Experience-dependent modulation of tonotopic neural responses in human auditory cortex.

Experience-dependent plasticity of receptive fields in the auditory cortex has been demonstrated by electrophysiological experiments in animals. In the present study we used PET neuroimaging to measure regional brain activity in volunteer human subjects during discriminatory classical conditioning of high (8000 Hz) or low (200 Hz) frequency tones by an aversive 100 dB white noise burst. Conditioning-related, frequency-specific modulation of tonotopic neural responses in the auditory cortex was observed. The modulated regions of the auditory cortex positively covaried with activity in the amygdala, basal forebrain and orbitofrontal cortex, and showed context-specific functional interactions with the medial geniculate nucleus. These results accord with animal single-unit data and support neurobiological models of auditory conditioning and value-dependent neural selection.     

The effects of the licorice derivative, glycyrrhetinic acid, on hepatic 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases and 5 alpha- and 5 beta-reductase pathways of metabolism of aldosterone in male rats

Ingestion of licorice or treatment with chemical derivatives of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), an active principle of licorice, can cause hypertension, sodium retention, and hypokalemia. Although GA has been shown to inhibit 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, it may not be the only hepatic enzyme affected by this licorice derivative. Therefore, we studied the effects of GA on other major hepatic steroid-metabolizing enzymes from adrenalectomized male rats using aldosterone as the substrate; namely, delta 4-5 alpha- and delta 4-5 beta-reductases and 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3 alpha- and 3 beta-HSD). From these in vitro studies, we demonstrated that GA does not affect either microsomal 5 alpha-reductase or cytosolic 3 alpha-HSD activity. However, GA is a potent inhibitor of cytosolic 5 beta-reductase; the K(is) and K(ii) were calculated from enzyme kinetic analysis to be 6.79 and 5.41 microM, respectively, using the Cleland equation, indicating that GA is a noncompetitive inhibitor of aldosterone. In addition, GA specifically inhibited microsomal 3 beta-HSD enzyme activity by what appears to be a competitive inhibition mechanism, causing a build-up of the intermediate, 5 alpha-dihydroaldosterone (DHAldo). Thus, this study has indicated that GA has a profound effect on hepatic ring A-reduction of aldosterone. Inhibition of 5 beta-reductase and 3 beta-HSD results in decreased synthesis of both 3 alpha, 5 beta-tetrahydroaldosterone (THAldo) and 3 beta, 5 alpha-THAldo and, hence, accumulation of aldosterone and 5 alpha-DHAldo, both potent mineralocorticoids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Virus particles in an internal parasite, Portunion conformis (Crustacea: Isopoda: Entoniscidae), and its marine crab host, Hemigrapsus oregonensis

Based on morphological evidence and preliminary physicochemical data, we report the first picornavirus from crustacean hosts. The viral particles are widespread in the tissues of an isopodan parasitic castrator, Portunion conformis, and its shore crab host, Hemigrapsus oregonensis, collected in San Francisco Bay, California. Less frequently, infected cells of the parasitic isopod also contain larger viral particles.     

Analysis of copy number variation using quantitative interspecies competitive PCR

Over recent years small submicroscopic DNA copy-number variants (CNVs) have been highlighted as an important source of variation in the human genome, human phenotypic diversity and disease susceptibility. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of methods that allow the efficient, accurate and cheap measurement of genomic copy number polymorphisms in clinical cohorts. We have developed a simple competitive PCR based method to determine DNA copy number which uses the entire genome of a single chimpanzee as a competitor thus eliminating the requirement for competitive sequences to be synthesized for each assay. This results in the requirement for only a single reference sample for all assays and dramatically increases the potential for large numbers of loci to be analysed in multiplex. In this study we establish proof of concept by accurately detecting previously characterized mutations at the PARK2 locus and then demonstrating the potential of quantitative interspecies competitive PCR (qicPCR) to accurately genotype CNVs in association studies by analysing chromosome 22q11 deletions in a sample of previously characterized patients and normal controls.     

BRCTx is a novel, highly conserved RAD18-interacting protein

The BRCT domain is a highly conserved module found in many proteins that participate in DNA damage checkpoint regulation, DNA repair, and cell cycle control. Here we describe the cloning, characterization, and targeted mutagenesis of Brctx, a novel gene with a BRCT motif. Brctx was found to be expressed ubiquitously in adult tissues and during development, with the highest levels found in testis. Brctx-deficient mice develop normally, show no pathological abnormalities, and are fertile. BRCTx binds to the C terminus of hRAD18 in yeast two-hybrid and immunoprecipitation assays and colocalizes with this protein in the nucleus. Despite this, Brctx-deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) do not show overt sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. MEFs from Brctx-deficient embryos grow at a similar rate to wild-type MEF CD4/CD8 expressions, and the cell cycle parameters of thymocytes from wild-type and Brctx knockout animals are indistinguishable. Intriguingly, the BRCT domain of BRCTx is responsible for mediating its localization to the nucleus and centrosome in interphase cells. We conclude that, although highly conserved, Brctx is not essential for the above-mentioned processes and may be redundant.     

Family portraits: the enzymes behind benzylisoquinoline alkaloid diversity

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a group of specialized metabolites found predominantly in the plant order Ranunculales. Approximately 2500 naturally occurring BIAs have been identified, many of which possess a variety of potent biological and pharmacological properties. The initial BIA skeleton is formed via condensation by a unique enzyme, norcoclaurine synthase, of the l-tyrosine derivatives dopamine and 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, yielding (S)-norcoclaurine as a central intermediate. The vast diversity of BIA structures is subsequently derived from (1) transformation of the basic BIA backbone by oxidative enzymes, particularly cytochromes P450 and FAD-linked oxidases, and (2) further structural and functional group modification by tailoring enzymes, which also include various reductases, dioxygenases, acetyltransferases, and carboxylesterases. Most of the biosynthetic enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of major BIAs (i.e. morphine, noscapine, papaverine, and sanguinarine) in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), and other compounds (e.g. berberine) in related plants, have been isolated and partially characterized. Diversity in BIA metabolism is driven by the modular and repetitive recruitment, and subsequent neo-functionalization, of a limited number of ancestral enzymes. In this review, BIA biosynthetic enzymes are discussed in the context of their respective families, facilitating exploration of common phylogeny and biochemical mechanisms.     

Early stages of the apoptotic pathway in plant cells are reversible

Chromatin condensation and nDNA fragmentation, indicators of apoptosis in mammalian cells, occur in plant cells during senescence and following induction by chemical agents. In Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cells, camptothecin, okadaic acid, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and the calcium ionophore A23187 induced chromatin condensation and nDNA fragmentation. Exposure of cells to low concentrations or removal of the chemical agent resulted in an initial phase of chromatin condensation, followed by its reversal. A further feature of apoptosis in mammalian cells, annexin V binding, indicative of phosphotidylserine exposure, was also confirmed in relation to the other events in the apoptotic pathway. With respect to flow cytometric characteristics, apoptosis triggered by a variety of chemicals occurs in plant cells in a manner closely related to that in mammalian cells. However, the extent of chromatin condensation is substantially greater, and in the early stages is reversible.     

The BSP30 salivary proteins from cattle,LUNX/PLUNC and von Ebner's minor salivary gland protein are members of the PSP/LBP superfamily of proteins

Saliva influences rumen function in cattle, yet the biochemical role for most of the bovine salivary proteins (BSPs) has yet to be established. Two cDNAs (BSP30a and BSP30b) from bovine parotid salivary gland were cloned and sequenced, each coding for alternate forms of a prominent protein in bovine saliva. The BSP30 cDNAs share 96% sequence identity with each other at the DNA level and 83% at the amino acid level, and appear to arise from separate genes. The predicted BSP30a and BSP30b proteins share 26-36% amino acid identity with parotid secretory protein (PSP) from mouse, rat and human. BSP30 and PSP are in turn more distantly related to a wider group of proteins that includes lung-specific X protein, also known as palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (LUNX/PLUNC), von Ebner's minor salivary gland protein (VEMSGP), bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), and the putative olfactory ligand-binding proteins RYA3 and RY2G5. Bovine cDNAs encoding homologs of LUNX/PLUNC and VEMSGP were isolated and sequenced. Northern blot analysis showed that LUNX/PLUNC, BSP30 and VEMSGP are expressed in bovine salivary tissue and airways, and that they have non-identical patterns of expression in these tissues. The expression of both BSP30a and BSP30b is restricted to salivary tissue, but within this tissue they have distinct patterns of expression. The proximity of the human genes coding for the PSP/LBP superfamily on HSA20q11.2, their similar amino acid sequence, and common exon segmentation strongly suggest that these genes evolved from a common ancestral gene. Furthermore, they imply that the BSP30a and BSP30b proteins may have a function in common with other members of this gene family.