A Wandering Mind Does Not Stray Far from Home: The Value of Metacognition in Distant Search

When faced with a problem, how do individuals search for potential solutions? In this article, we explore the cognitive processes that lead to local search (i.e., identifying options closest to existing solutions) and distant search (i.e., identifying options of a qualitatively different nature than existing solutions). We suggest that mind wandering is likely to lead to local search because it operates by spreading activation from initial ideas to closely associated ideas. This reduces the likelihood of accessing a qualitatively different solution. However, instead of getting lost in thought, individuals can also step back and monitor their thoughts from a detached perspective. Such mindful metacognition, we suggest, is likely to lead to distant search because it redistributes activation away from initial ideas to other, less strongly associated, ideas. This hypothesis was confirmed across two studies. Thus, getting lost in thoughts is helpful when one is on the right track and needs only a local search whereas stepping back from thoughts is helpful when one needs distant search to produce a change in perspective.     

Cell Elasticity Is Regulated by the Tropomyosin Isoform Composition of the Actin Cytoskeleton

The actin cytoskeleton is the primary polymer system within cells responsible for regulating cellular stiffness. While various actin binding proteins regulate the organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton, the proteins responsible for regulating the mechanical properties of cells are still not fully understood. In the present study, we have addressed the significance of the actin associated protein, tropomyosin (Tpm), in influencing the mechanical properties of cells. Tpms belong to a multi-gene family that form a co-polymer with actin filaments and differentially regulate actin filament stability, function and organization. Tpm isoform expression is highly regulated and together with the ability to sort to specific intracellular sites, result in the generation of distinct Tpm isoform-containing actin filament populations. Nanomechanical measurements conducted with an Atomic Force Microscope using indentation in Peak Force Tapping in indentation/ramping mode, demonstrated that Tpm impacts on cell stiffness and the observed effect occurred in a Tpm isoform-specific manner. Quantitative analysis of the cellular filamentous actin (F-actin) pool conducted both biochemically and with the use of a linear detection algorithm to evaluate actin structures revealed that an altered F-actin pool does not absolutely predict changes in cell stiffness. Inhibition of non-muscle myosin II revealed that intracellular tension generated by myosin II is required for the observed increase in cell stiffness. Lastly, we show that the observed increase in cell stiffness is partially recapitulated in vivo as detected in epididymal fat pads isolated from a Tpm3.1 transgenic mouse line. Together these data are consistent with a role for Tpm in regulating cell stiffness via the generation of specific populations of Tpm isoform-containing actin filaments.     

Rapid Screening of Gene Function by Systemic Delivery of Morpholino Oligonucleotides to Live Mouse Embryos

Traditional gene targeting methods in mice are complex and time consuming, especially when conditional deletion methods are required. Here, we describe a novel technique for assessing gene function by injection of modified antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) into the heart of mid-gestation mouse embryos. After allowing MOs to circulate through the embryonic vasculature, target tissues were explanted, cultured and analysed for expression of key markers. We established proof-of-principle by partially phenocopying known gene knockout phenotypes in the fetal gonads (Stra8, Sox9) and pancreas (Sox9). We also generated a novel double knockdown of Gli1 and Gli2, revealing defects in Leydig cell differentiation in the fetal testis. Finally, we gained insight into the roles of Adamts19 and Ctrb1, genes of unknown function in sex determination and gonadal development. These studies reveal the utility of this method as a means of first-pass analysis of gene function during organogenesis before committing to detailed genetic analysis.     

Methylation of KvDMR1 involved in regulating the imprinting of CDKN1C gene in cattle

The CDKN1C gene encodes a cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor and is one of the key genes involved in the development of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome and cancer. In this study, using a direct sequencing approach based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at genomic DNA and cDNA levels, we show that CDKN1C exhibits monoallelic expression in all seven studied organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle and subcutaneous fat) in cattle. To investigate how methylation regulates imprinting of CDKN1C in cattle, allele‐specific methylation patterns in two putative differential methylation regions (DMRs), the CDKN1C DMR and KvDMR1, were analyzed in three tissues (liver, spleen and lung) using bisulfite sequencing PCR. Our results show that in the CDKN1C DMR both parental alleles were unmethylated in all three analyzed tissues. In contrast, KvDMR1 was differentially methylated between the two parental alleles in the same tissues. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the methylation level between the two parental alleles (P < 0.01), confirming that this region is the DMR of KvDMR1 and that it may be correlated with CDKN1C imprinting.     

The priming induction regimen of HAG as a low dose chemotherapy strategy in AML clonal evolution

<正>Chemotherapy employs chemical substances to interfere with the growth of cancer cells,and is a major treatment strategy in human cancer including acute myeloid leukemia(AML).Although they often effectively kill fast-dividing tumor cells,chemotherapeutic drugs also profoundly affect     

Trophic associations and specialization of phytophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea,Curculionoidea) in the east of the Russian Plain

Data on the trophic associations of beetles with plants in the east of the Russian Plain are summarized and comparative analysis of host specialization of different groups of phytophagous beetles is performed. In terms of the width of the regional trophic spectrum, monophages and narrow oligophages prevail among the Curculionoidea as a whole and in the families Curculionidae and Apionidae in particular, while moderate and broad oligophages prevail in the Chrysomeloidea and in the family Chrysomelidae. Two-thirds of the regional fauna (66%) of Curculionoidea are closely associated with plants of one genus; by contrast, in Chrysomeloidea almost 40% of the species can develop on plants from different genera of one family, the fraction of the narrowly specialized forms comprising only 43%. The higher level of trophic specialization of weevils (Curculionidae, Apionidae) and seed beetles (Bruchidae), as compared to leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), is probably due to the larval endophagy of most species of these families. Analysis of the distribution of beetles over host plants has shown that the specialized forms are associated with plants of 65 families (about 60% of the regional flora in the east of the Russian Plain). Distribution of beetles over plant families is very non-uniform. Most of the specialized forms (78%) are associated with plants of 15 families, three of which (Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Brassicaceae) include hosts of more than onethird of the beetle species (37%). Monophages and narrow oligophages are recorded on 201 genera of plants from 59 families. Polyphagous species are recorded on plants of 58 families. The specific features of the distribution of phytophagous beetles over host plants (as compared to other insects) is a high fraction of species developing on coenophobes (particularly those of the family Brassicaceae) typical of the pioneer stages of successions with sparse herbaceous cover, and a small number of species associated with grasses and sedges. These features are most conspicuous in the fauna of Curculionidae.