Genetically Screening For Gain Of Function Mutations In Telomerase Rna

Telomeres are DNA structures located at the ends of linear chromosomes. They function, in part, to allow DNA ends to be copied before cells divide. Since the standard DNA replication machinery can’t fully copy telomeres, most eukaryotic cells require the vital ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is composed of a TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase protein) and telomerase RNA. As we age, telomeres shorten since most human cells do not express telomerase. If telomeres grow too short, it triggers a cell-cycle arrest known as senescence, which can ultimately result in cell death. On the other hand, \u3e85% of human cancers show over-expression of telomerase, which is required for the uncontrolled cell division that is a hallmark of this disease. Interestingly, despite the importance of telomerase RNA, its structure and function is not well understood. To shed light on the correlation between telomere length and telomerase RNA structure, we devised a genetic screening strategy using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify novel gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in telomerase RNA. First, we transform a library of random telomerase RNA mutant plasmids into yeast. Then, we select for yeast that appear to have longer telomeres using a selectable marker in a sub-telomeric region. Finally, we rescue the plasmids and send them for sequencing to determine the mutations. To date, I have screened ~1000 colonies and identified ~10 putative GOF alleles. I am currently working to identify the mutations present in the putative GOF alleles. Identification of more active versions of telomerase RNA could ultimately lead to an understanding of enzyme function that lengthens telomeres and decreases the rate of aging.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1024/thumbnail.jp

METHYL PARATHION RESIDUES IN PROTECTIVE APPAREL FABRIC: EFFECT OF RESIDUAL SOILS ON DECONTAMINATION

This study evaluated the contribution of oily and particulate soil residue to pesticide residue removal. 100% cotton and 65% polyester/35% cotton, were artificially soiled with a standard soil. The fabrics were laundered with the same substrate fabric without soil. Initial methyl parathion contamination was not dependent on the soil level or fiber content of the fabric. Residues remaining after laundering were affected by soiling level. Pesticide residues were greater when the fabric had a heavy soil build-up even though the initial contamination had been lower. Based on these findings, protective apparel should be kept as clean as possible, with daily laundering, for the presence of soil residue affected decontamination of the fabrics

Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice

This study examines the distributional equity of urban tree canopy (UTC) cover for Baltimore, MD, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Raleigh, NC, Sacramento, CA, and Washington, D.C. using high spatial resolution land cover data and census data. Data are analyzed at the Census Block Group levels using Spearman\u27s correlation, ordinary least squares regression (OLS), and a spatial autoregressive model (SAR). Across all cities there is a strong positive correlation between UTC cover and median household income. Negative correlations between race and UTC cover exist in bivariate models for some cities, but they are generally not observed using multivariate regressions that include additional variables on income, education, and housing age. SAR models result in higher r-square values compared to the OLS models across all cities, suggesting that spatial autocorrelation is an important feature of our data. Similarities among cities can be found based on shared characteristics of climate, race/ethnicity, and size. Our findings suggest that a suite of variables, including income, contribute to the distribution of UTC cover. These findings can help target simultaneous strategies for UTC goals and environmental justice concerns

Democratization of ecosystem services—a radical approach for assessing nature’s benefits in the face of urbanization

OBJECTIVES : (1) To evaluate how ecosystem services may be utilized to either reinforce or fracture the planning and development practices that emerged from segregation and economic exclusion; (2) To survey the current state of ecosystem service assessments and synthesize a growing number of recommendations from the literature for renovating ecosystem service analyses. METHODS : Utilizing current maps of ecosystem service distribution in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, South Africa, we considered how a democratized process of assessing ecosystem services will produce a more nuanced representation of diverse values in society and capture heterogeneity in ecosystem structure and function. RESULTS : We propose interventions for assessing ecosystem services that are inclusive of a broad range of stakeholders’ values and result in actual quantification of social and ecological processes. We demonstrate how to operationalize a pluralistic framework for ecosystem service assessments. CONCLUSION : A democratized approach to ecosystem service assessments is a reimagined path to rescuing a poorly implemented concept and designing and managing future socialecological systems that benefit people and support ecosystem integrity. It is the responsibility of scientists who do ecosystem services research to embrace more complex, pluralistic frameworks so that sound and inclusive scientific information is utilized in decision-making.The National Science Foundation under Grant No. RCN 1140070.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tehs20am2019Educational Psycholog

The Earth BioGenome Project 2020: Starting the clock

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The Earth BioGenome Project 2020: Starting the clock.

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Lewin, H. A., Richards, S., Lieberman Aiden, E., Allende, M. L., Archibald, J. M., Bálint, M., Barker, K. B., Baumgartner, B., Belov, K., Bertorelle, G., Blaxter, Mark L., Cai, J., Caperello, N. D., Carlson, K., Castilla-Rubio, J. C., Chaw, S-M., Chen, L., Childers, A. K., Coddington, J. A., Conde, D. A., Corominas, M., Crandall, K. A., Crawford, A. J., DiPalma, F., Durbin, R., Ebenezer, T. E., Edwards, S. V., Fedrigo, O., Flicek, P., Formenti, G., Gibbs, R. A., Gilbert, M. Thomas P., Goldstein, M. M., Graves, J. M., Greely, H. T., Grigoriev, I. V., Hackett, K. J., Hall, N., Haussler, D., Helgen, K. M., Hogg, C. J., Isobe, S., Jakobsen, K. S., Janke, A., Jarvis, E. D., Johnson, W. E., Jones, S. J. M., Karlsson, E. K., Kersey, P. J., Kim, J-H., Kress, W. J., Kuraku, S., Lawniczak, M. K. N., Leebens-Mack, J. H., Li, X., Lindblad-Toh, K., Liu, X., Lopez, J. V., Marques-Bonet, T., Mazard, S., Mazet, J. A. K., Mazzoni, C. J., Myers, E. W., O’Neill, R. J., Paez, S., Park, H., Robinson, G. E., Roquet, C., Ryder, O. A., Sabir, J. S. M., Shaffer, H. B., Shank, T. M., Sherkow, J. S., Soltis, P. S., Tang, B., Tedersoo, L., Uliano-Silva, M., Wang, K., Wei, X., Wetzer, R., Wilson, J. L., Xu, X., Yang, H., Yoder, A. D., Zhang, G. The Earth BioGenome Project 2020: starting the clock. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(4), (2022): e2115635118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115635118.November 2020 marked 2 y since the launch of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which aims to sequence all known eukaryotic species in a 10-y timeframe. Since then, significant progress has been made across all aspects of the EBP roadmap, as outlined in the 2018 article describing the project’s goals, strategies, and challenges (1). The launch phase has ended and the clock has started on reaching the EBP’s major milestones. This Special Feature explores the many facets of the EBP, including a review of progress, a description of major scientific goals, exemplar projects, ethical legal and social issues, and applications of biodiversity genomics. In this Introduction, we summarize the current status of the EBP, held virtually October 5 to 9, 2020, including recent updates through February 2021. References to the nine Perspective articles included in this Special Feature are cited to guide the reader toward deeper understanding of the goals and challenges facing the EBP

Gene therapy in monogenic congenital myopathies

International audienceCurrent treatment options for patients with monogenetic congenital myopathies (MCM) ameliorate the symptoms of the disorder without resolving the underlying cause. However, gene therapies are being developed where the mutated or deficient gene target is replaced. Preclinical findings in animal models appear promising, as illustrated by gene replacement for X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) in canine and murine models. Prospective applications and approaches to gene replacement therapy, using these disorders as examples, are discussed in this review