To clarify the molecular basis underlying the neural function of the honeybee mushroom bodies (MBs), we identified three genes preferentially expressed in MB using cDNA microarrays containing 480 differential display-positive candidate cDNAs expressed locally or differentially, dependent on caste/aggressive behavior in the honeybee brain. One of the cDNAs encodes a putative type I inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) 5-phosphatase and was expressed preferentially in one of two types of intrinsic MB neurons, the large-type Kenyon cells, suggesting that IP 3 -mediated Ca 2+ signaling is enhanced in these neurons. ß
We have recently identified a tachykinin-related peptide (AmTRP) from the mushroom bodies (MBs) of the brain of the honeybee Apis mellifera L. by using direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time-of-flight mass spectometry and have isolated its cDNA. Here, we have examined prepro-AmTRP gene expression in the honeybee brain by using in situ hybridization. The prepro-AmTRP gene is expressed predominantly in the MBs and in some neurons located in the optic and antennal lobes. cDNA microarray studies have revealed that AmTRP expression is enriched in the MBs compared with other brain regions. There is no difference in AmTRP-expressing cells among worker, queen, and drone brains, suggesting that the cell types that express the prepro-AmTRP gene do not change according to division of labor, sex, or caste. The unique expression pattern of the prepro-AmTRP gene suggests that AmTRPs function as neuromodulators in the MBs of the honeybee brain.
WAP-8294A, produced by Lysobacter sp., is a complex consisting of water soluble depsipeptide antibiotics. It was further purified by column chromatographies and HPLC, and 19 components were obtained. WAP-8294A2, a major component, and minor components A1, A4, Ax8, Ax9 and Ax13 were active against Gram-positive bacteria, in particular, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro. WAP-8294A2 was highly active in vivo in mice against the systemic infection of MRSA.
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