbert Elias et l’anthropologie : « Nous sommes tous si étranges… »

L’engouement actuel pour l’œuvre de Norbert Elias contribue à l’éclosion de discussions et de débats au sein des sciences de l’homme. Longtemps commentée par les sociologues et les historiens, la pensée d’Elias fait aujourd’hui l’objet d’une relecture à la lumière de l’anthropologie. Norbert Elias et l’anthropologie est un ouvrage collectif écrit par quelque vingt-quatre auteurs de notoriété internationale. Deux questions essentielles structurent ce travail : quels sont les aspects anthropolo..

Claude Lévi-Strauss et les formes symboliques de la musique

Les réflexions sur la musique dans le champ des sciences humaines se font souvent le devoir de citer Claude Lévi-Strauss selon lequel la musique est « le suprême mystère des sciences de l’homme, celui contre lequel elles butent et qui garde la clé de leur progrès » (1964 : 26). La référence paraît presque obligée, quasi rituelle pour dresser le fait musical au-dessus de toutes les autres manifestations de l’esprit humain. La musique peut en effet apparaître comme un mystère dont le moindre pr..

Origin and diversification of the basic helix-loop-helix gene family in metazoans: insights from comparative genomics

BACKGROUND: Molecular and genetic analyses conducted in model organisms such as Drosophila and vertebrates, have provided a wealth of information about how networks of transcription factors control the proper development of these species. Much less is known, however, about the evolutionary origin of these elaborated networks and their large-scale evolution. Here we report the first evolutionary analysis of a whole superfamily of transcription factors, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, at the scale of the whole metazoan kingdom. RESULTS: We identified in silico the putative full complement of bHLH genes in the sequenced genomes of 12 different species representative of the main metazoan lineages, including three non-bilaterian metazoans, the cnidarians Nematostella vectensis and Hydra magnipapillata and the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. We have performed extensive phylogenetic analyses of the 695 identified bHLHs, which has allowed us to allocate most of these bHLHs to defined evolutionary conserved groups of orthology. CONCLUSION: Three main features in the history of the bHLH gene superfamily can be inferred from these analyses: (i) an initial diversification of the bHLHs has occurred in the pre-Cambrian, prior to metazoan cladogenesis; (ii) a second expansion of the bHLH superfamily occurred early in metazoan evolution before bilaterians and cnidarians diverged; and (iii) the bHLH complement during the evolution of the bilaterians has been remarkably stable. We suggest that these features may be extended to other developmental gene families and reflect a general trend in the evolution of the developmental gene repertoires of metazoans

Role for Neuronal Nitric-Oxide Synthase in Cannabinoid-Induced Neurogenesis

ABSTRACT Cannabinoids, acting through the CB1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), protect the brain against ischemia and related forms of injury. This may involve inhibiting the neurotoxicity of endogenous excitatory amino acids and downstream effectors, such as nitric oxide (NO). Cannabinoids also stimulate neurogenesis in the adult brain through activation of CB1R. Because NO has been implicated in neurogenesis, we investigated whether cannabinoid-induced neurogenesis, like cannabinoid neuroprotection, might be mediated through alterations in NO production. Accordingly, we measured neurogenesis in dentate gyrus (DG) and subventricular zone (SVZ) of CB1R-knockout (KO) and wild-type mice, some of whom were treated with the cannabi- or the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI). NOS activity was increased by ϳ25%, whereas bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of newborn cells in DG and SVZ was reduced by ϳ50% in CB1R-KO compared with wild-type mice. 7-NI increased BrdU labeling in both DG and SVZ and to a greater extent in CB1R-KO than in wild-type mice. In addition, R(ϩ)-Win 55212-2 and 7-NI enhanced BrdU incorporation into neuron-enriched cerebral cortical cultures to a similar maximal extent and in nonadditive fashion, consistent with a shared mechanism of action. Double-label confocal microscopy showed coexpression of BrdU and the neuronal lineage marker doublecortin (Dcx) in DG and SVZ of untreated and 7-NI-treated CB1R-KO mice, and 7-NI increased the number of Dcx-and BrdU/Dcx-immunoreactive cells in SVZ and DG. Thus, cannabinoids appear to stimulate adult neurogenesis by opposing the antineurogenic effect of NO. Cannabinoids, which include naturally occurring plantderived compounds [e.g., ⌬ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)], endogenous signaling molecules found in animal brains (e.g., anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol), and synthetic drugs [e.g., R(ϩ)-Win 55212-2)], act on receptors in the brain to modify neuronal function. In addition to their effects on normal physiological functions such as blood pressure, immunity, pain perception, appetite, and cognition, cannabinoids can also regulate the severity of brain injury. We reported previously that administration of cannabinoids acting on the CB1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) reduces neuronal death from cerebral ischemi

Role for Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Cannabinoid-induced Neurogenesis

Abstract words: 240 Introduction words: 50

Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Identifies Regions on 7p21 (AHR) and 15q24 (CYP1A2) As Determinants of Habitual Caffeine Consumption

We report the first genome-wide association study of habitual caffeine intake. We included 47,341 individuals of European descent based on five population-based studies within the United States. In a meta-analysis adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and eigenvectors of population variation, two loci achieved genome-wide significance: 7p21 (P = 2.4×10−19), near AHR, and 15q24 (P = 5.2×10−14), between CYP1A1 and CYP1A2. Both the AHR and CYP1A2 genes are biologically plausible candidates as CYP1A2 metabolizes caffeine and AHR regulates CYP1A2