Docking and structure activity relationship studies of potent and selective thiazolidinethione GSK-3 inhibitors.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) plays a key role in several biochemical pathways and is an attractive target for pharmacological intervention. We prepared a series of analogs of a highly selective thiazolidinethione inhibitor of GSK-3. The structure-activity relationship indicated a precise structural requirement for potent inhibition.

Characterizing selection on complex traits through conditional frequency spectra.

Natural selection on complex traits is difficult to study in part due to the ascertainment inherent to genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The power to detect a trait-associated variant in GWAS is a function of frequency and effect size - but for traits under selection, the effect size of a variant determines the strength of selection against it, constraining its frequency. Recognizing the biases inherent to GWAS ascertainment, we propose studying the joint distribution of allele frequencies across populations, conditional on the frequencies in the GWAS cohort.

The skeletal muscle proteomic determinants of neuromuscular function in young and older women following 8 weeks of resistance training.

Resistance training (RT) is the gold standard intervention for ameliorating sarcopenia. Outstanding mechanistic questions remain regarding the malleability of the molecular determinants of skeletal muscle function in older age. Discovery of proteomics can expand such knowledge.

Central control of dynamic gene circuits governs T cell rest and activation.

The ability of cells to maintain distinct identities and respond to transient environmental signals requires tightly controlled regulation of gene networks. These dynamic regulatory circuits that respond to extracellular cues in primary human cells remain poorly defined. The need for context-dependent regulation is prominent in T cells, where distinct lineages must respond to diverse signals to mount effective immune responses and maintain homeostasis.

Gene regulatory network inference from CRISPR perturbations in primary CD4 T cells elucidates the genomic basis of immune disease.

The effects of genetic variation on complex traits act mainly through changes in gene regulation. Although many genetic variants have been linked to target genes in cis, the trans-regulatory cascade mediating their effects remains largely uncharacterized. Mapping trans-regulators based on natural genetic variation has been challenging due to small effects, but experimental perturbations offer a complementary approach.