Protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunits affecting plant innate immunity,energy metabolism,and flowering time – joint functions among B'η subfamily members

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a heterotrimeric complex comprising a catalytic, scaffolding, and regulatory subunit. The regulatory subunits are essential for substrate specificity and localization of the complex and are classified into B/B55, B'', and B” non-related families in higher plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the close paralogs B''η, B''θ, B''γ, and B''ζ were further classified into a subfamily of B'' called B''η. Here we present results that consolidate the evidence for a role of the B''η subfamily in regulation of innate immunity, energy metabolism and flowering time. Proliferation of the virulent Pseudomonas syringae in B''θ knockout mutant decreased in comparison with wild type plants. Additionally, B''θ knockout plants were delayed in flowering, and this phenotype was supported by high expression of FLC (FLOWERING LOCUS C). B''ζ knockout seedlings showed growth retardation on sucrose-free medium, indicating a role for B''ζ in energy metabolism. This work provides insight into functions of the B''η subfamily members, highlighting their regulation of shared physiological traits while localizing to distinct cellular compartments.     

Changes in the Glycoprotein Concentration of the Extracellular Matrix between Lens and Optic Vesicle Associated with Early Lens Differentiation

The glycoproteins of the extracellular interface between the lens rudiment and the optic vesicle of the chicken embryo were demonstrated histochemically and their concentration was measured by microspectrophotometry through-out the period of lens induction. The concentration reaches a peak immediately preceding the maximum elongation of the lens cells and the onset of the synthesis of lens-specific proteins, suggesting the involvement of matrix density increase in lens induction.     

Aggregation risk prediction for antibodies and its application to biotherapeutic development

Aggregation is a common problem affecting biopharmaceutical development that can have a significant effect on the quality of the product, as well as the safety to patients, particularly because of the increased risk of immune reactions. Here, we describe a new high-throughput screening algorithm developed to classify antibody molecules based on their propensity to aggregate. The tool, constructed and validated on experimental aggregation data for over 500 antibodies, is able to discern molecules with a high aggregation propensity as defined by experimental criteria relevant to bioprocessing and manufacturing of these molecules. Furthermore, we show how this tool can be combined with other computational approaches during early drug development to select molecules with reduced risk of aggregation and optimal developability properties.     

Seed weevils living on the edge: pressures and conflicts over body size in the endoparasitic Curculio larvae

Abstract 1. Body size in parasitic insects can be subjected to contrasting selective pressures, especially if they complete their development within a single host. On the one hand, a larger body size is associated with a higher fitness. On the other hand, the host offers a discrete amount of resources, thus constraining the evolution of a disproportionate body size. 2. The present study used the weevil Curculio elephas as a study model. Larvae develop within a single acorn, feeding on its cotyledons, and larval body size is strongly related to individual fitness. 3. The relationship between larval and acorn size was negatively exponential. Larval growth was constrained in small acorns, which did not provide enough food for the weevils to attain their potential size. Larval size increased and levelled off in acorns over a certain size (inflexion point), in which cotyledons were rarely depleted. When there were more than one larva per acorn, a larger acorn was necessary to avoid food depletion. 4. The results show that C. elephas larvae are sometimes endoparasitic, living on the edge of host holding capacity. If they were smaller they could avoid food depletion more easily, but the fitness benefits linked to a larger size have probably promoted body size increase. The strong negative effects of conspecific competition may have possibly influenced female strategy of laying a single egg per seed. 5. Being larger and fitter, but always within the limits of the available host sizes, may be one main evolutionary dilemma in endoparasites.     

Association of Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Physical Activity,Media Time,and Food Intake in Children and Adolescents

Introduction

The aim of the study was to assess the association between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and potentially obesogenic behaviors.

Methods

Data of 11,676 German children and adolescents (6–17 years) were analyzed. Television/video exposure, physical activity, food frequency and portion size were assessed using questionnaires. A dietary quality index, energy density and volumes of consumed food, and total energy intake were calculated. The parent-rated hyperactivity/inattention subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-HI) was used as a continuous measure of ADHD symptoms. Associations were analyzed with general linear models adjusting for sex, age, socioeconomic status, migrant status, parental BMI, and parental smoking.

Results

SDQ-HI scores correlated positively with physical activity, average energy density of food, volume of beverages, total energy intake, and television exposure and negatively with the nutritional quality score (HuSKY) even after adjustment for parental variables (BMI, smoking, socioeconomic status, migrant status), age, sex, as well as the other SDQ subscales. The adjusted association of the SDQ-HI scores with the nutritional quality score was stronger in girls and the associations with food volume, food energy, and total energy intake was significant only in girls.

Conclusions

Poor nutritional quality, high energy intake and television exposure appear to be independently associated with ADHD symptoms. The relationship between food energy intake and ADHD symptoms was especially pronounced in girls and this may help to explain the reported association of ADHD symptoms with overweight in adolescent girls.     

Out of mind, out of sight: language affects perceptual vividness in memory

We examined whether language affects the strength of a visual representation in memory. Participants studied a picture, read a story about the depicted object, and then selected out of two pictures the one whose transparency level most resembled that of the previously presented picture. The stories contained two linguistic manipulations that have been demonstrated to affect concept availability in memory, i.e., object presence and goal-relevance. The results show that described absence of an object caused people to select the most transparent picture more often than described presence of the object. This effect was not moderated by goal-relevance, suggesting that our paradigm tapped into the perceptual quality of representations rather than, for example, their linguistic availability. We discuss the implications of these findings within a framework of grounded cognition.