Cell cycle-specific cleavage of Scc2 regulates its cohesin deposition activity.

Sister chromatid cohesion (SCC), efficient DNA repair, and the regulation of some metazoan genes require the association of cohesins with chromosomes. Cohesins are deposited by a conserved heterodimeric loading complex composed of the Scc2 and Scc4 proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but how the Scc2/Scc4 deposition complex regulates the spatiotemporal association of cohesin with chromosomes is not understood. We examined Scc2 chromatin association during the cell division cycle and found that the affinity of Scc2 for chromatin increases biphasically during the cell cycle, increasing first transiently in late G1 phase and then again later in G2/M.

Phenylbutyrate up-regulates the DJ-1 protein and protects neurons in cell culture and in animal models of Parkinson disease.

Parkinson disease is caused by the death of midbrain dopamine neurons from oxidative stress, abnormal protein aggregation, and genetic predisposition. In 2003, Bonifati et al. (23) found that a single amino acid mutation in the DJ-1 protein was associated with early-onset, autosomal recessive Parkinson disease (PARK7).

Measuring low back injury risk factors in challenging work environments: an evaluation of cost and feasibility.

Background: Measuring low back injury risk factors in field research presents challenges not encountered in laboratory environments.

Methods: We compared the practical application of five measurement methods (observations, interviews, electromyography (EMG), inclinometry, and vibration monitoring) for 223 worker days in 50 heavy-industry worksites in western Canada. Data collection successes, challenges, costs, and data detail were documented for each method.

Activated FOXO-mediated insulin resistance is blocked by reduction of TOR activity.

Reducing insulin/IGF signaling allows for organismal survival during periods of inhospitable conditions by regulating the diapause state, whereby the organism stockpiles lipids, reduces fertility, increases stress resistance, and has an increased lifespan. The Target of Rapamycin (TOR) responds to changes in growth factors, amino acids, oxygen tension, and energy status; however, it is unclear how TOR contributes to physiological homeostasis and disease conditions. Here, we show that reducing the function of Drosophila TOR results in decreased lipid stores and glucose levels.

Clinical and microbiologic study of periodontitis associated with Kindler syndrome.

Background: Little is known about the onset and prevalence of periodontal disease in patients with the rare Kindler syndrome, a genodermatological disorder. This study investigated the level of clinical periodontal attachment in relation to age and presence of putative periodontopathogenic bacteria in individuals with Kindler syndrome.

Methods: Eighteen individuals diagnosed with Kindler syndrome and 13 control subjects, aged 4 to 37 years, from rural Panama received a limited clinical periodontal examination.