PCR: una nueva herramienta para el estudio de hongos ectomicorrícicos

PCR: a new tool for the study of ectomycorrhizal fungi. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a simple technique that allows the specific amplification of particular regions of the genome of living organisms to facilitate their study. In the last few years, this and other complementary techniques have opened the field of the molecular mycology, whose Applications in detection, identification and c1assification of fungi are increasing every day. In this article, the first of a series dealing with the Molecular Techniques that can be used in Mycology, we explain the basic principies of both the PCR and two other complementary techniques commonly used for the molecular analysis of the amplified regions: RFLPs (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms) and sequencing (determination ofthe primary structure ofthe nucleic acids).La PCR (reacción en cadena de la polimerasa) es una técnica sencilla que permite sacar copias (amplificar) de una determinada región del genoma de los seres vivos con el fin de facilitar su estudio. Esta y otras técnicas complementarias se han abierto, en los últimos años, al ámbito de la micología molecular, cuyas aplicaciones a nivel de detección, identificación y clasificación de hongos se incrementan día a día. En este primer artículo de una serie dedicada a las técnicas moleculares aplicables en Micología, se exponen los principios básicos, tanto de la PCR como de las otras dos técnicas complementarias que se utilizan habitualmente para el análisis molecular de las regiones amplificadas: los RFLPs (polimorfismos del tamaño de los fragmentos de restricción) y la secuenciación (determinación de la estructura primaria de los ácidos nucleicos)

A new assemblage of late Neanderthal remains from Cova Simanya (NE Iberia)

This study presents an exceptional collection of 54 Late Pleistocene human remains that correspond to at least three Neanderthal individuals from Simanya Gran, the main gallery of Cova Simanya, located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The collection comprised 53 unpublished remains that were unearthed during the 1970s and an additional tooth discovered during 2021 excavations. The specimens represent an adult with a small stature, a periadolescent aged approximately 11.5 years, and an immature individual aged approximately 7.7 years, thus offering a more complete demographic perspective. The collection encompasses diverse anatomical parts including upper and lower dentition, mandible, vertebrae, and limb bones from both the upper and lower extremities. Attempts to extract aDNA were unsuccessful. Renewed archaeological investigations at Cova Simanya have facilitated the reevaluation of the original stratigraphic context of these remains, leading to the discovery of the additional tooth, aligning with the periadolescent individual. This assemblage is currently the most extensive Neanderthal collection from the northeastern Mediterranean Iberia, offering invaluable insights into the morphology and evolutionary trajectory of Late Pleistocene hominins. Hence, Simanya Neanderthals will enhance our understanding of Neanderthal demographics and evolution, paving the way for an in-depth examination of the morphological diversity and evolutionary context of Iberian Neanderthals.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the projects PID2021-122356NB-I00 (MNCN-CSIC, AR), PID2020-113960GB-I00 (UB, JF), PID2021-124590NB-I00 (MCNB, CL-F), PID2019-103987GB-C31 (IPHES-CERCA), and PID2021-126004NB-100 (IBE-UPF-CSIC, TM-B); the AGAUR through the research groups 2021 SGR 01237 (IPHES-CERCA, EA), 2021 SGR 00337 (UB, JF), and 2021 SGR 00177 (IBE-UPF-CSIC, TM-B); the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya through the project ARQ001SOL-172-2022; and the Diputació de Barcelona and the Fundación Palarq. MS was funded by the UAM Tomás y Valiente Program, JR by the European Union-Next Generation EU, Ministry of Universities and UA (MARSALAS21-22), and DL by the Xunta de Galicia Grant ED481B-2022-048. ST and TM-B received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant agreement no. 803147 RESOLUTION, https://site.unibo.it/resolution-erc/en (ST), and no. 864203 (TM-B)]. IPHES-CERCA received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX 2019-000945-M)

A new assemblage of late Neanderthal remains from Cova Simanya (NE Iberia)

This study presents an exceptional collection of 54 Late Pleistocene human remains that correspond to at least three Neanderthal individuals from Simanya Gran, the main gallery of Cova Simanya, located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The collection comprised 53 unpublished remains that were unearthed during the 1970s and an additional tooth discovered during 2021 excavations. The specimens represent an adult with a small stature, a periadolescent aged approximately 11.5 years, and an immature individual aged approximately 7.7 years, thus offering a more complete demographic perspective. The collection encompasses diverse anatomical parts including upper and lower dentition, mandible, vertebrae, and limb bones from both the upper and lower extremities. Attempts to extract aDNA were unsuccessful. Renewed archaeological investigations at Cova Simanya have facilitated the reevaluation of the original stratigraphic context of these remains, leading to the discovery of the additional tooth, aligning with the periadolescent individual. This assemblage is currently the most extensive Neanderthal collection from the northeastern Mediterranean Iberia, offering invaluable insights into the morphology and evolutionary trajectory of Late Pleistocene hominins. Hence, Simanya Neanderthals will enhance our understanding of Neanderthal demographics and evolution, paving the way for an in-depth examination of the morphological diversity and evolutionary context of Iberian Neanderthals

Pulmonary Abnormalities in Mice with Paracoccidioidomycosis: A Sequential Study Comparing High Resolution Computed Tomography and Pathologic Findings

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a fungal infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. It occurs preferentially in rural workers in whom the disease is severe and may cause incapacitating pulmonary sequelae. Assessment of disease progression and treatment outcome normally includes chest x-rays or CT studies. Existing experimental PCM models have focused on several aspects, but none has done a radiologic or image follow-up evaluation of pulmonary lesions considered as the fungus primary target. In this study, the lungs of mice infected with fungal conidia were studied sequentially during the chronic stage of their experimental mycosis by noninvasive high resolution medical computed tomography, and at time of sacrifice, also by histopathology to characterize pulmonary abnormalities. Three basic lung lesion patterns were revealed by both techniques: nodular-diffuse, confluent and pseudo-tumoral which were located mainly around the hilus thus accurately reflecting the situation in human patients. The experimental design of this study decreases the need to sacrifice a large number of animals, and serves to monitor treatment efficacy by means of a more rational approach to the study of human pulmonary diseases. The findings we are reporting open new avenues for experimental research, increase our understanding of the mycosis pathogenesis and consequently have repercussions in patients' care

Gestión del conocimiento: perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 12

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 12, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro cuenta con el apoyo de los grupos de investigación: Universidad Sur del Lago “Jesús María Semprúm” (UNESUR), Zulia – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Falcón Alonso Gamero (UPTAG), Falcón – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Mérida Kleber Ramírez (UPTM), Mérida – Venezuela; Universidad Guanajuato (UG) - Campus Celaya - Salvatierra - Cuerpo Académico de Biodesarrollo y Bioeconomía en las Organizaciones y Políticas Públicas (C.A.B.B.O.P.P), Guanajuato – México; Centro de Altos Estudios de Venezuela (CEALEVE), Zulia – Venezuela, Centro Integral de Formación Educativa Especializada del Sur (CIFE - SUR) - Zulia - Venezuela, Centro de Investigaciones Internacionales SAS (CIN), Antioquia - Colombia.y diferentes grupos de investigación del ámbito nacional e internacional que hoy se unen para estrechar vínculos investigativos, para que sus aportes científicos formen parte de los libros que se publiquen en formatos digital e impreso

A new adaptation strategy to glucose starvation: modulation of the gluconate shunt and pentose phosphate pathway by the transcriptional repressor Rsv1

Survival upon glucose starvation requires a delicate balance between different metabolic pathways. A recent work by the Roe laboratory provides a mechanistic link between glucose deprivation and the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway, with the transcriptional repressor Rsv1 playing a key role in the process. Rsv1 regulates the flow of glucose into its possible metabolic fates and promotes long-term survival under low glucose.This work is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain), PLAN E, and FEDER (PGC2018-093920-B-I00) to EH. The Oxida-tive Stress and Cell Cycle group is also supported by Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) (2017-SGR-539) and by Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu from MINECO (Spain) (MDM-2014-0370). EH is recipientof an ICREA Academia Award (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain

Proteomic characterization of reversible thiol oxidations in proteomes and proteins

SIGNIFICANCE: Reactive oxygen species are produced during normal metabolism in cells, and their excesses have been implicated in protein damage and toxicity, as well as in the activation of signaling events. In particular, hydrogen peroxide participates in the regulation of different physiological processes as well as in the induction of antioxidant cascades, and often the redox molecular events triggering these pathways are based on reversible cysteine (Cys) oxidation. Recent Advances: Increases in peroxides can cause the accumulation of reversible Cys oxidations in proteomes, which may be either protecting thiols from irreversible oxidations or may just be reporters of future toxicity. It is also becoming clear, however, that only a few proteins, such as the bacterial OxyR or peroxidases, can suffer direct oxidation of their Cys residues by hydrogen peroxide and, therefore, may be the only true sensors initiating signaling events. CRITICAL ISSUES: We will in this study describe some of the methodologies used to characterize at the proteome level reversible thiol oxidations, specifically those combining gel-free approaches with mass spectrometry. In the second part of this review, we will summarize some of the electrophoretic and proteomic techniques used to monitor Cys oxidation at the protein level, needed to confirm that a protein contains redox Cys involved in signaling relays, using as examples some of the best characterized redox sensors such as bacterial OxyR or yeast Tpx1/Pap1. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: While Cys oxidations are often detected in proteomes and in specific proteins, major efforts have to be made to establish that they are physiologically relevant. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 26, 329-344This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (BFU2015-68350-P, MINECO/FEDER, UE), and by 2014-SGR-154 from Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) to E.H. A.D. is recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain). E.H. is recipient of an ICREA Academia Award (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain

Spatial sequestration of misfolded proteins as an active chaperone-mediated process during heat stress

Data de publicació electrónica: 01-01-2021Under thermal stress, different protein quality control (PQC) strategies are activated to maintain an intact proteome, which may vary from one model system to another. Hence thermo-sensitive proteins that lose their active conformation might be refolded with the aid of chaperones or removed by the ubiquitin-proteasome system or the process of autophagy. We have recently developed thermo-sensitive reporters to study PQC in fission yeast and shown the relevance of a third adaptation strategy: the sequestration of misfolded proteins into inclusions which will prevent a rapid degradation and allow the refolding once stress ends. These protein inclusions, protein aggregate centers (PACs), contain a broad spectrum of misfolding/aggregation-prone proteins and chaperones involved in their assembly or dissolution. The chaperone couple Mas5/Ssa2 plays a crucial role in PAC formation, whereas the Hsp104 chaperone promotes their disassembly. The absence of aggregates observed in cells lacking Mas5 could be also explained by the activation of the transcription factor Hsf1 and the induction of chaperone genes, we have excluded this possibility here demonstrating that increased Hsf1 activity and the subsequent overexpression of chaperones do not prevent the assembly of protein aggregates. Protein deposition at certain locations also constitutes a tactic to inactivate proteins temporally. This is the case of Pyp1, the main phosphatase of the stress response kinase Sty1. Upon stress imposition, misfolded Pyp1 is sequestered into cytosolic protein foci while active Sty1 at the nucleus switches on the transcriptional response. In conclusion, we propose that the assembly of aggregation-like foci, PACs in fission yeast, is a crucial PQC strategy during heat stress, and that the Hsp40 chaperone Mas5 is required for PAC assembly and connects physiological and heat-shock triggered PQC.This work is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain), PLAN E and FEDER (BFU2016-75116-P to M.C. and PGC2018-093920-B-I00 to E.H.). The Oxidative Stress and Cell Cycle group is also supported by Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) (2017-SGR-539) and by Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu, funded by the AEI (CEX2018-000792-M) (Spain). M.C. is funded by the Ramon y Cajal program (MINECO-RYC2013-12858). E.H. is recipient of an ICREA Academia Award (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain)

A new adaptation strategy to glucose starvation: modulation of the gluconate shunt and pentose phosphate pathway by the transcriptional repressor Rsv1

Survival upon glucose starvation requires a delicate balance between different metabolic pathways. A recent work by the Roe laboratory provides a mechanistic link between glucose deprivation and the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway, with the transcriptional repressor Rsv1 playing a key role in the process. Rsv1 regulates the flow of glucose into its possible metabolic fates and promotes long-term survival under low glucose.This work is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain), PLAN E, and FEDER (PGC2018-093920-B-I00) to EH. The Oxida-tive Stress and Cell Cycle group is also supported by Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) (2017-SGR-539) and by Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu from MINECO (Spain) (MDM-2014-0370). EH is recipientof an ICREA Academia Award (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain