Publications by authors named "V Esser"
Higher stature and lower weight are associated with increased risk of fracture. However, the pathophysiology for the associations of height and weight with bone microarchitecture and geometry is unclear. We examined whether these associations were consistent with causation and/or with shared familial factors.
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- Neurotransmitter release happens quickly through the interaction of calcium (Ca) with Synaptotagmin-1 and the formation of SNARE complexes, but how these interactions lead to membrane fusion is still unclear.
- Synaptotagmin-1's Ca-binding loops were thought to help merge membranes, but new simulations show they might actually hinder SNARE function, contradicting older models.
- Recent experiments suggest that when Ca binds to Synaptotagmin-1, it reorients the protein in a way that aids in bringing SNARE complexes together for membrane fusion, acting like a lever to enhance the process.
Young breast and bowel cancers (e.g., those diagnosed before age 40 or 50 years) have far greater morbidity and mortality in terms of years of life lost, and are increasing in incidence, but have been less studied.
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- A polygenic risk score (PRS) evaluates the impact of multiple genetic variants on disease risk but may reflect familial confounding rather than direct causation.
- New methods, ICE FALCON and ICE CRISTAL, analyze family data to determine the causal relationship of PRSs with breast cancer, showing differing results based on the age of diagnosis.
- Findings indicate no causal link for younger patients (<50 years), while older patients exhibit evidence of causation, suggesting that genetic variants may not directly cause breast cancer but can be related to other familial or nongenetic factors.
Article Synopsis
- Regulation of neurotransmitter release is crucial for different types of information processing in the brain, with Munc13 proteins being key players in this process.
- Munc13-1 has specific domains, including a calmodulin binding (CaMb) domain for short-term plasticity and a CA domain that dimerizes and interacts with other proteins influencing presynaptic activity.
- Research indicates that the Munc13-1's activity is inhibited by interactions between its domains but can be enhanced by other proteins like RIM2α and calmodulin, highlighting a complex mechanism of regulating neurotransmitter release.