Structural basis of Cfr-mediated antimicrobial resistance and mechanisms to evade it.

The bacterial ribosome is an essential drug target as many clinically important antibiotics bind and inhibit its functional centers. The catalytic peptidyl transferase center (PTC) is targeted by the broadest array of inhibitors belonging to several chemical classes. One of the most abundant and clinically prevalent resistance mechanisms to PTC-acting drugs in Gram-positive bacteria is C8-methylation of the universally conserved A2503 nucleobase by Cfr methylase in 23S ribosomal RNA. Despite its clinical importance, a sufficient understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Cfr-mediated resistance is currently lacking. Here, we report a set of high-resolution structures of the Cfr-modified 70S ribosome containing aminoacyl- and peptidyl-transfer RNAs. These structures reveal an allosteric rearrangement of nucleotide A2062 upon Cfr-mediated methylation of A2503 that likely contributes to the reduced potency of some PTC inhibitors. Additionally, we provide the structural bases behind two distinct mechanisms of engaging the Cfr-methylated ribosome by the antibiotics iboxamycin and tylosin.

Ribosome heterogeneity results in leader sequence-mediated regulation of protein synthesis in Francisella tularensis.

Although ribosomes are generally examined in aggregate, ribosomes can be heterogenous in composition. Evidence is accumulating that changes in ribosome composition may result in altered function, such that ribosome heterogeneity may provide a mechanism to regulate protein synthesis. Ribosome heterogeneity in the human pathogen Francisella tularensis results from incorporation of one of three homologs of bS21, a small ribosomal subunit protein demonstrated to regulate protein synthesis in other bacteria. Loss of one homolog, bS21-2, results in genome-wide post-transcriptional changes in protein abundance. This suggests that bS21-2 can, either directly or indirectly, lead to preferential translation of particular mRNAs. Here, we examine the potential of bS21-2 to function in a leader sequence-dependent manner and to function indirectly, via Hfq. We found that the 5´ untranslated region (UTR) of some bS21-2-responsive genes, including key virulence genes, is sufficient to alter translation in cells lacking bS21-2. We further identify features of a 5´ UTR that allow responsiveness to bS21-2. These include an imperfect Shine-Dalgarno sequence and a particular six nucleotide sequence. Our results are consistent with a model in which a bS21 homolog increases the efficiency of translation initiation through interactions with specific leader sequences. With respect to bS21-2 indirectly regulating translation via the RNA-binding protein Hfq, we found that Hfq controls transcript abundance rather than protein synthesis, impacting virulence gene expression via a distinct mechanism. Together, we determined that ribosome composition in F. tularensis regulates translation in a leader sequence-dependent manner, a regulatory mechanism which may be used in other bacteria. IMPORTANCE Ribosome heterogeneity is common in bacteria, and there is mounting evidence that ribosome composition plays a regulatory role in protein synthesis. However, mechanisms of ribosome-driven gene regulation are not well understood. In the human pathogen Francisella tularensis, which encodes multiple homologs for the ribosomal protein bS21, loss of one homolog impacts protein synthesis and virulence. Here, we explore the mechanism behind bS21-mediated changes in protein synthesis, finding that they can be linked to altered translation initiation and are dependent on specific sequences in the leaders of transcripts. Our data support a model in which ribosome composition regulates gene expression through translation, a strategy that may be conserved in diverse organisms with various sources of ribosome heterogeneity.

Structure of Erm-modified 70S ribosome reveals the mechanism of macrolide resistance.

Many antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to the ribosome and interfering with protein biosynthesis. Macrolides represent one of the most successful classes of ribosome-targeting antibiotics. The main clinically relevant mechanism of resistance to macrolides is dimethylation of the 23S rRNA nucleotide A2058, located in the drug-binding site, a reaction catalyzed by Erm-type rRNA methyltransferases. Here, we present the crystal structure of the Erm-dimethylated 70S ribosome at 2.4 Å resolution, together with the structures of unmethylated 70S ribosome functional complexes alone or in combination with macrolides. Altogether, our structural data do not support previous models and, instead, suggest a principally new explanation of how A2058 dimethylation confers resistance to macrolides. Moreover, high-resolution structures of two macrolide antibiotics bound to the unmodified ribosome reveal a previously unknown role of the desosamine moiety in drug binding, laying a foundation for the rational knowledge-based design of macrolides that can overcome Erm-mediated resistance.

Race and the infrapolitics of public space in the time of COVID-19: The case of Harlem, New York.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered our associational life and relationship to public space, revealing deadly inequities in access to health care and other resources, particularly in communities of color. In Harlem and other areas of New York City that are experiencing neoliberal redevelopment, the response to the pandemic has also rearticulated public spaces, introducing new and diverse spatial uses and users, and providing low-income and working-class African American and Latinx residents with increased opportunities to contest their exclusion from public and quasi-public spaces and the symbolic economy of gentrification. Based on ethnographic research conducted during the pandemic, I show how black and brown residents in West Harlem encountered, negotiated, and contested these race-cum-class-based, spatio-symbolic exclusions through infrapolitical practices and, in the process, demanded and exercised their "right to the city." [race, infrapolitics, public space, gentrification, redevelopment, right to the city, COVID-19, Harlem, New York City].

HRAS-driven cancer cells are vulnerable to TRPML1 inhibition.

By serving as intermediaries between cellular metabolism and the bioenergetic demands of proliferation, endolysosomes allow cancer cells to thrive under normally detrimental conditions. Here, we show that an endolysosomal TRP channel, TRPML1, is necessary for the proliferation of cancer cells that bear activating mutations in HRAS Expression of MCOLN1, which encodes TRPML1, is significantly elevated in HRAS-positive tumors and inversely correlated with patient prognosis. Concordantly, MCOLN1 knockdown or TRPML1 inhibition selectively reduces the proliferation of cancer cells that express oncogenic, but not wild-type, HRAS Mechanistically, TRPML1 maintains oncogenic HRAS in signaling-competent nanoclusters at the plasma membrane by mediating cholesterol de-esterification and transport. TRPML1 inhibition disrupts the distribution and levels of cholesterol and thereby attenuates HRAS nanoclustering and plasma membrane abundance, ERK phosphorylation, and cell proliferation. These findings reveal a selective vulnerability of HRAS-driven cancers to TRPML1 inhibition, which may be leveraged as an actionable therapeutic strategy.

Associations between paracetamol (acetaminophen) intake between 18 and 32 weeks gestation and neurocognitive outcomes in the child: A longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The majority of epidemiological studies concerning possible adverse effects of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in pregnancy have been focussed on childhood asthma. Initial results of a robust association have been confirmed in several studies. Recently, a few cohort studies have looked at particular neurocognitive outcomes, and several have implicated hyperactivity. OBJECTIVES: In order to confirm these findings, further information and results are required. Here, we assess whether paracetamol intake between 18 and 32 weeks gestation is associated with childhood behavioural and cognitive outcomes using a large population. METHODS: Data collected by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) at 32 weeks gestation and referring to the period from 18 to 32 weeks, identified 43.9% of women having taken paracetamol. We used an exposome analysis first to determine the background factors associated with pregnant women taking the drug, and then allowed for those factors to assess associations with child outcomes (measured using regression analyses). RESULTS: We identified 15 variables independently associated with taking paracetamol in this time period, which were used as potential confounders. Of the 135 neurocognitive variables considered, adjusting for the likelihood of false discovery, we identified 56 outcomes for adjusted analyses. Adjustment identified 12 showing independent associations with paracetamol use at P < .05, four of which were at P < .0001 (all related to child behaviours reported by the mother at 42 and 47 months; eg conduct problems: adjusted mean score + 0.22 (95% confidence interval 0.10, 0.33)). There were few associations with behavioural or neurocognitive outcomes after age 7-8 years, whether reported by the mother or the teacher. CONCLUSIONS: If paracetamol use in mid-to-late pregnancy has an adverse effect on child neurocognitive outcome, it appears to mainly relate to the pre-school period. It is important that these results be tested using other datasets or methodologies before assuming that they are causal.

The relationship between parental locus of control and adolescent obesity: a longitudinal pre-birth cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether parental external locus of control (ELOC) measured in pregnancy is related to obesity in their adolescent offspring and whether the child's own ELOC measured at age 8 contributes. To determine whether associations are due to types of behaviour used by externally oriented participants. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Longitudinal pre-birth cohort study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents & Children (ALSPAC)) set in south-west England. Families whose adolescent offspring had their fat mass measured using DXA scans at any of ages 9, 11, 13, 15 or 17 (range, n = 7329 at 9 to n = 4850 at 17). The primary outcome measures were mean fat mass, and obesity measured as ≥85th centile of fat mass at each age. RESULTS: We found that parent and child externality was associated with greater fat mass [e.g., mean difference at age 15 associated with maternal ELOC was 1.70 kg (+1.17, +2.24), paternal ELOC 1.49 kg (+0.89, +2.09) and child's ELOC 1.50 kg (+0.93, +2.06) (P < 0.0001)]. Further analyses showed that factors associated with parent behaviour such as smoking in pregnancy, failure to breast feed, and early introduction of solids accounted for a third of the excess fat mass associated with maternal externality, whereas aspects of diet and energetic activity in later childhood were not. Further analyses demonstrated that the child's own ELOC only became independently important for adolescent obesity from age 13, whereas the mothers' and to a lesser extent the fathers' ELOC were associated at each age. CONCLUSIONS: There is increased interest in determining factors that may be involved in the aetiology and maintenance of excessive weight in adolescents. We demonstrate that parental locus of control is a promising candidate. We suggest interventions to change parents' locus of control towards internality in pregnancy might have long-term preventative benefits on the likelihood of obesity in the offspring.

Events associated with stability and change in adult locus of control orientation over a six-year period.

Although locus of control (LOC) has been the focus of thousands of studies we know little about how or if it changes over time and what is associated with change. Our lack of knowledge stems in part from the past use of cross-sectional and not longitudinal methodologies to study small numbers of participants from non-representative populations. The purpose of the present study was to use a longitudinal design with a large representative population to provide relevant information concerning the stability and change of adult LOC. Before the birth of their child, and again six years later, mothers and their partners participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) completed LOC tests and structured stressful events surveys. Analyses revealed that stresses experienced in relationships with spouses, friends and family, financial stability and job security, and illness/smoking were associated with changes in LOC. Results suggest substantial variation of LOC within spousal/parent dyads and moderate stability of LOC over time for both men and women. Stressors associated with change in LOC may be possible candidates when considering interventions to modify LOC expectancies.

The Loop 2 Region of Ribosomal Protein uS5 Influences Spectinomycin Sensitivity, Translational Fidelity, and Ribosome Biogenesis.

Ribosomal protein uS5 is an essential component of the small ribosomal subunit that is involved in subunit assembly, maintenance of translational fidelity, and the ribosome's response to the antibiotic spectinomycin. While many of the characterized uS5 mutations that affect decoding map to its interface with uS4, more recent work has shown that residues distant from the uS4-uS5 interface can also affect the decoding process. We targeted one such interface-remote area, the loop 2 region (residues 20 to 31), for mutagenesis in Escherichia. coli and generated 21 unique mutants. A majority of the loop 2 alterations confer resistance to spectinomycin and affect the fidelity of translation. However, only a minority show altered rRNA processing or ribosome biogenesis defects.

Modulation of decoding fidelity by ribosomal proteins S4 and S5.

Ribosomal proteins S4 and S5 participate in the decoding and assembly processes on the ribosome and the interaction with specific antibiotic inhibitors of translation. Many of the characterized mutations affecting these proteins decrease the accuracy of translation, leading to a ribosomal-ambiguity phenotype. Structural analyses of ribosomal complexes indicate that the tRNA selection pathway involves a transition between the closed and open conformations of the 30S ribosomal subunit and requires disruption of the interface between the S4 and S5 proteins. In agreement with this observation, several of the mutations that promote miscoding alter residues located at the S4-S5 interface. Here, the Escherichia coli rpsD and rpsE genes encoding the S4 and S5 proteins were targeted for mutagenesis and screened for accuracy-altering mutations. While a majority of the 38 mutant proteins recovered decrease the accuracy of translation, error-restrictive mutations were also recovered; only a minority of the mutant proteins affected rRNA processing, ribosome assembly, or interactions with antibiotics. Several of the mutations affect residues at the S4-S5 interface. These include five nonsense mutations that generate C-terminal truncations of S4. These truncations are predicted to destabilize the S4-S5 interface and, consistent with the domain closure model, all have ribosomal-ambiguity phenotypes. A substantial number of the mutations alter distant locations and conceivably affect tRNA selection through indirect effects on the S4-S5 interface or by altering interactions with adjacent ribosomal proteins and 16S rRNA.

Phenotypic Suppression of Streptomycin Resistance by Mutations in Multiple Components of the Translation Apparatus.

UNLABELLED: The bacterial ribosome and its associated translation factors are frequent targets of antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance mutations have been found in a number of these components. Such mutations can potentially interact with one another in unpredictable ways, including the phenotypic suppression of one mutation by another. These phenotypic interactions can provide evidence of long-range functional interactions throughout the ribosome and its functional complexes and potentially give insights into antibiotic resistance mechanisms. In this study, we used genetics and experimental evolution of the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus to examine the ability of mutations in various components of the protein synthesis apparatus to suppress the streptomycin resistance phenotypes of mutations in ribosomal protein S12, specifically those located distant from the streptomycin binding site. With genetic selections and strain constructions, we identified suppressor mutations in EF-Tu or in ribosomal protein L11. Using experimental evolution, we identified amino acid substitutions in EF-Tu or in ribosomal proteins S4, S5, L14, or L19, some of which were found to also relieve streptomycin resistance. The wide dispersal of these mutations is consistent with long-range functional interactions among components of the translational machinery and indicates that streptomycin resistance can result from the modulation of long-range conformational signals. IMPORTANCE: The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus has become a model system for high-resolution structural studies of macromolecular complexes, such as the ribosome, while its natural competence for transformation facilitates genetic approaches. Genetic studies of T. thermophilus ribosomes can take advantage of existing high-resolution crystallographic information to allow a structural interpretation of phenotypic interactions among mutations. Using a combination of genetic selections, strain constructions, and experimental evolution, we find that certain mutations in the translation apparatus can suppress the phenotype of certain antibiotic resistance mutations. Suppression of resistance can occur by mutations located distant in the ribosome or in a translation factor. These observations suggest the existence of long-range conformational signals in the translating ribosome, particularly during the decoding of mRNA.

Engineering the genome of Thermus thermophilus using a counterselectable marker.

UNLABELLED: Thermus thermophilus is an extremely thermophilic bacterium that is widely used as a model thermophile, in large part due to its amenability to genetic manipulation. Here we describe a system for the introduction of genomic point mutations or deletions using a counterselectable marker consisting of a conditionally lethal mutant allele of pheS encoding the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase α-subunit. Mutant PheS with an A294G amino acid substitution renders cells sensitive to the phenylalanine analog p-chlorophenylalanine. Insertion of the mutant pheS allele via a linked kanamycin resistance gene into a chromosomal locus provides a gene replacement intermediate that can be removed by homologous recombination using p-chlorophenylalanine as a counterselective agent. This selection is suitable for the sequential introduction of multiple mutations to produce a final strain unmarked by an antibiotic resistance gene. We demonstrated the utility of this method by constructing strains bearing either a point mutation in or a precise deletion of the rrsB gene encoding 16S rRNA. We also used this selection to identify spontaneous, large-scale deletions in the pTT27 megaplasmid, apparently mediated by either of the T. thermophilus insertion elements ISTth7 and ISTth8. One such deletion removed 121 kb, including 118 genes, or over half of pTT27, including multiple sugar hydrolase genes, and facilitated the development of a plasmid-encoded reporter system based on ß-galactosidase. The ability to introduce mutations ranging from single base substitutions to large-scale deletions provides a potentially powerful tool for engineering the genome of T. thermophilus and possibly other thermophiles as well. IMPORTANCE: Thermus thermophilus is an extreme thermophile that has played an important part in the development of both biotechnology and basic biological research. Its suitability as a genetic model system is established by its natural competence for transformation, but the scarcity of genetic tools limits the kinds of manipulations that can currently be performed. We have developed a counterselectable marker that allows the introduction of unmarked deletions and point mutations into the T. thermophilus genome. We find that this marker can also be used to select large chromosomal deletions apparently resulting from aberrant transposition of endogenous insertion sequences. This system has the potential to advance the genetic manipulation of this important model organism.

The central role of protein S12 in organizing the structure of the decoding site of the ribosome.

The ribosome decodes mRNA by monitoring the geometry of codon-anticodon base-pairing using a set of universally conserved 16S rRNA nucleotides within the conformationally dynamic decoding site. By applying single-molecule FRET and X-ray crystallography, we have determined that conditional-lethal, streptomycin-dependence mutations in ribosomal protein S12 interfere with tRNA selection by allowing conformational distortions of the decoding site that impair GTPase activation of EF-Tu during the tRNA selection process. Distortions in the decoding site are reversed by streptomycin or by a second-site suppressor mutation in 16S rRNA. These observations encourage a refinement of the current model for decoding, wherein ribosomal protein S12 and the decoding site collaborate to optimize codon recognition and substrate discrimination during the early stages of the tRNA selection process.

Transposon mutagenesis of the extremely thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27.

Thermus thermophilus is an extremely thermophilic bacterium that grows between 50 and 80 °C and is an excellent model organism not only for understanding life at high temperature but also for its biotechnological and industrial applications. Multiple molecular capabilities are available including targeted gene inactivation and the use of shuttle plasmids that replicate in T. thermophilus and Escherichia coli; however, the ability to disrupt gene function randomly by transposon insertion has not been developed. Here we report a detailed method of transposon mutagenesis of T. thermophilus HB27 based on the EZ-Tn5 system from Epicentre Biotechnologies. We were able to generate insertion mutations throughout the chromosome by in vitro transposition and transformation with mutagenized genomic DNA. We also report that an additional step, one that fills in single stranded gaps in donor DNA generated by the transposition reaction, was essential for successful mutagenesis. We anticipate that our method of transposon mutagenesis will enable further genetic development of T. thermophilus and may also be valuable for similar endeavors with other under-developed organisms.

Phenotypic interactions among mutations in a Thermus thermophilus 16S rRNA gene detected with genetic selections and experimental evolution.

During protein synthesis, the ribosome undergoes conformational transitions between functional states, requiring communication between distant structural elements of the ribosome. Despite advances in ribosome structural biology, identifying the protein and rRNA residues governing these transitions remains a significant challenge. Such residues can potentially be identified genetically, given the predicted deleterious effects of mutations stabilizing the ribosome in discrete conformations and the expected ameliorating effects of second-site compensatory mutations. In this study, we employed genetic selections and experimental evolution to identify interacting mutations in the ribosome of the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus. By direct genetic selections, we identified mutations in 16S rRNA conferring a streptomycin dependence phenotype and from these derived second-site suppressor mutations relieving dependence. Using experimental evolution of streptomycin-independent pseudorevertants, we identified additional compensating mutations. Similar mutations could be evolved from slow-growing streptomycin-resistant mutants. While some mutations arose close to the site of the original mutation in the three-dimensional structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit and probably act directly by compensating for local structural distortions, the locations of others are consistent with long-range communication between specific structural elements within the ribosome.

Structural analysis of base substitutions in Thermus thermophilus 16S rRNA conferring streptomycin resistance.

Streptomycin is a bactericidal antibiotic that induces translational errors. It binds to the 30S ribosomal subunit, interacting with ribosomal protein S12 and with 16S rRNA through contacts with the phosphodiester backbone. To explore the structural basis for streptomycin resistance, we determined the X-ray crystal structures of 30S ribosomal subunits from six streptomycin-resistant mutants of Thermus thermophilus both in the apo form and in complex with streptomycin. Base substitutions at highly conserved residues in the central pseudoknot of 16S rRNA produce novel hydrogen-bonding and base-stacking interactions. These rearrangements in secondary structure produce only minor adjustments in the three-dimensional fold of the pseudoknot. These results illustrate how antibiotic resistance can occur as a result of small changes in binding site conformation.

The anthropometry of children and adolescents may be influenced by the prenatal smoking habits of their grandmothers: a longitudinal cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Previously, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we have shown different sex-specific birth anthropometric measurements contingent upon whether or not prenatal smoking was undertaken by paternal grandmother (PGM±), maternal grandmother (MGM±), and the study mother (M±). The findings raised the question as to whether there were long-term associations on the growth of the study children over time. METHODS: Measures of weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, lean mass, and fat mass of children in the ALSPAC study from 7 to 17 years of age were used. We compared growth in four categories at each age: PGM+M- with PGM-M-; MGM+M- with MGM-M-; PGM+M+ with PGM-M+; MGM+M+ with MGM-M+; and adjusted for housing tenure, maternal education, parity, and paternal smoking at the start of the study pregnancy. RESULTS: We found that if the PGM had, but the study mother had not, smoked in pregnancy, the girls were taller and both genders had greater bone and lean mass. However, if the MGM had smoked prenatally but the mother had not (MGM+M-), the boys became heavier than expected with increasing age-an association that was particularly due to lean rather than fat mass, reflected in increased strength and fitness. When both the maternal grandmother and the mother had smoked (MGM+M+) girls had reduced height, weight, and fat/lean/bone mass when compared with girls born to smoking mothers whose own mothers had not smoked (MGM-M+). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that smoking in humans can have sex-specific transgenerational effects.

Ten-Year Outcome After Supracricoid Partial Laryngectomy in cT3M0 Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A STROBE Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to document 10-year outcomes after supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) in selected cT3M0 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. METHODS: This real-life retrospective observational study analyzed an inception cohort of 168 patients with isolated, untreated, selected cT3M0 laryngeal SCC, that were consecutively managed by SCPL during the period 1973-2013, and followed up until death or for a minimum of 10 years in 92% of cases at a single French academic and tertiary referral care center. Prior induction chemotherapy, arytenoid cartilage removal, level II-IV neck dissection, and postoperative radiation therapy were performed on 148, 77, 136, and 27 patients, respectively. The main objective was to determine 10-year actuarial local control and laryngeal preservation estimates. Secondary objectives included 10-year actuarial survival and cause-of-death analysis, and assessment of correlations between endpoints and clinical variables. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.005. RESULTS: Ten-year actuarial local control, laryngeal preservation, and survival estimates were 90%, 85%, and 52%, respectively. Salvage treatment resulted in an overall 99% local control rate. Metachronous second primary cancer, intercurrent disease without evidence of SCC, SCPL-related death, and uncontrolled local recurrence accounted for 31%, 26%, 7%, and 2% of causes of death. On univariate analysis, overall local recurrence and laryngeal preservation rates varied significantly, from 5% to 54% and 90% to 46% when resection margins were R0 and R1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study highlighted successful 10-year outcomes after SCPL, providing further evidence in favor of its integration into the conservative armamentarium for endolaryngeal cT3 SCC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Serial femtosecond X-ray diffraction of 30S ribosomal subunit microcrystals in liquid suspension at ambient temperature using an X-ray free-electron laser.

High-resolution ribosome structures determined by X-ray crystallography have provided important insights into the mechanism of translation. Such studies have thus far relied on large ribosome crystals kept at cryogenic temperatures to reduce radiation damage. Here, the application of serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (SFX) using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) to obtain diffraction data from ribosome microcrystals in liquid suspension at ambient temperature is described. 30S ribosomal subunit microcrystals diffracted to beyond 6 Šresolution, demonstrating the feasibility of using SFX for ribosome structural studies. The ability to collect diffraction data at near-physiological temperatures promises to provide fundamental insights into the structural dynamics of the ribosome and its functional complexes.

Childhood life events of women enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents & Children (ALSPAC).

At the time of planning ALSPAC there was accumulating evidence that abuse and other childhood traumas were related to psychiatric problems later in life. In addition, the age at which such trauma occurred was likely to be important in influencing its long-term impact. Detailed data was therefore collected from enrolled women on traumatic events occurring during their own childhoods, along with their age at the time. The questionnaire entitled 'About Yourself' was sent out to expectant women who had enrolled in the study, which included a page in the form of a grid (an events diary) with one row per year of childhood and columns for recording where she was living at the time, who was looking after her, and any traumatic events that occurred. These free-text responses were then coded, and any events were assigned a score indicating the level of trauma the event was likely to have caused on a scale of 1 (highly traumatic) to 6 (least traumatic). This paper describes the variety of text data collected and how it was coded. The ALSPAC study has a great deal of follow-up data collected on the original respondents, as well as on their parents and grandparents, partners, offspring and their grandchildren, providing huge potential for analyses on the antecedents and outcomes of adverse childhood events across multiple generations.