Rejoinder to Drid Williams' Discussion

This discussion is a rejoinder to Drid Williams' discussion of the article “Church Festivals and the Visualization of Identity in Collingwood Bay, Papua New Guinea” [Hermkens 2007 2007 Church Festivals and the Visualization of Identity in Collingwood Bay, Papua New Guinea . Visual Anthropology , 20 ( 5 ): 347 – 364 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]].     

Reconstruction of ancestral RNA sequences under multiple structural constraints

Background

Secondary structures form the scaffold of multiple sequence alignment of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) families. An accurate reconstruction of ancestral ncRNAs must use this structural signal. However, the inference of ancestors of a single ncRNA family with a single consensus structure may bias the results towards sequences with high affinity to this structure, which are far from the true ancestors.

Methods

In this paper, we introduce achARNement, a maximum parsimony approach that, given two alignments of homologous ncRNA families with consensus secondary structures and a phylogenetic tree, simultaneously calculates ancestral RNA sequences for these two families.

Results

We test our methodology on simulated data sets, and show that achARNement outperforms classical maximum parsimony approaches in terms of accuracy, but also reduces by several orders of magnitude the number of candidate sequences. To conclude this study, we apply our algorithms on the Glm clan and the FinP-traJ clan from the Rfam database.

Conclusions

Our results show that our methods reconstruct small sets of high-quality candidate ancestors with better agreement to the two target structures than with classical approaches. Our program is freely available at: http://csb.cs.mcgill.ca/acharnement.

     

‘Here are the Gypsies!’ The importance of self-representations and how to question prominent images of Gypsy minorities

Abstract

Gypsy, Roma or traveller minorities remain a group that is still homogenized as the ‘other’¹1. There are an estimated 12 million Gypsy people across Europe, with the majority residing in Central and Eastern Europe. ‘Roma’ is the European institutional preferred umbrella term, but it is often rejected by activists and at a local level because many groups still identify as ‘Gypsies’ (Gay y Blasco 2002 Gay Y Blasco, Paloma 2002 ‘Gypsy/Gypsy diasporas: A comparative perspective’, Social Anthropology, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 173–88[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Mayall 2004 Mayall, David 2004 Gypsy Identities 1500–2000: From Egipcyans and Moon-men to the Ethnic Romany, London: Routledge[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Szuhay 2005 Szuhay, Péter 2005 ‘The self-definitions of Roma ethnic groups and their perceptions of other Roma groups’, in Kemény István (ed.), Roma of Hungary, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 237–46 [Google Scholar]). In this article I use ‘Gypsy’ as a translation of the Hungarian word cigány as this is how the participants self-identified.. The European imagination continues to be entrenched in the spectacle of their difference – images of weddings, musicians, funerals and fights are fascinating and are thus prioritized. But what would happen if the cameras were given to these people themselves? What if they became the image-makers? This article examines how ethnic studies might contribute to breaking the mould of the exoticized Gypsy through self-representations. The study here formed part of an ethnographic project among primary school pupils in Hungary. Using the photo elicitation method, children were given disposable cameras producing 451 photographs that then formed the basis of interviews. The results reveal very few indicators that could be described as significantly or distinctively divided into ‘Gypsy’ or ‘non-Gypsy’ identifications, questioning the status of difference in discourses around such minorities.     

The Dangerous Myth of Emerging Adulthood: An Evidence-Based Critique of a Flawed Developmental Theory

This article examines the theory of emerging adulthood, introduced into the literature by Arnett (2000 Arnett , J. J. ( 2000 ). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties . American Psychologist , 55 , 469 – 480 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), in terms of its methodological and evidential basis, and finds it to be unsubstantiated on numerous grounds. Other, more convincing, formulations of variations in the transition to adulthood are examined. Most flawed academic theories are simply ignored by scientists. However, Arnett's unsubstantiated formulations have found their way to journalists, who are influencing public opinion, and policymakers, who are determining the fate of youth populations. As such, the article argues that an academic myth is being created that has serious economic and emotional repercussions for the many young people facing difficult circumstances in their transition to adulthood. Consequently, this myth requires corrections from the scientific community, one of which is provided here.     

ALTERNATIVES TO ANTIBIOTIC USE: PROBIOTICS FOR THE GUT

Developed countries are not immune from serious food-borne diseases, and the source is often the intestine of cattle, sheep and poultry livestock. Outbreaks of Escherichia coli 0157, most recently killing people in Ontario, and of salmonella and shigella food poisoning especially during summer months, remind us of the seriousness of the problem. Thus, there is renewed interest in alternative approaches to antibiotics to control bacterial diseases, both in humans and veterinary medicine.3-4 Whatley, B. T. 1987. “A ‘Natural’ Answer to Antibiotics.”. In InBooker T. Whatley's Handbook on How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres: With Special Plans for Prospering on 10 to 200 Acres Edited by: DeVault, G. 137–139. Cramer, C. 1990. Healthy Livestock with Fewer Drugs. The New Farm, 12: 23–30.   Consumers are believed to be concerned not only about bacterial pathogens being in meat, but also that residues of antibiotics may also be present. The trend to “natural” farming without exposure to chemicals, pesticides and herbicides could be one reason for increased interest in probiotics for livestock farming.     

Abiotic Racemization Kinetics of Amino Acids in Marine Sediments

The ratios of d- versus l-amino acids can be used to infer the sources and composition of sedimentary organic matter. Such inferences, however, rely on knowing the rates at which amino acids in sedimentary organic matter racemize abiotically between the d- and the l-forms. Based on a heating experiment, we report kinetic parameters for racemization of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, and alanine in bulk sediment from Aarhus Bay, Denmark, taken from the surface, 30 cm, and 340 cm depth below seafloor. Extrapolation to a typical cold deep sea sediment temperature of 3°C suggests racemization rate constants of 0.50×10⁻⁵–11×10⁻⁵ yr⁻¹. These results can be used in conjunction with measurements of sediment age to predict the ratio of d:l amino acids due solely to abiotic racemization of the source material, deviations from which can indicate the abundance and turnover of active microbial populations.     

Charge heterogeneity: Basic antibody charge variants with increased binding to Fc receptors

We identified active isoforms of the chimeric anti-GD2 antibody, ch14.18, a recombinant antibody produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells, which is already used in clinical trials.^1,2,3 Ladenstein R, Weixler S, Baykan B, Bleeke M, Kunert R, Katinger D, Pribill I, Glander P, Bauer S, Pistoia V, et al. Ch14.18 antibody produced in CHO cells in relapsed or refractory Stage 4 neuroblastoma patients: a SIOPEN Phase 1 study. MAbs 2013; 5:801-9; PMID:23924804; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/mabs.25215 Desai AV, Fox E, Smith LM, Lim AP, Maris JM, Balis FM. Pharmacokinetics of the chimeric anti-GD2 antibody, ch14.18, in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2014; 74:1047-55; PMID:25212536; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00280-014-2575-9 Siebert N, Eger C, Seidel D, Jüttner M, Zumpe M, Wegner D, Kietz S, Ehlert K, Veal GJ, Siegmund W, et al. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ch14.18/CHO in relapsed/refractory high-risk neuroblastoma patients treated by long-term infusion in combination with IL-2. MAbs 2016; 8:604-16; PMID:26785755; http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19420862.2015.1130196  We separated the antibody by high resolution ion-exchange chromatography with linear pH gradient elution into acidic, main and basic charge variants on a preparative scale yielding enough material for an in-depth study of the sources and the effects of microheterogeneity. The binding affinity of the charge variants toward the antigen and various cell surface receptors was studied by Biacore. Effector functions were evaluated using cellular assays for antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Basic charge variants showed increased binding to cell surface receptor FcγRIIIa, which plays a major role in regulating effector functions. Furthermore, increased binding of the basic fractions to the neonatal receptor was observed. As this receptor mediates the prolonged half-life of IgG in human serum, this data may well hint at an increased serum half-life of these basic variants compared to their more acidic counterparts. Different glycoform patterns, C-terminal lysine clipping and N-terminal pyroglutamate formation were identified as the main structural sources for the observed isoform pattern. Potential differences in structural stability between individual charge variant fractions by nano differential scanning calorimetry could not been detected. Our in-vitro data suggests that the connection between microheterogeneity and the biological activity of recombinant antibody therapeutics deserves more attention than commonly accepted.     

Images,Senses and Applications: Engaging Visual Anthropology

In this article I discuss how visual anthropology methods are advancing in a present-day environment where applied, activist, public and interdisciplinary anthropologies are increasingly central. In earlier work [Pink 2004 Pink , Sarah 2004 Applied Visual Anthropology, a guest edited issue of Visual Anthropology Review, 20(1) . [Google Scholar], 2006 2006 The Future of Visual Anthropology: Engaging the Senses . Oxford : Routledge . [Google Scholar], 2007a 2007a Visual Interventions: Applied Visual Anthropology . Oxford : Berghahn . [Google Scholar]] I outlined the field of an applied visual anthropology, and discussed the potential of visual methods and media in the production of a public anthropology [Pink 2006 2006 The Future of Visual Anthropology: Engaging the Senses . Oxford : Routledge . [Google Scholar]]. Here I build on this to suggest how recent visual anthropology practices might both contribute to and resolve issues relating to contemporary debates in applied and public anthropology and the relationship between scholarly research and social intervention.     

Understanding Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey: socio-economy,religion, and politics

Abstract

In his recent article in Ethnic and Racial Studies, entitled ‘Curbing Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey’, (Sarigil 2010 Sarigil, Zeki. 2010. Curbing Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey: an empirical assessment of pro-Islamic and socio-economic approaches. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33(3): 533–53. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) tests two rival hypotheses regarding Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey and, using data from the World Values Survey (WVS), finds that socio-economic status (levels of income and education) better explains the individual roots of Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey than does religiousness. In this paper, I offer both a methodological critique of Sarigil's research and a replication of his model with a more appropriate sample. I first argue that Sarigil's research design lacks internal validity because it studies Kurdish nationalism within a sample that predominantly consists of Turks, which invalidates his findings. I then replicate and expand Sarigil's model within a specific sample of Kurdish-speaking people in Turkey. The results show dramatic changes. Religiosity and political satisfaction seem to be better predictors of support for Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey than do socio-economic factors.     

Welfare of Apes in Captive Environments: Comments On,and By,a Specific Group of Apes

Accurately determining the proper captive environment for apes requires adequately assessing the psychological similarities between apes and humans. Scientists currently believe apes lack mental complexity (Millikan, 2006 Millikan, R. G. 2006. “Styles of rationality”. In Rational animals?, Edited by: Hurley, S. and Nudds, M. 117–126. Oxford, , England: Oxford University Press.. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), raising questions concerning the evolution of human culture from ape-like societies (Tomasello, 1999 Tomasello, M. 1999. The cultural origins of human cognition, Cambridge, , MA: Harvard University Press..  [Google Scholar]). A long-term cultural study with bonobos suggests less intellectual divergence from humans than currently postulated (Savage-Rumbaugh, 2005 Savage-Rumbaugh, E. S. 2005. “Individual differences in language competencies in apes resulting from unique rearing conditions imposed by different first epistemologies”. In Symbol use and symbolic representation, Edited by: Namy, L. L. 199–219. Mahwah, , NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc..  [Google Scholar]). Because humans view apes as mentally limited, some current captive environments may appear idyllic while offering only an illusion of appropriate care, derived from a simplistic view of what apes are, rather than what they might be. This perception of apes determines their handling, which determines their mental development, which perpetuates the prevailing perception. Only breaking this cycle will allow the current perception of apes to change. Their usual captive environment limits any demonstration of culture. However, the bonobo study reveals what ape culture can become, which should affect future welfare considerations for at least those species genetically close to humans (bonobos and chimpanzees). Development of a languaged bonobo culture allows these nonhuman animals to provide their own responses regarding adequate ape welfare.     

The Arrestin Fold: Variations on a Theme

Endocytosis of ligand-activated plasma membrane receptors has been shown to contribute to the regulation of their downstream signaling. β-arrestins interact with the phosphorylated tail of activated receptors and act as scaffolds for the recruitment of adaptor proteins and clathrin, that constitute the machinery used for receptor endocytosis. Visual- and β-arrestins have a two-lobe, immunoglobulin-like, β-strand sandwich structure. The recent resolution of the crystal structure of VPS26, one of the retromer subunits, unexpectedly evidences an arrestin fold in this protein, which is otherwise unrelated to arrestins. From a functional point of view, VPS26 is involved in the retrograde transport of the mannose 6-P receptor from the endosomes to the trans-Golgi network. In addition to the group of genuine arrestins and Vps26, mammalian cells harbor a vast repertoire of proteins that are related to arrestins on the basis of their PFAM Nter and Cter arrestin- domains, which are named Arrestin Domain- Containing proteins (ADCs). The biological role of ADC proteins is still poorly understood. The three subfamilies have been merged into an arrestin-related protein clan.This paper provides an overall analysis of arrestin clan proteins. The structures and functions of members of the subfamilies are reviewed in mammals and model organisms such as Drosophila, Caenorhabditis, Saccharomyces and Dictyostelium.Key Words: Arrestins, Vps26, GPCR, retromer, trafficking, endocytosis.     

Television's unintended audience

Exploring the everyday photographs of people offers new possibilities in anthropological research and focuses attention on a form of visual medium that is often taken for granted and glossed over in social research. By looking at the personal photographs of a Gujarati community in New Zealand, I discovered not only the importance of photographs in their lives but also the significant social relationships they have with them. For this community the most important photographs are their ancestral ones. Here I explore the affective, devotional and therapeutic nature of these images. I will discuss their elevated significance, darshanic qualities, and their ability to keep present deceased relatives in the respondents’ day-to-day lives. I make strong links with Barthes’ [1980 Barthes, Roland 1980 Camera Lucida. 3rd edn. London: Vintage Classics. [Google Scholar]] concept of punctum, and the therapeutic nature of vernacular photos as described in the discipline of phototherapy, and will extend the discussion on affective agency by suggesting that photographs in migrant communities do more than act as sites of memory: they also act as a form of therapeutic agency for their viewers, by maintaining important social relationships and connections, and ultimately supporting a sense of national, familial and cultural connectivity.     

Conversion of the Extracellular Dextransucrase Isoenzymes from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1299

Effect of oxygen tension on l-lysine, l-threonine and l-isoleucine accumulation was investigated. Sufficient supply of oxygen to satisfy the cell’s oxygen demand was essential for the maximum production in each fermentation. The dissolved oxygen level must be controlled at greater than 0.01 atm in every fermentation, and the optimum redox potentials of culture media were above ?170 mV in l-lysine and l-threonine and above ?180 mV in l-isoleucine fermentations. The maximum concentrations of the products were 45.5 mg/ml for l-lysine, 10.3 mg/ml for l-threonine and 15.1 mg/ml for l-isoleucine. The degree of the inhibition due to oxygen limitation was slight in the fermentative production of l-lysine, l-threonine and l-isoleucine, whose biosynthesis is initiated with l-aspartic acid, in contrast to the accumulation of l-proline, l-glutamine and l-arginine, which is biosynthesized by way of l-glutamic acid.     

Teaching music in the flat world: Reflections on the work of Darling-Hammond and Rothman

Authors and scholars published within Arts Education Policy Review have been diligent to investigate various topics surrounding music educator preparation, mentoring, retention, as well as avenues for continued professional development and growth. Linda Darling-Hammond and Robert Rothman, along with various chapter authors, address education reform on an international level within Teaching in the Flat World: Learning from High-Performing Systems (2015 Rothman, R., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2015). Teaching quality initiatives in the United States. In L. Darling-Hammond & R. Rothman (Eds.), Teaching in the flat world: Learning from high-performing systems (pp. 6–27). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this article is to examine the recommendations presented by Darling-Hammond, Rothman, and colleagues through the lens of music education research and policy review. Specific areas of focus include: (a) recruitment and rigor of teacher education programs, (b) alternative routes into the teaching profession, (c) teacher induction and new teacher support, (d) career advancement and professional development support, and (e) teacher evaluation.     

Mechanism of l-Threonine and l-Lysine Production by Analog-resistant Mutants of Corynebactemum glutamicum

Homoserine dehydrogenases and aspartokinases in l-threonine- or l-threonine and l-lysine-producing mutants derived from Corynebacterium glutamicum KY 9159 (Met^?) were studied with respect to the sensitivity to the inhibition by end products, l-threonine and l-lysine. The activities of homoserine dehydrogenases in the mutants which produced l-threonine or l-threonine and l-lysine were slightly less susceptible to the inhibition by l-threonine than the activity in the parent strain, KY 9159. The aspartokinases in the threonine-producing mutants, KY 10484 and KY 10230, which were resistant to α-amino-β-hydroxylvaleric acid (AHV, a threonine analog) and more sensitive to thialysine (a lysine analog) than the parent, were sensitive to the concerted feedback inhibition by l-lysine and l-threonine by about the same degree as KY 9159. The aspartokinase in an AHV- and thialysine-resistant mutant, KY 10440, which was derived from KY 10484 and produced about 14 mg/ml of l-threonine in a medium containing 10% glucose was less susceptible to the concerted feedback inhibition than KY 10484 or KY 9159, although the activity was still under the feedback control. In the parent strain, l-threonine activated aspartokinase activity in the absence of ammonium sulfate, an activator of the enzyme, but partially inhibited the activity in the presence of the salt. On the other hand, the enzyme of KY 10440 was activated by l-threonine either in the presence or in the absence of the salt. In another AHV- and thialysine-resistant mutant, KY 10251, which was derived from KY 10230 and produced both 9 mg/ml of l-threonine and 5/5 mg/ml of l-lysine, l-threonine and l-lysine simultaneously added hardly inhibited the activity of aspartokinase.

Implications of these results are discussed in relation to l-threonine or l-lysine production, AHV or thialysine resistance and regulation of l-threonine biosynthesis in these mutants.     

Molluskan Grazing Traces (Ichnogenus Radulichnus Voigt, 1977) on a Pleistocene Bivalve from Southern Brazil,With the Proposal of a New Ichnospecies

The ichnogenus Radulichnus Voigt, 1977 Voigt, E. 1977. On grazing traces produced by the radula of fossil and recent gastropods and chitons. In Trace fossils 2, eds. T. P. Crimes, and J. C. Harper, 335–346. Geological Journal, Special Issue 9. [Google Scholar] is recorded for the first time from a bivalve, Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791 Gmelin, J. F. 1791. Caroli a Linné, Systema Naturae. Tom. I, Pars VI. Leipzig: G.E. Beer, pp. 3021–3910. [Google Scholar]), in a late Pleistocene molluskan assemblage from the southern Brazilian coastal plain. Grazing traces comprise short (<1?mm), parallel furrows, arranged in rows on the inner (concave) shell surface and mostly concentrated in its central area. Radulichnus accommodates scratches on hard substrates produced by the radula of grazing gastropod or polyplacophorans. Our literature survey on fossil and extant traces, as well as studies on the grazing mechanism in living mollusks, document at least two distinct morphotypes that are related to differences in the feeding modes of the producers. We propose to distinguish a second ichnospecies of Radulichnus, in addition to the type, R. inopinatus Voigt, 1977 Voigt, E. 1977. On grazing traces produced by the radula of fossil and recent gastropods and chitons. In Trace fossils 2, eds. T. P. Crimes, and J. C. Harper, 335–346. Geological Journal, Special Issue 9. [Google Scholar] (produced by gastropods), which is named R. transversus isp. nov., and attributed to polyplacophorans. Grazing traces on the shell of A. brasiliana match the morphotype produced by polyplacophorans mollusks, and are indicative of its complex taphonomic history in comparison with other shells in this assemblage.     

Defining quality in visual art education for young children: Building on the position statement of the Early Childhood Art Educators

ABSTRACT

This article reflects the collective voices of four early childhood visual arts educators, each of whom is a member of the Early Childhood Art Educators (ECAE) Issues Group of the National Arts Educators Association. The authors frame the article around the ECAE position statement, Art: Essential for Early Learning (2016) Early Childhood Art Educators. (2016). Art: Essential for early learning, position statement on early childhood art education (Rev. ed.). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association. Retrieved from https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/articles/127-position-statement-on-early-childhood-art-education [Google Scholar], which focuses on the central role of art interactions among young children, educators, environments, and materials. The authors describe eight principles that underlie the statement from philosophical viewpoints, and provide practical examples of the principles in action. Amid a varied policy landscape for visual art in early childhood, the authors assert that children need organized, materials-rich environments that invite discovery, interaction, sensory and kinesthetic exploration, wonder, inquiry, and imagination in relationship with responsive educators who value young children's diverse abilities, interests, questions, ideas, and cultural experiences. The authors explore issues and possibilities resulting when educators work to bring visual arts fully and dynamically into the lives of young children in diverse education and care spaces. In closing, the authors explore the realities of visual arts policies in the early childhood education and art education fields while emphasizing the critical need for supportive pedagogical practices in all early childhood classrooms.     

Reducing GWAS Complexity

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed numerous genomic 'hits' associated with complex phenotypes. In most cases these hits, along with surrogate genetic variation as measure by numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are in linkage disequilibrium, are not in coding genes making assignment of functionality or causality intractable. Here we propose that fine-mapping along with the matching of risk SNPs at chromatin biofeatures lessen this complexity by reducing the number of candidate functional/causal SNPs. For example, we show here that only on average 2 SNPs per prostate cancer risk locus are likely candidates for functionality/causality; we further propose that this manageable number should be taken forward in mechanistic studies. The candidate SNPs can be looked up for each prostate cancer risk region in 2 recent publications in 2015^1,2 Han Y, Hazelett DJ, Wiklund F, Schumacher FR, Stram DO, Berndt SI, Wang Z, Rand KA, Hoover RN, Machiela MJ, et al. Integration of Multiethnic Fine-mapping and Genomic Annotation to Prioritize Candidate Functional SNPs at Prostate Cancer Susceptibility Regions. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24(19):5603–18. Amin Al Olama A, Dadaev T, Hazelett DJ, Li Q, Leongamornlert D, Saunders EJ, Stephens S, Cieza-Borrella C, Whitmore I, Benlloch Garcia S, et al. Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24(19):5589–602.  from our groups.     

Cadherins and catenins in dendrite and synapse morphogenesis

Neurons are highly polarized specialized cells. Neuronal integrity and functional roles are critically dependent on dendritic architecture and synaptic structure, function and plasticity. The cadherins are glycosylated transmembrane proteins that form cell adhesion complexes in various tissues. They are associated with a group of cytosolic proteins, the catenins. While the functional roles of the complex have been extensively investigates in non-neuronal cells, it is becoming increasingly clear that components of the complex have critical roles in regulating dendritic and synaptic architecture, function and plasticity in neurons. Consistent with these functional roles, aberrations in components of the complex have been implicated in a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. In this review, we discuss the roles of the classical cadherins and catenins in various aspects of dendrite and synapse architecture and function and their relevance to human neurological disorders. Cadherins are glycosylated transmembrane proteins that were initially identified as Ca²⁺-dependent cell adhesion molecules. They are present on plasma membrane of a variety of cell types from primitive metazoans to humans. In the past several years, it has become clear that in addition to providing mechanical adhesion between cells, cadherins play integral roles in tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis. The cadherin family is composed of more than 100 members and classified into several subfamilies, including classical cadherins and protocadherins. Several of these cadherin family members have been implicated in various aspects of neuronal development and function.^1-3 Deans, MR, Krol A, Abraira VE, Copley CO, Tucker AF, Goodrich LV. Control of neuronal morphology by the atypical cadherin Fat3. Neuron 2011; 71:820-32; PMID:21903076; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2011.06.026 S0896-6273(11)00556-3 [pii] Matsunaga E, Nambu S, Oka M, Iriki A. Differential cadherin expression in the developing postnatal telencephalon of a New World monkey. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:4027-60; PMID:23784870; http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cne.23389 Li Y, Xiao H, Chiou TT, Jin H, Bonhomme B, Miralles CP, Pinal N, Ali R, Chen WV, Maniatis T, De Blas AL, et al. Molecular and functional interaction between protocadherin-gammaC5 and GABAA receptors. J Neurosci 2012; 32:11780-97; PMID:22915120; http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0969-12.2012 32/34/11780 [pii]  The classical cadherins are associated with a group of cytosolic proteins, collectively called the catenins. While the functional roles of the cadherin-catenin cell adhesion complex have been extensively investigated in epithelial cells, it is now clear that components of the complex are well expressed in central neurons at different stages during development.^4,5 McLachlan IG, Heiman MG. Shaping dendrites with machinery borrowed from epithelia. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2013; 23:1005-10; PMID:23871793; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2013.06.011 S0959-4388(13)00130-X [pii] Hirano S, Takeichi M. Cadherins in brain morphogenesis and wiring. Physiol Rev 2012; 92:597-634; PMID:22535893; http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00014.2011 92/2/597 [pii] (2012)  Recent exciting studies have shed some light on the functional roles of cadherins and catenins in central neurons. In this review, we will provide a brief overview of the cadherin superfamily, describe cadherin family members expressed in central neurons, cadherin-catenin complexes in central neurons and then focus on role of the cadherin-catenin complex in dendrite morphogenesis and synapse morphogenesis, function and plasticity. The final section is dedicated to discussion of the emerging list of neural disorders linked to cadherins and catenins. While the roles of cadherins and catenins have been examined in several different types of neurons, the focus of this review is their role in mammalian central neurons, particularly those of the cortex and hippocampus. Accompanying this review is a series of excellent reviews targeting the roles of cadherins and protocadherins in other aspects of neural development.