From flavors and pharmaceuticals to advanced biofuels: Production of isoprenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Isoprenoids denote the largest group of chemicals in the plant kingdom and are employed for a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. In recent years, isoprenoids have additionally been recognized as suitable replacements for petroleum-derived fuels and could thus promote the transition towards a more sustainable society. To realize the biofuel potential of isoprenoids, a very efficient production system is required. While complex chemical structures as well as the low abundance in nature demonstrate the shortcomings of chemical synthesis and plant extraction, isoprenoids can be produced by genetically engineered microorganisms from renewable carbon sources. In this article, we summarize the development of isoprenoid applications from flavors and pharmaceuticals to advanced biofuels and review the strategies to design microbial cell factories, focusing on Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of these compounds. While the high complexity of biosynthetic pathways and the toxicity of certain isoprenoids still denote challenges that need to be addressed, metabolic engineering has enabled large-scale production of several terpenoids and thus, the utilization of these compounds is likely to expand in the future

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from the medicinal plant Mentha cervina L. grown in Portugal

Mentha cervina is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Portugal in folk medicine, in different gastric disorders and inflammations of the respiratory tract. In order to validate those traditional uses, M. cervina essential oils (EOs) were characterized by GC and GC–MS and their antimicrobial activity was tested against 23 bacterial strains (including multiresistant strains). The EOs were dominated by the monoterpenes pulegone (52–75%), isomenthone (8–24%), limonene (4–6%), and menthone (1–2%). The antibacterial activity of these EOs was compared to that of the main components standards. The most effective antibacterial activity was expressed by the EOs against the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumanni, with MIC values of 1 mg/ml. The EOs complex mixtures were more active than the individual aromatic components supporting the hypothesis that the EOs antibacterial activity is a function of the synergistic effect of their different aromatic components. These results show the potential role of M. cervina EOs as antibacterial agents and validate the traditional use of this plant

Neuropathie motrice sévère révélatrice d'une thyrotoxicose ou myopathie thyrotoxique aiguë avec une neuropathie périphérique associée ? (à propos d'un cas clinique)

MONTPELLIER-BU Médecine UPM (341722108) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocMONTPELLIER-BU Médecine (341722104) / SudocSudocFranceF

Structure Determination and Detailed 1H, 13C NMR Assignments of Triterpenes from Mimusops elengi

The seeds of Mimusops elengi yielded a new triterpene, mimusic acid, whose structure was elucidated as 2b,3b,16a,23-tetrahydroxyoleana-5,13(18)-dien-28-oic acid by NMR spectral studies. The detailed 1H and 13C NMR resonance assignments of this compound and of the previously reported congener mimusopic acid were achieved by using the 2D NMR techniques, HETCOR, COSY, NOESY and HMBC. Copyright ( 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Lt