The establishment of winter wheat root system architecture in field soils: The effect of soil type on root development in a temperate climate.

Winter wheat ( L.) is an important cereal crop in the temperate climates of western Europe. Root system architecture is a significant contributor to resource capture and plant resilience.

RNA polymerase II collision interrupts convergent transcription.

Antisense noncoding transcripts, genes-within-genes, and convergent gene pairs are prevalent among eukaryotes. The existence of such transcription units raises the question of what happens when RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) molecules collide head-to-head. Here we use a combination of biochemical and genetic approaches in yeast to show that polymerases transcribing opposite DNA strands cannot bypass each other.

Plasma phosphorylated-TDP-43 protein levels correlate with brain pathology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

In the present study, we have correlated plasma TDP-43 levels, as measured by ELISA, with the presence of TDP-43 pathological changes in the brains of 28 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) (14 with FTLD-TDP and 14 with FTLD-tau) and 24 patients with pathologically confirmed AD (8 with, and 16 without, TDP-43 pathological changes). Western blotting revealed full-length TDP-43, including a phosphorylated form, and a phosphorylated C-terminal fragment, in all samples examined. Both ELISA and immunohistochemistry were performed using phospho-dependent and phospho-independent TDP-43 antibodies for detection of phosphorylated and total TDP-43, respectively.

Triptolide is an inhibitor of RNA polymerase I and II-dependent transcription leading predominantly to down-regulation of short-lived mRNA.

Triptolide, a natural product extracted from the Chinese plant Tripterygium wilfordii, possesses antitumor properties. Despite numerous reports showing the proapoptotic capacity and the inhibition of NF-kappaB-mediated transcription by triptolide, the identity of its cellular target is still unknown. To clarify its mechanism of action, we further investigated the effect of triptolide on RNA synthesis in the human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549.

Spontaneous pancreatic islet cell tumor in a black and white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis).

A 12-year-old, male black and white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis) from a small community zoo presented with a 6-month history of mild, slowly progressive ataxia and paresis culminating in an acute episode of recumbency, depression, and seizures. The animal was humanely euthanatized. Gross post-mortem examination revealed significant abnormalities including diffuse pallor of the carcass and a firm, pale, 8-cm diameter mass, adherent to the serosa of the proximal duodenum and colon, and embedded within the pancreas and mesenteric root.