Mice Can Sense Oxygen Through Their Skin

siemens submitted, created time 8 months 2 weeks (www.medicinenet.com)

Mice can sense oxygen through their skin, says a new study that showed the skin plays a major role in sensing oxygen levels in the environment and in stimulating kidney production of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) when oxygen levels decline.

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Higher blood flow and circulating NO products offset high-altitude hypoxia among Tibetans

franklin submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.pnas.org)

The low barometric pressure at high altitude causes lower arterial oxygen content among Tibetan highlanders, who maintain normal levels of oxygen use as indicated by basal and maximal oxygen consumption levels that are consistent with sea level predictions.

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ErpA, an iron–sulfur (Fe–S) protein of the A-type essential for respiratory metabolism in Escherichia coli

jiangyun submitted, created time 1 year 4 months (www.pnas.org)

Understanding the biogenesis of iron–sulfur (Fe–S) proteins is relevant to many fields, including bioenergetics, gene regulation, and cancer research. Several multiprotein complexes assisting Fe–S assembly have been identified in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here, we identify in Escherichia coli an A-type Fe–S protein that we named ErpA. Remarkably, erpA was found essential for growth of E. coli in the presence of oxygen or alternative electron acceptors. It was concluded that isoprenoid biosynthesis was impaired by the erpA mutation

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