Projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and dopamine (DA) input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) converge in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), forming a neural circuit implicated in certain cognitive and emotional processes. However, the role that DA plays in modulating activity in the BLA-mPFC pathway is unknown. The present study investigated the mechanisms by which DA modulat...

BACKGROUND The emergence of bla(KPC)-containing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) isolates is attracting significant attention. Outbreaks in the Eastern USA have created serious treatment and infection control problems. A comparative multi-institutional analysis of these strains has not yet been performed. METHODS We analysed 42 KPC-Kp recovered during 2006-07 from five institutions located in t...

The genetic environment of the bla(OXA-18) gene encoding a peculiar clavulanic acid-inhibitable Ambler class D extended-spectrum beta-lactamase was determined from the prototype OXA-18-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa MUS clinical isolate. An 8.2-kb genomic DNA fragment containing bla(OXA-18) was cloned from P. aeruginosa MUS. Although most oxacillinases are located in integrons, bla(OXA-18) la...

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is thought to be essential for fear learning. However, extensive training can overcome the loss of conditional fear evident following lesions and inactivation of the BLA. Such results suggest the existence of a primary BLA-dependent and a compensatory BLA-independent neural circuit. We tested the hypothesis that the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) provide...

Many soluble proteins are known to interact with membranes in partially disordered states, and the mechanism and relevance of such interactions in cellular processes are beginning to be understood. Bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) represents an excellent prototype for monitoring membrane interaction due to its conformational plasticity. In this work, we comprehensively monitored the interaction of ap...

Systemic or intracerebral administration of glucocorticoids enhances memory consolidation in several tasks. Previously, we reported that these effects depend on an intact basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and efferents from the BLA that run through the stria terminalis (ST). The BLA projects directly to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) via this ST pathway. The NAc also receives direct projec...

Although adsorption-induced conformational changes of proteins play an essential role during protein adsorption on interfaces, detailed information about these changes is lacking. To further the current understanding of protein adsorption, in this study, the orientation, conformation, and local stability of bovine alpha-lactalbumin (BLA) adsorbed on polystyrene nanospheres is characterized at t...

Although interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) are critical for emotional guidance of behavior, the manner in which amygdala affects PFC function is not clear. Whereas basolateral amygdala (BLA) output neurons exhibit many characteristics associated with excitatory neurotransmission, BLA stimulation typically inhibits PFC cell firing. This apparent discrepancy could be e...

Bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) forms cytotoxic complexes with oleic acid (OA) that perturbs tumor cell membranes, but molecular determinants of these membrane-interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to obtain molecular insights into the interaction of BLA/BLA-OA complex with model membranes. We characterized the folding state of BLA-OA complex using tryptophan fluorescence and resolved ...

Both the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear appear to require the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Because these two forms of learning have opposing effects on the expression of conditioned fear, we hypothesized that they may modulate GABAergic tone differentially within the BLA. Previously, we reported that gene expression for the GABA(A) receptor clustering protein gephyrin was signifi...