The CREB-specific coactivator TORC2 (also known as CRTC2) upregulates gluconeogenic gene expression in the liver. Salt-inducible kinase (SIK) family enzymes inactivate TORC2 through phosphorylation and localize it in the cytoplasm. Ser(171) and Ser(275) were found to be phosphorylated in pancreatic beta-cells. Calcineurin (Cn) is proposed as the Ser(275) phosphatase, because its inhibitor cyclo...

BACKGROUND/AIMS In fat cells of obese humans, basal lipolysis is increased but catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis is blunted. This is linked to decreased expression of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). Upon stimulation by cAMP, HSL is phosphorylated at several serine residues (P-Ser(552), P-Ser(649) and P-Ser(650)) leading to enzymatic activation. In contrast, P-Ser(554) prevents phosphorylation ...

Twenty-four yearling Boer × Spanish wethers were used to assess effects of different forages, either fresh (Exp. 1) or as hay (Exp. 2), on feed intake, digestibilities, heat production, and ruminal methane emission. Treatments were: 1) Sericea lespedeza (SER; Lespedeza cuneata), a legume high in condensed tannins (CT; 20% and 15% in fresh forage and hay, respectively), 2) SER supplemented with ...

Phylogenetic analyses were performed using multiple nuclear (ITS and ETS) and chloroplast regions (ndhF-trnL, psbA-trnH, psbD-trnT, and trnT-trnL) to test the monophyly of Aconitum subgen. Lycoctonum (Ranunculaceae) and reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships within the subgenus. The subgenus as currently circumscribed is revealed to be polyphyletic. To achieve its monophyly, sect. Galeata a...

PSK (phytosulfokine) is a plant peptide hormone perceived by a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase. Phosphosite mapping of epitope-tagged PSKR1 (phytosulfokine receptor 1) from Arabidopsis thaliana plants identified Ser(696) and Ser(698) in the JM (juxtamembrane) region and probably Ser(886) and/or Ser(893) in the AL (activation loop) as in planta phosphorylation sites. In vitro-expressed kinas...

The creation of a web bubble, or link farm, is a technique used by web spammers to increase the visibility of a target page T. Specialized mobile agents, called Web Marshals, are employed to detect and dismantle link farms. As the number of Web Marshals, as well as the number of hops needed to disassemble a link farm, need to be minimized, this kind of process can be seen as a graph decontamina...