Role of Bicaudal C1 in renal gluconeogenesis and its novel interaction with the CTLH complex.

Altered glucose and lipid metabolism fuel cystic growth in polycystic kidneys, but the cause of these perturbations is unclear. Renal cysts also associate with mutations in Bicaudal C1 (Bicc1) or in its self-polymerizing sterile alpha motif (SAM). Here, we found that Bicc1 maintains normoglycemia and the expression of the gluconeogenic enzymes FBP1 and PEPCK in kidneys.

Crystal Structure of Bicc1 SAM Polymer and Mapping of Interactions between the Ciliopathy-Associated Proteins Bicc1, ANKS3, and ANKS6.

Head-to-tail polymers of sterile alpha motifs (SAM) can scaffold large macromolecular complexes. Several SAM-domain proteins that bind each other are mutated in patients with cystic kidneys or laterality defects, including the Ankyrin (ANK) and SAM domain-containing proteins ANKS6 and ANKS3, and the RNA-binding protein Bicc1. To address how their interactions are regulated, we first determined a high-resolution crystal structure of a Bicc1-SAM polymer, revealing a canonical SAM polymer with a high degree of flexibility in the subunit interface orientations.

Tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) exhibit novelty preference in the novel location memory task with 24-h retention periods.

Novelty preference is pervasive in mammalian species, and describes an inherent tendency to preferentially explore novelty. The novel location memory task studied here assesses the ability of animals to form accurate memories of a spatial configuration, consisting of several identical objects placed within an arena. Tree shrews were first familiarized with a particular object configuration during several sessions, and then an object was displaced during a test session.

Suspicious axillary lymph nodes in patients with unremarkable imaging of the breast.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological findings and the method of tissue harvesting in those patients who have both suspicious axillary lymph nodes and normal imaging of the breast.

Study Design: From January 2005 to June 2008 all female patients who underwent opportunistic screening mammography and ultrasound examination of the breast and the axilla, and who were found to have suspicious axillary lymph nodes seen on ultrasound examination, were retrospectively analysed. Tissue harvesting was done by fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy, or open biopsy.