The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component

Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children’s ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child’s cognitive abilities at age twelve

Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled more than 20 additional risk loci to be identified and have shown that multiple variants exerting modest individual effects have a key role in disease susceptibility. Most of the genetic architecture underlying susceptibility to the disease remains to be defined and is anticipated to require the analysis of sample sizes that are beyond the numbers currently available to individual research groups. In a collaborative GWAS involving 9,772 cases of European descent collected by 23 research groups working in 15 different countries, we have replicated almost all of the previously suggested associations and identified at least a further 29 novel susceptibility loci. Within the MHC we have refined the identity of the HLA-DRB1 risk alleles and confirmed that variation in the HLA-A gene underlies the independent protective effect attributable to the class I region. Immunologically relevant genes are significantly overrepresented among those mapping close to the identified loci and particularly implicate T-helper-cell differentiation in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

Beta Cell Hubs Dictate Pancreatic Islet Responses to Glucose

N.R.J. was supported by a Diabetes UK RW and JM Collins Studentship (12/0004601). J.B. was supported by a European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) Albert Renold Young Scientist Fellowship and a Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes PhD Studentship. D.T. was supported by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Commission (268795). G.A.R. was supported by Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator (WT098424AIA) and Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Awards, and by MRC Programme (MR/J0003042/1), Biological and Biotechnology Research Council (BB/J015873/1), and Diabetes UK Project (11/0004210) grants. G.A.R. and M.W. acknowledge COST Action TD1304 Zinc-Net. D.J.H. was supported by Diabetes UK R.D. Lawrence (12/0004431), EFSD/Novo Nordisk Rising Star and Birmingham Fellowships, a Wellcome Trust Institutional Support Award, and an MRC Project Grant (MR/N00275X/1) with G.A.R. D.J.H and G.A.R. were supported by Imperial Confidence in Concept (ICiC) Grants. J.F. was supported by an MRC Programme grant (MR/L02036X/1). L.P. provided human islets through collaboration with the Diabetes Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute (Milan), within the European islet distribution program for basic research supported by JDRF (1-RSC-2014-90-I-X). P.M. and M.B. were supported by the Innovative Medicine Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement no. 155005 (IMIDIA), resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies in kind contribution, and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (PRIN 2010-2012). D.B. and E.B. provided human islets through the European Consortium for Islet Transplantation sponsored by JDRF (1-RSC-2014-100-I-X)

Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes journaltitle: Cell articlelink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.046 content_type: article copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Cyclisation reactions of 2-substituted benzoylphosphonates with trialkyl phosphites via nucleophilic attack on a carbonyl-containing ortho substituent

Dimethyl 2-acetoxy- and dimethyl 2-benzoyloxy-benzoylphosphonate undergo cyclisation and deoxygenation in the presence of excess trimethyl phosphite to give dimethyl (3-methyl-1-benzofuran-2-yl)phosphonate and dimethyl (3-phenyl-1-benzofuran-2-yl)phosphonate, respectively. The reaction pathway has been shown to involve phosphite attack on initially formed tricyclic dioxaphospholane intermediates with the subsequent loss of two molecules of trimethyl phosphate. In the absence of additional trimethyl phosphite the initially formed tricyclic dioxaphospholane intermediates lose one molecule of trimethyl phosphate and then undergo a novel rearrangement to give β-ketophosphonates. The mechanism for this reaction helps explain some previously reported epoxide rearrangements. In contrast, the initially formed anionic intermediate from the reaction of dimethyl 2-benzoyloxymethylbenzoylphosphonate with trimethyl phosphite undergoes decomposition to give a carbene intermediate which is trapped by the trimethyl phosphite to give an ylidic phosphonate.Peer reviewe

Studies of the reactions of tripodal pyridine-containing ligands with Re(CO)5Br leading to rheniumtricarbonyl complexes with potential biomedical applications

The complexes formed from the reaction of N-acylated tris-(pyridin-2-yl)methylamine (LH) with [Re(CO)5Br] depend on the structure of the ligand and the reaction conditions. Thus, while N-[1,1,1-tris-(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]acetamide coordinates through the three pyridine nitrogens to give a stable cationic complex [LHRe(CO)3Br], the analogous N-benzoyl ligand reacts under similar conditions to give a neutral complex [LRe(CO)3] with coordination through two pyridine nitrogens and a deprotonated amide. To try to explain these different outcomes, the reactions of some structurally related N-acylated [1,1-bis(pyridin-2-yl)]methylamines (L[prime or minute]H) with [Re(CO)5Br] have been studied and the reaction pathways identified. These studies indicate that a neutral complex [L[prime or minute]HRe(CO)3Br] is initially formed in which the amide portion of the ligand is uncoordinated, but that this complex under appropriate conditions then rearranges to give a cationic complex [L[prime or minute]HRe(CO)3]Br in which the coordinated amide nitrogen either remains protonated or is present in its imidic acid tautomeric form. Elimination of HBr from these complexes either thermally or in the presence of base then gives stable neutral complexes [L[prime or minute]Re(CO)3]. The impact of the N-acyl group and any substituent at the apex of the tripodal ligands (L[prime or minute][prime or minute]H) on the relative stabilities of intermediate complexes on the reaction pathway helps provide an explanation for the observed difference in behaviour of the N-acylated tris(pyridin-2-yl)methylamines (LH).Peer reviewe

The impact of ligand structure on the rhenium tricarbonyl complexes from tripodal pyridine-containing chelators

Peer reviewe

A novel approach to isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones

A convenient route to isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones has been developed starting from the appropriate 2-(N-phthaloyl)benzoic acids. Formation of the acid chlorides with thionyl chloride followed by heating with triethyl phosphite in a suitable solvent resulted in a multistep reaction giving tetracyclic [small beta]-ketophosphonates that on reduction with sodium borohydride gave the required indolones in good overall yields. Analogous [small beta]-ketophosphonates were also prepared starting with N,N-(1,8-naphthaloyl)-2-aminobenzoic acid and 2-(2,5-dioxo-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)benzoic acids although of these only the naphthaloyl product could be reduced with sodium borohydride without cleaving the amide bond in the ring system.Peer reviewe