Genomic Basis of Circannual Rhythm in the European Corn Borer Moth

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Low breeding success of the little egret (Egretta garzetta) near residential areas and in colonies exposed to gales: a comparison of colony in Sichuan,Southwest China,with literature

The breeding biology of the little egret (Egretta garzetta) was studied in 20 nests within the mixed-species breeding colonies at Nanchong, Sichuan, Southwest China, in 2006. By measuring a set of physical characteristics of vegetation at the nests and at a set of 20 randomly chosen sites we showed that birds preferentially used taller trees in areas with fewer shrubs of higher species diversity. Nests at lower locations in trees had marginally lower hatching success due to their destruction by humans; this destruction contributed marginally significantly to lowering of the total nesting success in all studied nests. Although gale winds also had a negative effect on breeding success, the anthropogenic influences were a greater factor in reproductive failure. We found similar effects in our review of literature on breeding success of the little egret from various geographical areas. Our results may be of use by conservation organizations in their actions to protect colonies of the little egret.     

Accurate reproduction of 161 small-molecule complex crystal structures using the EUDOC program: expanding the use of EUDOC to supramolecular chemistry

EUDOC is a docking program that has successfully predicted small-molecule-bound protein complexes and identified drug leads from chemical databases. To expand the application of the EUDOC program to supramolecular chemistry, we tested its ability to reproduce crystal structures of small-molecule complexes. Of 161 selected crystal structures of small-molecule guest-host complexes, EUDOC reproduced all these crystal structures with guest structure mass-weighted root mean square deviations (mwRMSDs) of <1.0 A relative to the corresponding crystal structures. In addition, the average interaction energy of these 161 guest-host complexes (-50.1 kcal/mol) was found to be nearly half of that of 153 previously tested small-molecule-bound protein complexes (-108.5 kcal/mol), according to the interaction energies calculated by EUDOC. 31 of the 161 complexes could not be reproduced with mwRMSDs of <1.0 A if neighboring hosts in the crystal structure of a guest-host complex were not included as part of the multimeric host system, whereas two of the 161 complexes could not be reproduced with mwRMSDs of <1.0 A if water molecules were excluded from the host system. These results demonstrate the significant influence of crystal packing on small molecule complexation and suggest that EUDOC is able to predict small-molecule complexes and that it is useful for the design of new materials, molecular sensors, and multimeric inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.     

Media use and obesity in adolescent females

Objective: In the context of growing public health concern with the obesity rates among children and adolescents, much attention has focused on the role of television as a contributor to the problem. Less attention has been devoted to interactive media (internet surfing and video games), despite the fact that these forms of entertainment are fast gaining in popularity among youth. This study investigated the relative associations of TV viewing and interactive media use with body fat and BMI, controlling for both physical activity participation and cardiovascular fitness. Research Methods and Procedures: Female high‐school adolescents (N = 194) were assessed for cardiovascular fitness (cycle ergometer), percent body fat (DXA), and BMI. Time spent in moderate, vigorous, and sedentary activities was assessed with a 3‐day recall. Results: Multivariate regression analysis showed that only interactive media use was associated with percentage body fat and BMI, and the relationship remained strong even after controlling for physical activity participation and cardiovascular fitness. Discussion: It appears that, among this group of adolescent females, the association between interactive media use and obesity is not explained by a reduction in moderate or vigorous activity commensurate with media use.     

Computer-aided lead optimization: improved small-molecule inhibitor of the zinc endopeptidase of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A

Optimization of a serotype-selective, small-molecule inhibitor of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNTA) endopeptidase is a formidable challenge because the enzyme-substrate interface is unusually large and the endopeptidase itself is a large, zinc-binding protein with a complex fold that is difficult to simulate computationally. We conducted multiple molecular dynamics simulations of the endopeptidase in complex with a previously described inhibitor (K(i) (app) of 7+/-2.4 microM) using the cationic dummy atom approach. Based on our computational results, we hypothesized that introducing a hydroxyl group to the inhibitor could improve its potency. Synthesis and testing of the hydroxyl-containing analog as a BoNTA endopeptidase inhibitor showed a twofold improvement in inhibitory potency (K(i) (app) of 3.8+/-0.8 microM) with a relatively small increase in molecular weight (16 Da). The results offer an improved template for further optimization of BoNTA endopeptidase inhibitors and demonstrate the effectiveness of the cationic dummy atom approach in the design and optimization of zinc protease inhibitors.     

Chemical compounds and pharmacological effects of Rabdosia excisa

Many kinds of diterpenoids have been isolated from Rabdosia spp.Some of them have anti-microbial effects,counteract inflammation,and inhibit tumor progression activities.We conducted the present study in order to look for bioactive compounds in the medicinal plant Rabdosia excisa.In this study,five compounds were isolated from R.excisa;they were oridonin,isokamebakaurin,oleanolie acid,ursolic acid,and β-sitosterol.In order to identify the function of the extracts,the activity of antibiotics,antioxidation,and immunity test were carried out against these functions.Prospective results were observed in all of the tested items.     

Measuring triamcinolone acetonide in aqueous humor by gas chromatography-electron-capture negative-ion mass spectrometry

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injection has been used in the treatment of various posterior segment diseases. One of the side effects of IVTA is raised intraocular pressure, which may be secondary to triamcinolone acetonide (TAA)'s effects on the trabecular meshwork that affects aqueous outflow. In order to study the biological effects of TAA on the trabecular meshwork, we firstly need to reliably and accurately detect the concentration of TAA in tissue cells or fluids. In this study we have described a technique of using gas chromatography-electron-capture-negative-ion mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS) to develop a simple, sensitive, selective and validated method to detect TAA in aqueous humor (AH) of rabbits following IVTA and subconjunctival TAA injections. We derivatized TAA from extracted aqueous sample by acetic anhydride and BSTFA, respectively, and analyzed by GC-NCI-MS. The detection limit was 0.3ng/ml, linearity over 0.995 from 0 to 300ng/ml. The reproducibility ranged from 10.4 to 3.9 for concentrations from 3 to 300ng/ml, and recovery was over 95% for the concentrations 10, 60, and 200ng/ml. No interference was found from 159 aqueous samples. There was no TAA residue carried to the next injection from previously high concentration injection, 10,000ng/ml. We have provided an alternative, rapid, and robust method other than LC-MS-MS for TAA detection in AH.     

Recent advances in TMEM16A: Structure,function, and disease

TMEM16A (also known as anoctamin 1, ANO1) is the molecular basis of the calcium-activated chloride channels, with ten transmembrane segments. Recently, atomic structures of the transmembrane domains of mouse TMEM16A (mTMEM16A) were determined by single-particle electron cryomicroscopy. This gives us a solid ground to discuss the electrophysiological properties and functions of TMEM16A. TMEM16A is reported to be dually regulated by Ca²⁺ and voltage. In addition, the dysfunction of TMEM16A has been found to be involved in many diseases including cystic fibrosis, various cancers, hypertension, and gastrointestinal motility disorders. TMEM16A is overexpressed in many cancers, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors, gastric cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), colon cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and esophageal cancer. Furthermore, overexpression of TMEM16A is related to the occurrence, proliferation, and migration of tumor cells. To date, several studies have shown that many natural compounds and synthetic compounds have regulatory effects on TMEM16A. These small molecule compounds might be novel drugs for the treatment of diseases caused by TMEM16A dysfunction in the future. In addition, recent studies have shown that TMEM16A plays different roles in different diseases through different signal transduction pathways. This review discusses the topology, electrophysiological properties, modulators and functions of TMEM16A in mediates nociception, gastrointestinal dysfunction, hypertension, and cancer and focuses on multiple regulatory mechanisms regarding TMEM16A.     

Fungi participate in driving home-field advantage of litter decomposition in a subtropical forest

Plant and Soil - Home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis predicts that plant litter decomposes faster beneath the plant species from which it was derived than beneath other plant species. However, it...