Search results for "Dop"

Biosurfactant production by hydrocarbon-degradingBrevibacteriumandVibrioisolates from the sea penPteroeides spinosum(Ellis, 1764)

2016

Among filter-feeders, pennatulids are the most complex and polymorphic members of the cnidarian class Anthozoa. They display a wide distribution throughout all the oceans, constituting a significant component of the sessile megafauna from intertidal to abyssal depths. In this study, a total of 118 bacterial isolates from enrichment cultures, carried out with homogenates of the sea pen Pteroeides spinosum (Ellis, 1764), were screened for hydrocarbon utilization by using the 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol assay. Among them, 83 hydrocarbon-oxidizing isolates were analyzed for biosurfactant production by standard screening tests (i.e., emulsifying activity, E24 detection, surface tension measure…

Physical Activity and Brain Health.

2019

Physical activity (PA) has been central in the life of our species for most of its history, and thus shaped our physiology during evolution. However, only recently the health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, and of highly energetic diets, are becoming clear. It has been also acknowledged that lifestyle and diet can induce epigenetic modifications which modify chromatin structure and gene expression, thus causing even heritable metabolic outcomes. Many studies have shown that PA can reverse at least some of the unwanted effects of sedentary lifestyle, and can also contribute in delaying brain aging and degenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes, and multiple s…

Colletotrin: a sesquiterpene lactone from the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides associated with Trichilia monadelpha

2017

Abstract A new sesquiterpene lactone, namely colletotrin (1), together with two known fungal metabolites (2, 3), was obtained from a rice culture of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, an endophytic fungus isolated from the stem bark of Cameroonian medicinal plant Trichilia monadelpha (Meliaceae). The structure of the new compound was established on the basis of extensive NMR analysis (1H, 13C, heteronuclear single-quantum coherence and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation) completed by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy results and by comparison of these data with those of related compounds described in the literature. Their cytotoxic and antibacterial activities agai…

Arabidopsis Serine Decarboxylase 1 (SDC1) in Phospholipid and Amino Acid Metabolism

2018

Arabidopsis thaliana serine decarboxylase 1 (SDC1) catalyzes conversion of serine to ethanolamine, the first reaction step of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis. However, an involvement of SDC1 in amino acid metabolism remains elusive despite that serine is the substrate of SDC1. Here, we showed that SDC1 localizes in mitochondria although phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are known to be produced in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Moreover, we found that overexpression of SDC1 decreased levels of amino acid compounds derived from mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle. These results suggest that mitochondria-localized SDC1 plays an important role i…

MultiBacTAG-Genetic Code Expansion Using the Baculovirus Expression System in Sf21 Cells

2018

The combination of genetic code expansion (GCE) and baculovirus-based protein expression in Spodoptera frugiperda cells is a powerful tool to express multiprotein complexes with site-specifically introduced noncanonical amino acids. This protocol describes the integration of synthetase and tRNA gene indispensable for GCE into the backbone of the Bacmid, the Tn7-mediated transposition of various genes of interest, as well as the final expression of protein using the MultiBacTAG system with different noncanonical amino acids.

Dynamic compartmentalization of calcium channel signalling in neurons.

2020

Calcium fluxes through the neuronal membrane are strictly limited in time due to biophysical properties of voltage-gated and ligand-activated ion channels and receptors. Being embedded into the crowded dynamic environment of biological membranes, Ca2+-permeable receptors and channels undergo perpetual spatial rearrangement, which enables their temporary association and formation of transient signalling complexes. Thus, efficient calcium-mediated signal transduction requires mechanisms to support very precise spatiotemporal alignment of the calcium source and Ca2+-binding lipids and proteins in a highly dynamic environment. The mobility of calcium channels and calcium-sensing proteins themse…

Effects of Dopamine on the Immature Neurons of the Adult Rat Piriform Cortex

2020

The layer II of the adult piriform cortex (PCX) contains a numerous population of immature neurons. Interestingly, in both mice and rats, most, if not all, these cells have an embryonic origin. Moreover, recent studies from our laboratory have shown that they progressively mature into typical excitatory neurons of the PCX layer II. Therefore, the adult PCX is considered a “non-canonical” neurogenic niche. These immature neurons express the polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a molecule critical for different neurodevelopmental processes. Dopamine (DA) is a relevant neurotransmitter in the adult CNS, which also plays important roles in neural development and …

2016

Successful reconstitution of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific CD8+ T cells by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) gives a favorable prognosis for the control of CMV reactivation and prevention of CMV disease after hematoablative therapy of hematopoietic malignancies. In the transient immunocompromised state after HCT, pre-emptive cytoimmunotherapy with viral epitope-specific effector or memory CD8+ T cells is a promising option to speed up antiviral control. Despite high-coding capacity of CMVs and a broad CD8+ T-cell response on the population level, which reflects polymorphism in major histocompatibility complex class-I (MHC-I) glycoproteins, the response in terms of quantity of CD8+ T…

Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of 3-Phenylcoumarin-Based Monoamine Oxidase B Inhibitors

2018

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) catalyzes deamination of monoamines such as neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. Accordingly, small-molecule MAO-B inhibitors potentially alleviate the symptoms of dopamine-linked neuropathologies such as depression or Parkinson's disease. Coumarin with a functionalized 3-phenyl ring system is a promising scaffold for building potent MAO-B inhibitors. Here, a vast set of 3-phenylcoumarin derivatives was designed using virtual combinatorial chemistry or rationally de novo and synthesized using microwave chemistry. The derivatives inhibited the MAO-B at 100 nM−1 μM. The IC50 value of the most potent derivative 1 was 56 nM. A docking-based structure-activi…

Identification and structural characterization of LytU, a unique peptidoglycan endopeptidase from the lysostaphin family

2017

AbstractWe introduce LytU, a short member of the lysostaphin family of zinc-dependent pentaglycine endopeptidases. It is a potential antimicrobial agent for S. aureus infections and its gene transcription is highly upregulated upon antibiotic treatments along with other genes involved in cell wall synthesis. We found this enzyme to be responsible for the opening of the cell wall peptidoglycan layer during cell divisions in S. aureus. LytU is anchored in the plasma membrane with the active part residing in the periplasmic space. It has a unique Ile/Lys insertion at position 151 that resides in the catalytic site-neighbouring loop and is vital for the enzymatic activity but not affecting the …