Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila.

Peripheral sensory neurons are the gateway to the environment across species. In Drosophila, olfactory and gustatory senses are required to initiate courtship, as well as for the escalation of courtship patterns that lead to copulation. To be successful, copulation must last long enough to ensure the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid that ultimately leads to fertilization.

Engineering Crystal Packing in RNA-Protein Complexes II: A Historical Perspective from the Structural Studies of the Spliceosome.

Cryo-electron microscopy has greatly advanced our understanding of how the spliceosome cycles through different conformational states to conduct the chemical reactions that remove introns from pre-mRNA transcripts. The Cryo-EM structures were built upon decades of crystallographic studies of various spliceosomal RNA-protein complexes. In this review we give an overview of the crystal structures solved in the Nagai group, utilizing many of the strategies to design crystal packing as described in the accompanying paper.

Engineering Crystal Packing in RNA Structures I: Past and Future Strategies for Engineering RNA Packing in Crystals.

X-ray crystallography remains a powerful method to gain atomistic insights into the catalytic and regulatory functions of RNA molecules. However, the technique requires the preparation of diffraction-quality crystals. This is often a resource- and time-consuming venture because RNA crystallization is hindered by the conformational heterogeneity of RNA, as well as the limited opportunities for stereospecific intermolecular interactions between RNA molecules.

Identification and Mechanistic Characterization of a Peptide Inhibitor of Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK3β) Derived from the Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) Protein.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3β) is a critical regulator of several cellular pathways involved in neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity and as such is a potential focus for the discovery of new neurotherapeutics toward the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. The majority of efforts to develop inhibitors of GSK3β have been focused on developing small molecule inhibitors that compete with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through direct interaction with the ATP binding site. This strategy has presented selectivity challenges due to the evolutionary conservation of this domain within the kinome.

Nucleobindins and encoded peptides: From cell signaling to physiology.

Nucleobindins (NUCBs) are DNA and calcium binding, secreted proteins with various signaling functions. Two NUCBs, nucleobindin-1 (NUCB1) and nucleobindin-2 (NUCB2), were discovered during the 1990s. These two peptides are shown to have diverse functions, including the regulation of inflammation and bone formation, among others.

Characterization of the Sexually Dimorphic Neurons That Regulate Copulation Duration.

Male courtship in is a sexually dimorphic innate behavior that is hardwired in the nervous system. Understanding the neural mechanism of courtship behavior requires the anatomical and functional characterization of all the neurons involved. Courtship involves a series of distinctive behavioral patterns, culminating in the final copulation step, where sperms from the male are transferred to the female.