L.S. Vygotsky and the Theater

The article presents the analysis of L.S. Vygotsky's works dedicated to the theater arts and is organized according Vygotsky's different life and work stages. Meanwhile special attention is paid to the Gomel period during which a large number of reviews were written by Vygotsky and published in “Nash ponedel'nik” and “Polesskaia pravda” newspapers. Biographical facts are widely used in this analysis and help to clarify Vygotsky's interest in art. It is shown that even at the beginning of his oeuvre, he was interested not only in a range of problems in art, but also psychological problems related to art perception and creativeness. Vygotsky's usage of structural concept ideas about the peculiar properties of literary text composition are also explored. Vygotsky analyzes the socio-psychological mechanisms of theatrical art effect. Furthermore, those areas which are widely used by Vygotsky in determining the characteristics of cast reincarnation are examined. Special emphasis is placed on the different elements of the actor techniques (speech, movement, emotional expression, acting personality and etc.). Materials are widely used in this study and help identify the socio-cultural context that defined Vygotsky's values at different stages of his work, related to his drama criticism and his formation as a professional psychologist.     

A G-rich element forms a G-quadruplex and regulates BACE1 mRNA alternative splicing

β-Site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the transmembrane aspartyl protease that catalyzes the first cleavage step in the proteolysis of the APP to the amyloid β-protein (Aβ), a process involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. BACE1 pre-mRNA undergoes complex alternative splicing, the regulation of which is not well understood. We identified a G-rich sequence within exon 3 of BACE1 involved in controlling splice site selection. Mutation of the G-rich sequence decreased use of the normal 5' splice site of exon 3, which leads to full-length and proteolytically active BACE1, and increased use of an alternative splice site, which leads to a shorter, essentially inactive isoform. Nuclease protection assays, nuclear magnetic resonance, and circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that this sequence folds into a G-quadruplex structure. Several proteins were identified as capable of binding to the G-rich sequence, and one of these, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H, was found to regulate BACE1 exon 3 alternative splicing and in a manner dependent on the G-rich sequence. Knockdown of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H led to a decrease in the full-length BACE1 mRNA isoform as well as a decrease in Aβ production from APP, suggesting new possibilities for therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's disease.     

脂肪细胞分化过程中影响PAI-1基因转录表达的Dex和C/EBPs顺式调控元件的分析(英)

在研究胰岛素(Ins)、地塞米松(Dex)和甲基异丁基黄嘌呤(Mix)对脂肪细胞分化过程中PAI-1基因表达的影响基础上,为进一步探讨Ins、Dex调控PAI-1基因转录表达的调控机制,应用DNA重组技术,构建含萤光素酶（luciferase）报告基因和PAI-1启动子不同长度片段的嵌合质粒,转染3T3-L1前脂肪细胞并测定报告基因荧光素酶的活性.结果表明,小鼠PAI-1基因起动子－690至－850碱基序列之间有一个Dex的正调控元件.用计算机软件进行分析发现：Dex顺式元件位于PAI-1启动子的－750至－770碱基序列.其组成为：5′ GGTAACCTCTGTTCTCAT 3′.同时还发现在PAI-1启动子的－720至－740碱基序列中,存在一个C/EBPs的结合元件5′CCAAT3′并用凝胶电泳迁移实验对这些元件进行了鉴定.表明Dex正是通过激活转录因子（糖皮质激素受体,GR）和C/EBPα一起与各自的顺式元件结合来促进PAI-1基因的表达.     

Probing the role of Valine 185 of the D1 protein in the Photosystem II oxygen evolution

In Photosystem II (PSII), the Mn₄CaO₅-cluster of the active site advances through five sequential oxidation states (S₀ to S₄) before water is oxidized and O₂ is generated. The V185 of the D1 protein has been shown to be an important amino acid in PSII function (Dilbeck et al. Biochemistry 52 (2013) 6824–6833). Here, we have studied its role by making a V185T site-directed mutant in the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus. The properties of the V185T-PSII have been compared to those of the WT*3-PSII by using EPR spectroscopy, polarography, thermoluminescence and time-resolved UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. It is shown that the V185 and the chloride binding site very likely interact via the H-bond network linking Tyr_Z and the halide. The V185 contributes to the stabilization of S₂ into the low spin (LS), S?=?1/2, configuration. Indeed, in the V185T mutant a high proportion of S₂ exhibits a high spin (HS), S?=?5/2, configuration. By using bromocresol purple as a dye, a proton release was detected in the S₁Tyr_Z?→?S₂^HSTyr_Z transition in the V185T mutant in contrast to the WT*3-PSII in which there is no proton release in this transition. Instead, in WT*3-PSII, a proton release kinetically much faster than the S₂^LSTyr_Z?→?S₃Tyr_Z transition was observed and we propose that it occurs in the S₂^LSTyr_Z?→?S₂^HSTyr_Z intermediate step before the S₂^HSTyr_Z?→?S₃Tyr_Z transition occurs. The dramatic slowdown of the S₃Tyr_Z?→?S₀Tyr_Z transition in the V185T mutant does not originate from a structural modification of the Mn₄CaO₅ cluster since the spin S?=?3?S₃ EPR signal is not modified in the mutant. More probably, it is indicative of the strong implication of V185 in the tuning of an efficient relaxation processes of the H-bond network and/or of the protein.     

长效人促卵泡激素CHO细胞株的构建及其体内活性

促卵泡激素(FSH)是具有促进卵泡与睾丸发育作用的一种垂体糖蛋白激素。因其体内半衰期较短,临床上需要连续10 d以上每天注射,病人使用非常不方便。本文旨在通过提高糖基化程度,研制一种长效FSH。通过一段含有两个N-糖基化位点的连接序列,将人FSHα链与β链cDNA融合,并插入pcDNA3.1(+)表达载体。表达载体转染CHO-K1细胞后,通过G418筛选得到阳性单克隆细胞,并经PCR和Western blotting证实。该重组FSH为单链蛋白,分子量约为49 kDa。经无血清培养,工程细胞株培养上清液中重组FSH的表达量可达3 mg/L。单次注射该重组FSH能够促进大鼠卵巢发育与卵泡成熟,且药效与连续8次注射Folltropin-V的相近。实验结果显示,本研究已成功获得一种长效重组FSH。     

Optimising the clinical strategy for autoimmune liver diseases: Principles of value-based medicine

Background

Autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis represent the three major autoimmune liver diseases (AILDs). Their management is highly specialized, requires a multidisciplinary approach and often relies on expensive, orphan drugs. Unfortunately, their treatment is often unsatisfactory, and the care pathway heterogeneous across different centers. Disease-specific clinical outcome indicators (COIs) able to evaluate the whole cycle of care are needed to assist both clinicians and administrators in improving quality and value of care. Aim of our study was to generate a set of COIs for the three AILDs. We then prospectively validated these indicators based on a series of consecutive patients recruited at three tertiary clinical centers in Lombardy, Italy.

A role for recombination in the production of "free-loader" lambda bacteriophage particles

Density-labeled crosses were performed with bacteriophage lambda under conditions which diminish DNA duplication. The production of viable phage containing fully conserved parental DNA was found to be dependent upon the action of the genetic recombination systems. The production of phage containing DNA with one newly synthesized chain was less dependent upon recombination. The production of phage with chromosomes both of whose chains were synthesized following infection show little, if any, dependence on recombination. One can speculate that some step in the maturation process of bacteriophage lambda is inseparable from the reduction of lambda DNA to the monomeric rods characteristic of lambda virions.