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The inhibition of amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation and degradation of Aβ aggregates are promising approaches for treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease. In our search for Aβ42 aggregation inhibitors, we isolated seven undescribed meroterpenoids, sargasilides A (1)‒G (7), from brown alga (Sargassum siliquastrum) collected at Noto Peninsula in Japan. We structurally elucidated the isolated meroterpenoids using spectroscopic data and evaluated their activities using Thioflavin T assay and transmission electron microscopy. Among the seven compounds isolated, sargasilide B had the strongest inhibitory activity. From the comparison of structure and activity, the geometric isomerism of olefins and length of isoprene side chains are important for the activity of meroterpenoids isolated from brown alga., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy.)

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily and is involved in the inflammatory process. Previously, we synthesized the ligands of PPARγ that possess the hybrid structure of a food-derived cinnamic acid derivative (CA) and GW9662, an irreversible PPARγ antagonist. These ligands activate the transcription of PPARγ through the covalent bond formation with the Cys285 residue of PPARγ, whereas their anti-inflammatory effect has not been examined yet. Here, we show the anti-inflammatory effect of the covalent PPARγ ligands in RAW264 cells, murine macrophage-like cells. GW9662 suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and exerted a synergistic effect in combination with CA. The compounds bearing their hybrid structure dramatically inhibited NO production and transcription of proinflammatory cytokines. A comparison study suggested that the 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzoyl group of the ligands is important for anti-inflammation. Furthermore, we synthesized an alkyne-tagged analogue that becomes an activity-based probe for future mechanistic study., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry.)

Objectives: To present a rare case of neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) associated with suspected hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)., Case Presentation: A female infant weighing 2,995 g was born to a mother without medical history of any disease. At birth, the patient had erythematous papules on her face and trunk. She was admitted at 1 day of age with elevated C-reactive protein levels. The patient was diagnosed with NLE based on the presence of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies. Thereafter, it became clear that the antibody levels in her mother were also elevated. At 20 days of age, the infant showed elevated transaminases, ferritin, triglyceride, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels. Although HLH or MAS was suspected, she did not fulfill the diagnostic criteria. Thereafter, these abnormal values spontaneously improved, and the skin rash improved with the use of topical steroids. The patient was discharged at 39 days of age. At 1 year of age, the patient's growth and development were normal., Conclusion: NLE should be considered in infants with an unexplained skin rash at birth. When a diagnosis is made, close observation of the infant's clinical features is needed to determine whether they will develop HLH or MAS.

Amyloid β (Aβ) is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ aggregation in the brain is considered the cause of AD. Therefore, inhibiting Aβ aggregation and degrading existing Aβ aggregates is a promising approach for the treatment and prevention of the disease. In searching for inhibitors of Aβ42 aggregation, we found that meroterpenoids isolated from Sargassum macrocarpum possess potent inhibitory activities. Therefore, we searched for active compounds from this brown alga and isolated 16 meroterpenoids, which contain three new compounds. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated using two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. Thioflavin-T assay and transmission electron microscopy were used to reveal the inhibitory activity of these compounds against Aβ42 aggregation. All the isolated meroterpenoids were found to be active, and compounds with a hydroquinone structure tended to have stronger activity than those with a quinone structure., (© 2023. Crown.)

The chemogenetic control of cellular protein stability using degron tags is a powerful experimental strategy in biomedical research. However, this technique requires permanent fusion of the degron to a target protein, which may interfere with the proper function of the protein. Here, we report a peptide fragment from the carboxyl terminus of ubiquitin as a cleavable linker that exhibits the slow but efficient cleavage of a degron tag via cellular deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). We designed a fusion protein consisting of a cleavable linker and a destabilizing domain (DD), which conditionally controls the expression and release of a target protein in a ligand-induced state, allowing the free unmodified protein to perform its function. Insertion of an AGIA epitope at the carboxyl terminus of the linker made space for the DUBs to access the site to assist the cleavage reaction when the amino terminus of the target protein caused steric hindrance. The developed system, termed a cleavable degron using ubiquitin-derived linkers (c-DUB), provides robust and tunable regulation of target proteins in their native forms. The c-DUB system is a useful tool for the regulation of proteins that have terminal sites that are essential for the proper localization and function. In addition, a mechanistic investigation using proximity labeling showed that DUBs associate with the refolded DD to reverse ubiquitination, suggesting a cellular surveillance system for distinguishing the refolded DD from misfolded proteins. The c-DUB method may benefit from this machinery so that DUBs subsequently cleave the neighboring linker.

DNA microarrays have been applied for comprehensive genotyping, but remain a drawback in complicated operations. As a solution, we previously reported the solid-phase collateral cleavage (SPCC) system based on the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein 12 (CRISPR/Cas12). Surface-immobilized Cas12-CRISPR RNA (crRNA) can directly hybridize target double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and subsequently produce a signal via the cleavage of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) reporter immobilized on the same spot. Therefore, SPCC-based multiplex dsDNA detection can be performed easily. This study reports the miniaturization of SPCC-based spots patterned by a non-contact printer and its performance in comprehensive genotyping on a massively accumulated array. Initially, printing, immobilization, and washing processes of Cas12-crRNA were established to fabricate the non-contact-patterned SPCC-based sensor array. A target dsDNA concentration response was obtained based on the developed sensor array, even with a spot diameter of 0.64 ± 0.05 mm. Also, the limit of detection was 572 pM, 531 pM, and 3.04 nM with 40, 20, and 10 nL-printing of Cas12-crRNA, respectively. Furthermore, the sensor array specifically detected three dsDNA sequences in one-pot multiplexing; therefore, the feasibility of comprehensive genotyping was confirmed. These results demonstrate that our technology can be miniaturized as a CRISPR/Cas12-based microarray by using non-contact printing. In the future, the non-contact-patterned SPCC-based sensor array can be applied as an alternative tool to DNA microarrays.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 12 (Cas12) system is attracting interest for its potential as a next-generation nucleic acid detection tool. The system can recognize double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) based on Cas12-CRISPR RNA (crRNA) and induce signal transduction by collateral cleavage. This property is expected to simplify comprehensive genotyping. Here, we report a solid-phase collateral cleavage (SPCC) reaction by CRISPR/Cas12 and its application toward one-pot multiplex dsDNA detection with minimal operational steps. In the sensor, Cas12-crRNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) are immobilized on the sensing surface and act as enzyme and reporter substrates, respectively. We also report a dual-target dsDNA sensor prepared by immobilizing Cas12-crRNA and a fluorophore-labeled ssDNA reporter on separate spots. When a spot captures a target dsDNA sequence, it cleaves the ssDNA reporter on the same spot and reduces its fluorescence by 42.1-57.3%. Crucially, spots targeting different sequences do not show a reduction in fluorescence, thus confirming the one-pot multiplex dsDNA detection by SPCC. Furthermore, the sequence specificity has a two-base resolution, and the detectable concentration for the target dsDNA is at least 10 -9 M. In the future, the SPCC-based sensor array could achieve one-pot comprehensive genotyping by using an array spotter as a reagent-immobilizing method.

Two new compounds, podogigants A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the culture broth of Podostroma giganteum. This is the first report on the identification of secondary metabolites in P. giganteum. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis, including 2D NMR spectroscopy assisted by chemical derivatization, which revealed the presence of farnesyl- and geranyl-hydroquinone structures, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited no antifungal activity even at a concentration of 64 μg/mL, whereas they potentiated amphotericin B (AmB) activity against several species of fungi. In particular, 1 potentiated AmB activity against C. albicans and R. oryzae by up to 32-fold (MIC value of AmB decreased from 1.0 to 0.032 µg/mL), while 2 potentiated AmB activity against C. albicans by up to 16-fold., (© 2021. The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are common diseases in the elderly, and the increasing number of patients with these diseases has become a serious health problem worldwide. The aggregation and development of plaque of amyloid polypeptides (amyloid β; Aβ and human islet amyloid polypeptide; hIAPP, amylin) are found in the brains of patients with AD and the pancreas of patients with T2D and are considered to be, in part, the causes of both diseases, respectively. Therefore, preventing amyloid aggregation may be a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing AD and T2D. In addition, the disaggregation of the already aggregated amyloid polypeptides is expected to contribute to the prevention and treatment of both diseases as amyloid polypeptide aggregations begin several decades before the onset of disease. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the hIAPP aggregation inhibitory activity and Aβ42/hIAPP disaggregation activity of clovamide which had shown inhibitory activity against Aβ42 aggregation in our previous studies. In addition, active sites were identified (structure-activity relationship analysis) using clovamide-related compounds in which hydroxyl groups of these compounds were either eliminated or methylated. Our results showed that the compounds with one or two catechol moieties showed strong hIAPP aggregation inhibitory activity and Aβ42/hIAPP disaggregation activity; and the non-catechol type compounds showed little or no activity. This suggests that the catechol moiety is important in amyloid polypeptide aggregation inhibition and disaggregation. Thus, clovamide and its related compounds may be promising therapeutic strategies for inhibiting amyloid polypeptide-related pathology in AD and T2D.

Alzheimer's diseases (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are two age-related diseases characterized by amyloid fibrillogenesis. Prevention of amyloid aggregation is a promising therapeutic strategy for AD and T2D. Two spermine alkaloids, kukoamines A and B, isolated from Lycii Cortex (LyC) were investigated for their inhibitory effect on amyloid aggregation. Both kukoamines A and B inhibited aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) and human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) in a dose-dependent manner. Kukoamine B showed stronger inhibitory activity than kukoamine A. These results on the inhibitory activity of kukoamines A and B on Aβ and hIAPP indicate that the catechol moiety is essential for inhibition of amyloid aggregation.

Due to their low cost, simplicity, and pump-free liquid transport properties, colorimetric assays on paper spots and microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) are regarded as useful tools for point-of-care testing (POCT). However, for certain types of colorimetric assays, the "non-transparent" and "white" characters of paper can be a disadvantage. In this work, the possibilities of using cellophane as an alternative platform for colorimetric assays have been investigated. Cellophane is a low cost and easy-to-handle transparent film made of regenerated cellulose. Owing to its hydrophilic character, cellophane-based microfluidic channels fabricated through a print-cut-laminate approach enabled pump-free liquid transport into multiple detection areas, similar to µPADs. In addition, the water absorption characteristics of cellophane allowed the stable immobilization of water-soluble colorimetric indicators without any surface modification or additional reagents. The transparency of cellophane provides possibilities for simple background coloring of the substrates, increasing the dynamic signal range for hue-based colorimetric assays, as demonstrated for two model assays targeting H 2 O 2 (46-fold increase) and creatinine (3.6-fold increase). Finally, a turbidity detection-based protein assay was realized on black background cellophane spots. The lowest limits of detection achieved with the cellophane-based devices were calculated as 7 µM for H 2 O 2 , 2.7 mg dL -1 for creatinine, and 3.5 mg dL -1 for protein (human serum albumin)., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

The polyphenol derivative 3,4-dihydroxybenzalacetone (DBL) is the primary antioxidative component of the medicinal folk mushroom Chaga (Inonotus obliquus (persoon) Pilat). In this study, we investigated whether the antioxidative effect of DBL could propagate to recipient cells via secreted components, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), after pre-exposing SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells to DBL. First, we prepared EV-enriched fractions via sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation using conditioned medium from SH-SY5Y cells exposed to 100 µM hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) for 24 h, with and without 1 h of 5 µM DBL pre-treatment. CD63 immuno-dot blot analysis demonstrated that fractions with density of 1.06-1.09 g/cm 3 had CD63-like immuno-reactivities. Furthermore, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay revealed that the radical scavenging activity of fraction 11 (density of 1.06 g/cm 3 ), prepared after 24-h H 2 O 2 treatment, was significantly increased compared to that in the control group (no H 2 O 2 treatment). Notably, 1 h of 5 µM DBL pre-treatment or 5 min of heat treatment (100 °C) diminished this effect, although concentrating the fraction by 100 kDa ultrafiltration enhanced it. Overall, the effect was not specific to the recipient cell types. In addition, the uptake of fluorescent Paul Karl Horan-labeled EVs in concentrated fraction 11 was detected in all treatment groups, particularly in the H 2 O 2 -treated group. The results suggest that cell-to-cell communication via bioactive substances, such as EVs, in conditioned SH-SY5Y cell medium, propagates the H 2 O 2 -induced radical scavenging effect, whereas pre-conditioning with DBL inhibits it.

Since higher plants are unable to move in their environment, interesting and mysterious developmental events (allelopathy, phototropism, apical dominance, nyctinasty, flowering, senescence) are observed in their life cycle. Chemical compounds released from plant organs to the neighboring environment stimulate or suppress the development and/or growth of other plants; this chemical interaction is called "allelopathy." The bending of the organs of a plant toward the light is a well-known phenomenon called "phototropism." The growth of lateral buds of some plants is normally repressed by a strongly growing main shoot apex and is the so-called "apical dominance". Plants open their leaves during the day and close them at night as if sleeping is known as "nyctinasty." Herein, recent studies on isolation and structure elucidation of bioactive compounds involved in their life cycle and determination of the molecular mechanisms for these developmental events are described.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is expressed in various organs and involved in the fundamental cellular functions such as mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic activities. Induction of HGF may be therapeutically useful for controlling organ regeneration, wound healing, and embryogenesis. In this study, we examined the stimulation effect of cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G), an anthocyanidin derivative, on HGF production in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) and the underlying mechanisms. C3G induced HGF production at both mRNA and protein levels in NHDF cells and enhanced the phosphorylation of cAMP-response element-binding protein. We also observed that treatment with C3G increased intracellular cAMP level and promoter activity of cAMP-response element in HEK293 cells expressing β 2 -adrenergic receptor (β 2 AR). In contrast, cyanidin, an aglycon of C3G, did not show the activation of β 2 AR signaling and HGF production. These results indicate that C3G behaves as an agonist for β 2 AR signaling to activate the protein kinase A pathway and induce the production of HGF., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Aim: We identified chemical components that exhibited antitumor activity against oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and examined their effective concentrations and additive and/or synergistic effects in combinational usage on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of OSCC cells., Materials and Methods: Using high-performance liquid chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, we identified the main chemical components of the methanol extracts from Paeonia lutea. We investigated the pharmaceutical effects of those components on the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of an OSCC cell line, SAS, using the tetrazolium salt 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and caspase assays, as well as flow cytometry cell cycle analysis. We also examined the effects of those components on the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway by western blotting. Finally, the effects on normal human epidermal keratinocyte cells were also examined in similar experiments., Results: Three chemicals have been identified in P. lutea leaves using high performance liquid chromatography: gallic acid methyl ester (GAME), pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) and paeoniflorin (PF). Both GAME and PGG significantly suppressed cell proliferation, and their combined effects were synergistic, while the effect of PF was minimal. However, those chemicals did not induce apoptosis. Cell cycle and western blotting analysis showed that the suppressive effects on cell proliferation resulted from G2 arrest and the suppression of phosphorylation of Akt/PKB. No effect was identified on normal human epidermal keratinocyte cells., Conclusion: These results indicate that GAME and PGG are the main chemical components of P. lutea leaves that have potential anti-cancer therapeutic effects., (Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

The number of people worldwide suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is on the rise. Amyloid polypeptides are thought to be associated with the onset of both diseases. Amyloid-β (Aβ) that aggregates in the brain and human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) that aggregates in the pancreas are considered cytotoxic and the cause of the development of AD and T2D, respectively. Thus, inhibiting amyloid polypeptide aggregation and disaggregation existing amyloid aggregates are promising approaches in the therapy and prevention against both diseases. Therefore, in this research, we evaluated the Aβ/hIAPP anti-aggregation and disaggregation activities of A-type procyanidins 1 - 7 and their substructures 8 and 9 , by conducting structure-activity relationship studies and identified the active site. The thioflavin-T (Th-T) assay, which quantifies the degree of aggregation of amyloid polypeptides based on fluorescence intensity, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), employed to directly observe amyloid polypeptides, were used to evaluate the activity. The results showed that catechol-containing compounds 1 - 6 exhibited Aβ/hIAPP anti-aggregation and disaggregation activities, while compound 7 , without catechol, showed no activity. This suggests that the presence of catechol is important for both activities. Daily intake of foods containing A-type procyanidins may be effective in the prevention and treatment of both diseases.

The number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing rapidly, and thus more research has been focused on the relationship between these two age-related chronic diseases. According to the amyloid hypothesis, prevention of the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) and human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is a promising strategy for AD and T2D. In this study, thioflavin-T assay and transmission electron microscopy were performed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of three phenylpropanoids isolated from Lycopus lucidus-schizotenuin A and lycopic acids A and B-on both Aβ and hIAPP fibrillization. All tested compounds exhibited similarly strong inhibitory activity toward amyloid aggregation. These results suggested that catechol moieties play important roles in the inhibition of amyloid plaque formation.

Oxygenated cyclopentene systems are unique structural motifs found in fungal polyketides such as terrein, cyclohelminthols, and palmaenones. Here we report the identification of the biosynthetic gene clusters for cyclohelminthols and palmaenones and the functional characterization of the polyketide synthases and halogenases involved in the construction of 6-hydroxymellein derivatives. Heterologous expression in Aspergillus oryzae demonstrated that 6-hydroxymellein is a common biosynthetic intermediate and that chlorination occurs in the early stages of its products' biosynthesis. This was further confirmed by in vitro enzymatic reactions conducted in the presence of recombinant proteins. Plausible means of biogenesis of fungal polyketides from 6-hydroxymellein derivatives, additionally supported by the reported labeling patterns of terrein and structurally related fungal polyketides, are also discussed. This study sets the stage for elucidation of the biosynthetic machinery of fungal polyketides of this type., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Plants cannot move, so they have evolved sophisticated strategies that integrate the external environmental cues and internal signaling networks for adaptation to dynamic circumstances. Cis-(+)-12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) and 2,3-dinor-OPDA (dn-OPDA), the cyclopentenone-containing oxylipins, ubiquitously occur in the green lineage to orchestrate a series of growth and developmental processes as well as various stress and defense responses. OPDA/dn-OPDA are precursors of jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis in vascular plants. Dn-OPDA and its isomer also serve as bioactive JAs perceived by the coronatine insensitive 1/jasmonate ZIM-domain (COI1/JAZ) co-receptor complex in bryophytes and lycophytes. In addition, OPDA/dn-OPDA display signaling activities independent of (+)-7-iso-jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile) and COI1 in both vascular and non-vascular plants. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the biosynthesis, metabolism, and signaling of OPDA/dn-OPDA, and provide an overview of the evolution of OPDA/dn-OPDA actions to obtain a deeper understanding of the pervasive role of OPDA/dn-OPDA in the plant life cycle., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by aggregation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ). Aβ aggregates through β-sheet formation and induces cytotoxicity against neuronal cells. Inhibition of Aβ aggregation by naturally occurring compounds is thus a promising strategy for the treatment of AD. We have already reported that caffeoylquinic acids and phenylethanoid glycosides, which possess two or more catechol moieties, strongly inhibited Aβ aggregation. Clovamide (1) containing two catechol moieties, isolated from cacao beans (Theobroma cacao L.), is believed to exhibit preventive effects on Aβ aggregation. To investigate the structure-activity relationship of clovamide (1) for the inhibition of Aβ aggregation, we synthesized 1 and related compounds 2-11 through reaction between l-DOPA, d-DOPA, l-tyrosine, or l-phenylalanine and caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, or cinnamic acid, and compounds 12 and 13 were derived from 1. Among tested compounds 1-13, those containing one or two catechol moieties exhibited potent anti-aggregation activity, whereas the non-catechol-type related compounds showed little or no activity. This suggests that at least one catechol moiety is essential for inhibition of Aβ42 aggregation, and this activity increases depending on the number of catechol moieties. Consequently, clovamide (1) and its related compounds may be a promising therapeutic option for inhibiting Aβ-mediated pathology in AD., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Three new compounds, sydowianumols A (1), B (2), and C (3), were isolated from culture broth and mycelial extracts of Poculum pseudosydowianum (TNS-F-57853), an endophytic fungus isolated from fresh leaves of Quercus crispula. The structures of new compounds 1-3 were elucidated from spectroscopic data. Sydowianumols A (1) and B (2) exhibited antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with 90% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC 90 ) values of 12.5 µg/mL.

Extract of soil under colonies of Hypnum plumaeforme inhibited the growth of roots and shoots of cress, lettuce, lucerne, ryegrass, timothy, Digitaria sanguinalis and Echinochloa crus-galli. Increasing the extract concentration increased the inhibition, which suggest that the soil may contain growth inhibitory substances and possess allelopathic potential. The extract of the soil under H. plumaeforme was purified and two main inhibitory substances were isolated and determined by MS and 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data as momilactone A and B. Momilactone A and B inhibited hypocotyls and roots of cress seedlings at concentrations >10 and 1 μm respectively. The endogenous concentration of momilactone A and B in H. plumaeforme was 58.7 and 23.4 μg g−1 dry weight respectively and the concentration of momilactone A and B in MS growth medium of H. plumaeforme was 4.3 and 6.4 μg g−1 dry weight of H. plumaeforme, respectively. These results suggest that momilactone A and B were probably secreted into the medium during the incubation and momilactone A and B found in the soil under H. plumaeforme may have been released by the moss. Therefore, growth inhibitory activity of the soil under H. plumaeforme may be caused by momilactone A and B, which may act as allelopathic agents of H. plumaeforme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]