scholarly journals Mice with a naturally occurring DISC1 mutation display a broad spectrum of behaviors associated to psychiatric disorders

Author(s):  
Raquel Gómez-Sintes ◽  
Mirna Kvajo ◽  
Joseph A. Gogos ◽  
José J. Lucas
2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 4930-4933 ◽  
Author(s):  
José-Manuel Rodríguez-Martínez ◽  
Laurent Poirel ◽  
Patrice Nordmann

ABSTRACT The incidence of naturally occurring AmpC β-lactamases with extended activities toward several cephalosporins was evaluated among 17 ceftazidime (CAZ)-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. Five AmpC β-lactamases (named ADC β-lactamases) were identified, among which those possessing the Val208Ala (inside the omega-loop) or Asn283Ser (helix H-10) substitution conferred higher levels of resistance (4- to 64-fold higher) to CAZ and to cefotaxime in Escherichia coli. This study demonstrates that peculiar AmpCs playing a role in resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins in A. baumannii may be identified.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 055-059
Author(s):  
Abd El-Aziz Mahmoud Hamdy ◽  
Khalil Mohamed Salah

For many years, chemical pesticides have been performed to control different pests and diseases and this may be due to their broad spectrum of action, easy of application and the relatively low cost. But these chemicals have environmental risks, thus alternative control agents are needed. Chitosan is one of the novel suggested solutions to reduce the economic losses associated with chemical pesticides. Chitosan is naturally-occurring compound, as well as safe and biodegradable which obtained from certain natural sources. Chitosan have unique properties which help to control viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, plant nematodes and other pests locally and systemically.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 2113-2117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody C. Cain ◽  
Dongho Lee ◽  
Robert H. Waldo ◽  
Alexis T. Henry ◽  
Earl J. Casida ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A naturally occurring, gram-negative, nonobligate predator bacterial strain 679-2, exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity that is due, in part, to the production of three extracellular compounds. Antimicrobial-activity-directed fractionation of a culture of strain 679-2 against a panel of microorganisms has led to the isolation of three compounds: pyrrolnitrin, maculosin, and a new compound, which we have named banegasine. Although pyrrolnitrin is well known in the literature, it has not been found in cells with the herbicide maculosin. Further, this is the first report of production of maculosin by a prokaryote. Both maculosin and banegasine, which displayed no antimicrobial activities alone, were found to potentiate the antimicrobial activity of pyrrolnitrin. Based on 16S rRNA sequence, cellular fatty acid composition, and biochemical and cultural characteristics, strain 679-2 appears to represent a new genus and species of eubacteria, Aristabacter necator. The potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of predator strain 679-2 may be due to synergism between metabolites.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. DÍAZ-TIELAS ◽  
E. GRAÑA ◽  
M.J. REIGOSA ◽  
A.M. SÁNCHEZ-MOREIRAS

ABSTRACT This review provides information on the biological activities of chalcones (whether natural or synthetic derivatives) on different organisms, as well as an overview of the functions and possible new applications of these plant secondary metabolites on crop protection, as eco-friendly pesticides and weed control agents. Naturally occurring chalcones have been used in traditional medicine for many years; however, recent scientific advances have shown that these molecules have a broad range of biological activities in a variety of organisms. A review on the major sources of chalcones and the main molecular events involved in the modes of action of these natural products is achieved. Chalcones are molecules with a broad spectrum of biological activities, which are of great interest in agriculture to control weeds and unwanted pests.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Sagheddu ◽  
Larissa Helena Torres ◽  
Tania Marcourakis ◽  
Marco Pistis

The family of lipid neuromodulators has been rapidly growing, as the use of different -omics techniques led to the discovery of a large number of naturally occurring N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) and N-acyl amino acids belonging to the complex lipid signaling system termed endocannabinoidome. These molecules exert a variety of biological activities in the central nervous system, as they modulate physiological processes in neurons and glial cells and are involved in the pathophysiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Their effects on dopamine cells have attracted attention, as dysfunctions of dopamine systems characterize a range of psychiatric disorders, i.e., schizophrenia and substance use disorders (SUD). While canonical endocannabinoids are known to regulate excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs impinging on dopamine cells and modulate several dopamine-mediated behaviors, such as reward and addiction, the effects of other lipid neuromodulators are far less clear. Here, we review the emerging role of endocannabinoid-like neuromodulators in dopamine signaling, with a focus on non-cannabinoid N-acylethanolamines and their receptors. Mounting evidence suggests that these neuromodulators contribute to modulate synaptic transmission in dopamine regions and might represent a target for novel medications in alcohol and nicotine use disorder.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisandro J. González ◽  
Cintia Stival ◽  
Juan L. Puzzolo ◽  
Diego M. Moreno ◽  
Alejandro J. Vila

ABSTRACTMetallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are the major group of carbapenemases produced by bacterial pathogens. The design of MBL inhibitors has been limited by, among other issues, incomplete knowledge about how these enzymes modulate substrate recognition. While most MBLs are broad-spectrum enzymes, B2 MBLs are exclusive carbapenemases. This narrower substrate profile has been attributed to a sequence insertion present in B2 enzymes that limits accessibility to the active site. In this work, we evaluate the role of sequence insertions naturally occurring in the B2 enzyme Sfh-I and in the broad-spectrum B1 enzyme SPM-1. We engineered a chimeric protein in which the sequence insertion of SPM-1 was replaced by the one present in Sfh-I. The chimeric variant is a selective cephalosporinase, revealing that the substrate profile of MBLs can be further tuned depending on the protein context. These results also show that the stable scaffold of MBLs allows a modular engineering much richer than the one observed in nature.


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