Specific circulating miRNAs are associated with plasma lipids in a healthy American cohort.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) is both a therapeutic target and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). MicroRNA (miRNA) has been shown to regulate cholesterol homeostasis, and miRNA in blood circulation has been linked to hypercholesterolemia. However, few studies to date have associated miRNA with phenotypes like LDL-c in a healthy population.

Altered macronutrient composition and genetics influence the complex transcriptional network associated with adiposity in the Collaborative Cross.

Background: Obesity is a serious disease with a complex etiology characterized by overaccumulation of adiposity resulting in detrimental health outcomes. Given the liver's critical role in the biological processes that attenuate adiposity accumulation, elucidating the influence of genetics and dietary patterns on hepatic gene expression is fundamental for improving methods of obesity prevention and treatment. To determine how genetics and diet impact obesity development, mice from 22 strains of the genetically diverse recombinant inbred Collaborative Cross (CC) mouse panel were challenged to either a high-protein or high-fat high-sucrose diet, followed by extensive phenotyping and analysis of hepatic gene expression.

Genetic Background Shapes Phenotypic Response to Diet for Adiposity in the Collaborative Cross.

Defined as chronic excessive accumulation of adiposity, obesity results from long-term imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. The mechanisms behind how caloric imbalance occurs are complex and influenced by numerous biological and environmental factors, especially genetics, and diet. Population-based diet recommendations have had limited success partly due to the wide variation in physiological responses across individuals when they consume the same diet.

Reduced Crossover Interference and Increased ZMM-Independent Recombination in the Absence of Tel1/ATM.

Meiotic recombination involves the repair of double-strand break (DSB) precursors as crossovers (COs) or noncrossovers (NCOs). The proper number and distribution of COs is critical for successful chromosome segregation and formation of viable gametes. In budding yeast the majority of COs occurs through a pathway dependent on the ZMM proteins (Zip2-Zip3-Zip4-Spo16, Msh4-Msh5, Mer3), which form foci at CO-committed sites.

Controlling meiotic recombinational repair - specifying the roles of ZMMs, Sgs1 and Mus81/Mms4 in crossover formation.

Crossovers (COs) play a critical role in ensuring proper alignment and segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis. How the cell balances recombination between CO vs. noncrossover (NCO) outcomes is not completely understood.

Mitochondrial network size scaling in budding yeast.

Mitochondria must grow with the growing cell to ensure proper cellular physiology and inheritance upon division. We measured the physical size of mitochondrial networks in budding yeast and found that mitochondrial network size increased with increasing cell size and that this scaling relation occurred primarily in the bud. The mitochondria-to-cell size ratio continually decreased in aging mothers over successive generations.