Faox enzymes inhibited Maillard reaction development during storage both in protein glucose model system and low lactose UHT milk

Fructosamines, also known as Amadori products, are formed by the condensation of glucose with the amino group of amino acids or proteins. These compounds are precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that can be formed either endogenously during aging and diabetes, and exogenously in heat-processed food. The negative effects of dietary AGEs on human health as well as their negative impact on the quality of dairy products have been widely described, therefore specific tools able to prevent the formation of glycation products are needed. Two fructosamine oxidase enzymes isolated from Aspergillus sp. namely, Faox I and Faox II catalyze the oxidative deglycation of Amadori products representing a potential tool for inhibiting the Maillard reaction in dairy products. In this paper, the ability of recombinant Faox I and II in limiting the formation of carboxy-methyl lysine (CML) and protein-bound hydroxymethyl furfurol (b-HMF) in a commercial UHT low lactose milk and a beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG) glucose model system was investigated. Results show a consistent reduction of CML and b-HMF under all conditions. Faox effects were particularly evident on b-HMF formation in low lactose commercial milk. Peptide analysis of the β-LG glucose system identified some peptides, derived from cyanogen bromide hydrolysis, as suitable candidates to monitor Faox action in milk-based products. All in all data suggested that non-enzymatic reactions in dairy products might be strongly reduced by implementing Faox enzymes.     

Current status and future perspectives of Italian finfish aquaculture

Currently available data show that shellfish and finfish production in Italy, derived both from fisheries and aquaculture activities, is on the order of 474,000 tons, each activity representing 50 % of the total amount. In this context, the finfish aquaculture industry contributes on average 31 % to the national aquaculture production and on average 59 % of its value, giving a total amount of 72,000 tons and a value of around 351 million € (2010). According to FEAP statistics, Italy is the fourth largest finfish producer in EU27, after the UK, Greece, and Spain, while it is also one of the six largest finfish producers among the non-EU and EU member countries, together with Norway, UK, Greece, Turkey, and Spain. Presently, fish culture activities are mainly focused on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, 55.5 %), followed by European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, 13.6 %), gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata, 12.2 %), gray mullet (Mugil cephalus, 5.3 %), sturgeon (Acipenser spp., 2 %), and European eel (Anguilla anguilla, 1.7 %). Over the last 20 years, freshwater fish production and aquaculture (trout, carp, and eel) have decreased in Italy, with the exception of sturgeon. In contrast, marine fish production has significantly increased during the same period, and the two leading species, European sea bass and gilthead sea bream, presently contribute 25.8 % of the finfish production. From 1,900 tons in 1990, production reached 19,000 tons in 2010, with a 900 % increase, at an average percentage of 4.5 %. In addition, new marine fish species were successfully cultured over the same period. This review outlines the past and present situation of finfish culture in Italy and discusses future developments and priorities, with particular emphasis on new, emerging aquaculture species.     

The why,what, where,when and how of goal-directed choice: neuronal and computational principles

The central problems that goal-directed animals must solve are: ‘What do I need and Why, Where and When can this be obtained, and How do I get it?'' or the H4W problem. Here, we elucidate the principles underlying the neuronal solutions to H4W using a combination of neurobiological and neurorobotic approaches. First, we analyse H4W from a system-level perspective by mapping its objectives onto the Distributed Adaptive Control embodied cognitive architecture which sees the generation of adaptive action in the real world as the primary task of the brain rather than optimally solving abstract problems. We next map this functional decomposition to the architecture of the rodent brain to test its consistency. Following this approach, we propose that the mammalian brain solves the H4W problem on the basis of multiple kinds of outcome predictions, integrating central representations of needs and drives (e.g. hypothalamus), valence (e.g. amygdala), world, self and task state spaces (e.g. neocortex, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, respectively) combined with multi-modal selection (e.g. basal ganglia). In our analysis, goal-directed behaviour results from a well-structured architecture in which goals are bootstrapped on the basis of predefined needs, valence and multiple learning, memory and planning mechanisms rather than being generated by a singular computation.     

Short-term acclimation of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain to changing light: a mathematical model

Photosynthetic eukaryotes house two photosystems with distinct light absorption spectra. Natural fluctuations in light quality and quantity can lead to unbalanced or excess excitation, compromising photosynthetic efficiency and causing photodamage. Consequently, these organisms have acquired several distinct adaptive mechanisms, collectively referred to as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, which modulates the organization and function of the photosynthetic apparatus. The ability to monitor NPQ processes fluorometrically has led to substantial progress in elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. However, the relative contribution of distinct NPQ mechanisms to variable light conditions in different photosynthetic eukaryotes remains unclear. Here, we present a mathematical model of the dynamic regulation of eukaryotic photosynthesis using ordinary differential equations. We demonstrate that, for Chlamydomonas, our model recapitulates the basic fluorescence features of short-term light acclimation known as state transitions and discuss how the model can be iteratively refined by comparison with physiological experiments to further our understanding of light acclimation in different species.     

Increased Voluntary Ethanol Consumption and Changes in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in Isolated C57BL/6J Mice

Social isolation (SI) is a notable model of prolonged mild stress, characterized by multiple neurochemical and behavioral alterations, that appears particularly suitable for studying different aspects of the interplay between stress and ethanol (EtOH) consumption in order to characterize potential molecular mechanisms, including changes in the function of inhibitory GABAergic synapses, underlying such interaction. In C57BL/6J mice, SI is associated with an altered hippocampal concentration of the neuroactive steroids 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (3α-5α-THP), an increased expression of the α₄ and δ subunit of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA_ARs) in the dentate gyrus (DG), and a parallel enhancement of the stimulatory action of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c] pyridin-3-ol (THIP) on GABAergic tonic currents recorded in voltage-clamped DG granule cells (DGGCs). In addition, SI in C57BL/6J mice determines an increase in voluntary EtOH consumption and EtOH preference when compared to group-housed (GH) control animals. Furthermore, in hippocampal slices of SI mice we also observed a marked reduction of both cellular excitability and long term potentiation (LTP) in pyramidal neurons of the CA1 hippocampal sub-region, effects that were prevented by the long term treatment of SI mice with the neuroactive steroid precursor progesterone. In this article, we summarize some of our recent findings on the effects of SI in C57BL/6J mice on voluntary EtOH intake, regulation of GABA_ARs gene expression and function and hippocampal long term synaptic plasticity.     

Lactoferrin differently modulates the inflammatory response in epithelial models mimicking human inflammatory and infectious diseases

Conflicting data are reported on pro- or anti-inflammatory activity of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) in different cell models as phagocytes or epithelial cell lines infected by bacteria. Here we evaluated the bLf effect on epithelial models mimicking two human pathologies characterized by inflammation and infection with specific bacterial species. Primary bronchial epithelium from a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient and differentiated intestinal epithelial cells were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa LESB58 isolated from a CF patient and Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli LF82 isolated from a Crohn’s disease patient. Surprisingly, bLf significantly reduced the intracellular bacterial survival, but differently modulated the inflammatory response. These data lead us to hypothesize that bLf differentially acts depending on the epithelial model and infecting pathogen. To verify this hypothesis, we explored whether bLf could modulate ferroportin (Fpn), the only known cellular iron exporter from cells, that, by lowering the intracellular iron level, determines a non permissive environment for intracellular pathogens. Here, for the first time, we describe the bLf ability to up-regulate Fpn protein in infected epithelial models. Our data suggest that the mechanism underlying the bLf modulating activity on inflammatory response in epithelial cells is complex and the bLf involvement in modulating cellular iron homeostasis should be taken into account.     

Structure–function relationship and evolutionary history of the human selenoprotein M (SelM) found over-expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma

In humans we know 25 selenoproteins that play important roles in redox regulation, detoxification, immune-system protection and viral suppression. In particular, selenoprotein M (SelM) may function as thiol disulfide oxidoreductase that participates in the formation of disulfide bonds, and can be implicated in calcium responses. However, it presents a redox motif (CXXU), where U is a selenocysteine, and may also function as redox regulator because its decreased or increased expression regulated by dietary selenium alters redox homeostasis. No data are reported in literature about its involvement in cancer but only in neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper we evaluated the SelM expression in two hepatoma cell lines, HepG2 and Huh7, compared to normal hepatocytes. The results suggested its involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as its possible use to follow the progression of this cancer as putative marker. The aim of this study has been to analyze the structure–function relationships of SelM. Hence, firstly we studied the evolutionary history of this protein by phylogenetic analysis and GC content of genes from various species. So, we modeled the three-dimensional structure of the human SelM evaluating its energetic stability by molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, we modeled some of its mutants to obtain structural information helpful for structure-based drug design.     

A General and Concise Enantioselective Divergent Approach to 13‐Alkyl‐Substituted Ionones

A novel enantioselective divergent route to 13‐alkyl derivatives of α‐ and γ‐ionone, important components of perfumes and fragrances, is reported. This relatively short and convenient methodology takes advantage of the use of a common intermediate, easily obtained from highly enantiomerically enriched (S)‐α‐ionone, which avoids the separate installation of the butenone side chain at C(6) for each analog. Olfactory evaluation of synthesized compounds reconfirmed the influence of the hydrophobic interactions of alkyl substituents at C(5) with olfactory receptors (ORs) in the chemoreception of ionones, and suggested that a synperiplanar orientation of C(13) and the lateral chain is the better geometry fitting OR's cavity.     

Cloning and functional characterization of the Rvi15 (Vr2) gene for apple scab resistance

Apple scab, caused by Venturia inaequalis, is a serious disease of apple. Previously, the scab resistance Rvi15 (Vr2) from the accession GMAL 2473 was genetically mapped, and three candidate resistance genes were identified. Here, we report the cloning and functional characterization of these three genes, named Vr2-A, Vr2-B, and Vr2-C. Each gene was cloned with its native promoter, terminator and introns, and inserted into the susceptible apple cultivar ‘Gala’. Inoculation of the plants containing Vr2-A and Vr2-B induced no resistance symptoms, but abundant sporulation. However, inoculation of the plants harboring Vr2-C showed a hypersensitive response with clear pinpoint pits, and no or very little sporulation. We conclude that Vr2-C is the Rvi15 (Vr2) gene. This gene belongs to the Toll and mammalian interleukin-1 receptor protein nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat structure resistance gene family. The proteins of this gene family reside in the cytoplasm, whereas V. inaequalis develops in the apoplast, between the epidermis and cuticle, without making haustoria. The spatial separation of the recognizing resistance protein and the pathogen is discussed. This is the second cloned gene for apple scab resistance, and out of these two the only one leading to a symplastic protein.     

Ecological Niche Modelling of Potential West Nile Virus Vector Mosquito Species and Their Geographical Association with Equine Epizootics in Italy

In Italy, West Nile virus (WNV) equine outbreaks have occurred annually since 2008. Characterizing WNV vector habitat requirements allows for the identification of areas at risk of viral amplification and transmission. Maxent-based ecological niche models were developed using literature records of 13 potential WNV Italian vector mosquito species to predict their habitat suitability range and to investigate possible geographical associations with WNV equine outbreak occurrence in Italy from 2008 to 2010. The contribution of different environmental variables to the niche models was also assessed. Suitable habitats for Culex pipiens, Aedes albopictus, and Anopheles maculipennis were widely distributed; Culex modestus, Ochlerotatus geniculatus, Ochlerotatus caspius, Coquillettidia richiardii, Aedes vexans, and Anopheles plumbeus were concentrated in north-central Italy; Aedes cinereus, Culex theileri, Ochlerotatus dorsalis, and Culiseta longiareolata were restricted to coastal/southern areas. Elevation, temperature, and precipitation variables showed the highest predictive power. Host population and landscape variables provided minor contributions. WNV equine outbreaks had a significantly higher probability to occur in habitats suitable for Cx. modestus and Cx. pipiens, providing circumstantial evidence that the potential distribution of these two species coincides geographically with the observed distribution of the disease in equines.