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Proteomes from scratch If you want to get anything interesting from human embryonic stem cells (hESC), it would help greatly to have a map of the territory you're stepping into. I'm not sure what the other guys are working with but Sarkar et al. have documented thoroughly the area they intend to explore by MS and fluorescence analysis of fractionated hESC. The cell is separated into cytosolic, nuclear and membrane fractions, all from the same batch of undifferentiated hESCs. They identified peptides quantitatively by spectral counting. Clusters of 893, 2475, and 1185 peptides were assigned to nuclear, cytosolic, and membrane fractions, respectively. Also turning up were auxiliary functional peptides for growth factor receptors, cell junction proteins, transcription factors, and proteins for remodeling other proteins and networks. To verify the origin of these proteins, they were tested against proteins of known location, such as ENY2 and CADH1, using immunofluorescence. pp. 421–430Irish coffee with a twist The putative health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, cis‐9 , trans‐11 , linoleic acid , fish oil) as a dietary supplement has a real appeal to those at risk for type 2 diabetes (ob/ob mice). CLA is generated in ruminant biohydration of natural dietary unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to anti‐diabetic effects it also has effects on lipid metabolism, cardiovascular diseases, and immune function. Concentrations in beef, veal and lamb can be increased by feeding on pasture rich in plants with oilseed. Rungapamestry et al., of University College Dublin and University of Aberdeen, examined the interactions of several types of insulin sensitive tissues and proteins by proteomic techniques. By any of several methods they found essentially the same level of response to CLA. Only CLA supplementation with enriched beef or synthetic CLA gave 1.6‐fold ( p <0.01) in adipose tissue. pp. 461–476Slug ugly studies of memory regulation by serotonin The California sea slug (or sea hare) ( Aplysia californica ) is ugly to some but attractive to others. It is interesting as a model for studies of the electrophysiology of learning and memory – it has virtually none: roughly 117 individual proteins spread among three types of ganglia. What it does have is a reasonable simulacrum of the process of memory sensitization. Treatment with serotonin revealed 28 pleural spots and 33 pedal spots exhibiting differential expression at 24 and 48 h. Monje et al. identified more than 25 by 2DE followed by LTQ‐FT mass spectrometry. Among the evolutionarily well conserved (mollusc vs. mammal) were genes for calreticulin, hnRNPF, DAZAP‐1‐1, and ADF. Functional studies in mice are in progress. pp. 490–499