Human Embodiment and Christian Worship: God\u27s Revelation Through the Human Body in Scripture, Theology, and Liturgy

This research will demonstrate that bodily existence is essential to human nature and that Christian worship practices must go hand-in-hand with a sound understanding of human embodiment in order to be faithful to the essence of Christianity. The following thesis demonstrates that the biblical understanding is that humanity was created as a body enlivened by the breath of God and intended to be the sacred sanctuary where God’s presence will dwell. In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God’s goal to make humanity the sanctuary for his presence is fulfilled. Jesus Christ is the image of God, who redeems and represents all humanity regardless of age, class, race, or gender. All humanity finds their ultimate destiny in union with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, by which those who believe are transformed into God’s dwelling place. The human body is where God is most directly present in creation, and thus must be accounted for in all reflections on worship and the Christian life. Ritual practices are proven to form human beliefs and behaviors in critical ways, requiring that liturgical rituals be carefully formed to faithfully shape Christians into God’s sanctuary. All ethnicities, classes, and genders are invited into the Church, and the liturgy must especially recognize the gendered experience that all people have of God, necessitating the representation of both women and men as leaders within the Church. Sacred architecture must be structured and organized to nurture and orient people towards an embodied engagement with God. If the sanctuary God is building in the Church is to be truly faithful, the essentially embodied existence of humanity must be unequivocally affirmed and guide Christian doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual practices

Human Embodiment and Christian Worship: God\u27s Revelation Through the Human Body ih Scripture, Theology, and Liturgy

This research will demonstrate that bodily existence is essential to human nature and that Christian worship practices must go hand-in-hand with a sound understanding of human embodiment in order to be faithful to the essence of Christianity. The following thesis demonstrates that the biblical understanding is that humanity was created as a body enlivened by the breath of God and intended to be the sacred sanctuary where God’s presence will dwell. In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God’s goal to make humanity the sanctuary for his presence is fulfilled. Jesus Christ is the image of God, who redeems and represents all humanity regardless of age, class, race, or gender. All humanity finds their ultimate destiny in union with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, by which those who believe are transformed into God’s dwelling place. The human body is where God is most directly present in creation, and thus must be accounted for in all reflections on worship and the Christian life. Ritual practices are proven to form human beliefs and behaviors in critical ways, requiring that liturgical rituals be carefully formed to faithfully shape Christians into God’s sanctuary. All ethnicities, classes, and genders are invited into the Church, and the liturgy must especially recognize the gendered experience that all people have of God, necessitating the representation of both women and men as leaders within the Church. Sacred architecture must be structured and organized to nurture and orient people towards an embodied engagement with God. If the sanctuary God is building in the Church is to be truly faithful, the essentially embodied existence of humanity must be unequivocally affirmed and guide Christian doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual practices

Structural dissection of a complex Bacteroides ovatus gene locus conferring xyloglucan metabolism in the human gut

The human gastrointestinal tract harbours myriad bacterial species, collectively termed the microbiota, that strongly influence human health. Symbiotic members of our microbiota play a pivotal role in the digestion of complex carbohydrates that are otherwise recalcitrant to assimilation. Indeed, the intrinsic human polysaccharide-degrading enzyme repertoire is limited to various starch-based substrates; more complex polysaccharides demand microbial degradation. Select Bacteroidetes are responsible for the degradation of the ubiquitous vegetable xyloglucans (XyGs), through the concerted action of cohorts of enzymes and glycan-binding proteins encoded by specific xyloglucan utilization loci (XyGULs). Extending recent (meta) genomic, transcriptomic and biochemical analyses, significant questions remain regarding the structural biology of the molecular machinery required for XyG saccharification. Here, we reveal the three-dimensional structures of an α-xylosidase, a β-glucosidase, and two α-L-arabinofuranosidases from the Bacteroides ovatus XyGUL. Aided by bespoke ligand synthesis, our analyses highlight key adaptations in these enzymes that confer individual specificity for xyloglucan side chains and dictate concerted, stepwise disassembly of xyloglucan oligosaccharides. In harness with our recent structural characterization of the vanguard endo-xyloglucanse and cell-surface glycan-binding proteins, the present analysis provides a near-complete structural view of xyloglucan recognition and catalysis by XyGUL proteins

Structure and activity of the Streptococcus pyogenes family GH1 6-phospho β-glycosidase, Spy1599

The group A streptococcus Streptococcus pyogenes is the causative agent of a wide spectrum of invasive infections, including necrotizing fasciitis, scarlet fever and toxic shock syndrome. In the context of its carbohydrate chemistry, it is interesting that S. pyogenes (in this work strain M1 GAS SF370) displays a spectrum of oligosaccharide-processing enzymes that are located in close proximity on the genome but that the in vivo function of these proteins remains unknown. These proteins include different sugar transporters (SPy1593 and SPy1595), both GH125 -1,6- and GH38 -1,3-mannosidases (SPy1603 and SPy1604), a GH84 -hexosaminidase (SPy1600) and a putative GH2 -galactosidase (SPy1586), as well as SPy1599, a family GH1 `putative -glucosidase'. Here, the solution of the three-dimensional structure of SPy1599 in a number of crystal forms complicated by unusual crystallographic twinning is reported. The structure is a classical (/)8-barrel, consistent with CAZy family GH1 and other members of the GH-A clan. SPy1599 has been annotated in sequence depositions as a -glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21), but no such activity could be found; instead, three-dimensional structural overlaps with other enzymes of known function suggested that SPy1599 contains a phosphate-binding pocket in the active site and has possible 6-phospho--glycosidase activity. Subsequent kinetic analysis indeed showed that SPy1599 has 6-phospho--glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.86) activity. These data suggest that SPy1599 is involved in the intracellular degradation of 6-phosphoglycosides, which are likely to originate from import through one of the organism's many phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransfer systems (PEP-PTSs)

Characteristics of chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents attending a rheumatology outpatients clinic: a cross-sectional study

Background: Chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain (CNSMSP) may develop in childhood and adolescence, leading to disability and reduced quality of life that continues into adulthood. The purpose of the study was to build a biopsychosocial profile of children and adolescents with CNSMSP. Methods: CNSMSP subjects (n = 30, 18 females, age 7-18) were compared with age matched pain free controls across a number of biopsychosocial domains. Results: In the psychosocial domain CNSMSP subjects had increased levels of anxiety and depression, and had more somatic pain complaints. In the lifestyle domain CNSMSP subjects had lower physical activity levels, but no difference in television or computer use compared to pain free subjects. Physically, CNSMSP subjects tended to sit with a more slumped spinal posture, had reduced back muscle endurance, increased presence of joint hypermobility and poorer gross motor skills. Conclusion: These findings support the notion that CNSMSP is a multidimensional biopsychosocial disorder. Further research is needed to increase understanding of how the psychosocial, lifestyle and physical factors develop and interact in CNSMSP

Hit-and-run epigenetic editing prevents senescence entry in primary breast cells from healthy donors

Aberrant promoter DNA hypermethylation is a hallmark of cancer; however, whether this is sufficient to drive cellular transformation is not clear. To investigate this question, we use a CRISPR-dCas9 epigenetic editing tool, where an inactive form of Cas9 is fused to DNA methyltransferase effectors. Using this system, here we show simultaneous de novo DNA methylation of genes commonly methylated in cancer, CDKN2A, RASSF1, HIC1 and PTEN in primary breast cells isolated from healthy human breast tissue. We find that promoter methylation is maintained in this system, even in the absence of the fusion construct, and this prevents cells from engaging senescence arrest. Our data show that the key driver of this phenotype is repression of CDKN2A transcript p16 where myoepithelial cells harbour cancer-like gene expression but do not exhibit anchorage-independent growth. This work demonstrates that hit-and-run epigenetic events can prevent senescence entry, which may facilitate tumour initiation