Oxytocin: Not "just a female hormone": A very special issue and a very special molecule.

For decades it was believed that oxytocin was "just a female hormone." This was a mistake. In the 21st century it has become clear that oxytocin arose from ancient roots, and acquired dozens of diverse functions throughout the mammalian body.

Structural Enzymology, Phylogenetics, Differentiation, and Symbolic Reflexivity at the Dawn of Biology.

The reflexive translation of symbols in one chemical language to another defined genetics. Yet, the co-linearity of codons and amino acids is so commonplace an idea that few even ask how it arose. Readout is done by two distinct sets of proteins, called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARS).

Suppression of thrombospondin-1-mediated inflammaging prolongs hematopoietic health span.

Chronic low-grade inflammation observed in older adults, termed inflammaging, is a common feature underlying a multitude of aging-associated maladies including a decline in hematopoietic activity. However, whether suppression of inflammaging can preserve hematopoietic health span remains unclear, in part because of a lack of tools to measure inflammaging within hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we identify thrombospondin-1 (Thbs1) as an essential regulator of inflammaging within HSCs.

Tsg101 mimicry of canonical E2 enzymes underlies its role in ubiquitin signaling.

Tsg101 is a highly conserved protein best known as an early-functioning component of cellular ESCRT machinery participating in recognition, sorting, and trafficking of cellular cargo to various intracellular destinations. It shares sequence and structural homology to canonical ubiquitin-conjugating (E2) enzymes and is linked to diverse events regulated by Ub signaling. How it might fulfill these roles is unclear.

Dietary Protein Affects the Growth Response and Tissue Composition of Juvenile Slipper Lobster ().

The effect of different dietary protein levels on apparent feed intake, apparent digestibility, body composition, nutrient retention, and growth efficiency of juvenile slipper lobster () were evaluated for 74 days. Three isoenergetic and isolipidic feeds were formulated with crude protein levels of 445, 490, and 551 g kg DM, designated as P45, P50, and P55, respectively. Lobsters were fed one of these feeds in quadruplicate tanks, with eight lobsters (mean initial wet weight 6.