es Getting to a New Deal: Guidance for the United States, Europe and Iran By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Brexit in a Historical Context: Pursuing a Global Vision at the Expense of Domestic Harmony? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Human Rights Priorities: An Agenda for Equality and Social Justice By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 19 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Rethinking 'The Economic Consequences of the Peace' By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 25 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Tackling Toxic Air Pollution in Cities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Kazakhstan: Tested by Transition By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 28 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Challenges and Opportunities in the Fight Against Corruption By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 09 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Angola's Business Promise: Evaluating the Progress of Privatization and Other Economic Reforms By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es 20 Years On: Removal of the Ban on LGBTIQ+ Personnel Serving in the UK Armed Forces By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Making Trade Progressive By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Humanitarian Responders in Syria: The White Helmets By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Undercurrents: Episode 46 - Understanding Decolonization, and China’s Response to Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es How Far Does the European Union’s Influence Extend? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 26 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es The Climate Briefing: Episode 1 - What Does Success Look Like At COP26? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es France, the UK and Europe: New Partnerships and Common Challenges By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Security Challenges in the Mediterranean Region By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Undercurrents: Episode 48 - UK Intelligence Agencies, and Paying for Climate Action By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article
es Undercurrents: Episode 49 - EU Responses to COVID-19, and the Politics of Celebrity By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0100 Full Article
es Proteomic Analysis of Salmonella-modified Membranes Reveals Adaptations to Macrophage Hosts [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Systemic infection and proliferation of intracellular pathogens require the biogenesis of a growth-stimulating compartment. The gastrointestinal pathogen Salmonella enterica commonly forms highly dynamic and extensive tubular membrane compartments built from Salmonella-modified membranes (SMMs) in diverse host cells. Although the general mechanism involved in the formation of replication-permissive compartments of S. enterica is well researched, much less is known regarding specific adaptations to different host cell types. Using an affinity-based proteome approach, we explored the composition of SMMs in murine macrophages. The systematic characterization provides a broader landscape of host players to the maturation of Salmonella-containing compartments and reveals core host elements targeted by Salmonella in macrophages as well as epithelial cells. However, we also identified subtle host specific adaptations. Some of these observations, such as the differential involvement of the COPII system, Rab GTPases 2A, 8B, 11 and ER transport proteins Sec61 and Sec22B may explain cell line-dependent variations in the pathophysiology of Salmonella infections. In summary, our system-wide approach demonstrates a hitherto underappreciated impact of the host cell type in the formation of intracellular compartments by Salmonella. Full Article
es Phosphotyrosine-based Phosphoproteomics for Target Identification and Drug Response Prediction in AML Cell Lines [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder arising from hematopoietic myeloid progenitors. Aberrantly activated tyrosine kinases (TK) are involved in leukemogenesis and are associated with poor treatment outcome. Kinase inhibitor (KI) treatment has shown promise in improving patient outcome in AML. However, inhibitor selection for patients is suboptimal. In a preclinical effort to address KI selection, we analyzed a panel of 16 AML cell lines using phosphotyrosine (pY) enrichment-based, label-free phosphoproteomics. The Integrative Inferred Kinase Activity (INKA) algorithm was used to identify hyperphosphorylated, active kinases as candidates for KI treatment, and efficacy of selected KIs was tested. Heterogeneous signaling was observed with between 241 and 2764 phosphopeptides detected per cell line. Of 4853 identified phosphopeptides with 4229 phosphosites, 4459 phosphopeptides (4430 pY) were linked to 3605 class I sites (3525 pY). INKA analysis in single cell lines successfully pinpointed driver kinases (PDGFRA, JAK2, KIT and FLT3) corresponding with activating mutations present in these cell lines. Furthermore, potential receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) drivers, undetected by standard molecular analyses, were identified in four cell lines (FGFR1 in KG-1 and KG-1a, PDGFRA in Kasumi-3, and FLT3 in MM6). These cell lines proved highly sensitive to specific KIs. Six AML cell lines without a clear RTK driver showed evidence of MAPK1/3 activation, indicative of the presence of activating upstream RAS mutations. Importantly, FLT3 phosphorylation was demonstrated in two clinical AML samples with a FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation. Our data show the potential of pY-phosphoproteomics and INKA analysis to provide insight in AML TK signaling and identify hyperactive kinases as potential targets for treatment in AML cell lines. These results warrant future investigation of clinical samples to further our understanding of TK phosphorylation in relation to clinical response in the individual patient. Full Article
es Identification of an Unconventional Subpeptidome Bound to the Behcet's Disease-associated HLA-B*51:01 that is Regulated by Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B*51:01 and endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) are strongly genetically associated with Behcet's disease (BD). Previous studies have defined two subgroups of HLA-B*51 peptidome containing proline (Pro) or alanine (Ala) at position 2 (P2). Little is known about the unconventional non-Pro/Ala2 HLA-B*51-bound peptides. We aimed to study the features of this novel subpeptidome, and investigate its regulation by ERAP1. CRISPR-Cas9 was used to generate an HLA-ABC-triple knockout HeLa cell line (HeLa.ABC-KO), which was subsequently transduced to express HLA-B*51:01 (HeLa.ABC-KO.B51). ERAP1 was silenced using lentiviral shRNA. Peptides bound to HLA-B*51:01 were eluted and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The characteristics of non-Pro/Ala2, Pro2, and Ala2 peptides and their alteration by ERAP1 silencing were investigated. Effects of ERAP1 silencing on cell surface expression of HLA-B*51:01 were studied using flow cytometry. More than 20% of peptides eluted from HLA-B*51:01 lacked Pro or Ala at P2. This unconventional group of HLA-B*51:01-bound peptides was relatively enriched for 8-mers (with relatively fewer 9-mers) compared with the Pro2 and Ala2 subpeptidomes and had similar N-terminal and C-terminal residue usages to Ala2 peptides (with the exception of the less abundant leucine at position ). Knockdown of ERAP1 increased the percentage of non-Pro/Ala2 from 20% to ~40%, increased the percentage of longer (10-mer and 11-mer) peptides eluted from HLA-B*51:01 complexes, and abrogated the predominance of leucine at P1. Interestingly knockdown of ERAP1 altered the length and N-terminal residue usage of non-Ala2&Pro2 and Ala2 but not the Pro2 peptides. Finally, ERAP1 silencing regulated the expression levels of cell surface HLA-B*51 in a cell-type-dependent manner. In conclusion, we have used a novel methodology to identify an unconventional but surprisingly abundant non-Pro/Ala2 HLA-B*51:01 subpeptidome. It is increased by knockdown of ERAP1, a gene affecting the risk of developing BD. This has implications for theories of disease pathogenesis. Full Article
es Discovery of a Redox Thiol Switch: Implications for Cellular Energy Metabolism [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 The redox-based modifications of cysteine residues in proteins regulate their function in many biological processes. The gas molecule H2S has been shown to persulfidate redox sensitive cysteine residues resulting in an H2S-modified proteome known as the sulfhydrome. Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) multiplexing strategies for large-scale proteomic analyses have become increasingly prevalent in detecting cysteine modifications. Here we developed a TMT-based proteomics approach for selectively trapping and tagging cysteine persulfides in the cellular proteomes. We revealed the natural protein sulfhydrome of two human cell lines, and identified insulin as a novel substrate in pancreatic beta cells. Moreover, we showed that under oxidative stress conditions, increased H2S can target enzymes involved in energy metabolism by switching specific cysteine modifications to persulfides. Specifically, we discovered a Redox Thiol Switch, from protein S-glutathioinylation to S-persulfidation (RTSGS). We propose that the RTSGS from S-glutathioinylation to S-persulfidation is a potential mechanism to fine tune cellular energy metabolism in response to different levels of oxidative stress. Full Article
es Quantitative Profiling of the Human Substantia Nigra Proteome from Laser-capture Microdissected FFPE Tissue [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Laser-capture microdissection (LCM) allows the visualization and isolation of morphologically distinct subpopulations of cells from heterogeneous tissue specimens. In combination with formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue it provides a powerful tool for retrospective and clinically relevant studies of tissue proteins in a healthy and diseased context. We first optimized the protocol for efficient LCM analysis of FFPE tissue specimens. The use of SDS containing extraction buffer in combination with the single-pot solid-phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3) digest method gave the best results regarding protein yield and protein/peptide identifications. Microdissected FFPE human substantia nigra tissue samples (~3,000 cells) were then analyzed, using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and LC-MS/MS, resulting in the quantification of >5,600 protein groups. Nigral proteins were classified and analyzed by abundance, showing an enrichment of extracellular exosome and neuron-specific gene ontology (GO) terms among the higher abundance proteins. Comparison of microdissected samples with intact tissue sections, using a label-free shotgun approach, revealed an enrichment of neuronal cell type markers, such as tyrosine hydroxylase and alpha-synuclein, as well as proteins annotated with neuron-specific GO terms. Overall, this study provides a detailed protocol for laser-capture proteomics using FFPE tissue and demonstrates the efficiency of LCM analysis of distinct cell subpopulations for proteomic analysis using low sample amounts. Full Article
es An Improved Boosting to Amplify Signal with Isobaric Labeling (iBASIL) Strategy for Precise Quantitative Single-cell Proteomics [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has great potential for overcoming the limitations of antibody-based immunoassays for antibody-independent, comprehensive, and quantitative proteomic analysis of single cells. Indeed, recent advances in nanoscale sample preparation have enabled effective processing of single cells. In particular, the concept of using boosting/carrier channels in isobaric labeling to increase the sensitivity in MS detection has also been increasingly used for quantitative proteomic analysis of small-sized samples including single cells. However, the full potential of such boosting/carrier approaches has not been significantly explored, nor has the resulting quantitation quality been carefully evaluated. Herein, we have further evaluated and optimized our recent boosting to amplify signal with isobaric labeling (BASIL) approach, originally developed for quantifying phosphorylation in small number of cells, for highly effective analysis of proteins in single cells. This improved BASIL (iBASIL) approach enables reliable quantitative single-cell proteomics analysis with greater proteome coverage by carefully controlling the boosting-to-sample ratio (e.g. in general <100x) and optimizing MS automatic gain control (AGC) and ion injection time settings in MS/MS analysis (e.g. 5E5 and 300 ms, respectively, which is significantly higher than that used in typical bulk analysis). By coupling with a nanodroplet-based single cell preparation (nanoPOTS) platform, iBASIL enabled identification of ~2500 proteins and precise quantification of ~1500 proteins in the analysis of 104 FACS-isolated single cells, with the resulting protein profiles robustly clustering the cells from three different acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. This study highlights the importance of carefully evaluating and optimizing the boosting ratios and MS data acquisition conditions for achieving robust, comprehensive proteomic analysis of single cells. Full Article
es Human Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4-{alpha} Encodes Isoforms with Distinct Transcriptional Functions [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 HNF4α is a nuclear receptor produced as 12 isoforms from two promoters by alternative splicing. To characterize the transcriptional capacities of all 12 HNF4α isoforms, stable lines expressing each isoform were generated. The entire transcriptome associated with each isoform was analyzed as well as their respective interacting proteome. Major differences were noted in the transcriptional function of these isoforms. The α1 and α2 isoforms were the strongest regulators of gene expression whereas the α3 isoform exhibited significantly reduced activity. The α4, α5, and α6 isoforms, which use an alternative first exon, were characterized for the first time, and showed a greatly reduced transcriptional potential with an inability to recognize the consensus response element of HNF4α. Several transcription factors and coregulators were identified as potential specific partners for certain HNF4α isoforms. An analysis integrating the vast amount of omics data enabled the identification of transcriptional regulatory mechanisms specific to certain HNF4α isoforms, hence demonstrating the importance of considering all isoforms given their seemingly diverse functions. Full Article
es The Secretome Profiling of a Pediatric Airway Epithelium Infected with hRSV Identified Aberrant Apical/Basolateral Trafficking and Novel Immune Modulating (CXCL6, CXCL16, CSF3) and Antiviral (CEACAM1) Proteins [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 The respiratory epithelium comprises polarized cells at the interface between the environment and airway tissues. Polarized apical and basolateral protein secretions are a feature of airway epithelium homeostasis. Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is a major human pathogen that primarily targets the respiratory epithelium. However, the consequences of hRSV infection on epithelium secretome polarity and content remain poorly understood. To investigate the hRSV-associated apical and basolateral secretomes, a proteomics approach was combined with an ex vivo pediatric human airway epithelial (HAE) model of hRSV infection (data are available via ProteomeXchange and can be accessed at https://www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/ with identifier PXD013661). Following infection, a skewing of apical/basolateral abundance ratios was identified for several individual proteins. Novel modulators of neutrophil and lymphocyte activation (CXCL6, CSF3, SECTM1 or CXCL16), and antiviral proteins (BST2 or CEACAM1) were detected in infected, but not in uninfected cultures. Importantly, CXCL6, CXCL16, CSF3 were also detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) from hRSV-infected infants but not healthy controls. Furthermore, the antiviral activity of CEACAM1 against RSV was confirmed in vitro using BEAS-2B cells. hRSV infection disrupted the polarity of the pediatric respiratory epithelial secretome and was associated with immune modulating proteins (CXCL6, CXCL16, CSF3) never linked with this virus before. In addition, the antiviral activity of CEACAM1 against hRSV had also never been previously characterized. This study, therefore, provides novel insights into RSV pathogenesis and endogenous antiviral responses in pediatric airway epithelium. Full Article
es Decreased Immunoglobulin G Core Fucosylation, A Player in Antibody-dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity, is Associated with Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are the most common group of autoimmune diseases, associated with lymphocyte infiltration and the production of thyroid autoantibodies, like thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), in the thyroid gland. Immunoglobulins and cell-surface receptors are glycoproteins with distinctive glycosylation patterns that play a structural role in maintaining and modulating their functions. We investigated associations of total circulating IgG and peripheral blood mononuclear cells glycosylation with AITD and the influence of genetic background in a case-control study with several independent cohorts and over 3,000 individuals in total. The study revealed an inverse association of IgG core fucosylation with TPOAb and AITD, as well as decreased peripheral blood mononuclear cells antennary α1,2 fucosylation in AITD, but no shared genetic variance between AITD and glycosylation. These data suggest that the decreased level of IgG core fucosylation is a risk factor for AITD that promotes antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity previously associated with TPOAb levels. Full Article
es Proximity Dependent Biotinylation: Key Enzymes and Adaptation to Proteomics Approaches [Reviews] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 The study of protein subcellular distribution, their assembly into complexes and the set of proteins with which they interact with is essential to our understanding of fundamental biological processes. Complementary to traditional assays, proximity-dependent biotinylation (PDB) approaches coupled with mass spectrometry (such as BioID or APEX) have emerged as powerful techniques to study proximal protein interactions and the subcellular proteome in the context of living cells and organisms. Since their introduction in 2012, PDB approaches have been used in an increasing number of studies and the enzymes themselves have been subjected to intensive optimization. How these enzymes have been optimized and considerations for their use in proteomics experiments are important questions. Here, we review the structural diversity and mechanisms of the two main classes of PDB enzymes: the biotin protein ligases (BioID) and the peroxidases (APEX). We describe the engineering of these enzymes for PDB and review emerging applications, including the development of PDB for coincidence detection (split-PDB). Lastly, we briefly review enzyme selection and experimental design guidelines and reflect on the labeling chemistries and their implication for data interpretation. Full Article
es Profiling Cell Signaling Networks at Single-cell Resolution [Reviews] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:26-07:00 Signaling networks process intra- and extracellular information to modulate the functions of a cell. Deregulation of signaling networks results in abnormal cellular physiological states and often drives diseases. Network responses to a stimulus or a drug treatment can be highly heterogeneous across cells in a tissue because of many sources of cellular genetic and non-genetic variance. Signaling network heterogeneity is the key to many biological processes, such as cell differentiation and drug resistance. Only recently, the emergence of multiplexed single-cell measurement technologies has made it possible to evaluate this heterogeneity. In this review, we categorize currently established single-cell signaling network profiling approaches by their methodology, coverage, and application, and we discuss the advantages and limitations of each type of technology. We also describe the available computational tools for network characterization using single-cell data and discuss potential confounding factors that need to be considered in single-cell signaling network analyses. Full Article
es X-ray structures of catalytic intermediates of cytochrome c oxidase provide insights into its O2 activation and unidirectional proton-pump mechanisms [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-24T06:08:45-07:00 Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) reduces O2 to water, coupled with a proton-pumping process. The structure of the O2-reduction site of CcO contains two reducing equivalents, Fea32+ and CuB1+, and suggests that a peroxide-bound state (Fea33+–O−–O−–CuB2+) rather than an O2-bound state (Fea32+–O2) is the initial catalytic intermediate. Unexpectedly, however, resonance Raman spectroscopy results have shown that the initial intermediate is Fea32+–O2, whereas Fea33+–O−–O−–CuB2+ is undetectable. Based on X-ray structures of static noncatalytic CcO forms and mutation analyses for bovine CcO, a proton-pumping mechanism has been proposed. It involves a proton-conducting pathway (the H-pathway) comprising a tandem hydrogen-bond network and a water channel located between the N- and P-side surfaces. However, a system for unidirectional proton-transport has not been experimentally identified. Here, an essentially identical X-ray structure for the two catalytic intermediates (P and F) of bovine CcO was determined at 1.8 Å resolution. A 1.70 Å Fe–O distance of the ferryl center could best be described as Fea34+ = O2−, not as Fea34+–OH−. The distance suggests an ∼800-cm−1 Raman stretching band. We found an interstitial water molecule that could trigger a rapid proton-coupled electron transfer from tyrosine-OH to the slowly forming Fea33+–O−–O−–CuB2+ state, preventing its detection, consistent with the unexpected Raman results. The H-pathway structures of both intermediates indicated that during proton-pumping from the hydrogen-bond network to the P-side, a transmembrane helix closes the water channel connecting the N-side with the hydrogen-bond network, facilitating unidirectional proton-pumping during the P-to-F transition. Full Article
es Biophysical characterization of SARAH domain-mediated multimerization of Hippo pathway complexes in Drosophila [Signal Transduction] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 Hippo pathway signaling limits cell growth and proliferation and maintains the stem-cell niche. These cellular events result from the coordinated activity of a core kinase cassette that is regulated, in part, by interactions involving Hippo, Salvador, and dRassF. These interactions are mediated by a conserved coiled-coil domain, termed SARAH, in each of these proteins. SARAH domain–mediated homodimerization of Hippo kinase leads to autophosphorylation and activation. Paradoxically, SARAH domain–mediated heterodimerization between Hippo and Salvador enhances Hippo kinase activity in cells, whereas complex formation with dRassF inhibits it. To better understand the mechanism by which each complex distinctly modulates Hippo kinase and pathway activity, here we biophysically characterized the entire suite of SARAH domain–mediated complexes. We purified the three SARAH domains from Drosophila melanogaster and performed an unbiased pulldown assay to identify all possible interactions, revealing that isolated SARAH domains are sufficient to recapitulate the cellular assemblies and that Hippo is a universal binding partner. Additionally, we found that the Salvador SARAH domain homodimerizes and demonstrate that this interaction is conserved in Salvador's mammalian homolog. Using native MS, we show that each of these complexes is dimeric in solution. We also measured the stability of each SARAH domain complex, finding that despite similarities at both the sequence and structural levels, SARAH domain complexes differ in stability. The identity, stoichiometry, and stability of these interactions characterized here comprehensively reveal the nature of SARAH domain–mediated complex formation and provide mechanistic insights into how SARAH domain–mediated interactions influence Hippo pathway activity. Full Article
es Atomic force microscopy-based characterization of the interaction of PriA helicase with stalled DNA replication forks [DNA and Chromosomes] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 In bacteria, the restart of stalled DNA replication forks requires the DNA helicase PriA. PriA can recognize and remodel abandoned DNA replication forks, unwind DNA in the 3'-to-5' direction, and facilitate the loading of the helicase DnaB onto the DNA to restart replication. Single-stranded DNA–binding protein (SSB) is typically present at the abandoned forks, but it is unclear how SSB and PriA interact, although it has been shown that the two proteins interact both physically and functionally. Here, we used atomic force microscopy to visualize the interaction of PriA with DNA substrates with or without SSB. These experiments were done in the absence of ATP to delineate the substrate recognition pattern of PriA before its ATP-catalyzed DNA-unwinding reaction. These analyses revealed that in the absence of SSB, PriA binds preferentially to a fork substrate with a gap in the leading strand. Such a preference has not been observed for 5'- and 3'-tailed duplexes, suggesting that it is the fork structure that plays an essential role in PriA's selection of DNA substrates. Furthermore, we found that in the absence of SSB, PriA binds exclusively to the fork regions of the DNA substrates. In contrast, fork-bound SSB loads PriA onto the duplex DNA arms of forks, suggesting a remodeling of PriA by SSB. We also demonstrate that the remodeling of PriA requires a functional C-terminal domain of SSB. In summary, our atomic force microscopy analyses reveal key details in the interactions between PriA and stalled DNA replication forks with or without SSB. Full Article
es Structure-based discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The rapid emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains poses a major threat to public health. MRSA possesses an arsenal of secreted host-damaging virulence factors that mediate pathogenicity and blunt immune defenses. Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and α-toxin are exotoxins that create lytic pores in the host cell membrane. They are recognized as being important for the development of invasive MRSA infections and are thus potential targets for antivirulence therapies. Here, we report the high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of both PVL and α-toxin in their soluble, monomeric, and oligomeric membrane-inserted pore states in complex with n-tetradecylphosphocholine (C14PC). The structures revealed two evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylcholine-binding mechanisms and their roles in modulating host cell attachment, oligomer assembly, and membrane perforation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the soluble C14PC compound protects primary human immune cells in vitro against cytolysis by PVL and α-toxin and hence may serve as the basis for the development of an antivirulence agent for managing MRSA infections. Full Article
es Tracking isotopically labeled oxidants using boronate-based redox probes [Methods and Resources] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been implicated in many biological processes and diseases, including immune responses, cardiovascular dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and cancer. These chemical species are short-lived in biological settings, and detecting them in these conditions and diseases requires the use of molecular probes that form stable, easily detectable, products. The chemical mechanisms and limitations of many of the currently used probes are not well-understood, hampering their effective applications. Boronates have emerged as a class of probes for the detection of nucleophilic two-electron oxidants. Here, we report the results of an oxygen-18–labeling MS study to identify the origin of oxygen atoms in the oxidation products of phenylboronate targeted to mitochondria. We demonstrate that boronate oxidation by hydrogen peroxide, peroxymonocarbonate, hypochlorite, or peroxynitrite involves the incorporation of oxygen atoms from these oxidants. We therefore conclude that boronates can be used as probes to track isotopically labeled oxidants. This suggests that the detection of specific products formed from these redox probes could enable precise identification of oxidants formed in biological systems. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding the mechanism of conversion of the boronate-based redox probes to oxidant-specific products. Full Article
es Crystallographic and kinetic analyses of the FdsBG subcomplex of the cytosolic formate dehydrogenase FdsABG from Cupriavidus necator [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Formate oxidation to carbon dioxide is a key reaction in one-carbon compound metabolism, and its reverse reaction represents the first step in carbon assimilation in the acetogenic and methanogenic branches of many anaerobic organisms. The molybdenum-containing dehydrogenase FdsABG is a soluble NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenase and a member of the NADH dehydrogenase superfamily. Here, we present the first structure of the FdsBG subcomplex of the cytosolic FdsABG formate dehydrogenase from the hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium Cupriavidus necator H16 both with and without bound NADH. The structures revealed that the two iron-sulfur clusters, Fe4S4 in FdsB and Fe2S2 in FdsG, are closer to the FMN than they are in other NADH dehydrogenases. Rapid kinetic studies and EPR measurements of rapid freeze-quenched samples of the NADH reduction of FdsBG identified a neutral flavin semiquinone, FMNH•, not previously observed to participate in NADH-mediated reduction of the FdsABG holoenzyme. We found that this semiquinone forms through the transfer of one electron from the fully reduced FMNH−, initially formed via NADH-mediated reduction, to the Fe2S2 cluster. This Fe2S2 cluster is not part of the on-path chain of iron-sulfur clusters connecting the FMN of FdsB with the active-site molybdenum center of FdsA. According to the NADH-bound structure, the nicotinamide ring stacks onto the re-face of the FMN. However, NADH binding significantly reduced the electron density for the isoalloxazine ring of FMN and induced a conformational change in residues of the FMN-binding pocket that display peptide-bond flipping upon NAD+ binding in proper NADH dehydrogenases. Full Article
es Quantification of the affinities of CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases for cognate protospacer adȷacent motif (PAM) sequences [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 The CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases have been widely applied for genome editing in various organisms. Cas9 nucleases complexed with a guide RNA (Cas9–gRNA) find their targets by scanning and interrogating the genomic DNA for sequences complementary to the gRNA. Recognition of the DNA target sequence requires a short protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) located outside this sequence. Given that the efficiency of target location may depend on the strength of interactions that promote target recognition, here we sought to compare affinities of different Cas9 nucleases for their cognate PAM sequences. To this end, we measured affinities of Cas9 nucleases from Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Francisella novicida complexed with guide RNAs (gRNAs) (SpCas9–gRNA, SaCas9–gRNA, and FnCas9–gRNA, respectively) and of three engineered SpCas9–gRNA variants with altered PAM specificities for short, PAM-containing DNA probes. We used a “beacon” assay that measures the relative affinities of DNA probes by determining their ability to competitively affect the rate of Cas9–gRNA binding to fluorescently labeled target DNA derivatives called “Cas9 beacons.” We observed significant differences in the affinities for cognate PAM sequences among the studied Cas9 enzymes. The relative affinities of SpCas9–gRNA and its engineered variants for canonical and suboptimal PAMs correlated with previous findings on the efficiency of these PAM sequences in genome editing. These findings suggest that high affinity of a Cas9 nuclease for its cognate PAM promotes higher genome-editing efficiency. Full Article
es A neuroglobin-based high-affinity ligand trap reverses carbon monoxide-induced mitochondrial poisoning [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Carbon monoxide (CO) remains the most common cause of human poisoning. The consequences of CO poisoning include cardiac dysfunction, brain injury, and death. CO causes toxicity by binding to hemoglobin and by inhibiting mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), thereby decreasing oxygen delivery and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation. We have recently developed a CO antidote based on human neuroglobin (Ngb-H64Q-CCC). This molecule enhances clearance of CO from red blood cells in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we tested whether Ngb-H64Q-CCC can also scavenge CO from CcO and attenuate CO-induced inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. Heart tissue from mice exposed to 3% CO exhibited a 42 ± 19% reduction in tissue respiration rate and a 33 ± 38% reduction in CcO activity compared with unexposed mice. Intravenous infusion of Ngb-H64Q-CCC restored respiration rates to that of control mice correlating with higher electron transport chain CcO activity in Ngb-H64Q-CCC–treated compared with PBS-treated, CO-poisoned mice. Further, using a Clark-type oxygen electrode, we measured isolated rat liver mitochondrial respiration in the presence and absence of saturating solutions of CO (160 μm) and nitric oxide (100 μm). Both CO and NO inhibited respiration, and treatment with Ngb-H64Q-CCC (100 and 50 μm, respectively) significantly reversed this inhibition. These results suggest that Ngb-H64Q-CCC mitigates CO toxicity by scavenging CO from carboxyhemoglobin, improving systemic oxygen delivery and reversing the inhibitory effects of CO on mitochondria. We conclude that Ngb-H64Q-CCC or other CO scavengers demonstrate potential as antidotes that reverse the clinical and molecular effects of CO poisoning. Full Article
es Breaking the Habit: Why Major Oil Companies Are Not ‘Paris-Aligned’ By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 07 Oct 2019 14:50:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 23 October 2019 - 8:30am to 10:00am Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Event participants Andrew Grant, Carbon Tracker InitiativeChair: Siân Bradley, Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House The investment community is increasingly seeking to assess the alignment of their portfolios with the Paris Agreement. In a recent update to their Two Degrees of Separation report, Carbon Tracker assessed the capital expenditure of listed oil and gas producers against ‘well below’ 2C targets, and for the first time, against short-term actions at the project level.The speaker will present the key findings of the report and will argue that every oil major is betting heavily against a low-carbon world by investing in projects that are contrary to the Paris goals.This roundtable discussion will further explore the report findings and consider what investors, regulators and oil and gas companies can do to encourage alignment with the Paris Agreement ahead of 2020. Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Event attributes Chatham House Rule Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Full Article
es The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives to 2024 - Workshop 3 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 14 Oct 2019 09:10:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 17 October 2019 - 9:30am to 2:00pm Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, 27 rue de la Procession, 75740 Paris Cedex 15, France This closed-door roundtable explores possible strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific between now and 2024. Focusing on trade security, climate change disruptions and security cooperation, it aims to enhance the understanding of the regional goals of, and strategic relationships between, the key countries active in the region.The workshop is part of a larger project funded by the Strategic Policy Division of the Australian Department of Defence. The project includes workshops in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, India and the Pacific Islands (Tonga).Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Department/project Asia-Pacific Programme, Geopolitics and Governance, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, Trade, Investment and Economics, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Geostrategic Outlook for the Indo-Pacific 2019-2024 Anna Aberg Research Analyst, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme 020 7314 3629 Email Full Article
es Tackling Toxic Air Pollution in Cities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 16:15:01 +0000 Members Event 27 November 2019 - 6:00pm to 7:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Event participants Camilla Hodgson, Environment Reporter, Financial TimesDr Benjamin Barratt, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Environment, KCLDr Susannah Stanway MBChB MSc FRCP MD, Consultant in Medical Oncology Royal Marsden NHS Foundation TrustElliot Treharne, Head of Air Quality, Greater London AuthorityChair: Rob Yates, Head, Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House Air pollution has been classified as a cancer-causing agent with evidence showing an increased risk of lung cancer associated with increasing levels of exposure to outdoor air pollution and particulate matter.Air pollution is also known to increase risks for other diseases, especially respiratory and heart diseases, and studies show that levels of exposure to air pollution have increased significantly in some parts of the world - mostly in rapidly industrializing countries with large populations.In coordination with London Global Cancer Week partner organizations, this event outlines the evidence linking air pollution and cancer rates in London and other major cities.Panellists provide a 360° picture of the impact of the rising incidence of cancer across the world, the challenges the cancer pandemic poses to the implementation of universal health coverage and the existing UK contribution to strengthening capacity in cancer management and research in developing countries. Department/project Global Health Programme Members Events Team Email Full Article
es Chile’s Social Unrest: Why It’s Time to Get Serious about a ‘Just’ Transition By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 04 Nov 2019 15:40:38 +0000 4 November 2019 Patrick Schröder Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme @patricks_CH Google Scholar President Sebastián Piñera’s decision to cancel the COP25 climate negotiations, which Chile was due to host in early December, shows the importance of ensuring the transition to a sustainable world is just. 2019-11-04-Chile-Protests.jpg Demonstrators march in Santiago, Chile during street protests which erupted over a now suspended hike in metro ticket prices. Photo: Getty Images. One year ago, during the last annual Conference of Parties (COP) held in Katowice, the Polish government launched a Solidarity and Just Transition Declaration, signed by 56 governments including the UK, making the case for why the green transition must be just.Three years earlier in 2015, the landmark Paris Agreement also included provisions for a just transition where it stated that the decarbonization process should be ‘Taking into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities’. In practice, however, the concept of a just transition has not yet been implemented and has not been sufficiently considered by governments or corporations around the world.The social unrest that has erupted in Chile’s capital Santiago over the past month, which has forced the Chilean government to ask to move this year’s COP to Madrid, is a case in point. This discontent clearly shows that climate action cannot be separated from social justice concerns. There has not been a real commitment by governments to ensure a just transition based on social dialogue from the local to the national level. This was seen in France with the gilets jaunes protests in November 2018 – one month after President Emmanuel Macron ended the so-called ‘fortune tax’ and instead introduced taxes on diesel fuel as part of an effort to transition to green energy – and the current situation in Chile has some striking parallels. Sustainability transitions are a complex web of political choices and investment decisions which affect countries and societies in many different ways. Questions of social justice are everywhere, but in most cases, poorly understood by decision-makers. For example, although poverty has been reduced significantly over the last decade, Chile has one of the worst rates of inequality in Latin America and the highest Gini index in the OECD. The decisions taken in 2017 to power Metro de Santiago with solar photovoltaics and wind energy are commendable from a climate perspective, however, it led to students and young people protesting against rises in subway fares in October 2019.They were joined by Chileans who are frustrated with rising living costs and by workers and trade unions struggling with low wages. As reported by the Chilean Human Rights Commission (INDH), so far more than 4,200 people have been arrested and more than 1,300 injured and hospitalized.Climate negotiations beyond technicalitiesThis time there is also another important dimension to the protests: social unrest as a reaction to worsening inequality has the potential to derail multilateral cooperation on climate change and other global issues. Since tackling climate change is a race against the clock, the world faces the challenge of addressing both urgency and equity. The world cannot afford delays and needs to move fast but decision-makers need to take time for deliberation and civic participation to avoid rapid and ill-conceived transitions which eventually meet public resistance.Many technical experts and negotiators, who often unintentionally divorce climate policy and technical discussions about emission reductions from social justice concerns, have been caught by surprise by the cancellation of the negotiations. For this year’s COP, one important focus of the official negotiations are the so-called 'Article 6 Rules' – the accounting mechanisms and modalities for a new form of international interaction on carbon markets and off-setting to ensure carbon markets can support countries in enhancing the ambitions of their stated climate action, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). What is becoming much more obvious now is that just transitions are at least equally important for achieving NDCs and other long-term mitigation strategies.In order to meet the 1.5 degree target, stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world will have to invest an average of around $3 trillion a year over the next three decades in transforming its energy supply systems. But how can we ensure that these investments benefit low-income communities? Will they further increase everyday living costs? The climate finance related discussions focussing on commercially-oriented investments for low-carbon energy systems in most cases only consider the aspect of affordability, but not the other important principles of alternative ‘just’ energy finance, such as good governance, due process, intra-generational equity, spatial equity and financial resilience. Investments to support just transitions need to ensure investments, not only for large energy infrastructure, but also in the jobs, skills and work vital to both adaptation and mitigation.Just transitions for a circular economy The just transition concept is also the entry point to broader discussions about inclusive economic transformations, questioning the dominant paradigm of consumerism and ending the wasteful use of critical resources. The current linear economic model of take-make-throw away – in Chile epitomized by the linear extractive model of the mining sector that has contributed to widening inequality – the linear extractive model is not only destructive on the natural environment but also destructive for social cohesion.In Chile, the commodity boom in copper production – the country accounts for about 30 per cent of the world’s output – and more recently lithium – which is used in batteries for mobile phones, laptops and electric cars – have generated enormous prosperity in Chile. But the wealth has been unequally distributed and has not been used to lay the foundation for raising the overall level of incomes.A socially embedded and inclusive circular economy can, therefore, be a way forward from the current situation the Latin American country finds itself in. The circular economy was intended to feature prominently during the 25th COP and Chile’s policies – from the Ministry of Environment and Chile's Production Development Corporation (CORFO) – have played an important role in supporting the development of a circular economy, launching in 2018, the first public circular economy programme in Latin America. The government’s support for start-up companies and entrepreneurs to develop inclusive circular economy business models is the right approach to addressing the issues of waste, employment, services for low-income communities and local economic development. These are solutions that need to be scaled up having the potential to reduce Chile’s economic reliance on the dominant extractive model.As a global community, it is necessary to address the environmental and social objectives equally as not addressing social objectives will become an obstacle in achieving climate mitigation and solving other environmental issues. The Chilean protests are a wake-up call and present an opportunity for the global climate change community – which includes governments – to ensure just transitions are implemented in practice. Full Article
es Making the Business Case for Nutrition Workshop By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:15:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 28 January 2020 - 9:30am to 5:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE A ground-breaking research project from Chatham House, supported by The Power of Nutrition, is exploring the business case for tackling undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overnutrition. Companies across all sectors hold huge, transformative power to save countless lives and transform their own financial prospects. To act, they need more compelling evidence of the potential for targeted investments and strategies to promote better nutrition and create healthier, more productive workforces and consumers.At this workshop, Chatham House will engage business decision-makers in a scenario exercise that explores different nutrition futures and their commercial prospects in each before examining what different strategies business can pursue to maximize future profitability through investments in nutrition.Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Full Article
es Climate Change, Energy Transition, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:45:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 17 January 2020 - 9:30am to 5:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Climate change and energy transition are re-shaping the extractive sectors, and the opportunities and risks they present for governments, companies and civil society. As the central governance standard in the extractives sector, the EITI has a critical role in supporting transparency in producer countries.This workshop will bring together experts from the energy and extractives sectors, governance and transparency, and climate risk and financial disclosure initiatives to discuss the role of governance and transparency through the transition. It will consider the appropriate role for the EITI and potential entry points for policy and practice, and the potential for coordination with related transparency and disclosure initiatives. Please note attendance is by invitation only. Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Full Article
es COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series: Outcomes of COP25 and What It Means for 2020 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Dec 2019 16:15:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 22 January 2020 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Meeting summary pdf | 98.03 KB Event participants HE Raffaele Trombetta, Italian Ambassador to the UK, Co-Host, COP 26Archie Young, UK Lead Climate Negotiator, Cabinet Office Peter Betts, Associate Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham HouseChair: Professor Tim Benton, Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House The UK will host the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November 2020 in Glasgow. In the run up, Chatham House is organizing a monthly briefing series targeted to:The diplomatic service based in London, in particular, staff of the London embassies who are reporting on climate change issues.Senior UK government civil servants, officials and politicians engaged in climate change.Academics, experts, business representatives and NGOs.The first briefing in the series focuses on the results from COP25 held in Madrid in December 2019 and what this means for 2020.This briefings series offer an opportunity to discuss, in an informal setting, the most pressing and complex climate issues of the day with UK and international government officials and experts. Event attributes Chatham House Rule Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series Johanna Tilkanen Project Manager, Energy, Environment and Resources Department Email Full Article
es Subsidies and Sustainable Agriculture: Mapping the Policy Landscape By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Dec 2019 18:36:21 +0000 11 December 2019 Agricultural subsidies shape production and consumption patterns, with potentially significant effects on poverty, nutrition and other sustainability concerns. This paper maps the different types of support provided by governments to the agricultural sector, and highlights some of the complex political economy dynamics that underpin the relevant policies. Download PDF Christophe Bellmann Associate Fellow, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House 2019-12-06-Wheat-Field-China.jpg Aerial view of a wheat field on 24 May 2019 in Linyi, Shandong Province of China. Photo: Getty Images. SummaryAgricultural subsidies, a mainstay of government policy, have a large part in shaping production and consumption patterns, with potentially significant effects as regards poverty, food security, nutrition, and other sustainability concerns such as climate change, land use practices and biodiversity.There are multiple types of direct and indirect support provided by governments to various actors in the agricultural sector; and in terms of political economy, there are complex dynamics underpinning the policies that sustain these subsidies.Overall, subsidies targeting producers have the most significant effect on production, and the greater trade-distorting effect. These subsidies promote domestic production and discourage imports, leading to overproduction that is largely disposed of on the international market, with the help of export subsidies. This can tend to intensify negative environmental agricultural practices, such as cultivating marginal land, unsustainable types of intensification, or incentivizing excessive pesticide and fertilizer use.On the other hand, producer subsidies that are not tied to output of a specific commodity (i.e. delinked) have far fewer distorting impacts and could help to deliver sustainable outcomes. For example, this type of subsidies can require crop diversification or be linked to conservation of permanent grassland.Subsidies that enable transfers to consumers, for example through food stamp programmes, also serve to delink production from consumption, can foster healthier diets, can play an important role in delivering food accessibility and security among low-income groups, and can represent one of the less trade-distorting subsidies.If subsidies are to be reformed to help promote healthier diets and encourage more sustainable production, it is essential to understand not only the type and amount of support that key countries provide, but also the domestic dynamics that can shape such policies.While price support, input subsidies or investment aids remain the central pillars of programmes in large developing countries such as Brazil, China or India, other economies – notably including the EU and Japan – focus on direct payments, support for general services and set-aside schemes, as well as significant border protection. The US, for its part, has tended to focus on subsidized insurance schemes and food programmes for poorer consumers.If subsidies are to deliver policy objectives, their design and implementation should delink production from consumption. For example, consumer subsidies designed to deliver nutrition and food security, or payments for environmental services to enable more environmentally friendly production systems, could prove to be the most effective, least trade-distorting means of achieving more sustainable and equitable agricultural production.The political economy of food means that the removal of subsidies is often highly sensitive, and tends to be met with significant resistance. However, reform that delinks support from production through a gradual transition process could ultimately prove successful in delivering effective subsidy schemes.Effective subsidy schemes must by design be truly result- and performance-based, supported by robust and objective indicators. At the same time, engaging multiple actors along key commodity value chains – including leading importing and exporting countries, traders and transporters – could lead to the development of international, commodity-specific arrangements that are able to deliver effective nutrition and sustainability goals. Full Article
es Review essay: Where is the Anthropocene? IR in a new geological epoch By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 13:46:10 +0000 8 January 2020 , Volume 96, Number 1 Read online Dahlia Simangan Several disciplines outside the natural sciences, including International Relations (IR), have engaged with the Anthropocene discourse in order to theorize their relevance and translate their practical value in this new phase of the Earth's history. Some IR scholars have called for a post-humanist IR, planet politics, a cosmopolitan view, and ecological security, among other approaches, to recalibrate the theoretical foundations of the discipline, making it more attuned to the realities of the Anthropocene. Existing discussions, however, tend to universalize human experience and gravitate towards western ontologies and epistemologies of living in the Anthropocene. Within this burgeoning scholarship, how is the IR discipline engaging with the Anthropocene discourse? Although the Anthropocene has become a new theoretical landscape for the conceptual broadening of conventional IR subjects, this review reveals the need for sustained discussion that highlights the differentiated human experiences in the Anthropocene. The existing IR publications on the Anthropocene locates the non-spatial narratives of vulnerability and historical injustice, the non-modernist understanding of nature, the agency of the vulnerable, and the amplification of security issues in the Anthropocene. It is in amplifying these narratives that the IR discipline can broaden and diversify the discourse on the Anthropocene and, therefore, affirm its relevance in this new geological age. Full Article
es Climate Action in 2020: Time to Focus on Forests By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 14 Jan 2020 09:26:46 +0000 14 January 2020 Alison Hoare Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme LinkedIn More ambitious policies to reduce deforestation are key to effective climate policy, but to succeed, they require three big changes in approach. 2020-01-14-ReforestBrazil.jpg Mahogany tree seedlings being taken to be planted out in the Amazon. Photo: Getty Images. December’s UN climate talks held in Madrid were aptly titled ‘Time for Action’. While little progress was made at the conference in establishing an international framework that would help to instigate this, there is still much scope for action in 2020. The need for this has become all too apparent as the impacts of climate change are increasingly seen around the world.One of the key areas where progress can be made in 2020 is in increasing the ambition of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), these being governments’ plans to take action in response to climate change. To date, 184 countries have submitted NDCs, yet the commitments that have been made fall far short of what is needed to avert catastrophic climate change.In 2020, however, many countries will be revising their NDCs, presenting an important opportunity to shift momentum; to date 79 countries have announced that they will be enhancing the ambition of their NDCs.The forest sector is one area where more ambitious targets are likely to be set, and indeed, at the Climate Action Summit in September 2019, more than 20 countries made new commitments for the conservation, reforestation and restoration of their forests.This will be essential. As is well documented, reducing deforestation is critical to reducing carbon emissions, while healthy and diverse forests are vital for adapting and increasing resilience to climate change.However, while it is important that ambitious targets are set, this is relatively easy; the bigger challenge lies in ensuring that these are achievable.This is all too apparent from experience thus far. In 2014, the New York Declaration on Forests set the goal to halve forest loss by 2020, and to end it by 2030. In addition, it included the goal to restore 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2020, and a further 200 million hectares by 2030.The declaration has been endorsed by over 50 countries, as well as business and civil society organizations, yet the 2020 goals are far from being reached – in the six years since the declaration was launched, it has been found that forest loss increased rather than declined, and only about 27 million hectares of land have been restored.What then is needed to ensure that the commitments being made by governments in their NDCs will actually be met? Three big changes are required.Firstly, a shift in perspective is needed in many countries to a more forest-sensitive approach to development, one that gives adequate recognition to the full range of values provided by forests, rather than primarily focusing on their role as a global carbon sink. These include their importance for local and national economies, for livelihoods and the well-being of forest-dependent peoples, and for biodiversity and the regulation of local climate and water systems.The focus on nature-based solutions at the international level offers potential to support this shift. However, it is critical that these are not seen as ‘niche’ approaches, and that countries identify what nature-based solutions mean for them, and how forests and tree-rich landscapes can best be integrated into their development strategies.Fundamental to achieving this will be further improvements in governance, and this is the second change that is required. Legal and institutional reforms are needed in many countries as well as significant investments in human and technical resources. This will enable processes to be strengthened, or put in place, so that equitable strategies can be developed and implemented – strategies that reflect a balance of the needs and priorities of the full range of stakeholders, including local and global, rural and urban, women and men, young and old.Financing will of course be critical for this, and the least developed countries in particular will be hindered in the actions they can take without additional finance. This is the third area of change that is needed, and it is to be hoped that the international community will make better progress on this in 2020. Forest and land-use options are often described as a cost-effective means of tackling climate change, as is noted in the Santiago Call for Action on Forests for example.This is not to say that these will be easy or cheap – as Chatham House has documented, experience of forest governance reform has shown that it takes significant funding and time to bring about deep-rooted change. However, the huge potential benefits that can result, for the citizens of forest-rich countries as well as for the planet, mean that forests and sustainable land-use are a good investment. Full Article
es Virtual event: Global Forum on Forest Governance Number 30 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 20 Jan 2020 13:15:01 +0000 Research Event 13 July 2020 - 9:00am to 14 July 2020 - 5:00pmAdd to CalendariCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE The 30th Global Forum on Forest Governance will take place remotely online on 13-14th July 2020. Online registration, with further details, will follow in due course. Melissa MacEwen Project Manager, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Email Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Improving Forest Governance and Tackling Illegal Logging and Deforestation Full Article
es Maintaining Connections: How Might the UK Remain Engaged in the EU's Climate and Energy Strategies? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:35:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 3 March 2020 - 10:30am to 12:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE As the UK leaves the EU and the formal negotiations on the future relationship begins, this workshop will discuss any immediate changes and review the short and medium term impacts of Brexit on the energy sector. The workshop will look to cover:The implications for UK business and system operations of the UK leaving the Internal Energy Market.Current and future investment trends in the UK energy system.The trade of electricity and gas over inter-connectors.The need for the development of a new EU-UK operational framework mechanism.The UK's EU withdrawal agreement and the operation of the Single Electricity Market (SEM) across Ireland. Options for the UK outside of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the impact on carbon prices.This workshop is part of a programme funded by the UK Energy Research Centre on Brexit and the UK’s Net Zero Energy Policy being run by the University of Warwick and Chatham House.Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Event attributes Chatham House Rule Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Chloé Prendleloup Email Full Article