[A philosophical analysis of the neuroscientific conception of autistic traits: contributions from Georges Canguilhem's biological normativity].

Taking Georges Canguilhem's 1943 book The normal and the pathological as a starting point, this article explores the ways in which the neurosciences define, validate, and legitimize the existence of autistic traits as a subclinical expression of autism. The general hypothesis is that different assumptions based on a naturalistic perspective of health and disease have become consolidated in the specialized literature. Such assumptions include that behaviors should be explained strictly in biological terms, that there is an objective and statistical parameter of normality, and that individuals' behaviors can be analyzed independently of their context.

Impact of macromolecular crowding on the mesomorphic behavior of lipid self-assemblies.

Using LAURDAN fluorescence we observed that water dynamics measured at the interface of DOPC bilayers can be differentially regulated by the presence of crowded suspensions of different proteins (HSA, IgG, Gelatin) and PEG, under conditions where the polymers are not in direct molecular contact with the lipid interface. Specifically, we found that the decrease in water dipolar relaxation at the membrane interface correlates with an increased fraction of randomly oriented (or random coil) configurations in the polymers, as Gelatin > PEG > IgG > HSA. By using the same experimental strategy, we also demonstrated that structural transitions from globular to extended conformations in proteins can induce transitions between lamellar and non-lamellar phases in mixtures of DOPC and monoolein.

Dengue and Zika virus capsid proteins bind to membranes and self-assemble into liquid droplets with nucleic acids.

Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) capsid proteins efficiently recruit and surround the viral RNA at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to yield nascent viral particles. However, little is known either about the molecular mechanisms by which multiple copies of capsid proteins assemble into nucleocapsids (NCs) or how the NC is recruited and wrapped by the ER membrane during particle morphogenesis. Here, we measured relevant interactions concerning this viral process using purified DENV and ZIKV capsid proteins, membranes mimicking the ER lipid composition, and nucleic acids in in vitro conditions to understand the biophysical properties of the RNA genome encapsidation process.

Lipids, membranes, colloids and cells: A long view.

This paper revisits long-standing ideas about biological membranes in the context of an equally long-standing, but hitherto largely unappreciated, perspective of the cell based on concepts derived from the physics and chemistry of colloids. Specifically, we discuss important biophysical aspects of lipid supramolecular structure to understand how the intracellular milieu may constrain lipid self-assembly. To this end we will develop four lines of thought: first, we will look at the historical development of the current view of cellular structure and physiology, considering also the plurality of approaches that influenced its formative period.