6-Shogaol,an active constituent of ginger,attenuates neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits in animal models of dementia

Recently, increased attention has been directed towards medicinal extracts as potential new drug candidates for dementia. Ginger has long been used as an important ingredient in cooking and traditional herbal medicine. In particular, ginger has been known to have disease-modifying effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, there is no evidence of which constituents of ginger exhibit therapeutic effects against AD. A growing number of experimental studies suggest that 6-shogaol, a bioactive component of ginger, may play an important role as a memory-enhancing and anti-oxidant agent against neurological diseases. 6-Shogaol has also recently been shown to have anti-neuroinflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated astrocytes and animal models of Parkinson’s disease, LPS-induced inflammation and transient global ischemia. However, it is still unknown whether 6-shogaol has anti-inflammatory effects against oligomeric forms of the Aβ (AβO) in animal brains. Furthermore, the effects of 6-shogaol against memory impairment in dementia models are also yet to be investigated. In this study, we found that administration of 6-shogaol significantly reduced microgliosis and astrogliosis in intrahippocampal AβO-injected mice, ameliorated AβO and scopolamine-induced memory impairment, and elevated NGF levels and pre- and post-synaptic marker in the hippocampus. All these results suggest that 6-shogaol may play a role in inhibiting glial cell activation and reducing memory impairment in animal models of dementia.     

Heritability of cortisol response to confinement stress in European sea bass dicentrarchus labrax

Background

In fish, the most studied production traits in terms of heritability are body weight or growth, stress or disease resistance, while heritability of cortisol levels, widely used as a measure of response to stress, is less studied. In this study, we have estimated heritabilities of two growth traits (body weight and length) and of cortisol response to confinement stress in the European sea bass.

Findings

The F1 progeny analysed (n = 922) belonged to a small effective breeding population with contributions from an unbalanced family structure of just 10 males and 2 females. Heritability values ranged from 0.54 (±0.21) for body weight to 0.65 (±0.22) for standard body length and were low for cortisol response i.e. 0.08 (±0.06). Genetic correlations were positive (0.94) between standard body length and body weight and negative between cortisol and body weight and between cortisol and standard body length (−0.60 and −0.55, respectively).

Conclusion

This study confirms that in European sea bass, heritability of growth-related traits is high and that selection on such traits has potential. However, heritability of cortisol response to stress is low in European sea bass and since it is known to vary greatly among species, further studies are necessary to understand the reasons for these differences.     

Preliminary evaluation of non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) impact on the Cederberg ghost frog (Heleophryne depressa) in South Africa’s Cape Fold Ecoregion

We evaluated the impact of non-native rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss on a population of endemic Cedarberg ghost frog Heleophryne depressa in the upper Krom River (Olifants-Doring River Catchment, Cape Fold Ecoregion). We compared H. depressa abundance (using kick-sampling and underwater video analysis) and environmental conditions between sites above and below a waterfall that marks the upper distribution limit of O. mykiss. Heleophryne depressa abundance was significantly greater above the waterfall than that below it, and, because there was no significant difference in measured environmental variables, O. mykiss presence is identified as the most likely explanation for the observed decrease in H. depressa abundance.     

Cell-to-cell and phloem-mediated transport of potato virus X. The role of virions

Movement-deficient potato virus X (PVX) mutants tagged with the green fluorescent protein were used to investigate the role of the coat protein (CP) and triple gene block (TGB) proteins in virus movement. Mutants lacking either a functional CP or TGB were restricted to single epidermal cells. Microinjection of dextran probes into cells infected with the mutants showed that an increase in the plasmodesmal size exclusion limit was dependent on one or more of the TGB proteins and was independent of CP. Fluorescently labeled CP that was injected into epidermal cells was confined to the injected cells, showing that the CP lacks an intrinsic transport function. In additional experiments, transgenic plants expressing the PVX CP were used as rootstocks and grafted with nontransformed scions. Inoculation of the PVX CP mutants to the transgenic rootstocks resulted in cell-to-cell and systemic movement within the transgenic tissue. Translocation of the CP mutants into sink leaves of the nontransgenic scions was also observed, but infection was restricted to cells close to major veins. These results indicate that the PVX CP is transported through the phloem, unloads into the vascular tissue, and subsequently is transported between cells during the course of infection. Evidence is presented that PVX uses a novel strategy for cell-to-cell movement involving the transport of filamentous virions through plasmodesmata.     

First fungus gnats of genus Manota Williston (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from Japan

The genus Manota is recorded from Japan for the first time. Three new species, Manota satoyamanis, Manota indahae and Manota tunoae spp. nov., are described, based on specimens collected in an ecological sampling program of arthropods in the “satoyama” landscape of Ishikawa Prefecture. “Satoyama” represents the traditional rural landscape of Japan, which is characterized by a mosaic of secondary forests, plantations, ponds and rice paddy fields. The new species raise the number of Palearctic Manota species from five to eight.     

Manufacturing and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis> inner ear visualization of MRI traceable liposome nanoparticles encapsulating gadolinium

Background  

Treatment of inner ear diseases remains a problem because of limited passage through the blood-inner ear barriers and lack of control with the delivery of treatment agents by intravenous or oral administration. As a minimally-invasive approach, intratympanic delivery of multifunctional nanoparticles (MFNPs) carrying genes or drugs to the inner ear is a future therapy for treating inner ear diseases, including sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and Meniere's disease. In an attempt to track the dynamics and distribution of nanoparticles in vivo, here we describe manufacturing MRI traceable liposome nanoparticles by encapsulating gadolinium-tetra-azacyclo-dodecane-tetra-acetic acid (Gd-DOTA) (abbreviated as LPS+Gd-DOTA) and their distribution in the inner ear after either intratympanic or intracochlear administration.     

Insertion of leader peptidase into the thylakoid membrane during synthesis in a chloroplast translation system

The mechanisms of targeting and insertion of chloroplast-encoded thylakoid membrane proteins are poorly understood. In this study, we have used a translation system isolated from chloroplasts to begin to investigate these mechanisms. The bacterial membrane protein leader peptidase (Lep) was used as a model protein because its targeting and insertion mechanisms are well understood for Escherichia coli and for the endoplasmic reticulum. Lep could thus provide insight into the functional homologies between the different membrane systems. Lep was efficiently expressed in the chloroplast translation system, and the protein could be inserted into thylakoid membranes with the same topology as in E. coli cytoplasmic membranes, following the positive-inside rule. Insertion of Lep into the thylakoid membrane was stimulated by the trans-thylakoid proton gradient and was strongly inhibited by azide, suggesting a requirement for SecA activity. Insertion most likely occurred in a cotranslational manner, because insertion could only be observed if thylakoid membranes were present during translation reactions but not when thylakoid membranes were added after translation reactions were terminated. To halt the elongation process at different stages, we translated truncated Lep mRNAs without a stop codon, resulting in the formation of stable ribosome nascent chain complexes. These complexes showed a strong, salt-resistant affinity for the thylakoid membrane, implying a functional interaction of the ribosome with the membrane and supporting a cotranslational insertion mechanism for Lep. Our study supports a functional homology for the insertion of Lep into the thylakoid membrane and the E. coli cytoplasmic membrane.     

Use of exotic hosts by Lepidoptera: widespread species colonize more novel hosts

The study of host shifts by herbivorous insects has played an important role in evolutionary biology, contributing to research in coevolution, ecological speciation, and adaptive radiation. As invasive plants become more abundant in many ecosystems, the potential for exotic host use by native insects increases. Graves and Shapiro (2003) have documented exotic host use by 34% of Californian butterflies, suggesting that the plants and butterflies of California might be an important model system for the colonization and utilization of novel resources. In this study, we analyze relationships among geographic range, native diet breadth, and the use of exotic hosts by Californian butterflies and skippers (Lepidoptera). Geographic range and, to a lesser extent, native diet breadth are significant predictors of exotic host use, with positive relationships found both before and after phylogenetic correction. These results give insight into the process of insect host range evolution, as geographically widespread generalists have an apparently greater tendency to use novel, exotic hosts than geographically constrained specialists. Increasing occurrences of exotic host use are expected and those species not capable of shifting to nonnative hosts are likely to have higher vulnerability to extirpation and extinction in the future.