eIF4E1b is a non-canonical eIF4E protecting maternal dormant mRNAs.

Maternal mRNAs are essential for protein synthesis during oogenesis and early embryogenesis. To adapt translation to specific needs during development, maternal mRNAs are translationally repressed by shortening the polyA tails. While mRNA deadenylation is associated with decapping and degradation in somatic cells, maternal mRNAs with short polyA tails are stable.

Divergent molecular signatures in fish Bouncer proteins define cross-fertilization boundaries.

Molecular compatibility between gametes is a prerequisite for successful fertilization. As long as a sperm and egg can recognize and bind each other via their surface proteins, gamete fusion may occur even between members of separate species, resulting in hybrids that can impact speciation. The egg membrane protein Bouncer confers species specificity to gamete interactions between medaka and zebrafish, preventing their cross-fertilization.

Protein-RNA interactions: from mass spectrometry to drug discovery.

Proteins and RNAs are fundamental parts of biological systems, and their interactions affect many essential cellular processes. Therefore, it is crucial to understand at a molecular and at a systems level how proteins and RNAs form complexes and mutually affect their functions. In the present mini-review, we will first provide an overview of different mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to study the RNA-binding proteome (RBPome), most of which are based on photochemical cross-linking.

Evolution in fluctuating environments: A generic modular approach.

Evolutionary processes take place in fluctuating environments, where carrying capacities and selective forces vary over time. The fate of a mutant type and the persistence time of polymorphic states were studied in some specific cases of varying environments, but a generic methodology is still lacking. Here, we present such a general analytic framework.

A potential early clinical phenotype of necrotizing meningoencephalitis in genetically at-risk pug dogs.

Background: Necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) in the pug dogs is a fatal neuroinflammatory disease associated with rapid progression and poor response to conventional immunosuppressive therapy. Diagnosis is typically made after severe neurological abnormalities have manifested.

Hypothesis/objective: Pug dogs at genetic risk for NME might manifest neurological abnormalities before developing pathognomonic clinical signs of NME.