Amino-acid profiles in red algae

Free protein amino acids have been quantitatively determined in 30 red algae. In most of the species, aspartic acid (asparagine), glutamic acid (glutamine), alanine, glycine and serine dominate, while massive accumulation of proline (up to 80·5%) was observed in six species, all belonging to the family Rhodomelaceae.     

Travelling in time with networks: Revealing present day hybridization versus ancestral polymorphism between two species of brown algae, Fucus vesiculosus and F. spiralis

Background  

Hybridization or divergence between sympatric sister species provides a natural laboratory to study speciation processes. The shared polymorphism in sister species may either be ancestral or derive from hybridization, and the accuracy of analytic methods used thus far to derive convincing evidence for the occurrence of present day hybridization is largely debated.     

Smoking,health and ageing

On March 19, 2008 a Symposium on Pathophysiology of Ageing and Age-Related diseases was held in Palermo, Italy. Here, the lecture of V. Nicita-Mauro on Smoking, health and ageing is summarized. Smoking represents an important ageing accelerator, both directly by triggering an inflammatory responses, and indirectly by favoring the occurrence of several diseases where smoking is a recognized risk factor. Hence, non-smokers can delay the appearance of diseases and of ageing process, so attaining longevity.     

(−)-(S)-4-dimethylsulfonio-2-methoxybutyrate from the red alga Rytiphloea tinctoria

An unusual compound (?)-(S)-4-dimethylsulfonio-2-methoxybutyrate, was identified in aqueous—ethanolic extracts of the red alga Rytiphloea tinctoria.     

Neurotensin-induced miosis: The role of dopaminergic pathways

In this study we investigated the role that dopaminergic pathways play in the miotic effect exerted by neurotensin after intracameral administration. Neurotensin was injected into the anterior chamber (AC) at a dose of 30 μg to 4 groups of albino rabbits which had previously undergone the following treatment: a) desmethylimipramine IM and, after 30 min, 6-hydroxydopamine IV 7 days prior to the neurotensin administration; b) haloperidol IM for 15 days; c) haloperidol AC 10 minutes before the neurotensin administration. Our data confirm previous observations regarding the miotic activity of neurotensin and suggest that the dopaminergic system plays an important role in the miotic effect of neurotensin.     

Acylated betacyanins from Drosanthemum floribundum

Four new acylated betacyanins have been isolated from flowers of Drosanthemum floribundum (Haw.) Schwant. These pigments were characterized as hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives of betanin and isobetanin.     

Studies on the bioactivity of radiolabeled,highly-purified bovine thyrotropin

Bovine thyrotropin radiolabeled stoichiometrically with chloramine T was subjected to high pressure liquid chromatography on a Waters' Protein I-125 column. More than 80% of the radioactivity eluted after the Na¹²⁵I (“salt”) peak. In contrast, thyrotropin bioactivity eluted before the salt peak. Radiolabeled thyrotropin affinity-purified with thyroid plasma membranes eluted after the salt peak. Discordance between the thyrotropin bioactivity and radioactivity elution profiles was confirmed by labeling thyrotropin with ¹²⁵I by lactoperoxidase and then measuring both bioactivity and radioactivity in each chromatographic fraction. These data suggest that the bioactivity in radiolabeled thyrotropin may not be inherent in the radiolabeled molecules.     

Toll-like Receptors 3, 4, and 7 Are Expressed in the Enteric Nervous System and Dorsal Root Ganglia

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of innate immunity receptors belonging to the Toll-like family in the neural plexuses of the different tracts of murine intestine, of the human ileum, and in lower dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from where extrinsic afferents to these plexuses originate. Results obtained by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence on paraffin-embedded tissue and whole-mount preparations show that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) -3 and -7, recognizing viral RNA, and TLR4, recognizing lipopolysaccharide (membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria), are expressed in the myenteric and submucous plexuses of murine intestine and human ileum, and in DRGs primary sensory neurons. They also show that TLR4 immunostaining is stronger in murine distal large bowel. In murine tissue, expression of TLRs was present in both neurons and glial cells. These observations indicate that the enteric neural network might be directly activated by bacterial and viral components and is therefore more in the forefront than previously envisaged in defense responses of the intestinal wall and in the cross-talk with intestinal microbiota. They also highlight the presence of a peripheral neural network that by way of hardwired neurotransmission could potentially convey to the central nervous system specific information on our microbial counterpart and invading or potentially invading pathogens. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:1013–1023, 2009)