Collective action or individual choice: Spontaneity and individuality contribute to decision-making in Drosophila.

Our own unique character traits make our behavior consistent and define our individuality. Yet, this consistency does not entail that we behave repetitively like machines. Like humans, animals also combine personality traits with spontaneity to produce adaptive behavior: consistent, but not fully predictable.

Alteration of Sphingolipids in Biofluids: Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Sphingolipids (SL) modulate several cellular processes including cell death, proliferation and autophagy. The conversion of sphingomyelin (SM) to ceramide and the balance between ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), also known as the SL rheostat, have been associated with oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. Research in the last decade has focused on the possibility of targeting the SL metabolism as a therapeutic option; and SL levels in biofluids, including serum, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), have been measured in several neurodegenerative diseases with the aim of finding a diagnostic or prognostic marker.

Evaluation of serum sphingolipids and the influence of genetic risk factors in age-related macular degeneration.

Sphingolipids are bioactive molecules associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases, but poorly studied in the context of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a prevalent sight-threatening disease of the ageing retina. Here, we found higher serum levels of hexosylceramide (HexCer) d18:1/16:0 in patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and geographic atrophy (GA), two manifestations of late stage AMD, and higher ceramide (Cer) d18:1/16:0 levels in GA patients. A sensitivity analysis of genetic variants known to be associated with late stage AMD showed that rs1061170 (p.

Chill-coma recovery time, age and sex determine lipid profiles in Ceratitis capitata tissues.

The remodeling of membrane composition by changes in phospholipid head groups and fatty acids (FA) degree of unsaturation has been associated with the maintenance of membrane homeostasis under stress conditions. Overall lipid levels and the composition of cuticle lipids also influence insect stress resistance and tissue protection. In a previous study, we demonstrated differences in survival, behavior and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene expression between subgroups of Ceratitis capitata flies that had a reversible recovery from chill-coma and those that developed chilling-injury.

Interrelation Between Oxidative Stress and Complement Activation in Models of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Millions of individuals older than 50-years suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Associated with this multifactorial disease are polymorphisms of complement factor genes and a main environmental risk factor-oxidative stress. Until now the linkage between these risk factors for AMD has not been fully understood.

Analysis of survival, gene expression and behavior following chill-coma in the medfly Ceratitis capitata: effects of population heterogeneity and age.

The medfly Ceratitis capitata is an agricultural pest distributed worldwide thanks, in part, to its phenotypic plasticity of thermal tolerance. Cold exposure has been shown to reduce C. capitata survival, which may affect its distribution in areas with subfreezing temperatures.

Lipid profiles as indicators of functional senescence in the medfly.

Changes associated with the age-related decline of physiological functions, and their relation with mortality rates, are thoroughly being investigated in the aging research field. We used the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata, largely studied by biodemographers, as a model for functional senescence studies. The aim of our work was to find novel combinatorial indicators able to reflect the functional state of adult insects, regardless of chronological age.

High lipid content of irradiated human melanoma cells does not affect cytokine-matured dendritic cell function.

Gamma irradiation is one of the methods used to sterilize melanoma cells prior to coculturing them with monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells in order to develop antitumor vaccines. However, the changes taking place in tumor cells after irradiation and their interaction with dendritic cells have been scarcely analyzed. We demonstrate here for the first time that after irradiation a fraction of tumor cells present large lipid bodies, which mainly contain triglycerides that are several-fold increased as compared to viable cells as determined by staining with Oil Red O and BODIPY 493/503 and by biochemical analysis.

Photosensitizing effect of hematoporphyrin IX on immature stages of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Immature stages of Ceratitis capitata were tested as a model for hematoporphyrin IX (HP IX) phototoxicity. The lethal concentration 50 (LC(50)) of HP IX in the food was determined during postembryonic development until adult emergence as 0.173 mm (95% CI: 0.