Golgi pH elevation due to loss of V-ATPase subunit V0a2 function correlates with tissue-specific glycosylation changes and globozoospermia.

Loss-of-function variants in ATP6V0A2, encoding the trans Golgi V-ATPase subunit V0a2, cause wrinkly skin syndrome (WSS), a connective tissue disorder with glycosylation defects and aberrant cortical neuron migration. We used knock-out (Atp6v0a2) and knock-in (Atp6v0a2) mice harboring the R755Q missense mutation selectively abolishing V0a2-mediated proton transport to investigate the WSS pathomechanism. Homozygous mutants from both strains displayed a reduction of growth, dermis thickness, and elastic fiber formation compatible with WSS.

Plant viruses induce plant volatiles that are detected by aphid parasitoids.

Aphis gossypii (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae) aphids are vectors of important plant viruses among which cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and potato virus Y (PVY). Virus-infected plants attract aphid vectors and affect their behavior and growth performance either positively or negatively depending on mode of transmission. Viruses cause changes in the composition and the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by the plant that attract aphids.

Electrophysiological responses of Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris females to plant volatiles.

The spittlebugs Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) are xylem-feeder insects that have been identified as vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe. In the present study, we aim to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may act as semiochemicals for these species. Using the dynamic headspace technique, we collected VOCs from Olea europaea L.

An integrated approach to MS-based identification and risk assessment of pharmaceutical biotransformation in wastewater.

The omnipresence of pharmaceuticals at relatively high concentrations (μg/L) in environmental compartments indicated their inadequate removal by wastewater treatment plants. As such, batch reactors seeded with activated sludge were set up to assess the biotransformation of metformin, ranitidine, lidocaine and atorvastatin. The main objective was to identify transformation products (TPs) through the establishment of an integrated workflow for suspect and non-target screening based on reversed phase liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Investigation of Biotransformation Products of -Methoxymethylamphetamine and Dihydromephedrone in Wastewater by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

There is a paucity of information on biotransformation and stability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater. Moreover, the fate of NPS and their transformation products (TPs) in wastewater treatment plants is not well understood. In this study, batch reactors seeded with activated sludge were set up to evaluate biotic, abiotic, and sorption losses of -methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA) and dihydromephedrone (DHM) and identify TPs formed during these processes.

Identification of biotransformation products of citalopram formed in activated sludge.

Citalopram (CTR) is a worldwide highly consumed antidepressant which has demonstrated incomplete removal by conventional wastewater treatment. Despite its global ubiquitous presence in different environmental compartments, little is known about its behaviour and transformation processes during wastewater treatment. The present study aims to expand the knowledge on fate and transformation of CTR during the biological treatment process.

Hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor for the biodegradation of benzotriazoles and hydroxy-benzothiazole in wastewater.

A laboratory scale Hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (HMBBR) was used to study the removal of five benzotriazoles and one benzothiazole from municipal wastewater. The HMBBR system consisted of two serially connected fully aerated bioreactors that contained activated sludge (AS) and K3-biocarriers and a settling tank. The average removal of target compounds ranged between 41% (4-methyl-1H-benzotriazole; 4TTR) and 88% (2-hydroxybenzothiazole; OHBTH).

Development, validation and accreditation of a method for the determination of Pb, Cd, Cu and As in seafood and fish feed samples.

A rapid, sensitive, accurate and precise method for the determination of Pb, Cd, As and Cu in seafood and fish feed samples by Simultaneous Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was developed in regard to Council Directive 333/2007EC and ISO/IEC 17025 (2005). Different approaches were investigated in order to shorten the analysis time, always taking into account the sensitivity. For method validation, precision (repeatability and reproducibility) and accuracy by addition recovery tests have been assessed as performance criteria.

Identification and characterization of a novel Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor.

Rho GTPases are implicated in a multitude of cellular processes regulated by membrane receptors, such as cytoskeletal rearrangements, gene transcription and cell growth and motility. Activation of these GTPases is under the direct control of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), the Dbl family proteins. By searching protein databases we have identified a novel Rho-GEF, termed p114-Rho-GEF, which similarly to other Rho-GEFs contains a Dbl homology domain followed by a pleckstrin homology domain.

Rho-specific binding and guanine nucleotide exchange catalysis by KIAA0380, a dbl family member.

Several guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for Rho-GTPases have been identified, all of them containing a Dbl homology (DH) and pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, but exhibiting different specificities to the Rho family members, Rho, Rac and Cdc42. We report here that KIAA0380, a protein with a tandem DH/PH domain, an amino-terminal PDZ domain and a regulator of G protein signalling (RGS) homology domain, is a specific GEF for RhoA, but not for Rac1 and Cdc42, as determined by GDP release, guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate (GTPgammaS) binding and protein binding assays. When expressed in J82 cells, DH/PH domain-containing forms of KIAA0380 induced actin stress fibers, whereas expression of the RGS homology domain prevented lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced stress fiber formation.