Publications by authors named "Geoffrey Nette"

Article Synopsis
  • Dinuclear Cu-patellamide complexes are effective catalysts for important biological hydrolysis reactions but their exact biological role remains unclear.
  • Patellamides were first extracted from the sea squirt Lissoclinum patella and are now recognized as produced by the blue-green algae Prochloron, which lives in symbiosis with L. patella.
  • This study introduced a patellamide-fluorescent dye into Prochloron cells and used flow cytometry and confocal microscopy to demonstrate that copper ions can coordinate with patellamides within living cells.
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The collision-induced dissociation (CID) of cationic fatty acid-metal ion complexes has been extensively studied and, in general, provides rich structural information. In particular, charge-remote fragmentation processes are commonly observed allowing the assignment of double bond position. In a previous manuscript, we presented two methods to doubly deprotonate polyunsaturated fatty acids to form anionic fatty acid-sodium ion complexes, referred to as [M - 2H + Na] (-) ions.

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Fatty acids are long-chain carboxylic acids that readily produce [M - H](-) ions upon negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) and cationic complexes with alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals in positive ion ESI. In contrast, only one anionic monomeric fatty acid-metal ion complex has been reported in the literature, namely [M - 2H  +  Fe(II)Cl](-). In this manuscript, we present two methods to form anionic unsaturated fatty acid-sodium ion complexes (i.

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The cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis is arguably one of the most important within the marine environment in that it is integral to the formation of coral reefs. However, the regulatory processes that perpetuate this symbiosis remain unresolved. It is essential to understand these processes, if we are to elucidate the mechanisms that support growth and resource accumulation by coral host, and conversely, recently observed reduction and/or mortality of corals in response to rapid environmental change.

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The collision-induced dissociation (CID) of a range of deprotonated fatty acid standards was studied using linear ion trap mass spectrometry. Neutral losses of 78, 98, and 136 Da were consistently observed for fatty acids with five or more double bonds. Comparison of the MS/MS spectra of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and universally (13)C-labeled DHA allowed the molecular formulas for these neutral losses to be determined as C(6)H(6), C(5)H(6)O(2), and C(8)H(8)O(2).

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The blue-lined octopus contains the powerful neuromuscular blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX), which causes muscle weakness and respiratory failure. is regarded as one of the most venomous marine animals in the world, and multiple human fatalities have been attributed to the octopus. To date, there have been no recorded incidents of an envenomation of a wild animal.

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The Henze precipitate, a peculiar blue-green microparticulate obtained by lysis of the blood cells of the ascidian Phallusia mammillata (Protochordata), was investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray microanalysis. The precipitate was collected from the Henze solution, an unstable red-brown product obtained by treating blood with distilled water, whose degradation yields a characteristic blue-green product. The microparticulates measured 50-100 micro m in diameter and appeared irregular in shape.

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Most recent studies of vanadium in ascidian blood indicate the signet ring cell as the cell type that stores vanadium. However, in Phallusia fumigata the situation is less clear, with contradictory reports. Therefore, the blood cells of the ascidian P.

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