Microgravity alters the expression of salivary proteins.

Spaceflight provides a unique opportunity to study how physiologic responses are influenced by the external environment. Microgravity has been shown to alter the function of a number of tissues and organ systems. Very little, however, is known about how microgravity affects the oral cavity.

(77)Se enrichment of proteins expands the biological NMR toolbox.

Sulfur, a key contributor to biological reactivity, is not amendable to investigations by biological NMR spectroscopy. To utilize selenium as a surrogate, we have developed a generally applicable (77)Se isotopic enrichment method for heterologous proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. We demonstrate (77)Se NMR spectroscopy of multiple selenocysteine and selenomethionine residues in the sulfhydryl oxidase augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR).