Three New Triterpene Glycosides from the Roots of x "Strawberry Fields" (Hydrangeaceae).

Three new triterpene glycosides were isolated from x "Strawberry Fields" cultivar via aqueous-ethanolic extraction of the roots, including one derivative of sumaresinolic acid and two of echinocystic acid: 3--β-D-glucuronopyranosylsumaresinolic acid 28--β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl ester, 3--β-D-glucuronopyranosylechinocystic acid 28--β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl ester, and 3--α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-D-glucuronopyranosylechinocystic acid 28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl ester. As none of the isolated saponins were previously documented in the literature, their structural elucidation required extensive 1D and homo- and heteronuclear 2D NMR spectroscopy, as well as mass spectrometry analysis. All three glycosides were tested for their stimulatory activity of the sweet taste receptor TAS1R2/TAS1R3.

Optimized vector for functional expression of the human bitter taste receptor TAS2R14 in HEK293 cells.

Bitter is one of the five basic taste qualities, along with salty, sour, sweet and umami, used by mammals to access the quality of their food and orient their eating behaviour. Bitter taste detection prevents the ingestion of food potentially contaminated by bitter-tasting toxins. Bitter taste perception is mediated by a family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) called TAS2Rs.

Ligand discrimination in hOR1A1 based on the capacitive response.

Odorant discrimination mechanisms are based on the differential interactions between odorant molecules and olfactory receptors (ORs). Biohybrid sensors based on ORs described to date show selectivity towards specific versus non-specific binding of odorants, being unable to distinguish between specific ligands of different affinity. Here we disclose a method that enables odorant discrimination based on the modulation of the capacitive response of the receptor, which allows the differentiation of three high-affinity hOR1A1 agonists.

A receptor-based assay to study the sweet and bitter tastes of sweeteners and binary sweet blends: the SWEET project.

Sweeteners are used in the food industry to provide sweetness similar to sugar and to decrease the caloric intake and risks associated with obesity. However, some sweeteners are characterized by bitter, metallic and other off-tastes. Sensory and cellular studies have demonstrated synergies between sweetener blends, which are responsible for enhancing sweetness.

PKMζ alters oxycodone-taking in a dose- and sex-dependent manner.

Opioid use disorder involves disruptions to glutamate homeostasis and dendritic spine density in the reward system. PKMζ is an atypical isoform of protein kinase C that is expressed exclusively in neurons and plays a role in postsynaptic glutamate signaling and dendritic spine maturation. As opioid use leads to alterations in glutamate transmission and dendritic spine density, we hypothesized that PKMζ deletion would alter opioid-taking behaviors.

A status report on human odorant receptors and their allocated agonists.

Olfactory perception begins when odorous substances interact with specialized receptors located on the surface of dedicated sensory neurons. The recognition of smells depends on a complex mechanism involving a combination of interactions between an odorant and a set of odorant receptors (ORs), where molecules are recognized according to a combinatorial activation code of ORs. Although these interactions have been studied for decades, the rules governing this ligand recognition remain poorly understood, and the complete combinatorial code is only known for a handful of odorants.

Sex differences in glutamate transmission and plasticity in reward related regions.

Disruptions in glutamate homeostasis within the mesolimbic reward circuitry may play a role in the pathophysiology of various reward related disorders such as major depressive disorders, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Clear sex differences have emerged in the rates and symptom severity of these disorders which may result from differing underlying mechanisms of glutamatergic signaling. Indeed, preclinical models have begun to uncover baseline sex differences throughout the brain in glutamate transmission and synaptic plasticity.

Post-weaning social isolation alters sociability in a sex-specific manner.

Adolescence is a critical period for brain development in humans and stress exposure during this time can have lasting effects on behavior and brain development. Social isolation and loneliness are particularly salient stressors that lead to detrimental mental health outcomes particularly in females, although most of the preclinical work on social isolation has been done in male animals. Our lab has developed a model of post-weaning adolescent social isolation that leads to increased drug reward sensitivity and altered neuronal structure in limbic brain regions.

Impact of log parsing on deep learning-based anomaly detection.

Software systems log massive amounts of data, recording important runtime information. Such logs are used, for example, for log-based anomaly detection, which aims to automatically detect abnormal behaviors of the system under analysis by processing the information recorded in its logs. Many log-based anomaly detection techniques based on deep learning models include a pre-processing step called log parsing.

Connecting self-report and instrumental behavior during incubation of food craving in humans.

Incubation of craving is a phenomenon describing the intensification of craving for a reward over extended periods of abstinence from reinforcement. Animal models use instrumental markers of craving to reward cues to examine incubation, while human paradigms rely on subjective self-reports. Here, we characterize an animal-inspired, novel human paradigm that showed strong positive relationships between self-reports and instrumental markers of craving for favored palatable foods.

Post-weaning social isolation alters sociability in a sex-specific manner.

Adolescence is a critical period for brain development in humans and stress exposure during this time can have lasting effects on behavior and brain development. Social isolation and loneliness are particularly salient stressors that lead to detrimental mental health outcomes particularly in females, although most of the preclinical work on social isolation has been done in male animals. Our lab has developed a model of post-weaning adolescent social isolation that leads to increased drug reward sensitivity and altered neuronal structure in limbic brain regions.

Millettia dubia De Wild. (Fabaceae): Structural analysis of the oleanane-type glycosides and stimulation of the sweet taste receptors TAS1R2/TAS1R3.

From the root barks of a Central African tree Millettia dubia De Wild. (Fabaceae), ten previously undescribed oleanane-type glycosides were isolated by various chromatographic protocols. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, mainly 2D NMR experiments and mass spectrometry, as mono- and bidesmosidic glycosides of mesembryanthemoidigenic acid, hederagenin and oleanolic acid.

Modulation of bitter taste receptors by yeast extracts.

Yeast extracts (YEs) are used in foods because of their flavour properties and ability to reduce bitterness. The adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) found in YEs is known to decrease the bitterness of some compounds. This study aimed to investigate the ability of YEs to inhibit bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) using in vitro cell-based assays.

Elevating levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol blunts opioid reward but not analgesia.

Converging findings have established that the endocannabinoid (eCB) system serves as a possible target for the development of new treatments for pain as a complement to opioid-based treatments. Here we show in male and female mice that enhancing levels of the eCB, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), through pharmacological inhibition of its catabolic enzyme, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), either systemically or in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with JZL184, leads to a substantial attenuation of the rewarding effects of opioids in male and female mice using conditioned place preference and self-administration paradigms, without altering their analgesic properties. These effects are driven by CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) within the VTA as VTA CB1R conditional knockout, counteracts JZL184's effects.

Bioactive volatiles of brewer's yeasts: Antifungal action of compounds produced during wort fermentation on Aspergillus sp.

Previous investigations proved the potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MBELGA62 and Pichia kudriavzevii MBELGA61 as suitable biocontrolling agents against Aspergillus sp. through the production of soluble and volatile bioactive antifungal compounds. The present study delves into those finding by means of the identification of the volatile compounds produced by brewer's strains that demonstrated fungistatic and fungicidal effects against Aspergillus flavus and A.

Tas1R3 Dependent and Independent Recognition of Sugars in the Urethra and the Role of Tuft Cells in this Process.

Increased sugar concentrations on mucosal surfaces display risk factors for infections. This study aims to clarify sugar monitoring in the urethra. Urethral tuft cells (UTC) are known sentinels monitoring the urethral lumen for potentially harmful substances and initiating protective mechanisms.

Correction: The odorant metabolizing enzyme UGT2A1: Immunolocalization and impact of the modulation of its activity on the olfactory response.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Reconceptualising Work and Employment in Complex Productive Configurations.

Increasingly, work and employment take place within network firms, value chains, and other organisational forms extending control beyond the firm's legal boundaries. This article proposes a model rooted in sociological concepts (work organisation, control, and risk) to analyse how social relations of work and employment are structured, and how inequalities are manufactured, in these organisational forms. First, we change the level of analysis, moving from firm to productive configuration.

M2OR: a database of olfactory receptor-odorant pairs for understanding the molecular mechanisms of olfaction.

Mammalian sense of smell is triggered by interaction between odorant molecules and a class of proteins, called olfactory receptors (ORs). These receptors, expressed at the surface of olfactory sensory neurons, encode myriad of distinct odors via a sophisticated activation pattern. However, determining the molecular recognition spectrum of ORs remains a major challenge.

Faba Bean ( L. ) Bitterness: An Untargeted Metabolomic Approach to Highlight the Impact of the Non-Volatile Fraction.

In the context of climate change, faba beans are an interesting alternative to animal proteins but are characterised by off-notes and bitterness that decrease consumer acceptability. However, research on pulse bitterness is often limited to soybeans and peas. This study aimed to highlight potential bitter non-volatile compounds in faba beans.

Sex differences in pre- and post-synaptic glutamate signaling in the nucleus accumbens core.

Background: Glutamate signaling within the nucleus accumbens underlies motivated behavior and is involved in psychiatric disease. Although behavioral sex differences in these processes are well-established, the neural mechanisms driving these differences are largely unexplored. In these studies, we examine potential sex differences in synaptic plasticity and excitatory transmission within the nucleus accumbens core.

Circulating ovarian hormones interact with protein interacting with C kinase (PICK1) within the medial prefrontal cortex to influence cocaine seeking in female mice.

Protein interacting with C kinase 1 (PICK1) is an AMPA receptor binding protein that works in conjunction with glutamate receptor interacting protein (GRIP) to balance the number of GluA2-containing AMPARs in the synapse. In male mice, disrupting PICK1 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) leads to a decrease in cue-induced cocaine seeking and disrupting GRIP in the mPFC has the opposing effect, consistent with other evidence that removal of GluA2-containing AMPARs potentiates reinstatement. However, PICK1 does not seem to play the same role in female mice, as knockdown of either PICK1 or GRIP in the mPFC leads to similar increases in cue-induced cocaine seeking.