Geology,Oil and Gas Potential,Pipelines, and the Geopolitics of the Caspian Sea Region

The Caspian Sea region contains oil and gas reserves that are comparable to those of other of the world's fossil-fuel-producing regions, excluding the Middle East. We review here the economic, environmental, and complicated geopolitical concerns with respect to exploration and recovery of the region's fossil fuels. These include mud volcanoes, gas hydrates, earthquakes, pollution, rapid changes in sea level, desertification, ownership of resources, and the transportation routes of fossil fuels. Significant advances have been made concerning these problems in the short time since the breakup of the Soviet Union, fueling optimism for the future of the region.-     

Purification and characterization of cholecystokinin from the skin of salamander Tylototriton verrucosus

As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins(CCKs) regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally contain a DYMGWMDFG sequence at the C-terminus. Many CCKs have been reported in mammals. However, only a few have been reported in amphibians, such as Hyla nigrovittata, Xenopus laevis, and Rana catesbeiana, with none reported in urodele amphibians like newts and salamanders. Here, a CCK called CCK-TV was identified and characterized from the skin of the salamander Tylototriton verrucosus. This CCK contained an amino acid sequence of DYMGWMDF-NH2 as seen in other CCKs. A c DNA encoding the CCK precursor containing 129 amino acid residues was cloned from the c DNA library of T. verrucosus skin. The CCK-TV had the potential to induce the contraction of smooth muscle strips isolated from porcine gallbladder, eliciting contraction at a concentration of 5.0x10-11 mol/L and inducing maximal contraction at a concentration of 2.0x10-6 mol/L. The EC50 was 13.6 nmol/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to identify the presence of a CCK in an urodele amphibian.