The Grizzly, April 11, 1986

Collegeville Water: Poison • Toombs Speaks on Real Estate • The Time has Come • Wismer, be Realistic! • Letter: Administration Housing Plans are Unfair • Former U.C. Graduate Plays Important Role in Recovery of Challenger Debris • Hair Sneak Preview • Take C and C and See the Progress of Humanity • Greeks Flail Booze Curtail • Looking for Alternatives to the Joys of Alcohol • Women\u27s Lacrosse Wins Five in a Row • Linksters Off to a Great Start • Bears Drop to 4-8 • Women\u27s Track • Profile: Marc Dervishian • Women\u27s Softball Season Heats Up • Women\u27s Tennis Falls to 1-4 • Profile: Leigh Garrison • Gung Ho for Howard • Music: It gets the Irish in me Goinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1163/thumbnail.jp

Uncoupled activation and cyclization in catmint reductive terpenoid biosynthesis

Terpene synthases typically form complex molecular scaffolds by concerted activation and cyclization of linear starting materials in a single enzyme active site. Here we show that iridoid synthase, an atypical reductive terpene synthase, catalyzes the activation of its substrate 8-oxogeranial into a reactive enol intermediate, but does not catalyze the subsequent cyclization into nepetalactol. This discovery led us to identify a class of nepetalactol-related short-chain dehydrogenase enzymes (NEPS) from catmint (Nepeta mussinii) that capture this reactive intermediate and catalyze the stereoselective cyclisation into distinct nepetalactol stereoisomers. Subsequent oxidation of nepetalactols by NEPS1 provides nepetalactones, metabolites that are well known for both insect-repellent activity and euphoric effect in cats. Structural characterization of the NEPS3 cyclase reveals that it binds to NAD+ yet does not utilize it chemically for a non-oxidoreductive formal [4 + 2] cyclization. These discoveries will complement metabolic reconstructions of iridoid and monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis

Single-Event Effects Ground Testing and On-Orbit Rate Prediction Methods: The Past, Present and Future

Over the past 27 years, or so, increased concern over single event effects in spacecraft systems has resulted in research, development and engineering activities centered around a better understanding of the space radiation environment, single event effects predictive methods, ground test protocols, and test facility developments. This research has led to fairly well developed methods for assessing the impact of the space radiation environment on systems that contain SEE sensitive devices and the development of mitigation strategies either at the system or device level

A transgenic rat model for reducing adult neurogenesis.

The function of adult neurogenesis remains unclear. While many tools for manipulating neurogenesis have been developed for mice, there are fewer tools for rats. Radiological and chemical strategies have been used to inhibit adult neurogenesis in rats but these methods may also have undesired side effects. Since rats have a larger brain and can perform complex behaviors, it would be useful to have additional rat models for studying neurogenesis. To address this gap we therefore developed a transgenic GFAP-TK rat in which adult neurogenesis can be specifically inhibited. Preliminary results suggest that, as in mice, reduced adult neurogenesis leads to anhedonia