11 The uptake of calcium by mitochondria has a central role in cell physiology, and an imbalance can trigger cell death. Now the first protein that is localized to the mitochondrion and is specifically required for calcium uptake has been identified. This protein, mitochondrial calcium uptake 1 (MICU1), represents the founding member of a set of proteins required for high-capacity calcium uptake.
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http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v467/n7313/abs/nature09358.html
8 The first viable rat-mouse chimeras demonstrate that rat induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can rescue organ deficiency in mice. Rat iPS cells formed a fully functional pancreas when injected into mouse blastocysts lacking the Pdx1 gene required for pancreas formation.
Kobayashi T . et al. (2010) Cell 142:787-799.
http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674(10)00843-3
7 Uncontrolled extracellular matrix production by fibroblasts in response to tissue injury contributes to fibrotic diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The microRNA, miR-21was upregulated in the lungs of mice with bleomycin-induced fibrosis and also in the lungs of patients with IPF. Administration of miR-21 antisense probes diminished the severity of experimental lung fibrosis in mice, even when treatment was started 5–7 d after initiation of pulmonary injury. Liu et al. (2010
http://jem.rupress.org/content/207/8/1589.abstract
6 A synthetic Mycoplasma mycoides genome transplanted into M. capricolum was able to control the host cell.
Gibson et al. (2010). Science 329:52-56.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/329/5987/52
5 Regulatory Peptides: The ability of small peptides to quickly alter activities of target proteins without elaborate and time-consuming translation of large proteins suggests a niche for these tiny players as temporal switches.
Kondo et al., (2010) Science 329: 336-339
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/329/5989/336?ijkey=746b8c04e593ff3a4796fe7c52792e2481a13726&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
4 The protein Arrestin is able to regulate IGF-1R signaling and longevity.
Palmitessa A and Benovic J.L. (2010). Arrestin and the Multi-PDZ Domain-containing Protein MPZ-1 Interact with Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) and Regulate Caenorhabditis elegans Longevity. 285, 15187-15200.
http://www.jbc.org/content/285/20/15187
3 Caspase activation cleaves tau to initiate tangle formation, then truncated tau recruits normal tau to misfold and form tangles. Soluble tau species, rather than fibrillar tau, may be the critical toxic moiety underlying neurodegeneration.
De Calignon et al. (2010) Nature 464, 1201-1204
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7292/abs/nature08890.html
2 Listeria monocytogenes induces degradation of one of the essential SUMOylation enzymes, Ubc9, through a mechanism that involves a bacterial toxin, listeriolysin O. This effect on SUMOylation may support efficient infection by Listeria.
Ribet et al. (2010) Nature 464, 1192-1195.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7292/abs/nature08963.html
1 Eastern blotting, a technique to detect post-translational protein modification. The Hsp60 protein of the non-virulent Ehrlichia muris is more post-translationaly modified than the highly virulent IOE.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19493209
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