Cadina-4,11-diene from Viguiera oblongifolia

Viguiera oblongifolia afforded two known furanoheliangolides and a new cadinane derivative whose structure was established by spectroscopic methods. From V. lanceolata 17,18-dihydrobudlein A was isolated.     

Seven sesquiterpene lactones from Ferreyanthus species

The investigation of two Ferreyanthus species afforded seven germacranolides which have not been isolated previously. Two derivatives of linalol were also present. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Chemotaxonomic relationships are briefly discussed.     

Sesquiterpene lactones from the fruits of smyrnium rotundifolium

In addition to known compounds an investigation of the fruits of Smyrnium rotundifolium afforded four new germacrane derivatives, all closely related to glechomanolide, one being a secogermacrane anhydride. The new compounds were 8,9-epoxy-8,9-secoglechomanolide, 1β,10α-epoxy-4-methoxy-8-hydroxyglechomanolide and 8-oxo-8,9-secoglechomanolide. The structures were assigned by spectral methods as well as by some chemical reactions.     

Caveolin-1 deficiency stimulates neointima formation during vascular injury

Neointima formation is a process characterized by smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition in the vascular intimal layer. Here, we critically evaluate the role of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in the pathogenesis of neointima formation. Cav-1 and caveolae organelles are particularly abundant in SMCs, where they are thought to function in membrane trafficking and signal transduction events. To directly evaluate the role of Cav-1 in the pathogenesis of neointimal lesions, we used Cav-1-deficient (Cav-1 -/-) mice as a model system. The right common carotid artery of wild-type and Cav-1 -/- mice was ligated just proximal to its bifurcation. Specimens were then harvested 4-weeks postligation and processed for morphometric and immunohistochemical analyses. The carotids of Cav-1 -/- mice showed significantly more intimal hyperplasia with subtotal luminal obstruction, as compared to wild-type mice. These neointimal lesions consisted mainly of SMCs. Mechanistically, neointimal lesions derived from Cav-1 -/- mice exhibited higher levels of phospho-p42/44 MAP kinase and cyclin D1 immunostaining, consistent with the idea that Cav-1 functions as a negative regulator of signal transduction. A significant increase in phospho-Rb (Ser780) immunostaining was also observed, in line with the upregulation of cyclin D1. In conclusion, using a carotid artery blood-flow cessation model, we show that genetic ablation of Cav-1 in mice stimulates SMC proliferation (neointimal hyperplasia), with concomitant activation of the p42/44 MAP kinase cascade and upregulation of cyclin D1. Importantly, our current study is the first to investigate the role of Cav-1 in SMC proliferation in the vascular system using Cav-1 -/- mice.     

Satellite glial cells in the trigeminal ganglion as a determinant of orofacial neuropathic pain

Satellite glial cells (SGCs) tightly envelop the perikarya of primary sensory neurons in peripheral ganglion and are identified by their morphology and the presence of proteins not found in ganglion neurons. These SGC-unique proteins include the inwardly rectifying K(+) channel Kir4.1, the connexin-43 (Cx43) subunit of gap junctions, the purinergic receptor P2Y4 and soluble guanylate cyclase. We also present evidence that the small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel SK3 is present only in SGCs and that SGCs divide following nerve injury. All the above proteins are involved, either directly or indirectly, in potassium ion (K(+)) buffering and, thus, can influence the level of neuronal excitability, which, in turn, has been associated with neuropathic pain conditions. We used in vivo RNA interference to reduce the expression of Cx43 (present only in SGCs) in the rat trigeminal ganglion and show that this results in the development of spontaneous pain behavior. The pain behavior is present only when Cx43 is reduced and returns to normal when Cx43 concentrations are restored. This finding shows that perturbation of a single SGC-specific protein is sufficient to induce pain responses and demonstrates the importance of PNS glial cell activity in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain.     

The genetic architecture of lipoprotein subclasses in Gullah-speaking African American families enriched for type 2 diabetes: The Sea Islands Genetic African American Registry (Project SuGAR)

We sought to partition the genetic and environmental influences on lipoprotein subclasses and identify genomic regions that may harbor genetic variants that influence serum lipoprotein levels in a sample of Gullah-speaking African-Americans. We genotyped 5,974 SNPs in 979 subjects from 418 pedigrees and used the variance component approach to compute heritability estimates, genetic and environmental correlations, and linkage analyses for selected lipoprotein subclasses. The highest heritability estimate was observed for large VLDL particle concentration (0.56 ± 0.14). Mean LDL particle size and small LDL particle concentration (−0.94) had the strongest genetic correlation estimate. The highest logarithm of odds (LOD) score detected (3.0) was on chromosome 6p24 for small LDL particle concentration. The strongest signal, obtained with the reduced sample of diabetic individuals only, was observed on chromosome 20p13 for small LDL particle concentration. The highest bivariate linkage signal (LOD 2.4) was observed on chromosome 6p24 for mean LDL particle size and small LDL particle concentration.jlr Our results suggest a significant genetic contribution to multiple lipoprotein subclasses studied in this sample and that novel loci on chromosomes 6, 10, 16, and 20 may harbor genes contributing to small, atherogenic LDL particle concentration and large, triglyceride-rich VLDL particle concentration.     

Extended bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (eBRET) for monitoring prolonged protein-protein interactions in live cells

Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is an increasingly popular technique for studying protein-protein interactions in live cells. It is particularly suitable for real-time monitoring of such interactions, however, the timescale over which assays can be carried out is currently relatively short (minutes) due to substrate instability. We present a new derivation of the BRET technology, termed 'extended BRET' (eBRET), which now enables protein-protein interactions to be monitored in real-time for many hours. This capability has significant benefits for investigating cellular function over extended timescales, as we have illustrated using the agonist-induced G-protein coupled receptor/beta-arrestin interaction. The potential for studying the modulation of such interactions by agonists, antagonists, inhibitors, dominant negative mutants and co-expressed accessory proteins is substantial. Furthermore, the advantages of eBRET have important implications for the development of high-throughput BRET screening systems, an ever-expanding area of interest for the pharmaceutical industry.     

Human synaptotagmin-II is not a high affinity receptor for botulinum neurotoxin B and G: increased therapeutic dosage and immunogenicity

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) inhibit neurotransmitter release by hydrolysing SNARE proteins essential for exocytosis. The synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin-II of rat and mouse acts as neuronal high affinity receptor for BoNT/B and BoNT/G. Here, we show that human synaptotagmin-II is not a high affinity receptor for BoNT/B and G due to a phenylalanine to leucine mutation in its luminal domain present only in humans and chimpanzees. It eliminates one of three major interactions between synaptotagmin-II and BoNT/B and hereby explains the disparity in potency of BoNT/B in humans and mice as well as the 40-fold higher dosage of rimabotulinumtoxinB versus onabotulinumtoxinA.     

Population structure of Hispanics in the United States: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

Using ∼60,000 SNPs selected for minimal linkage disequilibrium, we perform population structure analysis of 1,374 unrelated Hispanic individuals from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), with self-identification corresponding to Central America (n = 93), Cuba (n = 50), the Dominican Republic (n = 203), Mexico (n = 708), Puerto Rico (n = 192), and South America (n = 111). By projection of principal components (PCs) of ancestry to samples from the HapMap phase III and the Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP), we show the first two PCs quantify the Caucasian, African, and Native American origins, while the third and fourth PCs bring out an axis that aligns with known South-to-North geographic location of HGDP Native American samples and further separates MESA Mexican versus Central/South American samples along the same axis. Using k-means clustering computed from the first four PCs, we define four subgroups of the MESA Hispanic cohort that show close agreement with self-identification, labeling the clusters as primarily Dominican/Cuban, Mexican, Central/South American, and Puerto Rican. To demonstrate our recommendations for genetic analysis in the MESA Hispanic cohort, we present pooled and stratified association analysis of triglycerides for selected SNPs in the LPL and TRIB1 gene regions, previously reported in GWAS of triglycerides in Caucasians but as yet unconfirmed in Hispanic populations. We report statistically significant evidence for genetic association in both genes, and we further demonstrate the importance of considering population substructure and genetic heterogeneity in genetic association studies performed in the United States Hispanic population.     

Increased frequency of scale anomalies and loss of genetic variation in serially bottlenecked populations of the dice snake, Natrix tessellata

Documented demographic bottlenecks resultingfrom introductions of the dice snake to severallakes in Switzerland provide a rare opportunityto study the effect of serial bottlenecks onthe genetic properties of Natrixtessellata populations. We investigated twointroduced populations using informationderived from eight microsatellite markers. Bothintroduced populations had significantlyreduced levels of allelic diversity relative tonon-bottlenecked populations. The severity ofthe bottlenecks was underlined by thesignificant reduction in observed and expectedheterozygosity. The loss of allelic diversityand observed heterozygosity was stronger in theserially bottlenecked population than in thepopulation that was bottlenecked only once.From previous studies, scale anomalies wereknown to be more common in introducedpopulations relative to native populations. Weinvestigated whether the higher occurrence ofscale anomalies in introduced populations isassociated with individual heterozygosity andmean genomic diversity d ². We founda significant relationship between theoccurrence of scale anomalies and individualheterozygosity but no significant relationshipbetween scale anomalies and the microsatellitespecific measurement, d ², was found.Because of their known history, introducedpopulations in Switzerland may serve as a modelto demonstrate the effect of severe populationbottlenecks on genetic variability anddevelopmental stability in N. tessellata.The results therefore help to device strategiesfor the management and protection of endangerednatural N. tessellata populations.