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Cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1) is a cytokine of the IL6/IL12 superfamily with pro-neurotrophic and immune-modulating functions. Although the pro-neurotrophic activities of CLCF1 are mediated through the ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor (CNTFR), the α receptor chain of the CNTFR, CNTFRα, is not expressed by immune cells. This suggests the presence of an alternative receptor or protein complex that mediates the immune activities of CLCF1. Using the BioID2 proximity-dependent biotinylation assay, we identified p40, the β subunit of IL12/IL23, as a potential interaction partner for CLCF1. We confirmed the protein-protein interaction between CLCF1 and p40 using co-immunoprecipitation and a proximity ligation assay. We also observed that the CLCF1-p40 complex forms both intracellularly and in the extracellular space. Furthermore, secretion of the CLCF1-p40 heterodimer was induced by the cytokine receptor-like factor 1 (CRLF1), leading to the release of a tripartite CLCF1-CRLF1-p40 complex. Lastly, we showed that a CLCF1-p40 fusion protein binds to both CNTFRα and IL12Rβ1. Taken together, our results uncover a new putative composite cytokine of the IL6/IL12 superfamily, which might affect our understanding of both CLCF1 activities and p40-associated pathologies. Moreover, our results reinforce the connection between the IL6 and IL12 cytokine families, and suggest that other possible protein interactions between these two families should be further investigated.

Cactus pear juice was concentrated by applying a rotary vacuum evaporator at different temperatures (50°C, 60°C, 70°C, and 80°C). The kinetics of the juice concentration based on the change in total soluble solid content was investigated by applying five mathematical models. The modeling of this process was essential to accurately describe the evolution of total soluble solids and to identify the most suitable model for predicting concentration behavior. The constants of the mathematical models were estimated with nonlinear regression and according to the determination of three statistical parameters: the coefficient of determination ( R 2 ), the adjusted R 2 (adj R 2 ), and the root mean square error (RMSE); it was revealed that the model known as Weibull distribution is the best descriptive one ( R 2 > 0.980, adj  R 2 > 0.971, and RMSE < 2.12). The activation energy for the concentration process was estimated at 254.09 kJ/mol. To study the effect of the vacuum concentration on physicochemical characteristics and on bioactive compounds, several parameters were determined, namely, total soluble solid content, moisture, pH, acidity, viscosity, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, betalains, antioxidant activity, and reducing power. The results showed a significant increase in acidity (from 0.037 to 0.129 g citric acid eq/100 mL) and viscosity (from 0.048 to 0.275 Pa·s), after juice concentration. Bioactive compounds were concentrated along with the increase in °Bx value (from 15 to 60°Bx), with betalains reaching up to 59.66 mg/100 g, total phenolic compounds up to 246.74 mg GAE/100 g, and ascorbic acid up to 39.36 mg/100 g in the juice concentrates. However, statistical evaluation of the results made for the reconstituted juices from juice concentrates revealed that the bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity of the cactus pear juice were better preserved when applying the lowest temperatures (50°C and 60°C).