A new species of hesionid worm, Hesiocaeca methanicola sp nov (Polychaeta : Hesionidae), living in ice-like methane hydrates in the deep Gulf of Mexico

On July 14, 1997, in the Gulf of Mexico, a dense population of polychaete worms dwelling in methane hydrates associated with cold seeps was discovered and sampled at 538 meters depth. The worms belong to the family Hesionidae and represent a new species of the genus Hesiocaeca. They differ from the two previously described species by the shape of the prostomium, the shape of the setae and the presence of anal cirri.Le 14 juillet 1997, dans le Golfe du Mexique et par 538 mètres de fond, une population très dense de vers polychètes a été découverte, colonisant la surface de dépôts d'hydrates de méthane situés à proximité des zones de suintements froids d'hydrocarbures. Les spécimens récoltés appartiennent à la famille des Hésionidés et à une nouvelle espèce du genre Hesiocaeca. Cette espèce diffère des deux espèces précédemment décrites par la forme du prostomium, celle des soies et la présence d'urites bien développés

Neuroprotective effects of M826, a reversible caspase-3 inhibitor, in the rat malonate model of Huntington's disease

1. Caspases, key enzymes in the apoptosis pathway, have been detected in the brain of HD patients and in animal models of the disease. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective properties of a new, reversible, caspase-3-specific inhibitor, M826 (3-({(2S)-2-[5-tert-butyl-3-{[(4-methyl-1,2,5-oxadiazol-3-yl)methyl]amino}-2-oxopyrazin-1(2H)-yl]butanoyl}amino)-5-[hexyl(methyl)amino]-4-oxopentanoic acid), in a rat malonate model of HD. 2. Pharmacokinetic and autoradiography studies after intrastriatal (i.str.) injection of 1.5 nmol of M826 or its tritiated analogue [(3)H]M826 indicated that the compound diffused within the entire striatum. The elimination half-life (T(1/2)) of M826 in the rat striatum was 3 h. 3. I.str. injection of 1.5 nmol of M826 10 min after malonate infusion induced a significant reduction (66%) in the number of neurones expressing active caspase-3 in the ipsilateral striatum. 4. Inhibition of active caspase-3 translated into a significant but moderate reduction (39%) of the lesion volume, and of cell death (24%), 24 h after injury. The efficacy of M826 at inhibiting cell death was comparable to that of the noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK801. 5. These data provide in vivo proof-of-concept of the neuroprotective effects of reversible caspase-3 inhibitors in a model of malonate-induced striatal injury in the adult rat