Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are genotoxic carcinogenic phytotoxins mostly prevalent in the Boraginaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae families. species (Boraginaceae) are PA-producing weeds, widely distributed in the Mediterranean region, that have been implicated with lethal intoxications in livestock and humans. In Israel, , and are the most prevalent species. The toxicity of PA-producing plants depends on the PA concentration and composition. PAs occur in plants as mixtures of dozens of various PA congeners. Hence, the risk arising from simultaneous exposure to different congeners has to be evaluated. The comparative risk evaluation of the three species was based on recently proposed interim relative potency (iREP) factors, which take into account certain structural features as well as in vitro and in vivo toxicity data obtained for several PAs of different classes. The aim of the present study was to determine the PA profile of the major organ parts of , and in order to assess the plants' relative toxic potential by utilizing the iREP concept. In total, 31 different PAs were found, among which 20 PAs were described for the first time for and . The most prominent PAs were heliotrine--oxide, europine--oxide and lasiocarpine--oxide. Europine--oxide displayed significant differences among the three species. The PA levels ranged between 0.5 and 5% of the dry weight. The flowers of the three species were rich in PAs, while the PA content in the root and flowers of was higher than that of the other species. was found to pose a higher risk to mammals than , whereas no differences were found between and as well as and .
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030689 | DOI Listing |
Biomol NMR Assign
January 2025
Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
The nutrient germinant receptors (GRs) in spores of Bacillus species consist of a cluster of three proteins- designated A, B, and C subunits- that play a critical role in initiating the germination of dormant spores in response to specific nutrient molecules. The Bacillus cereus GerI GR is essential for inosine-induced germination; however, the roles of the individual subunits and the mechanism by which germinant binding activates GR function remain unclear. In this study, we report the backbone chemical shift assignments of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the A subunit of GerI (GerIA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Biol Rep
January 2025
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 700053, India.
Background: The endangered Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus), native to high-altitude Himalayas, is an ecological significant and endangered ungulate, threatened by habitat loss and poaching for musk pod distributed in western Himalayan ranges of India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Despite its critical conservation status and ecological importance in regulating vegetation dynamics, knowledge gaps persist regarding its population structure and genetic diversity, hindering effective management strategies.
Methods And Results: We aimed to understand the population genetics of Kashmir musk deer in north-western Himalayas using two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions and 11 microsatellite loci.
J Mol Evol
January 2025
Faculty of Biology, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Warsaw, Ul. Żwirki I Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland.
Expansion and losses of gene families are important drivers of molecular evolution. A recent survey of Fox genes in flatworms revealed that this superfamily of multifunctional transcription factors, present in all animals, underwent extensive losses and expansions during platyhelminth evolution. In this paper, I analyzed Fox gene complement in four additional species of platyhelminths, that represent early-branching lineages in the flatworm phylogeny: catenulids (Stenostomum brevipharyngium and Stenostomum leucops) and macrostomorphs (Macrostomum hystrix and Macrostomum cliftonense).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Environ Contam Toxicol
January 2025
Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA.
Aquatic systems are impacted by temperature fluctuations which can alter the toxicity of pesticides. Increased temperatures related to climate change have elevated pest activity, resulting in an escalation of pesticide use. One such pesticide class, pyrethroids, has replaced the use of several banned pesticides due to its low mammalian toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Microbiol
January 2025
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand.
An aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, motile, coccus-shaped actinomycete, designated strain LSe6-4, was isolated from leaves of sea purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum L.) in Thailand and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic studies. Growth of the strain occurred at temperatures between 15 and 38 °C, and with NaCl concentrations 0-13%.
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