Genetic Influences on Educational Achievement in Cross-National Perspective

There is a growing interest in how social conditions moderate genetic influences on education [gene–environment interactions (GxE)]. Previous research has focused on the family, specifically parents’ social background, and has neglected the institutional environment. To assess the impact of macro-level influences, we compare genetic influences on educational achievement and their social stratification across Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. We combine well-established GxE-conceptualizations with the comparative stratification literature and propose that educational systems and welfare-state regimes affect the realization of genetic potential. We analyse population-representative survey data on twins (Germany and the United States) and twin registers (Norway and Sweden), and estimate genetically sensitive variance decomposition models. Our comparative design yields three main findings. First, Germany stands out with comparatively weak genetic influences on educational achievement suggesting that early tracking limits the realization thereof. Second, in the United States genetic influences are comparatively strong and similar in size compared to the Nordic countries. Third, in Sweden genetic influences are stronger among disadvantaged families supporting the expectation that challenging and uncertain circumstances promote genetic expression. This ideosyncratic finding must be related to features of Swedish social institutions or welfare-state arrangements that are not found in otherwise similar countries

A Systems Biology Approach Reveals the Role of a Novel Methyltransferase in Response to Chemical Stress and Lipid Homeostasis

Using small molecule probes to understand gene function is an attractive approach that allows functional characterization of genes that are dispensable in standard laboratory conditions and provides insight into the mode of action of these compounds. Using chemogenomic assays we previously identified yeast Crg1, an uncharacterized SAM-dependent methyltransferase, as a novel interactor of the protein phosphatase inhibitor cantharidin. In this study we used a combinatorial approach that exploits contemporary high-throughput techniques available in Saccharomyces cerevisiae combined with rigorous biological follow-up to characterize the interaction of Crg1 with cantharidin. Biochemical analysis of this enzyme followed by a systematic analysis of the interactome and lipidome of CRG1 mutants revealed that Crg1, a stress-responsive SAM-dependent methyltransferase, methylates cantharidin in vitro. Chemogenomic assays uncovered that lipid-related processes are essential for cantharidin resistance in cells sensitized by deletion of the CRG1 gene. Lipidome-wide analysis of mutants further showed that cantharidin induces alterations in glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid abundance in a Crg1-dependent manner. We propose that Crg1 is a small molecule methyltransferase important for maintaining lipid homeostasis in response to drug perturbation. This approach demonstrates the value of combining chemical genomics with other systems-based methods for characterizing proteins and elucidating previously unknown mechanisms of action of small molecule inhibitors

Increased behavioural and histological variability arising from changes in cerebrovascular anatomy of the Mongolian gerbil

The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) in the Mongolian gerbil has been used as a simple and highly reproducible model of forebrain ischemia due to an incomplete circle of Willis. However, increased behavioral and histological variability to a typical 5 min period of ischemia in this modelled us to conclude that the vasculature was changing. To test this hypothesis I compared gerbils from two Canadian suppliers. Gerbils from Charles River (CR) exhibited a greater incidence of complete or partial circle of Willis compared to their High Oak (HO) counterparts. This altered vasculature pattern in the CR versus HO gerbils was associated with reductions in behavioral activation that characteristically accompany conditions of milder ischemia resulting in less severe hippocampal CA1 cell loss (e.g. ~70% CA1 cell loss vs. 95% CA1 loss). -- Gerbils from CR, the main supplier in North America, no longer represent a reliable model for use in forebrain ischemia studies. Gerbils from HO while superior to those from HO are also more variable in their response to BCCAO than those used as recently as 5 years ago. Thus the gerbil model of forebrain ischemia, at least using CR animals, no longer produces consistent injury and behavioral alterations. Investigators are urged to consider adopting other models in future neuroprotection studies or ensure that their gerbil population lacks communicating arteries

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Universal family background effects on education across and within societies

The extent to which siblings resemble each other measures the total impact of family background in shaping life outcomes. We study sibling similarity in cognitive skills, school grades, and educational attainment in Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We also compare sibling similarity by parental education and occupation within these societies. The comparison of sibling correlations across and within societies allows us to characterize the omnibus impact of family background on education across social landscapes. We find similar levels of sibling similarity across social groups. Across countries, we find only small differences. In addition, rankings of countries in sibling resemblance differ across the three educational outcomes we study. We conclude that sibling similarity is largely similar across advanced, industrialized countries and across social groups within societies contrary to theories that suggest large cross-national differences and variation of educational mobility across social groups within societies