ADAR3 modulates neuronal differentiation and regulates mRNA stability and translation.

ADAR3 is a catalytically inactive member of the family of adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). Here we have investigated its function in the context of the developing mouse brain. The expression of ADAR3 gradually increases throughout embryogenesis and drops after birth.

Isolation, Expansion, and Nucleofection of Neural Stem Cells from Adult Murine Subventricular Zone.

Isolation and expansion of neural stem cells (NSCs) from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mouse brain can be achieved in a medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) as mitogens, producing clonal aggregates known as neurospheres. This in vitro system is a valuable tool for studying NSC potential. Transfection of siRNAs or genes carried in plasmids can be used to induce perturbations to gene expression and study NSC biology.

Genetic inactivation of essential reveals an isolated transcriptional stress response selectively induced by protein misfolding.

Heat Shock Factor 1 (Hsf1) in yeast drives the basal transcription of key proteostasis factors and its activity is induced as part of the core heat shock response. Exploring Hsf1 specific functions has been challenging due to the essential nature of the gene and the extensive overlap of target promoters with environmental stress response (ESR) transcription factors Msn2 and Msn4 (Msn2/4). In this study, we constructed a viable ∆ strain by replacing the open reading frame with genes that constitutively express Hsp40, Hsp70, and Hsp90 from Hsf1-independent promoters.

Modulation of protein synthesis and degradation maintains proteostasis during yeast growth at different temperatures.

To understand how cells regulate each step in the flow of gene expression is one of the most fundamental goals in molecular biology. In this work, we have investigated several protein turnover-related steps in the context of gene expression regulation in response to changes in external temperature in model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have found that the regulation of protein homeostasis is stricter than mRNA homeostasis.

Analytical control of adjuvants in herbicide formulations by NIR spectroscopy.

Herbicide preparations, which typically consist of an active compound and an adjuvant, are formulated in such a way as to facilitate rapid dispersion of the pesticide and its transfer across the fat cuticle of plant leaves. The adjuvant usually comprises various substances including an oil, water, and one or more emulsifiers for increased stability. The difficulty of analyzing these mixtures has severely restricted the ability to control herbicide preparations, which must usually be characterized in terms of global, non-specific parameters such as the acid, saponification, and hydroxyl values.

Quality control of cosmetic mixtures by NIR spectroscopy.

Cosmetic preparations typically consist of mixtures of various compounds of natural origin or their derivatives. Their analysis is made rather difficult by their usually high complexity and is utterly impossible with a single analytical method; also, there is usually little to be gained by determining every individual component of the mixture. Rather, analyses are aimed at ensuring a proper balance between the contents of each component and thus require the use of methods capable of delivering global information.