Oral History Conversation With Evan Malter

An oral history interview with Evan Malter. Evan walks through his life story, personal experiences, and how they have led to the creation of Count Loyalty, a small business that identifies loyalty capital for businesses looking to obtain a bank loan

Composición en ácidos grasos de las margarinas de mayor consumo en España y su importancia nutricional

This study examines the fatty acid composition of margarines of major consumption in Spain in 2000. All the margarines contained at least 20% of linoleic acid, the average content of this fatty acid being 38%. Saturated fatty acids (lauric and miristic acids) did not exceed 4 % of the total fatty acid content. Most of the margarines analyzed contained less than 5% trans C18:1, although this content varied greatly among margarines (coefficient of variation: 112%) being median value 2.5%; polyunsaturated trans C18:2 and trans C18:3 did not represent more than 1 %. Nutritionally important ratios like saturated/unsaturated fatty acids, thrombogenicity and atherogenicity indexes were lower than 0.5. The findings suggest that Spanish margarines have moved to becoming products with a potentially healthier distribution of fatty acids. Even so, the great variability shown in fatty acid composition of margarines and poor labeling, highlight the importance of greater consumer information to avoid upsetting the traditional Mediterranean diet of SpainEste estudio examina la composición de ácidos grasos de las margarinas de mayor consumo en España en el año 2000, incluyendo ácidos grasos trans. Todas las margarinas contenían al menos 20% de linoleico, siendo el contenido medio del 38%. Los ácidos grasos saturados (laúrico y mirístico) no sobrepasaron el 4% del total de ácidos grasos. La mayoría de las margarinas contenían menos del 5 % de ácidos grasos trans C18:1, aunque la variabilidad era elevada entre las distintas marcas (coeficiente de variación:112 %), siendo la mediana del 2.5 %; los ácidos grasos trans poliinsaturados C18:2 y C18:3 no representaron más del 1 %. Índices nutricionalmente importantes como el cociente ácidos grasos saturados/insaturados, índices trombogénico y aterogénico, fueron menores de 0,5. Los resultados sugieren que las margarinas españolas muestran un cambio hacia una distribución de ácidos grasos más saludable, aunque debido a la gran variabilidad en su composición, la información del etiquetado debe mejorar para evitar perturbaciones en la tradicional dieta Mediterránea de España

Comparison of condylar position in normal occlusion, Class II Division 1, Class II Division 2 and Class III malocclusions using CBCT imaging

The aim of this study was to establish the condylar position in a group of patients with normal occlusion, compared to Class II Div 1, Class II Div 2 and Class III malocclusions using CBCT imaging. Retrospective case-control study carried out by analyz

Specific Hsp100 chaperones determine the fate of the first enzyme of the plastidial isoprenoid pathway for either refolding or degradation by the stromal Clp protease in Arabidopsis

The lifespan and activity of proteins depend on protein quality control systems formed by chaperones and proteases that ensure correct protein folding and prevent the formation of toxic aggregates. We previously found that the Arabidopsis thaliana J-protein J20 delivers inactive (misfolded) forms of the plastidial enzyme deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) to the Hsp70 chaperone for either proper folding or degradation. Here we show that the fate of Hsp70-bound DXS depends on pathways involving specific Hsp100 chaperones. Analysis of individual mutants for the four Hsp100 chaperones present in Arabidopsis chloroplasts showed increased levels of DXS proteins (but not transcripts) only in those defec- tive in ClpC1 or ClpB3. However, the accumulated enzyme was active in the clpc1 mutant but inactive in clpb3 plants. Genetic evidence indicated that ClpC chaperones might be required for the unfolding of J20-delivered DXS protein coupled to degradation by the Clp protease. By contrast, biochemical and genetic approaches confirmed that Hsp70 and ClpB3 chaperones interact to collaborate in the refolding and activation of DXS. We conclude that specific J-proteins and Hsp100 chaperones act together with Hsp70 to recognize and deliver DXS to either reactivation (via ClpB3) or removal (via ClpC1) depending on the physiological status of the plastid

The intrinsic chaperone network of Arabidopsis stem cells confers protection against proteotoxic stress

The biological purpose of plant stem cells is to maintain themselves while providing new pools of differentiated cells that form organs and rejuvenate or replace damaged tissues. Protein homeostasis or proteostasis is required for cell function and viability. However, the link between proteostasis and plant stem cell identity remains unknown. In contrast to their differentiated counterparts, we find that root stem cells can prevent the accumulation of aggregated proteins even under proteotoxic stress conditions such as heat stress or proteasome inhibition. Notably, root stem cells exhibit enhanced expression of distinct chaperones that maintain proteome integrity. Particularly, intrinsic high levels of the T-complex protein-1 ring complex/chaperonin containing TCP1 (TRiC/CCT) complex determine stem cell maintenance and their remarkable ability to suppress protein aggregation. Overexpression of CCT8, a key activator of TRiC/CCT assembly, is sufficient to ameliorate protein aggregation in differentiated cells and confer resistance to proteotoxic stress in plants. Taken together, our results indicate that enhanced proteostasis mechanisms in stem cells could be an important requirement for plants to persist under extreme environmental conditions and reach extreme long ages. Thus, proteostasis of stem cells can provide insights to design and breed plants tolerant to environmental challenges caused by the climate change

Comparison of protocols for DNA extraction from Cannabis sativa seeds

Cannabis sativa is an important crop cultivated both for industrial (var. sativa) and medicinal and recreational (var. indica) purposes. Cultivation of var. indica plants is generally forbidden and this difficults genetic studies. An alternative is the extraction of DNA from seed embryos. In order to develop an efficient protocol for DNA extraction of C. sativa seeds we have tested six DNA extraction methods in seeds and leaves of a C. sativa var. sativa accession. We found that the best protocol is the CTAB-modified with phenol:chlorophorm:isoamyl washing, which allowed a large quantity of high quality DNA per seed. This method was tested in seeds of three C. sativa var. indica accessions and seven SSR markers tested could be amplified successfully. In summary, we have developed a highly efficient method for DNA extraction of individual seeds of C. sativa. This method will be useful for genetic studies in this species.Soler Aleixandre, S.; Sifres Cuerda, AG.; Llosa, ER.; Llamas, M.; Vilanova Navarro, S.; Prohens Tomás, J. (2013). Comparison of protocols for DNA extraction from Cannabis sativa seeds. Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca : Horticulture. 70(1):265-266. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/60239S26526670

Decreased breadth of the antibody response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 after repeated vaccination

Introduction: The rapid development of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 has raised the need to compare the capacity of different vaccines in terms of developing a protective humoral response. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results in this area, highlighting the importance of further research to evaluate the efficacy of different vaccines. Methods: This study utilized a highly sensitive and reliable flow cytometry method to measure the titers of IgG1 isotype antibodies in the blood of healthy volunteers after receiving one or two doses of various vaccines administered in Spain. The method was also used to simultaneously measure the reactivity of antibodies to the S protein of the original Wuhan strain and variants B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.617.2 (Delta), and B.1.617.1 (Kappa). Results: Significant differences were observed in the titer of anti-S antibodies produced after a first dose of the vaccines ChAdOx1 nCov-19/AstraZeneca, mRNA-1273/Moderna, BNT162b2/Pfizer-BioNTech, and Ad26.COV.S/Janssen. Furthermore, a relative reduction in the reactivity of the sera with the Alpha, Delta, and Kappa variants, compared to the Wuhan strain, was observed after the second boosting immunization. Discussion: The findings of this study provide a comparison of different vaccines in terms of anti-S antibody generation and cast doubts on the convenience of repeated immunization with the same S protein sequence. The multiplexed capacity of the flow cytometry method utilized in this study allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of various vaccines in generating a protective humoral response. Future research could focus on the implications of these findings for the development of effective COVID-19 vaccination strategies.This work was funded by intramural grant CSIC-COVID19- 004: 202020E081 (to BA) and CSIC-COVID19-004: 202020E165 (to MF). LH has been supported by an FPI fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. IB has been supported by an H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 training network grant of the European Union (GA 721358)

Arabidopsis metacaspase MC1 localizes in stress granules, clears protein aggregates and delays senescence

Stress granules (SGs) are highly conserved cytoplasmic condensates that assemble in response to stress and contribute to maintaining protein homeostasis. These membraneless organelles are dynamic, disassembling once the stress is no longer present. Persistence of SGs due to mutations or chronic stress has been often related to age-dependent protein-misfolding diseases in animals. Here, we find that the metacaspase MC1 is dynamically recruited into SGs upon proteotoxic stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Two predicted disordered regions, the prodomain and the 360 loop, mediate MC1 recruitment to and release from SGs. Importantly, we show that MC1 has the capacity to clear toxic protein aggregates in vivo and in vitro, acting as a disaggregase. Finally, we demonstrate that overexpressing MC1 delays senescence and this phenotype is dependent on the presence of the 360 loop and an intact catalytic domain. Together, our data indicate that MC1 regulates senescence through its recruitment into SGs and this function could potentially be linked to its remarkable protein aggregate-clearing activity