The Effects of Polyacrylic Acid, Acetylsalicylic Acid and Salicylic Acid on Resistance of Cucumber to Colletotrichum lagenarium

Injection of cucumber cotyledons with polyacrylic acid (PA), acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and salicylic acid (SA) induced resistance to inoculations with Colletrichum Iagenarium when inoculation followed injection by 96 h but not by 24 h. Size and number of lesions were greatly decreased. Resistance was greatest in injected cotyledons but was also pronounced in non-injected halves of cotyledons and occasionally in first or second leaves.
Incorporation of PA, ASA and SA into liquid shake cultures did not significantly affect growth of the pathogen.
Gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins extracted from cotyledons showed that induction of resistance was not accompanied by the appearance of novel soluble proteins.     

The Immunomodulatory Activity of Jacaric Acid,a Conjugated Linolenic Acid Isomer,on Murine Peritoneal Macrophages

This study aims at demonstrating the immunomodulatory property of jacaric acid, a conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA) isomer that is present in jacaranda seed oil, on murine peritoneal macrophages. Our results showed that jacaric acid exhibited no significant cytotoxicity on the thioglycollate-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages as revealed by the neutral red uptake assay, but markedly increased their cytostatic activity on the T-cell lymphoma MBL-2 cells as measured by the fluorometric CyQuant^® NF Cell Proliferation Assay Kit. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that jacaric acid could enhance the endocytic activity of macrophages and elevated their intracellular production of superoxide anion. Moreover, jacaric acid-treated macrophages showed an increase in the production of nitric oxide which was accompanied by an increase in the expression level of inducible nitric oxide synthase protein. In addition, the secretion of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interferon-γ, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, was up-regulated. Collectively, our results indicated that the naturally-occurring CLNA isomer, jacaric acid, could exhibit immunomodulating activity on the murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro, suggesting that this CLNA isomer may act as an immunopotentiator which can be exploited for the treatment of some immunological disorders with minimal toxicity and fewer side effects.     

Biotransformation of Cinnamic Acid,p-Coumaric Acid,Caffeic Acid,and Ferulic Acid by Plant Cell Cultures of Eucalyptus perriniana

Biotransformations of phenylpropanoids such as cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid were investigated with plant-cultured cells of Eucalyptus perriniana. The plant-cultured cells of E. perriniana converted cinnamic acid into cinnamic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, p-coumaric acid, and 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcoumaric acid. p-Coumaric acid was converted into 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcoumaric acid, p-coumaric acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcoumaric acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, a new compound, caffeic acid, and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid. On the other hand, incubation of caffeic acid with cultured E. perriniana cells gave 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid, 3-O-(6-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid, a new compound, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid, 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, ferulic acid, and 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylferulic acid. 4-O-β-D-Glucopyranosylferulic acid, ferulic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, and 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylferulic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester were isolated from E. perriniana cells treated with ferulic acid.     

The Epigenetic Modifier,Valproic Acid,Enhances Radiation Sensitivity

Valproic acid is an established therapeutic for a variety of seizure disorders and incertain cases for depression and anxiety. In addition, valproic acid has been shown topossess histone deacetylase inhibition activity and is currently being investigated asan anti-cancer agent, either alone or in combination with other conventional cancertherapies such as ionizing radiation. In this study, we investigated whether valproicacid modulates cellular responses to radiation in human erythroleukemic, K562 cells.Hyperacetylation of nuclear histones 3 and 4 was used to correlate the effects ofvalproic acid to inhibition of histone deacetylase activity, clonogenic survival,apoptosis and apoptosis. The findings from the clonogenic survival and caspaseinduction assays indicated that pre-treatment of cells with valproic acid for 24 hours,markedly enhanced radiation induced cell-death and apoptosis in K562 cells,respectively. Mechanisms involving drug-mediated cytotoxicity and changes in cellcycle distribution were associated with the radiation sensitizing properties of valproicacid, particularly at the higher concentrations. Overall, our findings are consistentwith the general consensus that HDAC inhibitors efficiently sensitize cancer cells tothe effects of ionizing radiation and support the idea of developing clinically relevantcombinations of HDAC inhibitors and radiotherapy.     

Turnover of Free Sialic Acid, CMP-Sialic Acid, and Bound Sialic Acid In Rat Brain

Abstract: Adult male rats were injected intraventricularly with N-[³H]acetylmannosamine. After different time intervals the rats were killed and free sialic acid, CMP-sialic acid, lipid- and protein-bound sialic acid were isolated from brain and the specific radioactivities determined. Maximal specific radioactivity was reached after approximately 4 h for CMP-sialic acid, after 10–12 h for free sialic acid and after approximately 42 h for lipid-and protein-bound sialic acid. After some days the specific radioactivities of all four pools were the same and decreased equally, with a calculated turnover rate of approximately 3.5 weeks. The conclusion was that this phenomenon was the result of reutilisation of sialic acid and/or precursors. Therefore, the calculated turnover is not the turnover of bound sialic acid, but merely the rate of leakage of sialic acid and/or precursors out of the brain, so that no real turnover can be measured by this method. The first few hours after injection the specific radioactivity of CMP-sialic acid rose above that of free sialic acid. It is supposed that a compartmentalization exists of free sialic acid. The newly synthesized sialic acid molecules are not secreted into the cytoplasmic pool but are preferentially used for the synthesis of CMP-sialic acid. The results and conclusions are discussed in view of the general problems concerning turnover measurements of glycoconjugates.     

The Relationship between Satellite Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid Gene Redundancy, and Genome Size in Plants

The buoyant density of ribosomal DNA is similar in species with or without satellite DNA, and in all species examined was distinguishable from that of the satellite DNA. In melon tissues (Cucumus melo) the percentage satellite DNA is not correlated with the percentage hybridization to ribosomal RNA. Satellite DNA sequences do not appear to be dispersed between those coding for ribosomal RNA. There is no correlation between the presence of satellite DNA and high ribosomal RNA gene redundancy, but there is a correlation between satellite DNA and small genome size, which results in a correlation between satellite DNA and a high percentage hybridization to ribosomal RNA. Satellite DNAs are defined as minor components after CsCI centrifugation.     

The Synthesis of 2,2-Dimethyl-3,3-dichlorocyclopropane Carboxylic Acid,a Novel Active Acid Moiety of Pyrethroids

The synthesis and biological activities of 2,2-dimethyl-3,3-dichlorocyclopropane carboxylic esters are descrived.     

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Ribonucleic Acid, Protein and Uncombined Amino Acid Content of Legume Seeds During Embryogeny

The nucleic acid, protein and uncombined amino acid contentof seeds of soya-bean (Glycine max L. Merr.), garden pea (Pisumsativum L.), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) were measured at various times duringseed formation in an effort to understand why the soya-beanhas nearly twice as much protein as the other legume seeds.In all these species the concentration of deoxyribonucleic acid,ribonucleic acid and uncombined amino acids decreased duringseed formation. The protein level of kidney bean was relativelyconstant during development whereas the protein levels of pea,peanut and soya-bean increased during development. The proteincontent of the soya-bean increased throughout development whereasthe protein increase in peanut took place early and that inpea took place later in development. The ratio of protein toribonucleic acid was highest in peanut, less in soya-bean, andlowest in pea and kidney bean. Similarly, the ratio of proteinto deoxyribonucleic acid was higher in kidney bean than in soya-bean.Soya-beans had a lower amino acid content than any of the otherseeds at all stages of development. These results indicate thatneither total deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid nor uncombinedamino acid content is responsible for the higher protein contentof soya-beans.     

The ω-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid,Eicosapentaenoic Acid,Attenuates Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development via Suppression of Tissue Remodeling

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a prevalent vascular disease that can progressively enlarge and rupture with a high rate of mortality. Inflammation and active remodeling of the aortic wall have been suggested to be critical in its pathogenesis. Meanwhile, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are known to reduce cardiovascular events, but its role in AAA management remains unclear. Here, we show that EPA can attenuate murine CaCl₂-induced AAA formation. Aortas from BALB/c mice fed an EPA-diet appeared less inflamed, were significantly smaller in diameter compared to those from control-diet-fed mice, and had relative preservation of aortic elastic lamina. Interestingly, CT imaging also revealed markedly reduced calcification of the aortas after EPA treatment. Mechanistically, MMP2, MMP9, and TNFSF11 levels in the aortas were reduced after EPA treatment. Consistent with this finding, RAW264.7 macrophages treated with EPA showed attenuated Mmp9 levels after TNF-α simulation. These results demonstrate a novel role of EPA in attenuating AAA formation via the suppression of critical remodeling pathways in the pathogenesis of AAAs, and raise the possibility of using EPA for AAA prevention in the clinical setting.     

Chemistry of Abscisic Acid, Abscisic Acid Catabolites and Analogs

Recently there have been breakthroughs on a number of fronts in abscisic acid (ABA) biology research that have advanced the field significantly, including discovery of genes involved in ABA metabolism, along with progress in understanding of ABA signaling (Finkelstein and others 2002; Kushiro and others 2004; Lim and others 2005; Saito and others 2004). At the same time, the chemistry of ABA has advanced. New analytical methods have been developed for profiling ABA and catabolites (Ross and others 2004; Zaharia and others 2005). Novel bioactive catabolites have been discovered from feeding studies with deuterated ABA and catabolites (Zaharia and others 2004; Zhou and others 2004). This review covers recent advances and prospects in natural products chemistry, analysis of ABA catabolism, and applications of ABA analogs for biochemical studies and horticultural uses.