PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Liss

Publications and source records attributed to M Liss.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein E1B-AP5 is methylated in its Arg-Gly-Gly (RGG) box and interacts with human arginine methyltransferase HRMT1L1.

The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) family includes predominantly nuclear proteins acting at different stages of mRNA metabolism. A characteristic feature of hnRNPs is to undergo post-translational asymmetric arginine methylation catalysed by different type 1 protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). A novel mammalian hnRNP, E1B-AP5, recently identified by its interaction with adenovirus early protein E1B-55 kDa, has been proposed to have a regulatory role in adenoviral and host-cell mRNA processing/nuclear export [Gabler, Schutt, Groitl, Wolf, Shenk and Dobner (1998) J. Virol. 72, 7960-7971]. Here we report that E1B-AP5 is methylated in vivo in its Arg-Gly-Gly (RGG)-box domain, known to mediate protein-RNA interactions. The activity responsible for E1B-AP5 methylation forms a complex with E1B-AP5 in vivo. The predominant mammalian arginine methyltransferase HRMT1L2 (hPRMT1) did not detectably methylate endogenous E1B-AP5 despite efficiently methylating a recombinant RGG-box domain of E1B-AP5. Using yeast two-hybrid screening we identified HRMT1L1 (PRMT2) as one of the proteins interacting with E1B-AP5. By in situ immunofluorescence we demonstrated that E1B-AP5 co-localizes with the nuclear fraction of HRMT1L1. The Src homology 3 (SH3) domain of HRMT1L1 was essential for its interaction with E1B-AP5 in vivo. We suggest that HRMT1L1 is responsible for specific E1B-AP5 methylation in vivo.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2001

Predictors and correlates of adaptive functioning in children with developmental disorders.

Autism is a developmental disorder marked by impairments in socialization, communication, and perseverative behavior and is associated with cognitive impairment and deficits in adaptive functioning. Research has consistently demonstrated that children with autism have deficits in adaptive functioning more severe than their cognitive deficits. This study investigates the correlates and predictors of adaptive functioning as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales in high- and low-functioning children with autism and their age and nonverbal IQ matched controls. Thirty-five 9-year-old children with high-functioning autism (HAD) were compared with 31 age-matched children with developmental language disorder (DLD), and 40 9-year-old children with low-functioning autism (LAD) were compared with 17 age-matched children with low IQ on adaptive functioning, IQ, autistic symptomology, and tests of language and verbal memory. Results indicate that both groups with autism were significantly impaired compared to their matched controls on Socialization and Daily Living, but not Communication and that these impairments were more pronounced in the HAD group than in the LAD group. Adaptive behavior was strongly correlated with autistic symptomology only in the HAD group. Regression analyses indicated that IQ was strongly predictive of adaptive behavior in both low-functioning groups, but tests of language and verbal memory predicted adaptive behavior in the higher functioning groups. Results suggest that IQ may act as a limiting factor for lower functioning children but higher functioning children are impaired by specific deficits, including autistic symptomology and impaired language and verbal memory.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Executive functioning in high-functioning children with autism.

Executive functioning was investigated in 34 children (24 boys and 10 girls) with developmental language disorder (DLD) and 21 children (18 boys and 3 girls) with high-functioning autistic disorder (HAD) matched on Full Scale IQ, Nonverbal IQ, age (mean age 9 year, 1 month), and SES. The DLD group had a Verbal IQ that was 10 points higher than the HAD group. These children were given the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Mazes subtest from the WISC-R, the Underlining test, and the Rapid Automatized Naming test. In addition, these children were given the Vineland Scales of Adaptive Functioning and the Wing Diagnostic Symptom Checklist in order to assess severity of autistic symptomatology. Results indicated that the only significant difference between the two groups on the cognitive tasks was perseverative errors on the WCST; there was no significant difference on total number of categories achieved or total number of errors on the WCST or on the other executive function measures. There was also significant overlap in the scores between the two groups and the difference in perseverative errors was no longer significant when Verbal IQ was partialled out. Executive functioning was strongly related to all IQ variables in the DLD group and particularly related to Verbal IQ in the HAD group. Although there was a relationship in the HAD group between executive functioning and adaptive functioning, as well as between executive functioning and autistic symptomatology, these relationships were generally no longer significant in the HAD group after the variance due to Verbal IQ was accounted for. The results are interpreted to indicate that although impaired executive functioning is a commonly associated feature of autism, it is not universal in autism and is unlikely to cause autistic behaviors or deficits in adaptive function.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1997

Intron sequences provide a tool for high-resolution phylogenetic analysis of volvocine algae.

Three nuclear spliceosomal introns in conserved locations were amplified and sequenced from 28 strains representing 14 species and 4 genera of volvocalean green algae. Data derived from the three different introns yielded congruent results in nearly all cases. In pairwise comparisons, a spectrum of taxon-specific sequence differences ranging from complete identity to no significant similarity was observed, with the most distantly related organisms lacking any conserved elements apart from exon-intron boundaries and a pyrimidine-rich stretch near the 3' splice site. A metric (SI50), providing a measure of the degree of similarity of any pair of intron sequences, was defined and used to calculate phylogenetic distances between organisms whose introns displayed statistically significant similarities. The rate of sequences divergence in the introns was great enough to provide useful information about relationships among different geographical isolates of a single species, but in most cases was too great to provide reliable guides to relationships above the species level. A substitution rate of approximately 3 x 10(-8) per intron position per year was estimated, which is about 150-fold higher than in nuclear genes encoding rRNA and about 10-fold higher than the synonymous substitution rate in protein-coding regions. Thus, these homologous introns not only provide useful information about intraspecific phylogenetic relationships, but also illustrate the concept that different parts of a gene may be subject to extremely different intensities of selection. The intron data generated here (1) reliably resolve for the first time the relationships among the five most extensively studied strains of Volvox, (2) reveal that two other Volvox species may be more closely related than had previously been suspected, (3) confirm prior evidence that particular isolates of Eudorina elegans and Pleodorina illinoisensis appear to be sibling taxa, and (4) contribute to the resolution of several hitherto unsettled issues in Chlamydomonas taxonomy.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Problems and coping strategies of individuals with traumatic brain injury and their spouses.

A pilot investigation is reported on the problems and coping strategies of 20 married men and 11 married women with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their able-bodied spouses. All injured subjects experienced severe head injury at least one and a half years earlier. A structured, small-group discussion process was used to elicit a prioritized list of problems and a similar list of coping strategies. Individuals with TBI and their spouses identified problems in living as most important; loss of employment and restrictions on autonomy were reported as the most problematic. Men with TBI placed priority on controlling their anger, whereas, women with TBI were concerned with their mood disorders, particularly depression. Women with TBI and able-bodied wives of men with TBI placed high priority on the use of support groups as a coping strategy. Men placed higher priority on individualistic approaches to adjustment, such as suppression of feelings. A number of testable hypotheses resulted from the pilot study.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Traumatic brain injury and marital relationships: a literature review.

This is a review of the research regarding the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the marital relationship. Individuals who have withstood a severe traumatic brain injury usually exhibit a range of cognitive and behavioural disabilities. Typical problems outlined in the research include: attention and concentration deficits, memory and information-processing deficits, judgement and perception difficulties. While these impediments pose problems for community re-integration, they may become sources of difficulty for the spouse. The following report critically examines the literature on the effects of head injury on marital relationships. This research has demonstrated that spouses' reactions to TBI include feelings of anxiety, isolation, and loss. In addition, this literature review shows that there is a dearth of research that has regarded the individual with TBI to be a valid source of information, or has considered women with TBI in a marital situation.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗