The progress in the modeling of exotic nuclei with an extreme neutron-to-proton ratio is discussed. Two topics are emphasized: (i) the quest for the universal microscopic nuclear energy density functional and (ii) the progress in the continuum shell model.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSESignalling through phospholipase C (PLC) controls many cellular processes. Much information on the relevance of this important pathway has been derived from pharmacological inhibition of the enzymatic activity of PLC. We found that the most frequently employed PLC inhibitor, U73122, activates endogenous ionic currents in widely used cell lines. Given the extensive use of U73122 in research, we set out to identify these U73122-sensitive ion channels. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHWe performed detailed biophysical analysis of the U73122-induced currents in frequently used cell lines. KEY RESULTSAt concentrations required to inhibit PLC, U73122 modulated the activity of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) channels through covalent modification. U73122 was shown to be a potent agonist of ubiquitously expressed TRPM4 channels and activated endogenous TRPM4 channels in CHO cells independently of PLC and of the downstream second messengers PI(4,5)P 2 and Ca 2+ . U73122 also potentiated Ca 2+ -dependent TRPM4 currents in human Jurkat T-cells, endogenous TRPM4 in HEK293T cells and recombinant human TRPM4. In contrast to TRPM4, TRPM3 channels were inhibited whereas the closely related TRPM5 channels were insensitive to U73122, showing that U73122 exhibits high specificity within the TRPM channel family. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSGiven the widespread expression of TRPM4 and TRPM3 channels, these actions of U73122 must be considered when interpreting its effects on cell function. U73122 may also be useful for identifying and characterizing TRPM channels in native tissue, thus facilitating the analysis of their physiology. AbbreviationsCi-VSP, Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase; IP 3 , inositol-1,4,5-trisposphate; PI5K, PI(4)P-5-kinase; PI(4,5)P 2 , phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate

Precision calculations of the fine and hyperfine structure of muonic atoms are performed in a relativistic approach and results for muonic 205 Bi, 147 Sm, and 89 Zr are presented. The hyperfine structure due to magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole splitting is calculated in first order perturbation theory, using extended nuclear charge and current distributions. The leading correction from quantum electrodynamics, namely vacuum polarization in Uehling approximation, is included as a potential directly in the Dirac equation. Also, an effective screening potential due to the surrounding electrons is calculated, and the leading relativistic recoil correction is estimated.