Cloning of sponge (Geodia cydonium) and tunicate (Botryllus schlosseri) proteasome subunit epsilon (PRCE): implications about the vertebrate MHC-encoded homologue LMP7 (PRCC)

Proteasomes are large protein complexes that play a major role in selective degradation of intracellular proteins. Eukaryotes feature seven different alpha and beta subunits. Two of the vertebrate housekeeping beta-subunits have MHC-encoded homologues that can substitute for the housekeeping counterparts upon interferon-gamma induction. In the present study we report the cloning of invertebrate beta-subunit proteasome epsilon (PRCE), from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium and from the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri. Sequence comparisons revealed that the sponge and tunicate proteins are strikingly similar to vertebrate and yeast PRCEs and their MHC-linked counterparts the PRCCs (also termed LMP7), and to a lesser degree also to archaebacterial proteasome subunit beta. Based on this comparison we suggest that all eukaryotic PRCEs and PRCCs feature a cleavable N-terminal propeptide, including the two mammalian PRCEs which appear to have been wrongly predicted from incomplete cDNAs. Our comparative analysis outlines 25 amino acid positions which appear to be unique for PRCCs, distinct from the corresponding residues in metazoan PRCEs.     

Moral and social reasoning and perspective taking in later life: A longitudinal study.

In this study 27 older adults (ages 64–80) and 23 middle-aged adults (ages 35–54) were tested for moral stage, integrative complexity of social reasoning, and perspective-taking levels twice over a 4 year period. Moral reasoning stage levels did not change over time for either age group. Older adults, but not the middle-aged, showed a significant decline over time in level of moral perspective taking. Complexity of reasoning about several interpersonal social issues declined modestly in both age groups. More social-cognitive support, a higher education level, and better self-reported health were all found to be protective factors in forestalling declines in mature adults' sociocognitive reasoning, consistent with other research on cognitive measures in later life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions and the perception of political figures.

Assessed the impact of political partisanship and audience support (ADS) on the impressions individuals form of political figures. 115 undergraduates (aged 18–43 yrs) read a speech which had supposedly been given by a member of Parliament from northern Ontario. Results indicate that perceptions of the politician were affected by both partisanship and ADS. Partisanship influenced perceptions of the politician's integrity, with the politician being perceived as having greater integrity when he gave a nonpartisan speech (inconsistent with his party's stand) than when he gave a partisan speech. ADS influenced perceptions of the politician's strength, with the politician who spoke to a hostile audience being perceived as stronger than the politician who spoke to a supportive audience. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reasoning about the self and relationships in maturity: An integrative complexity analysis of individual differences.

This study examined age (35–55 versus 65–85), gender, and self-concept-orientation differences in reasoning about the self, relationships, and morality, on the basis of the theorizing of C. Gilligan (1982). Participants were interviewed about general relationship issues, a specific relationship, and about the self. Reasoning was scored for integrative complexity (P. Suedfeld and P. Tetlock [1977]). Life experience measures and the standard Kohlberg justice reasoning index were obtained. Results showed gender differences in the connectedness of the self-concept for middle-aged, but not older, adults. No age or gender differences in the complexity of relationship reasoning or in justice reasoning were found. Those with more connected self-concepts reasoned in more complex ways about relationships and about the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effects of attachment style on students' experience of a transition to university group facilitation program.

This study investigated how attachment style predicted first-year students' responses to a transition to university group facilitation program. Participants (N = 148) at three universities were randomly assigned to a control or facilitation group. Each group consisted of on average six first-year students and two facilitators who met weekly for nine weeks at the beginning of the first semester to discuss issues relevant to the transition to university. Attachment styles (preoccupied, secure, dismissing, and fearful), feelings toward group experiences, and adjustment were assessed by questionnaire at the end of the program in November and again in March. Results indicated that, as hypothesised, dismissing style scores were generally negatively correlated with student attendance and feelings toward the group. Secure style ratings tended to be positively correlated with reports of group feelings. Adjustment measures collected in March indicated a potential buffering effect of the facilitation program for the preoccupied students in that the preoccupied students in the control group indicated more depression and loneliness, plus poorer adjustment to university, than the preoccupied students in the intervention groups. However, all other styles, including the dismissing style, did not show differences between intervention and control groups on subsequent adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In‐Film Bioprocessing and Immunoanalysis with Electroaddressable Stimuli‐Responsive Polysaccharides

Advances in thin‐film fabrication are integral to enhancing the power of microelectronics while fabrication methods that allow the integration of biological molecules are enabling advances in bioelectronics. A thin‐film‐fabrication method that further extends the integration of biology with microelectronics by allowing living biological systems to be assembled, cultured, and analyzed on‐chip with the aid of localized electrical signals is described. Specifically, the blending of two stimuli‐responsive film‐forming polysaccharides for electroaddressing is reported. The first, alginate, can electrodeposit by undergoing a localized sol–gel transition in response to electrode‐imposed anodic signals. The second, agarose, can be co‐deposited with alginate and forms a gel upon a temperature reduction. Electrodeposition of this dual polysaccharide network is observed to be a simple, rapid, and spatially selective means for assembly. The bioprocessing capabilities are examined by co‐depositing a yeast clone engineered to display a variable lymphocyte receptor protein on the cell surface. Results demonstrate the in‐film expansion and induction of this cell population. Analysis of the cells' surface proteins is achieved by the electrophoretic delivery of immunoreagents into the film. These results demonstrate a simple and benign means to electroaddress hydrogel films for in‐film bioprocessing and immunoanalysis.     

A novel member of an ancient superfamily: sponge (Geodia cydonium, Porifera) putative protein that features scavenger receptor cysteine-rich repeats

Previous studies have shown that fatty acid ethyl ester synthase (FAEES) which catalyzes the formation of ethyl or 2-chloroethyl esters of long-chain fatty acids is localized in the microsomal fraction of rat liver. A recent study suggests that rat adipose tissue FAEES is similar to rat liver microsomal carboxylesterase (CE) [Tsujita and Okuda (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 23489-23494]. Since the interrelationships among FAEES, 2-chloroethyl ester synthase (FACEES), and cholesterol esterase (ChE) are also not clear at present, we purified and characterized FAEES and FACEES from rat hepatic microsomes and studied their functional and structural relationships with CE and ChE. The results of these studies showed that CE, FAEES, and FACEES activities copurified during each step of purification. Although gel-filtration column chromatography of DEAE-Sephacel purified microsomal protein resolved into two peaks with an estimated molecular weight of 180 (major) and 60 kDa (minor, this paper describes characterization of only the 180 kDa protein. CE, FAEES, and FACEES activities associated with homogeneous 180 kDa protein could be inhibited by a beta-esterase inhibitor (diisopropyl fluorophosphate) in an identical manner. This protein, however, showed only the hydrolytic activity, but not the synthetic activity for cholesterol oleate, indicating that it is distinct from ChE. The purified protein could be immunoprecipitated with the antibodies raised against rat adipose tissue FAEES, but not with antibodies against rat pancreatic ChE, demonstrating again that the purified protein is distinct from ChE. A single band corresponding to 60 kDa upon SDS-PAGE, under reduced denaturing conditions, indicates that the purified protein is a trimer. N-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 27 residues were identical to that of rat hepatic microsomal CE [Robbi et al. (1990) Biochem. J., 451-458] which suggests structural similarity of the purified protein with rat hepatic microsomal CE. Therefore, the functional and structural properties of the purified protein demonstrate that FAEES, FACEES, as well as CE activities are expressed by the same protein, purified in this study, which exists as a trimer (180 kDa) and is involved in biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acid esters of xenobiotic alcohols. Further studies on purification and characterization of the enzymes responsible for the esterification of xenobiotic alcohols with endogenous fatty acids from various target organs need to be conducted to determine their functional and structural interrelationships. Inhibition and induction studies of these enzyme(s) and the extent of observed toxicity could be important in understanding their role in etiology of chronic diseases induced by alcohol abuse.     

Expectations, aspirations, and evaluations as influenced by another's attributions for success and failure.

A study with 80 male and female students aged 16–18 yrs examined the effects of another's attributions for performance on one's own expectations, aspirations, and evaluations of performance. Ss witnessed an other (O) who had attributed his (or her) performance (successful or unsuccessful) on an anagram task to luck, task ease or difficulty, effort, or ability. When O had succeeded, Ss expected to perform best if O had attributed his success to the task (rather than to luck, effort, or ability); when O had failed, Ss expected to perform worst when O had attributed his failure to the task. In addition, Ss witnessing a successful O were more hopeful if O had made a task attribution, but Ss witnessing an unsuccessful O were more hopeful if O had made an effort attribution. Finally, Ss showed a tendency to attribute their own performance to the same cause to which O had attributed his own performance. Results are discussed in relation to the stability–instability and internal–external dimensions of causal attributions and to the need to perceive oneself as exercising effective control over the environment. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Altruism and Helping Behavior: Social, Personality and Developmental Perspectives.

Reviews the book, Altruism and Helping Behavior: Social, Personality and Developmental Perspectives edited by J. Philippe Rushton and Richard M. Sorrentino (1981). The book is divided into seven sections. The first consists of a chapter by the editors which reviews the historical roots of the study of altruistic behaviour. The second part consists of five chapters which examine the development of altruism from a range of perspectives - sociobiological, social learning, and motivational. The third section contains five chapters which review some of the internal mediators posited for prosocial behaviour- role-taking, empathy, personal and social norms, perceptions of justice, and affective arousal. Part four outlines research which bears on individual differences in altruism, with two chapters contributed by the editors. Part five consists of three chapters which review some of the situational constraints on helping behaviour-the inhibitory effects of group size on bystander intervention, the impact of urban density on helping, and the way in which group organization relates to naturalistic helping in children. The sixth section presents two chapters which examine the consequences of helping for both the donors and recipients of help. Finally, part seven consists of a chapter which reviews some of the major themes and issues addressed by the contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thinking about parenting: Reasoning about developmental issues across the life span.

Examined reasoning about developmental problems over the life span and related it to cognitive style and parenting behaviors. In Study 1, 35 children's and adults' concepts of development (COD) stages (A. Sameroff and L. Feil, 1985) were investigated. As hypothesized, stage scores were positively related to age and to 2 other developmental indexes. In Study 2, 24 parents and their 5th-grade children were observed. COD stage scores were positively related to more effective tutoring styles by parents. In Study 3, 60 adults in 3 different age groups were interviewed about standard and personal parenting dilemmas. COD stage scores were lower for the oldest adults on the hypothetical dilemma only and were inversely correlated with a measure of right-wing authoritarianism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)