Alternative Mechanisms for Tn5 Transposition

Bacterial transposons are known to move to new genomic sites using either a replicative or a conservative mechanism. The behavior of transposon Tn5 is anomalous. In vitro studies indicate that it uses a conservative mechanism while in vivo results point to a replicative mechanism. To explain this anomaly, a model is presented in which the two mechanisms are not independent—as widely believed—but could represent alternate outcomes of a common transpositional pathway

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) for the treatment of depression in people living with HIV/AIDS

BACKGROUND: This study reports on clinical data from an 8-week open-label study of 20 HIV-seropositive individuals, diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (DSM-IV), who were treated with SAM-e (S-Adenosylmethionine). SAM-e may be a treatment alternative for the management of depression in a population reluctant to add another "pill" or another set of related side effects to an already complex highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen. METHODS: The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess depressive symptomatology from 1,2,4,6 and 8 weeks after initiation of treatment with SAM-e. RESULTS: Data show a significant acute reduction in depressive symptomatology, as measured by both the HAM-D and the BDI instruments. CONCLUSIONS: SAM-e has a rapid effect evident as soon as week 1 (p < .001), with progressive decreases in depression symptom rating scores throughout the 8 week study

Сетевая система контроля технологического процесса выращивания полупроводниковых кристаллов и тонких пленок

Экспериментальное моделирование аппаратно-программного обеспечения показало достаточную надежность работы системы и значительное уменьшение трудоемкости контроля и управления параметрами технологического процесса

Crk and CrkL adaptor proteins: networks for physiological and pathological signaling

The Crk adaptor proteins (Crk and CrkL) constitute an integral part of a network of essential signal transduction pathways in humans and other organisms that act as major convergence points in tyrosine kinase signaling. Crk proteins integrate signals from a wide variety of sources, including growth factors, extracellular matrix molecules, bacterial pathogens, and apoptotic cells. Mounting evidence indicates that dysregulation of Crk proteins is associated with human diseases, including cancer and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Recent structural work has identified new and unusual insights into the regulation of Crk proteins, providing a rationale for how Crk can sense diverse signals and produce a myriad of biological responses

Visual mate preference evolution during butterfly speciation is linked to neural processing genes

Abstract: Many animal species remain separate not because their individuals fail to produce viable hybrids but because they “choose” not to mate. However, we still know very little of the genetic mechanisms underlying changes in these mate preference behaviours. Heliconius butterflies display bright warning patterns, which they also use to recognize conspecifics. Here, we couple QTL for divergence in visual preference behaviours with population genomic and gene expression analyses of neural tissue (central brain, optic lobes and ommatidia) across development in two sympatric Heliconius species. Within a region containing 200 genes, we identify five genes that are strongly associated with divergent visual preferences. Three of these have previously been implicated in key components of neural signalling (specifically an ionotropic glutamate receptor and two regucalcins), and overall our candidates suggest shifts in behaviour involve changes in visual integration or processing. This would allow preference evolution without altering perception of the wider environment