Biosynthesis of the triterpenoid withanolides in Withaniasomnifera.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) is a versatile medicinal plant of Solanaceae family, renowned for its potent therapeutic properties, due to which it is extensively used in Indian traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda. The medicinal properties are attributed to specialized metabolites known as withanolides, which are chemically triterpenoid steroidal lactones.

Analysis of root volatiles and functional characterization of a root-specific germacrene A synthase in Artemisia pallens.

The study demonstrated that Artemisia pallens roots can be a source of terpene-rich essential oil and root-specific ApTPS1 forms germacrene A contributing to major root volatiles. Davana (Artemisia pallens Bess) is a valuable aromatic herb within the Asteraceae family, highly prized for its essential oil (EO) produced in the aerial parts. However, the root volatile composition, and the genes responsible for root volatiles have remained unexplored until now.

Diacylglycerol kinase alleviates autophagic degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum in SPT10-deficient yeast to enhance triterpene biosynthesis.

A recent study showed that deletion of the gene encoding the transcription regulator SuPpressor of Ty10 (SPT10) increases total phospholipids, and our previous study established a critical link between phospholipids and the mevalonate/ergosterol (MEV/ERG) pathway, which synthesises triterpenes. This study aims to use spt10Δ yeast to improve triterpene production. Though MEV/ERG pathway was highly expressed in spt10Δ yeast, results showed insufficient accumulation of key metabolites and also revealed massive endoplasmic reticulum (ER) degradation.

Triglyceride deficiency and diacylglycerol kinase1 activity lead to the upregulation of mevalonate pathway in yeast: A study for the development of potential yeast platform for improved production of triterpenoid.

Besides energy storage and membrane biogenesis, lipids are known for their numerous biological functions. The two essential lipids, diacylglycerol (DG) and phosphatidic acid (PA), are shown to be associated with cell signalling processes. In this study, we examined whether triglyceride-deficient yeast mutants (tgΔ), dga1Δ and dga1Δlro1Δ, may play an important role in mevalonate (MEV) pathway regulation.

Orbitofrontal cortex activity and connectivity predict future depression symptoms in adolescence.

Background: Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide; however, little is known about pathological mechanisms involved in its development. Research in adolescent depression has focused on reward sensitivity and striatal mechanisms implementing it. The contribution of loss sensitivity to future depression, as well as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) mechanisms critical for processing losses and rewards, remain unexplored.

Functional connectivity during language processing in acute cocaine withdrawal: a pilot study.

Recent research revealed decreased access to semantic and associative networks in acute cocaine withdrawal. In autism, such behavioral outcomes are associated with decreased functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, we wished to determine whether connectivity is also decreased in acute cocaine withdrawal.

Effect of propranolol on functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorder--a pilot study.

A decrease in interaction between brain regions is observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is believed to be related to restricted neural network access in ASD. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, has revealed benefit during performance of tasks involving flexibility of access to networks, a benefit also seen in ASD. Our goal was to determine the effect of propranolol on functional connectivity in ASD during a verbal decision making task as compared to nadolol, thereby accounting for the potential spurious fMRI effects due to peripheral hemodynamic effects of propranolol.

Network model of decreased context utilization in autism spectrum disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) demonstrate impaired utilization of context, which allows for superior performance on the "false memory" task. We report the application of a simplified parallel distributed processing model of context utilization to the false memory task. For individuals without ASD, experiments support a model wherein presentation of one word, e.