Sleep deprivation affects the sensitivity of proactive and reactive action monitoring: A behavioural and ERP analysis

We studied the impact of sleep deprivation on action monitoring. Each participant performed a Simon task after a normal night of sleep and after 26 h of awakening. Reaction time (RT) distributions were analyzed and the sensitivity of the error negativity (Ne/Ne like) to response correctness was examined.     

Chromatin-to-nucleoprotamine transition is controlled by the histone H2B variant TH2B

The conversion of male germ cell chromatin to a nucleoprotamine structure is fundamental to the life cycle, yet the underlying molecular details remain obscure. Here we show that an essential step is the genome-wide incorporation of TH2B, a histone H2B variant of hitherto unknown function. Using mouse models in which TH2B is depleted or C-terminally modified, we show that TH2B directs the final transformation of dissociating nucleosomes into protamine-packed structures. Depletion of TH2B induces compensatory mechanisms that permit histone removal by up-regulating H2B and programming nucleosome instability through targeted histone modifications, including lysine crotonylation and arginine methylation. Furthermore, after fertilization, TH2B reassembles onto the male genome during protamine-to-histone exchange. Thus, TH2B is a unique histone variant that plays a key role in the histone-to-protamine packing of the male genome and guides genome-wide chromatin transitions that both precede and follow transmission of the male genome to the egg.     

Calibration of Multiple In Silico Tools for Predicting Pathogenicity of Mismatch Repair Gene Missense Substitutions

Classification of rare missense substitutions observed during genetic testing for patient management is a considerable problem in clinical genetics. The Bayesian integrated evaluation of unclassified variants is a solution originally developed for BRCA1/2. Here, we take a step toward an analogous system for the mismatch repair (MMR) genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2) that confer colon cancer susceptibility in Lynch syndrome by calibrating in silico tools to estimate prior probabilities of pathogenicity for MMR gene missense substitutions. A qualitative five‐class classification system was developed and applied to 143 MMR missense variants. This identified 74 missense substitutions suitable for calibration. These substitutions were scored using six different in silico tools (Align‐Grantham Variation Grantham Deviation, multivariate analysis of protein polymorphisms [MAPP], MutPred, PolyPhen‐2.1, Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant, and Xvar), using curated MMR multiple sequence alignments where possible. The output from each tool was calibrated by regression against the classifications of the 74 missense substitutions; these calibrated outputs are interpretable as prior probabilities of pathogenicity. MAPP was the most accurate tool and MAPP + PolyPhen‐2.1 provided the best‐combined model (R² = 0.62 and area under receiver operating characteristic = 0.93). The MAPP + PolyPhen‐2.1 output is sufficiently predictive to feed as a continuous variable into the quantitative Bayesian integrated evaluation for clinical classification of MMR gene missense substitutions.     

Highly Oleophobic Properties of PEDOP Polymers with Short Perfluorobutyl Chains Separated by Long Alkyl Spacers and Amido Connectors

In order to find alternatives to long perfluorinated chains, due to their bioaccumulative potentials, in the elaboration of superoleophobic surfaces, an original 3,4‐ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP) derivative containing a perfluorobutyl chain (F‐butyl) is synthesized and characterized. The F‐butyl chain is separated from the EDOP moiety by a long undecyl spacer and an amido connector in order to reduce its mobility. The electrodeposition of the corresponding polymer leads to superhydro­phobic and highly oleophobic properties with contact angles of 158.5°, 137.0°, and 129.1° for water, diiodomethane, and hexadecane, respectively. Here, the presence of amido groups seems to specifically increase the oil‐repellent properties in comparison with the water‐repellent properties, due to the polarity of this group.