The Rea1 Tadpole Loses Its Tail

More than 170 assembly factors aid the construction and maturation of yeast ribosomes. After these factors' functions are completed, they must be released from preribosomes. In this issue, Ulbrich et al. (2009) describe a mechanochemical process through which the AAA ATPase Rea1 induces release of an assembly protein complex from preribosomes

Crafting a critical technical practice

In recent years, the category of practice-based research has become an essential component of discourse around public funding and evaluation of the arts in British higher education. When included under the umbrella of public policy concerned with the creative industries", technology researchers often find themselves collaborating with artists who consider their own participation to be a form of practice-based research. We are conducting a study under the Creator Digital Economies project asking whether technologists, themselves, should be considered as engaging in practice-based research, whether this occurs in collaborative situations, or even as a component of their own personal research [1]

Habitability and Performance Issues for Long Duration Space Flights

Advancing technology, coupled with the desire to explore space has resulted in increasingly longer manned space missions. Although the Long Duration Space Flights (LDSF) have provided a considerable amount of scientific research on human ability to function in extreme environments, findings indicate long duration missions take a toll on the individual, both physiologically and psychologically. These physiological and psychological issues manifest themselves in performance decrements; and could lead to serious errors endangering the mission, spacecraft and crew. The purpose of this paper is to document existing knowledge of the effects of LDSF on performance, habitability, and workload and to identify and assess potential tools designed to address these decrements as well as propose an implementation plan to address the habitability, performance and workload issues

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal protein L26 is not essential for ribosome assembly and function

Ribosomal proteins play important roles in ribosome biogenesis and function. Here, we study the evolutionarily conserved L26 inSaccharomyces cerevisiae, which assembles into pre-60S ribosomal particles in the nucle(ol)us. Yeast L26 is one of the many ribosomal proteins encoded by two functional genes. We have disrupted both genes; surprisingly, the growth of the resulting rpl26null mutant is apparently identical to that of the isogenic wild-type strain. The absence of L26 minimally alters 60S ribosomal subunit biogenesis. Polysome analysis revealed the appearance of half-mers. Analysis of pre-rRNA processing indicated that L26 is mainly required to optimize 27S pre-rRNA maturation, without which the release of pre-60S particles from the nucle-(ol)us is partially impaired. Ribosomes lacking L26 exhibit differential reactivity to dimethylsulfate in domain I of 25S/5.8S rRNAs but apparently are able to support translationin vivowith wild-type accuracy. The bacterial homologue of yeast L26, L24, is a primary rRNA binding protein required for 50S ribosomal subunit assemblyin vitroandin vivo. Our results underscore potential differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosome assembly. We discuss the reasons why yeast L26 plays such an apparently nonessential role in the cel

Assembly of Saccharomyces cerevisiae 60S ribosomal subunits: role of factors required for 27S pre‐rRNA processing

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102169/1/embj2011338-sup-0001.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102169/2/embj2011338.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102169/3/embj2011338-sup-0002.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102169/4/embj2011338-reviewer_comments.pd

Undiagnosed cases of human pneumonia following exposure to chlamydia psittaci from an infected rosella parrot

This report describes two cases of occupational exposure to Chlamydia psittaci following dissection of an infected Rosella (Platycercus elegans). The C. psittaci infections (with one of them resulting in diagnosed pneumonia and hospitalisation) were undiagnosed during routine medical investigations but later established due to epidemiological and clinical evidence, and molecular testing of the archived Rosella’ specimens. This case report stresses the importance of correct application and interpretation of diagnostic tests and the need to raise awareness about this zoonotic pathogen among medical practitioners and people exposed to potential animal carriers. Our findings suggest other infected individuals might be misdiagnosed and that C. psittaci (psittacosis) is likely to be underreported in Australia. This case highlights the need to operationalise the One Health concept. We call for improved communication between human and animal health service providers to allow accurate and rapid diagnosis of this zoonotic disease and raised awareness among medical practitioners. Further targeted surveys of wild birds (and other animals) should be conducted to improve assessment of risks to the general population and people working with or exposed to wild birds.Anne-Lise Chaber, Martina Jelocnik, and Lucy Woolfor