1–42 b -Amyloid peptide requires PDK1/nPKC/Rac 1 pathway to induce neuronal death

1–42 b -Amyloid peptide requires PDK1/nPKC/Rac 1 pathway to induce neuronal death L Manterola 1,12 , M Hernando-Rodr ı ́ guez 2,12 , A Ruiz 3,4 , A Apraiz 5 , O Arrizabalaga 5 , L Vello ́ n 6 , E Alberdi 3,4 , F Cavaliere 3,4 , HM Lacerda 7 , S Jimenez 8,9 , LA Parada 10 , C Matute 3,4 and JL Zugaza 4,5,11 1–42 b -Amyloid (A b 1–42 ) peptide is a key molecule involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Some of its effects are manifested at the neuronal morphological level. These morphological changes involve loss of neurites due to cytoskeleton alterations. However, the mechanism of A b 1–42 peptide activation of the neurodegenerative program is still poorly understood. Here, A b 1–42 peptide-induced transduction of cellular death signals through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/ phosphoinositol-dependent kinase (PDK)/novel protein kinase C (nPKC)/Rac 1 axis is described. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of PDK1 and nPKC activities blocks Rac 1 activation and neuronal cell death. Our results provide insights into an unsuspected connection between PDK1, nPKCs and Rac 1 in the same signal-transduction pathway and points out nPKCs and Rac 1 as potential therapeutic targets to block the toxic effects of A b 1–42 peptide in neurons

Meloe (Mesomeloe) coelatus Reiche, 1857 (Coleoptera: Meloidae): first record for the fauna of Qatar and COI mtDNA data

We report the discovery of the blister beetle, Meloe coelatus Reiche, 1957, in Qatar. According to the Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera there is no record for the genus Meloe in Qatar, although the genus is well represented in other areas of the Arabian Peninsula. M. coelatus is a rare species, that is present along a wide area of Northern Africa and Western Asia. Our findings bridge the current geographic gap in the known distribution of the species from Saudi Arabia to Iran. We believe the Coleoptera fauna of Qatar might be underestimated. A thorough field survey is recommended in order to document the presence of other species of this family, and also to complete the catalogue of Coleoptera for the State of Qatar.We also thank the constructive comments of the reviewers. Project CGL2010-15786 of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacio´n of Spain (awarded to Dr M. Garcı´a-París) made possible the collaborative research between MGP, JLR and YJR.Peer reviewe

Búsqueda de dianas en Podosphaera Xanthii para el desarrollo de nuevas fitoterapias antifúngicas

La resistencia a fungicidas en uno de los principales problemas de la agricultura y esto es especialmente patente en el caso de los oídios. En España y en las principales áreas productoras del mundo, el oídio de las cucurbitáceas es una amenaza muy grave, y Podosphaera xanthii es considerado como el principal agente causante de la enfermedad. Hasta la fecha, la aplicación de fungicidas y el uso de variedades resistentes son las principales herramientas para el control de la enfermedad. En cualquier caso, el oídio sigue imponiendo serias limitaciones en la producción agrícola, siendo necesario el desarrollo de nuevas estrategias de control. En este estudio se pretende proporcionar información sobre las bases moleculares de P. xanthii que pueda ser de utilidad para el desarrollo de nuevas herramientas de fitoprotección. Para lograr este objetivo, estamos centrando nuestra atención en un conjunto de proteínas fúngicas carentes de función, determinado en un estudio anterior. Ante la falta de homología con proteínas funcionalmente anotadas, para conocer la posible función de dichas proteínas, en primer lugar, llevamos a cabo un análisis in silico detallado de las proteínas que incluye modelado 3D, predicción de posibles ligandos e identificación de dominios funcionales. En segundo lugar, para la identificación de proteínas clave para la patogénesis de P. xanthii, silenciamos proteínas del hongo con función predicha bioinformáticamente mediante silenciamiento génico inducido por hospedador (HIGS) empleando Agrobacterium tumefaciens como vector para la expresión transitoria de construcciones de silenciamiento en células de melón, y desde ellas, al hongo diana. Finalmente, las proteínas con un fenotipo claro de silenciamiento serán seleccionadas para la caracterización de su actividad biológica. En este congreso se mostrarán los resultados más relevantes obtenidos hasta la fecha, relativos a la asimilación de azufre.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Este trabajo ha sido financiado por una ayuda del Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (AGL2016-76216-C2-1-R), cofinanciada con fondos FEDER (UE). Los autores agredecen además ayudas del Plan Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Antioxidant activity of hydroxytyrosol in frankfurters enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

8 páginas,6 tablas.The capacity of hydroxytyrosol (HXT) to inhibit lipid oxidation in cooked pork meat batter, oil-in-water emulsions and potential functional frankfurters formulated with a healthier oil combination (as animal fat replacer) was studied during chilling storage, and its effect compared with those produced by synthetic antioxidants (BHA/BHT). Although efficiency varied, HXT was an effective antioxidant during chilling storage in the three food matrices studied. In general the order of inhibition capacity of HXT against lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances-TBARS) was cooked meat batter > oil-in-water emulsion > frankfurters, whereas in the case of BHA/BHT (with lower inhibitory activity than HXT) it was cooked meat batter > oil-in-water emulsion, and there was no antioxidative effect in frankfurters. Whereas significant correlations were established between lipid oxidation (TBARS) and antioxidative capacity measured by photochemiluminescence (PCL) in frankfurters supplemented with HXT and BHA/BHT, no significant correlations were found between ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and TBARS and PCL.This research was supported by the projects AGL2008-04892- CO3-01 and Consolider Ingenio 2010: CARNISENUSA (CSD2007- 00016).Peer reviewe

Multi-objective optimization of environmentally conscious chemical supply chains under demand uncertainty

In this work, we analyze the effect of demand uncertainty on the multi-objective optimization of chemical supply chains (SC) considering simultaneously their economic and environmental performance. To this end, we present a stochastic multi-scenario mixed-integer linear program (MILP) with the unique feature of incorporating explicitly the demand uncertainty using scenarios with given probability of occurrence. The environmental performance is quantified following life cycle assessment (LCA) principles, which are represented in the model formulation through standard algebraic equations. The capabilities of our approach are illustrated through a case study. We show that the stochastic solution improves the economic performance of the SC in comparison with the deterministic one at any level of the environmental impact.The authors wish to acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (ENE2011-28269-C03-03, ENE2011-22722, DPI2012-37154-C02-02, CTQ2009-14420-C02, CTQ2012-37039-C02) and Programa DRAC de la Xarxa Vives d’Universitats

Glauconite and phosphate peloids in Mesozoic carbonate sediments (eastern Subbetic Zone, Betic Cordilleras, SE Spain)

13 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablas.Glauconite and Ca phosphate peloids occur in Jurassic and Cretaceous bioclastic carbonate rocks from pelagic swell sequences of the Algayat-Crevillente Unit (Subbetic Zone). The size and morphology of the peloids are controlled by the bioclasts. The glauconite in both stratigraphic positions is K rich (>0.69 atoms p.f.u.) and shows well-defined 10 Aa lattice fringes. Poorly crystalline areas with a composition of Fe-smectite are found within the peloids, indicating the nature of the glauconitic precursor. This precursor would be formed in the shielded microenvironments of the bioclast and later transformed to glauconite by equilibration of peloids with sea water that culminated with the crystallization of a phosphatic phase. The greater presence of smectite areas in the Jurassic peloids and the lower K contents (0.69-0.81) of these glauconites, compared with the Cretaceous glauconites (0.81-0.89) can be explained by the calcitic early diagenetic cementation which stopped the process of glauconitization.Financial support was provided by the Research Groups 4065 and 4135 of the Junta de Andalucía and the Projects PB92-0961 and PB93-1150-CO2 of DGICYT.Peer reviewe

Sistema embebido de procesamiento de vídeo para la realización de prácticas docentes

El Congreso TAEE'06, organizado por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid,tuvo lugar entre el 12 de julio y el 15 de julio de 2006La realización, fomento y búsqueda de temas transversales en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje, de manera que los contenidos curriculares se impregnen de ellos, es determinante para conseguir una docencia de calidad. Sin embargo, la estructura departamental universitaria no fomenta precisamente esta transversalidad. En un esfuerzo por mejorar las prácticas realizadas por Departamentos adscritos a la Escuela Superior de Ingenieros de Sevilla, se plantea el desarrollo de un entorno práctico para alumnos de la misma titulación y en asignaturas relacionadas con el diseño y desarrollo de sensores inteligentes y sistemas microprocesadores actuales y con los sistemas de percepción, visión y procesamiento de imágenes

SICAC: an information system for the Conjunto arqueológico de Carmona (Carmona Archaeological Ensemble) (Seville, Spain)

The Roman necropolis and amphitheater of Carmona (Seville, Spain) were excavated and opened to the public at the end of the Nineteenth century. Because of this long continuity, the Carmona Archaeological Ensemble boasts a special trait: a broad archaeological documentary archive. Efficient management of this store of information that is updated and added to on a daily basis required a computer application that could gather, integrate, conserve and facilitate the use of this volume of data from different sources. At the same time, it was considered necessary for researchers to have online access to the core substance of the information. Our information system for CAC was developed over the course of five years and is called SICAC. All of the graphic and alphanumerical data is organized in the same environment, thereby guaranteeing their integration, availability, quality and accessibility. SICAC has three platforms: desktop, online and mobile

Alginate beads to improve viability of Lactobacillus plantarum to heat stress

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