Catalytic promiscuity of rice 2-oxoglutarate/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenases supports xenobiotic metabolism.

The rice (Oryza sativa) 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase HIS1 mediates the catalytic inactivation of five distinct β-triketone herbicides (bTHs). By assessing the effects of plant growth regulators on HIS1 enzyme function, we found that HIS1 mediates the hydroxylation of trinexapac-ethyl (TE) in the presence of Fe2+ and 2OG. TE blocks gibberellin biosynthesis, and we observed that its addition to culture medium induced growth retardation of rice seedlings in a concentration-dependent manner.

TET3 dioxygenase modulates gene conversion at the avian immunoglobulin variable region via demethylation of non-CpG sites in pseudogene templates.

Diversification of the avian primary immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoire is achieved in developing B cells by somatic hypermutation (SHM) and gene conversion (GCV). GCV is a type of homologous recombination that unidirectionally transfers segments of Ig pseudogenes to Ig variable domains. It is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms like histone modifications, but the role of DNA methylation remains unclear.

The Interaction Between Contactin and Amyloid Precursor Protein and Its Role in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating disease and the most common cause of dementia. As the world population ages even modest advances in therapies and preventative strategies would be of benefit. The specific physiological function of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) remains unclear despite strong genetic and biochemical evidence of APP involvement in AD.