Bioprospecting of Less-Polar Fractions of Ericaria crinita and Ericaria amentacea: Developmental Toxicity and Antioxidant Activity

Ericaria crinita and Ericaria amentacea from the Adriatic Sea (Croatia) were investigated with respect to the presence of less-polar compounds for the first time after fractionation by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The composition of less-polar fractions of freeze-dried E. crinita (FdEc) and E. amentacea (FdEa) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (UHPLC-ESI-HRMS). The major identified compounds were: amides of higher aliphatic acids (palmitoleamide, linoleamide, palmitamide, oleamide and erucamide) and related compounds, carotenoid (fucoxanthin), chlorophyll derivatives (pheophytin a and b and their derivatives) and higher terpenes (loliolide, isoamijiol with its oxidation product), β-stigmasterol and (3β,6α)-14-methylergosta-8,24(28)-diene-3,6-diol). The toxic effects observed on the less-polar fractions obtained from Ericaria species on zebrafish Danio rerio embryos could be associated with the high abundance of all five detected amides. The antioxidant activity of the fractions was evaluated by means of five independent assays, including the reduction of the radical cation (ABTS), the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the Folin–Ciocalteu method. A higher antioxidant activity of E. amentacea in comparison to that of the E. crinita fractions was found with IC₅₀ concentrations of 0.072 and 1.177 mg/mL, respectively. The correlation between the activity and the chemical composition revealed that the synergistic effect of different compounds impacted their antioxidant response.     

Neuroprotective Metabolites from Vietnamese Marine Derived Fungi of Aspergillus and Penicillium Genera

Low molecular weight secondary metabolites of marine fungi Aspergillus flocculosus, Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium sp. from Van Phong and Nha Trang Bays (Vietnam) were studied and a number of polyketides, bis-indole quinones and terpenoids were isolated. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS techniques. Stereochemistry of some compounds was established based on ECD data. A chemical structure of asterriquinone F (6) was thoroughly described for the first time. Anthraquinone (13) was firstly obtained from a natural source. Neuroprotective influences of the isolated compounds against 6-OHDA, paraquat and rotenone toxicity were investigated. 4-Hydroxyscytalone (1), 4-hydroxy-6-dehydroxyscytalone (2) and demethylcitreoviranol (3) have shown significant increasing of paraquat- and rotenone-treated Neuro-2a cell viability and anti-ROS activity.     

Kurilosides A1, A2, C1, D,E and F—Triterpene Glycosides from the Far Eastern Sea Cucumber Thyonidium (= Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin): Structures with Unusual Non-Holostane Aglycones and Cytotoxicities

Six new monosulfated triterpene tetra-, penta- and hexaosides, namely, the kurilosides A₁ (1), A₂ (2), C₁ (3), D (4), E (5) and F (6), as well as the known earlier kuriloside A (7), having unusual non-holostane aglycones without lactone, have been isolated from the sea cucumber Thyonidium (= Duasmodactyla) kurilensis (Levin) (Cucumariidae, Dendrochirotida), collected in the Sea of Okhotsk near Onekotan Island from a depth of 100 m. Structures of the glycosides were established by 2D NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI mass spectrometry. Kurilosides of the groups A and E contain carbohydrate moieties with a rare architecture (a pentasaccharide branched by C(4) Xyl1), differing from each other in the second monosaccharide residue (quinovose or glucose, correspondingly); kurilosides of the group C are characterized by a unique tetrasaccharide branched by a C(4) Xyl1 sugar chain; and kurilosides of the groups D and F are hexaosides differing from each other in the presence of an O-methyl group in the fourth (terminal) sugar unit. All these glycosides contain a sulfate group at C-6 of the glucose residue attached to C-4 Xyl1 and the non-holostane aglycones have a 9(11) double bond and lack γ-lactone. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1–7 against mouse neuroblastoma Neuro 2a, normal epithelial JB-6 cells and erythrocytes were studied. Kuriloside A₁ (1) was the most active compound in the series, demonstrating strong cytotoxicity against the erythrocytes and JB-6 cells and a moderate effect against Neuro 2a cells.     

Seminal plasma proteins of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.)

Protein content and properties in the seminal plasma of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) were assayed using spectrophotometric and electrophoretic methods. The protein concentration ranged from 6.4 ± 3.1 to 19.4 ± 3.4 mg ml⁻¹ and anti-proteolytic activity from 585.2 ± 104.6 to 2912.4 ± 367.4 U l^−l. A high correlation between anti-proteolytic activity and protein concentration (r = 0.95), and between sperm concentration and osmolality was found (r = 0.92). There was a significant decrease in anti-proteolytic activity from the first to the second sampling, but not in protein concentration. Anti-proteolytic activity and protein concentration were significantly affected by variations in individual males. Electrophoresis revealed four anti-proteolytic bands and individual differences in bands of proteolytic activity, which were subsequently characterized as metalloproteases and serine proteases.     

Effects of tillage technologies and application of biopreparations on micromycetes in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of spring wheat

The population density and structure of complexes of soil microscopic fungi in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), plant damage by root rot and leaf diseases, and crop yield were determined in a stationary field experiment on a silty loamy soddy-podzolic soil (Albic Retisol (Loamic, Aric)) in dependence on the soil tillage technique: (a) moldboard plowing to 20–22 cm and (b) non-inversive tillage to 14–16 cm. The results were treated with the two-way ANOVA method. It was shown that the number of fungal propagules in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of plants in the variant with non-inversive tillage was significantly smaller than that in the variant with plowing. Minimization of the impact on the soil during five years led to insignificant changes in the structure of micromycete complexes in the rhizosphere of wheat. The damage of the plants with root rot and leaf diseases upon non-inversive tillage did not increase in comparison with that upon plowing. Wheat yield in the variant with non-inversive tillage was insignificantly lower than that in the variant with moldboard plowing. The application of biopreparations based on the Streptomyces hygroscopicus А4 and Pseudomonas aureofaciens BS 1393 resulted in a significant decrease of plant damage with leaf rust.     

The molecular mechanism of thermal noise in rod photoreceptors

Spontaneous electrical signals in the retina's photoreceptors impose a limit on visual sensitivity. Their origin is attributed to a thermal, rather than photochemical, activation of the transduction cascade. Although the mechanism of such a process is under debate, the observation of a relationship between the maximum absorption wavelength (λ(max)) and the thermal activation kinetic constant (k) of different visual pigments (the Barlow correlation) indicates that the thermal and photochemical activations are related. Here we show that a quantum chemical model of the bovine rod pigment provides a molecular-level understanding of the Barlow correlation. The transition state mediating thermal activation has the same electronic structure as the photoreceptor excited state, thus creating a direct link between λ(max) and k. Such a link appears to be the manifestation of intrinsic chromophore features associated with the existence of a conical intersection between its ground and excited states.     

Late nitrogen fertilization affects carbohydrate mobilization in wheat

An experiment was carried out to determine how the late application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer affects the use of pre‐anthesis carbon reserves during the grain‐filling period of pot‐grown wheat with no water shortage. Increasing doses (equivalent to 0, 140, and 180 kg N ha^–1) of N fertilizer were applied, either in two amendments (stages GS20 and GS30) or in three amendments (stages GS20, GS30, and GS37, according to Zadoks scale). The management of fertilizer by combining an increased N rate with late N application was able to stimulate canopy development, to raise photosynthetic capacity and carbohydrate accumulation during the vegetative stages, and to increase grain yield. Based on the dynamics of carbohydrate accumulation in the ear, three phases were differentiated during the grain‐filling period, whose temporary pattern remained stable regardless of the fertilizer management. The net remobilization of carbohydrates started 12 d after anthesis from the leaves and 28 d after anthesis from roots and stems. The increase of the N dose with late N application allowed on one hand a lower use of the pre‐anthesis carbon reserves in favor of greater de novo photosynthesis during the grain‐filling period, and on the other hand greater relative contribution of the leaf and ear C reserves to remobilization towards the grain. Further splitting the dose increased only the relative contribution of ear C reserves. The stem contribution seemed to be independent of N applied whereas the root contribution tended to diminish with late N application.     

Evaluation of uncalibrated preferential flow models against data for isoproturon movement to drains through a heavy clay soil

The uncalibrated predictive ability of four preferential flow models (CRACK‐NP, MACRO/MACRO_DB, PLM, SWAT) has been evaluated against point rates of drainflow and associated concentrations of isoproturon from a highly structured and heterogeneous clay soil in the south of England. Data were available for four plots for a number of storm events in each of three successive growing seasons. The mechanistic models CRACK‐NP and MACRO generally gave reasonable estimates of drainflow over the three seasons, but under‐estimated concentrations of isoproturon over a prolonged period in the first season and over‐estimated them in the two remaining seasons. CRACK‐NP simulated maximum concentrations of isoproturon over the first two events of each of the three seasons of 156, 527 and 24.4 µg litre^?1, respectively, and matched the observed data (465, 65.1 and 0.65 µg litre^?1) slightly better than MACRO (69.1, 566 and 58.5 µg litre^?1). Automatic selection of parameters from soils information within MACRO_DB reduced the emphasis on preferential flow relative to the stand‐alone version of MACRO. This gave a poor simulation of isoproturon breakthrough and simulated maximum concentrations were 0, 50.1 and 35.1 µg litre^?1, respectively. The capacity model PLM gave the best overall simulation of total drainflow for the first two events in each season, but over‐estimated concentrations of isoproturon (967, 808 and 51.3 µg litre^?1). The simple model SWAT represented total drainflow reasonably well and gave the best simulation of maximum isoproturon concentrations (140, 80.2 and 8.2 µg litre^?1). There was no clear advantage here in using the mechanistic models rather than the simpler models. None of the models tested was able to simulate consistently the data set, and uncalibrated modelling cannot be recommended for such artificially drained heavy clay soils. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Zur quantitativ-genetischen Analyse der Ertragskomponenten beim Kürbis

Zusammenfassung Die Angaben eines 4jährigen Anbaus von zwei ingezüchteten Elternstämmen (buschförmigerCucurbita pepo L.) mit ihren F₁- und F₂-Generationen wurden für eine Analyse der Ertragskomponenten (reife Früchte) ausgewertet. Es wurde eingehend die Variabilität zwischen den Pflanzen, zwischen den Jahren und zwischen den Generationen verglichen und diskutiert. Folgende genetische Konsequenzen der Untersuchung sind wahrscheinlich:1. Die Anzahl der reifen Früchte je Pflanze ist stark umweltabhängig und zeigt eine Tendenz zu Heterosis.2. Das durchschnittliche Gewicht einer Frucht läßt sich am wenigsten von den Jahresbedingungen beeinflussen (hohe Heritabilität) und vererbt sich intermediär.3. Das daraus resultierende Gewicht der Früchte je Pflanze ist (wie die Fruchtanzahl) stark umweltabhängig; das hohe Fruchtgewicht vererbt sich aber dominant, wahrscheinlich deswegen, weil die Heterosistendenz der Anzahl der Früchte nicht genügend stark ist, um die konservative Heritabilität des Einzelfruchtgewichtes zu durchbrechen.4. Die Variabilität der F₂-Generation war für alle Merkmale stärker als die der F₁, die Mittelwerte der Merkmale aber waren für F₁ und F₂ nicht signifikant verschieden.

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Summary Data of a four years growing of two inbred parent lines (Zucchini, bush,Cucurbita pepo L.) and their F₁- and F₂-generations have been used for an analysis of yield components (ripe fruits). Variability between plants, between years and between generations was thoroughly compared and discussed. The following genetic consequences of the investigation are probable:1. The number of ripe fruits per plant is highly dependent on the environment and shows a tendency towards heterosis.2. The mean weight of one fruit is least influenced by the conditions during the year (high heritability) and shows intermediary inheritance.3. The weight of the fruits per plant resulting from the above (as well as the number of fruits) is highly influenced by the environment; the high weight of fruits is dominant. The reason for this may be, that the tendency for heterosis concerning the number of fruits is not potent enough to break the conservative heritability of single fruit weight.4. The variability in F₂ was found to be larger for all characters than in F₁ but both generations showed no significant differences in the mean values of the characters tested.

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