bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SMARCAD1 is an ATP-dependent stimulator of nucleosomal H2A acetylation via CBP, resulting in transcriptional regulation
Authors: Doiguchi Masamichi , Nakagawa Takeya , Imamura Yuko , Yoneda Mitsuhiro , Higashi Miki , Kubota Kazuishi , Yamashita Satoshi , Asahara Hiroshi , Iida Midori , Fujii Satoshi , Ikura Tsuyoshi , Liu Ziying , Nandu Tulip , Kraus W. Lee , Ueda Hitoshi , Ito Takashi 
Published: February 2016

AbstractHistone acetylation plays a pivotal role in transcriptional regulation and ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling activity is required for optimal transcription from chromatin. While these two activities have been well characterized, how they are coordinated remains to be determined. We discovered ATP-dependent histone H2A acetylation activity in Drosophila nuclear extracts. This activity was column purified and demonstrated to be composed of the enzymatic activities of CREB-binding protein (CBP) and SMARCAD1, which belongs to the Etl1 subfamily of the Snf2 family of helicase-related proteins. SMARCAD1 enhanced acetylation by CBP of H2A K5 and K8 in nucleosomes in an ATP-dependent fashion. Expression array analysis of S2 cells having ectopically expressed SMARCAD1 revealed up-regulated genes. Using native genome templates of these up-regulated genes, we found that SMARCAD1 activates their transcription in vitro. Knockdown analysis of SMARCAD1 and CBP indicated overlapping gene control and ChIP-seq analysis of these commonly controlled genes showed that CBP is recruited to the promoter prior to SMARCAD1. Moreover, Drosophila genetic experiments demonstrated interaction between SMARCAD1/Etl1 and CBP/nej during development. The interplay between the remodeling activity of SMARCAD1 and histone acetylation by CBP sheds light on the function of chromatin and the genome-integrity network.
Musical Creativity “Revealed” in Brain Structure: Interplay between Motor, Default Mode and Limbic Networks
Authors: Bashwiner David M. , Wertz Christopher J. , Flores Ranee A. , Jung Rex E. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractCreative behaviors are among the most complex that humans engage in, involving not only highly intricate, domain-specific knowledge and skill, but also domain-general processing styles and the affective drive to create. This study presents structural imaging data indicating that musically creative people (as indicated by self-report) have greater cortical surface area or volume in a) regions associated with domain-specific higher-cognitive motor activity and sound processing (dorsal premotor cortex, supplementary and pre-supplementary motor areas and planum temporale), b) domain-general creative-ideation regions associated with the default mode network (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyrus and temporal pole) and c) emotion-related regions (orbitofrontal cortex, temporal pole and amygdala). These findings suggest that domain-specific musical expertise, default-mode cognitive processing style and intensity of emotional experience might all coordinate to motivate and facilitate the drive to create music.
“APEC Blue”: Secondary Aerosol Reductions from Emission Controls in Beijing
Authors: Sun Yele , Wang Zifa , Wild Oliver , Xu Weiqi , Chen Chen , Fu Pingqing , Du Wei , Zhou Libo , Zhang Qi , Han Tingting , Wang Qingqing , Pan Xiaole , Zheng Haitao , Li Jie , Guo Xiaofeng , Liu Jianguo , Worsnop Douglas R. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractChina implemented strict emission control measures in Beijing and surrounding regions to ensure good air quality during the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. We conducted synchronous aerosol particle measurements with two aerosol mass spectrometers at different heights on a meteorological tower in urban Beijing to investigate the variations in particulate composition, sources and size distributions in response to emission controls. Our results show consistently large reductions in secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) of 61–67% and 51–57% and in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) of 55% and 37%, at 260 m and ground level, respectively, during the APEC summit. These changes were mainly caused by large reductions in accumulation mode particles and by suppression of the growth of SIA and SOA by a factor of 2–3, which led to blue sky days during APEC commonly referred to as “APEC Blue”. We propose a conceptual framework for the evolution of primary and secondary species and highlight the importance of regional atmospheric transport in the formation of severe pollution episodes in Beijing. Our results indicate that reducing the precursors of secondary aerosol over regional scales is crucial and effective in suppressing the formation of secondary particulates and mitigating PM pollution.
Abnormal tau induces cognitive impairment through two different mechanisms: synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss
Authors: Di J. , Cohen L. S. , Corbo C. P. , Phillips G. R. , El Idrissi A. , Alonso A. D. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe hyperphosphorylated microtubule-associated protein tau is present in several neurodegenerative diseases, although the causal relationship remains elusive. Few mouse models used to study Alzheimer-like dementia target tau phosphorylation. We created an inducible pseudophosphorylated tau (Pathological Human Tau, PH-Tau) mouse model to study the effect of conformationally modified tau in vivo. Leaky expression resulted in two levels of PH-Tau: low basal level and higher upon induction (4% and 14% of the endogenous tau, respectively). Unexpectedly, low PH-Tau resulted in significant cognitive deficits, decrease in the number of synapses (seen by EM in the CA1 region), reduction of synaptic proteins, and localization to the nucleus. Induction of PH-Tau triggered neuronal death (60% in CA3), astrocytosis, and loss of the processes in CA1. These findings suggest, that phosphorylated tau is sufficient to induce neurodegeneration and that two different mechanisms can induce cognitive impairment depending on the levels of PH-Tau expression.
Persistent activation of microglia and NADPH oxidase drive hippocampal dysfunction in experimental multiple sclerosis
Authors: Di Filippo Massimiliano , de Iure Antonio , Giampà Carmela , Chiasserini Davide , Tozzi Alessandro , Orvietani Pier Luigi , Ghiglieri Veronica , Tantucci Michela , Durante Valentina , Quiroga-Varela Ana , Mancini Andrea , Costa Cinzia , Sarchielli Paola , Fusco Francesca Romana , Calabresi Paolo 
Published: February 2016

AbstractCognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). Unfortunately, the synaptic and molecular mechanisms underlying MS-associated cognitive dysfunction are largely unknown. We explored the presence and the underlying mechanism of cognitive and synaptic hippocampal dysfunction during the remission phase of experimental MS. Experiments were performed in a chronic-relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS, after the resolution of motor deficits. Immunohistochemistry and patch-clamp recordings were performed in the CA1 hippocampal area. The hole-board was utilized as cognitive/behavioural test. In the remission phase of experimental MS, hippocampal microglial cells showed signs of activation, CA1 hippocampal synapses presented an impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) and an alteration of spatial tests became evident. The activation of hippocampal microglia mediated synaptic and cognitive/behavioural alterations during EAE. Specifically, LTP blockade was found to be caused by the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. We suggest that in the remission phase of experimental MS microglia remains activated, causing synaptic dysfunctions mediated by NADPH oxidase. Inhibition of microglial activation and NADPH oxidase may represent a promising strategy to prevent neuroplasticity impairment associated with active neuro-inflammation, with the aim to improve cognition and counteract MS disease progression.
Protective effect of alpha-mangostin against oxidative stress induced-retinal cell death
Authors: Fang Yuan , Su Tu , Qiu Xiaorong , Mao Pingan , Xu Yidan , Hu Zizhong , Zhang Yi , Zheng Xinhua , Xie Ping , Liu Qinghuai 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIt is known that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) pathogenesis. Alpha-mangostin is the main xanthone purified from mangosteen known as anti-oxidative properties. The aim of the study was to test the protective effect of alpha-mangostin against oxidative stress both in retina of light-damaged mice model and in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-stressed RPE cells. We observed that alpha-mangostin significantly inhibited light-induced degeneration of photoreceptors and 200 μM H2O2-induced apoptosis of RPE cells. 200 μM H2O2-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and light-induced generation of malondialdehyde (MDA) were suppressed by alpha-mangostin. Alpha-mangostin stimulation resulted in an increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity and glutathione (GSH) content both in vivo and vitro. Furthermore, the mechanism of retinal protection against oxidative stress by alpha-mangostin involves accumulation and the nuclear translocation of the NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) along with up-regulation the expression of heme oxygenas-1 (HO-1). Meanwhile, alpha-mangostin can activate the expression of PKC-δ and down-regulate the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including ERK1/2, JNK, P38. The results suggest that alpha-mangostin could be a new approach to suspend the onset and development of AMD.
Calstabin 2: An important regulator for learning and memory in mice
Authors: Yuan Qi , Deng Ke-Yu , Sun Le , Chi Shaopeng , Yang Zhiguang , Wang Jun , Xin Hong-Bo , Wang Xiaoqun , Ji Guangju 
Published: February 2016

AbstractCalstabin2, also named FK506 binding protein 12.6 (FKBP12.6), is a subunit of ryanodine receptor subtype 2 (RyR2) macromolecular complex, which is an intracellular calcium channel and abundant in the brain. Previous studies identified a role of leaky neuronal RyR2 in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the functional role of Calstabin2 in the cognitive function remains unclear. Herein, we used a mouse model of genetic deletion of Calstabin2 to investigate the function of Calstabin2 in cognitive dysfunction. We found that Calstabin2 knockout (KO) mice showed significantly reduced performance in Morris Water Maze (MWM), long-term memory (LTM) contextual fear testing and rotarod test when compared to wild type (WT) littermates. Indeed, genetic deletion of Calstabin2 reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) at the hippocampal CA3-CA1 connection, increased membrane excitability and induced RyR2 leak. Finally, we demonstrated that the increase in cytoplasmic calcium activated Ca2+ dependent potassium currents and led to neuronal apoptosis in KO hippocampal neurons. Thus, these results suggest that neuronal RyR2 Ca2+ leak due to Calstabin2 deletion contributes to learning deficiency and memory impairment.
GeneiASE: Detection of condition-dependent and static allele-specific expression from RNA-seq data without haplotype information
Authors: Edsgärd Daniel , Iglesias Maria Jesus , Reilly Sarah-Jayne , Hamsten Anders , Tornvall Per , Odeberg Jacob , Emanuelsson Olof 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAllele-specific expression (ASE) is the imbalance in transcription between maternal and paternal alleles at a locus and can be probed in single individuals using massively parallel DNA sequencing technology. Assessing ASE within a single sample provides a static picture of the ASE, but the magnitude of ASE for a given transcript may vary between different biological conditions in an individual. Such condition-dependent ASE could indicate a genetic variation with a functional role in the phenotypic difference. We investigated ASE through RNA-sequencing of primary white blood cells from eight human individuals before and after the controlled induction of an inflammatory response, and detected condition-dependent and static ASE at 211 and 13021 variants, respectively. We developed a method, GeneiASE, to detect genes exhibiting static or condition-dependent ASE in single individuals. GeneiASE performed consistently over a range of read depths and ASE effect sizes, and did not require phasing of variants to estimate haplotypes. We observed condition-dependent ASE related to the inflammatory response in 19 genes, and static ASE in 1389 genes. Allele-specific expression was confirmed by validation of variants through real-time quantitative RT-PCR, with RNA-seq and RT-PCR ASE effect-size correlations r = 0.67 and r = 0.94 for static and condition-dependent ASE, respectively.
Digit-only sauropod pes trackways from China – evidence of swimming or a preservational phenomenon?
Authors: Xing Lida , Li Daqing , Falkingham Peter L. , Lockley Martin G. , Benton Michael J. , Klein Hendrik , Zhang Jianping , Ran Hao , Persons W. Scott , Dai Hui 
Published: February 2016

AbstractFor more than 70 years unusual sauropod trackways have played a pivotal role in debates about the swimming ability of sauropods. Most claims that sauropods could swim have been based on manus-only or manus-dominated trackways. However none of these incomplete trackways has been entirely convincing and most have proved to be taphonomic artifacts, either undertracks or the result of differential depth of penetration of manus and pes tracks, but otherwise showed the typical pattern of normal walking trackways. Here we report an assemblage of unusual sauropod tracks from the Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group of Gansu Province, northern China, characterized by the preservation of only the pes claw traces, that we interpret as having been left by walking, not buoyant or swimming, individuals. They are interpreted as the result of animals moving on a soft mud-silt substrate, projecting their claws deeply to register their traces on an underlying sand layer where they gained more grip during progression. Other sauropod walking trackways on the same surface with both pes and manus traces preserved, were probably left earlier on relatively firm substrates that predated the deposition of soft mud and silt . Presently, there is no convincing evidence of swimming sauropods from their trackways, which is not to say that sauropods did not swim at all.
Diabetes Caused by Elastase-Cre-Mediated Pdx1 Inactivation in Mice
Authors: Kodama Sota , Nakano Yasuhiro , Hirata Koji , Furuyama Kenichiro , Horiguchi Masashi , Kuhara Takeshi , Masui Toshihiko , Kawaguchi Michiya , Gannon Maureen , Wright Christopher V. E. , Uemoto Shinji , Kawaguchi Yoshiya 
Published: February 2016

AbstractEndocrine and exocrine pancreas tissues are both derived from the posterior foregut endoderm, however, the interdependence of these two cell types during their formation is not well understood. In this study, we generated mutant mice, in which the exocrine tissue is hypoplastic, in order to reveal a possible requirement for exocrine pancreas tissue in endocrine development and/or function. Since previous studies showed an indispensable role for Pdx1 in pancreas organogenesis, we used Elastase-Cre-mediated recombination to inactivate Pdx1 in the pancreatic exocrine lineage during embryonic stages. Along with exocrine defects, including impaired acinar cell maturation, the mutant mice exhibited substantial endocrine defects, including disturbed tip/trunk patterning of the developing ductal structure, a reduced number of Ngn3-expressing endocrine precursors and ultimately fewer β cells. Notably, postnatal expansion of the endocrine cell content was extremely poor and the mutant mice exhibited impaired glucose homeostasis. These findings suggest the existence of an unknown but essential factor(s) in the adjacent exocrine tissue that regulates proper formation of endocrine precursors and the expansion and function of endocrine tissues during embryonic and postnatal stages.
An Atomistic-Scale Study for Thermal Conductivity and Thermochemical Compatibility in (DyY)Zr2O7 Combining an Experimental Approach with Theoretical Calculation
Authors: Qu Liu , Choy Kwang-Leong , Wheatley Richard 
Published: February 2016

AbstractCeramic oxides that have high-temperature capabilities can be deposited on the superalloy components in aero engines and diesel engines to advance engine efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. This paper aims to study doping effects of Dy3+ and Y3+on the thermodynamic properties of ZrO2 synthesized via a sol-gel route for a better control of the stoichiometry, combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for the calculation of theoretical properties. The thermal conductivity is investigated by the MD simulation and Clarke’s model. This can improve the understanding of the microstructure and thermodynamic properties of (DyY)Zr2O7 (DYZ) at the atomistic level. The phonon-defect scattering and phonon-phonon scattering processes are investigated via the theoretical calculation, which provides an effective way to study thermal transport properties of ionic oxides. The measured and predicted thermal conductivity of DYZ is lower than that of 4 mol % Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (4YSZ). It is discovered that DYZ is thermochemically compatible with Al2O3 at 1300 °C, whereas at 1350 °C DYZ reacts with Al2O3 forming a small amount of new phases.
Dnd knockout ablates germ cells and demonstrates germ cell independent sex differentiation in Atlantic salmon
Authors: Wargelius Anna , Leininger Sven , Skaftnesmo Kai Ove , Kleppe Lene , Andersson Eva , Taranger Geir Lasse , Schulz Rüdiger W , Edvardsen Rolf B 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIntrogression of farmed salmon escapees into wild stocks is a major threat to the genetic integrity of wild populations. Using germ cell-free fish in aquaculture may mitigate this problem. Our study investigated whether it is possible to produce germ cell-free salmon in F0 by using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out dnd, a factor required for germ cell survival in vertebrates. To avoid studying mosaic animals, sgRNA targeting alb was simultaneously used as a visual tracer since the phenotype of alb KO is complete loss of pigmentation. Induced mutations for the tracer (alb) and the target (dnd) genes were highly correlated and produced germ cell-less fish lacking pigmentation, underlining the suitability of alb KO to serve as tracer for targeted double allelic mutations in F0 animals in species with prohibitively long generation times. This is also the first report describing dnd knockout in any fish species. Analyzing gene expression and histology of dnd KO fish revealed that sex differentiation of the somatic compartment does not depend on the presence of germ cells. However, the organization of the ovarian somatic compartment seems compromised in mutant fish.
Differential neutrophil responses to bacterial stimuli: Streptococcal strains are potent inducers of heparin-binding protein and resistin-release
Authors: Snäll Johanna , Linnér Anna , Uhlmann Julia , Siemens Nikolai , Ibold Heike , Janos Marton , Linder Adam , Kreikemeyer Bernd , Herwald Heiko , Johansson Linda , Norrby-Teglund Anna 
Published: February 2016

AbstractNeutrophils are critical for the control of bacterial infections, but they may also contribute to disease pathology. Here we explore neutrophil responses, in particular the release of sepsis-associated factors heparin-binding protein (HBP) and resistin in relation to specific bacterial stimuli and sepsis of varying aetiology. Analyses of HBP and resistin in plasma of septic patients revealed elevated levels as compared to non-infected critically ill patients. HBP and resistin correlated significantly in septic patients, with the strongest association seen in group A streptococcal (GAS) cases. In vitro stimulation of human neutrophils revealed that fixed streptococcal strains induced significantly higher release of HBP and resistin, as compared to Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli. Similarly, neutrophils stimulated with the streptococcal M1-protein showed a significant increase in co-localization of HBP and resistin positive granules as well as exocytosis of these factors, as compared to LPS. Using a GAS strain deficient in M1-protein expression had negligible effect on neutrophil activation, while a strain deficient in the stand-alone regulator MsmR was significantly less stimulatory as compared to its wild type strain. Taken together, the findings suggest that the streptococcal activation of neutrophils is multifactorial and involves, but is not limited to, proteins encoded by the FCT-locus.
Assortativity and leadership emerge from anti-preferential attachment in heterogeneous networks
Authors: Sendiña-Nadal I. , Danziger M. M. , Wang Z. , Havlin S. , Boccaletti S. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractReal-world networks have distinct topologies, with marked deviations from purely random networks. Many of them exhibit degree-assortativity, with nodes of similar degree more likely to link to one another. Though microscopic mechanisms have been suggested for the emergence of other topological features, assortativity has proven elusive. Assortativity can be artificially implanted in a network via degree-preserving link permutations, however this destroys the graph’s hierarchical clustering and does not correspond to any microscopic mechanism. Here, we propose the first generative model which creates heterogeneous networks with scale-free-like properties in degree and clustering distributions and tunable realistic assortativity. Two distinct populations of nodes are incrementally added to an initial network by selecting a subgraph to connect to at random. One population (the followers) follows preferential attachment, while the other population (the potential leaders) connects via anti-preferential attachment: they link to lower degree nodes when added to the network. By selecting the lower degree nodes, the potential leader nodes maintain high visibility during the growth process, eventually growing into hubs. The evolution of links in Facebook empirically validates the connection between the initial anti-preferential attachment and long term high degree. In this way, our work sheds new light on the structure and evolution of social networks.
Multi-functional reactively-sputtered copper oxide electrodes for supercapacitor and electro-catalyst in direct methanol fuel cell applications
Authors: Pawar Sambhaji M. , Kim Jongmin , Inamdar Akbar I. , Woo Hyeonseok , Jo Yongcheol , Pawar Bharati S. , Cho Sangeun , Kim Hyungsang , Im Hyunsik 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis work reports on the concurrent electrochemical energy storage and conversion characteristics of granular copper oxide electrode films prepared using reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature under different oxygen environments. The obtained films are characterized in terms of their structural, morphological, and compositional properties. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope studies reveal that granular, single-phase Cu2O and CuO can be obtained by controlling the oxygen flow rate. The electrochemical energy storage properties of the films are investigated by carrying out cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. The electrochemical analysis reveals that the Cu2O and CuO electrodes have high specific capacitances of 215 and 272 F/g in 6 M KOH solution with a capacity retention of about 80% and 85% after 3000 cycles, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry are used to study the electrochemical energy conversion properties of the films via methanol electro-oxidation. The results show that the Cu2O and CuO electrodes are electro-catalytically active and highly stable.