Therefore, this study indicates that the identification and subcellular localization of these molecular motors and SNARE proteins in the honey bee brain should be investigated further because myosins and dynein are potentially involved in vesicle transport during synaptic processes of specific areas of the honey bee brain. The authors thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for grants to the laboratories of N.G.C., A.R.M., E.M.E. and F.S.E. We are also grateful to FAPEMIG for a scientific initiation fellowship

to C.T.S. and L.O.S. and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) selleckchem for providing doctorate and masters fellowships to L.K.C., P.M.V.P., A.B.P.L. Navitoclax mw and L.G.P. The authors are indebted to Ana Maria da Rocha, Maira Licia Foresti and Silmara Reis Banzi from the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo for technical support. “
“Chagas disease is a public health concern as around 10 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that causes Chagas disease) worldwide

( WHO, 2012). The prevention of Chagas disease is based on the control of the insect vector of the parasite mainly using insecticides ( Carvajal et al., 2012 and WHO, 2012). However, in the last decade, different levels of insecticide resistance have been detected in certain areas ( Carvajal et al., 2012). Therefore it is important to investigate other compounds against triatomines and the parasite to suppress the transmission of Chagas disease. Secosteroids, which are physalins (extracted from Physalis

angulata) have been investigated in our laboratory, and have demonstrated modulation of the immune responses this website of triatomine nymphs, Rhodnius prolixus, infected with parasites and bacteria. Although insects treated with physalins B, D, F or G did not have any alterations in their development and reproduction, these substances are able to induce several modifications in the humoral and cellular immune responses leading to increased mortalities when R. prolixus are challenged with parasites or bacteria ( Garcia et al., 2006, Castro et al., 2008 and Castro et al., 2009). When R. prolixus, inoculated with Trypanosoma rangeli and/or Enterobacter cloacae, was fed on blood containing different types of physalins there was a decrease in the number of hemocyte microaggregations and total hemocyte counts in the hemolymph ( Garcia et al., 2006 and Castro et al., 2008), and a drastic inhibition of hemocyte phagocytosis and microaggregation in in vitro assays ( Castro et al., 2009). Also the humoral responses were altered by a reduction in nitric oxide production in insects treated with physalins and challenged by T. rangeli ( Garcia et al.