Search results for "ACEA"

Supplementary data for: Improved camouflage through ontogenetic colour change confers reduced detection risk in shore crabs

2019

Many animals change appearance with age but the reasons why are rarely tested. Common shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), for example, are known for their ability to change colour over time. Young crabs show remarkable variation in coloration and it has been suggested that their variable appearance may help them to hide from predators in the habitats they use. However, as crabs grow they become more mobile and adult crabs, in contrast, are known to possess a more uniform coloration. This creates a problem: how to remain hidden in habitats that are variable and very different in appearance? To answer this, we first reared young shore crabs of two shades, pale or dark, on two background types rese…

IL-17 and TNF-α Are Key Mediators of Moraxella catarrhalis Triggered Exacerbation of Allergic Airway Inflammation

2017

Alterations of the airway microbiome is often associated with pulmonary diseases. For example, detection of the bacterial pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis in the upper airways is linked with an increased risk to develop or exacerbate asthma. However, the mechanisms by which M. cattarhalis augments allergic airway inflammation (AAI) remains unclear. We here characterized the cellular and soluble mediators of M. catarrhalis triggered excacerbation of AAI in wt and IL-17 deficient as well as in animals treated with TNF-alpha and IL-6 neutralizing antibodies. We compared the type of inflammatory response in M. catarrhalis infected, HDM-allergic and animals infected with M. catarrhalis at differen…

Exosome release by crustacean hyaline haemocytes in vitro

2010

Exosomes are small microvesicles (40–100 nm) that are formed from the endosome to generate multi-vesicular bodies (MBVs). In mammals, exosomes play a significant role in cellular communication. Exosomes have also been reported for salmon and fruit fly but have not previously been studied in crustaceans. Therefore we undertook to study them in decapods. We chose the hyaline haemocytes of brachyuran crabs, Carcinus maenas and Hyas araneus, because these cells are abundant in haemolymph, are phagocytic and can be cultured on glass or plastic surfaces. Furthermore these cells have been observed to contain MVB-like structures that bear some resemblance to those in mammals that produce exosomes. …

New chemiometric technique applied to traceability of Sicilian honey of Sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.)

The consumers have an increasing interest about food traceability with respect to safety, quality and typicality issues. Food traceability is an important issue in food safety and quality control, with impacts on food security, its quantity and overall availability. Furthermore, the possibility of tracing the origin of foodstuff is assuming an increasingly important role at the legislative level, as a tool that may allow to prove on product authenticity and to control adulteration. So, establish systems to trace food products through specified stages of production, processing and distribution play a key role also to ensure food safety. In the last years, several of analytical techniques hav…

Phylogeny, biogeography and evolution of Triglochin L. (Juncaginaceae) – Morphological diversification is linked to habitat shifts rather than to gen…

2015

A species-level phylogeny is presented for Triglochin, the largest genus of Juncaginaceae (Alismatales) comprising about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs. Triglochin has an almost cosmopolitan distribution with Australia as centre of species diversity. Trans-Atlantic and trans-African disjunctions exist in the genus. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on molecular data obtained from nuclear (ITS, internal transcribed spacer) and chloroplast sequence data (psbA-trnH spacer, matK gene). Based on the phylogeny of the group divergence times were estimated and ancestral distribution areas reconstructed. Our data confirm the monophyly of Triglochin and resolve relationships betwee…

Chemical variability in the essential oil of Cinnamomum tamala L. leaves from India.

2011

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the fresh leaves of Cinnamomum tamala Nees et Eberm. was determined by GC and GC–MS. The yield of the oil on a dry weight basis ranged from 1.2% to 3.9% (w/w). Phenyl propanoids constitute the major portion (88.9–95.0%) of the oils. Fifty-four compounds were identified from the oils. Eugenol (91.4–41.8%) was the main compound, followed by eugenyl acetate (0.0–47.1%) and α-phellandrene (0.6–2.5%) in the analysed oils.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Coumarins from the Roots of Ferulago campestris (Apiaceae)

2009

We report the isolation of several coumarins and the stereochemical assessment of some pyranocoumarins, as well as the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the three most abundant ones (grandivittin, agasyllin and aegelinol benzoate) isolated from the roots of Ferulago campestris collected in Sicily and of the hydrolysis product (aegelinol). Aegelinol and agasyllin showed antibacterial activity against nine ATCC and the same clinically isolated Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. At a concentration between 16 and 125 μg/mL both coumarins showed a significant antibacterial effect against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In particular the ATCC strains Staph…

Pythium contiguanum nomen novum (syn. Pythium dreschleri Paul), its antagonism to Botrytis cinerea, ITS1 region of its nuclear ribosomal DNA, and its…

2000

Pythium drechsleri Paul was described as a new species from soil samples taken in a salt-marsh of Arzew, Algeria [Paul, B. (1988) Une nouvelle espece de Pythium isolee d'une saline de l'ouest Algerien. Cryptogam. Mycol. 9, 325-333]. The name of the fungus, P. drechsleri, is a nomen invalidum, as it is a later homonym of P. drechsleri Rajgopalan and Ramakrishnan [Rajagopalan, S. and Ramakrishnan, K. (1971) Phycomycetes in agricultural soils with special reference to the Pythiaceae. Madras Univ. J. Sect. B 37,38, 100-117]. A new name, Pythium contiguanum is now being given to P. drechsleri Paul. This species is characterised by its contiguous inflated type of sporangia, smooth-walled oogonia …

Isolation of Gram-positive n-alkane degraders from a hydrocarbon-contaminated Mediterranean shoreline.

2007

Aims: To investigate the petroleum hydrocarbon (HC)-degrading potential of indigenous micro-organisms in a sandy Mediterranean coast, accidentally contaminated with petroleum-derived HCs. Methods and Results: Using culturable methods, a population of Gram-positive n-alkane degraders was detected in the contaminated soil. Five isolates, identified as one Nocardia, two Rhodococcus and two Gordonia strains, were able to degrade medium- and long-chain n-alkanes up to C36 as assessed by growth assays and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Diverging alkane hydroxylase-encoding genes (alkB) were detected by PCR, using degenerated primers, in all the strains; multiple sequences were obt…

Absence of the endo-beta-1,4-glucanases Cel1 and Cel2 reduces susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea in tomato.

2007

Cel1 and Cel2 are members of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill) endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (EGase) family that may play a role in fruit ripening and organ abscission. This work demonstrates that Cel1 protein is present in other vegetative tissues and accumulates during leaf development. We recently reported the downregulation of both the Cel1 mRNA and protein upon fungal infection, suggesting the involvement of EGases in plant-pathogen interactions. This hypothesis was confirmed by assessing the resistance to Botrytis cinerea infection of transgenic plants expressing both genes in an antisense orientation (Anti-Cel1, Anti-Cel2 and Anti-Cel1-Cel2). The Anti-Cel1-Cel2 plants showed enhanced …