Source of nicotinamide governs its metabolic fate in cultured cells, mice, and humans.

Metabolic routing of nicotinamide (NAM) to NAD or 1-methylnicotinamide (MeNAM) has impacts on human health and aging. NAM is imported by cells or liberated from NAD. The fate of H-NAM in cultured cells, mice, and humans was determined by stable isotope tracing.

Inferring metabolic pathway activity levels from RNA-Seq data.

Background: Assessing pathway activity levels is a plausible way to quantify metabolic differences between various conditions. This is usually inferred from microarray expression data. Wide availability of NGS technology has triggered a demand for bioinformatics tools capable of analyzing pathway activity directly from RNA-Seq data.

Host differentially expressed genes during association with its defensive endosymbiont.

Mutualism, a beneficial relationship between two species, often requires intimate interaction between the host and symbiont to establish and maintain the partnership. The colonial marine bryozoan Bugula neritina harbors an as yet uncultured endosymbiont, "Candidatus Endobugula sertula," throughout its life stages. The bacterial symbiont is the putative source of bioactive complex polyketide metabolites, the bryostatins, which chemically defend B.