Valdimir Matveev, for the third time on this news group, not to mention
similar postings to other news groups (e.g.
http://www.bio.net/hypermail/bio-info/current/,http://www.bio.net/hypermail/bioforum/current/ and maybe others that I
missed), drew attention to the following:
>New type of protein-protein interaction: actomyosin gels interact in a
>THRESHOLD manner. For details see the following paper:
>>V.V.Matveev. Evidence of a new type of protein-protein interaction:
>desensitized actomyosin blocks Ca2+-sensitivity of the natural one. A
>possible model for an intracellular signalling system related to actin
>filaments. Physiological Chemistry Physics & Medical NMR, 32: 167-179,
>2000.
>>ABSTRACT see here: http://members.nbci.com/vm_spb/actomyosin/signal.htm>
As it happens I have looked at this abstract, which says:
"Actin filaments are certainly believed to function as an intracellular
signalling system; however, this is not confirmed by direct evidence. We
used a two-layer actomyosin gel with a concentration gradient of the
troponin- tropomyosin complex (TT-complex, Ca2+-sensitive system) between
the two layers. To prepare one layer of the system, natural actomyosin
(nAM) rich in TT-complex was used. To prepare the second layer, we used
desensitized actomyosin (dAM) without the complex. All experiments were
made in medium with a low ionic strength. Two phenomena were observed: (1)
dAM blocks Ca2+-sensitivity of nAM when the dAM weight portion in the
system (as well as in mixed nAM+dAM suspension) reaches 40% and more;
further increase of the dAM portion does not affect the Ca2+-sensitivity;
(2) it was electrophoretically shown that a rapid diffusion of the
TT-complex from nAM gel into the dAM gel took place. The apparent diffusion
coefficient for the TT-complex in dAM gel is about (1-4)x10-4 cm2/sec, i.e.
three orders higher than the same values for protein diffusion in water."
It isn't obvious to me that this has much to do with the topic of this news
group (or with the Biological Information news group), though a case could
be made for regarding it as relevant. My point, however, is that the case
is NOT made. There are no points here that the author asks us to discuss
and hence he ought not to be surprised at the lack of comment elicited so
far by his postings. If he wants comments, why does he not say what it is
he thinks is interesting or important about this work, and how it relates
to metabolic regulation?
Another suggestion is that when the abstract is not much longer than the
advertisement that draws attention to it it is simpler just to send the
text of the abstract and not bother with the advertisement. At least there
is then a slightly higher chance that readers will take the trouble to read
it. You might be tempted to object that this forces readers to figure out
which bits in "(1-4)x10-4 cm2/sec", for example, are supposed to be
superscripts, but most readers are intelligent enough to be able to work
this out, and in any case the web page cited also forces them to do this
because its author hasn't yet learned about sup tags.
athel
--
Athel Cornish-Bowden athel at ibsm.cnrs-mrs.frhttp://ir2lcb.cnrs-mrs.fr/~athel/homepage.htm
Phone: + 33 491 16 41 38; fax: + 33 491 16 45 78
CNRS-BIP, B.P. 71, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France
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