Search results for "actin"
showing 10 items of 1375 documents
A review of methods to assess connectivity and dispersal between fish populations in the Mediterranean Sea
2013
Fish populations are linked to each other via dispersal of individuals as eggs, larvae, juveniles or adults. The understanding of this process, known as connectivity, has a pivotal role for the management of overexploited fish stocks and the development of accurate conservation strategies. Knowledge on connectivity and fish movements is considered fundamental toward the correct design of marine protected area (MPA) networks for the achievement of the benefits of protection. Connectivity patterns are still largely unknown worldwide. A general lack of knowledge is particularly evident for the Mediterranean Sea where few studies dealing with this topic have been carried out and some methods, c…
Food-Based Dietary Guidelines around the World: A Comparative Analysis to Update AESAN Scientific Committee Dietary Recommendations
2021
Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) include dietary recommendations based on food groups according to the general and accepted nutrition principles and current scientific evidence. Adoption of FBDG contributes to the prevention of malnutrition in all its forms, promotes human health, and reduces environmental impact. The present review aims to perform an international comparative analysis of the FBDG adopted in different countries from three different continents (America, Asia, and Europe), with particular reference to the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN, Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición) Scientific Committee dietary recommendations. A total of twelve c…
The influence of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage edible coating on the quality of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit slices
2016
Abstract The aim of this work was to study the effect of mucilage edible coating extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) on the quality and shelf life maintenance of packaged kiwifruit slices. OFI mucilage alone or added with TWEEN ® 20 were applied on kiwifruit fresh cut surfaces. After treatments, kiwifruit samples were stored under passive atmosphere at 5 ± 1 °C for 3, 5, 7 and 12 days. At each storage period, visual quality and flavor score, pectin content, ascorbic acid and the microbiological characteristics were measured together with CO 2 and O 2 content in the packages. Kiwifruit slices coated only with mucilage or with mucilage plus Tween 20, showed a significant higher firmness…
Inorganic phosphate is a trigger factor for Microbispora sp. ATCC-PTA-5024 growth and NAI-107 production
2014
Background NAI-107, produced by the actinomycete Microbispora sp. ATCC-PTA-5024, is a promising lantibiotic active against Gram-positive bacteria and currently in late preclinical-phase. Lantibiotics (lanthionine-containing antibiotics) are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), encoded by structural genes as precursor peptides. The biosynthesis of biologically active compounds is developmentally controlled and it depends upon a variety of environmental stimuli and conditions. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) usually negatively regulates biologically-active molecule production in Actinomycetes, while it has been reported to have a positive control on lantibiotic…
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…
BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SEXUAL ORNAMENTS REFLECT OFFSPRING PERFORMANCE IN A FISH
2010
Secondary sexual characters are often expressed in both sexes (mutual ornamentation), but are less often studied simultaneously. We studied the adaptive signaling function of male and female ornamentation in a mutually ornamented fish, the whitefish Coregonus lavaretus. In an experimental design in which nongenetic environmental effects were minimized, we found that highly ornamented females, males, and their parental combinations had offspring with better swimming performance and predator-avoidance ability than less ornamented individuals or combinations. Furthermore, highly ornamented females had larger offspring that also had higher yolk volume than less ornamented individuals. Offspring…
The closure of Pak1-dependent macropinosomes requires the phosphorylation of CtBP1/BARS
2007
Membrane fission is an essential process in membrane trafficking and other cellular functions. While many fissioning and trafficking steps are mediated by the large GTPase dynamin, some fission events are dynamin independent and involve C-terminal-binding protein-1/brefeldinA-ADP ribosylated substrate (CtBP1/BARS). To gain an insight into the molecular mechanisms of CtBP1/BARS in fission, we have studied the role of this protein in macropinocytosis, a dynamin-independent endocytic pathway that can be synchronously activated by growth factors. Here, we show that upon activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, CtBP1/BARS is (a) translocated to the macropinocytic cup and its surroundi…
Impaired crypsis of fish infected with a trophically transmitted parasite
2005
Trophically transmitted parasites may enhance their transmission by altering the phenotype of infected hosts to increase their vulnerability to predation by the next hosts in the life cycle. In an experimental study, we investigated whether the parasite Diplostomum spathaceum (Trematoda) alters cryptic coloration and cryptic behaviour of infected rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, so that they would be more conspicuous to avian predators. The parasite reduces the vision of fish by lodging in the eyes and inducing cataract formation, which gives it an opportunity to affect fish crypsis. We examined the effect of the parasite on the ability of fish to adjust their coloration to the environme…
Studies on the effects of Ca2++ and Co++ on the swimming behavior of the blind Mexican cave fish
1992
The hypothesis that the blind cave fish (Astyanax hubbsi) adjusts the level of stimulation to its lateral line system (LLS) by varying its own velocity was examined. When the sensitivity of the LLS sense organs was reduced by lowering the Ca2+ concentration in the water or by adding Co2+ the fish compensated for this by swimming at a higher velocity.
The Forebrain of the Blind Cave Fish <i>Astyanax hubbsi </i>(Characidae)
1997
This paper presents a survey of the cell groups in the telencephalon of the teleost Astyanax hubbsi, based on series of transverse sections stained with the Nissl-, Kluver-Barrera and Bodian procedure