The ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel in pancreatic islet beta cells consists of four pore-forming (Kir6.2) subunits and four regulatory sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1) subunits. In beta cells, the K(ATP) channel links intracellular metabolism to the dynamic regulation of the cell membrane potential that triggers insulin secretion. Syntaxin 1A (Syn-1A) is a SNARE protein that not only plays...

I revise the subfamily Diplazontinae to include 99 Western Palaearctic species, review morphological characters useful for species delimitation and identification, and clarify the status of some morphologically similar taxa using molecular approaches. Illustrated, dichotomous keys to the Western Palaearctic genera and species of the subfamily are presented, and the utility of the molecular mark...

In the present paper I propose the following taxonomic changes: Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) bosdaghensis Obenberger, 1938 (= cavazzutii Bílý, 1980 syn. nov.); A. (Anthaxia) ephippiata Redtenbacher, 1850 (= kreuzbergi Richter, 1944 syn. nov.); A. (H.) pleuralis Faimaire, 1883 (= parapleuralis Obenberger, 1929 syn. nov.); A. (H.) scylla Levey, 1985, removal from synonymy (= aprutiana Gerini, 1955 una...

The type specimens of the bee genus Hylaeus Fabricius, 1793 described by Ferdinand Morawitz from Asia and deposited in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University and in the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences St. Petersburg, are critically reviewed. Precise information with illustrations of types for 39 taxa is provided. New synonymy is established for Hylaeus incongruus...

α-Synuclein (α-syn) is an intrinsically disordered protein abundantly distributed in presynaptic terminals. Aggregation of α-syn into Lewy bodies (LB) is a molecular hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). α-Syn features an extreme conformational diversity, which adapts to different conditions and fulfills versatile functions. However, the molecular mechanism of α-syn transformation and the relat...

α-synuclein (α-SYN) is a major pathologic contributor to Parkinson's disease (PD). Multiplication of α-SYN encoding gene (SNCA) is correlated with early onset of the disease underlining the significance of its transcriptional regulation. Thus, monitoring endogenous transcription of SNCA is of utmost importance to understand PD pathology. We developed a stable cell line expressing α-SYN endogeno...

BACKGROUND Alpha synuclein (alpha-Syn) is the main component of Lewy bodies which are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. While the glycation with D-glucose that results in alpha-Syn misfold and aggregation has been studied, the effects of glycation with D-ribose on alpha-Syn have not been investigated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here, we show t...

Editor's Note: These short reviews of a recent paper in the Journal, written exclusively by graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, are intended to mimic the journal clubs that exist in your own departments or institutions. For more information on the format and purpose of the Journal Club, please see Review of Larsen et al. Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movem...

Methylphenidate (MPD) modulates dopamine (DA) overflow in part by redistributing vesicle pools, a function shared by the presynaptic protein α-synuclein (α-syn). We suggest that α-syn modifies the effect of MPD on DA neurotransmission. The effect was studied in the dorsal striatum in wild-type mice and two mouse lines lacking α-syn by using in vivo voltammetry and microdialysis. MPD (1 mg/kg) a...