Potential of Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ Peptide Analogs for Drug Development

Nociceptin receptor (NOP) belongs to the family of opioid receptors but was discovered and characterized much later than the so called classical opioid receptors, μ, δ and κ (or MOP, DOP and KOP, resp.). Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is the endogenous ligand of this receptor and it controls numerous important functions in the central nervous system and in the periphery, so its analogs may be developed as innovative drugs for the treatment of a variety of conditions and pathological states. Availability of potent and selective ligands with high affinity to NOP receptor is essential to fully understand the role of NOP-N/OFQ system in the body, which in turn may lead to designing novel therapeutics. Here, we have focused on reviewing the structure of potent peptide-based agonists, antagonists, biased analogs and bivalent ligands that target NOP receptor.     

Effects of Inoculum Additions in the Presence of a Preestablished Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community

Communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are crucial for promoting plant productivity in most terrestrial systems, including anthropogenically managed ecosystems. Application of AMF inocula has therefore become a widespread practice. It is, however, pertinent to understand the mechanisms that govern AMF community composition and their performance in order to design successful manipulations. Here we assess whether the composition and plant growth-promotional effects of a synthetic AMF community can be altered by inoculum additions of the isolates forming the community. This was determined by following the effects of three AMF isolates, each inoculated in two propagule densities into a preestablished AMF community. Fungal abundance in roots and plant growth were evaluated in three sequential harvests. We found a transient positive response in AMF abundance to the intraspecific inoculation only in the competitively weakest isolate. The other two isolates responded negatively to intra- and interspecific inoculations, and in some cases plant growth was also reduced. Our results suggest that increasing the AMF density may lead to increased competition among fungi and a trade-off with their ability to promote plant productivity. This is a key ecological aspect to consider when introducing AMF into soils.     

Polyphyletic Alyssum cuneifolium (Brassicaceae) revisited: Morphological and genome size differentiation of recently recognized allopatric taxa

Alyssum cuneifolium has been recognized as a perennial alpine species growing in five isolated European mountain ranges: the Pyrenees, Western Alps, Apennines, Pirin Mts and Mt Smolikas. Recent molecular systematic studies revealed that the disjunct populations from distant mountains are not closely related and belong to five independent species: A. cacuminum (Spain, Pyrenees), A. cuneifolium (Italy, Apennines), A. flexicaule (France, Western Alps), A. pirinicum (Bulgaria, Pirin Mts), and A. spruneri (Greece, Mt Smolikas). The present study brings the thorough morphometric analysis of the segregated taxa. We found minor morphological differences between them. Whereas A. pirinicum can be clearly distinguished, the other taxa are recognizable only at the level of population means of investigated characters. The morphological similarity of these distantly related species is obviously the result of adaptation to similar high‐alpine scree habitats. It is not clear, however, whether this adaptation is environmentally controlled or whether it is also genetically fixed and whether it reflects parallel evolution towards similar morphotypes. The observed morphological patterns and their assumed correlation with environmental factors are discussed using examples from other Alyssum taxa. Three different ploidy levels have been reported for the species under study. In the present article, we examine variation in relative nuclear genome size. The Alpine and Pyrenean species have larger relative monoploid genome sizes than the Apennine and Balkan ones, probably reflecting the evolutionary history of the group. A nomenclatural account of the study species is presented, and lectotypes of A. cuneifolium and of two other names are selected.     

Assessment of the influence of viscoelasticity of cornea in animal ex vivo model using air‐puff optical coherence tomography and corneal hysteresis

Application of the air‐puff swept source optical coherence tomography (SS‐OCT) instrument to determine the influence of viscoelasticity on the relation between overall the air‐puff force and corneal apex displacement of porcine corneas ex vivo is demonstrated. Simultaneous recording of time‐evolution of the tissue displacement and air pulse stimulus allows obtaining valuable information related in part to the mechanical properties of the cornea. A novel approach based on quantitative analysis of the corneal hysteresis of OCT data is presented. The corneal response to the air pulse is assessed for different well‐controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) levels and for the progression of cross‐linking‐induced stiffness of the cornea. Micrometer resolution, fast acquisition and noncontact character of the air‐puff SS‐OCT measurements have potential to improve the in vivo assessment of mechanical properties of the human corneas.      

Enhanced UV‐B radiation during pupal stage reduce body mass and fat content,while increasing deformities,mortality and cell death in female adults of solitary bee Osmia bicornis

The effects of enhanced UV‐B radiation on the oogenesis and morpho‐anatomical characteristics of the European solitary red mason bee Osmia bicornis L. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) were tested under laboratory conditions. Cocooned females in the pupal stage were exposed directly to different doses (0, 9.24, 12.32, and 24.64 kJ/m²/d) of artificial UV‐B. Our experiments revealed that enhanced UV‐B radiation can reduce body mass and fat body content, cause deformities and increase mortality. Following UV exposure at all 3 different doses, the body mass of bees was all significantly reduced compared to the control, with the highest UV dose causing the largest reduction. Similarly, following UV‐B radiation, in treated groups the fat body index decreased and the fat body index was the lowest in the group receiving the highest dose of UV radiation. Mortality and morphological deformities, between untreated and exposed females varied considerably and increased with the dose of UV‐B radiation. Morphological deformities were mainly manifested in the wings and mouthparts, and occurred more frequently with an increased dose of UV. Cell death was quantified by the Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay (DNA fragmentation) during early stages of oogenesis of O. bicornis females. The bees, after UV‐B exposure exhibited more germarium cells with fragmented DNA. The TUNEL test indicated that in germarium, low doses of UV‐B poorly induced the cell death during early development. However, exposure to moderate UV‐B dose increased programmed cell death. In females treated with the highest dose of UV‐B the vast majority of germarium cells were TUNEL‐positive.     

Heat shock response and autophagy—cooperation and control

Protein quality control (proteostasis) depends on constant protein degradation and resynthesis, and is essential for proper homeostasis in systems from single cells to whole organisms. Cells possess several mechanisms and processes to maintain proteostasis. At one end of the spectrum, the heat shock proteins modulate protein folding and repair. At the other end, the proteasome and autophagy as well as other lysosome-dependent systems, function in the degradation of dysfunctional proteins. In this review, we examine how these systems interact to maintain proteostasis. Both the direct cellular data on heat shock control over autophagy and the time course of exercise-associated changes in humans support the model that heat shock response and autophagy are tightly linked. Studying the links between exercise stress and molecular control of proteostasis provides evidence that the heat shock response and autophagy coordinate and undergo sequential activation and downregulation, and that this is essential for proper proteostasis in eukaryotic systems.     

The morphology of the preimaginal stages of Squamapion elongatum (Germar, 1817) (Coleoptera,Curculionoidea, Apionidae) and notes on its biology

Data on the morphology of the egg, mature larva (L₃) and pupa of Squamapion elongatum (Germar, 1817) are presented. The development cycle of this species lasts 51–54 days: a 12-day egg period, a 30-day larval period, and a 12-day pupal period, on average. The larvae are attacked by parasitic hymenopterans of the superfamily Chalcidoidea.