title: The importance of restoring the Rotorua Lakes

authors: Chadwick, Hon Steve

abstract: In November last year the Rotorua District Council resolved to change our trading name to Rotorua Lakes Council. This was passed at Council and caused a stir; everything I do seems to cause a stir because we did not consult the wider community. In retrospect I still believe it was the best decision to keep at the Council table.

text: The importance of restoring the Rotorua Lakes In November last year the Rotorua District Council resolved to change our trading name to Rotorua Lakes Council. This was passed at Council and caused a stir; everything I do seems to cause a stir because we did not consult the wider community. In retrospect I still believe it was the best decision to keep at the Council table.

year: 2015

title: Understanding enzymatic mechanism and allostery using macromolecular rate theory

authors: Grout, Emily Katherine

subjects: Biochemistry

abstract: Intricate systems of regulation at many levels act to control enzyme rates to tune metabolism across biosynthetic pathways. Allostery is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism for feedback and regulation of enzymes in biosynthetic pathways. ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtuATP-PRT) catalyses the first committed step in de novo histidine biosynthesis, and allosteric product inhibition of ATP-PRT by L-His is key to regulating metabolic flux in this pathway. mtuATP-PRT also exhibits allosteric activation by a histidine analogue 3 (2-Thienyl)-L-alanine (TIH). This compound binds in the same allosteric site as L-His and appears to elicit a structurally identical “tensed” conformation, apparently contradicting previous suggestions that the tensed conformation drives inhibitory regulation in mtuATP-PRT. 

Through mutations adjacent to the allosteric binding site, we have interrupted allosteric inhibition by L-His while retaining allosteric activation by TIH. Kinetic assays of wild type ATP-PRT and mutants across a large temperature range with various allosteric effects, has identified dynamic changes between allosterically modulated states of the enzyme, and suggests an enthalpy-entropy (∆H‡-∆S‡) trade off occurring in allosteric states. 

Complementing our kinetic data, crystallographic analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of wild type and mutant ATP-PRT have identified two residues that differ upon the binding of TIH (in comparison to L-His binding). Glu-18 and Arg-27 rotate between ligand bound states and form interacting bonds in L-His bound structures that may serve to stabilise and reduce the overall flexibility of the hexameric conformation. This Glu-18 and Arg-27 interaction varies between L-His-bound, APO-mtuATP-PRT and TIH-bound structures, suggesting this interaction may demarcate allosteric activation and inhibition.

An evolutionary analysis of ATP-PRT was undertaken and has identified the long form of ATP-PRT as the ancestral form, and the short form ATP-PRT has subsequently co-opted a histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) gene product (HisZ) as its regulatory domain. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are known to be prone to horizontal gene transfer, therefore the co-option of HisRS and the loss of the C-terminal domain in ATP-PRTs provides an evolutionary trajectory for diverse ATP-PRT isoforms.

text: Understanding enzymatic mechanism and allostery using macromolecular rate theory Intricate systems of regulation at many levels act to control enzyme rates to tune metabolism across biosynthetic pathways. Allostery is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism for feedback and regulation of enzymes in biosynthetic pathways. ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtuATP-PRT) catalyses the first committed step in de novo histidine biosynthesis, and allosteric product inhibition of ATP-PRT by L-His is key to regulating metabolic flux in this pathway. mtuATP-PRT also exhibits allosteric activation by a histidine analogue 3 (2-Thienyl)-L-alanine (TIH). This compound binds in the same allosteric site as L-His and appears to elicit a structurally identical “tensed” conformation, apparently contradicting previous suggestions that the tensed conformation drives inhibitory regulation in mtuATP-PRT. 

Through mutations adjacent to the allosteric binding site, we have interrupted allosteric inhibition by L-His while retaining allosteric activation by TIH. Kinetic assays of wild type ATP-PRT and mutants across a large temperature range with various allosteric effects, has identified dynamic changes between allosterically modulated states of the enzyme, and suggests an enthalpy-entropy (∆H‡-∆S‡) trade off occurring in allosteric states. 

Complementing our kinetic data, crystallographic analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of wild type and mutant ATP-PRT have identified two residues that differ upon the binding of TIH (in comparison to L-His binding). Glu-18 and Arg-27 rotate between ligand bound states and form interacting bonds in L-His bound structures that may serve to stabilise and reduce the overall flexibility of the hexameric conformation. This Glu-18 and Arg-27 interaction varies between L-His-bound, APO-mtuATP-PRT and TIH-bound structures, suggesting this interaction may demarcate allosteric activation and inhibition.

An evolutionary analysis of ATP-PRT was undertaken and has identified the long form of ATP-PRT as the ancestral form, and the short form ATP-PRT has subsequently co-opted a histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) gene product (HisZ) as its regulatory domain. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are known to be prone to horizontal gene transfer, therefore the co-option of HisRS and the loss of the C-terminal domain in ATP-PRTs provides an evolutionary trajectory for diverse ATP-PRT isoforms.

year: 2022

title: Takitoru: creative practice toward the development of a trilingual dramaturgical kaupapa

authors: Lodge, Alexandra Rose Pittaway

subjects: theatre

abstract: I have focused on writing a play in the three languages of Aotearoa: New Zealand Sign Language, te reo Māori, and NZ English. Through the development of this script with three actors I have found techniques for performance and workshopping to encourage multilingual creative practice for a playwright. Through case studies of playwrights doing similar work at an international level, I have synthesised analytical and creative research into a final script and summary of my dramaturgical findings.
Through creative practice in scriptwriting and developmental workshops, this research explores what story-telling modes, devices or styles seem particularly apt for conveying an inclusive and engaging trilingual narrative on stage.
This specifically involves developing a dramaturgical set of insights for others who may want to do cross-language performance in Aotearoa.

text: Takitoru: creative practice toward the development of a trilingual dramaturgical kaupapa I have focused on writing a play in the three languages of Aotearoa: New Zealand Sign Language, te reo Māori, and NZ English. Through the development of this script with three actors I have found techniques for performance and workshopping to encourage multilingual creative practice for a playwright. Through case studies of playwrights doing similar work at an international level, I have synthesised analytical and creative research into a final script and summary of my dramaturgical findings.
Through creative practice in scriptwriting and developmental workshops, this research explores what story-telling modes, devices or styles seem particularly apt for conveying an inclusive and engaging trilingual narrative on stage.
This specifically involves developing a dramaturgical set of insights for others who may want to do cross-language performance in Aotearoa.

year: 2020