Altered organization of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton and relocalization of proteostasis modulators in cells lacking the ataxia protein sacsin.

Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is caused by mutations in the gene SACS, encoding the 520 kDa protein sacsin. Although sacsin's physiological role is largely unknown, its sequence domains suggest a molecular chaperone or protein quality control function. Consequences of its loss include neurofilament network abnormalities, specifically accumulation and bundling of perikaryal and dendritic neurofilaments.

Re-engineered RNA-Guided FokI-Nucleases for Improved Genome Editing in Human Cells.

Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 enables us to generate targeted sequence changes in the genomes of cells and organisms. However, off-target effects have been a persistent problem hampering the development of therapeutics based on CRISPR/Cas9 and potentially confounding research results. Efforts to improve Cas9 specificity, like the development of RNA-guided FokI-nucleases (RFNs), usually come at the cost of editing efficiency and/or genome targetability.

Infant feeding effects on early neurocognitive development in Asian children.

Background: Breastfeeding has been shown to enhance global measures of intelligence in children. However, few studies have examined associations between breastfeeding and specific cognitive task performance in the first 2 y of life, particularly in an Asian population.

Objective: We assessed associations between early infant feeding and detailed measures of cognitive development in the first 2 y of life in healthy Asian children born at term.