The dark side of fluorescent protein tagging - the impact of protein tags on biomolecular condensation.

Biomolecular condensation has emerged as an important mechanism to control various cellular processes through the formation of membraneless organelles. Fluorescent protein tags have been extensively used to study the formation and the properties of condensates and , but there is evidence that tags may perturb the condensation properties of proteins. In this study, we carefully assess the effects of protein tags on the yeast DEAD-box ATPase Dhh1, a central regulator of processing bodies (P-bodies), which are biomolecular condensates involved in mRNA metabolism.

The scramblases VMP1 and TMEM41B are required for primitive endoderm specification by targeting WNT signaling.

The ER-resident proteins VMP1 and TMEM41B share a conserved DedA domain, which confers lipid scramblase activity. Loss of either gene results in embryonic lethality in mice and defects in autophagy and lipid droplet metabolism. To investigate their role in pluripotency and lineage specification, we generated Vmp1 and Tmem41b mutations in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

RNA degradation triggered by decapping is largely independent of initial deadenylation.

RNA stability, important for eukaryotic gene expression, is thought to depend on deadenylation rates, with shortened poly(A) tails triggering decapping and 5' to 3' degradation. In contrast to this view, recent large-scale studies indicate that the most unstable mRNAs have, on average, long poly(A) tails. To clarify the role of deadenylation in mRNA decay, we first modeled mRNA poly(A) tail kinetics and mRNA stability in yeast.

IMPACT OF REAL-LIFE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES ON REPRODUCTION: Impact of developmental exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals on pituitary gland reproductive function.

In Brief: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can impact reproduction by affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This review emphasizes the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on pituitary development and function.

Abstract: The pituitary gland is crucial for regulating many physiological systems, including reproduction.

Generation of the First Transgenic Line of the Iconic Coral Reef Fish Amphiprion ocellaris.

The common clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, is an iconic coral reef fish, ubiquitous in the marine aquarium hobby and useful for studying a variety of biological processes (e.g., mutual symbiosis, ultraviolet vision, and protandrous sex change).