The essay discusses the world of Narnia from a psychological point of view. It argues that for Lucy, visiting Narnia takes the form of a psychological journey that represents the realisation of her repressed desires. It is through this realisation that Lucy develops as a character.

Auxin can induce adventitious rooting. Synthetic auxin, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), effectively promoted the rooting in Cinnamomum kanehirae. In Cinnamomum kanehirae, there are high (H) and low (L) rooting cultivar. The peroxidase (POX) activity significantly decreased in the IBA-treated tissues as compared with the control. The inhibition on POX activity may lead to the redifferentiation processes induced by IBA. In this investigation, we cloned POX cDNA from the young roots. Degenerate primers were designed from the conservative regions of other published POXs to amplify the expectant DNA fragment. We found that the H and L line have similar genes (>99%). The Full-length cDNA of the POX genes were cloned by the method of 5'and 3' Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE). The deduced amino acid were compared with the previously reported POX and showed between 40% and 70% identity with other plant POXs. Further studies on the promoter elements of POX in High-rooting cultivar and Low-rooting line show that some elements are related to auxin response, lignification, pathogen invasion and stress response. The regulatory elements of the POX gene in High-rooting line contain sugar repression responsiveness (SRS) elements that might repress the expression of POX gene, causing the lower POX activity.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104).

MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally reduce protein output from most human mRNAs by mechanisms that are still obscure. This thesis provides insights into three aspects of microRNA biogenesis and function described below. MicroRNA precursors are excised from primary transcripts by the Microprocessor complex containing Drosha and DGCR8. Although most microRNAs are located in introns of protein-coding and noncoding genes, the mechanisms coordinating microprocessing and splicing are unclear. MiR-211 is a microRNA expressed from intron 6 of melastatin, a suspected melanoma tumor suppressor. We demonstrate that miR-211, and not melastatin, is responsible for the tumor suppressive function of this locus, that Drosha-mediated processing of the miR-211 precursor promotes splicing of melastatin exon 6-exon 7 junctions, and that perturbing 5' splice site recognition by the U1 snRNP reduces Drosha recruitment to intron 6 specifically and intronic microRNA levels globally. Thus we identify a novel physical and functional coupling between microprocessing and splicing. Typically, Agos stabilize mature microRNAs and as a complex stoichiometrically bind to complementary mRNAs. We demonstrate an alternative order of events in which Agos bind and repress pre-formed imperfect microRNA-mRNA duplexes in processing bodies of live cells, and cleave pre-formed perfect microRNA-mRNA duplexes in vitro. Our data support a novel catalytic model whereby Agos first deposit microRNAs onto mRNAs and dissociate, thus priming multiple microRNA-mRNA duplexes for concurrent repression by a single Ago. Despite key roles in development and pathogenesis, effectors and regulators of microRNA-mediated repression are still poorly characterized. An RNAi screen revealed that depletion of ribosomal proteins of either small or large ribosomal subunit dissociates microRNA-containing complexes from mRNAs repressed at translation initiation, increasing their polysome association, translation, and stability relative to untargeted mRNAs. Thus ribosomal proteins globally regulate microRNA function. Another RNAi screen revealed that Akt3 phosphorylates Ago2, which negatively regulates cleavage and positively regulates translational repression of microRNA-targeted mRNAs. Thus Ago2 phosphorylation is a molecular switch between its mRNA cleavage and translational repression activities. The following pages will place these novel insights into biological and disease-relevant context, will describe what was known prior to these studies, and will provide perspectives for future studies.

Developing targeted genome regulation approaches holds much promise for accelerating trait discovery and development in agricultural biotechnology. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs)/CRISPR associated (Cas) system provides bacteria and archaea with an adaptive molecular immunity mechanism against invading nucleic acids through phages and conjugative plasmids. The type II CRISPR/Cas system has been adapted for genome editing purposes across a variety of cell types and organisms. Recently, the catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) protein combined with guide RNAs (gRNAs) were used as a DNA-targeting platform to modulate the expression patterns in bacterial, yeast and human cells. Here, we employed this DNA-targeting system for targeted transcriptional regulation in planta by developing chimeric dCas9-based activators and repressors. For example, we fused to the C-terminus of dCas9 with the activation domains of EDLL and TAL effectors, respectively, to generate transcriptional activators, and the SRDX repression domain to generate transcriptional repressor. Our data demonstrate that the dCas9:EDLL and dCas9:TAD activators, guided by gRNAs complementary to promoter elements, induce strong transcriptional activation on episomal targets in plant cells. Moreover, our data suggest that the dCas9:SRDX repressor and the dCas9:EDLL and dCas9:TAD activators are capable of markedly repressing or activating, respectively, the transcription of an endogenous genomic target. Our data indicate that the CRISPR/dCas9:TFs DNA targeting system can be used in plants as a functional genomic tool and for biotechnological applications.

This dissertation analyses long-term intergenerational psychological effects of political trauma. According to trauma psychology and studies of impacts of political repression, it was presumed that the long-term psychological effects of political repression are felt not just by the survivors, but also by their adult children. The aim of this study is to evaluate long-term psychological effects of Soviet and Nazi repression to repressed second generation, and to establish intergenerational links of mental health between survivors of political repression and second generation. Altogether three groups of second generation were surveyed: children of survivors of Soviet and Nazi repression, Holocaust second generation and children of not-repressed Lithuanian citizens. According to the thematic analyses of qualitative data, various long-term psychological consequences of parents’ political repression were identified, second generation connect some of their hardship with these experiences. Path analysis revealed relationship of posttraumatic reactions of parent and child. On the other hand statistical analysis disclosed that current posttraumatic reactions of second generation in general, hopelessness and sense of coherence of second generation of survivors of political repression in Lithuania are the same as in two comparison groups. These results are in line with Holocaust second generation research trends – there are long-term consequences, but second generation does not differ... [to full text] / Disertacijoje analizuojamas ilgalaikis tarpgeneracinis politinių traumų psichologinis poveikis. Remiantis traumų psichologijos žiniomis ir politinių represijų poveikio tyrimais, keliama prielaida, kad ilgalaikes psichologines politinių represijų pasekmes jaučia ne tik išgyvenusieji šias represijas, bet ir jų suaugę vaikai. Šio darbo tikslai yra įvertinti ilgalaikes politinių represijų pasekmes nuo sovietų ir nacių nukentėjusių antrosios kartos atstovams ir, į analizę įtraukus išgyvenusiųjų, tai yra jų tėvų, duomenis, nustatyti tarpgeneracines psichinės sveikatos sąsajas. Iš viso tyrime apklaustos trys antrosios kartos atstovų grupės: išgyvenusių sovietų ir nacių represijas atstovai ir dvi palyginamosios grupės – išgyvenusių holokaustą ir nenukentėjusių vaikai. Remiantis atlikta temine kokybinių duomenų analize nustatytos įvairiapusės ilgalaikės psichologinės tėvų politinių represijų pasekmes, antroji karta su šiuo patyrimu sieja patirtus sunkumus. Tako modeliavimas atskleidė tėvų ir vaikų potrauminių reakcijų sąsajas. Kita vertus, statistinė analizė parodė, kad antrosios kartos atstovų dabartinė psichinė sveikata, tai yra potrauminės reakcijos bendrai, nevilties lygis ir vidinės darnos jausmas, nesiskiria nuo palyginamųjų grupių atitinkamų psichinės sveikatos rodiklių. Šie rezultatai atitinka holokausto antrosios kartos tyrimų tendencijas – nustatomos ilgalaikės pasekmės, tačiau antroji karta neišsiskiria savo psichopatologija.

AGAMOUS-Like 15 (AGL15) encodes a MADS-domain transcription factor that is preferentially expressed in the plant embryo, and may function as a regulator in embryonic developmental programs. A number of direct downstream targets of AGL15 have been identified, and while some of these target genes are induced in response to AGL15, others are repressed. Additionally, direct target genes have been analyzed that exhibit strong association with AGL15 in vivo, yet in vitro, AGL15 binds only weakly. Taken together these data suggest that AGL15 may form heterodimers, or ternary complexes with other proteins, thus modulating the specificity and function of AGL15 in planta. Yeast two-hybrid screens were undertaken to identify novel proteins able to interact with AGL15, and a number of interesting and potentially biologically important AGL15-interacting partners are reported here. These include members of a histone deacetylase complex, a COLD SHOCK DOMAIN (CSD)-containing protein, a Khomology domain/CCCH type zinc finger containing protein, a bZIP transcription factor, a homeobox-leucine zipper protein, a LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) domain containing protein, and an Agenet domain containing protein. Interactions between AGL15 and other MADS domain factors that are expressed in embryonic tissue, including SEPALLATA 3 (SEP3) have also been indentified. The regions of AGL15 that mediate interactions with the aforementioned proteins were mapped, and the capacity of these proteins to interact with other plant MADS-domain proteins tested. It is reported herein that AGL15 interacts with members of the SWI-INDEPENDENT 3/HISTONE DEACETYLASE (SIN3/HDAC) complex, and that AGL15 target genes are also responsive to an AGL15 interacting protein that is also a member of this complex, SIN3 ASSOCIATED POLYPEPTIDE OF 18 KD (SAP18). AGL15 can repress transcription in vivo, and a region essential to this repressive function contains an LxLxL motif that is conserved among putative orthologs of AGL15. What is more, the aforementioned motif mediates the association of AGL15 with SAP18 in yeast two-hybrid assays, thus providing a possible mechanism for explaining how role AGL15 regulates gene expression via recruitment of a histone deacetylase complex.

After almost two decades of research on direct repression by p53, I provide evidence that the transcription factor p53 solely acts as an activator of transcription. I evaluate the prominent models of transcriptional regulation by p53 based on a computational meta-analysis of genome-wide data. With this tool at hand, the major contradiction how p53 binding can result in activation of one target gene and repression of another is resolved. In contrast to most current models, solely genes activated by p53 are found to be enriched for p53 binding. Meta-analysis of large-scale data is unable to confirm reports on directly repressed p53 target genes and does not support models of direct repression. Consequently, as supported by experimental data, p53 is not a direct repressor of transcription, but solely activates its target genes. Moreover, models based on interference of p53 with activating transcription factors are also not supported by the meta-analysis. As an alternative to these models, the meta-analysis leads to the conclusion that p53 represses transcription indirectly by activation of the p53-p21- DREAM/RB pathway. Thus, results of the meta-analysis support only two models, namely activation by direct binding of p53 to target genes and repression through activating the p53-p21-DREAM/RB pathway.

No description available.

Univ., Diss.--Saarbrücken. / Literaturverz. S. [717] - 743.