Mechanisms of synergistic Mediator recruitment in RNA polymerase II transcription activation revealed by single-molecule fluorescence.

Transcription activators trigger transcript production by RNA Polymerase II (RNApII) via the Mediator coactivator complex. Here the dynamics of activator, Mediator, and RNApII binding at promoter DNA were analyzed using multi-wavelength single-molecule microscopy of fluorescently labeled proteins in budding yeast nuclear extract. Binding of Mediator and RNApII to the template required activator and an upstream activator sequence (UAS), but not a core promoter.

Drillers and bulldozer operators have experienced exceptionally high exposures to respirable crystalline silica in US surface coal mines.

Introduction: Previous studies suggest respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is an important driver of resurgent pneumoconiosis among US coal miners. Although greater attention has been focused on dust exposures in underground coal miners, surface miners are also at risk of severe disease. This study explores RCS exposure in this population.

The Association Between Employment in Coal Mining and History of Injury, Current Pain, and Prescription Opioid Use.

Background: Coal mining involves heavy physical demand, which is associated with increased risk of injury and long-term musculoskeletal health disorders and chronic pain. Management of chronic or recurrent pain is in turn associated with prescription opioid use and risk of opioid use disorder (OUD).

Methods: We analyzed clinical data from 5463 coal miners evaluated between 2004 and 2015.

The Effects of Plant-Microbe-Environment Interactions on Mineral Weathering Patterns in a Granular Basalt.

The importance of biota to soil formation and landscape development is widely recognized. As biotic complexity increases during early succession via colonization by soil microbes followed by vascular plants, effects of biota on mineral weathering and soil formation become more complex. Knowledge of the interactions among groups of organisms and environmental conditions will enable us to better understand landscape evolution.