Proteínas de almacenamiento tipo 11S en semillas de olivo (Olea europaea L.). Caracterización mediante técnicas de proteómica

6 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tabla.-- Trabajo presentado al Simposium Científico–Técnico EXPOLIVA 2007.Los tejidos de reserva de la semilla del olivo acumulan grandes cantidades de proteínas de almacenamiento en forma de cuerpos proteicos. En este trabajo se analizaron extractos proteicos de cotiledón y endospermo mediante electroforesis bidimensional (2-D). Dichas técnicas permitieron detectar el carácter básico de los péptidos p1 y p2, así como el carácter ácido de p3, p4 y p5. La espectrometría de masas de diversos spot aislados, indicó una homología relevante con la subunidad básica de las leguminas de tipo 11S. También se detectó la presencia de diversas isoformas, algunas posiblemente resultantes de modificaciones postranscripcionales. La abundancia de estas proteínas en las semillas maduras de olivo hace que dicho material pueda ser considerado una fuente nitrogenada de posible uso como complemento en nutrición animal. Otras utilidades relevantes podrían explotar un posible carácter discriminatorio entre variedades para el desarrollo de programas de mejora genética en olivo actualmente en curso.Este trabajo fue financiado gracias a los proyectos AGL2003-00719 y MEC BFU2004- 00601/BFI. Los autores agradecen al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) la concesión de una beca predoctoral (I3P-CSIC 2002).Peer reviewe

A survey on the (in)security of trusted execution environments

As the number of security and privacy attacks continue to grow around the world, there is an ever increasing need to protect our personal devices. As a matter of fact, more and more manufactures are relying on Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to shield their devices. In particular, ARM TrustZone (TZ) is being widely used in numerous embedded devices, especially smartphones, and this technology is the basis for secure solutions both in industry and academia. However, as shown in this paper, TEE is not bullet-proof and it has been successfully attacked numerous times and in very different ways. To raise awareness among potential stakeholders interested in this technology, this paper provides an extensive analysis and categorization of existing vulnerabilities in TEEs and highlights the design flaws that led to them. The presented vulnerabilities, which are not only extracted from existing literature but also from publicly available exploits and databases, are accompanied by some effective countermeasures to reduce the likelihood of new attacks. The paper ends with some appealing challenges and open issues.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the SecureEDGE project (PID2019-110565RB-I00), and by the by the Andalusian FEDER 2014–2020 Program through the SAVE project (PY18-3724)

Expression profiling and localization of wall polysaccharides in the olive pollen during in vitro germination

1 página.-- Comunicación oral presentada en la XVIII Reunión de la Sociedad Española de Fisiología Vegetal (SEFV).-- Sesión Temática 2: Crecimiento y desarrollo.-- S2-O2.This work was supported by the Andalusian Regional Government (project P06-AGR-01791). C. Suarez thanks the MEC for providing FPI grant funding.Peer reviewe

Bi-spectral infrared algorithm for cloud coverage over oceans by the jem-euso mission program

The need to monitor specific areas for different applications requires high spatial and temporal resolution. This need has led to the proliferation of ad hoc systems on board nanosatellites, drones, etc. These systems require low cost, low power consumption, and low weight. The work we present follows this trend. Specifically, this article evaluates a method to determine the cloud map from the images provided by a simple bi-spectral infrared camera within the framework of JEM-EUSO (The Joint Experiment Missions-Extrem Universe Space Observatory). This program involves different experiments whose aim is determining properties of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) via the detection of atmospheric fluorescence light. Since some of those projects use UV instruments on board space platforms, they require knowledge of the cloudiness state in the FoV of the instrument. For that reason, some systems will include an infrared (IR) camera. This study presents a test to generate a binary cloudiness mask (CM) over the ocean, employing bi-spectral IR data. The database is created from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data (bands 31 and 32). The CM is based on a split-window algorithm. It uses an estimation of the brightness temperature calculated from a statistical study of an IR images database along with an ancillary sea surface temperature. This statistical procedure to obtain the estimate of the brightness temperature is one of the novel contributions of this work. The difference between the measured and estimation of the brightness temperature determines whether a pixel is cover or clear. That classification requires defining several thresholds which depend on the scenarios. The procedure for determining those thresholds is also novel. Then, the results of the algorithm are compared with the MODIS CM. The agreement is above 90%. The performance of the proposed CM is similar to that of other studies. The validation also shows that cloud edges concentrate the vast majority of discrepancies with the MODIS CM. The relatively high accuracy of the algorithm is a relevant result for the JEM-EUSO program. Further work will combine the proposed algorithm with complementary studies in the framework of JEM-EUSO to reinforce the CM above the cloud edges.This research was funded by MADRID GOVERNMENT (Comunidad de Madrid;Spain), PEJ-2018-AI_TIC-11476 and by the SPANISH MINISTRY (MICINN), RTI2018-099825-B-C33. The APC was funded by the MADRID GOVERNMENT, EPUC3M14

Olive cultivar origin is a major cause of polymorphism for Ole e 1 pollen allergen

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pollens from different olive (<it>Olea europaea </it>L.) cultivars have been shown to differ significantly in their content in Ole e 1 and in their overall allergenicity. This allergen is, in addition, characterized by a high degree of polymorphism in its sequence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the putative presence of divergences in Ole e 1 sequences from different olive cultivars.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RNA from pollen individually collected from 10 olive cultivars was used to amplify Ole e 1 sequences by RT-PCR, and the sequences were analyzed by using different bioinformatics tools. Numerous nucleotide substitutions were detected throughout the sequences, many of which resulted in amino acid substitutions in the deduced protein sequences. In most cases variability within a single variety was much lower than among varieties. Key amino acid changes in comparison with "canonical" sequences previously described in the literature included: a) the substitution of C19-relevant to the disulphide bond structure of the protein-, b) the presence of an additional N-glycosylation motif, and c) point substitutions affecting regions of Ole e 1 already described like relevant for the immunogenicity/allergenicity of the protein.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Varietal origin of olive pollen is a major factor determining the diversity of Ole e 1 variants. We consider this information of capital importance for the optimal design of efficient and safe allergen formulations, and useful for the genetic engineering of modified forms of the allergen among other applications.</p

Plasma endocannabinoid alterations as a link in the comorbidity of Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Over the last several years, studies have suggested a role of endocannabinoids such as 2-AG and 2-OG in the impairment of β-cell function and insulin secretion, as well as in the control of lipid and glucose metabolism in the periphery. Besides, alterations in the endocannabidiome are associated with the development of dementia. Since type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an established risk factor for late-life cognitive decline, we sought to evaluate the possible link between the alterations in plasma endocannabinoids as potential biomarkers of cognitive decline in elderly patients with T2DM. In the present study, we evaluated the plasma levels of endocannabinoids in a cohort of elder controls and patients suffering from T2DM, with either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The cognitive performance of these patients was evaluated at the beginning of the study and their regional brain metabolic activity was assessed by PET-18FDG. We found that T2DM patients showed decreased levels of brain metabolic activity determined by PET-18FDG in the inferior parietal lobe, caudate, and thalamus, which were decreased and related to poor cognitive performance shown by both BLESSED and MMSE tests. Segregation of patients according to their cognitive status (MCI or AD) showed lower basal metabolism in the aforementioned regions, which was exacerbated in patients with AD and T2DM comorbidity. Correlation analysis showed plasma levels of the endocannabinoids 2-AG, 2-LG, and 2-OG were inversely related to brain metabolism in these areas, as well as to worse BLESSED and MMSE scores. Our results depict that plasma endocannabinoids are potential biomarkers linking the development of cognitive decline to the occurrence of T2DM.Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación, Junta de Andalucía, grant number PI21/00291. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The effect of cellular differentiation on HSV-1 infection of oligodendrocytic cells

Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus that infects many types of cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that oligodendrocytic cells are highly susceptible to HSV-1 infection. Here we analysed HSV-1 infection of a human oligodendrocytic cell line, HOG, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) cultured under growth or differentiation conditions. In addition to cell susceptibility, the role of the major cell receptors for viral entry was assessed. Our results revealed that OPCs and HOG cells cultured under differentiation conditions became more susceptible to HSV-1. On the other hand, viral infection induced morphological changes corresponding to differentiated cells, suggesting that HSV-1 might be inducing cell differentiation. We also observed colocalization of HVEM and nectin-1 with viral particles, suggesting that these two major HSV-1 receptors are functional in HOG cells. Finally, electron microscopy assays indicated that HSV-1 may be also entering OLs by macropinocytosis depending on their differentiation stage. In addition, vesicles containing intracellular enveloped virions observed in differentiated cells point to an endocytic mechanism of virus entry. All these data are indicative of diverse entry pathways dependent on the maturation stage of OLsThe work was partially supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad-MINECO (SAF2012-40023 and RD12-0032-12 -partially funded by FEDER- European Union/Una manera de hacer Europa). F de C is hired by Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha-SESCAM. CK is supported by Public Health Service grant AI-097171 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

Differential characteristics of olive pollen from different cultivars: Biological and clinical implications

The olive tree is grown in many parts of the world. Its germplasm is very broad, with 250 varieties in Spain alone. Variations in the ability of pollen to germinate have been studied in detail and show conspicuous differences between varieties. However, commercial olive pollen from cultivars whose origin is unknown is the material that is commonly used for clinical and biological studies. We aim to assess the putative heterogeneity of olive cultivars with regard to the presence of several pollen allergens and to determine whether these differences have biological and clinical relevance. Previous studies show that most allergens isolated and characterized to date are highly polymorphic. Olive cultivars display wide differences in the expression levels of many allergens and in the number and molecular characteristics of the allergen isoforms expressed. These differences are maintained over the years, and are intrinsic to the genetics of each cultivar. Such broad polymorphism seems to be involved in the physiology of the olive reproductive system, which might include the adaptation of the plant to different environmental conditions, the establishment of the compatibility system, and pollen performance. The differences in allergen composition in cultivars, particularly in the Ole e 1 allergen, are responsible for the important differences in the allergenic potency of the extracts. These fi ndings could have a number of implications for the diagnosis and therapy of olive pollen allergy. We discuss how cultivar differences affect extract quality, diagnostic and therapeutic effi cacy and safety, and the development of new vaccines based on the use of recombinant allergens.El olivo es un cultivo ampliamente representado en el mundo. Su germoplasma es muy amplio, con 250 variedades sólo en España. La capacidad del polen para germinar, que presenta notables diferencias entre variedades, ha sido estudiada en detalle. El material usado comúnmente para estudios clínicos y biológicos es, sin embargo, polen comercial de cultivares de origen desconocido. Nuestro objetivo es evaluar la posible heterogeneidad de los cultivares de olivo en relación a la presencia de varios alérgenos del polen, y determinar si esas diferencias tienen relevancia biológica y clínica. Estudios previos muestran que la mayor parte de los alérgenos aislados y caracterizados hasta la fecha son altamente polimórfi cos. Los cultivares de olivo muestran amplias diferencias en los niveles de expresión de muchos alérgenos, así como en el número y características moleculares de las isoformas alergénicas expresadas. Estas diferencias se mantienen a lo largo de años, y son intrínsecas a la genética de cada cultivar. Este amplio polimorfi smo parece estar implicado en la fi siología del sistema reproductivo del olivo, en relación con la adaptación de la planta a diferentes condiciones ambientales, el establecimiento de un sistema de compatibilidad, y el dinamismo del polen. Las diferencias en la composición alergénica de los cultivares, particularmente en cuanto al alérgeno Ole e 1, son responsables de las importantes diferencias en la potencia alergénica de los extractos. Estos hallazgos pueden tener numerosas implicaciones en la diagnosis y terapia de la alergia al polen del olivo. Discutimos cómo las diferencias entre cultivares afectan a la calidad del polen, a la efi cacia y seguridad del diagnóstico y la terapia, así como al desarrollo de nuevas vacunas basadas en el uso de alérgenos recombinantes

Pollen Allergenicity is Highly Dependent on the Plant Genetic Background: The “Variety”/“Cultivar” Issues

This work was funded by ERDF (co)-financed projects P2010-CVI5767, P2010-AGR6274, BFU2011-22779, P2011-CVI-7487 and PEOPLE-IOF/1526.Peer reviewe