Blepharismins used for chemical defense in two ciliate species of the genus Blepharisma, B. stoltei and B. undulans (Ciliophora: Heterotrichida)

It is known that the freshwater heterotrich ciliate Blepharisma japonicum uses five pigments called blepharismins, stored in its extrusive pigment granules, for both light perception and chemical defense against predators. In this work we focused our attention on the defensive strategies of two additional pigmented species of Blepharisma, B. stoltei and B. undulans. In particular: (1) we observed the predator\u2013prey interactions of B. stoltei or B. undulans against one multicellular and two unicellular predators; (2) we clarified the nature of B. stoltei and B. undulans pigments by means of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS); and (3) we demonstrated and compared the toxicity of the purified pigments on a panel of ciliated protists, and against one metazoan predator. The results indicate that the chemical defense mechanism present in B. stoltei and B. undulans is mediated by the same five blepharismins previously characterized for B. japonicum, although produced in different proportions

Puckering Free Energy of Pyranoses: an NMR and Metadynamics--Umbrella Sampling Investigation

We present the results of a combined metadynamics--umbrella sampling investigation of the puckered conformers of pyranoses described using the gromos 45a4 force field. The free energy landscape of Cremer--Pople puckering coordinates has been calculated for the whole series of alpha and beta aldohexoses, showing that the current force field parameters fail in reproducing proper puckering free energy differences between chair conformers. We suggest a modification to the gromos 45a4 parameter set which improves considerably the agreement of simulation results with theoretical and experimental estimates of puckering free energies. We also report on the experimental measurement of altrose conformers populations by means of NMR spectroscopy, which show good agreement with the predictions of current theoretical models

6. Oceanapins A-F, unique branched ceramides isolated from the haplosclerid sponge Oceanapia cf. tenuis of the Coral sea

A series of ceramides, called oceanapins A-F (2-7), which are unique for branching at both the sphingosine and fatty-acid chains, have been isolated as pure compounds from the haplosclerid sponge #Oceanapia cf. #tenuis of the Coral Sea. Following acid hydrolysis, both the fatty-acid and the sphingosine portions were obtained separately, which allowed their unequivocal structural definition. The absolute configuration was secured via proctection of C (1')-OH and Mosher's esterification at C (3')-OH of the oceanapins. (Résumé d'auteur

Chemical defence by sterols in the freshwater ciliate Stentor polymorphus

Heterotrich ciliates typically retain toxic substances in specialized ejectable organelles, called extrusomes, which are used in predator-prey interactions. In this study, we analysed the chemical defence strategy of the freshwater heterotrich ciliate Stentor polymorphus against the predatory ciliate Coleps hirtus, and the microturbellarian flatworm Stenostomum sphagnetorum. The results showed that S. polymorphus is able to defend itself against these two predators by deploying a mix of bioactive sterols contained in its extrusomes. Sterols were isolated in vivo and characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as ergosterol, 7-dehydroporiferasterol, and their two peroxidized analogues. The assessment of the toxicity of ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide against various organisms, indicated that these sterols are essential for the effectiveness of the chemical defence in S. polymorphus

Methyl salicylate glycosides in some Italian varietal wines

Glycosides are ubiquitous plant secondary metabolites consisting of a non-sugar component called an aglycone, attached to one or more sugars. One of the most interesting aglycones in grapes and wine is methyl salicylate (MeSA), an organic ester naturally produced by many plants, particularly wintergreens. To date, nine different MeSA glycosides from plants have been reported, mainly spread over the genera Gaultheria, Camellia, Polygala, Filipendula, and Passiflora. From a sensorial point of view, MeSA has a balsamic-sweet odor, known as Wintergreen. MeSA was found in Vitis riparia grapes, in Vitis vinifera sp. and in the Frontenac interspecific hybrid. We found that the MeSA glycosides content in Verdicchio wines and in some genetically related varieties (Trebbiano di Soave and Trebbiano di Lugana) was very high. In order to understand which glycosides were present in wine, the methanolic extract of Verdicchio wine was injected into a UPLC-Q-TOF-HDMS and compared to the extracts of different plants rich in such glycosides. Using pure standards, we confirmed the existence of two glycosides in wine: MeSA 2-O-β-d-glucoside and MeSA 2-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl (1-6) β-d-glucopyranoside (gaultherin). For the first time, we also tentatively identified other diglycosides in wine: MeSA 2-O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl (1-6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (violutoside) and MeSA 2-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl (1-6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (canthoside A), MeSA 2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl (1-6)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (gentiobioside) and MeSA 2-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1-6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (rutinoside). Some of these glycosides have been isolated from Gaultheria procumbens leaves by preparative liquid chromatography and structurally annotated by 1H- and 13C-NMR analysis. Two of the peaks isolated from Gaultheria procumbens leaves, namely MeSA sambubioside and MeSA sophoroside, were herein observed for the first time. Six MeSA glycosides were quantified in 64 Italian white wines, highlighting the peculiar content and pattern in Verdicchio wines and related cultivars. The total concentration in bound and free MeSA in Verdicchio wines varied in the range of 456–9796 μg/L and 5.5–143 μg/L, respectively, while in the other wines the bound and free MeSA was below 363 μg/L and 12 μg/L, respectively. As this compound’s olfactory threshold is between 50 and 100 μg/L, our data support the hypothesis that methyl salicylate can contribute to the balsamic scent, especially in old Verdicchio wine

Ethyl 6-Bromo-3indolcarboxylate and 3-Hydroxyacetal-6-bromoindole, novel bromoindoles from the sponge Pleroma menoui of the Coral Sea

L'éponge #Plemora menoui (Démosponge, #O. Lithistida, ss. #O. Trienosina, #Desmophorina, Fam. #Pleromidae$) récoltée à une profondeur de 500 m dans la Mer de Corail, au sud-est de Nouméa contient deux nouveaux alcaloïdes : ethyl 6-bromo-3-indolcarboxylate and 3-hydroxyacétal-6-bromoindole. (Résumé d'auteur

Evidence for Gene Duplication and Allelic Codominance (not Hierarchical Dominance) at the Mating-Type Locus of the Ciliate, Euplotes crassus.

The high-multiple mating system of Euplotes crassus is known to be controlled by multiple alleles segregating at a single locus and manifesting relationships of hierarchical dominance, so that heterozygous cells would produce a single mating-type substance (pheromone). In strain L-2D, now known to be homozygous at the mating-type locus, we previously identified two pheromones (Ec-α and Ec-1) characterized by significant variations in their amino acid sequences and structure of their macronuclear coding genes. In this study, pheromones and macronuclear coding genes have been analyzed in strain POR-73 characterized by a heterozygous genotype and strong mating compatibility with L-2D strain. It was found that POR-73 cells contain three distinct pheromone coding genes and, accordingly, secrete three distinct pheromones. One pheromone revealed structural identity in amino acid sequence and macronuclear coding gene to the Ec-α pheromone of L-2D cells. The other two pheromones were shown to be new and were designated Ec-2 and Ec-3 to denote their structural homology with the Ec-1 pheromone of L-2D cells. We interpreted these results as evidence of a phenomenon of gene duplication at the E. crassus mating-type locus, and lack of hierarchical dominance in the expression of the macronuclear pheromone genes in cells with heterozygous genotypes