N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) is an endogenous ligand that activates the cannabinoid type 1 receptor and the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channel. Two potential biosynthetic pathways for NADA have been proposed, though no conclusive evidence exists for either. The first is the direct conjugation of arachidonic acid with dopamine and the other is via metabolism of a putative N-...

The microbial and enzymatic hydrolysis of poly(aspartic acid) (PAA) has been reviewed. Two PAA-degrading bacteria (Pedobacter sp. KP-2 and Sphingomonas sp. KT-1) were isolated from flesh river water. Pedobacter sp. KP-2 hydrolyzed PAA of high molecular weights over 5000. Sphingomonas sp. KT-1 hydrolyzed only PAA of low molecular weights (<5000), while the cell extract could hydrolyze high-molec...