A main challenge in food safety research is to demonstrate that processing of foodstuffs does not lead to the formation of substances for which the safety upon consumption might be questioned. This is especially so since food is a... more
A main challenge in food safety research is to demonstrate that processing of foodstuffs does not lead
to the formation of substances for which the safety upon consumption might be questioned. This is especially
so since food is a complex matrix in which the analytical detection of substances, and consequent
risk assessment thereof, is difficult to determine. Here, a pragmatic novel safety assessment strategy is
applied to the production of non-selective extracts (NSEs), used for different purposes in food such as
for colouring purposes, which are complex food mixtures prepared from reference juices. The Complex
Mixture Safety Assessment Strategy (CoMSAS) is an exposure driven approach enabling to efficiently assess
the safety of the NSE by focussing on newly formed substances or substances that may increase in exposure
during the processing of the NSE. CoMSAS enables to distinguish toxicologically relevant from
toxicologically less relevant substances, when related to their respective levels of exposure. This will reduce
the amount of work needed for identification, characterisation and safety assessment of unknown substances
detected at low concentration, without the need for toxicity testing using animal studies. In this
paper, the CoMSAS approach has been applied for elderberry and pumpkin NSEs used for food colouring
purposes.
Sander Koster, Winfried Leeman, Elwin Verheij, Ellen Dutman, Leo van Stee, Lene Munch Nielsen, Stefan Ronsmans, Hub Noteborn, Lisette Krul
Food and Chemical Toxicology 80 (2015) 163–181
In neuronal cells, actin remodeling plays a well known role in neurite extension but is also deeply involved in the organization of intracellular structures, such as the Golgi apparatus. However, it is still not very clear which... more
In neuronal cells, actin remodeling plays a well known role in neurite extension but is also deeply involved in the organization of intracellular structures, such as the Golgi apparatus. However, it is still not very clear which mechanisms may regulate actin dynamics at the different sites. In this report we show that high levels of the TTC3 protein, encoded by one of the genes of the Down Syndrome Critical Region (DCR), prevent neurite extension and disrupt Golgi compactness in differentiating primary neurons. These effects largely depend on the capability of TTC3 to promote actin polymerization through signaling pathways involving RhoA, ROCK, CIT-N and PIIa. However, the functional relationships between these molecules differ significantly if considering the TTC3 activity on neurite extension or on Golgi organization. Finally, our results reveal an unexpected stage-dependent requirement for F-actin in Golgi organization at different stages of neuronal differentiation.
