Female reproductive system of the sugarcane spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata (Auchenorrhyncha): vitellogenesis dynamics and protein quantification

The present study aimed describing the ovaries of the sugarcane spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata which are meroistic telotrophic with nurse cells and oocytes located in the tropharium. SEM revealed paired ovaries located dorsolaterally around the intestine, and oocytes exhibiting shapes ranging from round (less developed) to elliptic (more developed), suggesting a simultaneous, although, asynchronous development. Based on histological data we classified the oocytes in stages from I to V. Stage I oocytes exhibit follicular epithelium with cubic and/or prismatic cells, fine cytoplasmic granules. Stage II oocytes present intercellular spaces in the follicular epithelium due to the incorporation of yolk elements from the hemolymph. Small granules are present in the periphery of oocytes while larger granules are observed in the center. Stage III oocytes are larger and intercellular spaces in the follicular epithelium are evident, as well as the interface between follicular epithelium and oocyte. Yolk granules of different sizes are present in the cytoplasm. During this stage, chorion deposition initiates. Stage IV oocytes exhibit squamous follicular cells and larger intercellular spaces when compared to those observed in the previous stage. The oocyte cytoplasm present granular and viscous yolk, the latter is the result of the breakdown of granules. Stage V oocytes exhibit a follicular epithelium almost completely degenerated, smaller quantities of granular yolk and large amounts of viscous yolk. Based on our findings we established the sequence of yolk deposition in M. fimbriolata oocyte as follows: proteins and lipids, which are first produced by endogenous processes in stages I and II oocytes. Exogenous incorporation begins in stage III. In stages I and II oocytes, lipids are also produced by follicular epithelial cells. The third element to be deposited is polysaccharides, mainly found as complexes. Therefore, the yolk present in the oocytes of this species consists of glycolipoproteins. Molecular weights of proteins present in M. fimbriolata oocytes ranged from 10 to 92 KDa, differently from vitellogenin, the most common protein present in insect oocytes, weighing approximately 180 KDa.     

Development of a Simple and Fast Electrochemical Method for Screening and Stoichiometric Determination of Dimenhydrinate

Dimenhydrinate (DIM) is a salt composed by the combination of two active pharmaceutical ingredients: diphenhydramine (DIP) and 8‐chlorotheophylline (CTP). In this work, the use of batch injection analysis with multiple pulse amperometric detection (BIA‐MPA) was proposed for the first time for fast stoichiometric determination of DIM. DIP (cation) and CTP (anion) were determined simultaneously in pharmaceutical samples with a simple and fast injection procedure (70 injections h^?1). Additional strategies were also proposed for rapid screening of samples containing the DIM salt. By a simple injection of a sample into the BIA system (without using of calibration curve), reliable information about stoichiometry of the DIM salt (1 : 1; DIP:CTP) and presence or absence of interfering species (electroactive) can be achieved.     

Oxidizing Elemental Platinum with Oleum under Harsh Conditions: The Unique Tris(disulfato)platinate(IV) [Pt(S2O7)3]2− Anion

For the first time, direct oxidation of elemental platinum by a mineral acid to its tetravalent state was observed in course of the reaction of platinum with oleum (65 % SO₃) in the presence of barium carbonate. The reaction has been carried out in torch‐sealed glass ampoules at 160 °C and gave yellow single crystals of Ba[Pt(S₂O₇)₃](H₂SO₄)_0.5(H₂S₂O₇)_0.5 (triclinic, P$\bar 1$ , Z=2, a=992.05(2), b=1069.07(3), c=1114.22(3) pm, α=69.49(7), β=72.96(2), γ=72.93(1)°, V=1033.95(5) ų). The structure of Ba[Pt(S₂O₇)₃](H₂SO₄)_0.5(H₂S₂O₇)_0.5 exhibits the unique tris‐(disulfato)‐platinate anion [Pt(S₂O₇)₃]^2? with three chelating disulfate groups coordinated to the platinum atom. Charge balance is achieved by the Ba²⁺ ions, which are coordinated by (S₂O₇)^2? groups from the platinate complex and by disordered sulfuric acids and disulfuric acid molecules. Thermal decomposition of the bulk material revealed elemental platinum and barium sulfate as decomposition residual.     

Aryl–Phenyl Scrambling in Intermediate Organopalladium Complexes: A Gas‐Phase Study of the Mizoroki–Heck Reaction

The intramolecular aryl–phenyl scrambling reaction within palladium–DPPP–aryl complex (DPPP=1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) ions was analyzed by state‐of‐the‐art tandem MS, including gas‐phase ion/molecule reactions. The Mizoroki–Heck cross‐coupling reaction was performed in the gas phase, and the intrinsic reactivity of important intermediates could be examined. Moreover, linear free‐energy correlations were applied, and a mechanism for the scrambling reaction proceeding via phosphonium cations was assumed.     

Halide‐Free Diarylcalcium Complexes—Syntheses,Structures, and Stability

A general procedure was developed for the synthesis of diarylcalcium complexes by addition of KOtBu to arylcalcium iodides in THF. Intermediate arylcalcium tert‐butanolate dismutates immediately leading to insoluble tert‐butanolate precipitates of calcium. Depending on the steric demand and denticity of additional neutral aliphatic azabases, mononuclear or dinuclear complexes trans‐[Ca(α‐Naph)₂(thf)₄] ( 1 ), [Ca(β‐Naph)₂(thf)₄] ( 2 ), [Ca(Tol)₂(tmeda)]₂ ( 3 ), [Ca(Ph)₂(tmeda)]₂ ( 4 ), [Ca(Ph)₂(pmdta)(thf)] ( 5 ), [Ca(hmteta)(Ph)₂] ( 6 ), and [Ca([18]C‐6)(Ph)₂] ( 7 ) were isolated (Naph=naphthyl; meda=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine; pmdta= N,N,N′,N′′,N′′‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine; hmteta=N,N,N′,N′′,N′′′,N′′′‐hexamethyltriethylenetetramine). The Ca?C bond lengths vary between 250.8 and 263.5 pm, the ipso‐carbon atoms show low‐field‐shifted resonances in the ¹³C NMR spectra.     

Trifluoromethylation of [AuF3(SIMes)]: Preparation and Characterization of [Au(CF3)xF3−x(SIMes)] (x=1–3) Complexes

Trifluoromethylation of [AuF₃(SIMes)] with the Ruppert–Prakash reagent TMSCF₃ in the presence of CsF yields the product series [Au(CF₃)_xF_3−x(SIMes)] (x=1–3). The degree of trifluoromethylation is solvent dependent and the ratio of the species can be controlled by varying the stoichiometry of the reaction, as evidenced from the ¹⁹F NMR spectra of the corresponding reaction mixtures. The molecular structures in the solid state of trans-[Au(CF₃)F₂(SIMes)] and [Au(CF₃)₃(SIMes)] are presented, together with a selective route for the synthesis of the latter complex. Correlation of the calculated SIMes affinity with the carbene carbon chemical shift in the ¹³C NMR spectrum reveals that trans-[Au(CF₃)F₂(SIMes)] and [Au(CF₃)₃(SIMes)] nicely follow the trend in Lewis acidities of related organo gold(III) complexes. Furthermore, a new correlation between the Au−C_carbene bond length of the molecular structure in the solid state and the chemical shift of the carbene carbon in the ¹³C NMR spectrum is presented.     

Flow-through amperometric methods for detection of the bioactive compound quercetin: performance of glassy carbon and screen-printed carbon electrodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Rapid methods using batch injection analysis (BIA) with amperometric detection were developed for the determination of quercetin extracted from the...     

The Dynamics of the Neuropeptide Y Receptor Type 1 Investigated by Solid-State NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

We report data on the structural dynamics of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) type 1 (Y1R), a typical representative of class A peptide ligand GPCRs, using a combination of solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. First, the equilibrium dynamics of Y1R were studied using ¹⁵N-NMR and quantitative determination of ¹H-¹³C order parameters through the measurement of dipolar couplings in separated-local-field NMR experiments. Order parameters reporting the amplitudes of the molecular motions of the C-H bond vectors of Y1R in DMPC membranes are 0.57 for the Cα sites and lower in the side chains (0.37 for the CH₂ and 0.18 for the CH₃ groups). Different NMR excitation schemes identify relatively rigid and also dynamic segments of the molecule. In monounsaturated membranes composed of longer lipid chains, Y1R is more rigid, attributed to a higher hydrophobic thickness of the lipid membrane. The presence of an antagonist or NPY has little influence on the amplitude of motions, whereas the addition of agonist and arrestin led to a pronounced rigidization. To investigate Y1R dynamics with site resolution, we conducted extensive all-atom MD simulations of the apo and antagonist-bound state. In each state, three replicas with a length of 20 μs (with one exception, where the trajectory length was 10 μs) were conducted. In these simulations, order parameters of each residue were determined and showed high values in the transmembrane helices, whereas the loops and termini exhibit much lower order. The extracellular helix segments undergo larger amplitude motions than their intracellular counterparts, whereas the opposite is observed for the loops, Helix 8, and termini. Only minor differences in order were observed between the apo and antagonist-bound state, whereas the time scale of the motions is shorter for the apo state. Although these relatively fast motions occurring with correlation times of ns up to a few µs have no direct relevance for receptor activation, it is believed that they represent the prerequisite for larger conformational transitions in proteins.