Bipartite chromatin recognition by Hop1 from two diverged Holozoa.

In meiosis, ploidy reduction is driven by a complex series of DNA breakage and recombination events between homologous chromosomes, orchestrated by meiotic HORMA domain proteins (HORMADs). Meiotic HORMADs possess a central chromatin binding region (CBR) whose architecture varies across eukaryotic groups. Here, we determine high-resolution crystal structures of the meiotic HORMAD CBR from two diverged aquatic Holozoa, and , which reveal tightly associated plant homeodomain (PHD) and winged helix-turn-helix (wHTH) domains.

Bipartite chromatin recognition by Hop1 from two diverged holozoa.

In meiosis, ploidy reduction is driven by a complex series of DNA breakage and recombination events between homologous chromosomes, orchestrated by meiotic HORMA domain proteins (HORMADs). Meiotic HORMADs possess a central chromatin binding region (CBR) whose architecture varies across eukaryotic groups. Here, we determine high-resolution crystal structures of the meiotic HORMAD CBR from two diverged aquatic holozoa, and , which reveal tightly-associated PHD and winged helix-turn-helix (wHTH) domains.

HDAC3 Serine 424 Phospho-mimic and Phospho-null Mutants Bidirectionally Modulate Long-Term Memory Formation and Synaptic Plasticity in the Adult and Aging Mouse Brain.

Long-term memory (LTM) formation is negatively regulated by histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3), a transcriptional repressor. Emerging evidence suggests that posttranslational phosphorylation of HDAC3 at its serine 424 (S424) residue is critical for its deacetylase activity in transcription. However, it remains unknown if HDAC3 S424 phosphorylation regulates the ability of HDAC3 to modulate LTM formation.

Non-redundant cardiolipin synthases shape membrane composition and support stress resilience in .

is an anaerobic resident of the human gut known to tolerate the toxic effects of host-produced and microbially-modified bile acids. Two conserved genes, and , encode putative cardiolipin synthases that have been linked to bile acid tolerance, but their physiological roles remain undefined. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that spp.

The synaptonemal complex aligns meiotic chromosomes by wetting.

During meiosis, the parental chromosomes are drawn together to enable exchange of genetic information. Chromosomes are aligned through the assembly of a conserved interface, the synaptonemal complex, composed of a central region that forms between two parallel chromosomal backbones called axes. Here, we identify the axis-central region interface in , containing a conserved positive patch on the axis component HIM-3 and the negative C terminus of the central region protein SYP-5.

Kinetics and Oligomer Products of the Multiphase Reactions of Hydroxyacetone with Atmospheric Amines, Ammonium Sulfate, and Cloud Processing.

Hydroxyacetone (HA) is an atmospheric oxidation product of isoprene and other organic precursors that can form brown carbon (BrC). Measured bulk aqueous-phase reaction rates of HA with ammonium sulfate, methylamine, and glycine suggest that these reactions cannot compete with aqueous-phase hydroxyl radical oxidation. In cloud chamber photooxidation experiments with either gaseous or particulate HA in the presence of the same N-containing species, BrC formation was minor, with similar mass absorption coefficients at 365 nm (<0.

Asthma management in the digital age.

Asthma affects 25 million people in the United States, and its prevalence is increasing. Access to care and adherence to prescribed asthma-treatment programs remain the principal formidable challenges for asthma management. Telemedicine offers substantial opportunities for improved asthma care of patients across the full range of socioeconomic strata.

The synaptonemal complex aligns meiotic chromosomes by wetting.

During meiosis, the parental chromosomes are drawn together to enable exchange of genetic information. Chromosomes are aligned through the assembly of a conserved interface, the synaptonemal complex, composed of a central region that forms between two parallel chromosomal backbones called axes. Here we identify the axis-central region interface in , containing a conserved positive patch on the axis component HIM-3 and the C-terminus of the central region protein SYP-5.

Specific exercise patterns generate an epigenetic molecular memory window that drives long-term memory formation and identifies ACVR1C as a bidirectional regulator of memory in mice.

Exercise has beneficial effects on cognition throughout the lifespan. Here, we demonstrate that specific exercise patterns transform insufficient, subthreshold training into long-term memory in mice. Our findings reveal a potential molecular memory window such that subthreshold training within this window enables long-term memory formation.

Maneuvering through Life with Positivity: Estimating the Effects of Foster Youth's Appraisal on Coping Styles.

Youth in foster care tend to experience a disproportional number of adverse life experiences and demonstrate high rates of emotional and behavioral difficulties. According to the transactional model of stress and coping, how youth appraise their experiences influences the type of coping strategies they use in response to adversity, and these relations are key components to understanding later adjustment. However, few studies have examined potential effects of appraisal on coping for youth in foster care.

COVID-19 and the Latinx Community: "Promotoras Represent a Community in Pain".

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the Latinx community, leading to heightened economic instability and increased mortality/morbidity. Frontline community health workers () have played an integral role in serving low-income Latinx immigrant communities, disseminating health information to this vulnerable community while also facing heightened risks to their own health and wellbeing. This study explores the impact of the pandemic on Latinx communities and the promotoras that serve them, examining how the stresses and inequities the pandemic wrought might be mitigated.

Preschool-aged children's hair cortisol and parents' behavior, psychopathology, and stress.

Parental factors, including parenting behavior, parent mental health, and parent stress, are associated with child stress. More recently, studies have shown that these parental factors may also be associated with children's hair cortisol concentration (HCC). HCC is a novel biomarker for chronic stress.

Kinetics, Products, and Brown Carbon Formation by Aqueous-Phase Reactions of Glycolaldehyde with Atmospheric Amines and Ammonium Sulfate.

Glycolaldehyde (GAld) is a C water-soluble aldehyde produced during the atmospheric oxidation of isoprene and many other species and is commonly found in cloudwater. Previous work has established that glycolaldehyde evaporates more readily from drying aerosol droplets containing ammonium sulfate (AS) than does glyoxal, methylglyoxal, or hydroxyacetone, which implies that it does not oligomerize as quickly as these other species. Here, we report NMR measurements of glycolaldehyde's aqueous-phase reactions with AS, methylamine, and glycine.

Confirming putative variants at ≤ 5% allele frequency using allele enrichment and Sanger sequencing.

Whole exome sequencing (WES) is used to identify mutations in a patient's tumor DNA that are predictive of tumor behavior, including the likelihood of response or resistance to cancer therapy. WES has a mutation limit of detection (LoD) at variant allele frequencies (VAF) of 5%. Putative mutations called at ≤ 5% VAF are frequently due to sequencing errors, therefore reporting these subclonal mutations incurs risk of significant false positives.

An autoinhibitory role for the GRF zinc finger domain of DNA glycosylase NEIL3.

The NEIL3 DNA glycosylase maintains genome integrity during replication by excising oxidized bases from single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and unhooking interstrand cross-links (ICLs) at fork structures. In addition to its N-terminal catalytic glycosylase domain, NEIL3 contains two tandem C-terminal GRF-type zinc fingers that are absent in the other NEIL paralogs. ssDNA binding by the GRF-ZF motifs helps recruit NEIL3 to replication forks converged at an ICL, but the nature of DNA binding and the effect of the GRF-ZF domain on catalysis of base excision and ICL unhooking is unknown.

Unhooking of an interstrand cross-link at DNA fork structures by the DNA glycosylase NEIL3.

Interstrand DNA-DNA cross-links (ICLs) are generated by endogenous processes, drugs, and environmental toxins. Understanding the cellular pathways by which various ICLs are repaired is critical to understanding their biological effects. Recent studies showed that replication-dependent repair of an ICL derived from the reaction of an abasic (AP) site with an adenine residue (dA) on the opposing strand of duplex DNA proceeds via a novel mechanism in which the DNA glycosylase NEIL3 unhooks the ICL.

Emerging Roles of DNA Glycosylases and the Base Excision Repair Pathway.

The base excision repair (BER) pathway historically has been associated with maintaining genome integrity by eliminating nucleobases with small chemical modifications. In the past several years, however, BER was found to play additional roles in genome maintenance and metabolism, including sequence-specific restriction modification and repair of bulky adducts and interstrand crosslinks. Central to this expanded biological utility are specialized DNA glycosylases - enzymes that selectively excise damaged, modified, or mismatched nucleobases.

Too Old to Be Breastfed? Examination of Pre-Healthcare Professionals' Beliefs About, and Emotional and Behavioral Responses toward Extended Breastfeeding.

While breastfeeding seems to be widely accepted in the United States, extended breastfeeding (defined as breastfeeding beyond 12 months of age) tends to be stigmatized. Healthcare professionals are assumed to play a significant role in supporting women who desire to practice extended breastfeeding; however, how healthcare professionals react to extended breastfeeding has not been well understood. This research surveyed 116 healthcare students, who majored in nursing and human medicine, and examined their perceived advantages and disadvantages, emotional responses to, and advice that they would provide to future mothers regarding extended breastfeeding.

Molecular crowding enhances facilitated diffusion of two human DNA glycosylases.

Intracellular space is at a premium due to the high concentrations of biomolecules and is expected to have a fundamental effect on how large macromolecules move in the cell. Here, we report that crowded solutions promote intramolecular DNA translocation by two human DNA repair glycosylases. The crowding effect increases both the efficiency and average distance of DNA chain translocation by hindering escape of the enzymes to bulk solution.

Free energy map for the co-oligomerization of formaldehyde and ammonia.

Density functional theory calculations, including Poisson-Boltzmann implicit solvent and free energy corrections, are applied to construct a free energy map of formaldehyde and ammonia co-oligomerization in aqueous solution at pH 7. The stepwise route to forming hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), the one clearly identified major product in a complex mixture, involves a series of addition reactions of formaldehyde and ammonia coupled with dehydration and cyclization reactions at key steps in the pathway. The free energy map also allows us to propose the possible identity of some major peaks observed by mass spectroscopy in the reaction mixture being the result of stable species not along the pathway to HMTA, in particular those formed by intramolecular condensation of hydroxyl groups to form six-membered rings with ether linkages.

Conducting a randomized clinical trial of an psychological intervention for parents/caregivers of children with cancer shortly after diagnosis.

Objective: To report acceptability, feasibility, and outcome data from a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a brief intervention for caregivers of children newly diagnosed with cancer.

Method: Eighty-one families were randomly assigned following collection of baseline data to Intervention or Treatment as Usual (TAU). Recruitment and retention rates and progression through the protocol were tracked.

Feasibility and preliminary outcomes from a pilot study of a brief psychological intervention for families of children newly diagnosed with cancer.

Objective: To report initial feasibility and outcome from a pilot study of a new three-session intervention for caregivers of children newly diagnosed with cancer, Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program-Newly Diagnosed (SCCIP-ND).

Method: Nineteen families (38 caregivers) were randomly assigned to SCCIP-ND or treatment as usual subsequent to learning of their child's illness. The study design included pre- and 2-month postintervention assessments, with state anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms as outcomes.

Improving physical functional status in patients with fibromyalgia: a brief cognitive behavioral intervention.

Objective: Sustained improvement in physical functional status was the primary goal of a brief, 6 session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol for fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods: One hundred forty-five patients with FM were randomly assigned to either (1) standard medical care that included pharmacological management of symptoms and suggestions for aerobic fitness, or (2) the same standard medical treatment plus 6 sessions of CBT aimed at improving physical functioning. Outcome measures included the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Physical Component Score and McGill ratings of pain.