Aluminum is a ubiquitously abundant nonessential element. Aluminum has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dialysis encephalopathy. Many continue to regard aluminum as controversial although increasing evidence supports the implications of aluminum in the pathogenesis of AD. Aluminum causes the accumulation of tau protein and Aβ protein in the brain of experimental animals. Aluminum induces neuronal apoptosis in vivo and in vitro, either by endoplasmic stress from the unfolded protein response, by mitochondrial dysfunction, or a combination of them. Some, people who are exposed chronically to aluminum, either from through water and/or food, have not shown any AD pathology, apparently because their gastrointestinal barrier is more effective. This article is written keeping in mind mechanisms of action of aluminum neurotoxicity with respect to AD.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

RNA binding proteins support neurodevelopment by modulating numerous steps in post-transcriptional regulation, including splicing, export, translation, and turnover of mRNAs that can traffic into axons and dendrites. One such RBP is ZC3H14, which is lost in an inherited intellectual disability. The Drosophila melanogaster ZC3H14 ortholog, Nab2, localizes to neuronal nuclei and cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules, and is required for olfactory memory and proper axon projection into brain mushroom bodies. Nab2 can act as a translational repressor in conjunction with the Fragile-X mental retardation protein homolog Fmr1 and shares target RNAs with the Fmr1-interacting RBP Ataxin-2. However, neuronal signaling pathways regulated by Nab2 and their potential roles outside of mushroom body axons remain undefined. Here, we present an analysis of a brain proteomic dataset that indicates that multiple planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins are affected by Nab2 loss, and couple this with genetic data that demonstrate that Nab2 has a previously unappreciated role in restricting the growth and branching of dendrites that elaborate from larval body-wall sensory neurons. Further analysis confirms that Nab2 loss sensitizes sensory dendrites to the genetic dose of PCP components, and that Nab2-PCP genetic interactions are also observed during Nab2-dependent control of axon projection in the central nervous system mushroom bodies. Collectively, these data identify the conserved Nab2 RNA binding protein as a likely component of post-transcriptional mechanisms that limit dendrite growth and branching in Drosophila sensory neurons and genetically link this role to the PCP pathway. Given that mammalian ZC3H14 localizes to dendritic spines and controls spine density in hippocampal neurons, these Nab2-PCP genetic data may highlight a conserved path through which Nab2/ZC3H14 loss affects morphogenesis of both axons and dendrites in diverse species.

Liquid crystals are defined as the fourth state of matter forming between solid and liquid states. Earlier the applications of liquid crystals were confined to electronic instruments, but recent research findings suggest multiple applications of liquid crystals in biology and medicine. Here, the purpose of this review article is to discuss the potential biological impacts of liquid crystals in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer along with the risk assessment. In this review, we also discussed the recent advances of liquid crystals in cancer biomarker detection and treatment in multiple cell line models. Cases reviewed here will demonstrate that cancer diagnostics based on the multidisciplinary technology and intriguingly utilization of liquid crystals may become an alternative to regular cancer detection methodologies. Additionally, we discussed the formidable challenges and problems in applying liquid crystal technologies. Solving these problems will require great effort and the way forward is through the multidisciplinary collaboration of physicists, biologists, chemists, material-scientists, clinicians, and engineers. The triumphant outcome of these liquid crystals and their applications in cancer research would be convenient testing for the detection of cancer and may result in treating the cancer patients non-invasively.

Mutations in the gene encoding the ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein ZC3H14 result in a non-syndromic form of autosomal recessive intellectual disability in humans. Studies in Drosophila have defined roles for the ZC3H14 ortholog, Nab2 (aka Drosophila Nab2 or dNab2), in axon guidance and memory due in part to interaction with a second RNA-binding protein, the fly Fragile X homolog Fmr1, and coregulation of shared Nab2-Fmr1 target mRNAs. Despite these advances, neurodevelopmental mechanisms that underlie defective axonogenesis in Nab2 mutants remain undefined. Nab2 null phenotypes in the brain mushroom bodies (MBs) resemble defects caused by alleles that disrupt the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which regulates planar orientation of static and motile cells via a non-canonical arm of the Wnt/Wg pathway. A kinked bristle phenotype in surviving Nab2 mutant adults additionally suggests a defect in F-actin polymerization and bundling, a PCP-regulated processes. To test for Nab2-PCP genetic interactions, a collection of PCP mutant alleles was screened for modification of a rough-eye phenotype produced by Nab2 overexpression in the eye (GMR>Nab2) and, subsequently, for modification of a viability defect among Nab2 nulls. Multiple PCP alleles dominantly modify GMR>Nab2 eye roughening and a subset rescue low survival and thoracic bristle kinking in Nab2 zygotic nulls. Collectively, these genetic interactions identify the PCP pathway as a potential target of the Nab2 RNA-binding protein in developing eye and wing tissues and suggest that PCP signaling could contribute to neurological defects that result from loss of Drosophila Nab2 or its vertebrate ortholog ZC3H14.

Nab2 encodes the Drosophila melanogaster member of a conserved family of zinc finger polyadenosine RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) linked to multiple steps in post-transcriptional regulation. Mutation of the Nab2 human ortholog ZC3H14 gives rise to an autosomal recessive intellectual disability but understanding of Nab2/ZC3H14 function in metazoan nervous systems is limited, in part because no comprehensive identification of metazoan Nab2/ZC3H14-associated RNA transcripts has yet been conducted. Moreover, many Nab2/ZC3H14 functional protein partnerships remain unidentified. Here, we present evidence that Nab2 genetically interacts with Ataxin-2 (Atx2), which encodes a neuronal translational regulator, and that these factors coordinately regulate neuronal morphology, circadian behavior, and adult viability. We then present the first high-throughput identifications of Nab2- and Atx2-associated RNAs in Drosophila brain neurons using RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-Seq). Critically, the RNA interactomes of each RBP overlap, and Nab2 exhibits high specificity in its RNA associations in neurons in vivo, associating with a small fraction of all polyadenylated RNAs. The identities of shared associated transcripts (e.g., drk, me31B, stai) and of transcripts specific to Nab2 or Atx2 (e.g., Arpc2 and tea) promise insight into neuronal functions of, and genetic interactions between, each RBP. Consistent with prior biochemical studies, Nab2-associated neuronal RNAs are overrepresented for internal A-rich motifs, suggesting these sequences may partially mediate Nab2 target selection. These data support a model where Nab2 functionally opposes Atx2 in neurons, demonstrate Nab2 shares associated neuronal RNAs with Atx2, and reveal Drosophila Nab2 associates with a more specific subset of polyadenylated mRNAs than its polyadenosine affinity alone may suggest.

Running title: Nab2 interacts with planar cell polarity factors in Drosophila 34 35 ABSTRACT 46 Mutations in the gene encoding the ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein ZC3H14 result in a 47 non-syndromic form of autosomal recessive intellectual disability. Studies in Drosophila have defined 48 roles for the ZC3H14 ortholog, Nab2 (aka Drosophila Nab2 or dNab2), in axon guidance and memory 49 due in part to interaction with a second RNA-binding protein, the fly Fragile X homolog Fmr1, and 50 coregulation of shared Nab2-Fmr1 target mRNAs. Despite these advances, neurodevelopmental 51 pathways regulated by Nab2 remain poorly defined. Structural defects in Nab2 null brains resemble 52 defects observed upon disruption of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which regulates planar 53 orientation of static and motile cells. A kinked bristle phenotype in surviving Nab2 mutant adults 54 additionally suggests a defect in F-actin polymerization and bundling, which is also a PCP-regulated 55 processes. To test for Nab2-PCP genetic interactions, a collection of PCP loss-of-function alleles was 56 screened for modification of a rough-eye phenotype produced by Nab2 overexpression in the eye 57 (GMR-Nab2) and subsequently for modification of Nab2 null phenotypes. Multiple PCP alleles 58 dominantly modify GMR-Nab2 eye roughening and a subset of these alleles also rescue low survival 59 and thoracic bristle kinking in Nab2 zygotic nulls. Moreover, alleles of two X-linked PCP factors, 60 dishevelled (dsh) and β amyloid protein precursor-like (Appl), rescue GMR-Nab2 eye roughening in 61 male progeny derived from hemizygous dsh or Appl mutant fathers, suggesting an additional effect 62 inherited through the male germline. These findings demonstrate a consistent pattern of Nab2-PCP 63 genetic interactions that suggest molecular links between Nab2 and the PCP pathway in the developing 64 eye, wing and germline. 65 66 67 68 3 69 70 Mutations in genes that encode RNA-binding proteins often lead to tissue-specific disease pathology, 71 particularly within the brain and nervous system (reviewed in CASTELLO et al. 2013). Inactivating 72 mutations in the human ZC3H14 gene, which encodes a ubiquitously expressed zinc-finger, poly(A) 73 RNA-binding protein, are linked to a monogenic form of non-syndromic autosomal recessive 74 intellectual disability (reviewed in FASKEN et al. 2019). The ZC3H14 protein and its homologs in the 75 budding yeast S. cerevisiae and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Nab2 in both species) interact with 76 A-rich motifs in RNAs and restrict the length of mRNA polyadenosine (poly(A)) tails. Phenotypes 77 associated with loss of Nab2/ZC3H14 are thus predicted to arise due to defects in post-transcriptional 78 control mechanisms that involve poly(A)-dependent mRNA processing and nuclear export, stability, 79 localization, and/or translation.80Studies in Drosophila indicate that Nab2/ZC3H14 share a conserved and necessary function in 81 brain neurons (PAK et al. 2011; KELLY et al. 2014). Neuron-specific Na...

Drosophila encodes a conserved polyadenosine RNA-binding protein (RBP) with broad roles in post-transcriptional regulation, including in poly(A) RNA export, poly(A) tail length control, transcription termination, and mRNA splicing. Mutation of the Drosophila human ortholog ZC3H14 gives rise to an autosomal recessive intellectual disability, but understanding of Nab2/ZC3H14 function in metazoan nervous systems is limited, in part because no comprehensive identification of metazoan Nab2/ZC3H14-associated RNA transcripts has yet been conducted. Moreover, many Nab2/ZC3H14 functional protein partnerships likely remain unidentified. Here we present evidence that Drosophila melanogaster Nab2 interacts with the RBP Ataxin-2 (Atx2), a neuronal translational regulator, and implicate these proteins in coordinate regulation of neuronal morphology and adult viability. We then present the first high-throughput identifications of Nab2- and Atx2-associated RNAs in Drosophila brain neurons using an RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-Seq) approach. Critically, the RNA interactomes of each RBP overlap, and Nab2 exhibits high specificity in its RNA associations in neurons in vivo, associating with a small fraction of all polyadenylated RNAs. The identities of shared associated transcripts (e.g. drk, me31B, stai) and of transcripts specific to Nab2 or Atx2 (e.g. Arpc2, tea, respectively) promise insight into neuronal functions of and interactions between each RBP. Significantly, Nab2-associated RNAs are overrepresented for internal A-rich motifs, suggesting these sequences may partially mediate Nab2 target selection. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Nab2 opposingly regulates neuronal morphology and shares associated neuronal RNAs with Atx2, and that Drosophila Nab2 associates with a more specific subset of polyadenylated mRNAs than its polyadenosine affinity alone may suggest.