| virus infection causes specific learning deficits in honeybee foragers. | in both mammals and invertebrates, virus infections can impair a broad spectrum of physiological functions including learning and memory formation. in contrast to the knowledge on the conserved mechanisms underlying learning, the effects of virus infection on different aspects of learning are barely known. we use the honeybee (apis mellifera), a well-established model system for studying learning, to investigate the impact of deformed wing virus (dwv) on learning. injection of dwv into the haemo ... | 2007 | 17439851 |
| caps and gaps: a computer model for studies on brood incubation strategies in honeybees (apis mellifera carnica). | in addition to heat production on the comb surface, honeybee workers frequently visit open cells ("gaps") that are scattered throughout the sealed brood area, and enter them to incubate adjacent brood cells. we examined the efficiency of this heating strategy under different environmental conditions and for gap proportions from 0 to 50%. for gap proportions from 4 to 10%, which are common to healthy colonies, we find a significant reduction in the incubation time per brood cell to maintain the c ... | 2007 | 17443307 |
| cloning, sequence analysis and homology modeling of a novel phospholipase a2 from heterometrus fulvipes (indian black scorpion). | we report the cloning and sequencing of group iii phospholipasea(2) from heterometrus fulvipes (hfpla(2)), indian black scorpion. the cdna sequence codes for the mature portion of the group pla(2) of 103 amino acids. the sequence has 85% identity with mesobuthus tamulus (indian red scorpion) pla(2) and a 40% identity with bee venom pla(2) and human group iii pla(2). most of the essential features of group iii pla(2) like ca(2+) binding loop and catalytic residues are conserved. homology modeling ... | 2007 | 17454010 |
| comparison of parasitic mites in russian-hybrid and italian honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies across three different locations in north carolina. | the most economically important parasites of honey bee, apis mellifera l. (hymenoptera: apidae), colonies are the parasitic mites varroa destructor anderson & trueman and acarapis woodi (rennie). research has shown that mite-tolerant stocks are effective means to reduce mite infestations within colonies, but it is unclear whether the stocks available commercially are viable means of mite control because they are likely to be genetic hybrids. we compared colonies of a standard commercial stock (" ... | 2007 | 17461045 |
| flight activity of usda-ars russian honey bees (hymenoptera: apidae) during pollination of lowbush blueberries in maine. | flight activity was compared in colonies of russian honey bees, apis mellifera l. (hymenoptera: apidae), and italian bees during commercial pollination of lowbush blueberries (principally vaccinium angustifolium aiton) in washington co., me, in late may and early june in 2003 and 2004. colonies of the two stocks were managed equally in louisiana during autumn through early spring preceding observations in late spring each year. resulting average populations of adult bees and of brood were simila ... | 2007 | 17461046 |
| sequence analysis and phylogenetic relationship of genes encoding heterodimeric phospholipases a2 from the venom of the scorpion anuroctonus phaiodactylus. | some scorpion venom contain heterodimeric phospholipases a2. they were shown to be toxic to insects and to cause edema and/or hemolysis of mammalian erythrocytes. this manuscript describes the results of cdna cloning of five different heterodimeric phospholipases from the venomous glands of the mexican scorpion anuroctonus phaiodactylus. the amino acid sequence deduced from the heterodimeric phospholipases open reading frames corresponds in each case to a different isoform. the nucleotide sequen ... | 2007 | 17466468 |
| when bees hamper the production of honey: lexical interference from associates in speech production. | in this article, the authors explore semantic context effects in speaking. in particular, the authors investigate a marked discrepancy between categorically and associatively induced effects; only categorical relationships have been reported to cause interference in object naming. in experiments 1 and 2, a variant of the semantic blocking paradigm was used to induce two different types of semantic context effects. pictures were either named in the context of categorically related objects (e.g., ... | 2007 | 17470008 |
| molecular cloning and expression of a toll receptor in the giant tiger shrimp, penaeus monodon. | invertebrates rely completely for their protection against pathogens on the innate immune system. this non-self-recognition is activated by microbial cell wall components with unique conserved molecular patterns. pathogen-associated molecular patterns (pamps) are recognised by pattern recognition receptors (prrs). toll and its mammalian homologs toll-like receptors are cell-surface receptors acting as prrs and involved in the signalling pathway implicated in their immune response. here we descri ... | 2007 | 17470397 |
| asymmetric introgression of african genes in honeybee populations (apis mellifera l.) in central mexico. | the africanization of the honeybee (apis mellifera) in south america is one of the most spectacular examples of biological invasions. in this study, we analyzed the africanization process in central mexico along an altitudinal transect from 72 to 2800 m, using both mitochondrial and nuclear dna markers. the mitochondrial analysis revealed that the two high-altitude populations had a significantly greater percentage of african mitotypes (95%) than the three lowland populations (67%), indicating s ... | 2007 | 17473860 |
| characterization of the n-glycans of recombinant bee venom hyaluronidase (api m 2) expressed in insect cells. | honeybee venom hyaluronidase (api m 2) is a major glycoprotein allergen. previous studies have indicated that recombinant api m 2 expressed in insect cells has enzyme activity and ige binding comparable with that of native api m 2. in contrast, api m 2 expressed in escherichia coli does not. in this study, we characterized the carbohydrate side chains of api m 2 expressed in insect cells, and compared our data with the established carbohydrate structure of native api m 2. we assessed both the mo ... | 2007 | 17479607 |
| multitrophic interaction facilitates parasite-host relationship between an invasive beetle and the honey bee. | colony defense by honey bees, apis mellifera, is associated with stinging and mass attack, fueled by the release of alarm pheromones. thus, alarm pheromones are critically important to survival of honey bee colonies. here we report that in the parasitic relationship between the european honey bee and the small hive beetle, aethina tumida, the honey bee's alarm pheromones serve a negative function because they are potent attractants for the beetle. furthermore, we discovered that the beetles from ... | 2007 | 17483478 |
| resource distributions among habitats determine solitary bee offspring production in a mosaic landscape. | within mosaic landscapes, many organisms depend on attributes of the environment that operate over scales ranging from a single habitat patch to the entire landscape. one such attribute is resource distribution. organisms' reliance on resources from within a local patch vs. those found among habitats throughout the landscape will depend on local habitat quality, patch quality, and landscape composition. the ability of individuals to move among complementary habitat types to obtain various resour ... | 2007 | 17494406 |
| expansion and evolution of insect gmc oxidoreductases. | the gmc oxidoreductases comprise a large family of diverse fad enzymes that share a homologous backbone. the relationship and origin of the gmc oxidoreductase genes, however, was unknown. recent sequencing of entire genomes has allowed for the evolutionary analysis of the gmc oxidoreductase family. | 2007 | 17498303 |
| structure of human hyaluronidase-1, a hyaluronan hydrolyzing enzyme involved in tumor growth and angiogenesis. | mammalian hyaluronidases hydrolyze hyaluronan, a polysaccharide of diverse physiological roles found in all tissues and body fluids. in addition to its function in normal cellular hyaluronan turnover, human hyaluronidase-1 is implicated in cancer proliferation, angiogenesis, and inflammatory diseases; its expression is up-regulated in advanced stages of bladder cancer, whereas the expression of the alternative splice-variants is down-regulated. the crystal structure reveals a molecule composed o ... | 2007 | 17503783 |
| floral reward production is timed by an insect pollinator. | interval timing--sensitivity to elapsing durations--has recently been found to occur in an invertebrate pollinator, the bumble-bee (bombus impatiens). here, bumble-bees were required to time the interval between the start of foraging in a patch of low-quality artificial flowers providing 25% sucrose and the availability of a high-quality flower (hqf) that provided 50% sucrose after a fixed delay. the delay changed after every 20 foraging bouts in the order 30-150-30 s. bees visited the hqf soone ... | 2007 | 17519188 |
| propolin h from taiwanese propolis induces g1 arrest in human lung carcinoma cells. | propolis, a natural product collected by honeybee, has been reported to exert a wide spectrum of biological functions. in this study, we have isolated a novel component, namely, propolin h, and investigated its effects in human carcinoma cells. propolin h inhibited the proliferation of human lung carcinoma cell lines in mtt assay, and a significant g1 arrest was observed to occur in a dose-dependent manner at 24 h of exposure in h460 cells. after treatment with propolin h in h460 cells, the cont ... | 2007 | 17530771 |
| expertise acquisition as sustained learning in humans and other animals: commonalities across species. | expertise acquisition may be a universal attribute of animals. in this study data on foraging efficiency, or expertise, was compared for four species: honeybees (apis mellifera), oystercatchers (haematopus ostralegus), chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), and humans (homo sapiens). polynomial regression models were constructed to investigate the relationship between age and foraging efficiency. there was a similar expertise-acquisition function between age and foraging efficiency across species, best ... | 2008 | 17534675 |
| density-dependent effects of ants on selection for bumble bee pollination in polemonium viscosum. | mutualisms are commonly exploited by cheater species that usurp rewards without providing reciprocal benefits. yet most studies of selection between mutualist partners ignore interactions with third species and consequently overlook the impact of cheaters on evolution in the mutualism. here, we explicitly investigate how the abundance of nectar-thieving ants (cheaters) influences selection in a pollination mutualism between bumble bees and the alpine skypilot, polemonium viscosum. as suggested i ... | 2007 | 17536406 |
| a protective allergy vaccine based on cpg- and protamine-containing plga microparticles. | allergen-specific immunotherapy (sit) requires dozens of subcutaneous injections over 3 to 5 years in order to control ige-mediated hypersensitivity, which is a t-helper 2 (th2)-associated pathology. this study investigates the use of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (plga) microparticles combined with immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotide (cpg), as well as protamine in sit. | 2007 | 17541735 |
| peripheral involvement of pka and pkc in subcutaneous bee venom-induced persistent nociception, mechanical hyperalgesia, and inflammation in rats. | the roles of central protein kinases a and c (pka and pkc) in various pain states have intensively been investigated during the past decade. the aim of the present study was to investigate the peripheral involvement of pka and pkc in persistent nociceptive response, evoked pain behaviors, and inflammation induced by subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of bee venom (bv, 0.2mg/50 microl) in rats. the effects of intraplantar injection of h-89 (a pka inhibitor, 5-100 microg/50 microl) and chelerythrine ch ... | 2008 | 17544210 |
| characterization of a novel and potent collagen antagonist, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, in human platelets: in vitro and in vivo studies. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), which is derived from the propolis of honeybee hives, has been demonstrated to possess multiple pharmacological activities. in the present study, cape (6-25 microm) specifically inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and the atp release reaction in platelet suspensions. | 2007 | 17560560 |
| the preferences of the honeybee (apis mellifera) for different visual cues during the learning process. | by working with very simple images, a number of different visual cues used by the honeybee have been described over the past decades. in most of the work, the bees had no control over the choice of the images, and it was not clear whether they learned the rewarded pattern or the difference between two images. preferences were known to exist when untrained bees selected one pattern from a variety of them, but because the preferences of the bees were ignored, it was not possible to understand how ... | 2007 | 17561104 |
| peripheral bee venom's anti-inflammatory effect involves activation of the coeruleospinal pathway and sympathetic preganglionic neurons. | there are several reports indicating that the locus coeruleus (lc) is capable of altering immune responses. moreover, it is well established that the lc is the major source of descending noradrenergic system. recently we have demonstrated that subcutaneous bee venom (bv) injection dramatically suppressed peripheral inflammation through activation of sympathetic preganglionic neurons (spns) leading to release of adreno-medullary catecholamines. importantly, this 'bv-induced anti-inflammatory effe ... | 2007 | 17588699 |
| rna editing and alternative splicing of the insect nachr subunit alpha6 transcript: evolutionary conservation, divergence and regulation. | rna editing and alternative splicing play an important role in expanding protein diversity and this is well illustrated in studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs). | 2007 | 17597521 |
| evidence for plasmid-mediated tetracycline resistance in paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of american foulbrood (afb) disease in honeybees. | paenibacillus larvae is the causal agent of american foulbrood (afb) disease, the most virulent bacterial disease of honeybee (apis mellifera l.) brood. oxytetracycline is the main antibiotic used for prevention and control of afb. using the polymerase chain reaction, isolates were screened for the presence of the tetracycline resistance tet(k) and tet(l) determinants. four isolates (5%), which correlated with the tc-resistant phenotypes, were found to carry the tet(k) determinant, whereas none ... | 2007 | 17601687 |
| a toll receptor from manduca sexta is in response to escherichia coli infection. | genomic and cdna sequences of a toll receptor were cloned from the tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta. m. sexta toll (mstoll) gene contains six introns and seven exons. the full-length cdna of mstoll is 3495 bp with an open reading frame of 2892 bp, which encodes a protein of 963 amino acids. mstoll is a typical single-pass transmembrane protein containing characteristic domain architecture of toll and toll-like receptors, including an extracellular domain composing of leucine-rich repeats (lrrs) a ... | 2008 | 17606296 |
| [morphologic analysis of the venom gland of apis mellifera l. (hymenoptera: apidae) in populations of mato grosso do sul, brazil]. | in apis mellifera l. the venom gland (also called acid gland) is composed of secretory cells that surround a channel that opens into a reservoir devoid of musculature. this gland can present apical branching. in this study the frequency of branched venom glands in africanized honeybee workers (a. mellifera) from eleven localities in the state of mato grosso do sul was recorded. the relations among the length of the main duct, the length of the duct from the reservoir to the beginning of branchin ... | 2007 | 17607453 |
| [artificial diet for rearing doru luteipes (scudder) (dermaptera: forficulidae), a predator of the fall armyworm, spodoptera frugiperda (j.e. smith) (lepidoptera: noctuidae)]. | a new technique involving an artificial diet and an artificial substrate for oviposition for the rearing of the predator doru luteipes (scudder) is suggested. both adults and nymphs were maintained in petri dishes containing a transparent piece of soda straw filled with moistened cotton and the corresponding food for the biossays. the following treatments were tested: eggs of spodoptera frugiperda (j.e. smith), diatraea saccharalis fabricius (lepidoptera: pyralidae) and anagasta kuehniella zelle ... | 2007 | 17607467 |
| horizontal transmission success of nosema bombi to its adult bumble bee hosts: effects of dosage, spore source and host age. | parasite transmission dynamics are fundamental to explaining the evolutionary epidemiology of disease because transmission and virulence are tightly linked. horizontal transmission of microsporidian parasites, e.g. nosema bombi, may be influenced by numerous factors, including inoculation dose, host susceptibility and host population heterogeneity. despite previous studies of n. bombi and its bumble bee hosts, neither the epidemiology nor impact of the parasite are as yet understood. here we inv ... | 2007 | 17610765 |
| isoenzyme-specific differences in the degradation of hyaluronic acid by mammalian-type hyaluronidases. | bovine testicular hyaluronidase (bth) has been used as a spreading factor for many years and was primarily characterized by its enzymatic activity. as recombinant human hyaluronidases are now available the bovine preparations can be replaced by the human enzymes. however, data on the ph-dependent activity of hyaluronidases reported in literature are inconsistent in part or even contradictory. detection of the ph-dependent activity of ph-20 type hyaluronidases, i.e. recombinant human ph-20 (rhph- ... | 2008 | 17620008 |
| vertical-transmission routes for deformed wing virus of honeybees (apis mellifera). | deformed wing virus (dwv) is a viral pathogen of the european honeybee (apis mellifera), associated with clinical symptoms and colony collapse when transmitted by the ectoparasitic mite varroa destructor. in the absence of v. destructor, dwv infection does not result in visible symptoms, suggesting that mite-independent transmission results in covert infections. true covert infections are a known infection strategy for insect viruses, resulting in long-term persistence of the virus in the popula ... | 2007 | 17622639 |
| potentials of leaves of aspilia africana (compositae) in wound care: an experimental evaluation. | the potentials of the leaves of the haemorrhage plant, aspilia africana c. d adams (compositae) in wound care was evaluated using experimental models. a. africana, which is widespread in africa, is used in traditional medicine to stop bleeding from wounds, clean the surfaces of sores, in the treatment of rheumatic pains, bee and scorpion stings and for removal of opacities and foreign bodies from the eyes. the present study was undertaken to evaluate the potentials for use of leaves of this plan ... | 2007 | 17623087 |
| efficacy of repeated trickle applications of oxalic acid in syrup for varroosis control in apis mellifera: influence of meteorological conditions and presence of brood. | oxalic acid field trails for the control of varroosis (varroa destructor) were carried out in an apiary located on the mt. imittos (attica, greece). the colonies received four successive applications (approximately one every 16 days) with 4.2% oxalic acid (oa) and 60% sugar solution by trickling method with two alternative types of syringes (an automatic self-filling dosing and a single-use) from the broodright to broodless period. the results indicate that the first three applications (from 6th ... | 2007 | 17624673 |
| differential protein expression in the honey bee head after a bacterial challenge. | insect immune proteins and peptides induced during bacterial infection are predominantly synthesized by the fat body or by haemocytes and released into the hemolymph. however, tissues other than the "immune-related" ones are thought to play a role in bacteria-induced responses. here we report a proteomic study of honey bee heads designed to identify the proteins that are differentially expressed after bacterial challenge in a major body segment not directly involved in insect immunity. the list ... | 2007 | 17630657 |
| a steroid fraction of chloroform extract from bee pollen of brassica campestris induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer pc-3 cells. | bee pollen of brassica campestris l. is widely used in china as a natural food supplement and an herbal medicine in strengthening the body's resistance against diseases including cancer. the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of a steroid fraction of chloroform extract from bee pollen of brassica campestris l. on human cancer cell viability. our studies show that among nine cancer cell lines of different origin (pc-3, lncap, mcf-7, hela, bel-7402, bcg-823, kb, a549 and ho891 ... | 2007 | 17639562 |
| octopamine-mediated neuronal plasticity in honeybees: implications for olfactory dysfunction in humans. | biogenic amines, such as norepinephrine (in vertebrates) and octopamine (in invertebrates), have structural and functional similarities. these amines play crucial roles in animal behavior by modifying the synaptic output of relevant neurons. increased levels of norepinephrine in the olfactory bulb preferentially increase mitral cell excitatory responses to olfactory nerve inputs, suggesting its critical role in modulating olfactory function including memory formation and/or recall of specific ol ... | 2007 | 17644763 |
| death of horse due to bee-stinging. | | 1941 | 17647806 |
| region- or state-related differences in expression and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (erks) in naïve and pain-experiencing rats. | extracellular signal-regulated kinase (erk), one member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) family, has been suggested to regulate a diverse array of cellular functions, including cell growth, differentiation, survival, as well as neuronal plasticity. recent evidence indicates a role for erks in nociceptive processing in both dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord. however, little literature has been reported to examine the differential distribution and activation of erk isoforms, erk1 ... | 2007 | 17650295 |
| trophic effect of bee pollen on small intestine in broiler chickens. | in this study, the effects of bee pollen on the development of digestive organs were evaluated in broiler chickens. a total of 144 1-day-old aa broiler chickens were randomly and equally divided into two groups, assigned as the control group and the pollen group, respectively. the control group was fed with a basic diet, while the pollen group was fed with a basic diet supplemented with 1.5% bee pollen over a period of 6 weeks. at the end of each week, the digestive organs were obtained for comp ... | 2007 | 17651063 |
| detection of infective nosema ceranae (microsporidia) spores in corbicular pollen of forager honeybees. | nosema ceranae is a microsporidia recently described as a parasite in apis mellifera honeybees in europe. due to the short time since its description, no epidemiological data are available. in this study, spore detection in both pollen baskets and pollen collected from commercial traps is described (pcm, tem and pcr methods). spore infectivity is shown after artificial infection of nosema-free adult bees. the epidemiological consequences of the presence of nosema spores in corbicular pollen requ ... | 2008 | 17651750 |
| melittin, a major bioactive component of bee venom toxin, inhibits pdgf receptor beta-tyrosine phosphorylation and downstream intracellular signal transduction in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. | studies previously reported that melittin, a major bioactive component of bee venom, inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell (vsmc) proliferation through suppression of nuclear factor (nf)-kappab and akt activation and through enhancement of proapoptotic protein expression. in this study, the effects of melittin were investigated on the tyrosine phosphorylation of platelet-derived growth factor (pdgf) beta receptor (rbeta) and its downstream intracellular signal transduction. when combined with pdg ... | 2007 | 17654254 |
| a novel mutualism between an ant-plant and its resident pollinator. | pollination systems in which the host plant provides breeding sites for pollinators, invariably within flowers, are usually highly specialized mutualisms. we found that the pollinating bee braunsapis puangensis breeds within the caulinary domatia of the semi-myrmecophyte humboldtia brunonis (fabaceae), an unusual ant-plant that is polymorphic for the presence of domatia and harbours a diverse invertebrate fauna including protective and non-protective ants in its domatia. b. puangensis is the mos ... | 2008 | 17657468 |
| cytotoxicity of honeybee (apis mellifera) venom in normal human lymphocytes and hl-60 cells. | whole bee venom (bv) is used to treat inflammatory diseases in korean traditional medicine. various studies have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects of bv. the toxicity of individual components of bv has been widely studied, although few studies have reported on the toxicity of bv. we sought to evaluate the cytotoxicity of bv in normal human lymphocytes and hl-60 cells. when cells were treated with bv at concentrations of 1 or 5 microg/ml, bv induced cell death in a time-depend ... | 2007 | 17658502 |
| use of both cd63 up regulation and ige down regulation for the flow cytometric analysis of allergen induced basophil activation. definition of an activation index. | the aim of this study was to compare the use of a late (cd63) and an early (ige) marker of basophil activation in the flow cytometric diagnosis of beta-lactam induced allergic hypersensitivity reactions. | 2007 | 17659434 |
| monitoring circadian rhythms of individual honey bees in a social environment reveals social influences on postembryonic ontogeny of activity rhythms. | social factors constitute an important component of the environment of many animals and have a profound influence on their physiology and behavior. studies of social influences on circadian rhythms have been hampered by a methodological trade-off: automatic data acquisition systems obtain high-quality data but are effective only for individually isolated animals and therefore compromise by requiring a context that may not be sociobiologically relevant. human observers can monitor animal activity ... | 2007 | 17660451 |
| incorporation of high levels of chimeric human immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoproteins into virus-like particles. | the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) envelope (env) protein is incorporated into hiv virions or virus-like particles (vlps) at very low levels compared to the glycoproteins of most other enveloped viruses. to test factors that influence hiv env particle incorporation, we generated a series of chimeric gene constructs in which the coding sequences for the signal peptide (sp), transmembrane (tm), and cytoplasmic tail (ct) domains of hiv-1 env were replaced with those of other viral or cellular p ... | 2007 | 17670815 |
| antiproliferation of human prostate cancer cells by ethanolic extracts of brazilian propolis and its botanical origin. | propolis is a resinous substance collected by bees (apis mellifera) from various tree buds which they then use to coat hive parts and to seal cracks and crevices in the hive. propolis, a known ancient folk medicine, has been extensively used in diet to improve health and to prevent disease. in the present study, we have evaluated the effects of ethanolic extracts of brazilian propolis group l2 and bud resins of botanical origin (b. dracunculifolia), and propolis group 3 on proliferation of metas ... | 2007 | 17671687 |
| outcome of colonization of apis mellifera by nosema ceranae. | a multiplex pcr-based method, in which two small-subunit rrna regions are simultaneously amplified in a single reaction, was designed for parallel detection of honeybee microsporidians (nosema apis and nosema ceranae). each of two pairs of primers exclusively amplified the 16s rrna targeted gene of a specific microsporidian. the multiplex pcr assay was useful for specific detection of the two species of microsporidians related to bee nosemosis, not only in purified spores but also in honeybee ho ... | 2007 | 17675417 |
| [determination of difenoconazole residue in foods by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry]. | a method is presented for the determination of difenoconazole residue in all kinds of foods by solid phase extraction-gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (spe-gc-ms/nci). difenoconazole residue was extracted with ethyl acetate from different samples, such as perilla leaves, carrots, spinach powder, rice, gram, jasmine flower tea, oolong tea, strawberries, sauce, bee honey, beef, chicken and eels, etc. the extracts were cleaned-up by active carbon spe column connecte ... | 2007 | 17679443 |
| prediction of 3-dimensional structure of salivary odorant-binding protein-2 of the mosquito culex quinquefasciatus, the vector of human lymphatic filariasis. | olfaction of insects is currently recognized as the major area of research for developing novel control strategies to prevent mosquito-borne infections. a 3-dimensional model (3d) was developed for the salivary gland odorant-binding protein-2 of the mosquito culex quinquefasciatus, a major vector of human lymphatic filariasis. a homology modeling method was used for the prediction of the structure. for the modeling, two template proteins were obtained by mgentherader, namely the high-resolution ... | 2007 | 17688430 |
| cape (caffeic acid phenethyl ester) stimulates glucose uptake through ampk (amp-activated protein kinase) activation in skeletal muscle cells. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), a flavonoid-like compound, is one of the major components of honeybee propolis. in the present study, we investigated the metabolic effects of cape in skeletal muscle cells and found that cape stimulated glucose uptake in differentiated l6 rat myoblast cells and also activated ampk (amp-activated protein kinase). in addition, the inhibition of ampk blocked cape-induced glucose uptake, and cape activated the akt pathway in a pi3k (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)-de ... | 2007 | 17689496 |
| scalaradial, a dialdehyde-containing marine metabolite that causes an unexpected noncovalent pla2 inactivation. | several marine terpenoids that contain at least one reactive aldehyde group, such as manoalide and its congeners, possess interesting anti-inflammatory activities that are mediated by the covalent inactivation of secretory phospholipase a(2) (spla(2)). scalaradial, a 1,4-dialdehyde marine terpenoid that was isolated from the sponge cacospongia mollior, is endowed with a relevant anti-inflammatory profile, both in vitro and in vivo, through selective spla(2) inhibition. due to its peculiar dialde ... | 2007 | 17691073 |
| conservation of essential design features in coiled coil silks. | silks are strong protein fibers produced by a broad array of spiders and insects. the vast majority of known silks are large, repetitive proteins assembled into extended beta-sheet structures. honeybees, however, have found a radically different evolutionary solution to the need for a building material. the 4 fibrous proteins of honeybee silk are small ( approximately 30 kda each) and nonrepetitive and adopt a coiled coil structure. we examined silks from the 3 superfamilies of the aculeata (hym ... | 2007 | 17703050 |
| the comparison of rdna spacer regions of nosema ceranae isolates from different hosts and locations. | nosema ceranae is a common microsporidian pathogen, one of two nosema species that cause "nosema disease" in honeybees, apis cerana and apis mellifera. samples of n. ceranae rdna from isolates collected in different locations were sequenced and one 5s rrna was found to be upstream of ssurrna. the rdna arrangement, 5'-5s rrna-igs-ssurrna-its-lsurrna-3', was found in all isolates. in order to better understand the distribution relationship between n. ceranae isolates from a. cerana and a. mellifer ... | 2008 | 17709115 |
| habitat assessment ability of bumble-bees implies frequency-dependent selection on floral rewards and display size. | foraging pollinators could visit hundreds of flowers in succession on mass-flowering plants, yet they often visit only a small number--potentially saving the plant from much self-pollination among its own flowers (geitonogamy). this study tests the hypothesis that bumble-bee (bombus impatiens) residence on a particular plant depends on an assessment of that plant's reward value relative to the overall quality experienced in the habitat. in a controlled environment, naive bees were given experien ... | 2007 | 17711839 |
| [arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in king bolete boletus edulis and tolerance limits]. | in the article are reviewed and discussed available data on arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury content of the fruiting bodies of king bolete. the values of cadmuim concentration of the fruiting bodies of king bolete collected from the areas unpoluted with metals and metaloids in poland and other european countries usually are greater than an actual tolerance limits set by e.u. law for 0.2 mg/kg wet weight in cultivated mushrooms. analogically, as is for cadmium also content of lead to be sometim ... | 2006 | 17713195 |
| contact networks and transmission of an intestinal pathogen in bumble bee (bombus impatiens) colonies. | in socially living animals, individuals interact through complex networks of contact that may influence the spread of disease. whereas traditional epidemiological models typically assume no social structure, network theory suggests that an individual's location in the network determines its risk of infection. empirical, especially experimental, studies of disease spread on networks are lacking, however, largely due to a shortage of amenable study systems. we used automated video-tracking to quan ... | 2007 | 17713789 |
| interaction diversity within quantified insect food webs in restored and adjacent intensively managed meadows. | 1. we studied the community and food-web structure of trap-nesting insects in restored meadows and at increasing distances within intensively managed grassland at 13 sites in switzerland to test if declining species diversity correlates with declining interaction diversity and changes in food-web structure. 2. we analysed 49 quantitative food webs consisting of a total of 1382 trophic interactions involving 39 host/prey insect species and 14 parasitoid/predator insect species. species richness a ... | 2007 | 17714280 |
| social learning in insects--from miniature brains to consensus building. | communication and learning from each other are part of the success of insect societies. here, we review a spectrum of social information usage in insects--from inadvertently provided cues to signals shaped by selection specifically for information transfer. we pinpoint the sensory modalities involved and, in some cases, quantify the adaptive benefits. well substantiated cases of social learning among the insects include learning about predation threat and floral rewards, the transfer of route in ... | 2007 | 17714664 |
| [hymenoptera stings]. | hymenoptera are the large group of insects which includes honey-bees, bumble-bees, paper wasps, hornets, ants. female hymenoptera possess specialized stinging apparatus with which they inject their venom into prey's or intruder's body. it could be life-threatening for people sensitive to the venom. the hymenoptera venom consists of mixture of biologically active substances, eg. enzymes (phospholipases, hialuronidase), peptides (melittin, apamin, mastoparans, bombolitins) and low-molecular-weight ... | 2007 | 17724887 |
| comparative genomic analysis of the tribolium immune system. | tribolium castaneum is a species of coleoptera, the largest and most diverse order of all eukaryotes. components of the innate immune system are hardly known in this insect, which is in a key phylogenetic position to inform us about genetic innovations accompanying the evolution of holometabolous insects. we have annotated immunity-related genes and compared them with homologous molecules from other species. | 2007 | 17727709 |
| behavioral control of workers by queens in primitively eusocial bees. | queens of lasioglossum zephyrum, a primitively eusocial bee, are considerably more active than workers. the queen's behavior stimulates worker activities; removal of the queen results in a marked reduction in activities of other bees. the queen not only activates workers but also directs them by a primitive recruitment behavior suggestive of tandem running of highly eusocial ants. | 1977 | 17816422 |
| molecular cloning of cdna for trehalase from the european honeybee, apis mellifera l., and its heterologous expression in pichia pastoris. | cdna encoding the bound type trehalase of the european honeybee was cloned. the cdna (3,001 bp) contained the long 5' untranslated region (utr) of 869 bp, and the 3' utr of 251 bp including a poly(a) tail, and the open reading frame of 1,881 bp consisting of 626 amino acid residues. the mr of the mature enzyme comprised of 591 amino acids, excluded a signal sequence of 35 amino acid residues, was 69,177. six peptide sequences analyzed were all found in the deduced amino acid sequence. the amino ... | 2007 | 17827701 |
| genetic and morphological variation of bee-parasitic tropilaelaps mites (acari: laelapidae): new and re-defined species. | mites in the genus tropilaelaps are parasites of social honeybees. two species, tropilaelaps clareae and t. koenigerum, have been recorded and their primary hosts are presumed to be the giant honeybees of asia, apis dorsata and a. laboriosa. the most common species, t. clareae, is also an economically important pest of the introduced western honeybee (a. mellifera) throughout asia and is considered an emerging threat to world apiculture. in the studies reported here, genetic (mtdna co-i and nucl ... | 2007 | 17828576 |
| factors affecting the dynamics of the honeybee (apis mellifera) hybrid zone of south africa. | hybrid zones are found wherever two populations distinguishable on the basis of heritable characters overlap spatially and temporally and hybridization occurs. if hybrids have lower fitness than the parental types a tension zone may emerge, in which there is a barrier to gene flow between the two parental populations. here we discuss a hybrid zone between two honeybee subspecies, apis mellifera capensis and a. m. scutellata and argue that this zone is an example of a tension zone. this tension z ... | 2008 | 17848972 |
| molecular characters and expression analysis of the gene encoding eclosion hormone from the asian corn borer, ostrinia furnacalis. | using rapid amplification of cdna ends (race), the cdna encoding eclosion hormone (eh) was cloned from the brain of ostrinia furnacalis. the full osf-eh cdna is 986 bp and contains a 267 bp open reading frame encoding an 88 amino acid preprohormone, which including a hydrophobic 26 amino acid signal peptide and a 62 amino acid mature peptide. the mature osf-eh shows high identity with manduca sexta (95.2%), helicoverpa armigera (91.9%) and bombyx mori (85.5%), but low identify with tribolium cas ... | 2008 | 17852339 |
| determination of the mineral content of bee honeys produced in middle anatolia. | the mineral content of 43 honey samples from the middle regions of turkey was investigated. minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometer. calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were the most abundant of the elements in all the studied honeys, with average concentrations ranging between 40.13 and 189.69 mg/kg for calcium, 161.01 and 598.62 mg/kg for potassium, 9.34 and 45.9 mg/kg for sodium, and 460.11 and 3,776.96 mg/kg for phosphorus. cluster analy ... | 2007 | 17852478 |
| determination of mineral contents of bee honeys produced in middle anatolia. | the mineral contents of 43 honey samples from the middle regions of turkey were investigated. minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry. calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were the most abundant of the elements in all samples with average concentrations ranging between 40.13 and 189.69 mg/kg for calcium, 161.01 and 598.62 mg/kg for potassium, 9.34 and 45.9 mg/kg for sodium, and 460.11 and 3,776.96 mg/kg for phosphorus. cluster analysis of the ... | 2007 | 17852498 |
| [local honeybee (apis mellifera mellifera l.) populations in the urals]. | the coi-coii intergenic region of mitochondrial dna (mtdna) was studied in local honeybee (apis mellifera mellifera) l. populations from the middle and southern urals. analysis of bee colonies in these regions revealed apiaries enriched in families descending from a. m. mellifera in the maternal lineage. these results confirm the suggestion of preservation of a. m. mellifera refuges in the urals and provide grounds for work on the preservation of the gene pool of this bee variety, valuable for a ... | 2007 | 17853813 |
| structural and thermodynamic analyses of the interaction between melittin and lipopolysaccharide. | lipopolysaccharide (lps), the major constituent of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, is the very first site of interactions with the antimicrobial peptides. in this work, we have determined a solution conformation of melittin, a well-known membrane active amphiphilic peptide from honey bee venom, by transferred nuclear overhauser effect (tr-noe) spectroscopy in its bound state with lipopolysaccharide. the lps bound conformation of melittin is characterized by a helical structure rest ... | 2007 | 17854761 |
| antinociceptive effects of systemic paeoniflorin on bee venom-induced various 'phenotypes' of nociception and hypersensitivity. | paeoniflorin (pf), one of the active chemical compounds identified from the root of paeonia lactiflora pall, has been well-established to exhibit various neuroprotective actions in the central nervous system (cns) after long-term daily administration. in the present study, by using the bee venom (bv) model of nociception and hypersensitivity, antinociceptive effects of pf were evaluated by intraperitoneal administration in conscious rats. when compared with saline control, systemic pre- and post ... | 2007 | 17854874 |
| antiplatelet activity of caffeic acid phenethyl ester is mediated through a cyclic gmp-dependent pathway in human platelets. | the aim of this study was to examine the inhibitory mechanisms of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), which is derived from the propolis of honeybee, in platelet activation. in this study, cape (15 and 25 microm) markedly inhibited platelet aggregation stimulated by collagen (2 microg/ml). cape (15 and 25 microm) increased cyclic gmp level, and cyclic gmp-induced vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (vasp) ser157 phosphorylation, but did not increase cyclic amp in washed human platelets. rapid ... | 2007 | 17867432 |
| the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family of the silkworm, bombyx mori. | nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs) mediate fast synaptic cholinergic transmission in the insect central nervous system. the insect nachr is the molecular target of a class of insecticides, neonicotinoids. like mammalian nachrs, insect nachrs are considered to be made up of five subunits, coded by homologous genes belonging to the same family. the nachr subunit genes of drosophila melanogaster, apis mellifera and anopheles gambiae have been cloned previously based on their genome sequence ... | 2007 | 17868469 |
| roux-en-y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy to reduce enterogastric reflux and helicobacter pylori infection. | enterogastric reflux (egr) is regarded as an unavoidable consequence of distal gastrectomy. we evaluated the efficacy of roux-en-y (ry) gastrojejunostomy and braun enteroenterostomy (bee) for preventing egr. between january 2002 and january 2005, 60 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer or peptic ulcers were divided into ry, billroth ii reconstruction (bii) without or with bee (bii+b) according to reconstructive method. after 12 months, egr and mucosal alterations of the r ... | 2007 | 17876675 |
| pesticide residues in beeswax samples collected from honey bee colonies (apis mellifera l.) in france. | in 2002 a field survey was initiated in french apiaries in order to monitor the health of honey bee colonies (apis mellifera l.). studied apiaries were evenly distributed across five sites located in continental france. beeswax samples were collected once a year over 2 years from a total of 125 honey bee colonies. multiresidue analyses were performed on these samples in order to identify residues of 16 insecticides and acaricides and two fungicides. residues of 14 of the searched-for compounds w ... | 2007 | 17879980 |
| the cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel gene superfamily of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | members of the cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel (cys-loop lgic) superfamily mediate chemical neurotransmission and are studied extensively as potential targets of drugs used to treat neurological disorders such as alzheimer's disease. insect cys-loop lgics are also of interest as they are targets of highly successful insecticides. the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, is a major pest of stored agricultural products and is also an important model organism for studying development. | 2007 | 17880682 |
| nosema ceranae is a long-present and wide-spread microsporidian infection of the european honey bee (apis mellifera) in the united states. | honey bee samples collected between 1995 and 2007 from 12 states were examined for the presence of nosema infections. our results showed that nosema ceranae is a wide-spread infection of the european honey bee, apis mellifera in the united states. the discovery of n. ceranae in bees collected a decade ago indicates that n. ceranae was transferred from its original host, apis cerana to a. mellifera earlier than previously recognized. the spread of n. ceranae infection in a. mellifera warrants fur ... | 2008 | 17880997 |
| evaluation of anti-allergic properties of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in a murine model of systemic anaphylaxis. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape) is an active component of honeybee propolis extracts. it has several positive effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and immunomodulatory effects. in particular, the suppressive effect of nf-kappab may disrupt a component of allergic induction. the principal objective of this experimental study was to evaluate the effects of cape on the active systemic anaphylaxis induced by ovalbumin (ova) c ... | 2008 | 17884125 |
| evaluating first-aid knowledge and attitudes of a sample of turkish primary school teachers. | knowledge of first aid, which constitutes life-saving treatments for injuries or unexpected illnesses, is important for every individual at every age. first aid and basic life support are so important that teaching basic first aid should be compulsory in all schools. the goal of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of turkish teachers regarding the administration of first aid. | 2007 | 17884471 |
| effect of lipid-based suspension of epimedium koreanum nakai extract on sexual behavior in rats. | herba of epimedium koreanum is used in traditional chinese and korean herbal medicine as a potent enhancer of erectile function. icariin, the main active component of epimedium koreanum, possesses many biological effects, such as improving cardiovascular function, hormone regulation, immunological function modulation, and anti-tumor activity. | 2007 | 17890032 |
| mutation analysis of drosophila dikar/cg32394, homologue of the chromatin-remodelling gene cecr2. | the mammalian cecr2 protein contains a highly conserved bromodomain and forms a chromatin-remodelling complex with the iswi homologue snf2l. mutation of the mouse cecr2 homologue results in a neural tube defect. here we describe the characterization of the drosophila melanogaster homologue of cecr2. originally annotated as 2 genes, dikar and cg32394 now appear to encode both a long dikar/cg32394 transcript homologous to cecr2 and a truncated transcript missing the bromodomain. this truncated tra ... | 2007 | 17893736 |
| first detection of nosema ceranae, a microsporidian parasite of european honey bees (apis mellifera), in canada and central usa. | nosema ceranae is an emerging microsporidian parasite of european honey bees, apis mellifera, but its distribution is not well known. six nosema-positive samples (determined from light microscopy of spores) of adult worker bees from canada (two each from nova scotia, new brunswick, and prince edward island) and two from usa (minnesota) were tested to determine nosema species using previously-developed pcr primers of the 16s rrna gene. we detected for the first time n. ceranae in canada and centr ... | 2008 | 17897670 |
| anaphylaxis to hippobosca equina (louse fly). | ige-mediated allergy to insects different from hymenoptera species is seldom reported. | 2007 | 17910334 |
| incidents of bee poisoning with pesticides in the united kingdom, 1994-2003. | for over 20 years, the uk agriculture departments have monitored the direct effects of pesticides on beneficial insects, mainly honeybees (apis mellifera, l.) and bumblebees (bombus terrestris, l.), as part of the wildlife incident investigation scheme (wiis). the central science laboratory (csl) has contributed to wiis by providing the required laboratory skills for the determination of bee diseases and the expert analytical experience necessary to determine low-level pesticide residues and int ... | 2007 | 17918188 |
| experience-dependent plasticity in the mushroom bodies of the solitary bee osmia lignaria (megachilidae). | all members of the solitary bee species osmia lignaria (the orchard bee) forage upon emergence from their natal nest cell. conversely, in the honey bee, days-to-weeks of socially regulated behavioral development precede the onset of foraging. the social honey bee's behavioral transition to foraging is accompanied by neuroanatomical changes in the mushroom bodies, a region of the insect brain implicated in learning. if these changes were general adaptations to foraging, they should also occur in ... | 2008 | 17918235 |
| phosphorylation of c-jun n-terminal kinase isoforms and their different roles in spinal cord dorsal horn and primary somatosensory cortex. | the present study was undertaken to investigate whether isoforms of c-jun n-terminal kinase (jnk 46 kda and 54 kda), one component of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) family, might show region-related differential activation patterns in both naïve and pain-experiencing rats. in naïve rats, no significant difference was observed in total expression level of the two jnk isoforms between spinal cord and primary somatosensory cortex (s1 area). however, phosphorylated jnk 46 kda was normal ... | 2007 | 17923323 |
| different roles of spinal p38 and c-jun n-terminal kinase pathways in bee venom-induced multiple pain-related behaviors. | our previous studies have established the idea that different types of pain induced by subcutaneous bee venom (bv) injection might be mediated by different spinal signaling pathways. to further testify this hypothesis, the present investigation was designed to detect whether spinal p38 and c-jun n-terminal kinase (jnk) pathways are equally or differentially involved in the development of persistent spontaneous nociception (psn), primary heat and mechanical hyperalgesia, and mirror-image heat (mi ... | 2007 | 17923327 |
| effect of propolis versus metronidazole and their combined use in treatment of acute experimental giardiasis. | propolis, a honey bee product, gained popularity in alternative medicine. its prophylactic and therapeutic effects were experimentally evaluated. one hundred and fifty immunocompetent mice were orally infected by 5 x 10(5) axenically cultivated giardia lamblia trophozoites. the trophozoite count in intestine, interferon-gamma serum level, histopathological examination of duodenal and jejunal sections were assessed for evaluation of propolis and metronidazole (mtz) effect after 6 & 12 days post i ... | 2007 | 17926808 |
| proteomic analysis of royal jelly from three strains of western honeybees (apis mellifera). | to compare the protein complement of royal jelly (rj) from high rj producing honeybees ( apis mellifera l.), a strain of a. mellifera artificially selected for increased rj production from italian honeybees in china for more than two decades was compared to those of native italian honeybees ( a. mellifera l.) and carnica honeybees ( a. mellifera c.); the protein in rj from these three strains of honeybees was partially identified by using a combination of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel elect ... | 2007 | 17927147 |
| spread of infectious chronic bee paralysis virus by honeybee (apis mellifera l.) feces. | knowledge of the spreading mechanism of honeybee pathogens within the hive is crucial to our understanding of bee disease dynamics. the aim of this study was to assess the presence of infectious chronic bee paralysis virus (cbpv) in bee excreta and evaluate its possible role as an indirect route of infection. samples of paralyzed bees were (i) produced by experimental inoculation with purified virus and (ii) collected from hives exhibiting chronic paralysis. cbpv in bee heads or feces (crude or ... | 2007 | 17933946 |
| melittin induces bcl-2 and caspase-3-dependent apoptosis through downregulation of akt phosphorylation in human leukemic u937 cells. | melittin (mel), a major polypeptide in bee venom (bv), is known to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. however, the molecular mechanisms involved in mel-induced apoptosis have not been fully elucidated, especially in human leukemic cells. in the present study, we report that mel induces apoptosis in leukemic u937 cells through downregulating akt signal pathways. furthermore, mel-induced apoptosis was accompanied by downregulation of bcl-2 and activation of caspase-3. the ... | 2008 | 17936321 |
| nontarget effects of the mosquito adulticide pyrethrin applied aerially during a west nile virus outbreak in an urban california environment. | in august 2006, a pyrethrin insecticide synergized with piperonyl butoxide (evergreen crop protection ec 60-6, mclaughlin gormley king company, golden valley, mn) was sprayed in ultralow volumes over the city of davis, ca, by the sacramento-yolo mosquito and vector control district to control mosquitoes transmitting west nile virus. concurrently, we evaluated the impact of the insecticide on nontarget arthropods by 1) comparing mortality of treatment and control groups of sentinel arthropods, an ... | 2007 | 17939516 |
| improvement of rt-pcr detection of chronic bee paralysis virus (cbpv) required by the description of genomic variability in french cbpv isolates. | a new rt-pcr test has been developed to diagnose chronic bee paralysis virus (cbpv) that is able to detect genetically variable viral isolates. in fact, up to 8.7% divergence between partial nucleotide sequences from viral isolates from french honey bees was highlighted in a preliminary variability study. the previously-described rt-pcr was unable to detect all these viral isolates and rt-pcr diagnosis needed improvement. the new rt-pcr test can detect up to 40% more cbpv isolates. | 2008 | 17949741 |
| molecular cloning, phylogeny and localization of agnha1: the first na+/h+ antiporter (nha) from a metazoan, anopheles gambiae. | we have cloned a cdna encoding a new ion transporter from the alimentary canal of larval african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae giles sensu stricto. phylogenetic analysis revealed that the corresponding gene is in a group that has been designated nha, and which includes (na+ or k+)/h+ antiporters; so the novel transporter is called agnha1. the annotation of current insect genomes shows that both agnha1 and a close relative, agnha2, belong to the cation proton antiporter 2 (cpa2) subfamily a ... | 2007 | 17951426 |
| antibacterial and free-radical scavenging activities of sonoran propolis. | to evaluate the antibacterial and free-radical scavenging (frs) activities of propolis collected from three different areas of sonoran desert in northwestern mexico [pueblo de alamos (pap), ures (up) and caborca (cp)]. | 2007 | 17953585 |
| identification and characterization of a juvenile hormone response element and its binding proteins. | juvenile hormones (jh) regulate a wide variety of developmental and physiological processes in insects. comparison of microarray data on jh-induced genes in the fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, l57 cells and in the honey bee, apis mellifera, identified 16 genes that are induced in both species. analysis of promoter regions of these 16 d. melanogaster genes identified dmjhre1 (d. melanogaster jh response element 1). in l57 cells, the reporter gene regulated by dmjhre1 was induced by jh iii. tw ... | 2007 | 17956872 |
| a sensitive one-step real-time rt-pcr method for detection of deformed wing virus and black queen cell virus in honeybee apis mellifera. | a one-step real-time rt-pcr based on sybr green (sg) chemistry was developed for the detection, differentiation and quantification of two of the most common viruses on the honeybee apis mellifera l., deformed wing virus and black queen cell virus. two sets of primers specific for each virus, were designed in conserved regions of the viral genome for their use in the one-step real-time rt-pcr. both reactions were optimized for highest sensitivity and specificity and sg-based real-time was used to ... | 2008 | 17964669 |
| effect of pollinator abundance on self-fertilization and gene flow: application to gm canola. | cross-pollination from fields of transgenic crops is of great public concern. although cross-pollination in commercial canola (brassica napus) fields has been empirically measured, field trials are expensive and do not identify the causes of cross-pollination. therefore, theoretical models can be valuable because they can provide estimates of cross-pollination at any given site and time. we present a general analytical model of field-to-field gene flow due to the following competing mechanisms: ... | 2007 | 17974346 |
| human group iii phospholipase a2 suppresses adenovirus infection into host cells. evidence that group iii, v and x phospholipase a2s act on distinct cellular phospholipid molecular species. | of 10 mammalian secreted phospholipase a(2) (spla(2)) enzymes identified to date, group v and x spla(2)s, which are two potent plasma membrane-acting spla(2)s, are capable of preventing host cells from being infected with adenovirus, and this anti-viral action depends on the conversion of phosphatidylcholine (pc) to lysophosphatidylcholine (lpc) in the host cell membrane. here, we show that human group iii spla(2), which is structurally more similar to bee venom pla(2) than to other mammalian sp ... | 2007 | 17980167 |
| honeybee venom secretory phospholipase a2 induces leukotriene production but not histamine release from human basophils. | the role of basophils in an anaphylactic response is well recognized but is usually masked by mast cells, which contain similar mediators for the induction of generalized vasodilatation and laryngeal constriction. the rapid onset of systemic anaphylactic symptoms, particularly in insect stings and ingested food, suggest that basophils, a circulating pool of cells containing histamine and other potent mediators such as leukotrienes, may be more involved in systemic anaphylaxis than originally tho ... | 2008 | 18005261 |