Is Your Protein Powder Unsafe for You? It contains lead! New Investigation Reveals with Palki Sharma

Bad news!

The oncogene SLC35F2 is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine

Amazing stuff! A 30 year old mystery resolved about an important micronutrient. And it's an oncogene.

"... First discovered in the 1970s, queuosine – pronounced “cue-o-scene” – is a vitamin-like micronutrient that human bodies are incapable of making ourselves. Instead, the micronutrient enters the body from food and our gut bacteria. ...

In their research, the team were able to identify SLC35F as the specific gene responsible for transporting the micronutrient around the body that helps translate genetic codes into proteins. ...

The gene has been maintained across millions of years of evolution, being present in both simple, single-cell organisms to modern day humans, indicating its functional importance for life.  ..."

"An international team of scientists ... has cracked a decades-old mystery in human biology: how our bodies absorb a micronutrient that we rely on for everything from healthy brain function to cancer defense. 

Queuosine – pronounced “cue-o-scene” – is a vitamin-like micronutrient that we can't make ourselves but can only get from food and our gut bacteria. It’s vital to our health, yet its importance went unnoticed for decades.  ..."

From the significance and abstract:

"Significance

The identification of SLC35F2 as the eukaryotic transporter of queuine and queuosine is key to understanding how these micronutrients are salvaged from the human gut and distributed to different body tissues. Queuosine modification of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) enhances the accuracy and efficiency of codon–anticodon pairing and regulates a range of biological and pathophysiological states, including oxidative stress responses, cancer, learning, memory, and gut homeostasis.

Abstract

The nucleobase queuine (q) and its nucleoside queuosine (Q) are micronutrients derived from bacteria that are acquired from the gut microbiome and/or diet in humans. Following cellular uptake, Q is incorporated at the wobble base (position 34) of tRNAs that decode histidine, tyrosine, aspartate, and asparagine codons, which is important for efficient translation.

Early studies suggested that cytosolic uptake of queuine is mediated by a selective transporter that is regulated by mitogenic signals, but the identity of this transporter has remained elusive.

Here, through a cross-species bioinformatic search and genetic validation, we have identified the solute carrier family member SLC35F2 as a unique transporter for both queuine and queuosine in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Trypanosoma brucei.

Furthermore, gene disruption in human HeLa cells revealed that SLC35F2 is the sole transporter for queuosine (Km 174 nM) and a high-affinity transporter for the queuine nucleobase (Km 67 nM), with the additional presence of second low-affinity queuine transporter (Km 259 nM).

Ectopic expression of labeled SLC35F2 reveals localization to the cell membrane and Golgi apparatus via immunofluorescence. Competition uptake studies show that SLC35F2 is not a general transporter for other canonical ribonucleobases or ribonucleosides but selectively imports q and Q.

The identification of SLC35F2, an oncogene, as the transporter of both q and Q advances our understanding of how intracellular levels of queuine and queuosine are regulated and how their deficiency contributes to a variety of pathophysiological conditions, including neurological disorders and cancer."

Solving a 30-year old micronutrient mystery vital to health

UF, Trinity College team cracks micronutrient mystery that could be key to brain health, cancer defense (original news release)

The oncogene SLC35F2 is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine (no public access)

The oncogene SLC35F2 is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine (preprint, open access)

Fig. 1 Transport of q and Q into eukaryotes and subsequent intracellular utilization.

Fig. 2 The SLC35F transporter family is functionally diverse.

Is sugar addictive? Like alcohol or nicotine?

Of course it is! But the withdrawal symptoms appear to be less! 

"This is a heavily debated topic. Alcohol, nicotine, and opiates are all classified as addictive substances based on strict clinical criteria, and although sugar has been shown to increase cravings and compulsive eating behaviors, technically it’s not classified as an addictive substance based on current clinical criteria.

But the physical and psychological effects are real.  ... That leads to habitual consumption, and when you suddenly stop consuming those foods, you do experience some withdrawal-like symptoms: headaches, dizziness, anxiety, and so on. But it’s a matter of the degree: For alcohol, nicotine, and drugs, those symptoms are very severe, and it’s very difficult for people to completely stop consuming those substances. ...

We need some sweetness in our diets and in our lives.

So we can say that sugar has some addictive qualities, but it’s not officially classified as an addictive substance like alcohol, nicotine, or drugs.

It’s also important to make a distinction between a food or nutrient that we need to survive versus a drug or substance which can be completely removed from our diet. You can eliminate alcohol or drugs, but sugar is in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other dairy products. If you consume low to moderate amounts of sugar, it’s not going to have major health consequences or psychological effects. The most important issue is the dose. ..."

Is sugar addictive? — Harvard Gazette "Cravings are real, nutrition researcher says — but here’s why lumping sweets with alcohol, nicotine is a problem"

Food scientists create zinc index for human body

Good news!

"... The human body needs zinc to boost immunity, regulate metabolism and to help heal wounds, but more than 1 billion people – or about 17% of the global population – suffer from dietary zinc deficiency. ...
“Because of the complexity and sophistication of zinc metabolism, it is very difficult to accurately measure zinc status.” ..."

From the abstract:

"... Widely used biomarkers of Zn status include plasma, whole blood, and urine Zn, which decrease in severe Zn deficiency; however, accurate assessment of Zn status, especially in mild to moderate deficiency, is difficult, as studies with these biomarkers are often contradictory and inconsistent. Thus, sensitive and specific biological markers of Zn physiological status are still needed. In this communication, we provide the Zn status index (ZSI) concept, which consists of a three-pillar formula: (1) the LA:DGLA ratio, (2) mRNA gene expression of Zn-related proteins, and (3) gut microbiome profiling to provide a clear assessment of Zn physiological status and degree of Zn deficiency with respect to assessing dietary Zn manipulation. ..."

Food scientists create zinc index for human body | Cornell Chronicle

Zinc Status Index (ZSI) for Quantification of Zinc Physiological Status (no public access)