New family of key mitochondrial proteins for function and viability of the brain discovered

ScienceDaily (May 9, 2012) ? A team from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) led by Eduardo Soriano, professor and director of the Department of Cell Biology of the University of Barcelona, has published a study in Nature Communications describing a new family of six genes whose function regulates the movement and position of mitochondria in neurons. Many neurological conditions, including Parkinson's and various types of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, are caused by alterations of genes that control mitochondrial transport, a process that provides the energy required for cell function.

"We have identified a set of new genes that are highly expressed in the nervous system and have a specific function in a biological process that is crucial for the activity and viability of the nervous system," explains Eduardo Soriano, head of the Neurobiology and Cell Regeneration group at IRB Barcelona.

By means of comparative genomic analyses, the scientists have discovered that these genes are found only in more evolved mammals, the so-called Eutharia, these characterized by internal fertilization and development. "This finding indicates the relevance of mitochondrial biology. When the brain evolved in size, function and structure, the mitochondrial transport process also became more complex and probably required additional regulatory mechanisms," says Soriano. "Likewise, given the origin of the gene cluster, in the transition between primitive mammals, such as marsupials (kangaroos) and the remaining placental mammals, it is tempting to propose that the cluster is linked to the increased complexity of the cerebral cortex in the lineage that leads to humans," adds Jordi Garcia-Fern?ndez, professor of the Department of Genetics and member of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), affiliated centre to the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), a health campus of international excellence, who has also taken part in the study, among other authors.

Correct brain function is highly energy-demanding. However, this energy must be finely distributed throughout neurons -- cells that have ramifications that can reach up to tens of centimetres in length, from the brain to the limbs. This cluster of genes forms part of the "wheel" machinery of mitochondria and regulates the localization of each cell on the basis of its energy requirements. "These genes would be like an extra control in cellular mitochondrial trafficking and they interact with the major proteins associated with the regulation of mitochondrial transport," explains Soriano.

Another striking characteristic of these new proteins is that they are found both in mitochondria, the function of which has already been described, and in the cell nucleus, where their function is unknown. "They may also be involved in the regulation of gene expression, a possibility that we are now studying." In addition to their potential involvement in brain pathologies, the researchers believe that these proteins may be related to metabolic diseases and cancer.

This study has been performed in collaboration with the teams headed by Jordi Garcia-Fern?ndez, from the UB, Ram?n Trull?s and Javier Garc?a-Sancho, both from the CSIC, and Antoni L. Andreu, from the Hospital de la Vall d?Hebron.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Guillermo L?pez-Dom?nech, Rom?n Serrat, Serena Mirra, Salvatore D'Aniello, Ildiko Somorjai, Alba Abad, Nathalia Vitureira, Elena Garc?a-Arum?, Mar?a Teresa Alonso, Macarena Rodriguez-Prados, Ferran Burgaya, Antoni L. Andreu, Javier Garc?a-Sancho, Ram?n Trullas, Jordi Garcia-Fern?ndez, Eduardo Soriano. The Eutherian Armcx genes regulate mitochondrial trafficking in neurons and interact with Miro and Trak2. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 814 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1829

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Tom Gabel's Transgender News: What Does It Mean For Her Marriage?

Tegan and Sara, Fun., Gaslight Anthem, Senses Fail tweet their support to Against Me! singer.
By Gil Kaufman

Tom Gabel of Against Me!
Photo: Getty Images

Against Me! singer Tom Gabel has received an outpouring of support from his musical peers in light of his announcement on Tuesday that he plans to begin life as a woman. His brave decision decision to go public with his transgender status earn praise from fellow musicians including Fun., Tegan and Sara, Senses Fail and Gaslight Anthem.

The news came just hours before a vote on Tuesday in North Carolina to pass a constitutional amendment
 banning gay marriage, but just before President Obama stated publicly in an ABC interview on Wednesday (May 9) that he personally supports gay marriage. During a cycle that brought highs and lows in the ongoing debate over gay marriage, one of the questions that arose in the MTV Newsroom following Gabel's news was whether it would have an impact on his wife and their marriage.

Though Florida is not one of the six states in the nation that recognize marriages between same-sex partners, Gabel's declaration won't change his marital status either way, according to Lisa Mottet, Director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"Under established law, marriages are evaluated for their validity at the time of marriage, i.e., the date of the wedding/when the marriage license was signed," she said. "Only divorces, death, and annulments end marriages — gender transition does not end a marriage, nor convert it to a same-sex marriage. If two people were considered different sex at the time of their wedding, they will continue to be considered married until death, divorce, or annulment."

Gabel came out as transgender and discussed plans to begin living as a woman in the next issue of Rolling Stone magazine. He will now go by the name Laura Jane Grace and remain married to wife Heather, while undergoing electrolysis treatments and taking hormones to make the transition from male to female.

"For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news," Gabel told the magazine about his Heather's reaction. "But she's been super-amazing and understanding."

Gabel has dealt with gender dysphoria for years and decided it was a good time to speak up about the private struggle, telling only a few family members and friends about the upcoming transition before talking with the magazine. "I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun," Gabel said of coming out. "But that's part of what talking to you is about -- is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind."

A number of his peers praised his bravery, including the members of Fun., who tweeted, "Reading about Tom Gabel coming out as transgender = inspiring. Always been a fan but it's even more amazing to know how strong & brave she is."

Openly gay twin sister rockers Tegan & Sara weighed in also calling Gabel "so incredibly brave." Congratulations and support also came from the members of Senses Fail, Broadway Calls, Toxicbreed, I Am the Avalanche, Motel Life and Circa Survive.

One of the most heartfelt notes was posted by Gaslight Anthem singer Brian Fallon, who preemptively struck out at anyone criticizing the decision. "So Tom's gonna be Laura now... and in 2012 I still find people on the internet commenting on another person's life how they insult and condemn a person for his choices," he wrote.

"How about the people who go through this and never find peace and end up committing suicide? Would you rather that? Or maybe he could become a raging drug addict and ruin his life and family? Would you rather that? Or maybe we could have rules from a dictator where everyone gets killed for anything they believe against the government, oh wait, that doesn't work ... How about you leave the guy alone. How about you let another human being make a decision about their lives without your snide prejudices and bigotry? This is one of the hardest decisions a person can make ... Whether you agree or don't, it's not your life. It's not your family. It's not your band, it's theirs."

And it wasn't just musicians, as WWE wrestling champ CM Punk also weighed in, writing, "@tommygabel courage and bravery. I got your back."

What do you think of Tom Gabel's announcement? Let us know in comments below.

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'Voice' Coach Christina Aguilera Apologizes To Tony Lucca

'She just wanted to clear the air a bit,' finalist says of back-and-forth jabs between the ex-Mouseketeers.
By Rebecca Thomas

Tony Lucca on "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

While we couldn't get enough of the bromantic tension between judges Blake Shelton and Adam Levine during the just-wrapped second season of "The Voice," it was the emphatically awkward tension between finalist Tony Lucca and coach Christina Aguilera that kept us at the office water cooler. But the contentious pair are playing nice now.

According to UsWeekly.com, Aguilera offered Lucca a backstage apology after the competition had ended and backup singer Jermaine Paul was crowned the winner.

"She just wanted to clear the air a bit," Lucca told the magazine, adding that Aguilera expressed regret "that this became much more of a dramatic thing than she ever intended it."

The ex-Mouseketeers were reunited back in February as the NBC show bowed for a second run, when all four coaches — Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and even Aguilera — turned their swivel chairs in a bid to get the 36-year-old singer on their respective teams. Lucca ultimately went with the Maroon 5 frontman, whose "Moves Like Jagger" collaborator failed to recognize Lucca at first. Once the connection was made, however, Aguilera seemed to have no love lost for her childhood homey.

Aguilera launched subtle jabs — Levine returned the serves, too, by having Lucca cover a Britney Spears hit — over the course of the season, but in one particularly eyebrow-raising episode, the "Not Myself Tonight" singer appeared to go out of her way to throw shade at Lucca, who has been championed by Justin Timberlake, a pal since the 'NSYNC era. After a performance by Team Adam competitor Katrina Parker, Aguilera pointedly urged Levine not to let his budding friendship with Lucca get in the way of what she said was the clear choice: Parker.

"I said to her, 'I hope that we can be cool moving forward,' " Lucca told the mag. "I take pride in the fact that my whole career has been a career of integrity, and sound relationships." The fedora-rocking finalist even found a silver lining in the feud: "Her criticism for the most part has inspired me and led me to a higher plane than I might not have found otherwise."

What do you think of Jermaine Paul winning "The Voice"? Tell us in the comments!

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Matchmaker, matchmaker: News on Urijah Faber, Ronda Rousey, Matt Mitrione and more

Here's the latest fights to be made, just for you:

-- Erik Koch and UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo put on their best Member's Only jackets and headed to the mountains to officially announce their bout at UFC 149 in Calgary.

-- After UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and pulled out of their July 7 bout, Urijah Faber will still fight at UFC 148. His opponent is still to be determined, and interim title belt will be on the line.

-- Ronda Rousey has a date for her first championship defense, kinda. She will fight Sarah Kauffman in August, but an exact date and location has not yet been announced.

-- In what is already my favorite match-up of the summer, Siyar Bahadurzada is stepping in to face Thiago Alves at UFC 149. Yoshihiro Akiyama had to pull out of the bout with Alves after an undisclosed injury.

-- Days after UFC on Fox 3, heavyweight bouts were added to UFC on Fox 4 in Los Angeles. Matt Mitrione will fight Rob Broughton and Oli Thompson will fight Phil De Fries.

Care to make predictions on any of these bouts? Go for it in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Sprint Galaxy Nexus review

Third time's a charm...
Three's a crowd...
She's once, twice, three times a lady Nexus...
Three's a magic number...
Good things come in threes... or is that sneezes?
Okay, so maybe there isn't anything clever we can say to get you hooked, but do we really need to lure you in at this point? The Galaxy Nexus is, arguably, not only one of the best Android phones on the market, but one of the best phones, period. So, there's no reason to expect the Sprint variant ($199 on contract) would be anything short of incredible. Still, there's only one way to find out. Follow along after the break as we put the newest member of the Nexus family through its paces and see how it stacks up against its Verizon and unlocked siblings.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Sprint review

Continue reading Sprint Galaxy Nexus review

Sprint Galaxy Nexus review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ingenious Folding Ladder Practically Disappears For Easy Storage [Video]

The occasional time a ladder comes in handy makes it worth keeping one around, but they can be cumbersome to store in the meantime. So a Barcelona-based design shop has re-thunk the folding ladder idea, and come up with this brilliant design. More »

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Postal Service: Will keep rural post offices open

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service sought Wednesday to tamp down concern over wide-scale cuts, revealing it will seek to keep thousands of rural post offices open with shorter hours.

At a news briefing, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the mail agency was backing off its plan to close up to 3,700 low-revenue post offices sometime after May 15. Citing strong community opposition, Donahoe said the agency will now whittle down full-time staff but maintain a part-time post office presence in rural areas, with access to retail lobbies and post office boxes.

Under the emerging strategy, no post office would be closed. But more than 13,000 rural mail facilities could see reduced operations of between two and six hours.

The Postal Service intends to seek regulatory approval and get community input, a process that could take several months. The new strategy would then be implemented over two years and completed in September 2014, saving an estimated half billion dollars annually.

"We've listened to our customers in rural America and we've heard them loud and clear ? they want to keep their post office open," Donahoe said. "We believe today's announcement will serve our customers' needs and allow us to achieve real savings to help the Postal Service return to long-term financial stability."

Under the new plan, communities would be given the option of keeping their area post offices open but at reduced hours. Another option would be to close a postal office in one area while keeping a nearby one open full-time. Communities also could opt for alternatives including creating a Village Post Office in which postal services are offered in libraries, government offices or local stores such as a Wal-Mart, Walgreens or Office Depot.

"At the end of the day, we will not close rural post offices until we receive community input," said Megan Brennan, the Postal Service's chief operating officer. "We believe very few post offices will be closed over the next few years."

The latest move comes as the Postal Service is making a broad push for Congress to pass legislation this summer that would allow the agency to move forward on its multi-billion dollar cost-cutting plan, which include an end to Saturday mail delivery.

High concern in rural communities over proposed cuts has been a principal barrier to the cost-cutting effort, with residents in the sprawling and remote areas expressing fears about their ability to get timely mail delivery of prescription drugs, newspapers and other services. That has raised the ire of rural-state lawmakers in particular in an election year.

Due to rural opposition, the Senate this month passed a bill that would in part impose a one-year moratorium on shuttering rural post offices and place additional restrictions afterward, a move that the Postal Service later denounced as "totally inappropriate" because it kept unneeded facilities open.

In the House, hesitancy among rural lawmakers is helping to stall a separate bill that would allow for far more aggressive postal cuts.

Most of the 3,700 post offices that had been under review for possible closing had been in rural areas with low volumes of business, with as many as 3,000 only having two hours of business a day even though they are open longer. Currently the post office operates more than 31,000 retail outlets around the country.

The mail agency said it expects to save more money off the new plan, mostly by weeding out full-time postmasters who don't have labor contract protections and replacing them with part-time workers. It plans to offer buyouts for the nation's more than 21,000 postmasters, noting that more than 80 percent of its postal costs in rural areas are labor-related.

The Postal Service has been grappling with losses as first-class mail volume declines and more people switch to the Internet to send messages and pay bills. The agency has forecast a record $14.1 billion loss by the end of this year; without changes, it said, annual losses will exceed $21 billion by 2016.

It also is pushing Congress to pass legislation by early summer. If the House fails to act soon, postal officials say, they will face a cash crunch in August and September, when the agency must pay more than $11 billion to the U.S. Treasury to prefund future retiree health benefits. Already $13 billion in debt, the health payment obligation will force the mail agency to run up against its $15 billion debt ceiling, causing it to default on the payments.

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