Side effects of mancozeb on Typhlodromus pyri (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in vineyards: results of multi-year field trials and a laboratory study.

The side effects of mancozeb on the predatory mite Typhlodromus pyri were studied in 4-year field trials on grapevine and in the laboratory. In the field, the effect of mancozeb varied according to previous mancozeb use. In vineyards where mancozeb had commonly been used over years, this fungicide is generally slightly toxic, in some cases moderately toxic and rarely toxic.

Squalene epoxide cyclase and microemulsion.

Squalene epoxide cyclase was extracted from microsomal preparations of rat liver using anionic, cationic and non-ionic microemulsions. The anionic microemulsion was the best with respect to protein solubilisation, extracted cyclase activity and stability of this activity over time. The activity assay showed cyclase activity to be higher in anionic microemulsion than in buffer in the presence of surfactant.

Potent inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis in 3T3 fibroblasts by N-[(1,5,9)-trimethyldecyl]-4 alpha,10-dimethyl-8-aza-trans-decal-3 beta-ol, a new 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase inhibitor.

N-[(1,5,9)-trimethyldecyl]-4 alpha,10-dimethyl-8-aza-trans-decal-3 beta-ol, a new compound rationally designed to inhibit the 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase (M. Taton et al., Biochem.

Partial purification of 2,3-oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase from hog-liver. Evidence for a functional thiol residue.

2,3-Oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase is an intrinsic microsomal protein which can be solubilized by ionic (deoxycholate) and nonionic (emulphogene) detergents with good yields. The hog-liver microsomal cyclase was purified approximately 140-fold by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and hydroxylapatite. The partially purified enzyme was inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide, following pseudo-first order kinetics, indicating that a cysteine residue is essential for activity.

The squalene-2,3-epoxide cyclase as a model for the development of new drugs.

The 2,3-oxido squalene (SO) cyclases represent a group of enzymes which convert SO into polycyclic triterpenoids such as lanosterol, cycloartenol, cucurbitadienol and beta-amyrin. Taking into account the postulated model of the enzymatic cyclization of SO, we have investigated the possibility of designing compounds that would be selective and potent inhibitors of SO cyclases. Due to the fundamental role of sterols in animal, higher plant and fungal tissues, these inhibitors might behave as very selective (ipocholesterolemic, antifungal or phytotoxic) drugs.