Mouse RAD54 affects DNA double-strand break repair and sister chromatid exchange

Cells can achieve error-free repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination through gene conversion with or without crossover. In contrast, an alternative homology-dependent DSB repair pathway, single-strand annealing (SSA), results in deletions. In this study, we analyzed the effect of mRAD54, a gene involved in homologous recombination, on the repair of a site-specific I-SceI-induced DSB located in a repeated DNA sequence in the genome of mouse embryonic stem cells. We used six isogenic cell lines differing solely in the orientation of the repeats. The combination of the three recombination-test substrates used discriminated among SSA, intrachromatid gene conversion, and sister chromatid gene conversion. DSB repair was most efficient for the substrate that allowed recovery of SSA events. Gene conversion with crossover, indistinguishable from long tract gene conversion, preferentially involved the sister chromatid rather than the repeat on the same chromatid. Comparing DSB repair in mRAD54 wild-type and knockout cells revealed direct evidence for a role of mRAD54 in DSB repair. The substrate measuring SSA showed an increased efficiency of DSB repair in the absence of mRAD54. The substrate measuring sister chromatid gene conversion showed a decrease in gene conversion with and without crossover. Consistent with this observation, DNA damage-induced sister chromatid exchange was reduced in mRAD54-deficient cells. Our results suggest that mRAD54 promotes gene conversion with predominant use of the sister chromatid as the repair template at the expense of error-prone SSA

Strongly phosphorescent transition metal π complexes of boron-boron triple bonds

Herein are reported the first π complexes of compounds with boron-boron triple bonds to transition metals, in this case CuI. Three different compounds were isolated that differ in the number of copper atoms bound to the BB unit. Metallation of the B-B triple bonds causes significant lengthening of the B-B and B-CNHC bonds, as well as large upfield shifts of the 11B NMR signals, suggesting greater orbital interactions between the boron and transition metal atoms than those observed with recently published diboryne / alkali metal cation complexes. In contrast to previously-reported fluorescent copper(I) π complexes of boron-boron double bonds, the Cun-π-diboryne compounds (n = 2, 3) show intense phosphorescence in the red to near-IR region from their triplet excited states, according to their microsecond lifetimes, with quantum yields of up to 58%. The bonding situation, as well as the unusual photophysical properties, has been further corroborated by DFT studies

Clinical characterization of 66 patients with congenital retinal disease due to the deep-intronic c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290

Purpose: To describe the phenotypic spectrum of retinal disease caused by the c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290 and to compare disease severity between homozygous and compound heterozygous patients. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), age of onset, fundoscopy descriptions. Foveal outer nuclear layer (ONL) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) presence was assessed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Differences between compound heterozygous and homozygous patients were analyzed based on visual performance and visual development. Results: A total of 66 patients were included. The majority of patients had either light perception or no light perception. In the remaining group of 14 patients, median BCVA was 20/195 Snellen (0.99 LogMAR; range 0.12-1.90) for the right eye, and 20/148 Snellen (0.87 LogMAR; range 0.22-1.90) for the left. Homozygous patients tended to be more likely to develop light perception compared to more severely affected compound heterozygous patients (P = 0.080) and are more likely to improve from no light perception to light perception (P = 0.022) before the age of 6 years. OCT data were available in 12 patients, 11 of whom had retained foveal ONL and EZ integrity up to 48 years (median 23 years) of age. Conclusions: Homozygous patients seem less severely affected compared to their compound-heterozygous peers. Improvement of visual function may occur in the early years of life, suggesting a time window for therapeutic intervention up to the approximate age of 17 years. This period may be extended by an intact foveal ONL and EZ on OCT

A Pilot Study of Behavioral, Physiological, and Subjective Responses to Varying Mental Effort Requirements in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is presumed to involve mental effort application difficulties. To test this assumption, we manipulated task difficulty and measured behavioral, as well as subjective and psychophysiological indices of effort.Methods: Fifteen adolescent ADHD boys and 16 controls performed two tasks. First, subjective estimates and behavioral and pupillary measures of effort were recorded across five levels of N-back task difficulties. Second, effort discounting was assessed. In the latter, participants made repeated choices between performing a difficult N-back task for a high reward versus an easier N-back task for a smaller reward.Results: Increasing task difficulty led to similar deteriorations in performance for both groups – although ADHD participants performed more poorly at all difficulty levels than controls. While ADHD and control participants rated the tasks equally difficult and discounted effort similarly, those with ADHD displayed slightly different pupil dilation patterns with increasing task difficulty.Conclusion: The behavioral results did not provide evidence for mental effort problems in adolescent boys with ADHD. The subtle physiological effects, however, suggest that adolescents with ADHD may allocate effort in a different way than controls

Protein Phosphatase 2A Mediates Dormancy of Glioblastoma Multiforme-Derived Tumor Stem-Like Cells during Hypoxia

The hypoxic microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is thought to increase resistance to cancer therapies. Recent evidence suggests that hypoxia induces protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a regulator of cell cycle and cell death. The effects of PP2A on GBM tumor cell proliferation and survival during hypoxic conditions have not been studied.Expression of PP2A subunits and HIF-α proteins was measured in 65 high-grade astrocytoma and 18 non-neoplastic surgical brain specimens by western blotting. PP2A activity was measured by an immunoprecipitation assay. For in vitro experiments, GBM-derived tumor stem cell-like cells (TSCs) were exposed to severe hypoxia produced by either CoCl₂ or 1% O₂. PP2A activity was inhibited either by okadaic acid or by shRNA depletion of the PP2A C subunit. Effects of PP2A activity on cell cycle progression and cell survival during hypoxic conditions were assessed using flow cytometry.In our patient cohort, PP2A activity was positively correlated with HIF-1∝ protein expression (P = 0.002). Patients with PP2A activity levels above 160 pMP had significantly worse survival compared to patients with levels below this threshold (P = 0.002). PP2A activity was an independent predictor of survival on multivariable analysis (P = 0.009). In our in vitro experiments, we confirmed that severe hypoxia induces PP2A activity in TSCs 6 hours after onset of exposure. PP2A activity mediated G1/S phase growth inhibition and reduced cellular ATP consumption in hypoxic TSCs. Conversely, inhibition of PP2A activity led to increased cell proliferation, exhaustion of intracellular ATP, and accelerated P53-independent cell death of hypoxic TSCs.Our results suggest that PP2A activity predicts poor survival in GBM. PP2A appears to reduce the metabolic demand of hypoxic TSCs and enhances tumor cell survival. Modulation of PP2A may be a potential target for cancer therapy

Clinical characterization of 66 patients with congenital retinal disease due to the deep-intronic c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290

PURPOSE. To describe the phenotypic spectrum of retinal disease caused by the c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290 and to compare disease severity between homozygous and compound heterozygous patients. METHODS. Medical records were reviewed for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), age of onset, fundoscopy descriptions. Foveal outer nuclear layer (ONL) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) presence was assessed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Differences between compound heterozygous and homozygous patients were analyzed based on visual performance and visual development. RESULTS. A total of 66 patients were included. The majority of patients had either light perception or no light perception. In the remaining group of 14 patients, median BCVA was 20/195 Snellen (0.99 LogMAR; range 0.12–1.90) for the right eye, and 20/148 Snellen (0.87 LogMAR; range 0.22–1.90) for the left. Homozygous patients tended to be more likely to develop light perception compared to more severely affected compound heterozygous patients (P = 0.080) and are more likely to improve from no light perception to light perception (P = 0.022) before the age of 6 years. OCT data were available in 12 patients, 11 of whom had retained foveal ONL and EZ integrity up to 48 years (median 23 years) of age. CONCLUSIONS. Homozygous patients seem less severely affected compared to their compound-heterozygous peers. Improvement of visual function may occur in the early years of life, suggesting a time window for therapeutic intervention up to the approximate age of 17 years. This period may be extended by an intact foveal ONL and EZ on OCT

Ansa-halfsandwich complexes of piano stool transition metal complexes and alkyne-type compounds of boron - synthesis and reactivity studies

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit konnten im Ersten Teil durch Anwendung verschiedener Synthesestrategien neuartige ansa-Halbsandwichkomplexe der sechsten, achten und zehnten Gruppe der Übergangsmetalle synthetisiert und umfassend charakterisiert werden. Die dargestellten Verbindungen wurden in Reaktivitätsstudien auf ihr Verhalten gegenüber Chalkogenen, sowie gegenüber niedervalenten späten Übergangsmetallkomplexen untersucht. Weiterhin wurden die erhalten Komplexe auf ihrer Eignung als mögliche Vorstufen für metallhaltige Polymere hin untersucht. Dabei wurden verschiedene Polymerisationsmethoden wie thermische, katalytische oder anionische induzierte Ringöffnungsreaktion eingesetzt und die erhaltenen Polymere mit Hilfe der Gelpermeations-Chromatographie auf ihr Molekulargewicht bzw. auf ihre Polydisperisität hin untersucht. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit konnten verschiedene neuartige Basenaddukte von Tetrabromdiboran(4) dargestellt und charakterisiert werden. Durch schrittweise Reduktion gelang die Synthese basenstabilisierter neutraler Diborene auf einer bisher unbekannten Syntheseroute. Durch die erschöpfende Reduktion von [B2Br4(IDip)2] konnte erstmals ein basenstabilisiertes Diborin außerhalb einer inerten Edelgasmatrix isoliert und charakterisiert werden. Zum Verständnis der Bindungssituation sowie der Konstitution in Lösung und Festkörper wurden umfangreiche physikochemische und theoretische Studien angefertigt. Die erhaltenen Daten belegen die Synthese von [B2(IDip)2] mit einer Bindungsordnung von drei entlang der zentralen B2-Einheit. Es wurden umfangreiche Reaktivitätsstudien gegenüber verschiedenen Substraten durchgeführt. Die Umsetzung von [B2(IDip)2] mit CO lieferte ein basenstabilisiertes Bis-boralacton, bei dessen Bildung eine gänzlich unbekannte CO-Verknüpfungsreaktion auftritt, welche für Hauptgruppenelementverbindungen bisher nicht beobachtet werden konnte. Im Zuge mechanistischer Studien gelang der Nachweis eines Reaktionsintermediates. Weiterhin zeigt das Diborin [B2(IDip)2] (140) eine interessante Koordinationschemie gegenüber Kupfer(I)-Verbindungen. Dabei gelang die Darstellung von tri- und dinuklearen Kupfer(I)-Komplexen von [B2(IDip)2]. Diese wurden durch multinukleare NMR-Spektroskopie sowie mit Hilfe der Röntgenstrukturanalyse umfassend charakterisiert.Within the scope of this work, novel base adducts of phospanes and NHC ligands with tetrabromodiborane(4) were synthesized and fully characterized. Subsequent two electron-reduction of the latter yields novel base stabilized diborenes. Full reduction of [B2Br4(IDip)2] with four equivalents of sodium naphthalenide, yielded the diboryne [B2(IDip)2] which is the first example of a triply-bound B2 unit stable at ambient temperature. Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterizations confirmed that the latter is a halide-free linear system containing a boron-boron triple bond. In the course of reactivity studies of the diboryne towards various substrates a novel coupling reaction between [B2(IDip)2] and 4 CO-molecules was be observed, leading to a base-stabilized bis(bora)lactone which was isolated and fully characterized. Furthermore, an intermediat of the reaction pathway incorporating a single CO-molecule was isolated and characterized by X-ray diffraction and multinuclear NMR. Reactions with coinage-metal precusors lead to di and trinuclear coordination compounds. The geometry of both complexes were investigated by X-ray diffraction and multinuclear NMR. The bonding situation was studied by DFT-calculations. ..