P53 binds preferentially to non-B DNA structures formed by the pyrimidine-rich strands of GaA·TTC trinucleotide repeats associated with Friedreich’s ataxia

Expansions of trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) are associated with genetic disorders such as Friedreich’s ataxia. The tumor suppressor p53 is a central regulator of cell fate in response to different types of insults. Sequence and structure-selective modes of DNA recognition are among the main attributes of p53 protein. The focus of this work was analysis of the p53 structure-selective recognition of TNRs associated with human neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we studied binding of full length p53 and several deletion variants to TNRs folded into DNA hairpins or loops. We demonstrate that p53 binds to all studied non-B DNA structures, with a preference for non-B DNA structures formed by pyrimidine (Py) rich strands. Using deletion mutants, we determined the C-terminal DNA binding domain of p53 to be crucial for recognition of such non-B DNA structures. We also observed that p53 in vitro prefers binding to the Py-rich strand over the purine (Pu) rich strand in non-B DNA substrates formed by sequence derived from the first intron of the frataxin gene. The binding of p53 to this region was confirmed using chromatin immunoprecipitation in human Friedreich’s ataxia fibroblast and adenocarcinoma cells. Altogether these observations provide further evidence that p53 binds to TNRs’ non-B DNA structures

Modulation of gene expression in U251 glioblastoma cells by binding of mutant p53 R273H to intronic and intergenic sequences

Missense point mutations in the TP53 gene are frequent genetic alterations in human tumor tissue and cell lines derived thereof. Mutant p53 (mutp53) proteins have lost sequence-specific DNA binding, but have retained the ability to interact in a structure-selective manner with non-B DNA and to act as regulators of transcription. To identify functional binding sites of mutp53, we established a small library of genomic sequences bound by p53R273H in U251 human glioblastoma cells using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Mutp53 binding to isolated DNA fragments confirmed the specificity of the ChIP. The mutp53 bound DNA sequences are rich in repetitive DNA elements, which are dispersed over non-coding DNA regions. Stable down-regulation of mutp53 expression strongly suggested that mutp53 binding to genomic DNA is functional. We identified the PPARGC1A and FRMD5 genes as p53R273H targets regulated by binding to intronic and intra-genic sequences. We propose a model that attributes the oncogenic functions of mutp53 to its ability to interact with intronic and intergenic non-B DNA sequences and modulate gene transcription via re-organization of chromatin

The oldest scores of sacred music in the collection of Carl Winiker's Musikalien-Leih-Anstalt in Brno

The paper presents the oldest scores of sacred music in the former Winiker's Music Library (Carl Winiker's Musikalien-Leih-Anstalt), whose surviving collection is now housed by the Moravian Library. The paper looks at some of its most valuable sheet music and explores nearly 200 manuscript and printed scores. Many of these can be traced to the well-known Leipzig conductor and composer Johann Gottfried Schicht (1753–1823), which is why the paper covers sheet music published or copied up to 1823, the date of Schicht's death. Besides the inventory of the scores, the paper offers an analysis of the repertoire as well as the provenance of all the identified copies. It draws on the surviving catalogues of Winiker's Library, the extant scores in the Moravian Library, and the auction catalogue of Schicht’s collection after his death

The characterization of adenosine signal pathway in \kur{Drosophila} imaginal disc cells

The aim of this work was to characterise the influence of adenosine on imaginal disc cell line Cl8+ of Drosophila. I prepared stable cell lines with the overexpression or RNA interference of genes coding adenosine receptor AdoR (CG9753) and adenosine transporter DmENT2 (CG11045) in D. melanogaster. These cell lines were subsequently used to test their response to extracellular adenosine signal by the measurement of cell viability and level of second messengers cAMP and Ca2+ in Cl8+ cells

RNA-related DNA damage and repair: The role of N7-methylguanosine in the cell nucleus exposed to UV light

Background: Chemical modifications in mRNAs, tRNAs, rRNAs, and non-coding RNAs stabilize these nucleic acids and regulate their function. In addition to regulating the translation of genetic information from mRNA to proteins, it has been revealed that modifications in RNAs regulate repair processes in the genome. Methods: Using local laser microirradiation, confocal microscopy, dot blots, and mass spectrometry we studied the role of N7-methylguanosine (m7G), which is co-transcriptionally installed in RNA. Results: Here, we show that after UVC and UVA irradiation, the level of m7G RNA is increased initially in the cytoplasm, and after local laser microirradiation, m7G RNA is highly abundant in UVA-damaged chromatin. This process is poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-dependent, but not accompanied by changes in the level of m7G-writers, including methyltransferases RNMT, METTL1, and WBSCR22. We also observed that METTL1 deficiency does not affect the recruitment of m7G RNA to microirradiated chromatin. Analyzing the levels of mRNA, let-7e, and miR-203a in both the cytoplasm and the cell nucleus, we revealed that UVC irradiation changed the level of mRNA, and significantly increased the pool of both let-7e and miR-203a, which correlated with radiation-induced m7G RNA increase in the cytoplasm. Conclusions: Irradiation by UV light increases the m7G RNA pool in the cytoplasm and in the microirradiated genome. Thus, epigenetically modified RNAslikely contribute to DNA damage responses or m7G signals the presence of RNA damage

THE INFLUENCE OF LEAN SIX SIGMA METHOD ON PRODUCTION PROCESS AND WAREHOUSE STOCKS

V dnešním konkurenčním prostředí je pro výrobní firmy zásadní konkurenční výhodou snižování výrobních nákladů, zlepšování výrobního procesu v souladu s výší skladové zásoby. Použití metody Lean Six Sigma, konkrétně mapování toku hodnoty pomáhá optimalizovat procesy ve výrobních oblastech a snižovat množství plýtvání. Mapování hodnotového toku vizualizuje procesy a následně poukazuje na možnosti zlepšení.In today´s competitive environment, manufacturing companies try to find a competitive advantage in reduction of production costs by improving production process in line with stock situation. Usage of Lean Six Sigma methods, especially Value stream mapping, helps to optimise processes in production areas and reduce waste. Value stream mapping visualise processes and help to show future improvements

Distinctive Patterns of Seizure-Related White Matter Alterations in Right and Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Background: We hypothesized that right and left temporal lobe epilepsy (RTLE and LTLE, respectively) have distinctive spatial patterns of white matter (WM) changes that can be differentiated and interpreted with the use of multiple diffusion parameters. We compared the global microstructure of fiber bundles with regard to WM alterations in both RTLE and LTLE, addressing some of the methodological issues of previous studies. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging data from 17 patients with RTLE (age: 40.7 ± 10.4), 15 patients with LTLE (age: 37.3 ± 10.4), and 15 controls (age: 34.8 ± 11.2) were used in the study. WM integrity was quantified by fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), longitudinal diffusivity (LD), and radial diffusivity (RD). The diffusion parameters were compared between the groups in tracts representing the core of the fiber bundles. The volumes of hippocampi and amygdala were subsequently compared across the groups, while the data were adjusted for the effect of hippocampal sclerosis. Results: Significantly reduced FA and increased MD, LD, and RD were found bilaterally over widespread brain regions in RTLE. An increase in MD and RD values was observed in widespread WM fiber bundles ipsilaterally in LTLE, largely overlapping with regions where FA was lower, while no increase in LD was observed. We also found a difference between the LTLE and RTLE groups for the right hippocampal volume (with and without adjustment for HS), whereas no significant volume differences were found between patients and controls. Conclusions: It appears that patients with RTLE exhibit a more widespread pattern of WM alterations that extend far beyond the temporal lobe in both ipsilateral and contralateral hemisphere; furthermore, these changes seem to reflect more severe damage related to chronic degeneration. Conversely, more restrained changes in the LTLE may imply a pattern of less severe axonal damage, more restricted to ipsilateral hemisphere. Comprehensive finding of more prominent hippocampal atrophy in the RTLE raises an interesting issue of seizure-induced implications on gray matter and WM microstructure that may not necessarily mean a straightforward causal relationship. Further correlations of diffusion-derived metrics with neuropsychological and functional imaging measures may provide complementary information on underlying WM abnormalities with regard to functional hemispheric specialization. © Copyright © 2019 Buksakowska, Szabó, Martinkovič, Faragó, Király, Vrána, Kincses, Meluzín, Šulc, Kynčl, Roček, Tichý, Charvát, Hořínek and Marusič