4 research outputs found
A synthesis of the echinoderm fauna of the Maltese Islands
A review of existing literature records of echinoderms from Malta and a study of a large collection of
specimens was carried out between 2000 and 2004 so as to update and produce a validated checklist of
echinoderms occurring in Maltese waters. Seventy different species of echinoderms are recorded, including
a number of species for which only single records exist for the Maltese islands and five species that were not
found in the present study. The Maltese echinoderm fauna includes 45% of the 153 recorded
Mediterranean echinoderm species, and apart from two aliens, is typical of the central Mediterranean region.peer-reviewe
A synthesis of the echinoderm fauna of the Maltese Islands.
A review of existing literature records of echinoderms from Malta and a study of a large collection of
specimens was carried out between 2000 and 2004 so as to update and produce a validated checklist of
echinoderms occurring in Maltese waters. Seventy different species of echinoderms are recorded, including
a number of species for which only single records exist for the Maltese islands and five species that were not
found in the present study. The Maltese echinoderm fauna includes 45% of the 153 recorded
Mediterranean echinoderm species, and apart from two aliens, is typical of the central Mediterranean region.peer-reviewe
Mutations in ACTL6B Cause Neurodevelopmental Deficits and Epilepsy and Lead to Loss of Dendrites in Human Neurons
We identified individuals with variations in ACTL6B, a component of the chromatin remodeling machinery including the BAF complex. Ten individuals harbored bi-allelic mutations and presented with global developmental delay, epileptic encephalopathy, and spasticity, and ten individuals with de novo heterozygous mutations displayed intellectual disability, ambulation deficits, severe language impairment, hypotonia, Rett-like stereotypies, and minor facial dysmorphisms (wide mouth, diastema, bulbous nose). Nine of these ten unrelated individuals had the identical de novo c.1027G>A (p.Gly343Arg) mutation. Human-derived neurons were generated that recaptured ACTL6B expression patterns in development from progenitor cell to post-mitotic neuron, validating the use of this model. Engineered knock-out of ACTL6B in wild-type human neurons resulted in profound deficits in dendrite development, a result recapitulated in two individuals with different bi-allelic mutations, and reversed on clonal genetic repair or exogenous expression of ACTL6B. Whole-transcriptome analyses and whole-genomic profiling of the BAF complex in wild-type and bi-allelic mutant ACTL6B neural progenitor cells and neurons revealed increased genomic binding of the BAF complex in ACTL6B mutants, with corresponding transcriptional changes in several genes including TPPP and FSCN1, suggesting that altered regulation of some cytoskeletal genes contribute to altered dendrite development. Assessment of bi-alleic and heterozygous ACTL6B mutations on an ACTL6B knock-out human background demonstrated that bi-allelic mutations mimic engineered deletion deficits while heterozygous mutations do not, suggesting that the former are loss of function and the latter are gain of function. These results reveal a role for ACTL6B in neurodevelopment and implicate another component of chromatin remodeling machinery in brain disease