Phytoalexins from Brassicaceae: News from the front

The chemical structures, syntheses, metabolism and biological activities of the cruciferous phytoalexins discovered to date, with particular focus on the latest results dealing with their biosynthesis and detoxification are reviewed.     

Fatty acids from the sponge Halichondria panicea from the Sea of Japan

The fatty acid (FA) composition of total lipids isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea inhabiting Peter the Great Bay of Sea of Japan was studied. GC and GC-MS techniques helped identify 63 FAs, with the main attention being paid to FAs with 14-22 carbon atoms. 4, 8, 12-Trimethyl-13:0 FA was for the first time identified as the main saturated FA along with the branched FAs br-25:1, br-27:1, and br-27:2. The contents of arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and the major demospongic acids [26:3(5, 9, 19), 26:3(5, 9, 17), 27:3(5, 9, 20), and 28:3(5, 9, 21)] considerably differed from those previously found for H. panicea, which may be due to seasonal changes in the species composition of organisms consumed by the sponge.     

Letter from the Editor

The field of monoclonal antibody (mAb) development seems poised to undergo rapid change. The current circumstances recall an extraordinary 10 month period between November 1997 and September 1998 when six mAbs, rituximab, trastuzumab, infliximab, daclizumab, basiliximab, and palivizumab, were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the time, these therapeutics represented important advances in the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases including lymphoma, breast cancer, Crohn disease, prevention of kidney transplant rejection, and prevention of respiratory syncytial viral infection. We are in similar circumstances with regard to the numbers, with five mAbs currently undergoing FDA review for anticancer, immunological and antiviral indications, and one under review for treatment of bone disorders. The candidates in review are ofatumumab, tocilizumab, ustekinumab, golimumab, motavizumab and denosumab. Brief reviews of the clinical development of several of these candidates are included in this issue of mAbs.     

Items from the Literature

Conn, H. J. Biological Stains. 7th ed., 355 pages, 27 figures, 9 × 6 inches, hard covers. The Williams &;: Wilkins Company, Baltimore 2, Maryland. $9.00. 1961.

Electron Microscopy Reimer, L., and GADACZ, H. Zur Schichtdickenkontrolle bei der elektronenmikroskopischen Schrägbeschattungsmethode. Z. wiss. Mikr., 65, 105-17. 1961.

Dyes and Their Biological Uses Macconaill, M. A., and GURR, E. The faviolic acid group of stains in histology. Irish J. Med. Sci., 1962, 1-12. 1962.

Animal Microtechnic Berres, H. H. Zur Darstellung peripherer Nervenfasem in der Haut. Z. wiss. Mikr., 65, 63-9. 1961.

Elias H., Henning A., and ELIAS P. M. Contributions to the geometry of sectioning. V. Some methods for the study of kidney structure. Z. wiss. Mikr., 65, 70-82. 1961.

Ewen, A. B. An improved aldehyde-fuchsin staining technique for neurosecretary products in insects. Tr. Amer. Micr. Soc, 81, 94-6. 1962.

Movat, Henry Z., STEINER, JAN W., and HUHN, DIETER. The fine structure of the glomerulus in acute glomerulonephritis. Lab. Investig., 11, 117-35. 1962.

Shaver, Evelyn L. The chromosomes of the opossum, Didelphis virginiana. Canad. J. Genet. Cytol. 4, 62-8. 1962.

Microorganisms Laird, Marshall. Trichodinids and other parasitic protozoa from the intertidal zone at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. Canad. J. Zool., 39, 833-44. 1961.

Histochemistry Burstone, M. S. New histochemical techniques for the demonstration of tissue oxidase (cytochrome oxidase). I. Hisiochem. Cytochem., 7, 112-22. 1959.

Glenner, G. G., and LILLIE, R. D. Observations on the diazotization-coupling reaction for the histochemical demonstration of tyrosine: metal chelation and formazan variants. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 7, 416-22. 1959.

Hess, R., and Pearse, A. G. E. Histochemical demonstration of uridine diphosphate glucose dehydrogenase. Experientia, 15, 317-8. 1961.

LOVE, R., and LILES, R. H. Differentiation of nucleoproteins by inactivation of protein-bound amino groups and staining with toluidine blue and ammonium molybdate. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 7, 164-81. 1959.

Zimmerman, H., and Pearse, A. G. E. Limitations in the histochemical demonstration of pyridine nucleotide-linked dehydrogenases (“nothing dehydrogenase”). J. Histochem. Cytochem. 7, 271-5. 1959.     

Items from the Literature

Hazards in fixing small pieces of tissue for electron microscopy include damage, drying, or loss. Over the years, microstrainer tissue carriers have been developed to minimize these problems. Construction materials have included glass tubing, copper grids for electron microscopy, stainless steel screen, and bolting silk (Padawer 1951, Friend 1963, Bronskill 1970). Carriers made from plastic embedding molds (e.g., BEEM capsules) with either TEM grids attached to the conical tip (Buchanan 1965) or Nitex screen cloth held to one end by a retaining ring have proven to be inexpensive and popular, though the former has a very small filtration area and in the latter small tissues may be lost or crushed between the screen cloth and the bottom rim of the carrier. This note describes a carrier in which Nitex is permanently sealed to the bottom edee of a BEEM capsule cylinder.     

View from the boundary

Re-implementing biological mechanisms on robots not only has technological application but can provide a unique perspective on the nature of sensory processing in animals. To make a robot work, we need to understand the function as part of an embodied, behaving system. I argue that this perspective suggests that the terms "representation" and "information processing" can be misleading when we seek to understand how neurobiological mechanisms carry out perceptual processes. This argument is presented here with reference to a robot model of cricket behavior, which has demonstrated competence comparable to that of the insect, but utilizes surprisingly simple central processing. Instead it depends on sensory interfaces that are well matched to the task, and on the link between environment, action, and perception.     

Letter from the Editor

With annual healthcare expenditures on the order of $2 trillion, the US leads the world in spending but has done relatively little research on the effective use of those funds. Other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) have instituted various types of health technology assessment or evaluation. Sweden was an early adopter with the establishment in 1987 of the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care. UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which includes the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, followed in 1999. Economic modeling of cost effectiveness is integral to NICE’s assessment of new medical technologies. The US has not lagged other countries in principle – the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) had a medical treatments effectiveness program as early as 1989 - but funding levels for such programs have been low in the past, and comparative effectiveness research (CER) results have generally not had a notable impact on medical or reimbursement policies, in part because Congress has not allowed CER outcomes to impact coverage decisions.     

Cytotoxic diterpenoids from two lianas from the Suriname rainforest

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH and EtOAc fractions of extracts of two lianas collected in Suriname has led to the isolation of five new diterpenoids, humirianthone 1, 1-hydroxy-humirianthone 2, 15R-humirianthol 3, patagonol 4, and patagonal 5, and the five known diterpenoids, humirianthol 7, annonalide 8, acrenol 9, icacinol 10, and the oxidized annonalide 11. All 10 diterpenoids showed cytotoxic activity against the A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line, and compounds 1, 3, 8, and 9 also showed activity against phytopathogenic fungi.     

Onward from the cradle

This essay records a voyage of discovery from the “cradle of cell biology” to the present, focused on the biology of the oldest known cell organelle, the cilium. In the “romper room” of cilia and microtubule (MT) biology, the sliding MT hypothesis of ciliary motility was born. From the “summer of love,” students and colleagues joined the journey to test switch-point mechanisms of motility. In the new century, interest in nonmotile (primary) cilia, never lost from the cradle, was rekindled, leading to discoveries relating ciliogenesis to autophagy and hypotheses of how molecules cross ciliary necklace barriers for cell signaling.     

编者寄语(英文)

<正>Everybody at the age of 88 years old is called 米寿("Mi-shou" in Chinese pronunciation)in China.May 28,2013 will be Prof.Richard P.Korf's 88th birthday.Prof.Korf first visited the Department of Mycology,Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)in 1981 after he attended the International Botanical Congress in Sydney,Australia.He     

Antibacterial metabolites from Australian macrofungi from the genus Cortinarius

In this study, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions from 117 collections of Australian macrofungi belonging to the mushroom genus Cortinarius were screened for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overall, the lipophilic fractions were more active than the aqueous fractions. The ethyl acetate fractions of most or all collections of 13 species, namely Cortinarius ardesiacus, C. archeri, C. austrosaginus, C. austrovenetus, C. austroviolaceus, C. coelopus, C. [Dermocybe canaria]², C. clelandii, C. [D. kula], C. memoria-annae, C. persplendidus, C. sinapicolor, C. vinosipes and forty seven collections of un-described Cortinarius species exhibited IC₅₀ values of ?0.09 mg/mL against S. aureus. In contrast, most or all collections of only four species, namely C. abnormis, C. austroalbidus, C. [D. kula], C. persplendidus, and eleven un-described Cortinarius collections exhibited similar effects against P. aeruginosa (IC₅₀ ? 0.09 mg/mL). Anthraquinonoid pigments isolated from C. basirubescens together with emodin physcion and erythrogluacin were assessed for their antimicrobial activity. The fungal octaketides austrocortilutein, austrocortirubin, torosachrysone, physcion and emodin were found to strongly inhibit the growth of S. aureus (IC₅₀ 0.7–12 μg/mL) whereas only physcion and emodin exhibited potency against P. aeruginosa (IC₅₀ 1.5 and 2.0 μg/mL, respectively).     

Learn from the Best

What is more inspiring than a discussion with the leading scientists in your field? As a student or a young researcher, you have likely been influenced by mentors guiding you in your career and leading you to your current position. Any discussion with or advice from an expert is certainly very helpful for young people. But how often do we have the opportunity to meet experts? Do we make the most out of these situations? Meetings organized for young scientists are a great opportunity not only for the attendees: they are an opportunity for experts to meet bright students and learn from them in return. In this article, we introduce several successful events organized by Regional Student Groups all around the world, bridging the gap between experts and young scientists. We highlight how rewarding it is for all participants: young researchers, experts, and organizers. We then discuss the various benefits and emphasize the importance of organizing and attending such meetings. As a young researcher, seeking mentorship and additional skills training is a crucial step in career development. Keep in mind that one day, you may be an inspiring mentor, too.     

Everything from the egg

In 1651, William Harvey opened a real debate when he postulated that the egg is the origin of all life. The central pillar of Harvey's theory sustains that all adults are already present in a smaller size in the egg. The frontispiece of his famous treatise attributed to Richard Gaywood shows Zeus holding an egg that releases small creatures as humans, others animals, and plants. The treatise concludes that no generation occurs without a primordial egg, representing the establishment of ex Ovo Omnia doctrine. Nowadays, evidence supports that both male and female gametes are essential for embryo development following sexual reproduction. Despite obvious differences in morphology and in scale, the oocytes carry out the same role in the development and still demonstrate the mystery of reproduction.     

Learning from the voiceless

This article is concerned with understanding what is at stake in the everyday lives of family members facing Huntington's Disease (HD). The methodological and analytical point of departure is German critical psychology, particularly the category of conduct of everyday life (Holzkamp, 1995; Dreier, 1999). Specifically, I address questions of accessing and understanding the conduct of everyday life of persons facing HD who are not visibly active with respect to this circumstance. The question of access is not merely about getting in touch with persons who are not known to the research, professional and HD communities, but also about the consequences of establishing contact with persons who have not made an entry into any of these public areanas themselves. The question of understanding is about developing an analysis from a first-person perspective on the personal conduct of everyday life that is not visibly active. The development of such an understanding has broader implications, not just for further research and health care practices, but importantly also for the prevailing moral and ethical demands made on persons living at risk of hereditary diseases.     

Letter from the Editor

The development of therapeutics is a complex and costly process with low probabilities of approval success. All stakeholders, from academic researchers to patients, have an interest in improving the efficiency of the process so that effective medicines are available. Stratified medicine, in which therapies are prescribed only to patients identified by one or more biomarkers, is one approach to achieving this end. Adoption of this approach by the pharmaceutical industry might at first appear to be unlikely because market sizes would be reduced; however, the benefits of targeting the right patient with an effective drug while potentially also reducing adverse events could outweigh the economic disadvantages of the strategy.