Oleic acid triggers burial behavior in a termite population through an odorant binding protein.

Social insects maintain hygienic conditions through their social immunity behaviors. Among these behaviors, burial behavior of termites is central for protecting healthy individuals from corpses. Many factors trigger burial behavior, and it is generally believed that chemicals released by corpses, such as oleic acid, are the most important cues for triggering burial behavior in termites.

Ecdysteroid responses to urban heat island conditions during development of the western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus).

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) controls molting in arthropods. The timing of 20E production, and subsequent developmental transitions, is influenced by a variety of environmental factors including nutrition, photoperiod, and temperature, which is particularly relevant in the face of climate change. Environmental changes, combined with rapid urbanization, and the increasing prevalence of urban heat islands (UHI) have contributed to an overall decrease in biodiversity making it critical to understand how organisms respond to elevating global temperatures.

Dataset on the response of Hut78 cells to novel rexinoids.

This article presents the experimental data supporting analysis of differential gene expression of human cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) cell culture cells (Hut78) treated with bexarotene or a variety of rexinoids, in conjunction with "A Novel Gene Expression Analytics-based Approach to Structure Aided Design of Rexinoids for Development as Next-Generation Cancer Therapeutics" (Hanish et al. 2018). Data presented here include microarray gene expression analysis of a subset of genes.

A novel gene expression analytics-based approach to structure aided design of rexinoids for development as next-generation cancer therapeutics.

Rexinoids are powerful ligands that bind to retinoid-X-receptors (RXRs) and show great promise as therapeutics for a wide range of diseases, including cancer. However, only one rexinoid, bexarotene (Targretin TM) has been successfully transitioned from the bench to the clinic and used to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Our goal is to develop novel potent rexinoids with a less untoward side effect profile than bexarotene.

Functional Characterization of Two Elongases of Very Long-Chain Fatty Acid from Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The elongases of very long chain fatty acid (ELOVL or ELO) are essential in the biosynthesis of fatty acids longer than C14. Here, two ELO full-length cDNAs (TmELO1, TmELO2) from the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) were isolated and the functions were characterized.