Intracellular curvature-generating proteins in cell-to-cell fusion

Cell-to-cell fusion plays an important role in normal physiology and in different pathological conditions. Early fusion stages mediated by specialized proteins and yielding fusion pores are followed by a pore expansion stage that is dependent on cell metabolism and yet unidentified machinery. Because of a similarity of membrane bending in the fusion pore rim and in highly curved intracellular membrane compartments, in the present study we explored whether changes in the activity of the proteins that generate these compartments affect cell fusion initiated by protein fusogens of influenza virus and baculovirus. We raised the intracellular concentration of curvature-generating proteins in cells by either expressing or microinjecting the ENTH (epsin N-terminal homology) domain of epsin or by expressing the GRAF1 (GTPase regulator associated with focal adhesion kinase 1) BAR (Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs) domain or the FCHo2 (FCH domain-only protein 2) F-BAR domain. Each of these treatments promoted syncytium formation. Cell fusion extents were also influenced by treatments targeting the function of another curvature-generating protein, dynamin. Cell-membrane-permeant inhibitors of dynamin GTPase blocked expansion of fusion pores and dominant-negative mutants of dynamin influenced the syncytium formation extents. We also report that syncytium formation is inhibited by reagents lowering the content and accessibility of PtdIns(4,5)P2, an important regulator of intracellular membrane remodelling. Our findings indicate that fusion pore expansion at late stages of cell-to-cell fusion is mediated, directly or indirectly, by intracellular membrane-shaping proteins

Getting high or getting low? the external effects of coffeeshops on house prices

Cannabis legalization is a hotly contested policy topic. While beneficial to some, cannabis dispensaries may create negative externalities for others. This paper studies the external effects of coffeeshops—Dutch cannabis sales facilities—on house prices. We employ a difference-in-difference framework around a change in regulation, leading to exogenous coffeeshop closings. We find that closings have a negative effect on house prices. Compared to homes nearby remaining coffeeshops, homes nearby closing coffeeshops decrease on average 1.6–8.5% in value. The findings are robust to a battery of tests and unaffected by the subsequent use of coffeeshop locations

Getting high or getting low? The external effects of coffeeshops on house prices

Cannabis legalization is a hotly contested policy topic. While beneficial to some, cannabis dispensaries may create negative externalities for others. This paper studies the external effects of coffeeshops – Dutch cannabis sales facilities – on house prices. We employ a difference-in-difference framework around a change in regulation, leading to exogenous coffeeshop closings. We find that closings have a negative effect on house prices. Compared to homes nearby remaining coffeeshops, homes nearby closing coffeeshops decrease on average 1.6 to 8.5 percent in value. The findings are robust to a battery of tests and unaffected by the subsequent use of coffeeshop locations

Clean electricity, dirty electricity: the effect on local house prices

Renewable energy production is one of the most important policy instruments to fight climate change. However, despite global benefits, renewable energy production entails some local challenges, such as requiring more space per unit production capacity. In this paper, we study the external effects of large-scale conventional and renewable electric power generation facilities on local house prices. We combine information of all coal, gas, and biomass plants, as well as all wind turbines in the Netherlands, with 1.5 million housing transactions over a period of 30 years. Using a difference-in-difference as well as a repeated sales model, we study the effects of facility openings and closings. Our results show negative external price effects for gas plants and wind turbines, but positive effects for biomass plants, conditionally upon ex-ante lower priced locations. The external effects of power generating facilities on local housing markets are important to consider, especially with the current focus of public policies on the expansion of renewable energy generation. Our paper is one of the first to present a large-scale study, using detailed information, and comparing several different energy sources in one framework