Asteroseismology and Interferometry

Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments, including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies, including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations. Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume 14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36

Modifiers of (CAG)(n) instability in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3) transmissions: an association study with DNA replication, repair and recombination genes.

Twelve neurological disorders are caused by gene-specific CAG/CTG repeat expansions that are highly unstable upon transmission to offspring. This intergenerational repeat instability is clinically relevant since disease onset, progression and severity are associated with repeat size. Studies of model organisms revealed the involvement of some DNA replication and repair genes in the process of repeat instability, however, little is known about their role in patients. Here, we used an association study to search for genetic modifiers of (CAG)n instability in 137 parent-child transmissions in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3). With the hypothesis that variants in genes involved in DNA replication, repair or recombination might alter the MJD CAG instability patterns, we screened 768 SNPs from 93 of these genes. We found a variant in ERCC6 (rs2228528) associated with an expansion bias of MJD alleles. When using a gene-gene interaction model, the allele combination G-A (rs4140804-rs2972388) of RPA3-CDK7 is also associated with MJD instability in a direction-dependent manner. Interestingly, the transcription-coupled repair factor ERCC6 (aka CSB), the single-strand binding protein RPA, and the CDK7 kinase part of the TFIIH transcription repair complex, have all been linked to transcription-coupled repair. This is the first study performed in patient samples to implicate specific modifiers of CAG instability in humans. In summary, we found variants in three transcription-coupled repair genes associated with the MJD mutation that points to distinct mechanisms of (CAG)n instability.This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and the Levesque Chair for research in Neurogenetics [to G. A. R.]; and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [SFRH/BPD/77969/2011 to S.M]

Detection of Human Dicer and Argonaute 2 Catalytic Activity

The microRNA (miRNA)-guided RNA silencing pathway is a central and well-defined cellular process involved in messenger RNA (mRNA) translational control. This complex regulatory process is achieved by a well orchestrated machinery composed of a relatively few protein components, among which the ribonuclease III (RNase III) Dicer and Argonaute 2 (Ago2) play a central role. These two proteins are essential and it is of particular interest to measure and detect their catalytic activity under various situations and/or conditions. In this chapter, we describe different protocols that aim to study and determine the catalytic activity of Dicer and Ago2 in cell extracts, immune complexes, and size-fractionated cell extracts. Another protocol aimed at assessing miRNA binding to Ago2 is also described. These experimental approaches are likely to be useful to researchers investigating the main steps of miRNA biogenesis and function in human health and diseases

The Repertoire and Features of Human Platelet microRNAs

Playing a central role in the maintenance of hemostasis as well as in thrombotic disorders, platelets contain a relatively diverse messenger RNA (mRNA) transcriptome as well as functional mRNA-regulatory microRNAs, suggesting that platelet mRNAs may be regulated by microRNAs. Here, we elucidated the complete repertoire and features of human platelet microRNAs by high-throughput sequencing. More than 492 different mature microRNAs were detected in human platelets, whereas the list of known human microRNAs was expanded further by the discovery of 40 novel microRNA sequences. As in nucleated cells, platelet microRNAs bear signs of post-transcriptional modifications, mainly terminal adenylation and uridylation. In vitro enzymatic assays demonstrated the ability of human platelets to uridylate microRNAs, which correlated with the presence of the uridyltransferase enzyme TUT4. We also detected numerous microRNA isoforms (isomiRs) resulting from imprecise Drosha and/or Dicer processing, in some cases more frequently than the reference microRNA sequence, including 5′ shifted isomiRs with redirected mRNA targeting abilities. This study unveils the existence of a relatively diverse and complex microRNA repertoire in human platelets, and represents a mandatory step towards elucidating the intraplatelet and extraplatelet role, function and importance of platelet microRNAs