Regulation of methylbenzoate emission after pollination in snapdragon and petunia flowers. (25/279)

The molecular mechanisms responsible for postpollination changes in floral scent emission were investigated in snapdragon cv Maryland True Pink and petunia cv Mitchell flowers using a volatile ester, methylbenzoate, one of the major scent compounds emitted by these flowers, as an example. In both species, a 70 to 75% pollination-induced decrease in methylbenzoate emission begins only after pollen tubes reach the ovary, a process that takes between 35 and 40 h in snapdragon and approximately 32 h in petunia. This postpollination decrease in emission is not triggered by pollen deposition on the stigma. Petunia and snapdragon both synthesize methylbenzoate from benzoic acid and S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM); however, they use different mechanisms to downregulate its production after pollination. In petunia, expression of the gene responsible for methylbenzoate synthesis is suppressed by ethylene. In snapdragon, the decrease in methylbenzoate emission is the result of a decrease in both S-adenosyl-l-methionine:benzoic acid carboxyl methyltransferase (BAMT) activity and the ratio of SAM to S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine ("methylation index") after pollination, although the BAMT gene also is sensitive to ethylene.  (+info)

Determination of the dermal penetration of esterom components using microdialysis sampling. (26/279)

PURPOSE: Esterom Solution, an investigational pharmaceutical product, is derived from the esterification of benzoylmethylecgonine (cocaine) in 1.2 propanediol. The resulting solution contains a mixture of components. Esterom Solution is intended to be a topical analgesic to relieve pain and increase the range of motion in patients suffering from acute inflammation of the shoulder or back. Although the components of Esterom are known, the components that are responsible for analgesia have only recently been identified. The purpose of this research is to evaluate which components have the ability to penetrate the skin, how much actually penetrates, and if and/or how each component is metabolized and distributed locally. METHODS: Linear microdialysis probes were implanted into rat dermis. The individual components present in the Esterom Solution were applied separately to the dermis directly over a probe. Dermal dialysis samples were collected to evaluate the dermal penetration of each compound following topical application. RESULTS: Following a 10 mg/50 microL application. 1.8 +/- 0.6 mM benzoic acid was detected at the plateau after approximately 220 min. Following hydroxypropyl benzoic acid application, complete hydrolysis to benzoic acid was observed with a plateau concentration of 137 +/- 19 microM (150 min plateau). When applied separately, hydroxypropyl benzoylecgonine and ecgonine penetrate the skin with plateau concentrations of 32 +/- 9 microM (15 h plateau) and 36 +/- 5 microM (150 min plateau) respectively. Benzoylecgonine, the hydrolytic product of HP-BE, was also detected with a plateau concentration of 3.9 +/- 0.1 microM (16 h plateau) Applied topically, ecgonidine, methylecgonidine, benzoylecgonine, and hydroxypropyl ecgonidine were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: Of the components with analgesic activity, the only compound that penetrates the skin is hydroxypropyl benzoylecgonine. Dermal microdialysis was shown to be an effective technique to monitor the skin penetration of topically applied compounds.  (+info)

Effect of gramicidin on percutaneous permeation of a model drug. (27/279)

This study investigated the enhancement effect of gramicidin, a cationic ionophore, on percutaneous absorption of a model drug, benzoic acid (BA), through rat abdominal skin. The mechanisms by which gramicidin increased skin permeability to BA were also investigated. Degree of hydration measured by the Karl Fisher method, the concentration gradient measured by cryostat analysis, and lipid concentration measured by the Fiske-Subbarow method were evaluated and compared. The results showed that BA permeation profiles through rat abdominal skin followed dose- and volume-dependent patterns. The pretreatment of gramicidin increased the permeation rate of BA through rat abdominal skin compared with the untreated control (18.89 vs. 10.86 microg/cm2/hour). Change in skin permeation rate of BA after gramicidin pretreatment was closely correlated with the remaining skin water content. There were no significant differences in the amounts of phospholipid phosphorous between gramicidin pretreated and untreated skin. The enhancing effect of gramicidin on percutaneous absorption of a model drug is mainly attributed to increasing the diffusivity in the hydration domain of the skin and rearranging the lipid bilayer in the stratum corneum.  (+info)

The anaerobic degradation of 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate in freshwater sediment proceeds via either chlorophenol or hydroxybenzoate to phenol and subsequently to benzoate. (28/279)

To study the anaerobic degradation of the chimera 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate (3-Cl,4-OHB), anaerobic freshwater sediment samples from the vicinity of Athens, Ga., were adapted for the transformation of 4-hydroxybenzoate (4-OHB), 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CB), 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). In nonadapted samples, both 4-OHB (product of aryl dechlorination) and 2-CP (product of aryl decarboxylation) were observed as intermediates in the transformation of 3-Cl,4-OHB to phenol. The accumulated phenol was subsequently transformed to benzoate, an intermediate in the conversion to methane and CO2. In 4-OHB-adapted samples (i.e., samples adapted for aryl decarboxylation), 2-CP was the first intermediate which was subsequently dechlorinated to phenol. In 3-CB-adapted samples (i.e., samples adapted for meta-chlorobenzoate dehalogenation), 3-Cl,4-OHB was stoichiometrically dechlorinated to 4-OHB. In 2-CP-adapted samples (i.e., samples adapted for ortho-chlorophenol dehalogenation), 4-OHB was the first major intermediate. Furthermore, 3-CB was not dechlorinated in 2-CP-adapted sediment samples, suggesting the possibility that different 3-Cl,4-OHB dechlorinating systems were induced in the 2-CP- and 3-CB-adapted sediments. Adaptation of sediment samples for dechlorination of 2,4-DCP did not lead to adaptation for dechlorination of 3-Cl,4-OHB. However, 3-Cl,4-OHB was dechlorinated to 4-OHB in our stable, sediment-free 2,4-DCP-dechlorinating enrichment, isolated previously from the same environment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)  (+info)

A new protein conformation indicator based on biarsenical fluorescein with an extended benzoic acid moiety. (29/279)

We demonstrate herein a new protein conformation indicator based on biarsenical fluorescein with an extended benzoic acid moiety. The present indicator is reactive to a genetically introduced tetracysteine motif (Cys-Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-Cys, where Xaa is a noncysteine amino acid) of proteins. Compared to the original biarsenical fluorescein (FlAsH) and the biarsenical Nile red analogue (BArNile), the present indicator exhibited larger fluorescence intensity changes in response to Ca(2+)-induced conformational rearrangements of calmodulin. A calculation of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the benzoic acid moiety of the indicator molecule supports possible involvement of a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. These results indicate that the present indicator is useful for sensitive detection of protein conformational changes.  (+info)

Investigation of intermolecular interaction in molecular complex of tryptamine and benzoic acid by solid-state 2D NMR. (30/279)

Solid-state NMR spectra and powder X-ray diffraction of the two-component molecular complex composed of tryptamine and benzoic acid were observed to investigate the intermolecular interaction in the molecular complex. 1D (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectrum and powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the complex was clearly different from the convolution of each spectrum of the single component. 2D (1)H-(13)C heteronuclear-correlation (HETCOR) NMR technique indicated that the intermolecular interaction between the primary amine of tryptamine and the carboxyl group of benzoic acid must be related to the complex formation.  (+info)

Anaerobic growth of Rhodopseudomonas palustris on 4-hydroxybenzoate is dependent on AadR, a member of the cyclic AMP receptor protein family of transcriptional regulators. (31/279)

The purple nonsulfur phototrophic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris converts structurally diverse aromatic carboxylic acids, including lignin monomers, to benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate under anaerobic conditions. These compounds are then further degraded via aromatic ring-fission pathways. A gene termed aadR, for anaerobic aromatic degradation regulator, was identified by complementation of mutants unable to grow anaerobically on 4-hydroxybenzoate. The deduced amino acid sequence of the aadR product is similar to a family of transcriptional regulators which includes Escherichia coli Fnr and Crp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Anr, and rhizobial FixK and FixK-like proteins. A mutant with a deletion in aadR failed to grow on 4-hydroxybenzoate under anaerobic conditions and grew very slowly on benzoate. It also did not express aromatic acid-coenzyme A ligase II, an enzyme that catalyzes the first step of 4-hydroxybenzoate degradation, and it was defective in 4-hydroxybenzoate-induced expression of benzoate-coenzyme A ligase. The aadR deletion mutant was unaffected in other aspects of anaerobic growth. It grew normally on nonaromatic carbon sources and also under nitrogen-fixing conditions. In addition, aerobic growth on 4-hydroxybenzoate was indistinguishable from that of the wild type. These results indicate that AadR functions as a transcriptional activator of anaerobic aromatic acid degradation.  (+info)

Benzoic acid, a weak organic acid food preservative, exerts specific effects on intracellular membrane trafficking pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (32/279)

Microbial spoilage of food causes losses of up to 40% of all food grown for human consumption worldwide. Yeast growth is a major factor in the spoilage of foods and beverages that are characterized by a high sugar content, low pH, and low water activity, and it is a significant economic problem. While growth of spoilage yeasts such as Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can usually be retarded by weak organic acid preservatives, the inhibition often requires levels of preservative that are near or greater than the legal limits. We identified a novel synergistic effect of the chemical preservative benzoic acid and nitrogen starvation: while exposure of S. cerevisiae to either benzoic acid or nitrogen starvation is cytostatic under our conditions, the combination of the two treatments is cytocidal and can therefore be used beneficially in food preservation. In yeast, as in all eukaryotic organisms, survival under nitrogen starvation conditions requires a cellular response called macroautophagy. During macroautophagy, cytosolic material is sequestered by intracellular membranes. This material is then targeted for lysosomal degradation and recycled into molecular building blocks, such as amino acids and nucleotides. Macroautophagy is thought to allow cellular physiology to continue in the absence of external resources. Our analyses of the effects of benzoic acid on intracellular membrane trafficking revealed that there was specific inhibition of macroautophagy. The data suggest that the synergism between nitrogen starvation and benzoic acid is the result of inhibition of macroautophagy by benzoic acid and that a mechanistic understanding of this inhibition should be beneficial in the development of novel food preservation technologies.  (+info)