Characterization of gametogenetin 1 (GGN1) and its potential role in male fertility through the interaction with the ion channel regulator, cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 (CRISP2) in the sperm tail

Cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 (CRISP2) is a testis-enriched protein localized to the sperm acrosome and tail. CRISP2 has been proposed to play a critical role in spermatogenesis and male fertility, although the precise function(s) of CRISP2 remains to be determined. Recent data have shown that the CRISP domain of the mouse CRISP2 has the ability to regulate Ca(2+) flow through ryanodine receptors (RyR) and to bind to MAP kinase kinase kinase 11 (MAP3K11). To further define the biochemical pathways within which CRISP2 is involved, we screened an adult mouse testis cDNA library using a yeast two-hybrid assay to identify CRISP2 interacting partners. One of the most frequently identified CRISP2-binding proteins was gametogenetin 1 (GGN1). Interactions occur between the ion channel regulatory region within the CRISP2 CRISP domain and the carboxyl-most 158 amino acids of GGN1. CRISP2 does not bind to the GGN2 or GGN3 isoforms. Furthermore, we showed that Ggn1 is a testis-enriched mRNA and the protein first appeared in late pachytene spermatocytes and was up-regulated in round spermatids before being incorporated into the principal piece of the sperm tail where it co-localized with CRISP2. These data along with data on RyR and MAP3K11 binding define the CRISP2 CRISP domain as a protein interaction motif and suggest a role for the GGN1-CRISP2 complex in sperm tail development and/or motility.     

Context-aware platform for mobile data management

Interaction design is a major issue for mobile information systems in terms of not only the choice of input/output channels and presentation of information, but also the application of context-awareness. To support experimentation with these factors, we have developed platforms to support the rapid prototyping of multi-channel, multi-modal, context-aware applications. The Java-based platform presented here is based on an integration of a cross-media link server and an object-oriented framework for advanced content publishing, along with a Client Controller and Context Engine. We also describe how this platform was used to develop a mobile tourist information system for an international arts festival where interaction was based on a combination of interactive paper and speech output. Moira C. Norrie is a Professor at ETH Zurich where she is head of the Institute for Information Systems and leads the Global Information Systems research group. Her research interests include object-oriented models and systems for data management, web engineering, mobile and personal information systems and interactive paper as a medium for integrating printed and digital information. Beat Signer is a Post-Doctoral researcher in the Global Information Systems research group at ETH Zurich. He received a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich in 2005 for his work investigating fundamental concepts for interactive paper and cross-media information management. His research interests include interactive paper, cross-media information management, object-oriented technologies and software engineering. Michael Grossniklaus is a research assistant in the Global Information Systems research group at ETH Zurich. He received a Diploma (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from ETH Zurich in 2001 and is currently completing his Ph.D. His main research interest is empowering information systems for context-aware data management and delivery in the domain of web engineering and mobile computing. Rudi Belotti was a research assistant in the Global Information Systems research group at ETH Zurich from 2004–2006. He received a Diploma (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from ETH Zurich in 2004. In his research, he developed a general model and engine for the management of context information in mobile information systems. He is currently working for an e-business services company in Ticino, Switzerland. Corsin Decurtins is a research assistant in the Global Information Systems research group at ETH Zurich. He received a Diploma (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from ETH Zurich in 2002. His research focusses on model-based approaches and infrastructure for ubiquitous and mobile information environments. In addition to his Ph.D. Corsin also works part-time as a senior software engineer at the software company Netcetera. Nadir Weibel is a research assistant in the Global Information Systems research group at ETH Zurich. He received a Diploma (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from ETH Zurich in 2003 and is currently working on his Ph.D. His research is in the area of interactive paper, particularly on the authoring and publishing infrastructure for interactive documents as well as issues of human computer interaction and mobile environments.     

Planning for deep-rooted problems: What can we learn from aligning complex systems and wicked problems?

An earlier generation of planners turned to Rittel & Webber’s 1973 Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4, 155–169. doi:10.1007/BF01405730[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] conception of “wicked problems” to explain why conventional scientific approaches failed to solve problems of pluralistic urban societies. More recently, “complex systems” analysis has attracted planners as an innovative approach to understanding metropolitan dynamics and its social and environmental impacts. Given the renewed scholarly interest in wicked problems, we asked: how can planners use the complex systems approach to tackle wicked problems? We re-evaluate Rittel and Webber’s arguments through the lens of complex systems, which provide a novel way to redefine wicked problems and engage their otherwise intractable, zero-sum impasses. The complex systems framework acknowledges and builds an understanding around the factors that give rise to wicked problems: interaction, heterogeneity, feedback, neighbourhood effects, and collective interest traps. This affinity allows complex systems tools to engage wicked problems more explicitly and identify local or distributed interventions. This strategy aligns more closely with the nature of urban crises and social problems than the post-war scientific methodologies about which Rittel and Webber had grown increasingly sceptical. Despite this potential, planners have only belatedly and hesitantly engaged in complex systems analysis. The barriers are both methodological and theoretical, requiring creative, iterative problem framing. Complex systems thinking cannot “solve” or “tame” wicked problems. Instead, complex systems first characterize the nature of the wicked problems and explore plausible pathways that cannot always be anticipated and visualized without simulations. The intersection of wicked problems and complex systems presents a fertile domain to rethink our understanding of persistent social and environmental problems, to mediate the manifold conflicts over land and natural resources, and thus to restructure our planning approaches to such problems.     

The Application of Biocatalysis in the Preparation and Resolution of Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts and Their Derivatives

The Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction affords highly functionalised allylic alcohols containing a new stereogenic centre. These MBH adducts are very versatile and have been transformed into a large range of products, some of which have medicinal potential. Several examples of asymmetric syntheses of MBH adducts have been reported, although a generally applicable method remains to be developed. Biocatalytic approaches for the synthesis and enzymatic kinetic resolution of MBH adducts have been reported, and are discussed in detail in this review. Enzymes able to catalyse the asymmetric MBH reaction have been identified, but selectivity and efficiency have generally been low. Lipases, esterases and nitrile-converting enzymes have all been successfully applied in the resolution of MBH adducts, with excellent selectivity being realised in most cases.