Multifunctional activity-based chemical probes for sirtuins.

The sirtuin family of NAD-dependent protein deacylases has gained significant attention during the last two decades, owing to their unique enzymatic activities as well as their critical roles in a broad array of cellular events. Innovative chemical probes are heavily pursued for the functional annotation and pharmacological perturbation of this group of "eraser" enzymes. We have developed several series of activity-based chemical probes (ABPs) to interrogate the functional state of active sirtuins in complex biological samples.

Development of Second Generation Activity-Based Chemical Probes for Sirtuins.

NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)-dependent protein deacylases, namely, the sirtuins, are important cell adaptor proteins that alter cell physiology in response to low calorie conditions. They are thought to mediate the beneficial effects of calorie restriction to extend longevity and improve health profiles. Novel chemical probes are highly desired for a better understanding of sirtuin's roles in various biological processes.

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus V2 Protein Plays a Critical Role in the Nuclear Export of V1 Protein and Viral Systemic Infection.

Geminiviruses are an important group of circular, single-stranded DNA viruses that cause devastating diseases in crops. Geminiviruses replicate their genomic DNA in the nucleus and the newly synthesized viral DNA is subsequently transported to the cytoplasm for further cell-to-cell and long-distance movement to establish systemic infection. Thus, nucleocytoplasmic transportation is crucial for successful infection by geminiviruses.

South Carolina 20 Years of Diabetes--A Public Health Concern.

Objective: To assess and enumerate the trends in diabetes prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates in South Carolina (SC) within the past 2 decades.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed state-level data from vital records, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Children's Health Assessment Survey and Administrative Claim Files.

Results: Over the past 20 years, there has been an average 2.

C-terminal methylation of truncated neuropeptides: an enzyme-assisted extraction artifact involving methanol.

Neuropeptides are the largest class of signaling molecules used by nervous systems. Today, neuropeptide discovery commonly involves chemical extraction from a tissue source followed by mass spectrometric characterization. Ideally, the extraction procedure accurately preserves the sequence and any inherent modifications of the native peptides.

Superluminous supernovae at redshifts of 2.05 and 3.90.

A rare class of 'superluminous' supernovae that are about ten or more times more luminous at their peaks than other types of luminous supernova has recently been found at low to intermediate redshifts. A small subset of these events have luminosities that evolve slowly and result in radiated energies of up to about 10(51) ergs. Therefore, they are probably examples of 'pair-instability' or 'pulsational pair-instability' supernovae with estimated progenitor masses of 100 to 250 times that of the Sun.

Type IIn supernovae at redshift z approximately 2 from archival data.

Supernovae have been confirmed to redshift z approximately 1.7 (refs 1, 2) for type Ia (thermonuclear detonation of a white dwarf) and to z approximately 0.7 (refs 1, 3-5) for type II (collapse of the core of the star).

Molecular, mass spectral, and physiological analyses of orcokinins and orcokinin precursor-related peptides in the lobster Homarus americanus and the crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

Recently, cDNAs encoding prepro-orcokinins were cloned from the crayfish Procambarus clarkii; these cDNAs encode multiple copies of four orcokinin isoforms as well as several other peptides. Using the translated open reading frames of the P. clarkii transcripts as queries, five ESTs encoding American lobster Homarus americanus orthologs were identified via BLAST analysis.

Specificity of the MMPI-2 Fake Bad Scale as a marker for personal injury malingering.

Psychologists who evaluate patients in medicolegal contexts should utilize objective assessment data with empirically established sensitivity and specificity for identifying negative response bias. The purpose of this study was to investigate the specificity of the Fake Bad Scale for identifying negative response bias in personal injury claimants. The cutoff scores proposed by Lees-Haley and colleagues were applied a federal prison, medical outpatients, and patients from to inmate volunteers from substance abuse unit.