Calcium imaging in the ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Camponotus fellah</Emphasis> reveals a conserved odour-similarity space in insects and mammals

Background  

Olfactory systems create representations of the chemical world in the animal brain. Recordings of odour-evoked activity in the primary olfactory centres of vertebrates and insects have suggested similar rules for odour processing, in particular through spatial organization of chemical information in their functional units, the glomeruli. Similarity between odour representations can be extracted from across-glomerulus patterns in a wide range of species, from insects to vertebrates, but comparison of odour similarity in such diverse taxa has not been addressed. In the present study, we asked how 11 aliphatic odorants previously tested in honeybees and rats are represented in the antennal lobe of the ant Camponotus fellah, a social insect that relies on olfaction for food search and social communication.     

Mechanistic insights into dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission – concerted interactions with helices 5 and 6 drive the functional outcome

Brain functions rely on neurotransmitters that mediate communication between billions of neurons. Disruption of this communication can result in a plethora of psychiatric and neurological disorders. In this work, we combine molecular dynamics simulations, live-cell biosensor and electrophysiological assays to investigate the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine at the dopaminergic D₂ receptor (D₂R). The study of dopamine and closely related chemical probes reveals how neurotransmitter binding translates into the activation of distinct subsets of D₂R effectors (i.e.: G_i2, G_oB, G_z and β-arrestin 2). Ligand interactions with key residues in TM5 (S5.42) and TM6 (H6.55) in the D₂R binding pocket yield a dopamine-like coupling signature, whereas exclusive TM5 interaction is typically linked to preferential G protein coupling (in particular G_oB) over β-arrestin. Further experiments for serotonin receptors indicate that the reported molecular mechanism is shared by other monoaminergic neurotransmitter receptors. Ultimately, our study highlights how sequence variation in position 6.55 is used by nature to fine-tune β-arrestin recruitment and in turn receptor signaling and internalization of neurotransmitter receptors.

Neurotransmitter contacts within the receptor binding site differentially contribute to the overall functional response: transmembrane helix (TM) 5 contacts promote G protein coupling whereas concerted TM5–TM6 contacts enhance β-arrestin recruitment.     

Thermal decomposition of a series of 1,2-diazetines

A homologous series of tricyclic diazetines (6a-c), differing by the number of methylene groups in the saturated bridges of the fused carbon bicycles, was synthesized. The DeltaH++ of decomposition for each of the diazetines to afford N2 and the corresponding alkene was determined experimentally: 6a, 31.7; 6b, 39.3; 6c, 38.8 kcal/mol. The ground-state strain energy of each diazetine was estimated utilizing computationally obtained DeltaHf's for each of the experimentally investigated diazetines as well as several other diazetines whose DeltaH++'s had been previously reported in the literature. The sum of the ground-state strain energies and DeltaH++'s of decomposition for all of the diazetines was nearly constant, with an average value of 59 kcal/mol, suggesting that all of the diazetines decompose via the same mechanism. Generally, the higher the ground-state strain energy of the diazetine, the less the DeltaH++ for decomposition. The decomposition transition states for 6a-c and 7 were modeled computationally at the RB3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)//UB3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level. The agreement of the experimentally determined DeltaH++ values with transition-state energies obtained computationally supports the reaction mechanism originally proposed by Yamabe that the elimination process occurs by an unsymmetrical, yet concerted, transition state with strong biradical character.     

Charge transfer from ammonia physisorbed on nanotubes

We report the use of nanotube field-effect transistor devices for chemical sensing in a conducting liquid environment. Detection of ammonia occurs through the shift of the gate voltage dependence of the source-drain current. We attribute this shift to charge transfer from adsorbed ammonia molecules, with the amount of charge estimated to be as small as 40 electrons for the smallest shift detected. Using the concentration dependence of the response as an adsorption isotherm, we are able to measure the amount of charge transfer to be 0.04 electron per ammonia molecule.     

Large intrinsic birefringence in zinc-blende based artificial semiconductors

A new attempt to solve the phase matching problem for semiconductor-based frequency conversion devices, based on the implementation of intrinsic birefringence in artificial materials, is discussed. The first results concerning the growth and characterization of ultrashort period superlattices are presented. To cite this article: J.-M. Jancu et al., C. R. Physique 8 (2007).     

ELECTRIC LINEAR DICHROISM OF P700 CHLOROPHYLL U-PROTEIN COMPLEXES

Abstract— The P₇₀₀ chlorophyll a -protein complex (CPI) isolated from green plants was oriented in aqueous solutions using pulsed electric fields of up to 6700 V cm^-1. The electric linear dichroism spectrum is reported in the range of 400–720nm. Positive peaks in the linear dichroism Δ A = A _I - A ₁ (where A_I and A₁ are the absorbance components in which the polarizer orientation is parallel and perpendicular with respect to the electric field. respectively) are observed at 443 and 686 nm. The ΔA signal at 686 nm is discussed in terms of either a specialized chlorophyll form absorbing at 686 nm. or due to an exciton component absorbing at the same wavelength.     

Total synthesis of erythromycin B

We report the details of the first total synthesis of erythromycin B using two different strategies for the end game. The first of these follows a classical approach in which the desosamine and cladinose residues are sequentially appended to a macrocyclic lactone, which was formed by cyclization of a seco acid derivative, to give a bis-glycosylated macrolide intermediate that is converted into erythromycin B. The second strategy features an abiotic approach in which a seco acid bearing a desosamine residue is cyclized to give a monoglycosylated macrocyclic lactone that is then transformed into erythromycin B via a sequence of steps involving refunctionalizations and a glycosylation to introduce the cladinose moiety. Attempts to prepare a bis-glycosylated seco acid by de novo synthesis were unsuccessful. The syntheses of the key seco acid intermediates feature the oxidative transformation of a furan containing C(3)-C(10) to provide a dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonenone that served as a template on which to create the stereocenters at C(6) and C(8). A stereoselective aldol reaction was used to establish the C(11)-C(15) segment, and a stereoselective crotylation was implemented to introduce the propionate subunit comprising C(1)-C(2).     

FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROELECTROCHEMISTRY OF THE BACTERIOCHLOROPHYLL a ANION RADICAL

Abstract— Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy of the electrochemically generated anion radical of bacteriochlorophyll a was used to follow the molecular changes upon one-electron reduction. An IR spectroelectrochemical cell was constructed, allowing in situ electrolysis in connection with spectroscopic investigations from 200 to 10 000 nm. FTIR difference spectra of the BChl a anion formation in THF d₈ at U =+0.9 V (as determined by ferrocene calibration) were obtained. After complete formation of the radical, the reverse process was followed. Comparison of visible and IR spectra of the reduction and re-oxidation processes indicates that more than 90% of the BChl a anion could be formed with 90% of it being reversible. The main IR absorbance changes are observed for the conjugated and even for the non-conjugated C=O groups of BChl a . These results demonstrate the use of the combination of FTIR spectroscopy and electrochemistry for the characterization of radicals of the isolated pigments and of their in vivo bonding to the protein environment.     

Structure of a 4:1:4 supramolecular assembly of neutral TiiiiPO cavitands and tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium)porphyrin iodide

Four tetraphosphorylated TiiiiPO cavitands 1 encapsulate the pyridinium heads of a tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium)porphyrin iodide to form a 4:1:4 (host)4/guest4+/4I- complex. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows the arrangement of the four cavities bound to the CH3N+ groups of the porphyrin moiety and the four iodide anions nested between the phenethyl substituents of the hosts. 1H NMR investigations show that the structure is preserved in chloroform solution and underscore the effect of the counteranions.