The control of lipid metabolism by mRNA splicing in Drosophila

The storage of lipids is an evolutionarily conserved process that is important for the survival of organisms during shifts in nutrient availability. Triglycerides are stored in lipid droplets, but the mechanisms of how lipids are stored in these structures are poorly understood. Previous in vitro RNAi screens have implicated several components of the spliceosome in controlling lipid droplet formation and storage, but the in vivo relevance of these phenotypes is unclear. In this study, we identify specific members of the splicing machinery that are necessary for normal triglyceride storage in the Drosophila fat body. Decreasing the expression of the splicing factors U1-70K, U2AF38, U2AF50 in the fat body resulted in decreased triglyceride levels. Interestingly, while decreasing the SR protein 9G8 in the larval fat body yielded a similar triglyceride phenotype, its knockdown in the adult fat body resulted in a substantial increase in lipid stores. This increase in fat storage is due in part to altered splicing of the gene for the beta-oxidation enzyme CPT1, producing an isoform with less enzymatic activity. Together, these data indicate a role for mRNA splicing in regulating lipid storage in Drosophila and provide a link between the regulation of gene expression and lipid homeostasis

Introduction to the Anti-Racism Virtual Issue of the Journal of Occupational Science

The anti-racism virtual issue of the Journal of Occupational Science (JOS) came about after the Editorial Board expressed its commitment to anti-racist work, publishing the position statement ‘A Pledge to Mobilize Against Racism’ (Stanley et al., 2020). In this statement, the Board promised to republish a collection of articles to call attention to racism and its impact on individuals’ doing and society. The intent is to stimulate critical reflection on the contribution occupational scientists can make to exposing and countering racism in everyday doing. As such, the anti-racism virtual issue helps meet a pressing need to recognize the power of occupation in shaping and reproducing social ideologies, attitudes, and behaviors. We, the authors, urge all occupational scientists to build on this knowledge and continue learning about racism to better understand and address how its different dimensions manifest through occupation and everyday life

Rethinking Design : A Dialogue on Anti-Racism and Art Activism from a Decolonial Perspective

This chapter focuses on feminist anti-racist activism from a decolonial perspective in the field of cultural production. The authors analyze racialized and racist representations in Finland, and propose interventions from a decolonial perspective. We propose a number of strategies in the field of representation to create non-stereotypical and demeaning racist images, in order to challenge and transform racialized representational practices. We analyze our experience of Finland through concepts such as the white savior complex, white fragility and racial illiteracy to grasp the specificity of the ways through which racism is given meaning and acted upon.Peer reviewe

A Racist Attack Managing Complex Relationships with Traumatised Service Users – a Psychodynamic Approach

Notions of whiteness, white supremacy and racial hatred such as the recent multiple racist murders by a white supremacist in New Zealand are at the forefront of public consciousness. How does whiteness and racism play out in a clinical and social welfare context? This article illustrates the impact of trauma on a vulnerable young white woman who although was not the direct target of a racist assault was left traumatized by witnessing it. It discusses how initially she sought refuge in a racist solution synonymous with a psychic retreat to her own detriment. Working with such complex, unconscious and bewildering dynamics are extremely challenging for clinicians. It describes the impact of these dynamics on a clinician of colour who attempted to work with this young woman in a child and adolescent mental health service after the family were referred as a consequence of her assaulting her child shortly after witnessing the racist attack. The unconscious responses to trauma and challenges for clinicians and clinician of colour in particular when working with racism in the consulting room are also discussed

The Central Clock Neurons Regulate Lipid Storage in Drosophila

A proper balance of lipid breakdown and synthesis is essential for achieving energy homeostasis as alterations in either of these processes can lead to pathological states such as obesity. The regulation of lipid metabolism is quite complex with multiple signals integrated to control overall triglyceride levels in metabolic tissues. Based upon studies demonstrating effects of the circadian clock on metabolism, we sought to determine if the central clock cells in the Drosophila brain contribute to lipid levels in the fat body, the main nutrient storage organ of the fly. Here, we show that altering the function of the Drosophila central clock neurons leads to an increase in fat body triglycerides. We also show that although triglyceride levels are not affected by age, they are increased by expression of the amyloid-beta protein in central clock neurons. The effect on lipid storage seems to be independent of circadian clock output as changes in triglycerides are not always observed in genetic manipulations that result in altered locomotor rhythms. These data demonstrate that the activity of the central clock neurons is necessary for proper lipid storage

National belonging post‐referendum: Britons living in other EU Member States respond to “Brexit”

Following the EU Referendum, this paper tracks how pro‐Remain British migrants living in other EU Member States expressed a sense of shame and dislocation in relation to their national identity. Developed from a survey of 909 British nationals living in other EU Member States, it hopes to make a timely intervention into wider debates about privileged migration, Britishness, citizenship and belonging. First, it outlines a new articulation of the “bad Britain” discourse among emigrants, who saw the UK as increasingly characterised by xenophobia and insularity. Second, it seeks to understand how their national identity and sense of belonging was being renegotiated post‐referendum through a lens attentive to the cultural politics of emotion and innocence as an operation of whiteness

Genetic Variants of Surfactant Proteins A, B, C, and D in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

BPD_28D (O2 dependency at 28 days of life) and BPD_36W (O2 dependency at 36 wks post-menstrual age) are diseases of prematurely born infants exposed to mechanical ventilation and/or oxygen supplementation. In order to determine whether genetic variants of surfactant proteins (SPs-A, B, C, and D) and SP-B-linked microsatellite markers are risk factors in BPD, we performed a family based association study using a Greek study group of 71 neonates (<30 wks gestational age) from 60 families with, 52 BPD_28D and 19 BPD_36W, affected infants. Genotyping was performed using newly designed pyrosequencing assays and previously published methods. Associations between genetic variants of SPs and BPD subgroups were determined using Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT) and Family Based Association Test (FBAT). Significant associations (p ≤ 0.01) were observed for alleles of SP-B and SP-B-linked microsatellite markers, and haplotypes of SP-A, SP-D, and SP-B. Specifically, allele B-18_C associated with susceptibility in BPD_36W. Microsatellite marker AAGG_6 associated with susceptibility in BPD_28D/36W group. Haplotype analysis revealed ten susceptibility and one protective haplotypes for SP-B and SP-B-linked microsatellite markers and two SP-A-SP-D protective haplotypes. The data indicate that SP loci are linked to BPD. Studies in different study groups and/or of larger sample size are warranted to confirm these observations and delineate genetic background of BPD subgroups

Immune response costs are associated with changes in resource acquisition and not resource reallocation

1. Evolutionary ecologists frequently argue that parasite defence is costly because resources must be reallocated from other life-history traits to fuel the immune response. However, this hypothesis is rarely explicitly tested. An alternative possibility is that immune responses impair an organism's ability to acquire the resources it needs to support metabolism. Here, we disentangle these opposing hypotheses for why the activation costs of parasite resistance arise. 2. We studied fecundity costs associated with immune stimulation in Drosophila melanogaster. Then, by measuring correlated changes in metabolic rate, food consumption and body weight, we assessed whether responses were consistent with immunity costs originating from altered resource allocation or from impaired resource acquisition. 3. Microbial injection resulted in a 45% fecundity decrease. It also triggered a mean decline in metabolic rate of 6% and a mean reduction in food intake of 31%; body weight was unaffected. Metabolic rate downregulation was greater in males than in females, whereas declines in food ingestion were of similar magnitude in both sexes. These physiological shifts did not depend on whether microbial challenges were alive or dead, thus they resulted from immune system activation not pathogenesis. 4. These costs of immune activation are significant for individuals that successfully resist infection and might also occur in other situations when immune responses are upregulated without infection. 5. Whilst we found significant activation costs of resistance, our data provide no compelling evidence for the popularly argued hypothesis that immune deployment is costly because of reallocation of energetic resources to the immune system. Instead, reduction in resource acquisition due to &lsquo;infection-induced anorexia' may be the principal driver of metabolic changes and fecundity costs resulting from immune response activation

Genetic Association of Pulmonary Surfactant Protein Genes, SFTPA1, SFTPA2, SFTPB, SFTPC, and SFTPD With Cystic Fibrosis

Surfactant proteins (SP) are involved in surfactant function and innate immunity in the human lung. Both lung function and innate immunity are altered in CF, and altered SP levels and genetic association are observed in Cystic Fibrosis (CF). We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the SP genes associate with CF or severity subgroups, either through single SNP or via SNP-SNP interactions between two SNPs of a given gene (intragenic) and/or between two genes (intergenic). We genotyped a total of 17 SP SNPs from 72 case-trio pedigree (SFTPA1 (5), SFTPA2 (4), SFTPB (4), SFTPC (2), and SFTPD (2)), and identified SP SNP associations by applying quantitative genetic principles. The results showed (a) Two SNPs, SFTPB rs7316 (p = 0.0083) and SFTPC rs1124 (p = 0.0154), each associated with CF. (b) Three intragenic SNP-SNP interactions, SFTPB (rs2077079, rs3024798), and SFTPA1 (rs1136451, rs1059057 and rs4253527), associated with CF. (c) A total of 34 intergenic SNP-SNP interactions among the 4 SP genes to be associated with CF. (d) No SNP-SNP interaction was observed between SFTPA1 or SFTPA2 and SFTPD. (e) Equal number of SNP-SNP interactions were observed between SFTPB and SFTPA1/SFTPA2 (n = 7) and SP-B and SFTPD (n = 7). (f) SFTPC exhibited significant SNP-SNP interactions with SFTPA1/SFTPA2 (n = 11), SFTPB (n = 4) and SFTPD (n = 3). (g) A single SFTPB SNP was associated with mild CF after Bonferroni correction, and several intergenic interactions that are associated (p &lt; 0.01) with either mild or moderate/severe CF were observed. These collectively indicate that complex SNP-SNP interactions of the SP genes may contribute to the pulmonary disease in CF patients. We speculate that SPs may serve as modifiers for the varied progression of pulmonary disease in CF and/or its severity