Flanking Sequence Cotranscriptionally Regulates Twister Ribozyme Activity.

Small nucleolytic ribozymes are RNAs that cleave their own phosphodiester backbone. While proteinaceous enzymes are regulated by a variety of known mechanisms, methods of regulation for ribozymes remain unclear. Twister is one ribozyme class for which many structural and catalytic properties have been elucidated. However, few studies have analyzed the activity of twister ribozymes in the context of a native flanking sequence, even though ribozymes as transcribed in nature do not exist in isolation. Interactions between the ribozyme and its neighboring sequences can induce conformational changes that inhibit self-cleavage, providing a regulatory mechanism that could naturally determine ribozyme activity in vivo and in synthetic applications. To date, eight twister ribozymes have been identified within the staple crop rice (Oryza sativa). Herein, we select several twister ribozymes from rice and show that they are differentially regulated by their flanking sequence using published RNA-seq data sets, structure probing, and cotranscriptional cleavage assays. We found that the Osa 1-2 ribozyme does not interact with its flanking sequences. However, sequences flanking the Osa 1-3 and Osa 1-8 ribozymes form inactive conformations, referred to here as "ribozymogens", that attenuate ribozyme self-cleavage activity. For the Osa 1-3 ribozyme, we show that activity can be rescued upon addition of a complementary antisense oligonucleotide, suggesting ribozymogens can be controlled via external signals. In all, our data provide a plausible mechanism wherein flanking sequence differentially regulates ribozyme activity in vivo. More broadly, the ability to regulate ribozyme behavior locally has potential applications in control of gene expression and synthetic biology.

The Metabolome Weakens RNA Thermodynamic Stability and Strengthens RNA Chemical Stability.

We examined the complex network of interactions among RNA, the metabolome, and divalent Mg2+ under conditions that mimic the Escherichia coli cytoplasm. We determined Mg2+ binding constants for the top 15 E. coli metabolites, comprising 80% of the metabolome by concentration at physiological pH and monovalent ion concentrations. These data were used to inform the development of an artificial cytoplasm that mimics in vivo E. coli conditions, which we term "Eco80". We empirically determined that the mixture of E. coli metabolites in Eco80 approximated single-site binding behavior toward Mg2+ in the biologically relevant free Mg2+ range of ∼0.5 to 3 mM Mg2+, using a Mg2+-sensitive fluorescent dye. Effects of Eco80 conditions on the thermodynamic stability, chemical stability, structure, and catalysis of RNA were examined. We found that Eco80 conditions lead to opposing effects on the thermodynamic and chemical stabilities of RNA. In particular, the thermodynamic stability of RNA helices was weakened by 0.69 ± 0.12 kcal/mol, while the chemical stability was enhanced ∼2-fold, which can be understood using the speciation of Mg2+ between weak and strong Mg2+-metabolite complexes in Eco80. Overall, the use of Eco80 reflects RNA function in vivo and enhances the biological relevance of mechanistic studies of RNA.

The Role of Risk Perceptions and Affective Consequences in COVID-19 Protective Behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) requires behavioral changes such as physical distancing (e.g., staying a 6-foot distance from others, avoiding mass gatherings, reducing houseguests), wearing masks, reducing trips to nonessential business establishments, and increasing hand washing. Like other health behaviors, COVID-19 related behaviors may be related to risk representations. Risk representations are the cognitive responses a person holds about illness risk such as, identity (i.e., label/characteristics of risk), cause (i.e., factors causing condition), timeline (i.e., onset/duration of risk), consequences (i.e., intrapersonal/interpersonal outcomes), behavioral efficacy (i.e., if and how the condition can be controlled/treated), and illness risk coherence (i.e., extent to which representations, behaviors, and beliefs are congruent). The current study applies the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM-SR) to evaluate how risk representations may relate to COVID-19 protective and risk behaviors. METHODS: Participants include 400 workers from Amazon's Mechanical Turk aged ≥ 18 years and US residents. Participants completed an online survey measuring risk representations (B-IPQ) and COVID-19 related behaviors, specifically, physical distancing, hand washing, and shopping frequency. RESULTS: Risk coherence, consequences, timeline, emotional representation, and behavioral efficacy were related to risk and protective behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Risk representations vary in their relationship to COVID-19 risk and protective behaviors. Implications include the importance of coherent, targeted, consistent health communication, and effective health policy in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

RNA biology takes root in plant systems.

Advances in RNA biology such as RNAi, CRISPR, and the first mRNA vaccine represent the enormous potential of RNA research to address current problems. Additionally, plants are a diverse and undeniably essential resource for life threatened by climate change, loss of arable land, and pollution. Different aspects of RNA such as its processing, modification and structure are intertwined with plant development, physiology and stress response. This report details the findings of researchers around the world during the 23rd Penn State Symposium in Plant Biology with a focus in RNA biology.

Workplace mental health implementation strategies in public safety organizations: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to map workplace mental health implementation strategies in public safety organizations and describe the characteristics, participants, and contexts of these strategies. INTRODUCTION: Workplace mental health implementation strategies are relevant to public safety organizations due to the exposure that many public safety personnel, such as firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, have to psychological trauma in the course of their daily work. While the importance of attending to public safety personnel's mental health has been established, workplace mental health implementation strategies have historically varied in public safety organizations. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This scoping review will address workplace mental health implementation strategies used in public safety organizations. It will exclude studies that do not focus on workplace mental health, do not report on the implementation strategies used, or do not take place in a public safety context. METHODS: Primary studies published in English with any publication date up to the present will be considered. JBI methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) will be followed. The search will be carried out in five databases and reference lists will also be searched for additional studies. Duplicates will be removed, and two independent reviewers will screen the titles, abstracts, and full text of the selected studies. Data collection will be performed using a tool developed by the researchers, based on JBI's model instrument for extracting study details, characteristics, and results. A summary of the results will be presented in diagrams, narratives, and tables.

Known knowns and known unknowns on behavior change interventions and mechanisms of action.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses play an important role in summarising current research on the efficacy of behaviour change interventions and their mechanisms of action. The reviews in this special issue represent a 'step change' in evaluating current evidence on behaviour change interventions and mechanisms. This article outlines the findings and emerging issues identified in the reviews ('known knowns'), and summarises evidence gaps to be addressed in future research ('known unknowns'). Findings indicate that tests of mechanisms of behaviour change interventions are not routinely conducted in primary studies and research syntheses; reviews and studies do not sufficiently account for study quality; substantive variability exists in descriptions of intervention content and putative mediators implicated in their mechanisms of action; limited data is available on the efficacy of many behaviour change techniques; and moderators of intervention effects and mechanisms are seldom taken into account. Possible solutions include testing effects of isolated behaviour change techniques and mechanisms of action; routine evaluation of study quality in behavioural intervention research; development of an evidence base linking behaviour change techniques with theory-based constructs that comprise mechanisms of action; adoption of fit-for-purpose methods for synthesising behavioural intervention mechanisms of action; and routine testing of moderators in intervention research.

The Effects of Racial/Ethnic Minority Status on Sleep, Mood Disturbance, and Depression in People with Fibromyalgia.

PURPOSE: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder that is characterized by persistent and widespread pain. FMS has been associated with sleep disturbance, mood disorders and depression. Racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to receive a diagnosis of FMS than White individuals. Although mood disorders and depression are prevalent among racial/ethnic minority groups, researchers have not examined whether there are differences between racial/ethnic minorities and White individuals with FMS. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The participants were 600 people who were 18 years of age or older and who had a physician's diagnosis of FMS, which was confirmed using the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Most participants were female (95.5%) and White (85.0%). Sleep disturbance was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), mood disturbance was assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and depression was assessed via the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Racial/ethnic minorities reported significantly greater levels of sleep disturbance, significantly greater levels of mood disturbance, and had significantly greater levels of depression than White participants. However, racial/ethnic minorities had significantly greater reductions in mood disturbance over the one-year period than White participants. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings from the present study indicated that racial/ethnic minorities had "worse" physical and psychological outcomes than White participants.

Genome Sequences of Six Cluster N Mycobacteriophages, Kevin1, Nenae, Parmesanjohn, ShrimpFriedEgg, Smurph, and SpongeBob, Isolated on Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155.

The annotation of six cluster N Mycobacterium smegmatis phages (Kevin1, Nenae, Parmesanjohn, ShrimpFriedEgg, Smurph, and SpongeBob) reveals regions of genomic diversity, particularly within the central region of the genome. The genome of Kevin1 includes two orphams (genes with no similarity to other phage genes), with one predicted to encode an AAA-ATPase.

Genome Sequences of Chancellor, Mitti, and Wintermute, Three Subcluster K4 Phages Isolated Using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155.

Mycobacteriophages Chancellor, Mitti, and Wintermute infect Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 and are closely related to phages Cheetobro and Fionnbharth in subcluster K4. Genome sizes range from 57,697 bp to 58,046 bp. Phages are predicted to be temperate and to infect the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Semantic distance norms computed from an electronic dictionary (WordNet).

WordNet, an electronic dictionary (or lexical database), is a valuable resource for computational and cognitive scientists. Recent work on the computing of semantic distances among nodes (synsets) in WordNet has made it possible to build a large database of semantic distances for use in selecting word pairs for psychological research. The database now contains nearly 50,000 pairs of words that have values for semantic distance, associative strength, and similarity based on co-occurrence. Semantic distance was found to correlate weakly with these other measures but to correlate more strongly with another measure of semantic relatedness, featural similarity. Hierarchical clustering analysis suggested that the knowledge structure underlying semantic distance is similar in gross form to that underlying featural similarity. In experiments in which semantic similarity ratings were used, human participants were able to discriminate semantic distance. Thus, semantic distance as derived from WordNet appears distinct from other measures of word pair relatedness and is psychologically functional. This database may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive/.