Publications by authors named "M K Sachs"
Fungal sexual reproduction is controlled by the mating-type () locus. In contrast to a majority of species in the phylum Basidiomycota that have tetrapolar mating-type systems, the opportunistic human pathogen employs a bipolar mating-type system, with two mating types ( and α) determined by a single locus that is unusually large (~120 kb) and contains more than 20 genes. While several genes are associated with mating and sexual development, others control conserved cellular processes (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past that is experienced across people from various cultures and across the lifespan. Though nostalgia has typically been conceptualized as a mixed emotion, prior research has primarily focused on positive effects. We hypothesized that nostalgia can additionally have certain negative effects.
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- The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation relies on the formation of biomolecular condensates through the polymerization of dishevelled 2 (DVL2).
- Researchers used biochemical techniques to identify oligomeric DVL2 complexes in human cell lines, uncovering a crucial low-complexity region (LCR4) that influences complex formation.
- The study reveals that DVL2's activation of the Wnt pathway is dependent on the interaction of specific regions within the protein, highlighting a two-step process for condensate formation involving both high-affinity and low-affinity interaction sites.
Article Synopsis
- Phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) is an important enzyme involved in lipid metabolism, converting phosphatidic acid into diacylglycerol, which is vital for synthesizing fats and cell membranes.
- Researchers discovered that the antidepressant sertraline inhibits PAP activity in yeast and human cells, working through a noncompetitive mechanism and showing stronger inhibition than a common PAP inhibitor, propranolol.
- Molecular docking studies indicate that sertraline interacts with non-catalytic parts of the enzyme, and tests in yeast demonstrate that overexpressing PAP can counteract the inhibitory effects of sertraline on yeast growth and lipid content.