Callosal inputs generate side-invariant receptive fields in the barrel cortex.

Barrel cortex integrates contra- and ipsilateral whiskers' inputs. While contralateral inputs depend on the thalamocortical innervation, ipsilateral ones are thought to rely on callosal axons. These are more abundant in the barrel cortex region bordering with S2 and containing the row A-whiskers representation, the row lying nearest to the facial midline.

Production of Volatile Moth Sex Pheromones in Transgenic Plants.

Plant-based bioproduction of insect sex pheromones has been proposed as an innovative strategy to increase the sustainability of pest control in agriculture. Here, we describe the engineering of transgenic plants producing -11-hexadecenol (Z11-16OH) and -11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16OAc), two main volatile components in many Lepidoptera sex pheromone blends. We assembled multigene DNA constructs encoding the pheromone biosynthetic pathway and stably transformed them into plants.

Airborne Pheromone Quantification in Treated Vineyards with Different Mating Disruption Dispensers against .

Mating disruption (MD) is widely used against the European grapevine moth (EGVM), (Denis and Schiffermüller; Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), by installing passive dispensers or aerosol devices. The present work reports a new sampling and quantification methodology to obtain absolute data about field airborne pheromone concentration based on air samplings and sensitive chromatographic-spectroscopic methods. Samplings were performed in fields treated with passive dispensers or aerosol devices at different moments throughout the crop cycle to study how they act and how the disruption is triggered.

Sex Pheromone of the Invasive Mealybug Citrus Pest, (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). A New Monoterpenoid with a Necrodane Skeleton.

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudoccidae) is an invasive mealybug that has been recently reported in Europe, seriously damaging citrus production in eastern Spain. In this study, we isolated and determined the structure of the sex pheromone of , to provide a highly specific and effective lure for detecting, monitoring, and potentially controlling this pest. The volatile profile of virgin and mated females was studied by aeration and collection of effluvia in Porapak-Q.

Identification of the Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of the Four-Spotted Coconut Weevil, Diocalandra frumenti.

The four-spotted coconut weevil, Diocalandra frumenti Fabricius (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), is a small weevil found attacking economically important palm species, such as coconut, date, oil, and Canary palms. Given the scarcity of detection and management tools for this pest, the availability of a pheromone to be included in trapping protocols would be a crucial advantage. Previous laboratory experiments showed evidence for aggregation behavior; thus, our main goal was to identify the aggregation pheromone in this species.

Single-Layered Hybrid Materials Based on 1D Associated Metalorganic Nanoribbons for Controlled Release of Pheromones.

A new family of stable layered organic-inorganic materials has been prepared, in one-step solvothermal process. They are based on an ordered nickel cluster-type nanoribbons separated from each other by specific alkyl (heptyl- or dodecyl-) arylic mono-carboxylate moieties acting as molecular spacers, perpendicular to the 1D inorganic chains. These organic spacers contain hydrocarbon tails with different length which control the separation level between inorganic 1D sub-units, inhibiting the 3D growth of conventional DUT-8-type metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Identification of the sex pheromone of the mealybug Dysmicoccus grassii Leonardi.

Studies about the sex pheromone of the mealybug Dysmicoccus grassii , a main pest of Canary Islands banana cultivars, showed strong evidence that (-)-(R)-lavandulyl propionate and acetate in a 6:1 ratio are principal components of it. Volatile collection and GC-MS analysis from aeration of virgin females allowed the structural elucidation of the compounds. The activity and stereochemistry of both substances were established by means of relative attraction of mealybug males to synthetic standards in competitive Petri dish bioassays.

General diastereoselective synthetic approach toward isospongian diterpenes. Synthesis of (-)-marginatafuran, (-)-marginatone, and (-)-20-acetoxymarginatone.

This work describes a synthetic approach to the carbocyclic skeleton of isospongian diterpenes that uses the commercially available monoterpene (S)-carvone as a C-ring synthon, which is incorporated into the tetracyclic isospongian framework via a C→ABC→ABCD ring annulation strategy using intramolecular Diels-Alder and ring-closing metathesis reactions. This approach has been successfully used to prepare both the title natural isospongians and several nonnatural oxygenated analogues. A preliminary evaluation of the inhibitory activity of the small collection of synthesized isospongians on the mammalian mitochondrial respiratory chain revealed that most were able to inhibit the integrated electron transfer chain (NADH oxidase activity) in the micromolar range.

Human endometrial side population cells exhibit genotypic, phenotypic and functional features of somatic stem cells.

During reproductive life, the human endometrium undergoes around 480 cycles of growth, breakdown and regeneration should pregnancy not be achieved. This outstanding regenerative capacity is the basis for women's cycling and its dysfunction may be involved in the etiology of pathological disorders. Therefore, the human endometrial tissue must rely on a remarkable endometrial somatic stem cells (SSC) population.

Vascular activity of a natural diterpene isolated from Croton zambesicus and of a structurally similar synthetic trachylobane.

The aim of this study was to determine the vasorelaxant activity of a natural diterpene extracted from Croton zambesicus, ent-18-hydroxy-trachyloban-3-one (DT6), and a synthetic diterpene of similar structure, ent-trachyloban-14,15-dione (DT10) in rat aorta. DT6 and DT10 inhibited aorta contraction in a concentration-dependent manner. Both were more potent inhibitors of KCl-evoked contraction than noradrenaline-evoked contraction.

Tuning diketodioxinone reactivity: biomimetic synthesis of the resorcylate antibiotic fungal metabolites ent-W1278A, -B, and -C, using iterative aromatization reactions.

The onset temperature of the retro-Diels-Alder reactions of diketo-1,3-dioxin-2-ones to generate alpha,gamma,epsilon-triketo-ketenes was found to be significantly reduced with 2-phenyl substitution. These ketenes, generated at 78 degrees C, were trapped with alcohols to provide resorcylate esters following aromatization by sequential reaction with cesium acetate and trifluoroacetic acid. The methodology was applied iteratively to the total synthesis of the resorcylate antibiotics W1278A, -B, and -C.

Biomimetic synthesis of resorcylate natural products utilizing late stage aromatization: concise total syntheses of the marine antifungal agents 15G256iota and 15G256beta.

Diketo-1,3-dioxin-2-ones underwent retro-Diels-Alder reaction on heating in toluene at 110 degrees C to generate alpha,gamma,-triketo-ketenes. These were trapped with alcohols to provide 2,4,6-triketocarboxylates, which were smoothly aromatized by sequential reaction with potassium carbonate and methanolic hydrogen chloride to give resorcylate esters. The reaction was applied in the total synthesis of the marine antifungal agents 15G256beta (1), 15G256iota (2), and 15G256pi (3) and the mycotoxin S-(-)-zearalenone (4).

Synthesis of highly functionalised enantiopure bicyclo[3.2.1]- octane systems from carvone.

The commercially available monoterpene carvone has been efficiently converted into the tricyclo[3.2.1.

Vasorelaxant activity of diterpenes from Croton zambesicus and synthetic trachylobanes and their structure-activity relationships.

The diterpenes previously isolated from the leaves of Croton zambesicus were tested to evaluate their vasorelaxant activity on the Wistar rat aorta. Their vasorelaxant effect was compared to a series of synthetic trachylobanes and related polycyclic compounds on KCl- or noradrenaline-induced contractions in order to evaluate structure-activity relationships. We demonstrate the vasorelaxant properties of some pure trachylobane diterpenes at low concentration (IC50 < 10 microM) on KCl-induced contractions, but none have a significant effect in noradrenaline-induced contractions.