Lower density of calretinin-immunopositive neurons in the putamen of subjects with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SCH) is a chronic and serious mental illness which puts an enormous burden on the individual, families, and society. It is well established that altered dopamine signaling and excitatory-inhibitory imbalance contributes to the symptoms of schizophrenia. Recent neuroimaging and histological studies suggest that the striatum is a key area involved in SCH, however, our knowledge of how specific cell neuronal subtypes of certain subcortical structures may be impaired is incomplete.

Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation.

Transpeptidases are powerful tools for protein engineering but are largely restricted to acting at protein backbone termini. Alternative enzymatic approaches for internal protein labelling require bulky recognition motifs or non-proteinogenic reaction partners, potentially restricting which proteins can be modified or the types of modification that can be installed. Here we report a strategy for labelling lysine side chain ε-amines by repurposing an engineered asparaginyl ligase, which naturally catalyses peptide head-to-tail cyclization, for versatile isopeptide ligations that are compatible with peptidic substrates.

Morphological and genetic evidence suggest gene flow among native and naturalized mint species.

Premise: Cultivation and naturalization of plants beyond their natural range can bring previously geographically isolated taxa together, increasing the opportunity for hybridization, the outcomes of which are not predictable. Here, we explored the phenotypic and genomic effects of interspecific gene flow following the widespread cultivation of Mentha spicata (spearmint), M. longifolia, and M.