Towards a Typology of Social Work Assessments: Developing practice in Malaysia, Nepal, United Kingdom and Vietnam

This paper offers a cross-cultural, comparative analysis of social work assessments across four countries: Malaysia, Nepal, Vietnam and the UK. Data were gathered from interviews with social work practitioners in each country, from agencies and from policy sources. Social work assessment is understood as a broad but ubiquitous task which concerns the analysis and exploration of social situations, human conditions and needs and acts as a precursor to social work action oriented towards change. Meanings associated with social work assessment are used to introduce an explanatory model by which to offer comparisons and contrasts of some of the ways that social workers analyse social situations and individuals with whom they work. An analysis of perceived priorities and challenges for implementation in respect of assessment as a defining or key professional activity is given in this paper. After considering developments in assessment in the four countries it is argued that there is a gravitational pull towards Westernised assessment models; whereas indigenous exigencies require asserted reflexivity to allow for the development of appropriate synthetic assessment models for each country

The n-SET Domain of Set1 Regulates H2B Ubiquitylation-Dependent H3K4 Methylation

Past studies have documented a crosstalk between H2B ubiquitylation (H2Bub) and H3K4 methylation, but little (if any) direct evidence exists explaining the mechanism underlying H2Bub-dependent H3K4 methylation on chromatin templates. Here, we took advantage of an in vitro histone methyltransferase assay employing a reconstituted yeast Set1 complex (ySet1C) and a recombinant chromatin template containing fully ubiquitylated H2B to gain valuable insights. Combined with genetic analyses, we demonstrate that the n-SET domain within Set1, but not Swd2, is essential for H2Bub-dependent H3K4 methylation. Spp1, a homolog of human CFP1, is conditionally involved in this crosstalk. Our findings extend to the human Set1 complex, underscoring the conserved nature of this disease-relevant crosstalk pathway. As not all members of the H3K4 methyltransferase family contain n-SET domains, our studies draw attention to the n-SET domain as a predictor of an H2B ubiquitylation-sensing mechanism that leads to downstream H3K4 methylation

SET1 and p300 act synergistically, through coupled histone modifications, in transcriptional activation by p53

The H3K4me3 mark in chromatin is closely correlated with actively transcribed genes, although the mechanisms involved in its generation and function are not fully understood. In vitro studies with recombinant chromatin and purified human factors demonstrate a robust SET1 complex (SET1C)-mediated H3K4 trimethylation that is dependent upon p53- and p300-mediated H3 acetylation, a corresponding SET1C-mediated enhancement of p53- and p300-dependent transcription that reflects a primary effect of SET1C through H3K4 trimethylation, and direct SET1C-p53 and SET1C-p300 interactions indicative of a targeted recruitment mechanism. Complementary cell-based assays demonstrate a DNA-damage-induced p53-SET1C interaction, a corresponding enrichment of SET1C and H3K4me3 on a p53 target gene (p21/WAF1), and a corresponding codependency of H3K4 trimethylation and transcription upon p300 and SET1C. These results establish a mechanism in which SET1C and p300 act cooperatively, through direct interactions and coupled histone modifications, to facilitate the function of p53