Current measuring in shallow waters by towed electrodes

The e.m.f. produced in the sea by water movement has been measured over two tidal periods in shallow water. Simultaneous measurements of the drift of the ship towing the electrodes provide a means of calibrating the apparatus. The results are compared with existing tidal stream data

Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins as drug targets for the treatment of cancer

Three companies, Genentech, Aegera Therapeutics/Human Genome Sciences, and Novartis, have commenced phase 1 clinical trials of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) antagonist ‘Smac mimetic’ compounds for the treatment of cancer. These trials represent the culmination of a line of research that commenced with analysis of how insect viruses stop host cells from killing themselves and led to the discovery of a family of proteins that regulate development in insects and signalling by tumour necrosis factor superfamily members in mammals, which prompted development of drugs that mimic natural IAP-binding proteins to promote cell death

Error bars in experimental biology

Error bars commonly appear in figures in publications, but experimental biologists are often unsure how they should be used and interpreted. In this article we illustrate some basic features of error bars and explain how they can help communicate data and assist correct interpretation. Error bars may show confidence intervals, standard errors, standard deviations, or other quantities. Different types of error bars give quite different information, and so figure legends must make clear what error bars represent. We suggest eight simple rules to assist with effective use and interpretation of error bars

Interphase Nuclei of Many Mammalian Cell Types Contain Deep, Dynamic, Tubular Membrane-bound Invaginations of the Nuclear Envelope

The nuclear envelope consists of a doublemembraned extension of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. In this report we describe long, dynamic tubular channels, derived from the nuclear envelope, that extend deep into the nucleoplasm. These channels show cell-type specific morphologies ranging from single short stubs to multiple, complex, branched structures. Some channels transect the nucleus entirely, opening at two separate points on the nuclear surface, while others terminate at or close to nucleoli. These channels are distinct from other topological features of the nuclear envelope, such as lobes or folds

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and their relatives: IAPs and other BIRPs

Apoptosis is a physiological cell death process important for development, homeostasis and the immune defence of multicellular animals. The key effectors of apoptosis are caspases, cysteine proteases that cleave after aspartate residues. The inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins prevent cell death by binding to and inhibiting active caspases and are negatively regulated by IAP-binding proteins, such as the mammalian protein DIABLO/Smac. IAPs are characterized by the presence of one to three domains known as baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR) domains and many also have a RING-finger domain at their carboxyl terminus. More recently, a second group of BIR-domain-containing proteins (BIRPs) have been identified that includes the mammalian proteins Bruce and Survivin as well as BIR-containing proteins in yeasts and Caenorhabditis elegans. These Survivin-like BIRPs regulate cytokinesis and mitotic spindle formation. In this review, we describe the IAPs and other BIRPs, their evolutionary relationships and their subcellular and tissue localizations

Lamin B1 controls oxidative stress responses via Oct-1

Interaction of lamins with chromatin and transcription factors regulate transcription. Oct-1 has previously been shown to colocalize partly with B-type lamins and is essential for transcriptional regulation of oxidative stress response genes. Using sequential extraction, co-immunoprecipitation (IP), fluorescence loss in photobleaching, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we confirm Oct-1–lamin B1 association at the nuclear periphery and show that this association is lost in Lmnb1Δ/Δ cells. We show that several Oct-1–dependent genes, including a subset involved in oxidative stress response, are dysregulated in Lmnb1Δ/Δ cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin IP reveal that Oct-1 binds to the putative octamer-binding sequences of the dysregulated genes and that this activity is increased in cells lacking functional lamin B1. Like Oct1−/− cells, Lmnb1Δ/Δ cells have elevated levels of reactive oxygen species and are more susceptible to oxidative stress. Sequestration of Oct-1 at the nuclear periphery by lamin B1 may be a mechanism by which the nuclear envelope can regulate gene expression and contribute to the cellular response to stress, development, and aging

RCN: Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network (DSRRN)

The primary goal of the Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network (DSRRN) was to advance the science of diadromous fish restoration, promote state-of-the-art scientific approaches to multiple-species restoration on a watershed scale, and facilitate interactions among scientists, managers, and stakeholders throughout the North Atlantic region. This goal was achieved by a series of conferences and workshops over a five-year period between 2008 and 2013. In all, DSRRN organized two multi-day conferences with over 160 participants in attendance and five multiday workshops with an average of 25 participants. The objective of these workshops was to produce new directions for restoration science by exploring key scientific issues related to interdisciplinary scientific approaches to diadromous species restoration