Search results for "Oct"

Extended Flight Bouts Require Disinhibition from GABAergic Mushroom Body Neurons

2019

Summary Insect flight is a complex behavior that requires the integration of multiple sensory inputs with flight motor output. Although previous genetic studies identified central brain monoaminergic neurons that modulate Drosophila flight, neuro-modulatory circuits underlying sustained flight bouts remain unexplored. Certain classes of dopaminergic and octopaminergic neurons that project to the mushroom body, a higher integrating center in the insect brain, are known to modify neuronal output based on contextual cues and thereby organismal behavior. This study focuses on how monoaminergic modulation of mushroom body GABAergic output neurons (MBONs) regulates the duration of flight bouts. O…

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and thyroid function in pregnant women and children: A systematic review of epidemiologic studies

2017

Introduction: Thyroid hormones (THs) are especially important for brain maturation and development during the fetal period and childhood. Several epidemiological studies have assessed the possible association between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and thyroid outcomes during the early stages of life. We aimed to review this evidence. Methods: We conducted a systematic review in compliance with the PRISMA Statement (search conducted in PubMed and Embase, as well as in the citations of the selected articles). We chose studies if they dealt with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4), or thyroid dysfunctions, and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS),…

Influence of a Mediterranean Dietary Pattern on Body Fat Distribution: Results of the PREDIMED-Canarias Intervention Randomized Trial

2016

Objective: To assess the influence of a Mediterranean dietary pattern (MeDiet) on anthropometric and body composition parameters in one of the centers of the PREDIMED randomized dietary trial. Subjects/Settings: 351 Canarian free-living subjects aged 55 to 80 years, with type 2 diabetes or ≥3 cardiovascular risk factors. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 different dietary interventions: MeDiet + extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), MeDiet + nuts (walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts), or a control low-fat diet. Total energy intake was ad libitum. Outcome measures: Measures included changes in anthropometric measures (weight, body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC…

Usefulness of current candidate genetic markers to identify childhood cancer patients at risk for platinum-induced ototoxicity: Results of the Europe…

2020

Background Irreversible sensorineural hearing loss is a common side effect of platinum treatment with the potential to significantly impair the neurocognitive, social and educational development of childhood cancer survivors. Genetic association studies suggest a genetic predisposition for cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Among other candidate genes, thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is considered a critical gene for susceptibility to cisplatin-induced hearing loss in the FDA drug label and a pharmacogenetic guideline. The aim of this cross-sectional cohort study was to confirm the genetic associations in a large pan-European population and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the genetic…

Suppressive role exerted by microRNA-29b-1-5p in triple negative breast cancer through SPIN1 regulation

2017

MiR-29 family dysregulation occurs in various cancers including breast cancers. We investigated miR-29b-1 functional role in human triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) the most aggressive breast cancer subtype. We found that miR-29b-1-5p was downregulated in human TNBC tissues and cell lines. To assess whether miR- 29b-1-5p correlated with TNBC regenerative potential, we evaluated cancer stem cell enrichment in our TNBC cell lines, and found that only MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 produced primary, secondary and tertiary mammospheres, which were progressively enriched in OCT4, NANOG and SOX2 stemness genes. MiR-29b-1-5p expression inversely correlated with mammosphere stemness potential, and miR-29b…

P/CAF-mediated spermidine acetylation regulates histone acetyltransferase activity

2016

Histones and polyamines are important determinants of the chromatin structure. Histones form the core of nucleosome particles and their modification by acetylation of N-terminal tails is involved in chromatin structural changes and transcriptional regulation. Polyamines, including spermidine, are also targets of both cytoplasmic and nuclear acetylation, which in turn alters their affinity for DNA and nucleosomes. Previous studies report the interplay between polyamines metabolism and levels of histone acetylation, but the molecular basis of this effect is still unclear. In this work, we have analyzed the in vitro effect of spermidine on histone H3 acetylation catalyzed by P/CAF, a highly co…

Identification of the Tetraspanin CD9 as an Interaction Partner of Organic Cation Transporters 1 and 2

2019

Organic cation transporters (OCTs) are membrane proteins with relevant physiological (because they accept neurotransmitters as substrate) and pharmacological (because of their interaction with drugs) roles. The human OCTs hOCT1 (SLC22A1/hOCT1) and hOCT2 (SLC22A2/hOCT2) are highly expressed in hepatic (hOCT1) and in renal and neuronal tissue (hOCT2), suggesting a possible role in modulating neurotransmitter activity in the liver, kidney, and brain, and their clearance from the blood. Even though there are several data demonstrating that OCTs are regulated under various patho-physiological conditions, it remains largely unknown which proteins directly interact with OCTs and thereby influence …

Octopamine Shifts the Behavioral Response From Indecision to Approach or Aversion in Drosophila melanogaster

2018

Animals must make constant decisions whether to respond to external sensory stimuli or not to respond. The activation of positive and/or negative reinforcers might bias the behavioral response towards approach or aversion. To analyze whether the activation of the octopaminergic neurotransmitter system can shift the decision between two identical odor sources, we active in Drosophila melanogaster different sets of octopaminergic neurons using optogenetics and analyze the choice of the flies using a binary odor trap assay. We show that the release of octopamine from a set of neurons and not acetylcholine acts as positive reinforcer for one food odor source resulting in attraction. The activat…

High Bacterial Agglutination Activity in a Single-CRD C-Type Lectin from Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

2017

Lectins are carbohydrate-interacting proteins that play a pivotal role in multiple physiological and developmental aspects of all organisms. They can specifically interact with different bacterial and viral pathogens through carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRD). In addition, lectins are also of biotechnological interest because of their potential use as biosensors for capturing and identifying bacterial species. In this work, three C-type lectins from the Lepidoptera Spodoptera exigua were produced as recombinant proteins and their bacterial agglutination properties were characterized. The lowest protein concentration producing bacterial agglutination against a panel of different Gram+ an…

2017

The biogenic amines octopamine (OA) and tyramine (TA) modulate insect motor behavior in an antagonistic manner. OA generally enhances locomotor behaviors such as Drosophila larval crawling and flight, whereas TA decreases locomotor activity. However, the mechanisms and cellular targets of TA modulation of locomotor activity are incompletely understood. This study combines immunocytochemistry, genetics and flight behavioral assays in the Drosophila model system to test the role of a candidate enzyme for TA catabolism, named Nazgul (Naz), in flight motor behavioral control. We hypothesize that the dehydrogenase/reductase Naz represents a critical step in TA catabolism. Immunocytochemistry rev…