Insights into the Function of the FATC Domain of Saccharomyces Cervisiae TRA1 via Mutation and Suppressor Analysis

The regulation of transcription is an important cellular function because it is the first step in gene regulation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two protein complexes, SAGA and NuA4, act as regulators of transcription. A common protein shared between these two complexes, called Tra1, regulates transcriptional activation through its interaction with gene specific transcriptional activators. Tra1 is a member of the PIKK family of proteins, which are characterized by FAT, PI3K and FATC domains. The FATC domain encompasses the terminal 33-35 residues of the protein. Two mutations within the FATC domain, tra1-L3733A and tra1-F3744A, result in slow growth under stress conditions. Partially dominant mutations in the gene encoding Tti2, a 421 residues component of the TTT chaperone complex, suppress these phenotypes. My goal was to further characterize the role of the FATC domain of Tra1 by determining which residues are important for function, and characterize how these relate to the TRA1-TTI2 interaction. I created alleles of tra1 which convert the terminal residue to serine (tra1-F3744S) or arginine (tra1-F3744R), an allele with the two terminal residues inverted (tra1-WF-FW), and alleles which resulted in deletions of one or two residues (tra1-Δ1and tra1-Δ2). tra1-WF-FW supported cell viability, whereas tra1-F3744S supported cell viability in the presence of the tti2-F328S suppressor. Slow growth at 37°C resulting from Tra1-WF-FW was also suppressed by tti2. Tra1-F3744S grew slowly at 37°C and on 6% ethanol in the presence of the suppressor. tra1-F3744R, tra1-Δ1, and tra1-Δ2 would not support viability in the presence or absence of the suppressor. To better understand the structure and function of Tti2, truncation mutations were created to identify essential regions of Tti2. These truncation mutations were assessed by analyzing cell viability, protein expression levels, and interaction with Tti1 and Tel2, two other members of the TTT complex. Only Tti2-53-421 (containing residues 53-421) supported viability and retained its ability to interact with Tel2 and Tti1 at near wildtype levels. Tti2-53-238 and Tti2-1-238 interact with Tel2 but do not support viability. All of the other mutations did not support viability and showed minimal binding affinity to Tti1 and Tel2. A terminal mutation of another PIKK family member, Mec1 (mec1-W2368A) also results in slow growth at 37°C. Interestingly, the tti2-F328S suppressor does not suppress the mec1-W2368A phenotype. Using bioinformatics approaches, I identified rpn3-L140P, encoding a component of the proteasomal cap, as a suppressor of mec1-W2368A

Groupements d'élevage autochtones dans le Pacifique Sud : trois études de cas : Nouvelle-Zélande, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Papouasie-Nouvelle Guinée

De nombreux pays du Pacifique Sud ont connu durant les dernières décennies un développement rapide de l'élevage bovin dont l'une des formes les plus répandues devient le groupement d'élevage. En comparant les groupements d'élevage autochtones dans trois pays de la région aux situations fortement contrastées, la présente étude met en relief un certain nombre de convergences. Les groupements d'élevage autochtones correspondent ainsi moins à une reconduction culturelle de modèles d'organisation précoloniale qu'à une situation marquée par l'accroissement de la pression foncière, l'intervention de l'Etat en secteur rural, ainsi que par l'émergence et la consolidation de différentes catégories sociales. Des catégories sociales extérieures à la production agricole sont notamment aptes à jouer un rôle important dans la formation des groupements. Les divergences entre les trois pays relèvent par contre de l'importance économique de ceux-ci et de la place qu'ils occupent au sein de l'économie mondiale. Mais elles relèvent plus particulièrement d'une histoire propre où les équilibres politiques et démographiques entre les populations autochtones et les populations européennnes amenées par la colonisation sont centraux. (Résumé d'auteur

eHealth in Antarctica: a model ready to be transferred to every-day life

Antarctic expeditions are an important testing area for technology and procedures, such as telemedicine, with analogies for space and other extreme, isolated and remote environments. Telemedicine has also implications in reducing risks and costs related to accidents and health-care in general in Antarctica. During the last 14 years, since the very beginning of Italian Antarctic activities, we have tested many different technological solutions, and set up a link between one of the largest Italian hospitals, San Camillo in Rome, and the principal Italian Antarctic Base at Terra Nova Bay. In this paper, we discuss the road we have travelled in a field with many fast technological changes, and reflect on procedures and protocols. Once we had Health, today we have eHealth.(Int J Circumpolar Health 2004; 63(4):436-442)Keywords: Antarctic, maritime satellites, telemedicin

Search for Neutron Flux Generation in a Plasma Discharge Electrolytic Cell

Following some recent unexpected hints of neutron production in setups like high-voltage atmospheric discharges and plasma discharges in electrolytic cells, we present a measurement of the neutron flux in a configuration similar to the latter. We use two different types of neutron detectors, poly-allyl-diglicol-carbonate (PADC, aka CR-39) tracers and Indium disks. At 95% C.L. we provide an upper limit of 1.5 neutrons cm^-2 s^-1 for the thermal neutron flux at ~5 cm from the center of the cell. Allowing for a higher energy neutron component the largest allowed flux is 64 neutrons cm^-2 s^-1. This upper limit is two orders of magnitude smaller than what previously claimed in an electrolytic cell plasma discharge experiment. Furthermore the behavior of the CR-39 is discussed to point our possible sources of spurious signals.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Role of beam propagation in Goos-H\"{a}nchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts

We derive the polarization-dependent displacements parallel and perpendicular to the plane of incidence, for a Gaussian light beam reflected from a planar interface, taking into account the propagation of the beam. Using a classical-optics formalism we show that beam propagation may greatly affect both Goos-H\"{a}nchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts when the incident beam is focussed.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Opt. Let

Quality of Life and psychopathology in adults who underwent Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) in childhood: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Background: Patients who undergo pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) may experience long-term psychological sequelae and poor Quality of Life (QoL) in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate subjective illness experience, QoL, and psychopathology in young adults who have survived pediatric HSCT. Method: The study involved patients treated with HSCT in the Hematology-Oncology Department between 1984 and 2007. Psychopathology and QoL were investigated using the SCL-90-R and SF-36. Socio-demographic and medical information was also collected. Finally, participants were asked to write a brief composition about their experiences of illness and care. Qualitative analysis of the texts was performed using T-LAB, an instrument for text analysis that allows the user to highlight the occurrences and co-occurrences of lemma. Quantitative analyses were performed using non-parametric tests (Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests). Results: Twenty-one patients (9 males) participated in the study. No significant distress was found on the SCL-90 Global Severity Index, but it was found on specific scales. On the SF-36, lower scores were reported on scales referring to bodily pain, general health, and physical and social functioning. All the measures were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with specific socio-demographic and medical variables (gender, type of pathology, type of HSCT, time elapsed between communication of the need to transplant and effective transplantation, and days of hospitalization). With regard to the narrative analyses, males focused on expressions related to the body and medical therapies, while females focused on people they met during treatment, family members, and donors. Low general health and treatment with autologous HSCT were associated with memories about chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and the body parts involved, while high general health was associated with expressions focused on gratitude (V-Test \ub1 1.96). Conclusion: Pediatric HSCT survivors are more likely to experience psychological distress and low QoL in adulthood compared with the general population. These aspects, along with survivors' subjective illness experience, show differences according to specific medical and socio-demographic variables. Studies are needed in order to improve the care and long-term follow-up of these families

The developmental pathways of preschool children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: communicative and social sequelae one year after treatment

Early childhood is considered to be a period of rapid development, with the acquisition of abilities predicting future positive school competences. Motor, cognitive, and social diculties related to cancer therapies heavily impact the development of children with cancer. This study focused on two main aims: To assess the developmental pathways of preschool children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia one year post-treatment and to compare these abilities both with those of a control group of healthy peers and with Italian norms. Forty-four children and their families, recruited through the Hematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Child andWoman Health (University of Padua), agreed to participate in this study. The children\u2019s mean age was 4.52 years (SD = 0.94, range = 2.5\u20136 years), equally distributed by gender, all diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Matched healthy peers were recruited through pediatricians\u2019 ambulatories. Each family was interviewed adopting the Vineland adaptive behavior scales. Paired sampleWilcoxon tests revealed that children were reported to have significantly more developmental diculties than their healthy peers. When compared with Italian norms, they scored particularly low in verbal competence, social, and coping skills. No significant association was found between treatment variables and developmental abilities. These findings suggest that the creation of specialized interventions, both for parents and children, may fill the possible delays in children\u2019s development probably due to stress, lack of adequate stimulation, or dicult adaptation