Biochemical analysis of the flagellar hook-basal body complex in Bacillus subtilis

Thesis (B.S.) in Liberal Arts and Sciences -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71)Microfiche of typescript. [Urbana, Ill.]: Photographic Services, University of Illinois, U of I Library, [1991]. 2 microfiches (77 frames): negative.s 1991 ilu n

Paramyxovirus Glycoprotein Incorporation, Assembly and Budding: A Three Way Dance for Infectious Particle Production

Paramyxoviruses are a family of negative sense RNA viruses whose members cause serious diseases in humans, such as measles virus, mumps virus and respiratory syncytial virus; and in animals, such as Newcastle disease virus and rinderpest virus. Paramyxovirus particles form by assembly of the viral matrix protein, the ribonucleoprotein complex and the surface glycoproteins at the plasma membrane of infected cells and subsequent viral budding. Two major glycoproteins expressed on the viral envelope, the attachment protein and the fusion protein, promote attachment of the virus to host cells and subsequent virus-cell membrane fusion. Incorporation of the surface glycoproteins into infectious progeny particles requires coordinated interplay between the three viral structural components, driven primarily by the matrix protein. In this review, we discuss recent progress in understanding the contributions of the matrix protein and glycoproteins in driving paramyxovirus assembly and budding while focusing on the viral protein interactions underlying this process and the intracellular trafficking pathways for targeting viral components to assembly sites. Differences in the mechanisms of particle production among the different family members will be highlighted throughout

Complete haplotype phasing of the MHC and KIR loci with targeted HaploSeq

BackgroundThe MHC and KIR loci are clinically relevant regions of the genome. Typing the sequence of these loci has a wide range of applications including organ transplantation, drug discovery, pharmacogenomics and furthering fundamental research in immune genetics. Rapid advances in biochemical and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled several strategies for precise genotyping and phasing of candidate HLA alleles. Nonetheless, as typing of candidate HLA alleles alone reveals limited aspects of the genetics of MHC region, it is insufficient for the comprehensive utility of the aforementioned applications. For this reason, we believe phasing the entire MHC and KIR locus onto a single locus-spanning haplotype can be a critical improvement for better understanding transplantation biology.ResultsGenerating long-range (>1 Mb) phase information is traditionally very challenging. As proximity-ligation based methods of DNA sequencing preserves chromosome-span phase information, we have utilized this principle to demonstrate its utility towards generating full-length phasing of MHC and KIR loci in human samples. We accurately (~99%) reconstruct the complete haplotypes for over 90% of sequence variants (coding and non-coding) within these two loci that collectively span 4-megabases.ConclusionsBy haplotyping a majority of coding and non-coding alleles at the MHC and KIR loci in a single assay, this method has the potential to assist transplantation matching and facilitate investigation of the genetic basis of human immunity and disease

Subtle changes in chromatin loop contact propensity are associated with differential gene regulation and expression.

While genetic variation at chromatin loops is relevant for human disease, the relationships between contact propensity (the probability that loci at loops physically interact), genetics, and gene regulation are unclear. We quantitatively interrogate these relationships by comparing Hi-C and molecular phenotype data across cell types and haplotypes. While chromatin loops consistently form across different cell types, they have subtle quantitative differences in contact frequency that are associated with larger changes in gene expression and H3K27ac. For the vast majority of loci with quantitative differences in contact frequency across haplotypes, the changes in magnitude are smaller than those across cell types; however, the proportional relationships between contact propensity, gene expression, and H3K27ac are consistent. These findings suggest that subtle changes in contact propensity have a biologically meaningful role in gene regulation and could be a mechanism by which regulatory genetic variants in loop anchors mediate effects on expression

The Family-Environment Connection: Filling a Nationwide Program Gap

Since its inception, Extension has focused on helping individuals, families, and communities change economic, environmental, and social conditions. Over the organization\u27s history, environmental condition change programming has been mostly the purview of natural resource educators and less often conducted by family and consumer science professionals. There is no evidence of a comprehensive approach to environmental education in Extension linked to family development. In addition, no evidence was found of any Extension educators conducting environmental education with the family unit as the audience. The Family-Environment Connection initiative created by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach aims to fill this gap

Straight-Pore Microfilter with Efficient Regeneration

A novel, high-efficiency gas particulate filter has precise particle size screening, low pressure drop, and a simple and fast regeneration process. The regeneration process, which requires minimal material and energy consumption, can be completely automated, and the filtration performance can be restored within a very short period of time. This filter is of a novel material composite that contains the support structure and a novel coating

Le Vénérable W.

Documentaire de 1 h 47, le film met en scène un bouddhisme déviant, nationaliste et islamophobe du moine birman Ashin Wirathu, dit « Le Vénérable W ». Qu’il filme les actes (Général Idi Amin Dada : autoportrait, 1974), ou qu’il recueille patiemment les propos (L’Avocat de la terreur, 2007), le réalisateur – Barbet Schroeder – laisse son sujet se définir lui-même, à charge pour le spectateur d’en tirer les leçons éthiques ou politiques. Il clôt ici une trilogie du mal, donnant à voir des homme..

Mutations in the Transmembrane Domain and Cytoplasmic Tail of Hendra Virus Fusion Protein Disrupt Virus-Like-Particle Assembly

Hendra virus (HeV) is a zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes deadly illness in horses and humans. An intriguing feature of HeV is the utilization of endosomal protease for activation of the viral fusion protein (F). Here we investigated how endosomal F trafficking affects HeV assembly. We found that the HeV matrix (M) and F proteins each induced particle release when they were expressed alone but that their coexpression led to coordinated assembly of virus-like particles (VLPs) that were morphologically and physically distinct from M-only or F-only VLPs. Mutations to the F protein transmembrane domain or cytoplasmic tail that disrupted endocytic trafficking led to failure of F to function with M for VLP assembly. Wild-type F functioned normally for VLP assembly even when its cleavage was prevented with a cathepsin inhibitor, indicating that it is endocytic F trafficking that is important for VLP assembly, not proteolytic F cleavage. Under specific conditions of reduced M expression, we found that M could no longer induce significant VLP release but retained the ability to be incorporated as a passenger into F-driven VLPs, provided that the F protein was competent for endocytic trafficking. The F and M proteins were both found to traffic through Rab11-positive recycling endosomes (REs), suggesting a model in which F and M trafficking pathways converge at REs, enabling these proteins to preassemble before arriving at plasma membrane budding sites

Common DNA sequence variation influences 3-dimensional conformation of the human genome.

BACKGROUND:The 3-dimensional (3D) conformation of chromatin inside the nucleus is integral to a variety of nuclear processes including transcriptional regulation, DNA replication, and DNA damage repair. Aberrations in 3D chromatin conformation have been implicated in developmental abnormalities and cancer. Despite the importance of 3D chromatin conformation to cellular function and human health, little is known about how 3D chromatin conformation varies in the human population, or whether DNA sequence variation between individuals influences 3D chromatin conformation. RESULTS:To address these questions, we perform Hi-C on lymphoblastoid cell lines from 20 individuals. We identify thousands of regions across the genome where 3D chromatin conformation varies between individuals and find that this variation is often accompanied by variation in gene expression, histone modifications, and transcription factor binding. Moreover, we find that DNA sequence variation influences several features of 3D chromatin conformation including loop strength, contact insulation, contact directionality, and density of local cis contacts. We map hundreds of quantitative trait loci associated with 3D chromatin features and find evidence that some of these same variants are associated at modest levels with other molecular phenotypes as well as complex disease risk. CONCLUSION:Our results demonstrate that common DNA sequence variants can influence 3D chromatin conformation, pointing to a more pervasive role for 3D chromatin conformation in human phenotypic variation than previously recognized