DSYB catalyses the key step of dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis in many phytoplankton

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a globally important organosulfur molecule and the major precursor for dimethyl sulfide. These compounds are important info-chemicals, key nutrients for marine microorganisms, and are involved in global sulfur cycling, atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation1,2,3. DMSP production was thought to be confined to eukaryotes, but heterotrophic bacteria can also produce DMSP through the pathway used by most phytoplankton4, and the DsyB enzyme catalysing the key step of this pathway in bacteria was recently identified5. However, eukaryotic phytoplankton probably produce most of Earth’s DMSP, yet no DMSP biosynthesis genes have been identified in any such organisms. Here we identify functional dsyB homologues, termed DSYB, in many phytoplankton and corals. DSYB is a methylthiohydroxybutryate methyltransferase enzyme localized in the chloroplasts and mitochondria of the haptophyte Prymnesium parvum, and stable isotope tracking experiments support these organelles as sites of DMSP synthesis. DSYB transcription levels increased with DMSP concentrations in different phytoplankton and were indicative of intracellular DMSP. Identification of the eukaryotic DSYB sequences, along with bacterial dsyB, provides the first molecular tools to predict the relative contributions of eukaryotes and prokaryotes to global DMSP production. Furthermore, evolutionary analysis suggests that eukaryotic DSYB originated in bacteria and was passed to eukaryotes early in their evolution

The role of hyperglycemia in endometrial cancer pathogenesis

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide and its incidence is increasing. Epidemiological evidence shows a strong association between endometrial cancer and obesity, and multiple mechanisms linking obesity and cancer progression have been described. However, it remains unclear which factors are the main drivers of endometrial cancer development. Hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus are common co-morbidities of obesity, and there is evidence that hyperglycemia is a risk factor for endometrial cancer independent of obesity. This review aims to explore the association between hyperglycemia and endometrial cancer, and discuss the evidence supporting a role for increased glucose metabolism in endometrial cancer and how this phenotype may contribute to endometrial cancer growth and progression. Finally, the potential role of blood glucose lowering strategies, including drugs and bariatric surgery, for the treatment of this malignancy will be discussed

‘Alternative Hedonism’:Exploring the Role of Pleasure in Moral Markets

Fair trade’, ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ consumption emerged in response to rising concerns about the destructive effects of hedonic models of consumption that are typical of late capitalist societies. Advocates of these ‘markets for virtue’ sought to supplant the insatiable hedonic impulse with a morally restrained, self-disciplining disposition to consumption. With moral markets currently losing their appeal, we respond to the tendency to view hedonism as an inhibitor of moral market behaviour, and view it instead as a potential enabler. Drawing upon the concept of ‘alternative hedonism’ (Soper, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017), we illustrate how consumers experience both morality and pleasure concurrently; show how they attempt to reconcile these aspects of the experience; and elucidate the implications of so doing. Using the moral market for ethical tourism as an exemplar of ‘alternative hedonism’, we identify three ‘self-managing strategies’ – moderating, abiding and levelling – that re-structure the moral order of consumption in meaningful ways and with profound outcomes. In the context of anxieties about personal, social and ecological consequences of consumption, we show empirically how self managing strategies reify a less contradictory framing of consumption by tapping into alternative cultural discourses on morality. We discuss the consequences of these strategies, highlighting how they may legitimize and sustain consumption via moral markets despite the reproduction of social inequality and ecological threats