Polar lipids of commercial Ulva spp. of different origins: profiling and relevance for seaweed valorization

Macroalgae of the genus Ulva have long been used as human food. Local environmental conditions, among other factors, can have an impact on their nutrient and phytochemical composition, as well as on the value of the seaweed for food and non-food applications. This study is the first to initiate a comparison between commercial Ulva spp. from different European origins, France (FR, wild-harvested Ulva spp.), and Portugal (PT, farm-raised Ulva rigida), in terms of proximate composition, esterified fatty acids (FA), and polar lipids. The ash content was higher in PT samples, while FR samples had higher levels of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates and other compounds. The profile of esterified FA, as well as FA-containing polar lipids at the class and species levels were also significantly different. The FR samples showed about three-fold higher amount of n-3 polyunsaturated FA, while PT samples showed two-fold higher content of monounsaturated FA. Quantification of glycolipids and phospholipids revealed, respectively, two-fold and three-fold higher levels in PT samples. Despite the differences found, the polar lipids identified in both batches included some lipid species with recognized bioactivity, valuing Ulva biomass with functional properties, increasing their added value, and promoting new applications, namely in nutraceutical and food markets.UIDB/50011/2020+UIDP/50011/2020, UID/QUI/00062/2019, UIDB/50006/2020, UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020, LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-402-022125, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030962, BPD/UI51/5041/2017, BPD/UI51/5042/2018; EC/H2020/727892/EUinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The genome of the seagrass <i>Zostera marina</i> reveals angiosperm adaptation to the sea

Seagrasses colonized the sea on at least three independent occasions to form the basis of one of the most productive and widespread coastal ecosystems on the planet. Here we report the genome of Zostera marina (L.), the first, to our knowledge, marine angiosperm to be fully sequenced. This reveals unique insights into the genomic losses and gains involved in achieving the structural and physiological adaptations required for its marine lifestyle, arguably the most severe habitat shift ever accomplished by flowering plants. Key angiosperm innovations that were lost include the entire repertoire of stomatal genes, genes involved in the synthesis of terpenoids and ethylene signalling, and genes for ultraviolet protection and phytochromes for far-red sensing. Seagrasses have also regained functions enabling them to adjust to full salinity. Their cell walls contain all of the polysaccharides typical of land plants, but also contain polyanionic, low-methylated pectins and sulfated galactans, a feature shared with the cell walls of all macroalgae and that is important for ion homoeostasis, nutrient uptake and O2/CO2 exchange through leaf epidermal cells. The Z. marina genome resource will markedly advance a wide range of functional ecological studies from adaptation of marine ecosystems under climate warming, to unravelling the mechanisms of osmoregulation under high salinities that may further inform our understanding of the evolution of salt tolerance in crop plants

The <i>Ectocarpus</i> genome and the independent evolution of multicellularity in brown algae

Brown algae (Phaeophyceae) are complex photosynthetic organisms with a very different evolutionary history to green plants, to which they are only distantly related1. These seaweeds are the dominant species in rocky coastal ecosystems and they exhibit many interesting adaptations to these, often harsh, environments. Brown algae are also one of only a small number of eukaryotic lineages that have evolved complex multicellularity (Fig. 1).We report the 214 million base pair (Mbp) genome sequence of the filamentous seaweed Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye, a model organism for brown algae, closely related to the kelps (Fig. 1). Genome features such as the presence of an extended set of light-harvesting and pigment biosynthesis genes and new metabolic processes such as halide metabolism help explain the ability of this organism to cope with the highly variable tidal environment. The evolution of multicellularity in this lineage is correlated with the presence of a rich array of signal transduction genes. Of particular interest is the presence of a family of receptor kinases, as the independent evolution of related molecules has been linked with the emergence of multicellularity in both the animal and green plant lineages. The Ectocarpus genome sequence represents an important step towards developing this organism as a model species, providing the possibility to combine genomic and genetic2 approaches to explore these and other aspects of brown algal biology further

Correlation of gene expression and protein production rate - a system wide study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Growth rate is a major determinant of intracellular function. However its effects can only be properly dissected with technically demanding chemostat cultivations in which it can be controlled. Recent work on <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>chemostat cultivations provided the first analysis on genome wide effects of growth rate. In this work we study the filamentous fungus <it>Trichoderma reesei </it>(<it>Hypocrea jecorina</it>) that is an industrial protein production host known for its exceptional protein secretion capability. Interestingly, it exhibits a low growth rate protein production phenotype.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have used transcriptomics and proteomics to study the effect of growth rate and cell density on protein production in chemostat cultivations of <it>T. reesei</it>. Use of chemostat allowed control of growth rate and exact estimation of the extracellular specific protein production rate (SPPR). We find that major biosynthetic activities are all negatively correlated with SPPR. We also find that expression of many genes of secreted proteins and secondary metabolism, as well as various lineage specific, mostly unknown genes are positively correlated with SPPR. Finally, we enumerate possible regulators and regulatory mechanisms, arising from the data, for this response.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on these results it appears that in low growth rate protein production energy is very efficiently used primarly for protein production. Also, we propose that flux through early glycolysis or the TCA cycle is a more fundamental determining factor than growth rate for low growth rate protein production and we propose a novel eukaryotic response to this i.e. the lineage specific response (LSR).</p

Treatment of hypertension in women and men

Aims: The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate antihypertensive treatment in women and men. First, the aim was to analyze the scientifi c support for treatment recommendations in women and men. Second, the aims were to study achieved blood pressure levels and evaluate differences in antihypertensive treatment in women and men with new-onset and current hypertension and further to study if guidelines were pursued. Finally, the aims were to study the infl uence of comorbidities and psychosocial factors on antihypertensive treatment and achieved target blood pressure in women and men. Methods: Paper I is a review based on “Moderately elevated blood pressure, a systematic literature review” by the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). Paper I analyses the proportion of women included and gender specifi c data on blood pressure reduction and outcome. Paper II is a retrospective study carried out in primary health care including patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, investigating blood pressure levels, antihypertensive treatment and time to satisfying blood pressure control in women and men. Paper III and IV are retrospective cohort studies carried out in the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database (SPCCD) including patients with ongoing hypertension. These studies investigate blood pressure levels, achieved target blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, comorbidities and psychosocial factors in women and men with hypertension. Results: In Paper I, two studies (VALUE and ALLHAT) showed a better blood pressure reduction with calcium channel blockers compared to angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and this was more pronounced in women. In ALLHAT the calcium channel blocker was superior to both the diuretic and ACEI in reducing stroke incidence in women but not in men. In VALUE, calcium channel blocker-based therapy was superior to the ARB-based therapy in reducing the composite endpoint of cardiac morbidity and mortality in women but not in men (p<0.05). In Paper II, 332 male and 334 female patients were included. There was no gender difference in systolic blood pressure (SBP) before and after treatment. Women had a lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) before and after intervention. There was no difference between the proportion of women and men reaching the predefi ned goal of treatment. In Paper III and IV, 40 825 patients with current hypertension were included. In patients older than 69 years, women had a higher SBP, except in patients of 90 years of age or older. Achieved DBP dropped with age in both genders and was lower in women in all age groups except in patients 90 years or older. Achieved SBP was higher in women in all subgroups of comorbidities except in patients with asthma. Fewer women than men reached target blood pressure (p<0.0001). Women were more often prescribed thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics and beta receptor blockers and men were more often prescribed ACEI, and this was consistent also after adjusting for age, comorbidities and smoking. The predominant use of ACEI and calcium channel blockers in men was not infl uenced by education, country of birth and psychiatric disorder. However, in well-educated patients women were not prescribed diuretics and beta receptor blockers more often than men. In women, education and psychiatric disorder was associated with reaching target blood pressure. Conclusion: Women and men are treated with different antihypertensive drugs and this is not fully explained by differences in comorbidities. Women with diabetes mellitus are not treated with ACEI or ARB to the same extent as their male counterparts. Women with hypertension reach target blood pressure less often than men and women have a higher achieved SBP in all subgroups of concomitant cardiovascular disease. Higher educational level and psychiatric disorder are associated with reaching target blood pressure in women. Efforts should be made to emphasize the risk evaluation in women with hypertension and concomitant cardiovascular disease to improve blood pressure control