Margaropus wileyi sp. nov. (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae), a new species of tick from the reticulated giraffe

Descriptions are given of the male and female of Margaropus wileyi sp. nov. collected from the reticulated giraffe in Kenya. A key is given to the three species now known in the genus Margaropus and their differential diagnosis is discussed.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 300dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

Type 2 Diabetes Variants Disrupt Function of SLC16A11 through Two Distinct Mechanisms

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects Latinos at twice the rate seen in populations of European descent. We recently identified a risk haplotype spanning SLC16A11 that explains ∼20% of the increased T2D prevalence in Mexico. Here, through genetic fine-mapping, we define a set of tightly linked variants likely to contain the causal allele(s). We show that variants on the T2D-associated haplotype have two distinct effects: (1) decreasing SLC16A11 expression in liver and (2) disrupting a key interaction with basigin, thereby reducing cell-surface localization. Both independent mechanisms reduce SLC16A11 function and suggest SLC16A11 is the causal gene at this locus. To gain insight into how SLC16A11 disruption impacts T2D risk, we demonstrate that SLC16A11 is a proton-coupled monocarboxylate transporter and that genetic perturbation of SLC16A11 induces changes in fatty acid and lipid metabolism that are associated with increased T2D risk. Our findings suggest that increasing SLC16A11 function could be therapeutically beneficial for T2D. Video Abstract [Figure presented] Keywords: type 2 diabetes (T2D); genetics; disease mechanism; SLC16A11; MCT11; solute carrier (SLC); monocarboxylates; fatty acid metabolism; lipid metabolism; precision medicin

Multiple-approaches to the identification and quantification of cytochromes P450 in human liver tissue by mass spectrometry

Here we report the identification and approximate quantification of cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins in human liver microsomes as determined by nano-LC-MS/MS with application of the exponentially modified protein abundance index (emPAI) algorithm during database searching. Protocols based on 1D-gel protein separation and 2D-LC peptide separation gave comparable results. In total, 18 CYP isoforms were unambiguously identified based on unique peptide matches. Further, we have determined the absolute quantity of two CYP enzymes (2E1 and 1A2) in human liver microsomes using stable-isotope dilution mass spectrometry, where microsomal proteins were separated by 1D-gel electrophoresis, digested with trypsin in the presence of either a CYP2E1- or 1A2-specific stable-isotope labeled tryptic peptide and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for the isotope-labeled tryptic peptides and their natural unlabeled analogues quantification could be performed over the range of 0.1-1.5 pmol on column. Liver microsomes from four individuals were analyzed for CYP2E1 giving values of 88-200 pmol/mg microsomal protein. The CYP1A2 content of microsomes from a further three individuals ranged from 165 to 263 pmol/mg microsomal protein. Although, in this proof-of-concept study for CYP quantification, the two CYP isoforms were quantified from different samples, there are no practical reasons to prevent multiplexing the method to allow the quantification of multiple CYP isoforms in a single sample

Muscoid dipterous collected from cattle dung pats in pastures in Itumbiara, Goiás, Brazil Dípteros muscóides coletados de fezes bovinas em pastagens em Itumbiara, Goiás

<abstract language="por">A coleta de Diptera em fezes bovinas depositadas nas pastagens foi conduzida de janeiro a agosto de 2001 em Itumbiara, Goiás. As fezes foram expostas nas pastagens por 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192, 216 e 240 horas e posteriormente levadas para laboratório para extração e separação dos dípteros. Um total de 100 fezes bovinas foram expostas nas pastagens, das quais 3099 dípteros muscóides foram coletados. As espécies mais abundantes foram: Palaeosepsis spp. e Sarcophagula occidua. A maioria dos exemplares foi coletada em fezes bovinas expostas nos períodos de 72 e 144 horas no campo