The Importance of Well-Being on Resiliency of Filipino Adults During the COVID-19 Enhanced Community Quarantine: A Necessary Condition Analysis.

Nation-wide community quarantines and social distancing are part of the new normal because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since extensive and prolonged lockdowns are relatively novel experiences, not much is known about the well-being of individuals in such extreme situations. This research effort investigated the relationship between well-being elements and resiliency of 533 Filipino adults who were placed under the nationwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants comprised of 376 females (70.56%) and 157 males (29.45%). The median and mode ages of the participants is 23 years, while 25 is the mean age. PERMA Profiler was used to measure participants' well-being elements, while Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) was used to measure their resiliency. Collected data were analyzed using the regression model and necessary condition analysis. This study corroborated that all the five pillars of well-being are significant positive correlates of resiliency (p < 0.00) in quarantined adults. The results shown accomplishment (ß = 0.447, p < 0.01) positively predicts resiliency, while negative emotions (ß = -0.171, p < 0.00) negatively predict resiliency. Lastly, the five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions (ceiling envelopment with free disposal hull, CE-FDH p < 0.00) of resiliency. Our results cast a new light on well-being elements as constraints rather than enablers of resiliency. This novel result shows that optimum resiliency is only possible when all the five pillars of well-being are taken care of and when a person is at least minimally contented with their physical health. The present findings underscore the importance of a holistic as against an atomistic approach to maintaining good mental health, which suggests that deficiencies in certain areas of well-being may not be fully addressed by overcompensating on other areas, as all five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions of resiliency. The study ends with the recommendation for the use of necessary condition analysis to study both classical and novel psychological research problems.

High-resolution melting analysis (HRM) for mutational screening of Dnajc17 gene in patients affected by thyroid dysgenesis.

BACKGROUND: Congenital hypothyroidism is a frequent disease occurring with an incidence of about 1/1500 newborns/year. In about 75% of the cases, CH is caused by alterations in thyroid morphogenesis, defined "thyroid dysgenesis" (TD). TD is generally a sporadic disease but in about 5% of the cases a genetic origin has been demonstrated. Previous studies indicate that Dnajc17 as a candidate modifier gene for hypothyroidism, since it is expressed in the thyroid bud, interacts with NKX2.1 and PAX8 and it has been associated to the hypothyroid phenotype in mice carrying a single Nkx2.1 and Pax8 genes (double heterozygous knock-out). PURPOSE: The work evaluates the possible involvement of DNAJC17 in the pathogenesis of TD. METHODS: High-resolution DNA melting analysis (HRM) and direct sequencing have been used to screen for mutations in the DNAJC17 coding sequence in 89 patients with TD. RESULTS: Two mutations have been identified in the coding sequence of DNAJC17 gene, one in exon 5 (c.350A>C; rs79709714) and one in exon 9 (c.610G>C; rs117485355). The last one is a rare variant, while the rs79709714 is a polymorphism. Both are present in databases and the frequency of the alleles is not different between TD patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: DNAJC17 mutations are not frequently present in patients with TD.

TFII-I, a candidate gene for Williams syndrome cognitive profile: parallels between regional expression in mouse brain and human phenotype.

The gene for TFII-I, a widely expressed transcription factor, has been localized to an interval of human chromosome 7q11.23 that is commonly deleted in Williams syndrome (WS). The clinical phenotype of WS includes elfin facies, infantile hypercalcemia, supravalvular aortic stenosis, hyperacusis and mental retardation. The WS cognitive profile (WSCP) is notable for the differential impairment of visual-spatial abilities with relative sparing of verbal-linguistic function. Fine mapping of individuals with WS has revealed a close association between deletion of TFII-I and the WSCP. To determine the plausibility of the hypothesis that hemizygous deletion of TFII-I contributes to the WSCP, we have examined the anatomic distribution of TFII-I RNA and protein isoforms in brains from adult and embryonic mice. Our studies show that early in development, TFII-I expression is widespread and nearly uniform throughout the brain. In adult brain, TFII-I protein is present exclusively in neurons. Highest levels of expression are observed in cerebellar Purkinje cells and in hippocampal interneurons. TFII-I immunoreactivity is distinct from that of the related protein, TFII-IRD1, which is also localized to the region of human chromosome 7 deleted in WS. The expression pattern of TFII-I in mouse brain parallels regions in human brain which have been shown to be anatomically and functionally altered in humans with WS. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that deletion of the gene for TFII-I contributes to the cognitive impairments observed in WS.

Rag-1 mutations associated with B-cell-negative scid dissociate the nicking and transesterification steps of V(D)J recombination.

Some patients with B-cell-negative severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) carry mutations in RAG-1 or RAG-2 that impair V(D)J recombination. Two recessive RAG-1 mutations responsible for B-cell-negative SCID, R621H and E719K, impair V(D)J recombination without affecting formation of single-site recombination signal sequence complexes, specific DNA contacts, or perturbation of DNA structure at the heptamer-coding junction. The E719K mutation impairs DNA cleavage by the RAG complex, with a greater effect on nicking than on transesterification; a conservative glutamine substitution exhibits a similar effect. When cysteine is substituted for E719, RAG-1 activity is enhanced in Mn(2+) but remains impaired in Mg(2+), suggesting an interaction between this residue and an essential metal ion. The R621H mutation partially impairs nicking, with little effect on transesterification. The residual nicking activity of the R621H mutant is reduced at least 10-fold upon a change from pH 7.0 to pH 8.4. Site-specific nicking is severely impaired by an alanine substitution at R621 but is spared by substitution with lysine. These observations are consistent with involvement of a positively charged residue at position 621 in the nicking step of the RAG-mediated cleavage reaction. Our data provide a mechanistic explanation for one form of hereditary SCID. Moreover, while RAG-1 is directly involved in catalysis of both nicking and transesterification, our observations indicate that these two steps have distinct catalytic requirements.

Identification of phosphorylation sites for Bruton's tyrosine kinase within the transcriptional regulator BAP/TFII-I.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), a member of the Tec family of cytosolic kinases, is essential for B cell development and function. BAP/TFII-I, a protein implicated in transcriptional regulation, is associated with Btk in B cells and is transiently phosphorylated on tyrosine following B cell receptor engagement. BAP/TFII-I is a substrate for Btk in vitro and is hyperphosphorylated on tyrosine upon coexpression with Btk in mammalian cells. In an effort to understand the physiologic consequences of BAP/TFII-I tyrosine phosphorylation following B cell receptor stimulation, site-directed mutagenesis and phosphopeptide mapping were used to locate the predominant sites of BAP/TFII-I phosphorylation by Btk in vitro. These residues, Tyr248, Tyr357, and Tyr462, were also found to be the major sites for Btk-dependent phosphorylation of BAP/TFII-I in vivo. Residues Tyr357 and Tyr462 are contained within the loop regions of adjacent helix-loop-helix-like repeats within BAP/TFII-I. Mutation of either Tyr248, Tyr357, or Tyr462 to phenylalanine reduced transcription from a c-fos promoter relative to wild-type BAP/TFII-I in transfected COS-7 cells, consistent with the interpretation that phosphorylation at these sites contributes to transcriptional activation. Phosphorylation of BAP/TFII-I by Btk may link engagement of receptors such as surface immunoglobulin to modulation of gene expression.

Synergistic activity of STAT3 and c-Jun at a specific array of DNA elements in the alpha 2-macroglobulin promoter.

The transcriptional activity of natural promoters is sensitive to the precise spatial arrangement of DNA elements and their incorporation into higher order DNA-protein complexes. STAT3 and c-Jun form a specific ternary complex in vitro with a synthetic DNA element containing AP1 and SIE sites. These associations are critical for synergistic activation of transcription from a synthetic promoter by STAT3 and c-Jun. Expression of the acute phase protein alpha(2)-macroglobulin is induced in vivo by interleukin-6 (IL-6)-related cytokines; we demonstrate that coordinate interactions among STAT3, c-Jun, and a specific array of DNA elements contribute to activation of the alpha(2)-macroglobulin promoter in response to IL-6 family members. At least five promoter elements are involved in activation: two AP1 sites at -113 to -107 and -152 to -140, an acute phase response element (APRE (SIE)) at -171 to -163, and two AT-rich regions at -143 to -138 and -128 to -123. Synergism between STAT3 or STAT3-C and c-Jun is impaired by mutation of the APRE (SIE) or either AP1 site, as well as by mutations that alter the AT-rich regions or their phasing. Mutations of STAT3 previously shown to disrupt physical and functional interactions with c-Jun do not impair synergy between STAT3-C and c-Jun at the alpha(2)-macroglobulin promoter in HepG2 cells, suggesting that STAT3-C and STAT3 differ with respect to their precise contacts with c-Jun.

The B-cell-specific Src-family kinase Blk is dispensable for B-cell development and activation.

The B-cell lymphocyte kinase (Blk) is a src-family protein tyrosine kinase specifically expressed in B-lineage cells of mice. The early onset of Blk expression during B-cell development in the bone marrow and the high expression levels of Blk in mature B cells suggest a possible important role of Blk in B-cell physiology. To study the in vivo function of Blk, mice homozygous for the targeted disruption of the blk gene were generated. In homozygous mutant mice, neither blk mRNA nor Blk protein is expressed. Despite the absence of Blk, the development, in vitro activation, and humoral immune responses of B cells to T-cell-dependent and -independent antigens are unaltered. These data are consistent with functional redundancy of Blk in B-cell development and immune responses.

RAG-2 promotes heptamer occupancy by RAG-1 in the assembly of a V(D)J initiation complex.

V(D)J recombination occurs at recombination signal sequences (RSSs) containing conserved heptamer and nonamer elements. RAG-1 and RAG-2 initiate recombination by cleaving DNA between heptamers and antigen receptor coding segments. RAG-1 alone contacts the nonamer but interacts weakly, if at all, with the heptamer. RAG-2 by itself has no DNA-binding activity but promotes heptamer occupancy in the presence of RAG-1; how RAG-2 collaborates with RAG-1 has been poorly understood. Here we examine the composition of RAG-RSS complexes and the relative contributions of RAG-1 and RAG-2 to heptamer binding. RAG-1 exists as a dimer in complexes with an isolated RSS bearing a 12-bp spacer, regardless of whether RAG-2 is present; only a single subunit of RAG-1, however, participates in nonamer binding. In contrast, multimeric RAG-2 is not detectable by electrophoretic mobility shift assays in complexes containing both RAG proteins. DNA-protein photo-cross-linking demonstrates that heptamer contacts, while enhanced by RAG-2, are mediated primarily by RAG-1. RAG-2 cross-linking, while less efficient than that of RAG-1, is detectable near the heptamer-coding junction. These observations provide evidence that RAG-2 alters the conformation or orientation of RAG-1, thereby stabilizing interactions of RAG-1 with the heptamer, and suggest that both proteins interact with the RSS near the site of cleavage.

Cyclin A/CDK2 regulates V(D)J recombination by coordinating RAG-2 accumulation and DNA repair.

Accumulation of the V(D)J recombinase protein RAG-2 is restricted to G0/G1 cells by phosphorylation-mediated degradation at the G1-S boundary. Here cyclin A/CDK2 is shown to oppose RAG-2 accumulation; conversely, RAG-2 is induced by p27Kip1 and related CDK inhibitors. Coinduction of RAG-2 and G1 delay by p27Kip1 is accompanied by strong stimulation of V(D)J recombination. Unexpectedly, induction of RAG-2 accumulation in the absence of G1 delay has no effect on recombination frequency. p27Kip1 may stimulate V(D)J recombination by coordinating accumulation of RAG-2 with prolongation of G1, when nonhomologous end joining is preferentially active. Consistent with this, enforced expression of RAG-2 throughout cell cycle is associated with accumulation of aberrant recombination products reminiscent of those formed in the absence of nonhomologous end joining.

V(D)J recombination signal recognition: distinct, overlapping DNA-protein contacts in complexes containing RAG1 with and without RAG2.

Protein interactions with V(D)J recombination signal sequences (RSSs) were mapped in complexes containing RAG1 with (M1/2) or without (M1) RAG2. In both complexes, RAG interactions with the DNA backbone are biased toward one side of the helix; nonamer contacts resemble those of Hin with hixL. In the M1 complex, DNA contacts are centered on the nonamer. In the M1/2 complex, protein-RSS interactions extend through the spacer and into the nonamer-proximal portion of the heptamer. Chemical modifications near the heptamer-coding junction are overrepresented in the M1/2 complex, providing evidence for perturbation of DNA structure in this region. Thus, while RAG1 alone can bind the nonamer, RAG2 is required for heptamer occupancy.

Malignant transformation of early lymphoid progenitors in mice expressing an activated Blk tyrosine kinase.

The intracellular signals governing cellular proliferation and developmental progression during lymphocyte development are incompletely understood. The tyrosine kinase Blk is expressed preferentially in the B lineage, but its function in B cell development has been largely unexplored. We have generated transgenic mice expressing constitutively active Blk [Blk(Y495F)] in the B and T lymphoid compartments. Expression of Blk(Y495F) in the B lineage at levels similar to that of endogenous Blk induced B lymphoid tumors of limited clonality, whose phenotypes are characteristic of B cell progenitors at the proB/preB-I to preB-II transition. Expression of constitutively active Blk in the T lineage resulted in the appearance of clonal, thymic lymphomas composed of intermediate single positive cells. Taken together, these results indicate that specific B and T cell progenitor subsets are preferentially susceptible to transformation by Blk(Y495F) and suggest a role for Blk in the control of proliferation during B cell development.

RAG-1 and RAG-2-dependent assembly of functional complexes with V(D)J recombination substrates in solution.

V(D)J recombination is initiated by RAG-1 and RAG-2, which introduce double-strand DNA breaks at recombination signal sequences (RSSs) of antigen receptor gene segments to produce signal ends, terminating in blunt, double-strand breaks, and coding ends, terminating in DNA hairpins. While the formation of RAG-RSS complexes has been documented, observations regarding the individual contributions of RAG-1 and RAG-2 to RSS recognition are in conflict. Here we describe an assay for formation and maintenance of functional RAG-RSS complexes in the course of the DNA cleavage reaction. Under conditions of in vitro cleavage, the RAG proteins sequester intact substrate DNA in a stable complex which is formed prior to strand scission. The cleavage reaction subsequently proceeds through nicking and hairpin formation without dissociation of substrate. Notably, the presence of both RAG-1 and RAG-2 is essential for formation of stable, functional complexes with substrate DNA under conditions of the sequestration assay. Two classes of substrate mutation are distinguished by their effects on RAG-mediated DNA cleavage in vitro. A mutation of the first class, residing within the RSS nonamer and associated with coordinate impairment of nicking and hairpin formation, greatly reduces the stability of RAG association with intact substrate DNA. In contrast, a mutation of the second class, lying within the RSS heptamer and associated with selective abolition of hairpin formation, has little or no effect on the half-life of the RAG-substrate complex.

Role of Btk in B cell development and signaling.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), the target of inactivating mutations in X-linked immunodeficiency diseases of mice and humans, is essential for normal B cell responsiveness. Recent studies have outlined a mechanism for the activation of Btk by B cell receptor engagement and have identified proximal and distal targets of Btk action.

Differential effects of B cell receptor and B cell receptor-FcgammaRIIB1 engagement on docking of Csk to GTPase-activating protein (GAP)-associated p62.

The stimulatory and inhibitory pathways initiated by engagement of stimulatory receptors such as the B cell receptor for antigen (BCR) and inhibitory receptors such as Fcgamma receptors of the IIB1 type (FcgammaRIIB1) intersect in ways that are poorly understood at the molecular level. Because the tyrosine kinase Csk is a potential negative regulator of lymphocyte activation, we examined the effects of BCR and FcgammaRIIB1 engagement on the binding of Csk to phosphotyrosine-containing proteins. Stimulation of a B lymphoma cell line, A20, with intact anti-IgG antibody induced a direct, SH2-mediated association between Csk and a 62-kD phosphotyrosine-containing protein that was identified as RasGTPase-activating protein-associated p62 (GAP-A.p62). In contrast, stimulation of A20 cells with anti-IgG F(ab')2 resulted in little increase in the association of Csk with GAP-A.p62. The effect of FcgammaRIIB1 engagement on this association was abolished by blockade of FcgammaRIIB1 with the monoclonal antibody 2.4G2. Furthermore, the increased association between Csk and GAP-A.p62 seen upon stimulation with intact anti-Ig was abrogated in the FcgammaRIIB1-deficient cell line IIA1.6 and recovered when FcgammaRIIB1 expression was restored by transfection. The differential effects of BCR and BCR-FcgammaRIIB1-mediated signaling on the phosphorylation of GAP-A.p62 and its association with Csk suggest that docking of Csk to GAP-A.p62 may function in the negative regulation of antigen receptor-mediated signals in B cells.

The Pax-5 gene is alternatively spliced during B-cell development.

The transcription factor Pax-5 is expressed during the early stages of B-cell differentiation and influences the expression of several B-cell-specific genes. In addition to the existing isoform (Pax-5, which we have named Pax-5a), we have isolated three new isoforms, Pax-5b, Pax-5d, and Pax-5e, from murine spleen and B-lymphoid cell lines using library screenings and polymerase chain reaction amplification. Isoforms Pax-5b and Pax-5e have spliced out their second exon, resulting in proteins with only a partial DNA-binding domain. Isoforms Pax-5d and Pax-5e have deleted the 3'-region, which encodes the transactivating domain, and replaced it with a novel sequence. The existence of alternative Pax-5 transcripts was confirmed using RNase protection assays. Furthermore, Pax-5a and Pax-5b proteins were detected using Western blot analysis. Pax-5a was detectable in pro-, pre-, and mature B-cell lines, but not in two plasmacytomas; Pax-5b was shown to be present at low levels in mature B-cell lines and, unexpectedly, in one plasma cell line, but not in pro-B-cell or T-cell lines. Mobility shift assays showed that in vitro translated Pax-5a and Pax-5d, but not Pax-5b or Pax-5e, could interact with a B-cell-specific activator protein-binding site on the blk promoter. Using this assay, we also showed that Pax-5d was present in nuclear extracts of some (but not all) B-lymphoid lines and interacts with the B-cell-specific activator protein-binding site. The pattern of differential expression of alternatively spliced Pax-5 isoforms suggests that they may be important regulators of transcription during B-cell maturation.

BAP-135, a target for Bruton's tyrosine kinase in response to B cell receptor engagement.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is essential for B cell activation, but downstream targets of Btk have not been defined. We now describe a protein, BAP-135, that is associated with Btk in B cells and is a substrate for phosphorylation by Btk. BAP-135, which exhibits no detectable homology to known proteins, contains six occurrences of a hitherto undescribed amino acid repeat and two motifs, similar to the Src autophosphorylation site, that represent potential targets for tyrosine phosphorylation. The pleckstrin homology domain of Btk comprises the principal site of BAP-135 binding. Btk-dependent phosphorylation of BAP-135 is abolished by mutations that impair activation of Btk by Src-related kinases. Btk and BAP-135 exist in a complex before B cell antigen receptor (BCR) engagement; in response to BCR crosslinking, BAP-135 is transiently phosphorylated on tyrosine. Taken together, these observations suggest that BAP-135 may reside downstream of Btk in a signaling pathway originating at the BCR.

A conserved degradation signal regulates RAG-2 accumulation during cell division and links V(D)J recombination to the cell cycle.

The proteins RAG-1 and RAG-2 are essential for initiation of V(D)J recombination. In dividing cells, RAG-2 accumulates during G1 and is undetectable during the S and G2/M cell cycle phases. A conserved degradation signal, including an essential CDK phosphorylation site at Thr-490, regulates RAG-2 accumulation during cell division and links V(D)J recombination to the cell cycle. Mutations within this signal abolish periodic degradation of RAG-2 protein in dividing cells. In mice expressing endogenous or wild-type transgenic RAG-2, V(D)J recombination intermediates accumulate preferentially in G0/G1 thymocytes; this restriction is relieved by mutation of Thr-490 to alanine (T490A). Thus, periodic destruction of RAG-2 protein couples V(D)J recombination to cell cycle phase. Using transgenic mice expressing the T490A RAG-2 mutant and a functional T cell receptor beta chain, we demonstrate that coupling of V(D)J recombination to the cell cycle is not essential for enforcement of allelic exclusion.

RAG mutations in human B cell-negative SCID.

Patients with human severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be divided into those with B lymphocytes (B+ SCID) and those without (B- SCID). Although several genetic causes are known for B+ SCID, the etiology of B- SCID has not been defined. Six of 14 B- SCID patients tested were found to carry a mutation of the recombinase activating gene 1 (RAG-1), RAG-2, or both. This mutation resulted in a functional inability to form antigen receptors through genetic recombination and links a defect in one of the site-specific recombination systems to a human disease.