1
|
Qarot E, Guan Y, Hanani M. The protective barrier role of satellite glial cells in sensory ganglia. Glia 2024; 72:1054-1066. [PMID: 38450799 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Neurons in sensory ganglia are wrapped completely by satellite glial cells (SGCs). One putative function of SGCs is to regulate the neuronal microenvironment, but this role has received only little attention. In this study we investigated whether the SGC envelope serves a barrier function and how SGCs may control the neuronal microenvironment. We studied this question on short-term (<24 h) cell cultures of dorsal root ganglia and trigeminal ganglia from adult mice, which contain neurons surrounded with SGCs, and neurons that are not. Using calcium imaging, we measured neuronal responses to molecules with established actions on sensory neurons. We found that neurons surrounded by SGCs had a smaller response to molecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), glutamate, GABA, and bradykinin than neurons without glial cover. When we inhibited the activity of NTPDases, which hydrolyze the ATP, and also when we inhibited the glutamate and GABA transporters on SGCs, this difference in the neuronal response was no longer observed. We conclude that the SGC envelope does not hinder diffusional passage, but acts as a metabolic barrier that regulates the neuronal microenvironment, and can protect the neurons and modulate their activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eman Qarot
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yun Guan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Menachem Hanani
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bar E, Fischer I, Rokach M, Elad-Sfadia G, Shirenova S, Ophir O, Trangle SS, Okun E, Barak B. Neuronal deletion of Gtf2i results in developmental microglial alterations in a mouse model related to Williams syndrome. Glia 2024; 72:1117-1135. [PMID: 38450767 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a heterozygous microdeletion, characterized by hypersociability and unique neurocognitive abnormalities. Of the deleted genes, GTF2I has been linked to hypersociability in WS. We have recently shown that Gtf2i deletion from forebrain excitatory neurons, referred to as Gtf2i conditional knockout (cKO) mice leads to multi-faceted myelination deficits associated with the social behaviors affected in WS. These deficits were potentially mediated also by microglia, as they present a close relationship with oligodendrocytes. To study the impact of altered myelination, we characterized these mice in terms of microglia over the course of development. In postnatal day 30 (P30) Gtf2i cKO mice, cortical microglia displayed a more ramified state, as compared with wild type (controls). However, postnatal day 4 (P4) microglia exhibited high proliferation rates and an elevated activation state, demonstrating altered properties related to activation and inflammation in Gtf2i cKO mice compared with control. Intriguingly, P4 Gtf2i cKO-derived microglial cells exhibited significantly elevated myelin phagocytosis in vitro compared to control mice. Lastly, systemic injection of clemastine to P4 Gtf2i cKO and control mice until P30, led to a significant interaction between genotypes and treatments on the expression levels of the phagocytic marker CD68, and a significant reduction of the macrophage/microglial marker Iba1 transcript levels in the cortex of the Gtf2i cKO treated mice. Our data thus implicate microglia as important players in WS, and that early postnatal manipulation of microglia might be beneficial in treating inflammatory and myelin-related pathologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ela Bar
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry & Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inbar Fischer
- The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - May Rokach
- The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Galit Elad-Sfadia
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sophie Shirenova
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- The Paul Feder Laboratory on Alzheimer's Disease Research, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Omer Ophir
- The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sari Schokoroy Trangle
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eitan Okun
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- The Paul Feder Laboratory on Alzheimer's Disease Research, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Boaz Barak
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ayalon L, Ulitsa N, AboJabel H, Engdau-Vanda S. "We Used to Have Four Seasons, but Now There Is Only One": Perceptions Concerning the Changing Climate and Environment in a Diverse Sample of Israeli Older Persons. J Appl Gerontol 2024; 43:527-535. [PMID: 38085273 PMCID: PMC10981184 DOI: 10.1177/07334648231212279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Solastalgia is the pain caused by the loss of solace and isolation from one's environment. Solastalgia is contrasted with nostalgia, which is defined as melancholy characterized by homesickness or the distance from one's home. The present study examines the two concepts of solastalgia and nostalgia in the context of climate change among diverse populations of older Israelis. In total, 50 older persons from four different population groups (e.g., veteran Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and Ethiopian immigrants) were interviewed. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Members of all four groups expressed emotional distress and grief associated with the changing climate, increased environmental pollution, and the disappearance of nature. Perceptions around the undesirability of these changes were quite unanimous, thus leading us to conclude that the outcomes associated with solastalgia and nostalgia are quite similar despite different etiological explanations.
Collapse
|
4
|
Toledano D, Sasi M, Yuval-Greenberg S, Lamy D. On the timing of overt attention deployment: Eye-movement evidence for the priority accumulation framework. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 2024; 50:431-450. [PMID: 38421794 DOI: 10.1037/xhp0001192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Most visual-search theories assume that our attention is automatically allocated to the location with the highest priority at any given moment. The Priority Accumulation Framework (PAF) challenges this assumption. It suggests that the priority weight at each location accumulates across sequential events and that evidence for the presence of action-relevant information contributes to determining when attention is deployed to the location with the highest accumulated priority. Here, we tested these hypotheses for overt attention by recording first saccades in a free-viewing spatial-cueing task. We manipulated search difficulty (Experiments 1 and 2) and cue salience (Experiment 2). Standard theories posit that when oculomotor capture by the cue occurs, it is initiated before the search display appears; therefore, these theories predict that the cue's impact on the distribution of first saccades should be independent of search difficulty but influenced by the cue's saliency. By contrast, PAF posits that the cue can bias competition later, after processing of the search display has already started, and therefore predicts that such late impact should increase with both search difficulty and cue salience. The results fully supported PAF's predictions. Our account suggests a distinction between attentional capture and attentional-priority bias that resolves enduring inconsistencies in the attentional-capture literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mor Sasi
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Qiu Y, Dai K, Zhong S, Chen S, Wang C, Chen H, Frydman L, Zhang Z. Spatiotemporal encoding MRI in a portable low-field system. Magn Reson Med 2024. [PMID: 38623991 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Demonstrate the potential of spatiotemporal encoding (SPEN) MRI to deliver largely undistorted 2D, 3D, and diffusion weighted images on a 110 mT portable system. METHODS SPEN's quadratic phase modulation was used to subsample the low-bandwidth dimension of echo planar acquisitions, delivering alias-free images with an enhanced immunity to image distortions in a laboratory-built, low-field, portable MRI system lacking multiple receivers. RESULTS Healthy brain images with different SPEN time-bandwidth products and subsampling factors were collected. These compared favorably to EPI acquisitions including topup corrections. Robust 3D and diffusion weighted SPEN images of diagnostic value were demonstrated, with 2.5 mm isotropic resolutions achieved in 3 min scans. This performance took advantage of the low specific absorption rate and relative long TEs associated with low-field MRI. CONCLUSION SPEN MRI provides a robust and advantageous fast acquisition approach to obtain faithful 3D images and DWI data in low-cost, portable, low-field systems without parallel acceleration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yueqi Qiu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Dai
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Sijie Zhong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Suen Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Changyue Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Lucio Frydman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Zhiyong Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jubran J, Slutsky R, Rozenblum N, Rokach L, Ben-David U, Yeger-Lotem E. Machine-learning analysis reveals an important role for negative selection in shaping cancer aneuploidy landscapes. Genome Biol 2024; 25:95. [PMID: 38622679 PMCID: PMC11020441 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03225-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aneuploidy, an abnormal number of chromosomes within a cell, is a hallmark of cancer. Patterns of aneuploidy differ across cancers, yet are similar in cancers affecting closely related tissues. The selection pressures underlying aneuploidy patterns are not fully understood, hindering our understanding of cancer development and progression. RESULTS Here, we apply interpretable machine learning methods to study tissue-selective aneuploidy patterns. We define 20 types of features corresponding to genomic attributes of chromosome-arms, normal tissues, primary tumors, and cancer cell lines (CCLs), and use them to model gains and losses of chromosome arms in 24 cancer types. To reveal the factors that shape the tissue-specific cancer aneuploidy landscapes, we interpret the machine learning models by estimating the relative contribution of each feature to the models. While confirming known drivers of positive selection, our quantitative analysis highlights the importance of negative selection for shaping aneuploidy landscapes. This is exemplified by tumor suppressor gene density being a better predictor of gain patterns than oncogene density, and vice versa for loss patterns. We also identify the importance of tissue-selective features and demonstrate them experimentally, revealing KLF5 as an important driver for chr13q gain in colon cancer. Further supporting an important role for negative selection in shaping the aneuploidy landscapes, we find compensation by paralogs to be among the top predictors of chromosome arm loss prevalence and demonstrate this relationship for one paralog interaction. Similar factors shape aneuploidy patterns in human CCLs, demonstrating their relevance for aneuploidy research. CONCLUSIONS Our quantitative, interpretable machine learning models improve the understanding of the genomic properties that shape cancer aneuploidy landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juman Jubran
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Rachel Slutsky
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nir Rozenblum
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lior Rokach
- Department of Software & Information Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Uri Ben-David
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Esti Yeger-Lotem
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.
- The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Symonds K, Teresinski HJ, Hau B, Dwivedi V, Belausov E, Bar-Sinai S, Tominaga M, Haraguchi T, Sadot E, Ito K, Snedden WA. Functional characterization of calmodulin-like proteins, CML13 and CML14, as novel light chains of Arabidopsis class VIII myosins. J Exp Bot 2024; 75:2313-2329. [PMID: 38280207 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Myosins are important motor proteins that associate with the actin cytoskeleton. Structurally, myosins function as heteromeric complexes where smaller light chains, such as calmodulin (CaM), bind to isoleucine-glutamine (IQ) domains in the neck region to facilitate mechano-enzymatic activity. We recently identified Arabidopsis CaM-like (CML) proteins CML13 and CML14 as interactors of proteins containing multiple IQ domains, including a myosin VIII. Here, we demonstrate that CaM, CML13, and CML14 bind the neck region of all four Arabidopsis myosin VIII isoforms. Among CMLs tested for binding to myosins VIIIs, CaM, CML13, and CML14 gave the strongest signals using in planta split-luciferase protein interaction assays. In vitro, recombinant CaM, CML13, and CML14 showed specific, high-affinity, calcium-independent binding to the IQ domains of myosin VIIIs. CaM, CML13, and CML14 co-localized to plasma membrane-bound puncta when co-expressed with red fluorescent protein-myosin fusion proteins containing IQ and tail domains of myosin VIIIs. In vitro actin motility assays using recombinant myosin VIIIs demonstrated that CaM, CML13, and CML14 function as light chains. Suppression of CML13 or CML14 expression using RNA silencing resulted in a shortened-hypocotyl phenotype, similar to that observed in a quadruple myosin mutant, myosin viii4KO. Collectively, our data indicate that Arabidopsis CML13 and CML14 are novel myosin VIII light chains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Symonds
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Bryan Hau
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Vikas Dwivedi
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Institute, ARO, Rishon LeZion 7528809, Israel
| | - Eduard Belausov
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Institute, ARO, Rishon LeZion 7528809, Israel
| | - Sefi Bar-Sinai
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Institute, ARO, Rishon LeZion 7528809, Israel
| | - Motoki Tominaga
- Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
| | - Takeshi Haraguchi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Einat Sadot
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Institute, ARO, Rishon LeZion 7528809, Israel
| | - Kohji Ito
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Wayne A Snedden
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Volotsky S, Segev R. Figure-ground segmentation based on motion in the archerfish. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:33. [PMID: 38616235 PMCID: PMC11016505 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01873-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Figure-ground segmentation is a fundamental process in visual perception that involves separating visual stimuli into distinct meaningful objects and their surrounding context, thus allowing the brain to interpret and understand complex visual scenes. Mammals exhibit varying figure-ground segmentation capabilities, ranging from primates that can perform well on figure-ground segmentation tasks to rodents that perform poorly. To explore figure-ground segmentation capabilities in teleost fish, we studied how the archerfish, an expert visual hunter, performs figure-ground segmentation. We trained archerfish to discriminate foreground objects from the background, where the figures were defined by motion as well as by discontinuities in intensity and texture. Specifically, the figures were defined by grating, naturalistic texture, and random noise moving in counterphase with the background. The archerfish performed the task well and could distinguish between all three types of figures and grounds. Their performance was comparable to that of primates and outperformed rodents. These findings suggest the existence of a complex visual process in the archerfish visual system that enables the delineation of figures as distinct from backgrounds, and provide insights into object recognition in this animal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Volotsky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
- School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Ronen Segev
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.
- School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hadar N, Dolgin V, Oustinov K, Yogev Y, Poleg T, Safran A, Freund O, Agam N, Jean MM, Proskorovski-Ohayon R, Wormser O, Drabkin M, Halperin D, Eskin-Schwartz M, Narkis G, Sued-Hendrickson S, Aminov I, Gombosh M, Aharoni S, Birk OS. VARista: a free web platform for streamlined whole-genome variant analysis across T2T, hg38, and hg19. Hum Genet 2024:10.1007/s00439-024-02671-4. [PMID: 38607411 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-024-02671-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
With the increasing importance of genomic data in understanding genetic diseases, there is an essential need for efficient and user-friendly tools that simplify variant analysis. Although multiple tools exist, many present barriers such as steep learning curves, limited reference genome compatibility, or costs. We developed VARista, a free web-based tool, to address these challenges and provide a streamlined solution for researchers, particularly those focusing on rare monogenic diseases. VARista offers a user-centric interface that eliminates much of the technical complexity typically associated with variant analysis. The tool directly supports VCF files generated using reference genomes hg19, hg38, and the emerging T2T, with seamless remapping capabilities between them. Features such as gene summaries and links, tissue and cell-specific gene expression data for both adults and fetuses, as well as automated PCR design and integration with tools such as SpliceAI and AlphaMissense, enable users to focus on the biology and the case itself. As we demonstrate, VARista proved effective in narrowing down potential disease-causing variants, prioritizing them effectively, and providing meaningful biological context, facilitating rapid decision-making. VARista stands out as a freely available and comprehensive tool that consolidates various aspects of variant analysis into a single platform that embraces the forefront of genomic advancements. Its design inherently supports a shift in focus from technicalities to critical thinking, thereby promoting better-informed decisions in genetic disease research. Given its unique capabilities and user-centric design, VARista has the potential to become an essential asset for the genomic research community. https://VARista.link.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noam Hadar
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Vadim Dolgin
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Katya Oustinov
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Yuval Yogev
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Tomer Poleg
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Amit Safran
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ofek Freund
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Nadav Agam
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Matan M Jean
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Regina Proskorovski-Ohayon
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ohad Wormser
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Max Drabkin
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Daniel Halperin
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Marina Eskin-Schwartz
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- Genetics Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ginat Narkis
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- Genetics Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Sufa Sued-Hendrickson
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ilana Aminov
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Maya Gombosh
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Sarit Aharoni
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ohad S Birk
- The Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
- Genetics Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Liu X, Turner JR, Oxford CR, McNeill J, Walsh B, Le Roy E, Weagle CL, Stone E, Zhu H, Liu W, Wei Z, Hyslop NP, Giacomo J, Dillner AM, Salam A, Hossen AA, Islam Z, Abboud I, Akoshile C, Amador-Muñoz O, Anh NX, Asfaw A, Balasubramanian R, Chang RYW, Coburn C, Dey S, Diner DJ, Dong J, Farrah T, Gahungu P, Garland RM, Grutter de la Mora M, Hasheminassab S, John J, Kim J, Kim JS, Langerman K, Lee PC, Lestari P, Liu Y, Mamo T, Martins M, Mayol-Bracero OL, Naidoo M, Park SS, Schechner Y, Schofield R, Tripathi SN, Windwer E, Wu MT, Zhang Q, Brauer M, Rudich Y, Martin RV. Elemental Characterization of Ambient Particulate Matter for a Globally Distributed Monitoring Network: Methodology and Implications. ACS EST Air 2024; 1:283-293. [PMID: 38633206 PMCID: PMC11020157 DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.3c00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Global ground-level measurements of elements in ambient particulate matter (PM) can provide valuable information to understand the distribution of dust and trace elements, assess health impacts, and investigate emission sources. We use X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize the elemental composition of PM samples collected from 27 globally distributed sites in the Surface PARTiculate mAtter Network (SPARTAN) over 2019-2023. Consistent protocols are applied to collect all samples and analyze them at one central laboratory, which facilitates comparison across different sites. Multiple quality assurance measures are performed, including applying reference materials that resemble typical PM samples, acceptance testing, and routine quality control. Method detection limits and uncertainties are estimated. Concentrations of dust and trace element oxides (TEO) are determined from the elemental dataset. In addition to sites in arid regions, a moderately high mean dust concentration (6 μg/m3) in PM2.5 is also found in Dhaka (Bangladesh) along with a high average TEO level (6 μg/m3). High carcinogenic risk (>1 cancer case per 100000 adults) from airborne arsenic is observed in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Kanpur (India), and Hanoi (Vietnam). Industries of informal lead-acid battery and e-waste recycling as well as coal-fired brick kilns likely contribute to the elevated trace element concentrations found in Dhaka.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Liu
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Jay R. Turner
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Christopher R. Oxford
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Jacob McNeill
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Brenna Walsh
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Emmie Le Roy
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Crystal L. Weagle
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Emily Stone
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Haihui Zhu
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Wenyu Liu
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Zilin Wei
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Nicole P. Hyslop
- Air
Quality Research Center, University of California
Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Jason Giacomo
- Air
Quality Research Center, University of California
Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Ann M. Dillner
- Air
Quality Research Center, University of California
Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Abdus Salam
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Al-amin Hossen
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Zubayer Islam
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Ihab Abboud
- Air
Quality Research Division, Environment and
Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Clement Akoshile
- Department
of Physics, University of Ilorin, Ilorin 240003, Nigeria
| | - Omar Amador-Muñoz
- Instituto
de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Nguyen Xuan Anh
- Institute
of Geophysics, Vietnam Academy of Science
and Technology, Hanoi 11307, Vietnam
| | - Araya Asfaw
- Institute
of Geophysics and Space Science, Addis Ababa
University, Addis
Ababa 1176, Ethiopia
| | - Rajasekhar Balasubramanian
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
| | - Rachel Ying-Wen Chang
- Department
of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Craig Coburn
- Department
of Geography and Environment, University
of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Sagnik Dey
- Centre
for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute
of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - David J. Diner
- Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute
of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Jinlu Dong
- School
of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tareq Farrah
- Research
Laboratories, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Paterne Gahungu
- Institute
of Applied Statistics, University of Burundi, Bujumbura BP1550, Burundi
| | - Rebecca M. Garland
- Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Unit
for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
- Department
of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Michel Grutter de la Mora
- Instituto
de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Sina Hasheminassab
- Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute
of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Juanette John
- Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Jhoon Kim
- Department
of Atmospheric Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Sung Kim
- Department
of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Kristy Langerman
- Department
of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
| | - Pei-Chen Lee
- Department
of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Puji Lestari
- Faculty
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - Yang Liu
- Gangarosa
Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Tesfaye Mamo
- Physics
Department, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa 1176, Ethiopia
| | - Mathieu Martins
- Research
Laboratories, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Olga L. Mayol-Bracero
- Department
of Environmental Science, University of
Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931, United States
| | - Mogesh Naidoo
- Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Sang Seo Park
- Department
of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoav Schechner
- Department
of Electrical Engineering, Technion Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Robyn Schofield
- School
of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
| | - Sachchida N. Tripathi
- Department
of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Eli Windwer
- Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Ming-Tsang Wu
- PhD
Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department
of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University
Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department
of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
| | - Michael Brauer
- School
of Population and Public Health, University
of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Yinon Rudich
- Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Randall V. Martin
- Department
of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Alshanski I, Toraskar S, Gordon-Levitan D, Massetti M, Jain P, Vaccaro L, Kikkeri R, Hurevich M, Yitzchaik S. Surface-Controlled Sialoside-Based Biosensing of Viral and Bacterial Neuraminidases. Langmuir 2024; 40:7471-7478. [PMID: 38554266 PMCID: PMC11008233 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Neuraminidases (NA) are sialic acid-cleaving enzymes that are used by both bacteria and viruses. These enzymes have sialoside structure-related binding and cleaving preferences. Differentiating between these enzymes requires using a large array of hard-to-access sialosides. In this work, we used electrochemical impedimetric biosensing to differentiate among several pathogene-related NAs. We used a limited set of sialosides and tailored the surface properties. Various sialosides were grafted on two different surfaces with unique properties. Electrografting on glassy carbon electrodes provided low-density sialoside-functionalized surfaces with a hydrophobic submonolayer. A two-step assembly on gold electrodes provided a denser sialoside layer on a negatively charged submonolayer. The synthesis of each sialoside required dozens of laborious steps. Utilizing the unique protein-electrode interaction modes resulted in richer biodata without increasing the synthetic load. These principles allowed for profiling NAs and determining the efficacy of various antiviral inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Israel Alshanski
- The
Institute of Chemistry and Center of Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Suraj Toraskar
- Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Daniel Gordon-Levitan
- The
Institute of Chemistry and Center of Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Marco Massetti
- The
Institute of Chemistry and Center of Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Laboratory
of Green Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologiae Biotecnologie Università di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Prashant Jain
- Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Luigi Vaccaro
- Laboratory
of Green Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologiae Biotecnologie Università di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Raghavendra Kikkeri
- Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Mattan Hurevich
- The
Institute of Chemistry and Center of Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Shlomo Yitzchaik
- The
Institute of Chemistry and Center of Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sirotinskaya V, Bar Dolev M, Yashunsky V, Bahari L, Braslavsky I. Extended Temperature Range of the Ice-Binding Protein Activity. Langmuir 2024; 40:7395-7404. [PMID: 38527127 PMCID: PMC11008235 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are expressed in various organisms for several functions, such as protecting them from freezing and freeze injuries. Via adsorption on ice surfaces, IBPs depress ice growth and recrystallization and affect nucleation and ice shaping. IBPs have shown promise in mitigating ice growth under moderate supercooling conditions, but their functionality under cryogenic conditions has been less explored. In this study, we investigate the impact of two types of antifreeze proteins (AFPs): type III AFP from fish and a hyperactive AFP from an insect, the Tenebrio molitor AFP, in vitrified dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solutions. We report that these AFPs depress devitrification at -80 °C. Furthermore, in cases where devitrification does occur, AFPs depress ice recrystallization during the warming stage. The data directly demonstrate that AFPs are active at temperatures below the regime of homogeneous nucleation. This research paves the way for exploring AFPs as potential enhancers of cryopreservation techniques, minimizing ice-growth-related damage, and promoting advancements in this vital field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Sirotinskaya
- Institute
of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Robert H. Smith Faculty
of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Maya Bar Dolev
- Institute
of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Robert H. Smith Faculty
of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- Faculty
of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Victor Yashunsky
- Institute
of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Robert H. Smith Faculty
of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- The
Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Liat Bahari
- Institute
of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Robert H. Smith Faculty
of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ido Braslavsky
- Institute
of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Robert H. Smith Faculty
of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Zurek N, Aljadeff N, Khoury D, Aplin LM, Lotem A. Social demonstration of colour preference improves the learning of associated demonstrated actions. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:31. [PMID: 38592559 PMCID: PMC11004050 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01865-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
We studied how different types of social demonstration improve house sparrows' (Passer domesticus) success in solving a foraging task that requires both operant learning (opening covers) and discrimination learning (preferring covers of the rewarding colour). We provided learners with either paired demonstration (of both cover opening and colour preference), action-only demonstration (of opening white covers only), or no demonstration (a companion bird eating without covers). We found that sparrows failed to learn the two tasks with no demonstration, and learned them best with a paired demonstration. Interestingly, the action of cover opening was learned faster with paired rather than action-only demonstration despite being equally demonstrated in both. We also found that only with paired demonstration, the speed of operant (action) learning was related to the demonstrator's level of activity. Colour preference (i.e. discrimination learning) was eventually acquired by all sparrows that learned to open covers, even without social demonstration of colour preference. Thus, adding a demonstration of colour preference was actually more important for operant learning, possibly as a result of increasing the similarity between the demonstrated and the learned tasks, thereby increasing the learner's attention to the actions of the demonstrator. Giving more attention to individuals in similar settings may be an adaptive strategy directing social learners to focus on ecologically relevant behaviours and on tasks that are likely to be learned successfully.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noam Zurek
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Na'ama Aljadeff
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Donya Khoury
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Arnon Lotem
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Moshkovitz A, Lev M, Polat U. Crowding under scotopic and photopic vision in albino and normal-sighted participants. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8234. [PMID: 38589506 PMCID: PMC11001935 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58369-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Crowding is a phenomenon in which the ability to recognize an object in a clutter deteriorates. It is, therefore, a fundamental aspect of object recognition and crucial in deciphering resolution. For visually impaired individuals, deficiency in crowding has a tremendous effect on vision and may reflect and predict the amount of deterioration in vision. It is well established that albinos suffer much more from crowding than normally sighted individuals under daylight luminance conditions. However, to our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate crowding in albino participants under low light conditions. In this study, we explored the crowding effect in a group of albino participants (n = 9) and a control group of normally sighted participants (n = 9). Crowding was conducted under daylight (photopic vision) and low light (scotopic vision). We measured the visual acuity threshold under crowding in three-letter spacing (0.5, 1, and 1.5) and compared it to a single target. Results indicate that albino participants experienced stronger crowding than the control under the photopic condition, while crowding under the scotopic condition was apparent in the albino but abolished for the control group. These findings highlight the importance of considering luminance when discussing the visually impaired population in general. In particular, it suggests that crowding in albinism is based on a peripheral-like mechanism and may indicate a cessation in visual development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avital Moshkovitz
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Maria Lev
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Uri Polat
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kvitelashvili S, Kessler Y. The voluntary utilization of visual working memory. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7987. [PMID: 38575646 PMCID: PMC10995117 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58685-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
While a vast amount of research has focused on understanding the capacity limits of visual working memory (VWM), little is known about how VWM resources are employed in unforced behavior and how they correlate with individual capacity constraints. We present a novel, openly available, and easy-to-administer paradigm enabling participants to freely utilize their VWM capacity. Participants had to reconstruct an array of colored squares. In each trial, they were allowed to alternate between the memory array and the reconstruction screen as many times as they wished, each time choosing how many items to reconstruct. This approach allowed us to estimate the number of utilized items, as well as the accuracy of the reconstruction. In addition, VWM capacity was measured using a change detection task. In two experiments, we show that participants tend to under-utilize their VWM resources, performing well below their capacity limits. Surprisingly, while the extent to which participants utilized their VWM was highly reliable, it was uncorrelated with VWM capacity, suggesting that VWM utilization is limited due to strategic considerations rather than capacity limits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shalva Kvitelashvili
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Yoav Kessler
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Aggarwal K, Li S, Nijem S, Dekel DR, Diesendruck CE. Polymer Backbone Chemistry Shapes the Alkaline Stability of Metallopolymer Anion-Exchange Membranes. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400029. [PMID: 38287711 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Anion-exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers have garnered significant attention in past years due to their potential role in sustainable and affordable energy conversion and storage. However, the chemical stability of the polymeric anion-exchange membranes (AEMs), the key component in these devices, currently limits their lifespan. Recently, metallopolymers have been proposed as chemically stable alternatives to organic cations, using metal centers as ion transporters. In metallopolymer AEMs, various properties such as alkaline stability, water uptake, flexibility, and performance, are determined by both the metal complex and polymer backbone. Herein we present a systematic study investigating the influence of the polymer backbone chemistry on some of these properties, focusing on the alkaline stability of low-oxophilicity gold metallopolymers. Despite the use of a common N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, upon gold metalation using the same reaction conditions, different polymer backbones end up forming different gold complexes. These findings suggest that polymer chemistry affects the metalation reaction in addition to the other properties relevant to AEM performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kanika Aggarwal
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
| | - Songlin Li
- The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
| | - Sally Nijem
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
| | - Dario R Dekel
- The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
- The Nancy & Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
| | - Charles E Diesendruck
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
- The Nancy & Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel -, 3200003
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Raje S, Sheikh Mohammad T, de Ruiter G. A Neutral PC NHCP Co(I)-Me Pincer Complex as a Catalyst for N-Allylic Isomerization with a Broad Substrate Scope. J Org Chem 2024; 89:4319-4325. [PMID: 38520345 PMCID: PMC11002938 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c02349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Earth-abundant-metal catalyzed double bond transposition offers a sustainable and atom-economical route toward the synthesis of internal alkenes. With an emphasis specifically on internal olefins and ethers, the isomerization of allylic amines has been particularly under represented in the literature. Herein, we report an efficient methodology for the selective isomerization of N-allylic organic compounds, including amines, amides, and imines. The reaction is catalyzed by a neutral PCNHCP cobalt(I) pincer complex and proceeds via a π-allyl mechanism. The isomerization occurs readily at 80-90 °C, and it is compatible with a wide variety of functional groups. The in situ formed enamines could additionally be used for a one-pot inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction to furnish a series of diversely substituted heterobiaryls, which is further discussed in this report.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sakthi Raje
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, 3200008 Haifa, Israel
| | - Tofayel Sheikh Mohammad
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, 3200008 Haifa, Israel
| | - Graham de Ruiter
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, 3200008 Haifa, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Sulimani-Aidan Y, Ravid M, Elias H. Using a strength-based approach to social work with minority groups: The case of at-risk young-adult Arabs in Israel. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2024:2024-70757-001. [PMID: 38573686 DOI: 10.1037/ort0000746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Social workers have a significant role in empowering clients to discover their own strengths as well as strengths in their environment and to achieve social justice on behalf of oppressed populations. The goal of this exploratory qualitative study was to broaden our knowledge on strength-based approaches in working with minority and collectivist societies via the perspectives of 20 social workers and 19 managers of social service organizations and departments who work with at-risk young-adult Arabs throughout Israel. Thematic analysis revealed that social workers consciously try to identify young adults' assets and resources at both the personal and environmental level, despite the major structural barriers in these young adults' lives (i.e., due to intersectionality). Also, they use their collaborative relationship with the young adults as a mechanism to induce hope, a sense of responsibility, a sense of agency, and empowerment. The discussion addresses the study's findings concerning the literature on strength-based approaches, highlighting the advantages and challenges in using such approaches when working with these populations. Recommendations for practical implementation propose the integration of thorough training in strength-based approaches into the professional socialization of emerging social workers. Moreover, it is suggested to establish a guiding principle by implementing a systematic assessment that aligns conceptually with strength-based approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maayan Ravid
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
| | - Haneen Elias
- Department of Social Work, Ruppin Academic College
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hijaze E, Gildor T, Seidel R, Layous M, Winter M, Bertinetti L, Politi Y, Ben-Tabou de-Leon S. ROCK and the actomyosin network control biomineral growth and morphology during sea urchin skeletogenesis. eLife 2024; 12:RP89080. [PMID: 38573316 PMCID: PMC10994658 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Biomineralization had apparently evolved independently in different phyla, using distinct minerals, organic scaffolds, and gene regulatory networks (GRNs). However, diverse eukaryotes from unicellular organisms, through echinoderms to vertebrates, use the actomyosin network during biomineralization. Specifically, the actomyosin remodeling protein, Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) regulates cell differentiation and gene expression in vertebrates' biomineralizing cells, yet, little is known on ROCK's role in invertebrates' biomineralization. Here, we reveal that ROCK controls the formation, growth, and morphology of the calcite spicules in the sea urchin larva. ROCK expression is elevated in the sea urchin skeletogenic cells downstream of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling. ROCK inhibition leads to skeletal loss and disrupts skeletogenic gene expression. ROCK inhibition after spicule formation reduces the spicule elongation rate and induces ectopic spicule branching. Similar skeletogenic phenotypes are observed when ROCK is inhibited in a skeletogenic cell culture, indicating that these phenotypes are due to ROCK activity specifically in the skeletogenic cells. Reduced skeletal growth and enhanced branching are also observed under direct perturbations of the actomyosin network. We propose that ROCK and the actomyosin machinery were employed independently, downstream of distinct GRNs, to regulate biomineral growth and morphology in Eukaryotes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eman Hijaze
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Tsvia Gildor
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Ronald Seidel
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Majed Layous
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Mark Winter
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics, Technische Universiteit DelftDelftNetherlands
| | - Luca Bertinetti
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Yael Politi
- B CUBE Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Harnik Y, Milo A. A focus on molecular representation learning for the prediction of chemical properties. Chem Sci 2024; 15:5052-5055. [PMID: 38577350 PMCID: PMC10988574 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc90043j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular representation learning (MRL) is a specialized field in which deep-learning models condense essential molecular information into a vectorized form. Whereas recent research has predominantly emphasized drug discovery and bioactivity applications, MRL holds significant potential for diverse chemical properties beyond these contexts. The recently published study by King-Smith introduces a novel application of molecular representation training and compellingly demonstrates its value in predicting molecular properties (E. King-Smith, Chem. Sci., 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SC04928K). In this focus article, we will briefly delve into MRL in chemistry and the significance of King-Smith's work within the dynamic landscape of this evolving field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yonatan Harnik
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva 84105 Israel
| | - Anat Milo
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva 84105 Israel
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zhang Q, Chen Q, Shaik S, Wang B. Flavin-N5OOH Functions as both a Powerful Nucleophile and a Base in the Superfamily of Flavoenzymes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318629. [PMID: 38299700 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Flavoenzymes can mediate a large variety of oxidation reactions through the activation of oxygen. However, the O2 activation chemistry of flavin enzymes is not yet fully exploited. Normally, the O2 activation occurs at the C4a site of the flavin cofactor, yielding the flavin C4a-(hydro)hydroperoxyl species in monooxygenases or oxidases. Using extensive MD simulations, QM/MM calculations and QM calculations, our studies reveal the formation of the common nucleophilic species, Flavin-N5OOH, in two distinct flavoenzymes (RutA and EncM). Our studies show that Flavin-N5OOH acts as a powerful nucleophile that promotes C-N cleavage of uracil in RutA, and a powerful base in the deprotonation of substrates in EncM. We reason that Flavin-N5OOH can be a common reactive species in the superfamily of flavoenzymes, which accomplish generally selective general base catalysis and C-X (X=N, S, Cl, O) cleavage reactions that are otherwise challenging with solvated hydroxide ion base. These results expand our understanding of the chemistry and catalysis of flavoenzymes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Qianqian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| | - Sason Shaik
- Institute of Chemistry and the Lise Meitner-Minerva Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Binju Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Krishnamohan M, Kaplanov I, Maudi-Boker S, Yousef M, Machluf-Katz N, Cohen I, Elkabets M, Titus J, Bersudsky M, Apte RN, Voronov E, Braiman A. Tumor Cell-Associated IL-1α Affects Breast Cancer Progression and Metastasis in Mice through Manipulation of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3950. [PMID: 38612760 PMCID: PMC11011794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
IL-1α is a dual function cytokine that affects inflammatory and immune responses and plays a pivotal role in cancer. The effects of intracellular IL-1α on the development of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in mice were assessed using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to suppress IL-1α expression in 4T1 breast cancer cells. Knockout of IL-1α in 4T1 cells modified expression of multiple genes, including downregulation of cytokines and chemokines involved in the recruitment of tumor-associated pro-inflammatory cells. Orthotopical injection of IL-1α knockout (KO) 4T1 cells into BALB/c mice led to a significant decrease in local tumor growth and lung metastases, compared to injection of wild-type 4T1 (4T1/WT) cells. Neutrophils and myeloid-derived suppressor cells were abundant in tumors developing after injection of 4T1/WT cells, whereas more antigen-presenting cells were observed in the tumor microenvironment after injection of IL-1α KO 4T1 cells. This switch correlated with increased infiltration of CD3+CD8+ and NKp46+cells. Engraftment of IL-1α knockout 4T1 cells into immunodeficient NOD.SCID mice resulted in more rapid tumor growth, with increased lung metastasis in comparison to engraftment of 4T1/WT cells. Our results suggest that tumor-associated IL-1α is involved in TNBC progression in mice by modulating the interplay between immunosuppressive pro-inflammatory cells vs. antigen-presenting and cytotoxic cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mathumathi Krishnamohan
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Irena Kaplanov
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Sapir Maudi-Boker
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Muhammad Yousef
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Noy Machluf-Katz
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Idan Cohen
- Cancer Center, Emek Medical Center, Afula 18101, Israel;
| | - Moshe Elkabets
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Jaison Titus
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Marina Bersudsky
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Ron N. Apte
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Elena Voronov
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| | - Alex Braiman
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; (M.K.); (M.E.); (J.T.); (M.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Lampert A. Optimizing strategies for slowing the spread of invasive species. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011996. [PMID: 38569003 PMCID: PMC11018280 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Invasive species are spreading worldwide, causing damage to ecosystems, biodiversity, agriculture, and human health. A major question is, therefore, how to distribute treatment efforts cost-effectively across space and time to prevent or slow the spread of invasive species. However, finding optimal control strategies for the complex spatial-temporal dynamics of populations is complicated and requires novel methodologies. Here, we develop a novel algorithm that can be applied to various population models. The algorithm finds the optimal spatial distribution of treatment efforts and the optimal propagation speed of the target species. We apply the algorithm to examine how the results depend on the species' demography and response to the treatment method. In particular, we analyze (1) a generic model and (2) a detailed model for the management of the spongy moth in North America to slow its spread via mating disruption. We show that, when utilizing optimization approaches to contain invasive species, significant improvements can be made in terms of cost-efficiency. The methodology developed here offers a much-needed tool for further examination of optimal strategies for additional cases of interest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Lampert
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sigad LI, Shehadeh K, Lusky-Weisrose E, Tener D. "We Try to Fix Things Quietly, and We Do Not Take Revenge": Christian Arab Teachers' Experiences Coping with Child Sexual Abuse Among Their Pupils in Israel. J Interpers Violence 2024; 39:1785-1810. [PMID: 37982392 PMCID: PMC10913302 DOI: 10.1177/08862605231212419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Teachers are at the frontlines of the fight to identify and cope with child sexual abuse (CSA) among their pupils. Their methods of coping with CSA cases, both personally and professionally, are strongly influenced by their socio-cultural contexts and religious beliefs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the experiences of Christian Arab teachers in Israel coping with the CSA of their pupils. Twelve Christian Arab elementary school teachers in Israel were recruited for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a qualitative thematic analysis was employed based on a descriptive phenomenological-psychological approach. Two key themes emerged from the analysis: (a) The teachers' intense emotional reactions regarding the CSA of their students and the empowerment some found in handling such difficult situations, and (b) The teachers' Christian beliefs and identity strongly affected their understanding of CSA and their approach to intervention. The findings indicated the dialectical position of the teachers' religio-cultural context, particularly the duality of the Christian value of forgiveness, a powerful resource for their coping, yet with adverse implications for children's vulnerability. This unique risk should inform training teachers regarding CSA matters. Teachers must also have systems that support them and allow them to reflectively examine their coping styles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathrin Shehadeh
- Oranim College of Education, Tivon, Israel
- The Department of Education, Municipality of Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Dafna Tener
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Levin G, Yasmin M, Pieńko T, Yehishalom N, Hanna R, Kleifeld O, Glaser F, Schuster G. The protein phosphorylation landscape in photosystem I of the desert algae Chlorella sp. New Phytol 2024; 242:544-557. [PMID: 38379464 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
The phosphorylation of photosystem II (PSII) and its antenna (LHCII) proteins has been studied, and its involvement in state transitions and PSII repair is known. Yet, little is known about the phosphorylation of photosystem I (PSI) and its antenna (LHCI) proteins. Here, we applied proteomics analysis to generate a map of the phosphorylation sites of the PSI-LHCI proteins in Chlorella ohadii cells that were grown under low or extreme high-light intensities (LL and HL). Furthermore, we analyzed the content of oxidized tryptophans and PSI-LHCI protein degradation products in these cells, to estimate the light-induced damage to PSI-LHCI. Our work revealed the phosphorylation of 17 of 22 PSI-LHCI subunits. The analyses detected the extensive phosphorylation of the LHCI subunits Lhca6 and Lhca7, which is modulated by growth light intensity. Other PSI-LHCI subunits were phosphorylated to a lesser extent, including PsaE, where molecular dynamic simulation proposed that a phosphoserine stabilizes ferredoxin binding. Additionally, we show that HL-grown cells accumulate less oxidative damage and degradation products of PSI-LHCI proteins, compared with LL-grown cells. The significant phosphorylation of Lhca6 and Lhca7 at the interface with other LHCI subunits suggests a physiological role during photosynthesis, possibly by altering light-harvesting characteristics and binding of other subunits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guy Levin
- Faculty of Biology, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | | | - Tomasz Pieńko
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | | | - Rawad Hanna
- Faculty of Biology, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | | | - Fabian Glaser
- The Lorry I. Lokey Center for Life Sciences and Engineering, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Gadi Schuster
- Faculty of Biology, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
- Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Gast H, Assaf Y. Weighting the structural connectome: Exploring its impact on network properties and predicting cognitive performance in the human brain. Netw Neurosci 2024; 8:119-137. [PMID: 38562285 PMCID: PMC10861171 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain function does not emerge from isolated activity, but rather from the interactions and exchanges between neural elements that form a network known as the connectome. The human connectome consists of structural and functional aspects. The structural connectome (SC) represents the anatomical connections, and the functional connectome represents the resulting dynamics that emerge from this arrangement of structures. As there are different ways of weighting these connections, it is important to consider how such different approaches impact study conclusions. Here, we propose that different weighted connectomes result in varied network properties, and while neither superior the other, selection might affect interpretation and conclusions in different study cases. We present three different weighting models, namely, number of streamlines (NOS), fractional anisotropy (FA), and axon diameter distribution (ADD), to demonstrate these differences. The later, is extracted using recently published AxSI method and is first compared to commonly used weighting methods. Moreover, we explore the functional relevance of each weighted SC, using the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database. By analyzing intelligence-related data, we develop a predictive model for cognitive performance based on graph properties and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) toolbox. Results demonstrate that the ADD SC, combined with a functional subnetwork model, outperforms other models in estimating cognitive performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hila Gast
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yaniv Assaf
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Strauss Center for Neuroimaging, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Fitousi D. A signal detection-based confidence-similarity model of face matching. Psychol Rev 2024; 131:625-663. [PMID: 37470981 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Face matching consists of the ability to decide whether two face images (or more) belong to the same person or to different identities. Face matching is crucial for efficient face recognition and plays an important role in applied settings such as passport control and eyewitness memory. However, despite extensive research, the mechanisms that govern face-matching performance are still not well understood. Moreover, to date, many researchers hold on to the belief that match and mismatch conditions are governed by two separate systems, an assumption that likely thwarted the development of a unified model of face matching. The present study outlines a unified unequal variance confidence-similarity signal detection-based model of face-matching performance, one that facilitates the use of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and confidence-accuracy plots to better understand the relations between match and mismatch conditions, and their relations to factors of confidence and similarity. A binomial feature-matching mechanism is developed to support this signal detection model. The model can account for the presence of both within-identities and between-identities sources of variation in face recognition and explains a myriad of face-matching phenomena, including the match-mismatch dissociation. The model is also capable of generating new predictions concerning the role of confidence and similarity and their intricate relations with accuracy. The new model was tested against six alternative competing models (some postulate discrete rather than continuous representations) in three experiments. Data analyses consisted of hierarchically nested model fitting, ROC curve analyses, and confidence-accuracy plots analyses. All of these provided substantial support in the signal detection-based confidence-similarity model. The model suggests that the accuracy of face-matching performance can be predicted by the degree of similarity/dissimilarity of the depicted faces and the level of confidence in the decision. Moreover, according to the model, confidence and similarity ratings are strongly correlated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
|
28
|
Falik O, Hoffmann I, Novoplansky A. A novel type of neighbour perception elicits reproductive plasticity in an annual plant with a mixed mating system. Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2024; 26:415-420. [PMID: 38315483 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Plants display various forms of phenotypic plasticity in anticipation of changing conditions, many of which are influenced by information obtained from neighbouring plants. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cleistogamic Lamium amplexicaule plants can adaptively modify production of chasmogamous (CH) and cleistogamous (CL) flowers based on the perception of conspecific neighbours. The production and proportion of CH and CL flowers was examined in individual L. amplexicaule grown at varying densities or treated with root leachates from plants grown at different densities. When growing at high density or treated with root leachates from high-density pots, L. amplexicaule increased production of more expensive, potentially outcrossing CH flowers. In contrast, single plants or plants treated with root leachates from empty pots or single-source plants predominantly developed cheaper, self-pollinated CL flowers. The results demonstrate a novel root-based neighbour-perception modality that enables plants to adaptively adjust production of CH and CL flowers in response to the presence of potential reproductive partners. Further research is needed to explore the broader ecological implications of this novel interplant cueing on reproductive bet-hedging and plasticity in natural settings, as well as to identify the involved cues and their mode of operation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- O Falik
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
- Achva Academic College, Arugot, Israel
| | - I Hoffmann
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
| | - A Novoplansky
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Aharon A, Benedek G, Barhoum B, Parnasa E, Magadle N, Perzon O, Mevorach D. HLA binding-groove motifs are associated with myocarditis induction after Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccination. Eur J Clin Invest 2024; 54:e14142. [PMID: 38071404 DOI: 10.1111/eci.14142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS We found a higher incidence of myocarditis in young males who had received at least two Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccinations. The human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are known to play an important role in infectious and autoinflammatory diseases. We hypothesized that certain HLA alleles might be associated with vaccination-induced myocarditis. METHODS HLA typing was performed using next-generation sequencing technology with the Illumina Iseq100 platform. HLA class I and II loci were genotyped in 29 patients with post-vaccination myocarditis and compared with HLA data from 300 healthy controls. RESULTS We demonstrate that the DRB1*14:01, DRB1*15:03 alleles and the motifs in HLA-A - Leu62 and Gln63, which are part of binding pocket B and HLA-DR Tyr47, His60, Arg70 and Glu74, which are part of binding pockets P4, P7 and P9, were significantly associated with disease susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that immunogenetic fingerprints in HLA peptide-binding grooves may affect the presentation of peptides derived from the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccination to T cells and induce an inflammatory process that results in myocarditis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aviran Aharon
- Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gil Benedek
- Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
- Tissue Typing and Immunogenetics Unit, Department of Genetics, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Barhoum Barhoum
- Institute of Rheumatology-Immunology-Allergology and the Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Elchanan Parnasa
- Institute of Rheumatology-Immunology-Allergology and the Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nur Magadle
- Institute of Rheumatology-Immunology-Allergology and the Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ofer Perzon
- Institute of Rheumatology-Immunology-Allergology and the Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dror Mevorach
- Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
- Institute of Rheumatology-Immunology-Allergology and the Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kovarik Z, Moshitzky G, Maček Hrvat N, Soreq H. Recent advances in cholinergic mechanisms as reactions to toxicity, stress, and neuroimmune insults. J Neurochem 2024; 168:355-369. [PMID: 37429600 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
This review presents recent studies of the chemical and molecular regulators of acetylcholine (ACh) signaling and the complexity of the small molecule and RNA regulators of those mechanisms that control cholinergic functioning in health and disease. The underlying structural, neurochemical, and transcriptomic concepts, including basic and translational research and clinical studies, shed new light on how these processes inter-change under acute states, age, sex, and COVID-19 infection; all of which modulate ACh-mediated processes and inflammation in women and men and under diverse stresses. The aspect of organophosphorus (OP) compound toxicity is discussed based on the view that despite numerous studies, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is still a vulnerable target in OP poisoning because of a lack of efficient treatment and the limitations of oxime-assisted reactivation of inhibited AChE. The over-arching purpose of this review is thus to discuss mechanisms of cholinergic signaling dysfunction caused by OP pesticides, OP nerve agents, and anti-cholinergic medications; and to highlight new therapeutic strategies to combat both the acute and chronic effects of these chemicals on the cholinergic and neuroimmune systems. Furthermore, OP toxicity was examined in view of cholinesterase inhibition and beyond in order to highlight improved small molecules and RNA therapeutic strategies and assess their predicted pitfalls to reverse the acute toxicity and long-term deleterious effects of OPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zrinka Kovarik
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gilli Moshitzky
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Hermona Soreq
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Haran U, Van Dijk D, Barina M, Krief M, Rosenzweig S. Winning isn't everything: Guilt proneness and competitive vs. non-competitive motivation. J Pers 2024; 92:457-479. [PMID: 37002803 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Guilt proneness is associated with both high motivation to succeed and enhanced concern for others. However, in competition, achieving success requires harming others' interests, which demotivates guilt-prone individuals. Given the prevalence of competition in social and professional life, we examine the relation between guilt proneness, general motivation, and competitive motivation. METHOD Two experiments and two laboratory studies (N = 1735) measured guilt proneness, general motivation, and competitive motivation, and their effects on competitive preferences and choices. Study settings included students' choice of playing a game individually vs. competitively (Study 1), physicians' likelihood to seek residency in medical fields characterized by high competitiveness (Study 2), amateur athletes' preferences between inclusive and win-oriented team strategies (Study 3), and online workers' evaluations of a hypothetical scenario (Study 4). RESULTS Guilt proneness was related positively to general motivation, but negatively to competitive motivation. Guilt proneness, indirectly through lower competitive motivation, predicted a lower likelihood of pursuing competitive paths and preference for non-competitive strategies. Emphasizing prosocial aspects of competitiveness attenuated these effects. CONCLUSIONS Guilt proneness is related to high general motivation but to a lower desire to win. Guilt-prone individuals strive for excellence, but through non-competitive paths, whereas people with lower guilt proneness prefer competing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uriel Haran
- Department of Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Dina Van Dijk
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Michal Barina
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Mor Krief
- Department of Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Stav Rosenzweig
- Department of Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Soreq H. MicroRNA guardians of the posterior cingulate cortex delay cognitive deterioration in elders. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae099. [PMID: 38572269 PMCID: PMC10988635 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
This scientific commentary refers to 'MicroRNA profiles of pathology and resilience in posterior cingulate cortex of cognitively intact elders', by Kelley et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae082).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hermona Soreq
- The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
- Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Sagi R, Taylor JSH, Neophytou K, Cohen T, Rapp B, Rastle K, Ben-Shachar M. White matter associations with spelling performance. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02775-7. [PMID: 38528269 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02775-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Multiple neurocognitive processes are involved in the highly complex task of producing written words. Yet, little is known about the neural pathways that support spelling in healthy adults. We assessed the associations between performance on a difficult spelling-to-dictation task and microstructural properties of language-related white matter pathways, in a sample of 73 native English-speaking neurotypical adults. Participants completed a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scan and a cognitive assessment battery. Using constrained spherical deconvolution modeling and probabilistic tractography, we reconstructed dorsal and ventral white matter tracts of interest, bilaterally, in individual participants. Spelling associations were found in both dorsal and ventral stream pathways. In high-performing spellers, spelling scores significantly correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) within the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, a ventral stream pathway. In low-performing spellers, spelling scores significantly correlated with FA within the third branch of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, a dorsal pathway. An automated analysis of spelling errors revealed that high- and low- performing spellers also differed in their error patterns, diverging primarily in terms of the orthographic distance between their errors and the correct spelling, compared to the phonological plausibility of their spelling responses. The results demonstrate the complexity of the neurocognitive architecture of spelling. The distinct white matter associations and error patterns detected in low- and high- performing spellers suggest that they rely on different cognitive processes, such that high-performing spellers rely more on lexical-orthographic representations, while low-performing spellers rely more on phoneme-to-grapheme conversion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Romi Sagi
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - J S H Taylor
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kyriaki Neophytou
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Tamar Cohen
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Kathleen Rastle
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Hanani M. Satellite Glial Cells in Human Disease. Cells 2024; 13:566. [PMID: 38607005 PMCID: PMC11011452 DOI: 10.3390/cells13070566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Satellite glial cells (SGCs) are the main type of glial cells in sensory ganglia. Animal studies have shown that these cells play essential roles in both normal and disease states. In a large number of pain models, SGCs were activated and contributed to the pain behavior. Much less is known about SGCs in humans, but there is emerging recognition that SGCs in humans are altered in a variety of clinical states. The available data show that human SGCs share some essential features with SGCs in rodents, but many differences do exist. SGCs in DRG from patients suffering from common painful diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, may contribute to the pain phenotype. It was found that immunoglobulins G (IgG) from fibromyalgia patients can induce pain-like behavior in mice. Moreover, these IgGs bind preferentially to SGCs and activate them, which can sensitize the sensory neurons, causing nociception. In other human diseases, the evidence is not as direct as in fibromyalgia, but it has been found that an antibody from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis binds to mouse SGCs, which leads to the release of pronociceptive factors from them. Herpes zoster is another painful disease, and it appears that the zoster virus resides in SGCs, which acquire an abnormal morphology and may participate in the infection and pain generation. More work needs to be undertaken on SGCs in humans, and this review points to several promising avenues for better understanding disease mechanisms and developing effective pain therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Menachem Hanani
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91240, Israel; ; Tel.: +972-2-5844721
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Mindel V, Brodsky S, Cohen A, Manadre W, Jonas F, Carmi M, Barkai N. Intrinsically disordered regions of the Msn2 transcription factor encode multiple functions using interwoven sequence grammars. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2260-2272. [PMID: 38109289 PMCID: PMC10954448 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundant in eukaryotic proteins, but their sequence-function relationship remains poorly understood. IDRs of transcription factors (TFs) can direct promoter selection and recruit coactivators, as shown for the budding yeast TF Msn2. To examine how IDRs encode both these functions, we compared genomic binding specificity, coactivator recruitment, and gene induction amongst a large set of designed Msn2-IDR mutants. We find that both functions depend on multiple regions across the > 600AA IDR. Yet, transcription activity was readily disrupted by mutations that showed no effect on the Msn2 binding specificity. Our data attribute this differential sensitivity to the integration of a relaxed, composition-based code directing binding specificity with a more stringent, motif-based code controlling the recruitment of coactivators and transcription activity. Therefore, Msn2 utilizes interwoven sequence grammars for encoding multiple functions, suggesting a new IDR design paradigm of potentially general use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Mindel
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Sagie Brodsky
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Aileen Cohen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Wajd Manadre
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Felix Jonas
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Miri Carmi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Naama Barkai
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Berebbi S, Naftalovich H, Weinbach N, Kalanthroff E. Fostering positive attitudes toward food in individuals with restrained eating: the impact of flexible food-related inhibition. J Eat Disord 2024; 12:41. [PMID: 38509611 PMCID: PMC10956199 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-00995-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals exhibiting restrained eating behaviors demonstrate increased inhibitory control when exposed to food-related stimuli, indicating the presence of an automatic food-inhibition association. Existing literature proposes that this association contributes to the devaluation of food within this population. Efforts to disrupt this association by promoting the complete elimination of the inhibition of food responses have resulted in increased food consumption but have also led to heightened food-related anxiety in individuals with restrained eating behaviors. In the current investigation, we investigated whether a novel flexible food response/inhibition computerized task could yield favorable changes in attitudes toward food in individuals with restrained eating. We randomly assigned 78 females who engage in restrained eating to one of three training groups. In the flexible response/inhibition group, participants were instructed to equally inhibit or respond to food stimuli. In the response group, participants consistently responded to food stimuli, while in the inhibition group, participants consistently inhibited their response to food cues. Implicit attitudes toward food were assessed both before and after the manipulation. To examine the stability of the effect of the training, participants also engaged in a seemingly unrelated bogus taste test. Our results revealed that only the flexible response/inhibition group demonstrated a significant improvement in positive attitudes toward high-calorie foods after eating, while there were no observable changes in negative attitudes among the other two groups. These findings suggest that promoting a balance between the responding and inhibiting responses to food stimuli can increase positive attitudes toward food amongst individuals with restrained eating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shir Berebbi
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Hadar Naftalovich
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noam Weinbach
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Eyal Kalanthroff
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
McCorkindale W, Filep M, London N, Lee AA, King-Smith E. Deconvoluting low yield from weak potency in direct-to-biology workflows with machine learning. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:1015-1021. [PMID: 38516605 PMCID: PMC10953487 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00719g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
High throughput and rapid biological evaluation of small molecules is an essential factor in drug discovery and development. Direct-to-biology (D2B), whereby compound purification is foregone, has emerged as a viable technique in time efficient screening, specifically for PROTAC design and biological evaluation. However, one notable limitation is the prerequisite of high yielding reactions to ensure the desired compound is indeed the compound responsible for biological activity. Herein, we report a machine learning based yield-assay deconfounder capable of deconvoluting low yield from low potency to identify false negatives. We validated this approach by identifying promising SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors with nanomolar activity that rivaled potency observed from the standard D2B workflow. Furthermore, we show how our framework can be utilized in a broad, in silico screen to produce compounds of similar potency as a D2B assay.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mihajlo Filep
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Weizmann Institute of Science Israel
| | - Nir London
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, The Weizmann Institute of Science Israel
| | - Alpha A Lee
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge UK
| | - Emma King-Smith
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge UK
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Nir-Harwood RG, Cohen G, Majumdar A, Haight R, Ber E, Gignac L, Ordan E, Shoham L, Keller Y, Kornblum L, Yalon E. Drift of Schottky Barrier Height in Phase Change Materials. ACS Nano 2024; 18:8029-8037. [PMID: 38458609 PMCID: PMC10958591 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c11019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Phase-change memory (PCM) devices have great potential as multilevel memory cells and artificial synapses for neuromorphic computing hardware. However, their practical use is hampered by resistance drift, a phenomenon commonly attributed to structural relaxation or electronic mechanisms primarily in the context of bulk effects. In this study, we reevaluate the electrical manifestation of resistance drift in sub-100 nm Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) PCM devices, focusing on the contributions of bulk vs interface effects. We employ a combination of measurement techniques to elucidate the current transport mechanism and the electrical manifestation of resistance drift. Our steady-state temperature-dependent measurements reveal that resistance in these devices is predominantly influenced by their electrical contacts, with conduction occurring through thermionic emission (Schottky) at the contacts. Additionally, temporal current-voltage characterization allows us to link the resistance drift to a time-dependent increase in the Schottky barrier height. These findings provide valuable insights, pinpointing the primary contributor to resistance drift in PCM devices: the Schottky barrier height for hole injection at the interface. This underscores the significance of contacts (interface) in the electrical manifestation of drift in PCM devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rivka-Galya Nir-Harwood
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Guy Cohen
- IBM
Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
| | - Amlan Majumdar
- IBM
Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
| | - Richard Haight
- IBM
Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
| | - Emanuel Ber
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Lynne Gignac
- IBM
Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
| | - Efrat Ordan
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Lishai Shoham
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Yair Keller
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Lior Kornblum
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Eilam Yalon
- Viterbi
Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Trachtenberg E, Ruzal K, Forkosh O, Ben-Ami Bartal I. The effect of a prosocial environment on health and well-being during the first COVID-19 lockdown and a year later. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6565. [PMID: 38503824 PMCID: PMC10951249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56979-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The outset of the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by prolonged periods of chronic stress and social isolation. While studies have investigated the changes to well-being (WB) during this period, the impact of the social environment on long-term physical and mental health requires further study. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing WB and health outcomes, with the hypothesis that a positive social environment would play a significant immediate and long-term role in improving WB and preventing the effects of anxiety associated with the pandemic. At time point 1 (April 2020), an Israeli sample of 206 participants (84% female, mean age 31.5) responded to traditional questionnaires assessing mental health and social support. Factors affecting WB were assessed within subjects during the first COVID-19 lockdown for 6 weeks using a daily survey (Beiwe phone application). A year later, in May 2021, at time point 2, the initial questionnaires were readministered to a subset of the same participants (N = 94). We found that anxiety during the first lockdown adversely affected WB and predicted health and WB deterioration a year later. In contrast, a high quality of social relationships was associated with better short- and long-term WB, and mitigated the adverse effects of anxiety. Daily activities, including physical activity, meditation, and romantic relations, were also positively associated with WB during the first lockdown but did not have long-term effects. In summary, our study underscores the enduring health advantages of a positive social environment, particularly during stressful periods. These results have implications for health policymakers: programs which support individuals with high anxiety and low support, by integrating them into community-based interventions, promise to enhance well-being (WB) and health, as well as to fortify the community as a whole.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Estherina Trachtenberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Keren Ruzal
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Oren Forkosh
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Animal Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Enisman M, Kleiman T. The relative difficulty of resolving motivational conflicts is affective context-dependent. Emotion 2024:2024-63384-001. [PMID: 38497728 DOI: 10.1037/emo0001353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
According to Lewin's seminal motivational theory, conflicts between undesirable alternatives (avoidance-avoidance conflicts) are more difficult to resolve than conflicts between desirable alternatives (approach-approach conflicts). This difference in the difficulty of resolving approach-approach and avoidance-avoidance conflicts was suggested as a general law for human behavior, and subsequent research provided robust evidence to support it. Here we challenge this assertion. We argue that the difference in conflict resolution difficulty depends on the compatibility between the type of conflict (approach-approach vs. avoidance-avoidance) and the affective context (positive vs. negative) in which the conflict is being resolved. We report five studies. Data were collected from 2019 to 2021. In Studies 1-4, we presented participants with both conflict types, embedded in either a positive or a negative affective context. Across different designs and stimuli, and for both experienced difficulty and decision time, we found that in a positive affective context, avoidance-avoidance conflicts were more difficult to resolve than approach-approach conflicts; however, in a negative affective context, no difference between the conflict types was found. In Study 5, we added a neutral control condition to relate our findings to previous research, which did not manipulate the affective context. Taken together, our findings challenge a seminal motivational theory and show that choosing the lesser of two evils is not always more difficult than choosing the greater of two goods. Instead, the difference in conflict resolution difficulty depends on the affective context in which the choice is being made. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maya Enisman
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
| | - Tali Kleiman
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Ridnik M, Abberbock E, Alipov V, Lhermann SZ, Kaufman S, Lubman M, Poulat F, Gonen N. Two redundant transcription factor binding sites in a single enhancer are essential for mammalian sex determination. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae178. [PMID: 38499491 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Male development in mammals depends on the activity of the two SOX gene: Sry and Sox9, in the embryonic testis. As deletion of Enhancer 13 (Enh13) of the Sox9 gene results in XY male-to-female sex reversal, we explored the critical elements necessary for its function and hence, for testis and male development. Here, we demonstrate that while microdeletions of individual transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) in Enh13 lead to normal testicular development, combined microdeletions of just two SRY/SOX binding motifs can alone fully abolish Enh13 activity leading to XY male-to-female sex reversal. This suggests that for proper male development to occur, these few nucleotides of non-coding DNA must be intact. Interestingly, we show that depending on the nature of these TFBS mutations, dramatically different phenotypic outcomes can occur, providing a molecular explanation for the distinct clinical outcomes observed in patients harboring different variants in the same enhancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meshi Ridnik
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Elisheva Abberbock
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Veronica Alipov
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Shelly Ziv Lhermann
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Shoham Kaufman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Maor Lubman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Francis Poulat
- Group "Development and Pathology of the Gonad". Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS-University of Montpellier UMR9002, Montpellier, France
| | - Nitzan Gonen
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Dawud H, Edelstein-Pardo N, Mulamukkil K, Amir RJ, Abu Ammar A. Hydrogel Microneedles with Programmed Mesophase Transitions for Controlled Drug Delivery. ACS Appl Bio Mater 2024; 7:1682-1693. [PMID: 38335540 PMCID: PMC10951948 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c01133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Microneedle-based drug delivery offers an attractive and minimally invasive administration route to deliver therapeutic agents through the skin by bypassing the stratum corneum, the main skin barrier. Recently, hydrogel-based microneedles have gained prominence for their exceptional ability to precisely control the release of their drug cargo. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of fabricating microneedles from triblock amphiphiles with linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the hydrophilic middle block and two dendritic side-blocks with enzyme-cleavable hydrophobic end-groups. Due to the poor formation and brittleness of microneedles made from the neat amphiphile, we added a sodium alginate base layer and tested different polymeric excipients to enhance the mechanical strength of the microneedles. Following optimization, microneedles based on triblock amphiphiles were successfully fabricated and exhibited favorable insertion efficiency and low height reduction percentage when tested in Parafilm as a skin-simulant model. When tested against static forces ranging from 50 to 1000 g (4.9-98 mN/needle), the microneedles showed adequate mechanical strength with no fractures or broken segments. In buffer solution, the solid microneedles swelled into a hydrogel within about 30 s, followed by their rapid disintegration into small hydrogel particles. These hydrogel particles could undergo slow enzymatic degradation to soluble polymers. In vitro release study of dexamethasone (DEX), as a steroid model drug, showed first-order drug release, with 90% released within 6 days. Eventually, DEX-loaded MNs were subjected to an insertion test using chicken skin and showed full penetration. This study demonstrates the feasibility of programming hydrogel-forming microneedles to undergo several mesophase transitions and their potential application as a delivery system for self-administration, increased patient compliance, improved efficacy, and sustained drug release.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hala Dawud
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Azrieli College
of Engineering Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9103501, Israel
| | - Nicole Edelstein-Pardo
- School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Keerthana Mulamukkil
- School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Roey J. Amir
- School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The
Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- ADAMA
Center for Novel Delivery Systems in Crop Protection, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Aiman Abu Ammar
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Azrieli College
of Engineering Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9103501, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Gazit N, Ben-Gal G, Eliashar R. Development and validation of an objective virtual reality tool for assessing technical aptitude among potential candidates for surgical training. BMC Med Educ 2024; 24:286. [PMID: 38486166 PMCID: PMC10941473 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05228-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Good technical skills are crucial for surgeons. Yet although surgical training programs strive to assess technical aptitude when selecting surgical residents, valid assessments of such aptitude are still lacking. Surgical simulators have been proposed as a potentially effective tool for this purpose. The current study aims to develop a technical aptitude test using a virtual reality surgical simulator, and to validate its use for the selection of surgical residents. METHODS The study had three phases. In Phase 1, we developed an initial version of the technical aptitude test using the Lap-X-VR laparoscopic simulator. In Phases 2 and 3 we refined the test and collected empirical data to evaluate four main sources of validity evidence (content, response process, internal structure, and relationships with other variables), and to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the test. Specifically, Phase 2 comprised a review of the test by 30 senior surgeons, and in Phase 3 a revised version of the test was administered to 152 interns to determine its psychometric properties. RESULTS Both the surgeons and interns rated the test as highly relevant for selecting surgical residents. Analyses of the data obtained from the trial administration of the test supported the appropriateness of the score calculation process and showed good psychometric properties, including reliability (α = 0.83) and task discrimination (mean discrimination = 0.5, SD = 0.1). The correlations between test scores and background variables revealed significant correlations with gender, surgical simulator experience, and video game experience (ps < 0.001). These variables, however, explained together only 10% of the variance in test scores. CONCLUSIONS We describe the systematic development of an innovative virtual reality test for assessing technical aptitude in candidates for surgical training, and present evidence for its validity, feasibility and acceptability. Further validation is required to support the application of the test for selection, as well as to discern the impact of gender, surgical simulator experience, and video game experience on the fairness of test results. However, the test appears to be a promising tool that may help training programs assess the suitability of candidates for surgical training.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noa Gazit
- Department of Prosthodontics, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of Otolaryngology/HNS, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Gilad Ben-Gal
- Department of Prosthodontics, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ron Eliashar
- Department of Otolaryngology/HNS, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Tadesse K, Benhamou RI. Targeting MicroRNAs with Small Molecules. Noncoding RNA 2024; 10:17. [PMID: 38525736 PMCID: PMC10961812 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna10020017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs) have been implicated in numerous diseases, presenting an attractive target for the development of novel therapeutics. The various regulatory roles of miRs in cellular processes underscore the need for precise strategies. Recent advances in RNA research offer hope by enabling the identification of small molecules capable of selectively targeting specific disease-associated miRs. This understanding paves the way for developing small molecules that can modulate the activity of disease-associated miRs. Herein, we discuss the progress made in the field of drug discovery processes, transforming the landscape of miR-targeted therapeutics by small molecules. By leveraging various approaches, researchers can systematically identify compounds to modulate miR function, providing a more potent intervention either by inhibiting or degrading miRs. The implementation of these multidisciplinary approaches bears the potential to revolutionize treatments for diverse diseases, signifying a significant stride towards the targeting of miRs by precision medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Raphael I. Benhamou
- The Institute for Drug Research of the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Ouyang Y, Willner I. Phototriggered Equilibrated and Transient Orthogonally Operating Constitutional Dynamic Networks Guiding Biocatalytic Cascades. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:6806-6816. [PMID: 38422481 PMCID: PMC10941189 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The photochemical deprotection of structurally engineered o-nitrobenzylphosphate-caged hairpin nucleic acids is introduced as a versatile method to evolve constitutional dynamic networks, CDNs. The photogenerated CDNs, in the presence of fuel strands, interact with auxiliary CDNs, resulting in their dynamically equilibrated reconfiguration. By modification of the constituents associated with the auxiliary CDNs with glucose oxidase (GOx)/horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) cofactor, the photogenerated CDN drives the orthogonal operation upregulated/downregulated operation of the GOx/HRP and LDH/NAD+ biocatalytic cascade in the conjugate mixture of auxiliary CDNs. Also, the photogenerated CDN was applied to control the reconfiguration of coupled CDNs, leading to upregulated/downregulated formation of the antithrombin aptamer units, resulting in the dictated inhibition of thrombin activity (fibrinogen coagulation). Moreover, a reaction module consisting of GOx/HRP-modified o-nitrobenzyl phosphate-caged DNA hairpins, photoresponsive caged auxiliary duplexes, and nickase leads upon irradiation to the emergence of a transient, dissipative CDN activating in the presence of two alternate auxiliary triggers, achieving transient operation of up- and downregulated GOx/HRP biocatalytic cascades.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ouyang
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Itamar Willner
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Ayalon L. Age differences in the context of climate change: Does exposure to a fake consensus statement make a difference? PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298219. [PMID: 38478572 PMCID: PMC10936767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The present study examined whether people of different age groups respond differently to a true versus fake consensus statement concerning climate change. In total, 309 participants were randomly exposed to a true consensus statement about climate change and 311 were exposed to a false statement. Subsequently, respondents were asked to respond to items about attitudes, feelings, and behavioral intentions concerning climate change. Compared with younger people, older persons are significantly more concerned about climate change, more likely to report that climate change is real and more willing to take climate change action. Nevertheless, older persons also are more likely to be willing to post both fake and truthful information about climate change, thus, possibly serving as spreaders of both fake and truthful information. The findings suggest that it is younger people who will benefit from further education about climate change and older people who may benefit from education about the spread of information in social media. Our findings also suggest that simply providing individuals with consensus information has only limited impact on their climate change attitudes, feelings and behavioral intentions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liat Ayalon
- Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Bren I, Tal A, Strauss C, Schlesinger S. The role of Smarcad1 in retroviral repression in mouse embryonic stem cells. Mob DNA 2024; 15:4. [PMID: 38468276 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-024-00314-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) replication is suppressed in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by the Trim28-SETDB1 complex. The chromatin remodeler Smarcad1 interacts with Trim28 and was suggested to allow the deposition of the histone variant H3.3. However, the role of Trim28, H3.3, and Smarcad1 in MLV repression in ESCs still needs to be fully understood. RESULTS In this study, we used MLV to explore the role of Smarcad1 in retroviral silencing in ESCs. We show that Smarcad1 is immediately recruited to the MLV provirus. Based on the repression dynamics of a GFP-reporter MLV, our findings suggest that Smarcad1 plays a critical role in the establishment and maintenance of MLV repression, as well as other Trim28-targeted genomic loci. Furthermore, Smarcad1 is important for stabilizing and strengthening Trim28 binding to the provirus over time, and its presence around the provirus is needed for proper deposition of H3.3 on the provirus. Surprisingly, the combined depletion of Smarcad1 and Trim28 results in enhanced MLV derepression, suggesting that these two proteins may also function independently to maintain repressive chromatin states. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results of this study provide evidence for the crucial role of Smarcad1 in the silencing of retroviral elements in embryonic stem cells. Further research is needed to fully understand how Smarcad1 and Trim28 cooperate and their implications for gene expression and genomic stability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Igor Bren
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ayellet Tal
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Carmit Strauss
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sharon Schlesinger
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Shioukhi I, Batchu H, Schwartz G, Minion L, Deree Y, Bogoslavsky B, Shimon LJW, Wade J, Hoffman R, Fuchter MJ, Markovich G, Gidron O. Helitwistacenes-Combining Lateral and Longitudinal Helicity Results in Solvent-Induced Inversion of Circularly Polarized Light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202319318. [PMID: 38224528 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Helicity is expressed differently in ortho- and para-fused acenes-helicenes and twistacenes, respectively. While the extent of helicity is constant in helicenes, it can be tuned in twistacenes, and the handedness of flexible twistacenes is often determined by more rigid helicenes. Here, we combine helicenes with rigid twistacenes consisting of a tunable degree of twisting, forming helitwistacenes. While the X-ray structures reveal that the connection does not affect the helicity of each moiety, their electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectra are strongly affected by the helicity of the twistacene unit, resulting in solvent-induced sign inversion. ROESY NMR and TD-DFT calculations support this observation, which is explained by differences in the relative orientation of the helicene and twistacene moieties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Israa Shioukhi
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Harikrishna Batchu
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gal Schwartz
- School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Louis Minion
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 82 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ, London, U.K
| | - Yinon Deree
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benny Bogoslavsky
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Linda J W Shimon
- Chemical Research Support Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jessica Wade
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 82 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ, London, U.K
- Department of Materials, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, U.K
| | - Roy Hoffman
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Matthew J Fuchter
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 82 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ, London, U.K
| | - Gil Markovich
- School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ori Gidron
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Senapati S, Tripathi K, Awad K, Rahimipour S. Multifunctional Liposomes Targeting Amyloid-β Oligomers for Early Diagnosis and Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease. Small 2024:e2311670. [PMID: 38461531 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Early detection and treatment are crucial for Alzheimer's disease (AD) management. Current diagnostic and therapeutic methods focus on late-stage amyloid fibrils and plaques, overlooking toxic soluble amyloid β oligomers (AβOs) accumulating early in AD. A multifunctional liposome-based platform is designed for early diagnosis and therapy of AD, leveraging a novel self-assembled cyclic d,l-α-peptide (CP-2) that selectively targets AβOs. Biocompatible CP-2 conjugated liposomes (CP-2-LPs) effectively disrupt Aβ aggregation and mitigate Aβ-mediated toxicity in human neuroblastoma cells. In transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans AD models, CP-2-LPs significantly outperformed free CP-2 by improving cognitive and behavioral functions, extending lifespan, and reducing toxic AβO levels. Intravenous injection of fluorescently labeled CP-2-LPs reveals effective blood-brain barrier penetration, with significantly higher brain fluorescence in transgenic mice than WT, enabling precise diagnosis. These findings underscore CP-2-LPs as a valuable tool for early detection and targeted therapy in AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sudipta Senapati
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Kuldeep Tripathi
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Khadeja Awad
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Shai Rahimipour
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Xiao D, Kedem Orange R, Opatovski N, Parizat A, Nehme E, Alalouf O, Shechtman Y. Large-FOV 3D localization microscopy by spatially variant point spread function generation. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadj3656. [PMID: 38457497 PMCID: PMC10923516 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj3656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Accurate characterization of the microscopic point spread function (PSF) is crucial for achieving high-performance localization microscopy (LM). Traditionally, LM assumes a spatially invariant PSF to simplify the modeling of the imaging system. However, for large fields of view (FOV) imaging, it becomes important to account for the spatially variant nature of the PSF. Here, we propose an accurate and fast principal components analysis-based field-dependent 3D PSF generator (PPG3D) and localizer for LM. Through simulations and experimental three-dimensional (3D) single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), we demonstrate the effectiveness of PPG3D, enabling super-resolution imaging of mitochondria and microtubules with high fidelity over a large FOV. A comparison of PPG3D with a shift-variant PSF generator for 3D LM reveals a threefold improvement in accuracy. Moreover, PPG3D is approximately 100 times faster than existing PSF generators, when used in image plane-based interpolation mode. Given its user-friendliness, we believe that PPG3D holds great potential for widespread application in SMLM and other imaging modalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dafei Xiao
- Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Reut Kedem Orange
- Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nadav Opatovski
- Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Amit Parizat
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Elias Nehme
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Onit Alalouf
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoav Shechtman
- Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|