SUMMARYDehydrin proteins (late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) Dll family) are produced in a wide variety of plant species in response to environmental stimuli with a dehydrative component, including drought, low temperature, salinity, and developmental stages such as seed and pollen maturation. Despite their widespread occurrence and abundance in cells under dehydrative conditions, the biochemical role of dehydrins remains elusive. The subcellular location of dehydrins is consistent with a biochemical role as an intracellular stabilizer, possibly with surfactant characteristics, acting upon targets in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. In some species, dehydrin loci are located within quantitative trait loci (QTL) intervals for important phenotypic traits including winter hardiness in barley {Hordeum vulgare L.) and an thesis-silking interval in maize {Zea mays L.). Dehydrin loci tend to be multigenic and occur in clusters on more than one chromosome. Investigations are currently under way in our laboratory and others' to move beyond protein accumulation studies and correlations with QTL to uncover direct cause-and-efTect relationships between dehydrin {dhn) genes and phenotypes associated with physiological responses to stress.

Differences between sexes contribute to variation in the levels of fasting glucose and insulin. Epidemiological studies established a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose in men and impaired glucose tolerance in women, however, the genetic component underlying this phenomenon is not established. We assess sex-dimorphic (73,089/50,404 women and 67,506/47,806 men) and sex-combined (151,188/105,056 individuals) fasting glucose/fasting insulin genetic effects via genome-wide association study meta-analyses in individuals of European descent without diabetes. Here we report sex dimorphism in allelic effects on fasting insulin at IRS1 and ZNF12 loci, the latter showing higher RNA expression in whole blood in women compared to men. We also observe sex-homogeneous effects on fasting glucose at seven novel loci. Fasting insulin in women shows stronger genetic correlations than in men with waist-to-hip ratio and anorexia nervosa. Furthermore, waist-to-hip ratio is causally related to insulin resistance in women, but not in men. These results position dissection of metabolic and glycemic health sex dimorphism as a steppingstone for understanding differences in genetic effects between women and men in related phenotypes.

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Subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) is the major fat depot in humans and is a central player in regulating whole body metabolism. Skin exposure to UV wavelengths from sunlight is required for Vitamin D synthesis and pigmentation, although it is plausible that longer visible wavelengths that penetrate the skin may regulate scWAT function. In this regard, we discovered a novel blue light-sensitive current in human scWAT that is mediated by melanopsin coupled to transient receptor potential canonical cation channels. This pathway is activated at physiological intensities of light that penetrate the skin on a sunny day. Daily exposure of differentiated adipocytes to blue light resulted in decreased lipid droplet size, increased basal lipolytic rate and alterations in adiponectin and leptin secretion. Our results suggest that scWAT function may be directly under the influence of ambient sunlight exposure and may have important implications for our current understanding of adipocyte biology. (150 words)

r 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) is a partial agonist of TRPV1 whereby 25OHD can weakly activate TRPV1 yet antagonize the stimulatory effects of the full TRPV1 agonists capsaicin and oleoyl dopamine. r 25OHD binds to TRPV1 within the same vanilloid binding pocket as capsaicin. r 25OHD inhibits the potentiating effects of PKC-mediated TRPV1 activity. r 25OHD reduces T-cell activation and trigeminal neuron calcium signalling mediated by TRPV1 activity. r These results provide evidence that TRPV1 is a novel receptor for the biological actions of vitamin D in addition to the well-documented effects of vitamin D upon the nuclear vitamin D receptor. r The results may have important implications for our current understanding of certain diseases where TRPV1 and vitamin D deficiency have been implicated, such as chronic pain and autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes.

Background: In patients with haematuria, a fast, noninvasive test with high sensitivity (SN) and negative predictive value (NPV), which is able to detect or exclude bladder cancer (BC), is needed. A newly developed urine assay, Xpert Bladder Cancer Detection (Xpert), measures five mRNA targets (ABL1, CRH, IGF2, UPK1B, and ANXA10) that are frequently overexpressed in BC. Objective: To validate the performance of Xpert in patients with haematuria. Design, setting, and participants: Voided precystoscopy urine specimens were prospectively collected at 22 sites from patients without prior BC undergoing cystoscopy for haematuria. Xpert, cytology, and UroVysion procedures were performed. Technical validation was performed and specificity (SP) was determined in patients without BC. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Test characteristics were calculated based on cystoscopy and histology results, and compared between Xpert, cytology, and UroVysion. Results and limitations: We included 828 patients (mean age 64.5 yr, 467 males, 401 never smoked). Xpert had an SN of 78% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 66-87) overall and 90% (95% CI: 76-96) for high-grade (HG) tumours. The NPV was 98% (95% CI: 97-99) overall. The SP was 84% (95% CI: 81-86). In patients with micro-