The Saccharomyces SUN gene, UTH1, is involved in cell wall biogenesis.

Deletion of the Saccharomyces gene, UTH1, a founding member of the SUN family of fungal genes, has pleiotropic effects. Several phenotypes of Deltauth1 cells including their decreased levels of mitochondrial proteins, their impaired autophagic degradation of mitochondria, and their increased viability in the presence of mammalian BAX, a proapoptotic regulator localized to the mitochondria, have prompted others to propose that the Uth1p functions primarily at the mitochondria. In this report, we show that cells lacking UTH1 have more robust cell walls with higher levels of beta-d-glucan that allows them to grow in the presence of calcofluor white or sodium dodecyl sulfate, two reagents known to perturb the yeast cell wall. Moreover, these Deltauth1 cells are also significantly more resistant to spheroplast formation induced by zymolyase treatment than their wild-type counterparts. Surprisingly, our data suggest that several of the enhanced growth phenotypes of Deltauth1 cells, including their resistance to BAX-mediated toxicity, arise from a strengthened cell wall. Therefore, we propose that Uth1p's role at the cell wall and not at the mitochondria may better explain many of its effects on yeast physiology and programmed cell death.

The influence of an uncaring partner on the type and outcome of depression.

BACKGROUND: We seek to clarify recent inconsistent research findings in relation to the Intimate Bond Measure (IBM), where low IBM care scores have been held to be over-represented in non-melancholic depression and to predict a poor depressive episode outcome. METHODS: A sample of 82 subjects meeting DSM criteria for a major depressive episode lasting less than 2 years, took part in a 1-year follow-up study. The IBM was completed at initial assessment and depression severity assessed at baseline and at follow-up assessment, allowing a measure of "outcome". RESULTS: A significantly greater proportion of DSM-defined non-melancholic than melancholic depressives perceived their partner as providing deficient care and were classified as being in a dysfunctional relationship, seemingly unrelated to demographic differences or by depression severity, chronicity or recurrence. IBM scores were again established as independent of a number of putative distorting influences, such as depression severity and "neuroticism". Although the IBM failed to significantly predict outcome, there was a clear trend for greater improvement in those in IBM care score-defined "functional relationships". LIMITATIONS: The study failed to assess the change in patients' perceptions of care over time, which may have contributed to the failure to replicate past findings in relation to outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of examining the relevance of psychosocial factors such as deficient intimacy to separate depressive sub-types is highlighted. Implications of these findings for clinical intervention and future research studies are discussed.

Randomized controlled trial of the use of compensatory strategies to enhance adaptive functioning in outpatients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive adaptation training is a novel psychosocial treatment approach designed to improve adaptive functioning by using compensatory strategies in the home or work environment to bypass the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. The authors tested the effect of cognitive adaptation training on level of adaptive functioning in outpatients with schizophrenia. METHOD: Forty-five patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomly assigned for 9 months to one of three treatment conditions: 1) standard medication follow-up, 2) standard medication follow-up plus cognitive adaptation training, and 3) standard medication follow-up plus a condition designed to control for therapist time and provide environmental changes unrelated to cognitive deficits. Comprehensive assessments were conducted every 3 months by raters who were blind to treatment condition. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the three treatment groups in levels of psychotic symptoms, motivation, and global functioning at the end of the 9-month study period. Patients in the cognitive adaptation training group overall had higher levels of improvement, compared with those in the remaining treatment conditions. In addition, the three groups had significantly different relapse rates over the 9-month study: 13% for the cognitive adaptation training group, 69% for the group in which therapist time and environmental changes were controlled, and 33% for the group who received standard follow-up only. CONCLUSIONS: Compensatory strategies may improve outcomes for patients with schizophrenia.