Cookehess5705

Thus, pro-caspase-1 self-cleavage is a required regulatory step for pyroptosis induced by human canonical inflammasomes. © 2020 Ball et al.In mitotic cells, establishment of sister chromatid cohesion requires acetylation of the cohesin subunit SMC3 (acSMC3) by ESCO1 and/or ESCO2. Meiotic cohesin plays additional but poorly understood roles in the formation of chromosome axial elements (AEs) and synaptonemal complexes. Here, we show that levels of ESCO2, acSMC3, and the pro-cohesion factor sororin increase on meiotic chromosomes as homologs synapse. These proteins are less abundant on the largely unsynapsed sex chromosomes, whose sister chromatid cohesion appears weaker throughout the meiotic prophase. Using three distinct conditional Esco2 knockout mouse strains, we demonstrate that ESCO2 is essential for male gametogenesis. Partial depletion of ESCO2 in prophase I spermatocytes delays chromosome synapsis and further weakens cohesion along sex chromosomes, which show extensive separation of AEs into single chromatids. Unsynapsed regions of autosomes are associated with the sex chromatin and also display split AEs. This study provides the first evidence for a specific role of ESCO2 in mammalian meiosis, identifies a particular ESCO2 dependence of sex chromosome cohesion and suggests support of autosomal synapsis by acSMC3-stabilized cohesion. © 2020 McNicoll et al.BACKGROUND The concurrent use of cigarettes with other tobacco products, such as smokeless tobacco (SLT), is increasingly common. Extant work with cigarette smokers who also use SLT is based heavily on retrospective reports and between-group comparisons. The purpose of this study was to assess prospectively the patterns of dual users' product use and nicotine exposure on days when cigarettes were smoked exclusively (single use) versus concurrently with SLT (dual use). DESIGN Forty-six dual cigarette-SLT users recorded their product use in real time via ecological momentary assessment for a 2-week longitudinal design. They responded to questions about situational factors (eg, location, mood) using this same diary, and collected saliva samples each night for later cotinine measurement. At the end of this 2-week period, users reported on their reasons for and beliefs about SLT use. RESULTS Cotinine levels were significantly higher on dual versus single use days (mean±SEM=374.48±41.08 ng/mL vs 300.17±28.13 ng/mL, respectively; p less then 0.01), and the number of cigarettes logged was higher on dual versus single use days (11.13±0.98 vs 9.13±1.11, respectively; p less then 0.01). Product use was distinguished by situational factors, with the strongest predictor being location of use. Moreover, the most common reason for initiating (56.52%) and continuing (67.39%) SLT use was to circumvent indoor smoking restrictions. CONCLUSIONS Results support the idea of product supplementation rather than replacement among this convenience sample of dual users. For smokers whose primary motivation for SLT use involves situations where they would otherwise be tobacco free, the potential benefits of clean indoor air laws may be diminished. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Liquid-liquid transition (LLT) is an unconventional transition between two liquid states in a single-component system. This phenomenon has recently attracted considerable attention not only because of its counterintuitive nature but also since it is crucial for our fundamental understanding of the liquid state. However, its physical understanding has remained elusive, particularly of the critical dynamics and phase-ordering kinetics. So far, the hydrodynamic degree of freedom, which is the most intrinsic kinetic feature of liquids, has been neglected in its theoretical description. Here we develop a Ginzburg-Landau-type kinetic theory of LLT taking it into account, based on a two-order parameter model. We examine slow critical fluctuations of the nonconserved order parameter coupled to the hydrodynamic degree of freedom in equilibrium. We also study the nonequilibrium process of LLT. We show both analytically and numerically that domain growth becomes faster (slower), depending upon the density decrease (increase) upon the transition, as a consequence of hydrodynamic flow induced by the density change. The coupling between nonconserved order parameter and hydrodynamic interaction results in anomalous domain growth in both nucleation-growth-type and spinodal-decomposition-type LLT. Our study highlights the characteristic features of hydrodynamic fluctuations and phase ordering during LLT under complex interplay among conserved and nonconserved order parameters and the hydrodynamic transport intrinsic to the liquid state.Integration of electroactive bacteria into electrodes combines strengths of intracellular biochemistry with electrochemistry for energy conversion and chemical synthesis. However, such biohybrid systems are often plagued with suboptimal electrodes, which limits the incorporation and productivity of the bacterial colony. Here, we show that an inverse opal-indium tin oxide electrode hosts a large population of current-producing Geobacter and attains a current density of 3 mA cm-2 stemming from bacterial respiration. Differential gene expression analysis revealed Geobacter's transcriptional regulations to express more electron-relaying proteins when interfaced with electrodes. The electrode also allows coculturing with Shewanella for syntrophic electrogenesis, which grants the system additional flexibility in converting electron donors. The biohybrid electrode containing Geobacter can also catalyze the reduction of soluble fumarate and heterogenous graphene oxide, with electrons from an external power source or an irradiated photoanode. This biohybrid electrode represents a platform to employ live cells for sustainable power generation and biosynthesis. Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.The coordinated redistribution of sugars from mature "source" leaves to developing "sink" leaves requires tight regulation of sugar transport between cells via plasmodesmata (PD). Although fundamental to plant physiology, the mechanisms that control PD transport and thereby support development of new leaves have remained elusive. From a forward genetic screen for altered PD transport, we discovered that the conserved eukaryotic glucose-TOR (TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN) metabolic signaling network restricts PD transport in leaves. check details Genetic approaches and chemical or physiological treatments to either promote or disrupt TOR activity demonstrate that glucose-activated TOR decreases PD transport in leaves. We further found that TOR is significantly more active in mature leaves photosynthesizing excess sugars than in young, growing leaves, and that this increase in TOR activity correlates with decreased rates of PD transport. We conclude that leaf cells regulate PD trafficking in response to changing carbohydrate availability monitored by the TOR pathway.