ent-Eudesmane sesquiterpenoids, galloyl esters of the oak lactone precursor, and a 3-O-methylellagic acid glycoside from the wood of Platycarya strobilacea

ent-Eudesmane sesquiterpenoids, 8,11-dihydroxy-2,4-cycloeudesmane, 11-hydroxy-2,4-cycloeudesman-8-one and 2,4-cyclo-7(11)-eudesmen-8-one, were isolated from the wood of Platycarya strobilacea, which has been used as an aromatic tree since at least the 18th century. On charring the wood, 2,4-cyclo-7(11)-eudesmen-8-one was detected in the smoke. In the charred wood, the concentrations of ellagitannins, such as galloyl pedunculagin, dramatically decreased, whereas concentrations of pentagalloyl glucose, and other gallotannins were relatively stable. In addition, two other compounds, the 6′-O-m- and p-digalloyl oak lactone precursor and the 3-O-methylellagic acid 4′-O-(4″-O-galloyl)-xylopyranoside, were isolated from the charred wood along with m- and p-digallic acid.     

Production of novel antioxidative prenyl naphthalen-ols by combinational bioconversion with dioxygenase PhnA1A2A3A4 and prenyltransferase NphB or SCO7190

We performed combinational bioconversion of substituted naphthalenes with PhnA1A2A3A4 (an aromatic dihydroxylating dioxygenase from marine bacterium Cycloclasticus sp. strain A5) and prenyltransferase NphB (geranyltransferase from Streptomyces sp. strain CL190) or SCO7190 (dimethylallyltransferase from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)) to produce prenyl naphthalen-ols. Using 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methoxynaphthalene, and 1-ethoxynaphthalene as the starting substrates, 10 novel prenyl naphthalen-ols were produced by combinational bioconversion. These novel prenyl naphthalen-ols each showed potent antioxidative activity against a rat brain homogenate model. 2-(2,3-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-chromen-4-one (2',3'-dihydroxychrysin) generated with another aromatic dihydroxylating dioxygenase and subsequent dehydrogenase was also geranylated at the C-5'-carbon by the action of NphB.     

Human Pancreatic Tumor Organoids Reveal Loss of Stem Cell Niche Factor Dependence during Disease Progression

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Maternal exercise training attenuates endotoxin-induced sepsis in mice offspring

Regular exercise during pregnancy can prevent offspring from several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type II diabetes during adulthood. However, little information is available about whether maternal exercises during pregnancy protect the offspring from infectious diseases, such as sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). This study aimed to investigate whether maternal exercise training protects the offspring from endotoxin-induced septic shock in mice. Female C57BL/6 mice performed voluntary wheel exercises during pregnancy. All dams and offspring were fed normal chow with sedentary activity during lactation and after weaning. At 10-week-old, mice were intraperitoneally injected a lethal (30 mg/kg) or nonlethal (15 mg/kg) dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), following which the survival of mice that were administered a lethal dose was monitored for 60 h. Plasma, lung, and liver samples were collected 18 h after the injection to evaluate the cytokine concentration or mRNA expression from those administered a nonlethal dose. Although maternal exercise training could not prevent lethality during an LPS-induced septic shock, it significantly inhibited the LPS-induced loss of body weight in female offspring. Regular maternal exercise significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of the LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), in the plasma and liver. Thus, maternal exercise inhibited the LPS-induced inflammatory response in female offspring, suggesting that regular exercise during pregnancy could be a potential candidate of the onset of sepsis and MODS in offspring.     

Factors influencing lifespan dependency on agricultural crops by brown bears

Landscape and Ecological Engineering - Investigating factors underlying human-wildlife conflicts in agricultural landscapes is important for both preventing crop damage and wildlife conservation....     

New occurrence of microchromosomes B in Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae (Pisces, Characidae) from the Paraná River of Brazil: analysis of the synaptonemal complex

The Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae specimens showed a karyotype consisting of 2n = 50 chromosomes with 12 metacentrics, 36 submetacentrics and two subtelocentrics. In addition to the basic karyotype, all the males specimens have cells ranging from zero to two B microchromosomes in mitotic metaphases. These chromosomes were not observed in the female specimens. C-band analysis showed a distribution pattern of characteristic heterochromatin with interstitial and centromeric blocks. However, the B chromosomes were faintly stained with C-banding and were not fluorescent with CMA₃ staining. The meiotic studies showed the formation of bivalents in metaphase I and in pachytene under an optical microscope. Through synaptonemal complex analysis with an electron microscope, the pachytene showed 25 bivalents completely paired and a small bivalent corresponding to the B chromosomes. In the same preparation, one of the B chromosomes was observed in a univalent form. On the basis of pairing behavior and morphology it is assumed that B chromosomes of M. sanctaefilomenae show homology between them and their evolutionary aspects are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The role of sphingosine 1-phosphate in migration of osteoclast precursors; an application of intravital two-photon microscopy

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a biologically active lysophospholipid that is enriched in blood, controls the trafficking of osteoclast precursors between the circulation and bone marrow cavities via G protein-coupled receptors, S1PRs. While S1PR1 mediates chemoattraction toward S1P in bone marrow, where S1P concentration is low, S1PR2 mediates chemorepulsion in blood, where the S1P concentration is high. The regulation of precursor recruitment may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for controlling osteoclast-dependent bone remodeling. Through intravital multiphoton imaging of bone tissues, we reveal that the bidirectional function of S1P temporospatially regulates the migration of osteoclast precursors within intact bone tissues. Imaging technologies have enabled in situ visualization of the behaviors of several players in intact tissues. In addition, intravital microscopy has the potential to be more widely applied to functional analysis and intervention.