A cell-based high-throughput screening system for detecting ecdysteroid agonists and antagonists in plant extracts and libraries of synthetic compounds.

Screening systems for ecdysteroid mimetic or antiecdysteroid substances in plant extracts or libraries of synthetic compounds are commonly based on the observation of morphological and/or growth responses in insect cell lines. Because these responses are slow and require careful monitoring, existing screening systems are considered limited regarding their applicability to analysis in high-throughput (HT) formats. Here we describe the generation of transformed silkmoth (Bombyx mori) cell lines that respond to the addition of ecdysone-like substances through the expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the appearance of green fluorescence. Because tests consist of three simple steps, i.e., 1) distribution of transformed cells in microtiter plates; 2) addition of compounds/extracts at different concentrations; and 3) quantification of fluorescence intensity by a fluorescence plate reader, they can be performed quickly and be easily adapted to a HT format. The generated reporter cell lines are used for the screening of extracts from available plant collections for the presence of compounds with ecdysone mimetic or antagonistic activities as well as for monitoring subsequent activity during enrichment and purification steps. The same cell lines are also used here for the determination of structure-activity relationships among available synthetic dibenzoylhydrazine derivatives. Finally, for the identified agonists, we show that their activity as determined by the cell-based screening assays parallels their bioactivity in growth inhibition and toxicity assays carried out on live insects.

Concise preparation of the (3E,5Z)-alkadienyl system. New approach to the synthesis of principal insect sex pheromone constituents.

A new rapid and low-cost preparation of the (3E,5Z)-3,5-alkadienyl system, encountered in several insect pheromone constituents, was developed. Knoevenagel condensation of (E)-2-alkenals with ethyl hydrogen malonate in dimethyl sulfoxide, in the presence of a catalytic amount of piperidinium acetate, led to a mixture of geometrical isomers of ethyl 3,5-alkadienoates and ethyl 2,4-alkadienoates, from which the (3E,5Z)-3,5-alkadienoate was conveniently separated, by the use of urea inclusion complex formation. The importance of this procedure has been illustrated by the preparation of the (3E,5Z)-3,5-tetradecadienoic acid (megatomoic acid) 1, the (3E,5Z)-3,5-dodecadienyl acetate 2, and the (3E,5Z)-3,5-tetradecadienyl acetate 3. These compounds are the main components of insect sex pheromones and constitute synthetic targets of considerable interest for the semiochemical community.

Synthesis of haptens and development of an immunoassay for the olive fruit fly pheromone.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the olive fruit fly pheromone, Bactrocera oleae Gmelin, was developed. The assay uses polyclonal antibodies, raised in rabbits, against (+/-)-beta-[3-(1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane)]propionic acid, 2 (hapten I), conjugated to the KLH (keyhole limpet hemocyanin) by the carbodiimide method. A second hapten, (+/-)-delta-[3-(1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane)]butylamine, 3 (hapten II), after conjugation to a biotin moiety, was used for indirect immobilization onto ELISA microwells precoated with the glycoprotein avidin. The developed ELISA method measures the synthetic olive fruit fly pheromone in concentrations ranging between 0.08 and 10 microg/mL and shows great promise for practical applications for pheromone detection in environmental and biological samples. The results obtained strongly indicate that this technique, to our knowledge the first insect pheromone enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay so far reported, is a fast, sensitive, inexpensive, and highly convenient method for the analysis of a volatile and low molecular weight compound such as 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane, 1.

Correction: Molecular Vibration-Sensing Component in Human Olfaction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055780.].

Molecular vibration-sensing component in human olfaction.

Whether olfaction recognizes odorants by their shape, their molecular vibrations, or both remains an open and controversial question. A convenient way to address it is to test for odor character differences between deuterated and undeuterated odorant isotopomers, since these have identical ground-state conformations but different vibrational modes. In a previous paper (Franco et al. (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:9, 3797-802) we showed that fruit flies can recognize the presence of deuterium in odorants by a vibrational mechanism. Here we address the question of whether humans too can distinguish deuterated and undeuterated odorants. A previous report (Keller and Vosshall (2004) Nat Neurosci 7:4, 337-8) indicated that naive subjects are incapable of distinguishing acetophenone and d-8 acetophenone. Here we confirm and extend those results to trained subjects and gas-chromatography [GC]-pure odorants. However, we also show that subjects easily distinguish deuterated and undeuterated musk odorants purified to GC-pure standard. These results are consistent with a vibrational component in human olfaction.

Determination of natural olive fruit fly pheromone in insect samples by enzyme linked immunoassays.

The olive fruit fly pheromone avidin-biotin ELISA immunoassay, based on the use of polyclonal G antibodies derived from rabbits (reported previously) and a newer assay, based on the use of polyclonal Y antibodies isolated from the eggs of laying hens (reported in this paper), were applied successfully for the analysis of natural pheromone in virgin adult female olive fruit flies. According to the results obtained, the pheromone content in the glands of adult female olive fruit flies increases from the third to the ninth day of their age. During the calling period, the female olive fruit flies seem to emit approximately 1.1microg pheromone/insect/day at least. The immunoassay, based on the Y antibodies, is slightly more sensitive (detection limit 40ng/mL) than the assay based on polyclonal anti-pheromone rabbit antiserum (detection limit 80ng/mL). As revealed by thorough cross-reactivity studies, including 14 structurally similar to the olive fruit fly pheromone molecules, the newer immunoassay is less selective than the previous one and seems to cross react with few molecules bearing the spiroketal moiety.

A new protocol for a regioselective aldol condensation as an alternative convenient synthesis of beta-ketols and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones.

A general and convenient synthesis of beta-ketols and alpha,beta-alkenones has been achieved by a Knoevenagel condensation of a beta-ketoacid with an aldehyde in aqueous medium. Saponification of a beta-ketoester by an aqueous KOH 10% solution gives the potassium salt of the beta-ketoacid, which is condensed in situ with an aldehyde at pH 7.8-8.0, at 60 degrees C for 5-6 h. The intermediate beta-ketocarboxylate is smoothly decarboxylated in the reaction medium, giving the beta-ketol in high yield (75-90%). Acidification of the reaction mixture at pH 1 and heating at 70 degrees C under vigorous stirring for 6 h, leads directly to the corresponding alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone in good yield (65-75%).