Interaction between Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterial peroxidase and its electron donor, the lipid-modified azurin

cofinanced by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728).The Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase plays a key role in detoxifying the cells from H2O2 by reducing it to water using the lipid-modified azurin, LAz, a small type 1 copper protein, as electron donor. Here, the interaction between these two proteins was characterized by steady-state kinetics, two-dimensional NMR and molecular docking simulations. LAz is an efficient electron donor capable of activating this enzyme. This electron transfer complex is weak with a hydrophobic character, with LAz binding close to the electron transferring heme of the enzyme. The high catalytic rate (39 ± 0.03 s−1) is explained by the LAz pre-orientation, due to a positive dipole moment, and by the fast-dynamic ensemble of orientations, suggested by the small chemical shifts.publishersversionpublishe

YhjA - An Escherichia coli trihemic enzyme with quinol peroxidase activity

Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (Belspo) (grant to BD, IAP7/44, iPROS project). co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728).The trihemic bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase from Escherichia coli, YhjA, is a membrane-anchored protein with a C-terminal domain homologous to the classical bacterial peroxidases and an additional N-terminal (NT) heme binding domain. Recombinant YhjA is a 50 kDa monomer in solution with three c-type hemes covalently bound. Here is reported the first biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of YhjA and of the NT domain demonstrating that NT heme is His63/Met125 coordinated. The reduction potentials of P (active site), NT and E hemes were established to be −170 mV, +133 mV and +210 mV, respectively, at pH 7.5. YhjA has quinol peroxidase activity in vitro with optimum activity at pH 7.0 and millimolar range KM values using hydroquinone and menadiol (a menaquinol analogue) as electron donors (KM = 0.6 ± 0.2 and 1.8 ± 0.5 mM H2O2, respectively), with similar turnover numbers (kcat = 19 ± 2 and 13 ± 2 s−1, respectively). YhjA does not require reductive activation for maximum activity, in opposition to classical bacterial peroxidases, as P heme is always high-spin 6-coordinated with a water-derived molecule as distal axial ligand but shares the need for the presence of calcium ions in the kinetic assays. Formation of a ferryl Fe(IV) = O species was observed upon incubation of fully oxidized YhjA with H2O2. The data reported improve our understanding of the biochemical properties and catalytic mechanism of YhjA, a three-heme peroxidase that uses the quinol pool to defend the cells against hydrogen peroxide during transient exposure to oxygenated environments.publishersversionpublishe

Trehalose alleviates the phenotype of Machado–Joseph disease mouse models

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, is the most common of the dominantly inherited ataxias worldwide and is characterized by mutant ataxin-3 aggregation and neuronal degeneration. There is no treatment available to block or delay disease progression. In this work we investigated whether trehalose, a natural occurring disaccharide widely used in food and cosmetic industry, would rescue biochemical, behavioral and neuropathological features of an in vitro and of a severe MJD transgenic mouse model.This work was funded by BioBlast Pharma, the ERDF through the Regional Operational Program Center 2020, Competitiveness Factors Operational Program (COMPETE 2020) and National Funds through FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) - SFRH/BD/87404/2012, BrainHealth2020 projects (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000008), ViraVector (CENTRO-01-0145FEDER-022095), CortaCAGs (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016719), SpreadSilenc‑ing POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029716 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440, as well as the SynSpread, ESMI and ModelPolyQ under the EU Joint ProgramNeurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), the last two co-funded bythe European Union H2020 program, GA No. 643417; by National Ataxia Foundation (USA), the American Portuguese Biomedical Research Fund (APBRF) and the Richard Chin and Lily Lock Machado–Joseph Disease Research Fund.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bibliometric analysis of scientific research about sexuality and dementia in the elderly

Map global scientific research on sexuality and dementia in the elderly to understand the focus and the growth of the area during the past decades. An exploratory study, descriptive and bibliometric with academic works on the database ISI Web of Knowledge/Web of ScienceTM. The following descriptors were used: “elder*”, “dementia*” and “sexuality*” in the time-based scratch between 1945 and 2018. The data analysis was performed with the aid of the software HistCiteTM. After applied the filters of refinement, there were identified 79 articles, published in 45 different journals indexed in the database in reference, written by 157 authors linked to 96 research institutions located in 19 countries. To achieve these articles there were used 2,312 references with an average of approximately 32 references per article. The international scientific production about sexuality and dementia in the elderly is scarce, and highlights the need for more specific studies on the theme and its potential for exploitation in future studies

How parasitism genes are regulated: a motif to search for genes regulators in the plant parasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Plant-parasitic nematodes threaten global agricultural and forestry systems. The search for new control strategies in line with the EU’s sustainability goals highlight significant knowledge gaps. Like all other plant pathogens, plant-parasitic nematodes deliver several parasitism proteins (effectors) into the host plant to cause disease. NemaWAARS project focuses on mechanism(s) of regulation and gene control expression of parasitism genes in pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. From the previous transcriptomic data derived from the pharyngeal gland cells (considered a specialized tissue potentially related to parasitism) we have identified a non-coding DNA motif - STATAWAARS - associated in the promotor region of highly abundant and secreted expressed genes. Given that this non-coding genetic signature unifies many sequences of unrelated parasitism genes, it implies the existence of a potential major regulator(s), that binds to this sequence to control the expression of downstream genes. We hypothesize that by disrupting this regulator(s), it would be possible to simultaneously disrupt the expression of many associated parasitism-related genes. To test the hypothesis the project aims to identify proteins (or complex of proteins) that bind in the promoter regions of parasitism-related genes (in vivo) or identify other regulatory candidates for master regulators of parasitism-related genes expression that are enriched in the pharyngeal gland cell tissues. For the best candidate regulatory proteins, an RNAi approach will target the selected gene candidates and evaluate the regulatory role in effector genes expression and in interaction with the host (in planta). Under an ongoing national and international collaborative network, the strategy in NemaWAARS will include innovative approaches to explore the regulators that govern effector gene expression applied in B. xylophilus research

Time-Course of Changes in Physiological, Psychological and Performance markers Following a Functional-Fitness Competition

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(3): 904-918, 2019. Functional Fitness Training (FFT) programs are characterized by utilizing a high volume of training and using a variety of high intensity exercises. While FFT are growing in the number of practitioners and popularity, the relationship between physiological biomarkers and subjective scales in the specific context of FFT has not yet been evaluated in the literature. The purpose of the present study was to monitor the time-course response of cytokines (IL-10 and 1L-1b), immune variables (C-reactive protein -CRP and immunoglobulin A-IgA), hormonal milieu (cortisol-C, total testosterone-TT, free testosterone-FT and testosterone/cortisol-T/C ratio), creatine kinase-CK, muscle performance (countermovement jump height) and perceived well-being (WB) following a functional fitness competition. Nine amateur male athletes (age 27.1 ± 4.1 years; training experience 2.2 ± 1.3 years) completed five workouts over three consecutive days of FFT-competition. All variables were measured before, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h following the last day of competition. The FFT-competition induced a decrease in IL10/IL1bratio approximately 5% after 24h, 21% after 48h and 31% after 72h. Delta T/C ratio remained unchanged during the post-competition period. IgA displayed a significant increase 24h and 72h post FFT-competition. The WB status score was higher 72h after the FFT-competition as compared with pre-competition. The present findings suggest that FFT-competition induces transient changes in some inflammatory and hormonal biomarkers, and perceived well-being seems to be efficient to detect changes in muscle performance

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio