Serotonin Synthesis Increased in Terminals Four Days after Reserpine Treatment: An Autoradiographic Study in Rat Brain

The rate of 5-HT synthesis was determined in discrete rat brain regions 4 days after a single dose of reserpine (10 mg/kg) or reserpine carrier (controls), using an autoradiographic method with labelled -methyl-L-tryptophan as a tracer. The results show that the rate of 5-HT synthesis was unchanged in the dorsal and median raphe, significantly decreased in the raphe magnus, and significantly increased in areas rich in serotonergic nerve terminals (i.e., hypothalamus, hippocampus, median geniculate body, parietal and visual cortices). An increase in tryptophan hydroxylase activity could account for the increase in the rate of serotonin synthesis seen in some regions. Since the 5-HT synthesis rate showed regional variability there seems to be a need for regional studies of the effect of drugs on the 5-HT synthesis. In addition, the 5-HT synthesis rate was not significantly different from that in controls in many of the brain regions.     

Purification of Glutathione Reductase from Bovine Brain, Generation of an Antiserum, and Immunocytochemical Localization of the Enzyme in Neural Cells

Glutathione reductase (GR) is an essential enzyme for the glutathione-mediated detoxification of peroxides because it catalyzes the reduction of glutathione disulfide. GR was purified from bovine brain 5,000-fold with a specific activity of 145 U/mg of protein. The homogeneity of the enzyme was proven by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining of the gel. The purified GR from bovine brain is a dimer of two subunits that have an apparent molecular mass of 55 kDa. The purified GR was used to generate a rabbit antiserum with the intention to localize GR in brain cells. The antiserum was useful for the detection of GR by double-labeling immunocytochemical staining in astroglia-rich and neuron-rich primary cultures from rat brain. In homogenates of these cultures, no significant difference in the specific activities of GR was determined. However, not all cell types present in these cultures showed identical staining intensity for GR. In astroglia-rich primary cultures, strong GR immunoreactivity was found in cells positive for the cellular markers galactocerebroside and C3b (antibody Ox42), indicating that oligodendroglial and microglial cells, respectively, contain GR. In contrast, only weak immunoreactivity for GR was found in cells positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein. In neuron-rich primary cultures, GAP43-positive cells stained with the antiserum against GR. These data demonstrate that, in cultures of neural cells, neurons, oligodendroglial cells, and microglial cells express high levels of GR.     

Sex‐specific mitonuclear epistasis and the evolution of mitochondrial bioenergetics,ageing, and life history in seed beetles

The role of mitochondrial DNA for the evolution of life‐history traits remains debated. We examined mitonuclear effects on the activity of the multisubunit complex of the electron transport chain (ETC) involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) across lines of the seed beetle Acanthoscelides obtectus selected for a short (E) or a long (L) life for more than >160 generations. We constructed and phenotyped mitonuclear introgression lines, which allowed us to assess the independent effects of the evolutionary history of the nuclear and the mitochondrial genome. The nuclear genome was responsible for the largest share of divergence seen in ageing. However, the mitochondrial genome also had sizeable effects, which were sex‐specific and expressed primarily as epistatic interactions with the nuclear genome. The effects of mitonuclear disruption were largely consistent with mitonuclear coadaptation. Variation in ETC activity explained a large proportion of variance in ageing and life‐history traits and this multivariate relationship differed somewhat between the sexes. In conclusion, mitonuclear epistasis has played an important role in the laboratory evolution of ETC complex activity, ageing, and life histories and these are closely associated. The mitonuclear architecture of evolved differences in life‐history traits and mitochondrial bioenergetics was sex‐specific.     

Fine-tuning of the flavonoid and monolignol pathways during apple early fruit development

Planta - A coordinated regulation of different branches of the flavonoid pathway was highlighted that may contribute to elucidate the role of this important class of compounds during the early...     

Viral Production, Decay Rates, and Life Strategies along a Trophic Gradient in the North Adriatic Sea

Although the relationships between trophic conditions and viral dynamics have been widely explored in different pelagic environments, there have been few attempts at independent estimates of both viral production and decay. In this study, we investigated factors controlling the balance between viral production and decay along a trophic gradient in the north Adriatic basin, providing independent estimates of these variables and determining the relative importance of nanoflagellate grazing and viral life strategies. Increasing trophic conditions induced an increase of bacterioplankton growth rates and of the burst sizes. As a result, eutrophic waters displayed highest rates of viral production, which considerably exceeded observed rates of viral decay (up to 2.9 × 10⁹ VLP liter⁻¹ h⁻¹). Viral decay was also higher in eutrophic waters, where it accounted for ca. 40% of viral production, and dropped significantly to 1.3 to 10.7% in oligotrophic waters. These results suggest that viral production and decay rates may not necessarily be balanced in the short term, resulting in a net increase of viruses in the system. In eutrophic waters nanoflagellate grazing, dissolved-colloidal substances, and lysogenic infection were responsible together for the removal of ca. 66% of viral production versus 17% in oligotrophic waters. Our results suggest that different causative agents are primarily responsible for the removal of viruses from the water column in different trophic conditions. Factors other than those considered in the past might shed light on processes responsible for the removal and/or decay of viral particles from the water column.     

Genetic Variation and Atherosclerosis

A family history of atherosclerosis is independently associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events. The genetic factors underlying the importance of inheritance in atherosclerosis are starting to be understood. Genetic variation, such as mutations or common polymorphisms has been shown to be involved in modulation of a range of risk factors, such as plasma lipoprotein levels, inflammation and vascular calcification. This review presents examples of present studies of the role of genetic polymorphism in atherosclerosis.     

Protein structure and oligomerization are important for the formation of export-competent HIV-1 Rev-RRE complexes

The translation of the unspliced and partially spliced viral mRNAs that encode the late, structural proteins of HIV-1 depends on the viral-protein Rev. Oligomeric binding of Rev to the Rev response element (RRE) in these mRNAs promotes their export from the nucleus and thus controls their expression. Here, we compared the effects of hydrophobic to hydrophilic mutations within the oligomerization domain of Rev using assays for oligomeric RNA binding, protein structure, and export from the nucleus. Oligomeric RNA binding alone does not correlate well with RNA transport activity in the subset of mutants. However, protein structure as judged by CD spectroscopy does correlate well with Rev function. The oligomeric assembly of Rev-L18T is impaired but exhibits minor defects in structure and retains a basal level of activity in vivo. The prevalence of L18T in infected individuals suggests a positive selection mechanism for L18T modulation of Rev activity that may delay the onset of AIDS.