Depression and antidepressants: molecular and cellular aspects

Clinical depression is viewed as a physical and psychic disease process having a neuropathological basis, although a clear understanding of its ethiopathology is still missing. The observation that depressive symptoms are influenced by pharmacological manipulation of monoamines led to the hypothesis that depression results from reduced availability or functional deficiency of monoaminergic transmitters in some cerebral regions. However, there are limitations to current monoamine theories related to mood disorders. Recently, a growing body of experimental data has showed that other classes of endogenous compounds, such as neuropeptides and amino acids, may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders. With the development of neuroscience, neuronal networks and intracellular pathways have been identified and characterized, describing the existence of the interaction between monoamines and receptors in turn able to modulate the expression of intracellular proteins and neurotrophic factors, suggesting that depression/antidepressants may be intermingled with neurogenesis/neurodegenerative processes.     

RACK1 depletion in a mouse model causes lethality, pigmentation deficits and reduction in protein synthesis efficiency

The receptor for activated C-kinase 1 (RACK1) is a conserved structural protein of 40S ribosomes. Strikingly, deletion of RACK1 in yeast homolog Asc1 is not lethal. Mammalian RACK1 also interacts with many nonribosomal proteins, hinting at several extraribosomal functions. A knockout mouse for RACK1 has not previously been described. We produced the first RACK1 mutant mouse, in which both alleles of RACK1 gene are defective in RACK1 expression (ΔF/ΔF), in a pure C57 Black/6 background. In a sample of 287 pups, we observed no ΔF/ΔF mice (72 expected). Dissection and genotyping of embryos at various stages showed that lethality occurs at gastrulation. Heterozygotes (ΔF/+) have skin pigmentation defects with a white belly spot and hypopigmented tail and paws. ΔF/+ have a transient growth deficit (shown by measuring pup size at P11). The pigmentation deficit is partly reverted by p53 deletion, whereas the lethality is not. ΔF/+ livers have mild accumulation of inactive 80S ribosomal subunits by polysomal profile analysis. In ΔF/+ fibroblasts, protein synthesis response to extracellular and pharmacological stimuli is reduced. These results highlight the role of RACK1 as a ribosomal protein converging signaling to the translational apparatus.     

Terrestrial isopods from the Oued Laou basin,north-eastern Morocco (Crustacea: Oniscidea), with descriptions of two new genera and seven new species

Thirty-four species of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea) from the Oued Laou basin, in the Rif area of north-eastern Morocco, are recorded. One genus (Paractenoscia) and seven species (Trichoniscus microphthalmus, Paractenoscia cavernicola, Bathytropa rifensis, Soteriscus gibbosus, S. laouensis, Porcellio pseudornatus, and Eluma praticola) are described as new. The genus Soteriscus, unavailable according to article 13.3 of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), is here revalidated by choosing S. gaditanus as type species. Six species (Graeconiscus thermophilus, Ctenoscia minima, Platyarthrus parisii, Porcellio humberti, Porcellio flavocinctus and Eluma caelata) have been fully illustrated to facilitate their identifications. Ctenoscia dorsalis Verhoeff is considered to be a junior synonym of C. minima Dollfus. Porcellio ornatus from southern Spain is also figured for comparison with P. pseudornatus sp. nov. The composition and origin of the oniscidean fauna of the Rif region is briefly discussed.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DCBF3103-1463-4A32-9BC0-A4CFE8B762AE     

Sex hormones and concentration of noradrenalin and dopamine in the anterior hypothalamus of castrated rats

Zusammenfassung Die Autoren stellen fest, dass bei Ratten durch Kastration der Gehalt an Noradrenalin und Dopamin im vordern Teil des Hypothalamus ansteigt. Erst hohe Dosen von Östradiol und Progesteron können den Kastrationseffekt wieder zum Verschwinden bringen.

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A previous communication was presented at the XI Meeting of the Sociedad Argentina de Investigacion Clinica, Buenos Aires, 30th October — 2nd November, 1966.

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Fellow of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas de la Argentina.     

C-18 hydroxy steroids from the Mediterranean gorgonianLeptogorgia sarmentosa

Summary Five new polyoxygenated steroids, 24-methylcholesta-1,4,22E-trien-16, 18,20-triol-3-one (1), cholest-1,4,22E-trien-16, 18,20-triol-3-one (2), 24-methylcholesta-4,22E-dien-16, 18, 20-triol-3-one (3), cholesta-4,22E-dien-16, 18,20-triol-3-one (4) and 27-nor-24-methylcholesta-4,22E-dien-16,18,20-triol-3-one (5), have been found in a marine organism, the gorgonianLeptogorgia sarmentosa.This work has been done with the financial support of Progetto Finalizzato der la Chimica Fine e Secondaria, C.N.R., Roma. The authors are grateful to Zoological Station of Naples for collecting the gorgonian. Thanks are also due to Mr A. Crispino and Mr G. Scognamiglio for their technical assistance.     

Further sesterterpenes from the spongeSpongia nitens: 12-epi-scalaradial and 12,18-diepi-scalaradial

Summary 2 new tetracarbocyclic sesterterpenes, isomers of the previously² described scalaradial (1), have been isolated from the marine spongeSpongia nitens and their structures have been established to be2 and3; during the structural work, evidence on the stereochemistry of1,2 and3 has been obtained.This work is part of the Progetto Finalizzato per l'Oceanografia e i Fondi Marini, C.N.R., Roma. We thank the Zoological Station (Naples) for the collection of the sponge, A. Crispino, C. Di Pinto and A. Milone for their technical assistance and Prof. C. Santacroce for generous gifts of scalaradial.