The subunit composition of Portunus trituberculatus hemocyanin polymers

The subunit composition of isolated polymeric forms of Portunus trituberculatus hemocyanin were analysed by immunological techniques. The dodecamers contain four monomeric subunits corresponding to subunits I, II, III and IV, whereas the hexamers are devoid of subunit IV. These results suggest that subunit IV is required as a joining piece for the assembly of dodecamers.     

Mysterious bio-duck sound attributed to the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

For decades, the bio-duck sound has been recorded in the Southern Ocean, but the animal producing it has remained a mystery. Heard mainly during austral winter in the Southern Ocean, this ubiquitous sound has been recorded in Antarctic waters and contemporaneously off the Australian west coast. Here, we present conclusive evidence that the bio-duck sound is produced by Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). We analysed data from multi-sensor acoustic recording tags that included intense bio-duck sounds as well as singular downsweeps that have previously been attributed to this species. This finding allows the interpretation of a wealth of long-term acoustic recordings for this previously acoustically concealed species, which will improve our understanding of the distribution, abundance and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales. This is critical information for a species that inhabits a difficult to access sea-ice environment that is changing rapidly in some regions and has been the subject of contentious lethal sampling efforts and ongoing international legal action.     

Extracellular secretion of levansucrase from Zymomonas mobilis in Escherichia coli

Secretion of levansucrase from Zymomonas mobilis in Escherichiacoli by glycine supplement was investigated. A significant amount of levansucrase (about 25% of total activity) was found in intact whole-cells. Cell fractionation experiments showed that levansucrase was found both in the periplasmic space and in the cytoplasmic fraction of E. coli. None or only trace amounts of levansucrase was detected in the extracellular culture broth at 24 h of cultivation and it accrued with the increasing concentration of glycine in the culture medium and duration of the culture period. Optimal glycine concentration for the maximum secretion of levansucrase was in the range of 0.8-1%, in which approximately 20-50% of levansucrase was released into the extracellular fraction at 24 h of cultivation, although glycine retarded the bacterial growth.     

Multiomic Metabolic Enrichment Network Analysis Reveals Metabolite–Protein Physical Interaction Subnetworks Altered in Cancer

Metabolism is recognized as an important driver of cancer progression and other complex diseases, but global metabolite profiling remains a challenge. Protein expression profiling is often a poor proxy since existing pathway enrichment models provide an incomplete mapping between the proteome and metabolism. To overcome these gaps, we introduce multiomic metabolic enrichment network analysis (MOMENTA), an integrative multiomic data analysis framework for more accurately deducing metabolic pathway changes from proteomics data alone in a gene set analysis context by leveraging protein interaction networks to extend annotated metabolic models. We apply MOMENTA to proteomic data from diverse cancer cell lines and human tumors to demonstrate its utility at revealing variation in metabolic pathway activity across cancer types, which we verify using independent metabolomics measurements. The novel metabolic networks we uncover in breast cancer and other tumors are linked to clinical outcomes, underscoring the pathophysiological relevance of the findings.     

A sticky situation: CCN1 promotes both proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is overexpressed in diabetes. Diabetic rats possess myocardial and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In a recent report, Wang and colleagues (Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2009 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print]) show that CCN2 directly mediates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as well as that induced by high glucose and fatty acid. CCN2 acted via the TrkA receptor. These data are the subject of this commentary, and emphasize that CCN2 may be an excellent target for therapy in diabetes.