Cerato-platanin protein is located in the cell walls of ascospores, conidia and hyphae of Ceratocystis fimbriata f. sp. platani

Cerato-platanin (CP), a protein of about 12.4 kDa from Ceratocystis fimbriata f. sp. platani (Cfp), accumulated in the mycelium and was located in the cell walls of Cfp ascospores, hyphae and conidia suggesting that this protein had a role in forming the fungal cell wall apart from the already known fact that it is secreted early in culture and elicits phytoalexin synthesis and/or plant cell death. The finding was obtained with three immunological techniques: a quantitative ELISA which determines the amount of CP in the mycelium, an immunofluorescence assay, and immunogold labelling to define the exact localization of CP in the Cfp cells.     

Intracellular metabolite profiling of Fusarium oxysporum converting glucose to ethanol

The filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum is known for its ability to produce ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of cellulose. However, the conversion rate is low and significant amounts of acetic acid are produced as a by-product. In this study, the growth characteristics of F. oxysporum were evaluated in a minimal medium using glucose as the sole carbon source in aerobic, anaerobic and oxygen-limited batch cultivations. Under aerobic conditions the maximum specific growth rate was found to be 0.043 h(-1), and the highest ethanol yield (1.66 mol/mol) was found under anaerobic conditions. During the different phases of the cultivations, the intracellular profiles were determined under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The profiles of the phosphorylated intermediates indicated that there was a high glycolytic flux at anaerobic growth conditions, characterized by high efflux of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) and fructose-6-phosphate (F6P) from the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) to the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway, resulting in the highest ethanol production under these conditions. The amino acid profile clearly suggests that the TCA cycle was primarily active under aerobic cultivation. On the other hand, the presence of high levels of gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA) under anaerobic conditions suggests a functional GABA bypass and a possible block in the TCA cycle at these conditions.     

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new (2E,6E)-10-(dimethylamino)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-decadien-1-ol ethers as inhibitors of human and Trypanosoma cruzi oxidosqualene cyclase

New dimethylamino truncated squalene ether derivatives containing a different aromatic moiety (phenyl, naphthyl, and biphenyl) or a simple alkyl (n-hexylic) group were synthesized as inhibitors of the oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) and of the sterol biosynthetic pathway. The activity against human OSC was compared with the activity against the OSCs of pathogenic organisms such as Pneumocystis carinii and Trypanosoma cruzi. The phenyl derivative was the most potent inhibitor of T. cruzi OSC.     

The minimum information required for reporting a molecular interaction experiment (MIMIx)

A wealth of molecular interaction data is available in the literature, ranging from large-scale datasets to a single interaction confirmed by several different techniques. These data are all too often reported either as free text or in tables of variable format, and are often missing key pieces of information essential for a full understanding of the experiment. Here we propose MIMIx, the minimum information required for reporting a molecular interaction experiment. Adherence to these reporting guidelines will result in publications of increased clarity and usefulness to the scientific community and will support the rapid, systematic capture of molecular interaction data in public databases, thereby improving access to valuable interaction data.     

Performance of a mobile mechanical screen to improve the commercial quality of wood chips for energy

The study analyzed the performance of a mobile screening device for upgrading coarse wood chips to residential user standards, by removing oversize particles and fines. The machine was designed for transportation to forest landings, logistic terminals and plant chip yards. Average productivity was 1.9 oven-dry tons (odt) h⁻¹, corresponding to a screening cost of 28.5 € odt⁻¹. This figure was lower than the price increase obtained by upgrading industrial chips to residential user standards. Hence, screening offered a profit of 4.7 € odt⁻¹, or 16% of the original screening cost. The screening process was capable of upgrading chips from industrial to residential specifications, by reducing the incidence of oversize particles below the 1% critical threshold. Screening also allowed a substantial reduction in the content of fines. A similar effect was not verified for crushed wood, which failed to meet the specifications for residential fuel.     

An unexpected evolution of symptomatic mild middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis: asymptomatic occlusion

Background  

The intracranial localization of large artery disease is recognized as the main cause of ischemic stroke in the world, considering all countries, although its global burden is widely underestimated. Indeed it has been reported more frequently in Asians and African-American people, but the finding of intracranial stenosis as a cause of ischemic stroke is relatively common also in Caucasians. The prognosis of patients with stroke due to intracranial steno-occlusion is strictly dependent on the time of recanalization. Moreover, the course of the vessel involvement is highly dynamic in both directions, improvement or worsening, although several data are derived from the atherosclerotic subtype, compared to other causes.     

Influence of Water Activity and System Mobility on Peroxidase Activity in Maltodextrin Solutions

Maltodextrins influenced the enzymatic activity in aqueous solutions by affecting the water activity (a_w) and mobility as described by viscosity and T’g. In diluted solutions, viscosity being equal, (1) maltodextrin with dextrose equivalents (DE) of 33 was more effective than glucose in limiting horseradish peroxidase (HRP) activity; (2) an increase in the maltodextrin chain length from DE 33 to DE 8.7 did not further limited enzymatic activity; (3) the maltodextrin with the highest chain length (DE 2.5) determined the highest enzyme inhibition. In general, the increase of molecular weight negatively affected the HRP activity by increasing the viscosity and T’g (decreasing molecular mobility) but it positively affected the a_w and, in some cases, this compensated the HRP activity inhibition. In concentrated solutions (apparent viscosity ≈ 40 mPa s) the HRP activity decreased with the increase of the maltodextrin molecular weight, and it showed a dependence on T’g which could be described by a William, Landel and Ferry (WLF)-type equation. On the contrary, in the solution added with the maltodextrin with the highest chain length (DE 2.5) the HRP activity was much higher than that predicted by the WLF-type equation. The maltodextrin with DE 2.5 contains intact starch fragments and in water forms a suspension. In such a discontinuous system, the viscosity in the vicinity of the protein is lower than the bulk viscosity, and thus, the enzyme activity is higher than expected. Moreover, since T’g is a property of the soluble phase, it does not explain the mobility in discontinuous systems.     

Volatile components of whole and different plant parts of bastard balm (Melittis melissophyllum L., Lamiaceae) collected in Central Italy and Slovakia

The aim of this work was to trap the volatiles released from whole frozen and dry aerial parts, and, separately, from different organs (leaves, stems, corolla and calyx) of bastard balm (Melittis melissophyllum L., Lamiaceae) populations collected in Italy and Slovakia by HS-SPME, and to identify the headspace constituents responsible for the characteristic aroma impression by GC/FID and GC/MS techniques. Among more than 100 volatile components detected, the C(8) alcohol oct-1-en-3-ol, responsible for the typical mushroom-like odor, and the phenolic coumarin, with a characteristic sweet and creamy vanilla bean odor, played a major role in the aroma of whole aerial parts and different plant organ samples. In particular, dry calyx parts could be proposed as flavoring agent in food products as mushroom aroma enhancer. Multivariate chemometric techniques, such as cluster analysis and principal component analysis, were used to characterize the sample populations according to the geographical origin and processing of plant material.