Diversity of Biotransformation Enzymes in Insect Antennae: Possible Roles in Odorant Inactivation and Xenobiotic Processing

Author(s):  
Claudia Steiner ◽  
Thomas Chertemps ◽  
Martine Maïbèche
2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Krizova ◽  
Jiri Lamka ◽  
Barbora Szotakova ◽  
Ivan Vokral ◽  
Veronika Srpova ◽  
...  

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1808
Author(s):  
Luis Mérida-Calvo ◽  
Daniel Feliu-Talegón ◽  
Vicente Feliu-Batlle

The design and application of sensing antenna devices that mimic insect antennae or mammal whiskers is an active field of research. However, these devices still require new developments if they are to become efficient and reliable components of robotic systems. We, therefore, develop and build a prototype composed of a flexible beam, two servomotors that drive the beam and a load cell sensor that measures the forces and torques at the base of the flexible beam. This work reports new results in the area of the signal processing of these devices. These results will make it possible to estimate the point at which the flexible antenna comes into contact with an object (or obstacle) more accurately than has occurred with previous algorithms. Previous research reported that the estimation of the fundamental natural frequency of vibration of the antenna using dynamic information is not sufficient as regards determining the contact point and that the estimation of the contact point using static information provided by the forces and torques measured by the load cell sensor is not very accurate. We consequently propose an algorithm based on the fusion of the information provided by the two aforementioned strategies that enhances the separate benefits of each one. We demonstrate that the adequate combination of these two pieces of information yields an accurate estimation of the contacted point of the antenna link. This will enhance the precision of the estimation of points on the surface of the object that is being recognized by the antenna. Thorough experimentation is carried out in order to show the features of the proposed algorithm and establish its range of application.


Ecotoxicology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Simbula ◽  
Ginevra Moltedo ◽  
Barbara Catalano ◽  
Giacomo Martuccio ◽  
Claudia Sebbio ◽  
...  

AbstractThe release of contaminants as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides into the environment has been listed as one of the six major contributors to the global decline of reptiles. Although reptiles may face severe risk from contaminants due to their ecology and physiology, they are currently less studied than other vertebrate groups. In the present work, we investigated if and how different types of field treatment (conventional and organic) affected the health status of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) individuals in central Italy. We chose a multi-biomarker approach that evaluated the biological responses of lizards to the treatment by means of AChE activity in the nervous system, biotransformation enzymes activities and oxidative stress in the liver, micronuclei frequency measured in the erythrocytes, and rate of intestinal parasitic infection. Our findings showed evidence of effects of treatment in conventional areas and between sexes with significant oxidative stress due to hydroxyl radicals, that caused DNA damage. No difference of intestinal parasite infections was found among treatments. Podarcis siculus seems to be a good bioindicator in ecotoxicological studies and potentially in risk assessment of pesticides, although further analyses in laboratory and in the field are needed to achieve more accurate quantification of specific pesticide effects in relation to known exposure history and to understand if other mechanisms were involved in the toxicity and detoxification process of pesticides for this species.


1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-335
Author(s):  
Davis H. Daiker ◽  
Jonathan B. Ward ◽  
Heidi A. Schoenfeld ◽  
Gisela Witz ◽  
Mary Treinen Moslen

Although the CD-1 mouse strain has been used to investigate the toxicity of numerous substrates of Cyp2e1, limited information is available about responses of this strain to ethanol, a potent and clinically relevant inducer of this cytochrome P450 isozyme. Our goal was to characterize a dietary ethanol protocol for greater than threefold induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 in CD-1 mice without confounding alterations to other biotransformation enzymes or injury to known target tissues. Female CD-1 mice were fed the Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 1.4 to 6.4% ethanol (v/v) for time periods of 1 to 12 weeks. A series of range-finding experiments indicated that the stock 6.4% ethanol diet caused rapid weight loss, whereas dietary ethanol concentrations less than or equal to 3.2% produced inadequate (i.e., less than threefold) induction of hepatic Cyp2e1. Suitable responses were observed in mice fed a 4.1% ethanol diet, namely, body weight gain equivalent to both pair-fed or rodent chow control groups plus consistent and stable induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 activities by greater than threefold without evidence of hepatic lipid peroxidation or histopathology. Evaluations of other representative biotransformation activities, including bone marrow quinone reductase and hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase, showed no alterations with the 4.1% ethanol diet, except for a modest 20% decline in hepatic glutathione peroxidase. Unlike observations in other species, Cyp2e1 induction was not evident in bone marrow or spleen by Western blot. Mice given the 4.1% ethanol diet for 6 and/or 12 weeks showed no changes in cellularity of the spleen or bone marrow, frequency of hprt mutations in splenic lymphocytes, or percentage of DNA-protein crosslinks in bone marrow cells. These parameters were monitored because ethanol at high exposures is known to cause immunosuppression and mild genotoxicity. Female CD-1 mice fed a 4.1% ethanol liquid diet showed substantial (greater than threefold) induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 without confounding detrimental effects on the fiver, spleen, or bone marrow. Thus, this dietary ethanol protocol should be useful for future investigations of the role of Cyp2e1 induction on genotoxicity responses to Cyp2e1 substrates.


Molecules ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 14948-14960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Bártíková ◽  
Iva Boušová ◽  
Pavla Jedličková ◽  
Kateřina Lněničková ◽  
Lenka Skálová ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 619-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pietsch ◽  
P. Burkhardt-Holm

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a frequent contaminant of feeds in aquaculture, but the consequences of this contamination have rarely been evaluated. Previous studies on carp indicated effects of DON on liver function and histology after four weeks of feeding. The present study aimed to unravel the time course of liver responses of carp to orally applied DON. Therefore, liver enzyme activities and histology have been investigated after 7, 14, 26 and 56 days of DON feeding. The acute response comprises down-regulation of biotransformation enzymes, whereas the chronic response to DON is characterised by activation of alanine aminotransferase which indicates damage to liver tissue. Examination of histological sections of liver tissue revealed that changes such as fat aggregation, vacuolisation and hyperaemia were present after 14 and 26 days of exposure to DON but not thereafter. Several enzymes involved in glutathione cycling and reduction of oxidative stress were found to be reduced after 26 and 56 days of DON feeding. The results suggest that supporting the antioxidative system, e.g. by using glutathione-enriched yeast extracts as a food additive, might be successful in preventing the effects of DON in carp. This is the basis of a fundamental hypothesis since DON contamination of fish feed leads to pronounced effects on liver histology and liver enzyme activities which may also cause changes in the normal liver metabolism of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Eide ◽  
Xiaokang Zhang ◽  
Odd André Karlsen ◽  
Jared V. Goldstone ◽  
John Stegeman ◽  
...  

Abstract How an organism copes with chemicals is largely determined by the genes and proteins that collectively function to defend against, detoxify and eliminate chemical stressors. This integrative network includes receptors and transcription factors, biotransformation enzymes, transporters, antioxidants, and metal- and heat-responsive genes, and is collectively known as the chemical defensome. Although the types of defensome genes are generally conserved in animals, there are important differences in the complement and function of specific genes between species. Teleost fish is the largest group of vertebrate species and can provide valuable insights into the evolution and functional diversity of defensome genes.In this study, we compared the genes comprising the chemical defensome of five fish species that span the teleosteii evolutionary branch often used as model species in toxicological studies and environmental monitoring programs: zebrafish (Danio rerio), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), medaka (Oryzias latipes), Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Genome miningrevealed evolved differences in the number and composition of defensome genes that can have implication for how these species sense and respond to environmental pollutants. The results indicate that knowledge regarding the diversity and function of the defensome will be important for toxicological testing and risk assessment studies.


Head & Neck ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 858-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lacko ◽  
Adri C. Voogd ◽  
Hennie M. J. Roelofs ◽  
Rene H. M. te Morsche ◽  
Michel B. Oude Ophuis ◽  
...  

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