4-Phenylbutyric acid treatment rescues trafficking and processing of a mutant surfactant protein-C.

Mutations in the SFTPC gene, encoding surfactant protein-C (SP-C), are associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Knowledge of the intracellular fate of mutant SP-C is essential in the design of therapies to correct trafficking/processing of the proprotein, and to prevent the formation of cytotoxic aggregates. We assessed the potential of a chemical chaperone to correct the trafficking and processing of three disease-associated mutant SP-C proteins.

Twenty-eight retinas but only twelve eyes: an anatomical analysis of the larval visual system of the diving beetle Thermonectus marmoratus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae).

The larvae of the sunburst diving beetle, Thermonectus marmoratus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), are highly efficient visually guided predators. Their visual system consists of a cluster of six stemmata and one eye patch on each side of the head capsule. Histological investigations show that the organization of individual stemmata differs strongly from any eye that has previously been described.