Cytoplasmic- and extracellular-proteome analysis of Diplodia seriata: a phytopathogenic fungus involved in grapevine decline

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The phytopathogenic fungus <it>Diplodia seriata</it>, whose genome remains unsequenced, produces severe infections in fruit trees (fruit blight) and grapevines. In this crop is recognized as one of the most prominent pathogens involved in grapevine trunk disease (or grapevine decline). This pathology can result in the death of adult plants and therefore it produces severe economical losses all around the world. To date no genes or proteins have been characterized in <it>D. seriata </it>that are involved in the pathogenicity process. In an effort to help identify potential gene products associated with pathogenicity and to gain a better understanding of the biology of <it>D. seriata</it>, we initiated a proteome-level study of the fungal mycelia and secretome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Intracellular and secreted proteins from <it>D. seriata </it>collected from liquid cultures were separated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. About 550 cytoplasmic proteins were reproducibly present in 3 independent extractions, being 53 identified by peptide mass fingerprinting and tandem mass spectrometry. The secretome analysis showed 75 secreted proteins reproducibly present in 3 biological replicates, being 16 identified. Several of the proteins had been previously identified as virulence factors in other fungal strains, although their contribution to pathogenicity in <it>D. seriata </it>remained to be analyzed. When <it>D. seriata </it>was grown in a medium supplemented with carboxymethylcellulose, 3 proteins were up-regulated and 30 down-regulated. Within the up-regulated proteins, two were identified as alcohol dehydrogenase and mitochondrial peroxyrredoxin-1, suggesting that they could play a significant role in the pathogenicity process. As for the 30 down-regulated proteins, 9 were identified being several of them involved in carbohydrate metabolism.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study is the first report on proteomics on <it>D. seriata</it>. The proteomic data obtained will be important to understand the pathogenicity process. In fact, several of the identified proteins have been reported as pathogenicity factors in other phytopathogenic fungi. Moreover, this proteomic analysis supposes a useful basis for deepening into <it>D. seriata </it>knowledge and will contribute to the development of the molecular biology of this fungal strain as it has been demonstrated by cloning the gene <it>Prx</it>1 encoding mitochondrial peroxiredoxin-1 of <it>D. seriata </it>(the first gene to be cloned in this microorganism; data not shown).</p

Dynamical Bonding Driving Mixed Valency in a Metal Boride

Samarium hexaboride is an anomaly, having many exotic and seemingly mutually incompatible properties. It was proposed to be a mixed-valent semiconductor, and later - a topological Kondo insulator, and yet has a Fermi surface despite being an insulator. We propose a new and unified understanding of SmB$_6$ centered on the hitherto unrecognized dynamical bonding effect: the coexistence of two Sm-B bonding modes within SmB$_6$, corresponding to different oxidation states of the Sm. The mixed valency arises in SmB$_6$ from thermal population of these distinct minima enabled by motion of B. Our model simultaneously explains the thermal valence fluctuations, appearance of magnetic Fermi surface, excess entropy at low temperatures, pressure-induced phase transitions, and related features in Raman spectra and their unexpected dependence on temperature and boron isotope

BESDUI: A Benchmark for End-User Structured Data User Interfaces

The Semantic Web Community has invested significant research efforts in developing systems for Semantic Web search and exploration. But while it has been easy to assess the systems’ computational efficiency, it has been much harder to assess how well different semantic systems’ user interfaces help their users. In this article, we propose and demonstrate the use of a benchmark for evaluating such user interfaces, similar to the TREC benchmark for evaluating traditional search engines. Our benchmark includes a set of typical user tasks and a well-defined procedure for assigning a measure of performance on those tasks to a semantic system. We demonstrate its application to two such system, Virtuoso and Rhizomer. We intend for this work to initiate a community conversation that will lead to a generally accepted framework for comparing systems and for measuring, and thus encouraging, progress towards better semantic search and exploration tools

Editorial on "Multiplex networks: Structure, dynamics and applications"

There is a wide range of systems in the real world where components cannot function independently, so that these components interact with others through different channels of connectivity and dependencies. Complex Networks theory is, in fact, the formal tool for describing and analyzing fields as disparate as sociology (social networks, acquaintances or collaborations between individuals), biology (metabolic and protein networks, neural networks) or technology (phone call networks, computers in telecommunication networks

Towards the removal of antibiotics detected in wastewaters in the POCTEFA territory: Occurrence and TiO2 photocatalytic pilot-scale plant performance

This research aims to assess the presence of four antibiotic compounds detected in the influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the POCTEFA territory (north of Spain and south of France) during the period of 2018-2019, and to relate the removal of antibiotic compounds with the processes used in the WWTPs. The performance of a photocatalytic TiO2/UV-VIS pilot-scale plant was then evaluated for the degradation of selected antibiotics previously detected in urban treated effluent. The main results reflect that azithromycin had the highest mass loadings (11.3 g/day per 1000 inhabitants) in the influent of one of the selected WWTPs. The results also show considerable differences in the extent of antibiotics removal in WWTPs ranging from 100% for sulfadiazine to practically 0% for trimethoprim. Finally, the photocatalytic TiO2/UV-VIS pilot-scale plant achieved the removal of the four antibiotics after 240 min of treatment from 78%-80% for trimethoprim and enrofloxacin, up to 100% for amoxicillin, sulfadiazine and azithromycin. The catalyst recovery via mechanical coagulation-flocculation-decantation was almost total. The Ti concentration in the effluent of the TiO2/UV-VIS pilot-scale plant was lower than 0.1% (w/w), and its release into the environment was subsequently minimized

Conformación de clúster de turismo como prueba piloto en el municipio de Nahuizalco

La conformación de un clúster turístico tiene como finalidad visible el agrupar un determinado sector de empresas que desarrollen un mercado turístico. En ese sentido, dichas empresas contribuirán a lograr una participación directa en el desarrollo de los mercados laborales, en la creación de instituciones e infraestructura especializada y en el incremento de los flujos de información, en donde el mayor intercambio de esta última genera el marco propicio para la innovación, la movilidad laboral y el enlace entre proveedores, productores y consumidores. Las empresas formantes del clúster cooperan para mejorar su competitividad, para alcanzar objetivos comunes y así fortalecer las economías de los lugares en desarrollo. En los últimos años del presente siglo, el tema de los clúster ha empezado a escucharse con más frecuencia y cada vez más fuerte, siendo esta una forma de explicar la ventaja competitiva que se adquiere por medio de la localización y el signo de cómo las comunidades o regiones pueden alcanzar mayores niveles de crecimiento y desarrollo económico, en función del aprovechamiento de los mercados.La presente investigación fue subvencionada por la Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador. Las solicitudes de información, separatas y otros documentos relativos al presente estudio pueden hacerse a la dirección postal: calle Arce, 1020, Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador, Facultad de Ciencias Empresarial o Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Dirección de Investigaciones calle Arce y 17ª avenida Norte, edificio José Martí, 2ª planta, o al correo electrónico: [email protected] Tecnológica de El Salvado

Biosynthesis of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Octopus vulgaris: Molecular Cloning and Functional Characterisation of a Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase and an Elongation of Very Long-Chain Fatty Acid 4 Protein

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been acknowledged as essential nutrients for cephalopods but the specific PUFAs that satisfy the physiological requirements are unknown. To expand our previous investigations on characterisation of desaturases and elongases involved in the biosynthesis of PUFAs and hence determine the dietary PUFA requirements in cephalopods, this study aimed to investigate the roles that a stearoyl-CoA desaturase (Scd) and an elongation of very long-chain fatty acid 4 (Elovl4) protein play in the biosynthesis of essential fatty acids (FAs). Our results confirmed the Octopus vulgaris Scd is a D9 desaturase with relatively high affinity towards saturated FAs with C18 chain lengths. Scd was unable to desaturate 20:1n-15 (D520:1) suggesting that its role in the biosynthesis of non-methylene interrupted FAs (NMI FAs) is limited to the introduction of the first unsaturation at D9 position. Interestingly, the previously characterised D5 fatty acyl desaturase was indeed able to convert 20:1n-9 (D1120:1) to D5,1120:2, an NMI FA previously detected in octopus nephridium. Additionally, Elovl4 was able to mediate the production of 24:5n-3 and thus can contribute to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) biosynthesis through the Sprecher pathway. Moreover, the octopus Elovl4 was confirmed to play a key role in the biosynthesis of very long-chain (&gt;C24) PUFAs

Activación de las calpaínas en la glándula mamaria tras el destete: identificación mediante Proteómica de nuevas dianas

Comunicaciones a congreso

Calpains, the proteases of two faces controlling the epithelial homeostasis in mammary gland

Calpain-1 and calpain-2 are calcium-dependent Cys-proteases ubiquitously expressed in mammalian tissues with a processive, rather than degradative activity. They are crucial for physiological mammary gland homeostasis as well as for breast cancer progression. A growing number of evidences indicate that their pleiotropic functions depend on the cell type, tissue and biological context where they are expressed or dysregulated. This review considers these standpoints to cover the paradoxical role of calpain-1 and -2 in the mammary tissue either, under the physiological conditions of the postlactational mammary gland regression or the pathological context of breast cancer. The role of both calpains will be examined and discussed in both conditions, followed by a brief snapshot on the present and future challenges for calpains, the two-gateway proteases towards tissue homeostasis or tumor development