Resource-Bound Quantification for Graph Transformation

Graph transformation has been used to model concurrent systems in software engineering, as well as in biochemistry and life sciences. The application of a transformation rule can be characterised algebraically as construction of a double-pushout (DPO) diagram in the category of graphs. We show how intuitionistic linear logic can be extended with resource-bound quantification, allowing for an implicit handling of the DPO conditions, and how resource logic can be used to reason about graph transformation systems

mGluR8 Modulates Excitatory Transmission in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in a Stress-Dependent Manner

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are important modulators of excitatory transmission, and have been implicated in anxiety and stress-related behaviors. Previously, we showed that group III mGluR agonists could depress excitatory synaptic transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), an integral component of the anxiety circuitry. Here, we provide converging evidence indicating that this effect is mediated primarily by mGluR8, is exerted presynaptically, and is modulated by noradrenergic signaling and stress. The effects of the group III mGluR agonist L-AP4 on excitatory transmission are not potentiated by the mGluR4-selective allosteric potentiator PHCCC, but are mimicked by the mGluR8-selective agonist DCPG. Consistent with these results, mGluR8-like immunoreactivity is seen in the BNST, and the actions of L-AP4 on excitatory transmission are absent in slices from mGluR8 knockout (KO) mice. Application of DCPG is associated with an increase in paired-pulse evoked glutamate synaptic currents, and a decrease in spontaneous glutamate synaptic current frequency, consistent with a primarily presynaptic action. mGluR8-mediated suppression of excitatory transmission is disrupted ex vivo by activation of α1 adrenergic receptors (α1 ARs). BNST mGluR8 function is also disrupted by both acute and chronic in vivo exposure to restraint stress, and in brain slices from α2A AR KO mice. These studies show that mGluR8 is an important regulator of excitatory transmission in the BNST, and suggest that this receptor is selectively disrupted by noradrenergic signaling and by both acute and chronic stress

The concise guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2013/14:G protein-coupled receptors

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2013/14 provides concise overviews of the key properties of over 2000 human drug targets with their pharmacology, plus links to an open access knowledgebase of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. The full contents can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.12444/full. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the seven major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being G protein-coupled receptors, ligand-gated ion channels, ion channels, catalytic receptors, nuclear hormone receptors, transporters and enzymes. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. A new landscape format has easy to use tables comparing related targets. It is a condensed version of material contemporary to late 2013, which is presented in greater detail and constantly updated on the website www.guidetopharmacology.org, superseding data presented in previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in conjunction with NC-IUPHAR and provides the official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate. It consolidates information previously curated and displayed separately in IUPHAR-DB and the Guide to Receptors and Channels, providing a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates