Structural determinants of multimerization and dissociation in 2-Cys peroxiredoxin chaperone function

1. Download : Download high-res image (170KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Genetic variation in eggplant for Nitrogen Use Efficiency under contrasting NO3‐ supply

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) yield is highly sensitive to N fertilization, the excessive use of which is responsible for environmental and human health damage. Lowering N input together with the selection of improved Nitrogen‐Use‐Efficiency (NUE) genotypes, more able to uptake, utilize, and remobilize N available in soils, can be challenging to maintain high crop yields in a sustainable agriculture. The aim of this study was to explore the natural variation among eggplant accessions from different origins, in response to Low (LN) and High (HN) Nitrate (NO₃^‐) supply, to identify NUE‐contrasting genotypes and their NUE‐related traits, in hydroponic and greenhouse pot experiments. Two eggplants, AM222 and AM22, were identified as N‐use efficient and inefficient, respectively, in hydroponic, and these results were confirmed in a pot experiment, when crop yield was also evaluated. Overall, our results indicated the key role of N‐utilization component (NUtE) to confer high NUE. The remobilization of N from leaves to fruits may be a strategy to enhance NUtE, suggesting glutamate synthase as a key enzyme. Further, omics technologies will be used for focusing on C‐N metabolism interacting networks. The availability of RILs from two other selected NUE‐contrasting genotypes will allow us to detect major genes/quantitative trait loci related to NUE.     

Using the tools of genetic epidemiology to understand sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders

Many neuropsychiatric disorders exhibit differences in prevalence, age of onset, symptoms or course of illness between males and females. For the most part, the origins of these differences are not well understood. In this article, we provide an overview of sex differences in psychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, schizophrenia, eating disorders and risk of suicide. We discuss both genetic and nongenetic mechanisms that have been hypothesized to underlie these differences, including ascertainment bias, environmental stressors, X‐ or Y‐linked risk loci, and differential liability thresholds in males and females. We then review the use of twin, family and genome‐wide association approaches to study potential genetic mechanisms of sex differences and the extent to which these designs have been employed in studies of psychiatric disorders. We describe the utility of genetic epidemiologic study designs, including classical twin and family studies, large‐scale studies of population registries, derived recurrence risks, and molecular genetic analyses of genome‐wide variation that may enhance our understanding sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Turning regenerative technologies into treatment to repair myocardial injuries

Regenerative therapies including stem cell treatments hold promise to allow curing patients affected by severe cardiac muscle diseases. However, the clinical efficacy of stem cell therapy remains elusive, so far. The two key roadblocks that still need to be overcome are the poor cell engraftment into the injured myocardium and the limited knowledge of the ideal mixture of bioactive factors to be locally delivered for restoring heart function. Thus, therapeutic strategies for cardiac repair are directed to increase the retention and functional integration of transplanted cells in the damaged myocardium or to enhance the endogenous repair mechanisms through cell-free therapies. In this context, biomaterial-based technologies and tissue engineering approaches have the potential to dramatically impact cardiac translational medicine. This review intends to offer some consideration on the cell-based and cell-free cardiac therapies, their limitations and the possible future developments.     

Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 controls maternal care,maternal motivation and maternal aggression in mice

The group III metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 (mGlu7) is an important regulator of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission and known to mediate emotionality and male social behavior. However, a possible regulatory role in maternal behavior remains unknown to date. Adequate expression of maternal behavior is essential for successful rearing and healthy development of the young. By understanding genetic and neural mechanisms underlying this important prosocial behavior, we gain valuable insights into possible dysregulations. Using genetic ablation as well as pharmacological modulation, we studied various parameters of maternal behavior in two different mouse strains under the influence of mGlu7. We can clearly show a regulatory role of mGlu7 in maternal behavior. Naïve virgin female C57BL/6 mGlu7 knockout mice showed more often nursing postures and less spontaneous maternal aggression compared to their heterozygous and wildtype littermates. In lactating C57BL/6 wildtype mice, acute central activation of mGlu7 by the selective agonist AMN082 reduced arched back nursing and accelerated pup retrieval without affecting maternal aggression. In addition, in lactating CD1 wildtype mice the selective mGlu7 antagonist XAP044 increased both pup retrieval and maternal aggression. With respect to receptor expression levels, mGlu7 mRNA expression was higher in lactating vs virgin C57BL/6 mice in the prefrontal cortex, but not hypothalamus or hippocampus. In conclusion, these findings highlight a significant role of the mGlu7 receptor subtype in mediating maternal behavior in mice. Region‐dependent studies are warranted to further extend our knowledge on the specific function of the brain glutamate system in maternal behavior.     

New Tricks for Old Guys: Recent Developments in the Chemistry,Biochemistry, Applications and Exploitation of Selected Species from the Lamiaceae Family

Lamiaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants comprising about 250 genera and over 7,000 species. Most of the plants of this family are aromatic and therefore important source of essential oils. Lamiaceae are widely used as culinary herbs and reported as medicinal plants in several folk traditions. In the Mediterranean area oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme and lavender stand out for geographical diffusion and variety of uses. The aim of this review is to provide recent data dealing with the phytochemical and pharmacological studies, and the more recent applications of the essential oils and the non‐volatile phytocomplexes. This literature survey suggests how the deeper understanding of biomolecular processes in the health and food sectors as per as pest control bioremediation of cultural heritage, or interaction with human microbiome, fields, leads to the rediscovery and new potential applications of well‐known plants.     

Optimization of Insecticidal Triterpene Derivatives by Biomimetic Oxidations with Hydrogen Peroxide and Iodosobenzene Catalyzed by MnIII and FeIII Porphyrin Complexes

Semisynthetic functionalized triterpenes (4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α,8α‐8,9‐epoxycholestan‐3β‐yl acetate; 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholest‐8‐ene‐3,7,11‐trione; 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholesta‐7,9(11)‐dien‐3‐one and 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholest‐8‐en‐3β‐yl acetate), previously prepared from 31‐norlanostenol, a natural insecticide isolated from the latex of Euphorbia officinarum, have been subjected to oxidation with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and iodosobenzene (PhIO) catalyzed by porphyrin complexes (cytochrome P‐450 models) in order to obtain optimized derivatives with high regioselectivity. The main transformations were epoxidation of the double bonds and hydroxylations of non‐activated C–H groups and the reaction products were 25‐hydroxy‐4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholesta‐7,9(11)‐dien‐3β‐yl acetate (59 %), 25‐hydroxy‐4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholest‐8‐ene‐3,7,11‐trione (60 %), 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α,7β‐7,8‐epoxycholest‐9(11)‐en‐3‐one (22 %), 8‐hydroxy‐4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α‐cholest‐9(11)‐ene‐3,7‐dione (16 %), 12α‐hydroxy‐4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α,7β‐7,8‐epoxycholest‐9(11)‐en‐3‐one (16 %), and 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α,8α‐8,9‐epoxycholestan‐3β‐yl acetate (26 %), respectively. We also investigated the insect (Myzus persicae, Rhopalosiphum padi and Spodoptera littoralis) antifeedant and postingestive effects of these terpenoid derivatives. None of the compounds tested had significant antifeedant effects, however, all were more effective postingestive toxicants on S. littoralis larvae than the natural compound 31‐norlanostenol, with 4α,14‐dimethyl‐5α,8α‐8,9‐epoxycholestan‐3β‐yl acetate being the most active. The study of their structure–activity relationships points out at the importance of C3 and C7 substituents.     

Microfluidic‐Assisted Blade Coating of Compositional Libraries for Combinatorial Applications: The Case of Organic Photovoltaics

Microfluidic technologies are highly adept at generating controllable compositional gradients in fluids, a feature that has accelerated the understanding of the importance of chemical gradients in biological processes. That said, the development of versatile methods to generate controllable compositional gradients in the solid‐state has been far more elusive. The ability to produce such gradients would provide access to extensive compositional libraries, thus enabling the high‐throughput exploration of the parametric landscape of functional solids and devices in a resource‐, time‐, and cost‐efficient manner. Herein, the synergic integration of microfluidic technologies is reported with blade coating to enable the controlled formation of compositional lateral gradients in solution. Subsequently, the transformation of liquid‐based compositional gradients into solid‐state thin films using this method is demonstrated. To demonstrate efficacy of the approach, microfluidic‐assisted blade coating is used to optimize blending ratios in organic solar cells. Importantly, this novel technology can be easily extended to other solution processable systems that require the formation of solid‐state compositional lateral gradients.