Condensation of mononucleotides by imidazole

Summary The condensation of thymidine-5-monophosphate was carried out in the presence of imidazole in aqueous solutions at neutral pH. Formation of oligo-deoxyribonucleotides up to four units was observed.     

Baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity during air-jet stress in rats

The effects of acute emotional stress on the sympathetic component of the arterial baroreceptor reflex have not yet been described in conscious animals and humans. Arterial pressure (AP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were simultaneously recorded in 11 conscious rats before and during exposure to a mild environmental stressor (jet of air). Baroreflex function curves relating AP and RSNA were constructed by fitting a sigmoid function to RSNA and AP measured during sequential nitroprusside and phenylephrine administrations. Stress increased mean AP from 112 +/- 2 to 124 +/- 2 mmHg, heart rate from 381 +/- 10 to 438 +/- 18 beats/min, and RSNA from 0.80 +/- 0.14 to 1.49 +/- 0.23 microV. The RSNA-AP relationship was shifted toward higher AP values, and its maximum gain was significantly (P < 0.01) increased from 9.0 +/- 1.3 to 16.2 +/- 2.1 normalized units (NU)/mmHg. The latter effect was secondary to an increase (P < 0.01) in the range of the RSNA variation from 285 +/- 33 to 619 +/- 59 NU. In addition, the operating range of the reflex was increased (P < 0.01) from 34 +/- 2 to 41 +/- 3 mmHg. The present study indicates that in rats, the baroreflex control of RSNA is sensitized and operates over a larger range during emotional stress, which suggests that renal vascular tone, and possibly AP, are very efficiently controlled by the sympathetic nervous system under this condition.     

Commensal Pseudomonas protect Arabidopsis thaliana from a coexisting pathogen via multiple lineage-dependent mechanisms

Plants are protected from pathogens not only by their own immunity but often also by colonizing commensal microbes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a group of cryptically pathogenic Pseudomonas strains often dominates local populations. This group coexists in nature with commensal Pseudomonas strains that can blunt the deleterious effects of the pathogens in the laboratory. We have investigated the interaction between one of the Pseudomonas pathogens and 99 naturally co-occurring commensals, finding plant protection to be common among non-pathogenic Pseudomonas. While protective ability is enriched in one specific lineage, there is also a substantial variation for this trait among isolates of this lineage. These functional differences do not align with core-genome phylogenies, suggesting repeated gene inactivation or loss as causal. Using genome-wide association, we discovered that different bacterial genes are linked to plant protection in each lineage. We validated a protective role of several lineage-specific genes by gene inactivation, highlighting iron acquisition and biofilm formation as prominent mechanisms of plant protection in this Pseudomonas lineage. Collectively, our work illustrates the importance of functional redundancy in plant protective traits across an important group of commensal bacteria.Subject terms: Microbial ecology, Plant ecology     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel 6-O-substituted erythromycin A derivatives

A series of novel 6-O-substituted erythromycin A derivatives has been synthesized. Good in vitro antibacterial activity has been demonstrated for analogues incorporating a variety of structural features. The methodology disclosed is expected to find application in the design of future macrolide antibiotics that target the prevalent bacterial resistance problem.     

Occurrence of Clostridium difficile in feces of children with dysfunction of the digestive tract and other disorders

Thousand and six hundred ninety two fecal samples from children of few weeks old up to over ten years were tested for the presence of Clostridium difficile. Most of them were treated with antibiotics and showed diarrhea symptoms. Hundred and twenty three strains of C-difficile were submitted to serological typing and their sensitivity to 10 selected antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents was determined. Among 109 strains of C. difficile tested for enterotoxin production by latex test 82 strains (75.2%) were positive. Almost half (48%) of the isolated strains belonged to serotype C. Most of the strains were resistant to cefoxitin (88%) and clindamycin (76%). Over 90% of strains were sensitive to vancomycin and azlocillin and 86% to chloramphenicol and metronidazole. In the majority of patients with positive C. difficile cultures diarrhea was present, however, it was difficult to find a direct link between these symptoms and antibiotic therapy.     

CUL4B: trash talking at chromatin

In this issue, Nakagawa and Xiong (2011) reveal a mechanism targeting WDR5 for proteolysis dependent on the X-linked mental retardation gene, CUL4B. This provides a link between the stability of a chromatin factor and gene expression implicated in neurological pathogenesis.     

Endozoochorous dispersal of alien and native plants by two palearctic avian frugivores with special emphasis on invasive giant goldenrod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solidago gigantea</Emphasis>

The role of frugivorous birds in dispersal of the seeds of fleshy-fruited plants is well understood, but other groups of birds like granivores and omnivores can also act as vectors, especially in the process of non-standard dispersal. In this study we examined the role of two widely distributed birds (the Eurasian Blackbird, Turdus merula, and the Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros) in seed dispersal. We analyzed the content of 279 droppings of the Black Redstart collected between July and October and 85 droppings of the Eurasian Blackbird collected during January. In total we found 366 seeds, representing 11 plant taxa, in the faecal samples; 93% of the seeds belonged to fleshy-fruited species. The most numerous were two native taxa, Sambucus racemosa/nigra, in summer and autumn, Crataegus monogyna in winter, and one alien species Morus alba, which is dispersed in summer. We also found seeds of four dry-fruited species; the most interesting of which was the presence of anemochorous seeds of Solidago gigantea (a highly invasive alien species). The seeds were found only in droppings of the Eurasian Blackbird. Considering the obtained results the need for further studies on bird-plant interactions should be a priority.     

Inhibition of MMP-9 by a selective gelatinase inhibitor protects neurovasculature from embolic focal cerebral ischemia

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemia has been shown to induce activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-9, which is associated with impairment of the neurovasculature, resulting in blood-brain barrier breakdown, hemorrhage and neurodegeneration. We previously reported that the thiirane inhibitor SB-3CT, which is selective for gelatinases (MMP-2 and 9), could antagonize neuronal apoptosis after transient focal cerebral ischemia. RESULTS: Here, we used a fibrin-rich clot to occlude the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and assessed the effects of SB-3CT on the neurovasculature. Results show that neurobehavioral deficits and infarct volumes induced by embolic ischemia are comparable to those induced by the filament-occluded transient MCA model. Confocal microscopy indicated embolus-blocked brain microvasculature and neuronal cell death. Post-ischemic SB-3CT treatment attenuated infarct volume, ameliorated neurobehavioral outcomes, and antagonized the increases in levels of proform and activated MMP-9. Embolic ischemia caused degradation of the neurovascular matrix component laminin and tight-junction protein ZO-1, contraction of pericytes, and loss of lectin-positive brain microvessels. Despite the presence of the embolus, SB-3CT mitigated these outcomes and reduced hemorrhagic volumes. Interestingly, SB-3CT treatment for seven days protected against neuronal laminin degradation and protected neurons from ischemic cell death. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate considerable promise for the thiirane class of selective gelatinase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents in stroke therapy.