The within-person relationship of school climate and mental wellbeing in adolescence

Background

School climate is recognized as important for adolescent mental wellbeing. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies, and most research focus on school climate as an antecedent of mental wellbeing while the relation could be in the opposite direction or bidirectional. Further, no study has examined this relation with analyses that separate between- from within-person variability to properly assess intraindividual developmental processes.

Methods

Using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model we investigated the longitudinal reciprocal relations of perceptions of a caring school climate and mental wellbeing across three time points (T1, T2, T3) in adolescence, and if socioeconomic position (SEP) predicted perceptions of a caring school climate and mental wellbeing at each time point. The sample consisted of 1508 Norwegian adolescents (60.7% female; baseline mean age = 16.33, SD = .62).

Results

Results showed positive cross-lagged effects at the within-person level from mental wellbeing to later perceptions of a caring school climate across all time points (T1->T2 b=.12* [.01, .22], T2->T3 b=.12* [.01, .23]), but no similar effects in the opposite direction. Positive concurrent effects from SEP were observed at one time point for mental wellbeing (T1 b=.10* [.01, .19]), and all time points for perceptions of a caring school climate (T1 b=.12* [.02, .22], T2 b=.11* [.02, .20], T3 b=.12* [.02, .22]), indicating SEP to be related to intraindividual fluctuations mainly in perceptions of a caring school climate.

Conclusions

The findings support a unidirectional temporal relationship from mental wellbeing to perceptions of a caring school climate and underscore the importance of investigating the subject longitudinally and as a function of within-person fluctuations. From a public health view, the findings support the importance of systematic efforts to promote mental wellbeing to facilitate positive school experiences of adolescents of all social classes.

Key messages

• The study found a unidirectional temporal relation at the within-person level in adolescents where mental wellbeing predicted perceptions of a caring school climate, but not the other way around.

• The findings underline the importance of systematic public health efforts to promote mental wellbeing as one avenue to facilitate positive school experiences of adolescents of all social.

New methodologies in ageing research

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Backbone dynamics of the C-terminal SH2 domain of the p85alpha subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase: effect of phosphotyrosine-peptide binding and characterization of slow conformational exchange processes

The backbone dynamics of the C-terminal SH2 domain from the regulatory subunit p85alpha (p85alpha C-SH2) of phosphoinositide 3-kinase has been investigated in the absence of, and in complex with, a high-affinity phosphotyrosine-containing peptide ligand derived from the platelet-derived growth-factor receptor. (15)N R(1) and R(2) relaxation rates and steady-state [(1)H]-(15)N NOE values were measured by means of (1)H-(15)N correlated two-dimensional methods and were analyzed within the framework of the model-free formalism. Several residues in the BC loop and in the neighbouring secondary structural elements display fast local dynamics in the absence of phosphotyrosine peptide ligand as evidenced by below-average [(1)H]-(15)N NOE values. Furthermore, residue Gln41 (BC3) displays conformational exchange phenomena as indicated by an above-average R(2) relaxation rate. Upon binding of the phosphotyrosine peptide, the NOE values increase to values observed for regular secondary structure and the exchange contribution to the R(2) relaxation rate for Gln41 (BC3) vanishes. These observations indicate a loss of backbone flexibility upon ligand binding. Substantial exchange contributions for His56 (betaD4) and Cys57 (betaD5), which are known to make important interactions with the ligand, are attenuated upon ligand binding. Several residues in the betaD'-FB region and the BG loop, which contribute to the ligand binding surface of the protein, exhibit exchange terms which are reduced or vanish when the ligand is bound. Together, these observations suggest that ligand binding is accompanied by a loss of conformational flexibility on the ligand binding face of the protein. However, comparison with other SH2 domains reveals an apparent lack of consensus in the changes in dynamics induced by ligand binding. Exchange rates for individual residues were quantified in peptide-complexed p85alpha C-SH2 from the dependence of the exchange contributions on the CPMG delay in an R(2) series and show that peptide-complexed p85alpha C-SH2 is affected by multiple conformational exchange processes with exchange rate constants from 10(2) s(-1) to 7.10(3) s(-1). Mapping of the exchange-rate constants on the protein surface show a clustering of residues with similar exchange-rate constants and suggests that clustered residues are affected by a common predominant exchange process.

NMR exchange broadening arising from specific low affinity protein self-association: analysis of nitrogen-15 nuclear relaxation for rat CD2 domain 1

Nuclear spin relaxation monitored by heteronuclear NMR provides a useful method to probe the overall and internal molecular motion for biological macromolecules over a variety of time scales. Nitrogen-15 NMR relaxation parameters have been recorded for the N-terminal domain of the rat T-cell antigen CD2 (CD2d1) in a dilution series from 1.20 mM to 40 microM (pH 6.0, 25 degrees C). The data have been analysed within the framework of the model-free formalism of Lipari and Szabo to understand the molecular origin of severely enhanced transverse relaxation rates found for certain residues. These data revealed a strong dependence of the derived molecular correlation time tau c upon the CD2d1 protein concentration. Moreover, a number of amide NH resonances exhibited exchange broadening and chemical shifts both strongly dependent on protein concentration. These amide groups cluster on the major beta-sheet surface of CD2d1 that coincides with a major lattice contact in the X-ray structure of the intact ectodomain of rat CD2. The complete set of relaxation data fit well to an equilibrium monomer-dimer exchange model, yielding estimates of exchange rate constants (kON = 5000 M-1 s-1; kOFF = 7 s-1) and a dissociation constant (KD approximately 3-6 mM) that is consistent with the difficulty in detecting the weak interactions for this molecule by alternative biophysical methods. The self-association of CD2d1 is essentially invariant to changes in buffer composition and ionic strength and the associated relaxation phenomena cannot be explained as a result of neglecting anisotropic rotational diffusion in the analysis. These observations highlight the necessity to consider low affinity protein self-association interactions as a source of residue specific exchange phenomena in NMR spectra of macromolecular biomolecules, before the assignment of more elaborate intramolecular conformational mechanisms.

Solution structure of the C-terminal SH2 domain of the p85 alpha regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase

Heterodimeric class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) plays a crucial role in a variety of cellular signalling events downstream of a number of cell-surface receptor tyrosine kinases. Activation of the enzyme is effected in part by the binding of two Src homology-2 domains (SH2) of the 85 kDa regulatory subunit to specific phosphotyrosine-containing peptide motifs within activated cytoplasmic receptor domains. The solution structure of the uncomplexed C-terminal SH2 (C-SH2) domain of the p85 alpha subunit of PI 3-kinase has been determined by means of multinuclear, double and triple-resonance NMR experiments and restrained molecular-dynamics simulated-annealing calculations. The solution structure clearly indicates that the uncomplexed C-SH2 domain conforms to the consensus polypeptide fold exhibited by other SH2 domains, with an additional short helical element at the N terminus. In particular, the C-SH2 structure is very similar to both the p85 alpha N-terminal SH2 domain (N-SH2) and the Src SH2 domain with a root mean square difference (rmsd) for 44 C alpha atoms of 1.09 and 0.89 A, respectively. The canonical BC, EF and BG loops are less well-defined by the experimental restraints and show greater variability in the ensemble of C-SH2 conformers. The lower level of definition in these regions may reflect the presence of conformational disorder, an interpretation supported by the absence or broadening of backbone and side-chain NMR resonances for some of these residues. NMR experiments were performed, where C-SH2 was titrated with phosphotyrosine-containing peptides corresponding to p85 alpha recognition sites in the cytoplasmic domain of the platelet-derived growth-factor receptor. The ligand-induced chemical-shift perturbations indicate the amino-acid residues in C-SH2 involved in peptide recognition follow the pattern predicted from homologous complexes. A series of C-SH2 mutants was generated and tested for phosphotyrosine peptide binding by surface plasmon resonance. Mutation of the invariant Arg36 (beta B5) to Met completely abolishes phosphopeptide binding. Mutation of each of Ser38, Ser39 or Lys40 in the BC loop to Ala reduces the affinity of C-SH2 for a cognate phosphopeptide, as does mutation of His93 (BG5) to Asn. These effects are consistent with the involvement of the BC loop and BG loops regions in ligation of phosphopeptide ligands. Mutation of Cys57 (beta D5) in C-SH2 to Ile, the corresponding residue type in the p85 alpha N-SH2 domain, results in a change in peptide binding selectivity of C-SH2 towards that demonstrated by p85 alpha N-SH2. This pattern of p85 alpha phosphopeptide binding specificity is interpreted in terms of a model of the p85 alpha/PDGF-receptor interaction.

Elucidation of the origin of multiple conformations of the human alpha 3-chain type VI collagen C-terminal Kunitz domain: the reorientation of the Trp21 ring

The human alpha 3-chain type VI collagen C-terminal Kunitz domain fragment (alpha 3(VI)) has been studied by two dimensional 1H-1H and 1H-13C NMR spectroscopy at 303 K. It is shown that the secondary structure of the protein is strikingly similar to that of BPTI, and a number of unusual H alpha chemical shifts, which are highly conserved in Kunitz-domain proteins, are also observed for a alpha 3(VI). Furthermore, a series of exchange cross peaks observed in 1H-1H spectra shows that a large number of protons in the central beta-sheet exist in two different chemical environments, corresponding to two unequally populated conformations that are slowly exchanging on the NMR time scale. Several protons, including Ser47(53) H alpha, Arg32(28) H(gamma 1) and H(gamma 2), and GLN48(54) H(beta 2), all located in the vicinity of the Trp21(27) ring in the crystal structure of alpha 3(VI) [Arnoux, B. et al. (1995) J. Mol. Biol., 246, 609-617], have very different chemical shifts in the two conformations, the most affected being Gln48(54) H(beta 2) (delta sigma = 3 ppm), which is placed directly above the Trp21(27) ring in the crystal structure of alpha 3(VI). It should be concluded that the origin of the multiple conformations of the central beta-sheet is a reorientation of the Trp21(27) ring. From the intensities of corresponding signals in the two conformations, the populations, the population of the minor conformation was found to be 6.4 +/- 0.2% of that of the major conformation, while a rate constant kM = 1.01 +/- 0.05 s-1 for the major to minor interconversion was obtained from a series of NOESY spectra with different mixing times. In addition, it is shown that Cys14(20)-Cys38(44) disulfide bond isomerization, previously observed in BPTI [Otting, G. et al. (1993) Biochemistry, 32, 3571-3582], is also likely to occur in alpha 3(VI).

Assignment of the backbone carbonyl resonances in (15)N-labelled proteins with (13)C at natural abundance by a 2D triple-resonance correlation technique

A 2D NMR experiment for assignment of backbone carbon resonances in small and medium-sized (15)N-labelled proteins with (13)C at natural abundance is presented. The experiment is a two-dimensional variant of the HNCO triple-resonance experiment and is demonstrated by application to a 6 kDa protein at relatively low concentration (2 mM) and temperature (30°C). The experiment is particularly suitable for assignment of carbonyl resonances.

Structural characterization of PNA-DNA duplexes by NMR. Evidence for DNA in a B-like conformation

The nucleic acid analogues PNA (peptide nucleic acids) hybridize with DNA of complementary sequence. The solution structures of two PNA-DNA duplexes, H-(GCTATGTC)-NH2.d(GACATAGC) and H-(GTAGATCACT)-NH2.d(AGTGATCTAC), have been studied by 1H NMR. It was found that the PNA-DNA hybrids are base paired by hydrogen bonds, most likely of the Watson-Crick type. From two-dimensional NOESY and COSY results it is concluded that the DNA strand in the PNA-DNA complex adopts a B-like structure with the deoxyribose sugars in the C2'-endo conformation.

Specific nitrogen-15 labelling of leucine residues in human growth hormone

Biosynthetic human growth hormone (hGH) specifically 15N labelled in the leucine residues has been obtained by recombinant DNA technology, using 15N-labelled leucine and an E. coli strain that requires leucine. It is shown that, despite the possibility of minor transaminase activity, the labelling on the whole is specific, and that the two-dimensional 1H-15N correlation NMR spectra of hGH can be greatly simplified by this methodology.

Three-dimensional solution structure of an insulin dimer. A study of the B9(Asp) mutant of human insulin using nuclear magnetic resonance, distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics

The solution structure of the B9(Asp) mutant of human insulin has been determined by two-dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Thirty structures were calculated by distance geometry from 451 interproton distance restraints based on intra-residue, sequential and long-range nuclear Overhauser enhancement data, 17 restraints on phi torsional angles obtained from 3JH alpha HN coupling constants, and the restraints from 17 hydrogen bonds, and the three disulphide bridges. The distance geometry structures were optimized using restrained molecular dynamics (RMD) and energy minimization. The average root-mean-square deviation for the best 20 RMD refined structures is 2.26 A for the backbone and 3.14 A for all atoms if the less well-defined N and C-terminal residues are excluded. The helical regions are better defined, with root-mean-square deviation values of 1.11 A for the backbone and 2.03 A for all atoms. The data analysis and the calculations show that B9(Asp) insulin, in water solution at the applied pH (1.8 to 1.9), is a well-defined dimer with no detectable difference between the two monomers. The association of the two monomers in the solution dimer is relatively loose as compared with the crystal dimer. The overall secondary and tertiary structures of the monomers in the 2Zn crystal hexamer is found to be preserved. The conformation-averaged NMR structures obtained for the monomer is close to the structure of molecule 1 in the hexamer of the 2Zn insulin crystal. However, minor, but significant deviations from this structure, as well as from the structure of monomeric insulin in solution, exist and are ascribed to the absence of the hexamer and crystal packing forces, and to the presence of monomer-monomer interactions, respectively. Thus, the monomer in the solution dimer shows a conformation similar to that of the crystal monomer in molecular regions close to the monomer-monomer interface, whereas it assumes a conformation similar to that of the solution structure of monomeric insulin in other regions, suggesting that B9(Asp) insulin adopts a monomer-like conformation when this is not inconsistent with the monomer-monomer arrangement in the dimer.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of the B9(Asp) mutant of human insulin. Sequential assignment and secondary structure

The sequence-specific 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) assignment of 49 of the 51 amino acid residues of human B9(Asp) insulin in water at low pH is reported. Spin systems were identified using a series of two-dimensional n.m.r. techniques. For the majority of the amino acid residues with unique spin systems, particularly Ala, Thr, Val, Leu, Ile and Lys, the complete spin systems were identified. Sequence-specific assignments were obtained from sequential nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) connectivities. The results indicate that the solution structure of the mutant closely resembles the crystal structure of native insulin. Thus, the NOE data reveal three helical domains all consistent with the secondary structure of the native human 2Zn insulin in the crystal phase. Numerous slowly exchanging amide protons support these structural elements, and indicate a relatively stable structure of the protein. A corresponding resemblance of the tertiary structures in the two phases is also suggested by slowly exchanging amide protons, and by the extreme chemical shift values observed for the beta-protons of B15(Leu) that agree with a close contact between this residue and the aromatic rings of B24(Phe) and B26(Tyr), as found in the crystal structure of the 2Zn insulin. Finally, there are clear indications that the B9(Asp) insulin mutant exists primarily as a dimer under the given conditions.