Rare trisubstituted sesquiterpenes daucanes from the wild Daucus carota

Phytochemical and biological investigation of the roots of the wild Daucus carota ssp. carota afforded three new and four known compounds, including four sesquiterpenes daucane esters (1-3 [new], and 4), one polyacetylene (5), one sesquiterpene coumarin (6), and sitosterol glucoside. The structures of the new compounds were determined by comprehensive NMR studies, including DEPT, COSY, NOESY, HMQC and HMBC analyses. Based on an agar diffusion assay, 1, 2 and 4-6 were screened and found to contain a range of low antibacterial activities against four gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptomyces scabies, Bacillus subtilus, Bacillus cereus) and two gram negative species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) as well as antifungal against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger using cup agar diffusion assay.     

Dysregulation of proinflammatory and regulatory cytokines in HIV infected persons with active tuberculosis

Proinflammatory and regulatory cytokines have been implicated to play important role in immunopathology of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) infection. Capacity of unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to secrete cytokines (interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-4, IL-10 and IL-6) was estimated for 15 HIV-TB coinfected patients, 22 HIV seropositives without TB, 32 HIV negative TB patients, and 36 healthy subjects. Dually infected patients had suppression of both Th1 and Th2 cytokine secretion as evidenced by significantly lower production of IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha as well as IL-4 and IL-10. Production of IL-2 and TNF-alpha was significantly decreased only in case of HIV infection. Significantly higher IL-6 secretion was found in unstimulated cultures in dually infected patients. The mitogen induced cytokine secretion was generally lower in HIV-TB coinfected patients indicating profound perturbation of both Th1 and Th2 responses.     

Effects of carbon source and concentration on development of lingonberry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vaccinium vitis-idaea</Emphasis> L.) shoots cultivated <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> from nodal explants

Summary Carbohydrate type and concentration and their interactive effects on in vitro shoot proliferation of three lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea ssp. vitis-idaea L.) cultivars (‘Regal’, ‘Splendor’, and ‘Erntedank’) and two V. vitis-idaea ssp. minus (Lodd) clones (‘NL1’ and ‘NL2’) were studied. Nodal explants were grown in vitro on medium with 2 μM zeatin and either glucose, sorbitol, or sucrose at a concentration of 0, 10, 20, or 30 gl⁻¹. The interactive effects of carbohydrate type and concentration and genotype were important for shoot proliferation. The best response was afforded by sucrose at 20 gl⁻¹ both in terms of explant response and shoot developing potential, although glucose supported shoot growth equally well, and in ‘NL1’ at 10 gl⁻¹ it resulted in better in vitro growth than sucrose. Carbohydrate concentration had little effect on shoot vigor. The genotypes differed in terms of shoots per explant, length, and vigor, leaves per shoot, and callus formation at the base of explants; this was manifested with various types and concentrations of carbohydrate. Changing the positioning of explants on the medium from vertically upright to horizontal increased the shoot and callus size, but decreased shoot height and leaves per shoot. Proliferated shoots were rooted on a peat:perlite (1∶1, v/v) medium and the plantlets were acclimatized and eventually established in the greenhouse.     

Identification of salt stress-induced transcripts in potato leaves by cDNA-AFLP

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is highly sensitive to salt stress, which is one of the most important factors limiting plant cultivation. The investigation of plant response to high salinity was envisaged in this report using cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). This technique was applied to salt- stressed and control potato plants (cv. Nicola). The expression profiles showed approx 5000 bands. Of these, 154 were upregulated and 120 were repressed by salt stress. In this study we have only considered cDNA fragments that seem to be originated from salt-induced mRNA. Eighteen fragments were then reamplified, cloned, and sequenced. Sequence comparison of these cDNA, identified in response to salt stress in potato, revealed that some of them present homologies with proteins in other species that are involved in cell wall structure and turnover such as proline-rich proteins and beta-galactosidase. A number of identified clones encoded putative stress response proteins such as NADP-dependant glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase and wound-induced protein. In addition, some of them encode proteins related to hypersensitive response against pathogens such as putative late blight and nematode as well as putative pathogenesis-related proteins. These cDNA seem to be differentially expressed in the presence of salt stress as shown by Northern blot or reverse Northern hybridization experiments.     

Diel activity of adult pikeperch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis> (L.) in a drainage canal in the Mediterranean basin during spring

Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L.) is a broadly distributed fish species in Europe but little is known about its ecology in the southern part of its distribution area in warm climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to analyse pikeperch rate of movement and to assess whether it displayed a diel pattern related to temperature. Thus acoustic telemetry was used to track adult pikeperch in a drainage canal located in south of France. The survey was carried out in spring, during the spawning period. The results showed that females were more active than males. This is in accordance with previous data on the nest guardian behaviour of the males. For both genders, the activity rates increased during the study period as water temperature rose. Males and females displayed the same diel activity with a maximum at dusk, thereby confirming many indirect observations. Nevertheless, inter-individuals variations were observed. Thus, these results on diel activity are rather a general trend than a strict rule and suggest the involvement of other factors than light intensity in the control of diel activity. This diel rhythm is positively correlated to water temperature for females. Pikeperch activity may be the result of a trade-off between physiological requirements of temperature and light, satisfaction of energy needs and avoidance of predators.     

Assessment of atrial regional and global electromechanical function by tissue velocity echocardiography: a feasibility study on healthy individuals

Background

Myocardial contrast echocardiography and coronary flow velocity pattern with a rapid diastolic deceleration time after percutaneous coronary intervention has been reported to be useful in assessing microvascular damage in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Aim

To evaluate myocardial contrast echocardiography with harmonic power Doppler imaging, coronary flow velocity reserve and coronary artery flow pattern in predicting functional recovery by using transthoracic echocardiography.

Methods

Thirty patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction underwent myocardial contrast echocardiography at rest and during hyperemia and were quantitatively analyzed by the peak color pixel intensity ratio of the risk area to the control area (PIR). Coronary flow pattern was measured using transthoracic echocardiography in the distal portion of left anterior descending artery within 24 hours after recanalization and we assessed deceleration time of diastolic flow velocity. Coronary flow velocity reserve was calculated two weeks after acute myocardial infarction. Left ventricular end-diastolic volumes and ejection fraction by angiography were computed.

Results

Pts were divided into 2 groups according to the deceleration time of coronary artery flow pattern (Group A; 20 pts with deceleration time ≧ 600 msec, Group B; 10 pts with deceleration time < 600 msec). In acute phase, there were no significant differences in left ventricular end-diastolic volume and ejection fraction (Left ventricular end-diastolic volume 112 ± 33 vs. 146 ± 38 ml, ejection fraction 50 ± 7 vs. 45 ± 9 %; group A vs. B). However, left ventricular end-diastolic volume in Group B was significantly larger than that in Group A (192 ± 39 vs. 114 ± 30 ml, p < 0.01), and ejection fraction in Group B was significantly lower than that in Group A (39 ± 9 vs. 52 ± 7%, p < 0.01) at 6 months. PIR and coronary flow velocity reserve of Group A were higher than Group B (PIR, at rest: 0.668 ± 0.178 vs. 0.248 ± 0.015, p < 0.0001: during hyperemia 0.725 ± 0.194 vs. 0.295 ± 0.107, p < 0.0001; coronary flow velocity reserve, 2.60 ± 0.80 vs. 1.31 ± 0.29, p = 0.0002, respectively).

Conclusion

The preserved microvasculature detecting by myocardial contrast echocardiography and coronary flow velocity reserve is related to functional recovery after acute myocardial infarction.     

A wide range of protein isoforms in serum and plasma uncovered by a quantitative intact protein analysis system

We have implemented an orthogonal 3-D intact protein analysis system (IPAS) to quantitatively profile protein differences between human serum and plasma. Reference specimens consisting of pooled Caucasian-American serum, citrate-anticoagulated plasma, and EDTA-anticoagulated plasma were each depleted of six highly abundant proteins, concentrated, and labeled with a different Cy dye (Cy5, Cy3, or Cy2). A mixture consisting of each of the labeled samples was subjected to three dimensions of separation based on charge, hydrophobicity, and molecular mass. Differences in the abundance of proteins between each of the three samples were determined. More than 5000 bands were found to have greater than two-fold difference in intensity between any pair of labeled specimens by quantitative imaging. As expected, some of the differences in band intensities between serum and plasma were attributable to proteins related to coagulation. Interestingly, many proteins were identified in multiple fractions, each exhibiting different pI, hydrophobicity, or molecular mass. This is likely reflective of the expression of different protein isoforms or specific protein cleavage products, as illustrated by complement component 3 precursor and clusterin. IPAS provides a high resolution, high sensitivity, and quantitative approach for the analysis of serum and plasma proteins, and allows assessment of PTMs as a potential source of biomarkers.     

Integrin activation state determines selectivity for novel recognition sites in fibrillar collagens

Only three recognition motifs, GFOGER, GLOGER, and GASGER, all present in type I collagen, have been identified to date for collagen-binding integrins, such as alpha(2)beta(1). Sequence alignment was used to investigate the occurrence of related motifs in other human fibrillar collagens, and located a conserved array of novel GER motifs within their triple helical domains. We compared the integrin binding properties of synthetic triple helical peptides containing examples of such sequences (GLSGER, GMOGER, GAOGER, and GQRGER) or the previously identified motifs. Recombinant inserted (I) domains of integrin subunits alpha(1), alpha(2) and alpha(11) all bound poorly to all motifs other than GFOGER and GLOGER. Similarly, alpha(2)beta(1) -containing resting platelets adhered well only to GFOGER and GLOGER, while ADP-activated platelets, HT1080 cells and two active alpha(2)I domain mutants (E318W, locked open) bound all motifs well, indicating that affinity modulation determines the sequence selectivity of integrins. GxO/SGER peptides inhibited platelet adhesion to collagen monomers with order of potency F >/= L >/= M > A. These results establish GFOGER as a high affinity sequence, which can interact with the alpha(2)I domain in the absence of activation and suggest that integrin reactivity of collagens may be predicted from their GER content.